All Things in the Shadows

by B. D. Messick

  “I'll see you guys later,” Reeva says. “Don't let this shit bother you.”

  “We'll be okay,” I say, touching her arm and smiling.

  She nods and smiles back before heading down the hall to the elevator.

  “Come on, we've got stuff to do,” I say as I take Kateri's hand and pull her gently back into our room.

  As soon as the door closes, she looks at me, and I can tell she's still angry.

  “How can you just ignore that?”

  I shake my head. “I'm not ignoring it, I'm just not giving it any value by making fun of it. It takes away all their power.”

  She looks at me and a tiny smile begins to emerge. I'm actually grateful to have something to think about, other than what today means.

  “Sometimes I don't get you.”

  “That's okay, I don't get you a lot of the time,” I say with a crooked smile.

  “So, what happens if they do it again?”

  “Then I kick some ass.”

  “That's my girl.”

  I love the sound of those words.

  “That's right. Now, I gotta get ready,” I say, as I retreat into the bathroom.

  When I'm done, I open the curtain, Kateri is standing there, waiting for me. It doesn't even shock me anymore, it just seems normal. As I step out, she smiles at me before she steps past and into the stall. I catch a glimpse of her as she drops her towel, but I look away just as quickly. I move into the bedroom and start searching for something to wear. After going through my clothes, I realize I don't really have anything appropriate for a funeral, but I don't think my mother would care what I wore. I choose the nicest outfit I can pull together, borrowing the black vest that Kateri was wearing the first day we met.

  While fixing my hair, I look at myself in the mirror, and I hardly recognize the person staring back at me. I look older than my seventeen years, sorrow weighs heavily on me, I can see it in my eyes. Without warning, I start crying as tears burst out of me like a flood. I drop to my knees as grief presses down on me; a weight I don't want to carry, but I can't put down. Eventually, I feel Kateri's arms around me, and I lean into her as she takes some of the weight off me by sharing my pain. Between the sounds of my own sobs, I can hear her crying along with me.

  Slowly, the dark cloud lifts and I raise my head and look into her eyes.

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “For what?”

  “For being here.”

  “You don't have to thank me for that.”

  I take a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out again.

  “Okay, let's finish getting ready so we can go.”

  “No breakfast?” she asks as she stands, offering me her hand.

  “I'm starving, but I don't think I could eat anything.”

  She just nods and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before turning, digging some clothes out of her dresser and retreating to the living room to get ready. I walk back into the bathroom and splash a little water on my face, double check my hair again, before coming out and sitting down on the edge of the bed. I watch Kateri dress, and it seems to calm me. A few minutes later she turns and looks at me, a loving smile on her face.

  “You ready?”

  I nod silently before slowly getting to my feet. “You look nice,” I say.

  “Thanks,” she says, smoothing her light blue t-shirt, and pulling her jeans up a little. “Wish I had something nicer to wear.”

  I shake my head. “Don't worry about it. You look beautiful.”

  She takes my hand and we step into the hall. Just before we reach the elevator, I look over at her.

  “Should we tell Father we're leaving?” I ask.

  She shakes her head.

  “Nah. I'm sure he's busy. We can tell him after.”

  The sun is shining when we exit the Factory, although a few clouds are scattered across the bright blue sky.

  “You wanna stream there?” Kateri asks.

  “I'd rather walk, if that's okay.”

  “Of course, but we better stay in the shadows as much as possible. We really can't risk you being seen today.”

  “Yeah. Um ... maybe it'd be better to stream, but can you drive?” I ask.

  She smiles at me and nods. “You got it, baby.”

  The last word stokes the fire within me again. She takes my hand, tucks my arm under her elbow and we step into the shadow cast by the stack of barrels by the door. Streaming while someone else ‘drives’ is a lot more relaxing. I don't have to concentrate as hard, pick out landing points, or do anything else except try and keep my footing when we stop. Kateri holds me close as we link from rooftop to fire escape to alley. It only takes a few minutes to reach the edge of the cemetery at St. Edwards. In the distance, I can see the small canopy set up to protect the mourners from the bright sun.

  I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly before taking Kateri's hand. “Come on,” I say quietly as we walk along an unbroken mass of shadows formed by the trees lining the driveway that runs through the cemetery.

  No one else is here yet, not even the hearse, which is fine with me. I wanted to be able to find a shady spot where we could stand during the service before everyone arrives. As we're walking down the long hill, I hear the sound of approaching vehicles behind us. Kateri pulls me a little closer as the first car passes us; a long black Cadillac with little curtains in the windows. My knees suddenly give out and I stumble, but Kateri is ready, catching me before I fall. The tears come again, and she pulls me to her, holding my face gently against her shoulder as the rest of the cars slowly drive past. I want to be stronger for my mother. I don't want to seem weak, but I can't help it.

  K ~ You're not weak ...

  E ~ I feel like it.

  K ~ Stop it already.

  Finally, I draw enough strength from Kateri to support myself and I take a small step back.

  “You okay?” she asks, the concern on her face easy to see.

  “Not really, but it's as good as it's gonna get.”

  “Gotcha. Come on, let's get a little closer. Maybe over there,” she says, pointing to a large oak tree only a few yards from the gravesite.

  She takes my hand and we walk slowly across the gently sloped lawn. When we reach the tree, I turn and look down the hill toward the large crowd gathered for the service. I can see Amanda and her family, as well as some additional classmates, and even a few teachers. Our neighbors, the Reeds, are there too, along with dozens of other people I don't recognize. All in all, it looks like more than a hundred mourners.

  “Your mom was loved,” Kateri says, sadly.

  “Yeah, she was.” A tear slowly trickles down my cheek.

  Kateri holds my hand tightly in hers, as if she's afraid I might run away. We watch as the pall-bearers, which include Amanda and her father, carry the casket from the hearse to the grave site.

  “Hey,” Kateri says quietly, nodding toward the top of a small hill a few dozen yards away.

  I look across the field of grey and white tombstones sprouting amongst the perfectly manicured grass. A collection of figures stand together, watching the service in secret. I can see Father, Reeva, Clay, and about twenty or so other Shayds who I recognize, but don't know, including the young man who Kateri had punched a few days ago. My bottom lip quivers and I feel a line of tears run down my cheek. Kateri pulls me to her and slips her arm around my waist as I lean my head on her shoulder.

  As the service progresses, I notice Amanda keeps looking around, probably trying to see if I'm there. I wish I could show her, but that would cause nothing but problems.

  The memorial lasts for about two hours, with more than fifteen people getting up to speak about my mother; telling stories, sharing memories, and laughing about this or that. Amanda is the last to go, and I can see the pain on her face, even from this distance.

  “Beverly wasn't my mom,” she says, her voice cracking, “but she might as well have been.”

  She looks over at her own
mother, and smiles. Her statement isn't a condemnation of her own mom, but simply a statement of fact. My mother had always treated Amanda like she was her daughter, and my sister.

  “I'm lucky that I have my own mom, so I haven't lost everything, but that doesn't lessen the pain. I didn't just lose Beverly though, I lost my best friend Eve, too. I wish I could talk to her, just one last time, and tell her how much her mother was loved, is loved, and maybe that would ease some of her own pain.”

  Kateri pulls me closer again, trying to will me some of her strength. I watch as Amanda steps away from the small, wooden podium and takes her seat in the front row of mourners again. Without a word, I step away from Kateri and stride across the shadow cloaked lawn toward the attendees. She doesn't chase me or try and stop me in any way. I'm sure she'd heard my thoughts, and she knew it would've been pointless to try.

  In a few spots, the shadows are pierced by bright sunshine, and for a split second I become momentarily visible, but it's too fast for most people to see unless they were looking directly at me. The tent casts a shadow across most of the seated mourners, including Amanda, who's sitting at the end of the row. I step up next to her, completely unseen by everyone except the other Shayds in attendance. Ever so gently, I place my hand on her shoulder. For a moment, she doesn't seem to react, but then she slowly brings her hand up, as if she's going to brush something away, but instead, she lays her hand on top of mine and squeezes gently.

  I lower my head and a few tears drop down onto the bright, green carpet of grass at my feet. After a few seconds, I flex my fingers, pressing softly on Amanda's shoulder before stepping away, walking over to the shiny grey and black casket and touching the cold, smooth surface for a moment.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  I run back up the hill to Kateri and immediately wrap my arms around her, burying my face in her shoulder and cry ... and cry ... and cry.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kateri and I stand on the small hill long after everyone else has left, and only the casket suspended over the grave and the adjacent mound of dirt covered by a green tarp remain. Eventually, I look over at Kateri and sigh.

  “You ready?” I ask.

  “If you are,” she replies, gently touching my face with her hand.

  “Let's go home.”

  We walk back to the Factory, sticking to the shadows as much as possible, sometimes waiting until the coast is clear to move on. When we reach the door, I grab Kateri's hand and turn her to me.

  “Thank you for today,” I say, a small but genuine smile on my face.

  She just shakes her head and smiles back at me.

  “You don't need to thank me, Eve. I wouldn’t have been anyplace else.”

  I nod silently before opening the door. As soon as we step inside, Father is standing there waiting for us. I immediately wonder how long he's been there, counting the minutes until we returned.

  “I don't really need a lecture about what I did with Amanda,” I say, frowning at him. “I had—”

  “Eve. Please stop. I'm here to apologize.”

  I'm not sure who's more stunned—me or Kateri.

  “I was wrong when I berated you about your meeting with Amanda. I had no right to say what I did, and you had every right to respond the way you did,” he says, pausing before continuing, “I'm so sorry about your mother, Eve.”

  Kateri looks at me and then I walk up and wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

  “Thank you, and thank you for coming today. If you could pass that along to everyone else who came, I would be grateful,” I say quietly before stepping back.

  “Of course.”

  “Father,” Kateri says with her customary nod, before we turn and head toward the elevator.

  When the doors open on our floor, Kateri starts laughing even before we step into the hallway.

  “What?” I ask.

  “That,” she says, pointing to the wall by our door.

  Some other people added a few additional words to the hater's scribbling:

  PERVERTS! HAVE MORE FUN / ROCK / KICK ASS / RULE THE WORLD

  GO HOME FREAK! I AM HOME. / WE'RE ALL FREAKS, AREN'T WE?

  We stand outside our room for a few minutes, holding hands and laughing at how easy it had been to take away all the power from the original words.

  “Come on, let's get changed and grab something to eat. Now I'm really starving,” Kateri says.

  “I think I'm going to lay down for a while. I'm kinda tired.”

  “You want me to stay?”

  I shake my head, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. “No. Go get something to eat and I'll talk to you later.”

  “Okay,” she says a little reluctantly.

  She turns slowly and heads to the elevator, holding onto my hand until the last possible moment. I wait until the doors close before heading into our room. As soon as I enter, and without Kateri's support, I suddenly feel weak and I collapse onto the bed. For a little while, I think I'm going to start crying, but instead, I drift off thinking about my mom and what she might say to me:

  “Why are you laying around?” she asks, her voice coming to me out of nowhere.

  “I'm not laying around, I'm just ... I miss you.”

  “I miss you too, Eve, but you have to keep moving forward.”

  “How can I, without you?”

  “You're the strongest person I've ever known. I'm so proud of you, I always have been, but now you have a new reason to keep going.”

  “What reason?”

  “That girl, Kateri. You love her, don't you?”

  “I don't know, maybe. I just wish you'd been able to meet her.”

  “I know, me too, but it's your job now to keep her safe, to save everyone.”

  “But it's so hard, mom. It's too hard.”

  “Life is hard, honey, but that doesn't mean you can give up.”

  I nod my head, take a deep breath, and sigh.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too, Eve.”

  And then I sit bolt upright on the bed, my heart racing. I look across the room at my reflection in the mirror and I let out a deep sigh. Slipping off the bed, I take a moment to straighten my clothes before heading out into the hallway and down to the elevator. As soon as the doors on the main level slide open, I step off, literally marching through the library, mess hall, and into the map room, completely ignoring everyone I pass. Climbing the steps to Father's office, I walk up to his desk, lean over and plant my hands firmly on the papers scattered across the top.

  “Let's get on with this saving the world crap,” I say.

  He looks up at me and nods.

  About an hour later, a group, including Father, Reeva, Kateri, myself and two other Shayds, one male and one female that I don't know by name, are crowded into the small office. Father is standing behind his desk, as the rest of us are sitting wherever a space can be found.

  “I'm not sure everyone knows everyone here, so I think we should start with introductions. This,” he says gesturing toward the unknown man, “is Jerol. He's in charge of all incursion operations within the western hemisphere.”

  He's a stern looking man, maybe a little younger than Father. His grey hair is cut short, a small goatee decorates his chin, while dark blue eyes with white pupils look out from under bushy eyebrows. He nods at me and I respond in kind.

  “And this is Sela. She's involved with intelligence gathering and analysis.”

  When I look at her, I shiver automatically. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because I can sense no thoughts from her at all. She stares back at me, with her all green eyes, as if she trying to dissect me from a distance. What's worse, is the fact that she's quite beautiful with her long, dark hair, pale skin, and full red lips. She makes me think of a black widow spider.

  “So, this is the one?” she asks, each word chosen carefully and delivered with cold efficiency.

  “This is Eve,” Father says.

  “I would love to be abl
e to have some time to talk,” she replies.

  I can barely keep eye contact with her as she stares at me. All I can picture is me caught in a web like Vincent Price in The Fly as she slinks toward me to 'talk’.

  E ~ Creepy.

  K ~ Hell yeah.

  “Maybe they'll be time for that later. You all know Reeva and Kateri. So, I think it's time to discuss the situation and what we plan on doing about it. Jerol, you can begin,” Father says.

  He starts by clearing his throat. “Well,” he says from his seat. “As you're all aware, incursions by demonic forces have been up dramatically during the last few months. We've been—”

  “How many?” I ask.

  Jerol looks at me, a disapproving frown on his face.

  “Pardon?”

  “How many incursions are happening each month?”

  He looks at Father before turning his attention back to me.

  “As of yesterday, it's averaging a little over four hundred a day.”

  “And what's normal?” I ask, feeling more in control and assertive than I ever have.

  “Approximately a hundred a week.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  Jerol looks at Father again, clearly annoyed with me.

  “If I can continue,” he says, turning back to me again after getting no response from him.

  “You can continue, but I want to make one thing clear. You brought me here to help you, and it has already wrecked my life, so if I interrupt you to ask a question, you can just suck it up and deal with it,” I say, staring directly at him, my voice steady as steel.

  “Father,” he says, looking across the desk at him.

  “I think Eve has a point. We're going to be sending her into harm's way, so if she has a question and wants to ask it, then answer it. Understood?”

  Jerol nods. “Yes Father.”

  K ~ Damn girl!

  E ~ I'm just getting started.