The Shadows- Fire's Hope

by E Kathryn

  Sil wasn’t allowed to bring Winter inside, and she could tell it frustrated him, especially today because he had no desire to get out of bed.

  He was in a mountain of pain. She could see it on his face when she returned to the room. He was awake, but had done his best to sleep in through the clamor of Shadows. He took no notice of her when she entered, focusing on his hand project and weathering the pain with restricted movements. She floated gracefully across the room to Sil’s bed and extended a hand to gather his attention. “Here.”

  In her palm, he scrutinized a pair of red capsules, and took them but didn’t fully trust them. “You stole those, didn’t you?”

  Emilie wrinkled her nose with a roguish grin. “It’s just ibuprofen. It’ll help.”

  Heaving a sigh, Sil set aside his hand project and reached over his shoulder towards his bedside table for the icy glass of water placed there. He winced at the motion, unable to twist that far so Emilie hastily grabbed it for him. He didn’t even offer a thank you or an acknowledgement that she had helped him, coldly taking the medicine as his only gratitude.

  “Has he gotten killed out there yet?” Sil asked, sinking back into his bed and heaving a slow breath. His right cheek felt like it was on fire still, and even holding his own ice to the burn didn’t help much. Even now, the fire burned inside him. The burn would be with him for years if it even vanished at all.

  Rising, Emilie placed herself upon Sil’s bed, which she knew irritated him. “Shot at, run over, and knocked to the ground, but not dead yet.” She chuckled.

  Sil didn’t react, the scowl still upon his lips. “What do you think of him?” he asked, breaking a silence between them.

  Intrigued, she sat up and crossed her knees beneath her, excited and devious. “Apparently…” she murmured flirtatiously, “he’s my cousin.” Her eyes became tender. “His short comings are obvious, but he’s more powerful in the Realm than he knows.”

  Sil nodded thoughtfully. “What do you sense in the Realm?”

  Shaking her head, Emilie grimaced. “A lot of things,” she stated. “Shadow Fire is unrefined, but he’s got good instincts. He’s a little slow, but that’ll change.” She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms. “He has no clue what he has coming to him. Defiance of the ASH, Fire, Mind Control, maybe even Hope,” she added.

  Sil tensed and looked directly at Emilie with a cold golden glare. “What did you just say?”

  Emilie smirked and flared her lightning green eyes back at Sil. “You heard me right. I think he’s Shadow Hope!”

  Shaking his head dismissively, Sil scoffed. “He can’t be.”

  Smiling ear-to-ear, Emilie taunted him. “Are you rejecting it because you know he’s more powerful than you?”

  Sil recoiled and leaned back on his bed. “More powerful, yes, more refined, definitely not. He’s already screwed up, but he’s got a lot more mistakes ahead of him.”

  Emilie hummed at this pleasantly. “Honestly, I think your Shadow is more powerful than his, even if he has more than one.”

  Eyeing her, Sil adopted a tone of mockery. “Is it flattery now?” he mused without a smile. “I liked it better when you pinned me down for attacking you.”

  Giggling, Emilie pulled up her legs to her lap, floating off the bed a little. “I was never afraid of you, and physically, I am a lot stronger than you or Mark.”

  A smile touched Sil’s lips. “I’m impressed…” he murmured, brutal sarcasm in his tone. “I thought you could just manipulate gravity so that we weigh nothing.” The smile didn’t leave his face as he sat up and placed himself next to Emilie on the bed. “I have to admit, you’re more persistent than most Shadows,” he said.

  Emilie grinned. “It is flattery now!” she responded in the tone of mockery. “Silverstonarellena…” she whispered pronouncing the word like a song. “You’re more than you seem. More caring, more dedicated, more fastidious than all the others.”

  Sil’s grin grew a little, and hesitantly he laid a hand on Emilie’s knee. “You need to get out of the ASH, you, of all Shadows. You, are meant for the outside world because you’re already freer than the rest of us.” To exemplify this, he pushed her off the bed with his other arm, and she floated without gravity out into the air.

  Abruptly the elevator doors opened and many of the Shadows entered into the cool air after having been active outside. Sil laid back on his bed, and Emilie floated around the room like they had never spoken to each other. With quiet disinterest in the other Shadows, Sil picked up his hand project and continued, focusing on each heavy stitch in the leather and excluding all else.

  “I don’t want to do this…” Mark insisted pointlessly.

  Kip shook it off, ignoring him. “Mark, it will be fine. If anything, Kimberly will give you something for the pain.”

  Mark grimaced. He didn’t want Kimberly staring at him like he was the devil or something. He got jitters just thinking about how she glared at him with that disturbed expression. But he succumbed and followed into the infirmary where Kip heralded Kimberly. It seemed at first sight that she had been expecting someone to be injured from outside and the only start she got was that it was Mark.

  Kimberly’s eyes scrutinized Mark. “What’s wrong?”

  Mark stared about the cozy room utterly distracted until she came to him and he gulped. Fighting off a horrid sense of déjà vu, he thought this place was familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint a time when he had been here before. He couldn’t meet eyes with her and found himself looking at the floor. “My back hurts.”

  Kimberly offered him a smile that was priceless. “Would you like to sit down?”

  Mark nodded and with Kimberly’s gestures he took the seat in a rather comfortable chair between the two beds.

  Kimberly leaned against the table-like bed. “You can go, Kip.” She dismissed him. Mark wanted Kip to stay but he couldn’t bring himself to say it with Kimberly gazing at him.

  “Want to tell me about it?” she asked.

  Mark focused more on the coarse gray carpet, ignoring all else. Now that he was sitting and not moving, the pain subsided. “I have a weak back,” he murmured. “I’ve never been able to be very active because of it. The Shadows got me to race.”

  Kimberly smiled endearingly. “Did Kip overreact and make you come here?”

  Mark produced a nod.

  She beamed now, showing her teeth. “Kip does that. He overreacts to every little thing. It’s quite funny. He’s always been like that.”

  Mark noted how she twirled one of the loose curls in her ponytail, awkwardly fiddling as she spoke of Kip. “I’m really surprised you two have hit it off so well. It makes me so happy to see Kip has friends,” she explained but not without a hint of affection for Kip.

  Nodding in a slow motion, Kimberly finally gestured him to stand. “I have no diagnosis for Shadows. So, it’s probably exactly what you say it is. So, I diagnose you fell,” she mused slightly.

  Mark had fallen thrice now, on Sil, through the shield in the room, and today not twenty minutes ago when Mickey pranked him. Mark lost eye contact with her and sighed heavily. “I have,” were the only words he could get out.

  Kindly, Kimberly sat on the raised bed. “If you want, I can give you something for the pain.”

  Grimacing, Mark lost himself in the carpet again, unable to look at Kimberly. “Uh… I think I just need to rest,” he muttered. He wasn’t ever getting out of here, as far as the ASH was concerned, and unless he could refine his power, which Mark determined to be impossible, he would need a miracle before he left the perimeter of the shield.

  Kip trembled, completely unsure how to feel about Mark. He was different for sure, but to have multiple Shadows wasn’t something Kip had ever seen before.

  Keller sat across from him in a lounge chair comfortably. “You make it sound like you think you have two Shadows, when you’re talking about Mark, am I correct?”

  Kip tensed but nodded bitterly.

  Keller br
ought a hand to his chin, inhaling forcibly. “It’s not only possible, Kip, but it’s actually rather common,” he explained in an understanding tone.

  Curiously, Kip’s interest piqued.

  “However, the ASH’s environment somewhat restricts Shadows from gaining multiple powers. It’s one of the major side effects of the ASI.”

  Contemplating, Kip listened intently. “Are there any other Shadows you know with multiple powers?” he asked.

  Keller grinned with a dimple. “Before the ASH, I knew several, but there were much fewer Shadows back then, and it was difficult for them to find each other. That’s why the ASH exists, to bring you all together,” he explained somewhat beside the point.

  Accepting it, Kip nodded. He had heard that a million times, but nothing excused that this place was a prison. “How come Mark has two Shadows?” he asked, unable to explain it for himself. He knew so little about the outside world for its culture. He had read all about the world, but what Mark had lived through was completely foreign to him.

  Keller sighed and gazed out the windows behind Kip. “Mark lived outside of the ASH’s environment. It’s possible he gained the Shadow on accident, and because he could never use his powers before now, he never knew. Or he gained it soon after he learned of his powers, possibly on the same day.” Keller laid a hand on Kip’s shoulder. “At this point, Mark and his powers are still a mystery to us, but if you could learn his Shadows and keep me informed, it would be very useful, Kip.”

  He fought himself from meeting eyes with Keller. He knew Mark could pass through the shield, but if Keller found out about that, they might not ever get out. “Um…” Kip stammered, “y-you know that Orchestrator that spawned in this generation?” he wondered tepidly. Keller took his hand off Kip’s shoulder and nodded. Kip swallowed past the lump in his throat. “What if Mark is that Shadow? What if he’s the Shadow who is able to use despair and hopelessness… to free us…”

  Keller eyed Kip and raised a brow, a bit curious, “Shadow Hope?” he confirmed. Kip nodded. Keller merely shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s a farfetched guess, and it’s very unlikely, but if he is, it might be time for the Shadows to leave this place,” he murmured.

  Kip’s spine stiffened, and his hopes rose.

  Keller saw it and smiled. “But until you or I can confirm that Mark is Shadow Hope, I don’t want you getting any ideas,” he mused.

  Honestly, Kip felt comfortable around Keller. He was an odd man, short yes, but for someone who forced the Shadows to stay here, he was kind to them and readily helped them with their problems. Keller placed his hand on Kip’s wrist as he spoke again. “Did you know… that even though it’s common for Shadows to gain multiple powers, it is impossible for you to have been born with two Shadows?”

  Kip shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

  Keller nodded. “No one has ever been able to understand why. Even Shadows with more than five powers were born with just one to start with,” he explained and stood to lead Kip back down the hall.

  Kip got up and followed along the long, curved corridor of the hallway back to see how Mark was since he left him. Now uneasy, Kip clasped his hands together. “Mr. Keller…” he said, “I hope Mark is the Shadow Hope. I’d love to see what the outside world is like, just for one day if I could.”

  “You hope?” Keller joked, but Kip’s wish saddened him.

  Kip stopped in his tracks abruptly and a hand drifted over his heart. “Mark?” he wondered aloud. Keller put his hand on Kip’s shoulder, concerned. Kip’s eyes were wide. “I just heard Mark in the Realm, but I’m not in the Realm. I shouldn’t be able to hear him.” Looking onward, Mark left the infirmary and immediately looked in the direction Kip stood. Kip hurried to him. “Did you just use the Realm—”

  “—to locate you?” Mark cut him off. “I think I did… I suppose I’m getting the hang of the Realm-thing,” he guessed.

  Kip’s eyebrows drew together. “Mark, no one can use the Realm like that,” he insisted. “How did you do that?”

  Mark shrugged, mildly stunned. “I don’t know. I entered the Realm for a second. I could see all the Shadows around me in the Realm, and that was it.”

  Putting his palm to his face, Kip grimaced. Mark’s power and the vastness of it increased every minute. Keller helped hide Kip’s mild frustration, and his smile brightened. “Why don’t you boys come with me?”

  Hesitantly, the two followed Keller back to the reception area.

  “Mark, you’ve likely been able to use the Realm from a very young age, like all Shadows, but until recently, you’ve never actually entered it and turned invisible. Most of the Shadows learn how to do that together because the purpose of invisibility like this is not to hide, but rather, to share an intimate bond with the Shadows nearest to you,” Keller explained in a clear voice as he led them back down the hall. “It is a gift of unity.” Keller knew an abundance about the Shadows and it was evident he had amassed this knowledge over many years. If anyone was cut out for this work, while not being one of the Shadows, it was Keller.

  At this point, Mark could see the entirety of the ASH’s property for himself and awed at how large it was. On the second floor was a balcony that cut off and the ceiling was two stories above them. There was a large, round check-in desk which seemed to be there for another purpose unrelated to Shadows.

  There was a waiting area and seating, and to the far corner toward the doors leading out, which were normally locked, there was a dimly lit hallway. With the lights off, Mark couldn’t see farther into the room ahead. Keller took them into the corner room and hit a light before inviting the two boys inside.

  As Mark and Kip stepped inside, they learned it was a coffee room. Mark tried to keep his nose from wrinkling up as the pungent smell of coffee strongly enveloped the room. His mother drank coffee, but he rather disliked the smell and the taste.

  Keller entered behind them and gestured to the large chairs around a low coffee table. “Thirsty?” he asked.

  Immediately, Kip’s face shirked. “I don’t like coffee,” he replied.

  “Me neither.” Mark found himself relieved that since Kip felt the same way as him, he could also admit he didn’t like it.

  Keller laughed at the both of them, amused. “I can easily prepare something else.” Kip and Mark glanced at each other apprehensively, unsure what to expect whether hot, cold, soft, or hard. It didn’t take long for Keller to set two steaming mugs in front of the boys.

  Mark gazed into the mug seeing an opaque light brown liquid that looked mysteriously like coffee, however, it didn’t smell like coffee. He drew his eyebrows together and looked at Keller skeptically.

  Keller merely chuckled at him. “It’s not coffee,” he assured. “It’s just tea with milk.”

  Mark looked to Kip seeing he had about the same expression toward the coffee-looking-tea. Hesitantly, Mark lifted the hot mug, using his Shadow to embrace the searing temperature. Daring himself, he tasted it.

  At first, he was surprised that he hadn’t at least jumped from the incredible temperature of the boiling water, but he could only think about what he had sipped. Finding he enjoyed the sweet, robust flavor, he began drinking it eagerly, wanting to drink it all at the temperature it was.

  Kip gazed at Mark slightly confused, but likewise cautiously, he sipped the tea and found in the same way as Mark that the taste was delicate.

  Keller sat with them smiling and looking between the two. Keller had prepared himself a coffee, and the smell was very prominent to Mark as Keller sipped it more leisurely. Keller probably couldn’t take the extreme heat like he could, and thus he drank slower.

  Kip’s curls frayed about his cheeks and he fought them to stay out of his face. His eyes flared to nearly white from yellow every time he took a sip of the tea. Mark on the other hand simply sat back and sank into the mug.

  “Two Shadows of Fire…” Keller muttered. At this point, both of them met his eyes, and Keller could merely blush. “Y
ou two are friends? I can’t think of a better combination.”

  Mark and Kip glanced at each other again as Keller spoke. He turned his attention to Mark in a firm though kind voice. “Do you know your powers are a lot stronger than many of the other Shadows here, Mark?”

  Hesitantly, Mark thought to deny it. He certainly couldn’t agree. He had only been a Shadow for a day now.

  Keller’s eyes twinkled, apparently seeing his apprehension. “However, with that power, it is also more dangerous.”

  Studying the floor, Mark gulped.

  Kip’s back stiffened and at Keller’s prompt, he inhaled sharply, garnering Mark’s attention. “Earlier today when you used that mind control Shadow, I theorized that you have a second Shadow.” Kip paused, hesitating when Mark searched his face for his motives in telling him this.

  His eyes grew tender and his hands cupped the warm ceramic mug. “I’ve never seen another Shadow with two powers like you, but Mr. Keller says it’s common for Shadows outside the ASH… I’m just lost, I guess…” he whispered.

  Mark set his mug on the table. “I am too, Kip,” he murmured. “But I think all I need is practice, and I can make this work. I’ll figure out how to use my Shadow. I know I can do this. It gets easier each time.” Before Keller, Mark was afraid to say it, but through the Realm he sent his thoughts to Kip, expressing how much he wanted to help the Shadows escape.

  Kip started as he heard it, and shocked, he looked to Keller.

  Keller tried to empathize with Mark with a gruff assurance. “It takes time.”

  “I don’t care!” Mark raised his voice, bringing his hand down on the table. He didn’t strike it very harshly, but suddenly his hand combusted on the table, and abruptly Mark jumped up and got away, startled. Regretting the action, Mark fell silent and extinguished his own flames.