All Things in the Shadows

by B. D. Messick

  “What day is it?”

  “Thursday,” she says, taking a hold of my hand.

  “Thursday? What ... wha ...” I mutter quietly.

  “Don't worry about it,” Kateri says, with a small, kind smile.

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

  “What should I do?” I ask, searching for anything to help me get a grip on what's happening. My world seems out of control.

  Thank God for Kateri.

  “I think maybe something to eat and perhaps a shower might be a good start,” she says with a little grin. “You think you want to do that?”

  I immediately realize how hungry I am, although I'm not sure if I could keep anything down, but I nod slowly. Kateri climbs out of bed, turns and offers me her hand. I take it and she helps me down. My legs feel weak as she walks with me to the bathroom door. Inside, floor to ceiling grey and white tile decorate the glassed-in stall and adjacent tub, while a small white pedestal sink and toilet occupy the remainder of the room. A narrow two-door cupboard is tucked in the corner behind the door. Kateri moves past me and turns on the water, before stepping back.

  “Use whatever you need,” she says, nodding toward the little medicine cabinet above the sink. “There's towels in the cupboard.”

  “Thank you,” I say, quietly.

  She nods and flashes a weak smile.

  “I'll wait for you outside,” she says, before turning to leave.

  “Can you stay in here? I ... I don't want you to leave.”

  “Okay, sure.”

  She lowers the toilet lid and sits down as I begin undressing. I know she's watching me, but I don't care, I need her to be here. I step into the shower and the warm water flows over my body, soothing my aching muscles. Fumbling for the soap, it slips out of my fingers and drops to the floor, and that's enough to tip me over the edge. The tears burst the dam, and I start to slide down the hard, tile wall. A second later, I feel Kateri wrap her arms around me and I collapse into her for the second time. We sit on the floor, the water flowing over both of us.

  I cry for my loss.

  She cries for my pain.

  A little while later, we're standing in the bedroom toweling off when Kateri walks over and opens the second drawer of her dresser.

  “I ... uh ... I brought some of your clothes over, in case you needed them,” she says.

  “Thanks.” I step over next to her.

  I pull out one of my red and black dragon t-shirts and a pair of red sweatpants. Kateri looks at me and smiles warmly.

  “I always liked that shirt on you.”

  “Thanks,” I say quietly.

  She grabs a blue t-shirt and black jeans out of the top drawer and slips them on. After we're both dressed, I step over to her and throw my arms around her neck, burying my face in her shoulder. The tears start again as she moves her hands slowly up and down my back. She says nothing. She just holds me.

  After a few minutes, I lift my head and she places the softest of kisses on my forehead. That tiny gesture seems to give me strength. I push back the tears and stand up straight, giving her a weak smile.

  “Hold on,” she says before walking over to her dresser and picking up a red baseball cap with some sort of Chinese character in black embroidered on the top.

  Coming around in front me again, she places the hat on my head, pulling my hair through the hole in the back. There's something comforting in her gentle touch, the way she looks at me, and the scent of her breath as it caresses my skin.

  “There,” she says, stepping back, “that's a little better.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You sure you're up for this? I can always go get something and bring it back.”

  “No,” I say, taking her hand. “I don't want to be alone.”

  The problem is, I am alone. I have no relatives. My mother's parents died when she was around twenty or so and she has no siblings, and there certainly aren't any grandparents on my father's side.

  “Okay,” she says, nodding at me. “Let's go.”

  I relax my fingers, intending to release her hand, but she tightens her grip. I look at her and she smiles.

  “Screw them if they don't like it,” she says.

  The door opens, and we walk out into the corridor. It's quiet and empty, for which I'm grateful. I'm not sure how many people know what happened, but the last thing I want is a bunch of strangers telling me how sorry they are. We walk to the elevator and press the panel. As we wait, Kateri squeezes my hand a few times and I lean into her in response, resting my head on her shoulder. The doors open with their customary hiss, and we step into the car. A few moments later, the doors open again, and Reeva is standing there staring at us, or at me to be more precise. I start to say something, but she pulls me into a hug, a powerful embrace that feels formed from a bond between two people who have suffered a similar loss.

  No words are exchanged. When she steps back, her eyes are watery, but she just nods at us and steps into the elevator as we step off. The doors close behind us.

  Kateri looks at me and smiles gently. “She's a good person.”

  “I can tell.”

  Just as we start down toward the library, I stop and pull on Kateri's arm.

  “How many people know?” I ask.

  She looks at me and sighs. “Pretty much everyone,” comes the reply I both expected and dreaded.

  I nod and sigh, trying to swallow my sorrow for the walk through the crowded rooms that lay ahead. I need to try and focus on wading through the thoughts that will crash upon me like a tsunami, but I don't think I can do it in my current condition.

  “Eve,” Kateri says. “Look at me.”

  I look over at her, a small, warm smile on her face.

  “Just ignore it. Concentrate on this,” she says, as she gently caresses my fingers.

  I nod and take a deep breath, before we step away from the elevator and stride into the library. Almost immediately, the first wave hits me, and I wince from the overload of tangled and intertwined thoughts. Slowly, I push some of them away and eventually they begin flowing around me.

  My God, that's her ... it's so sad.

  Should I say something? I guess not ... I don't even know her.

  Oh jeez, there she is.

  K ~ Just ignore them.

  E ~ I'm trying.

  She squeezes my fingers and the next thing I know, we're through the library and almost to the mess hall.

  “You sure about this?” Kateri asks, quietly.

  I nod. “I have to be, don't I?”

  “I guess.”

  “As long as you're with me, I'll be fine.”

  She smiles at me. “So, what do you want to get?”

  “I don't know, I don't really care,” I say, trying to stay positive, but it's a tough slough.

  “Okay. Why don't you sit here, and I'll go get something real quick,” Kateri says, a worried expression on her face.

  I nod as I take a seat at the end of one of the long, communal tables. Kateri gives my hand another quick squeeze before hurrying off toward the cafeteria style line at the far end of the hall. The room is almost empty. There are only a handful other Shayds scattered at the other tables. No one is looking at me, which is good. I close my eyes and focus on letting the thoughts flitting about float past me. A few minutes later, Kateri returns with two silver trays, each with a single plate holding a small stack of pancakes dripping with syrup and melted butter, along with two glasses of milk. She sits down and looks at me sheepishly.

  “I'm sorry. I didn't know what to get, so I just…” she says, her words trailing off.

  I reach across the table and rub her fingers gently. “It's fine.”

  She just nods and looks down at her food. After just a few bites, I set my fork down and push the tray off to the side. I look over at Kateri and sigh. She looks like she's on the verge of tears as she stares back at me.

  “What happens now?” I ask, not sure if I want the answer
or not.

  She shakes her head. “I'm not sure, but I think we should go talk to Father, if you’re up to it.”

  “Okay.”

  We both stand, pick up our trays and carry them to the drop off station near the entrance to the kitchen. Kateri takes my hand again, and we head through the dining hall toward the map room. Just as we reach the exit, two young men pass us.

  Maybe if she hadn't let that demon escape, her mom might still be alive.

  I feel a stabbing in my heart and my breath catches in my throat. Without warning, Kateri releases my hand, turns, and strides back toward the two men.

  “Hey!” she yells, and they both stop and look at her.

  “What?” the one on the right asks, with a sneer.

  In a flash, he's on the ground, blood spewing from a broken nose while Kateri shakes her hand and flexes her fingers.

  “Fuck you!” she says, leaning menacingly over him, her voice icy cold and devoid of any humor.

  A couple of other people come rushing over as someone helps stem the stream of blood flowing from his injured face. Kateri turns, takes my hand again, and pulls me away.

  “You didn't have to do that,” I whisper.

  “Yeah I did. He deserved it, if not for that, then for something else. He's a dick,” she says before looking over at me. “You know what he thought isn't true, right?”

  I pause for a second before answering. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I'm sure,” she says, with hard conviction in her voice. “Come on, let's talk to Father.”

  As we make our way through the map room, I notice more flashes of red on the globe than ever before. The operators look exhausted as they tap away on their keyboards and talk into their headsets. As we climb the steps to Father's office, I can see him leaning over his desk, a worried expression on his face. He looks tired. We walk inside, and he shakes his head.

  “Kateri.”

  “He deserved it, just be glad I only broke his nose,” she says, frowning.

  For a moment, I think he's going to say something else, but he just sighs and then walks around his desk, stopping in front of me.

  “I don't know what to say, Eve.”

  I shake my head as I force myself to stay on an even keel, and not allow the tears to come.

  “Were demons responsible for the crash?” I ask.

  He looks a little shocked, and for a moment I don't think he's going to answer.

  “I think so,” he finally replies.

  “How do you know?”

  He sighs before answering. “Two of our people were found dead at La Guardia. They'd been sent to investigate an incursion at the airport.”

  “So, they crashed the plane to kill my mother?” I ask, as Kateri reaches over and places her hand on top of mine.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I don't know exactly, but they obviously know about you. I think they may be trying to stop you from helping us.”

  I sit for a moment as a million thoughts race through my head before looking up at him again.

  “It's not going to. I hope you know that,” I say, and for the first time in three days, I feel like I'm taking the first step in regaining control of my life.

  He nods silently. “I didn't think it would.”

  “But I don't know what to do now, about my house, my mother,” I say and Kateri squeezes my fingers again, “and everything else.”

  “Well,” he says, sitting down on the corner of his desk as he gestures toward the two guest chairs, “first we need handle a little problem.”

  “What problem?” I ask.

  “This problem,” he says, turning to the grid of televisions on his wall. My face is on several of them. He lifts the remote off his desk and turns up the volume.

  ... police are still looking for a missing teenager. Eve Torino disappeared on Monday from Collinsburg High School after learning that her mother had been killed in the crash of flight 917 at Pittsburgh International. If you see her, please contact your local law enforcement officials.

  I look over at Kateri and then back at Father. “I can't go home again, can I?”

  “It's probably not a good idea, but that's up to you. Without any relatives to take you in, and being a minor, I'm sure the state would place you in foster care,” he says.

  “What about Amanda? I'm sure her parents would let me live with them.”

  “Probably, but after what's happened, I think that would put your friend and her family in danger.”

  For a few minutes I just sit there, looking back and forth between Father and Kateri. He remains silent, while Kateri slowly strokes the top of my fingers with hers. Finally, I let out a heavy sigh as a sad realization settles over me.

  My old life is over.

  I lift my head and look at Father.

  “Well, I guess I really am a Shayd now,” I say, looking at one of the screens still displaying my picture. “One of the disappeared.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Father nods, a grim expression on his face. “Well, if you're sure, we should find a room where you can stay.”

  “She already has a place to stay,” Kateri says.

  I look over at her and manage a small smile. Father looks at Kateri and then at me. His expression is unreadable, but it doesn't seem disapproving.

  “Eve?” he asks.

  I nod slowly. “I already have a place,” I say, patting Kateri's hand.

  “Okay,” he replies with a grin. “Well, at least let me move you two to larger quarters. Kateri's current room is pretty small.”

  He walks around behind his desk and swipes his screen a few times before his brow furrows a bit. A few seconds later he looks up at us.

  “I think 3B should work for you two.”

  “What about the Abyss? If they had something to do with this, I want—” I start to say before Father interrupts me.

  “Eve. You're in no state to take this on right now. You need some time to recover and then more training before I will even consider sending you,” he says, firmly.

  I can tell by his tone, there's no point in arguing.

  “Okay,” I reply, grinding my teeth.

  I know he's right. I not ready physically, and I'm certainly not ready emotionally.

  “Why don't you two see about getting moved, and then in a few days we can talk about beginning your training again.”

  “Yes, Father,” Kateri says. “I ... uh ... I wanted to take Eve home to get a few things. Would that be okay?”

  He takes a deep breath and holds it for a second as he studies the two of us. Finally, after what seems like forever, he answers with a silent nod.

  “Thank you,” Kateri says before rising.

  I stand at the same time and then walk around the desk to his chair. He looks up at me and I cautiously wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him like you embrace someone you don't know that well. I can't see his face, but from the tentative way he pats my back, I'm pretty sure ‘shocked’ would be a good way to describe his expression. After a few moments, I release my grip on him and make my way back to Kateri's side. She definitely has a bemused look on her face.

  “Father,” she says, nodding slightly before we leave the room.

  As we're walking down the stairs to the map room, she bumps me in the side with her hip.

  “Well, that's a first,” she says.

  “What?”

  “I've never seen anyone hug Father before.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  “No idea, just never have.”

  “Well, there's a first time for everything.”

  We head back to her room to gather up her stuff. Compared to an average teenager, she has virtually no personal possessions, other than her art supplies, completed works and a small collection of clothes. It only takes us about thirty minutes to get everything packed up and transferred to our new digs. It's one floor up and has an actual window that looks out on the city. It’s much larger than her little studio ap
artment, and even has a small living area, complete with a couch and chair. The second thing I notice though, is that it only has a large queen bed. Kateri looks at me, obviously having heard my thoughts.

  “We can get another bed, if you want,” she says. “These rooms are usually reserved for married couples.”

  I smile at her and shake my head. “If you don't have a problem with it, then neither do I,” I say.

  “I don't have a problem.”

  “Good.”

  About an hour later, we have everything set up in our new place. There’s a corner for her art supplies, and an entire wall covered with her work, including multiple images of me. I don't want to display them, but she insists. When we're done, she looks at me and smiles, and for a few brief seconds, I'm happy, almost forgetting about the wreck my life has become.

  “Well, do you ... uh ... want to stop over at your house to get a few things?”

  Honestly, I don't want to, but I also don't just want to abandon everything. Without any relatives, who knows how long it will be before officials show up to clean out the place.

  “Sure, I guess so,” I say with little enthusiasm.

  “Come on, we'll go and get back quick. You need to get some more clothes at least, and maybe a few other things you don't want to give up,” she says, looking at me sadly.

  I reach out and take her hand, stroking her fingers softly.

  “Thank you, Kateri, for everything you've done.”

  “I didn't do that much,” she says, shaking her head.

  “You did more than you know.” I pull her close and wrap my arms around her, resting my head on her shoulder.

  “I only did what I thought you needed me to do.”

  “I know,” I say, quietly before stepping back.

  “You up to streaming?”

  “Maybe not. Can we walk?”

  She nods and smiles warmly at me. “Sure.”

  A little while later, we're walking down the sidewalk toward my house. I'm wearing the ball cap pulled down low on my head, since I don't want to be spotted. Kateri is invisible of course, but the same doesn't go for me.