Shadow Games

by Doug Welch

  Chapter 14

  Confronting Shadows

  Alex broke the silence. “I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to buy a shit-load of ammunition for that gun, and I'm going to master it. Then, I'm going Shadow hunting.”

  I raised my hands in a fending motion. “Whoa. Wait a minute. You just can't go around shooting people.”

  Her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened. “Why not? Silas said no one could see them.”

  I shook my head. “Yes. No one can see them but us, but if you kill one of them, they may become visible. You'll wind up standing over a dead body, with a smoking gun, and no apparent justification for murder. Face it Alex, they've got us in a Catch Twenty-Two. Even if they make an overt move, we have no way to legally defend ourselves. It's obvious that they know this, and they have a lot of experience in exploiting it. If you can catch them with a hand weapon, then you might stand a chance, but the only weapon they need is their mind. How do you fight against that? Caesar and Elizabeth stand no chance against them, just as Silas didn't.”

  Alex’s lips drew a firm line. “It sounds more and more like Silas was right. We need to learn how Dad managed to do what they do. “She tossed her head. “I still want to master the Glock and my pistol. Just in case.”

  I nodded. “We'll do that, but I think we need to do more. I think we should stay away from Caesar and Elizabeth for a while. Meanwhile, I believe that the answers are in Dad's computer, and we need to know what those answers are.”

  Her look became pleading. “No. You're wrong Paris. We need to be with those two more than ever. If the Shadows knew about Silas, what makes you think they don't know about Beth and Caesar? We're the only defense that they have. We should make them come here to the house, until we can determine a course of action.”

  “What? Kidnap them? You can't be serious.”

  She frowned. “No, I guess not, but we can be with them as often as we can. Think about it.”

  I thought about what she said. If we stayed away, they would be more vulnerable, especially if the Shadows wanted to use them to get to us. If the Shadows didn't know about them, then staying away made more sense. It was an agonizing choice. We needed information. We needed to know what the Shadows were planning. I started formulating a plan.

  I rubbed my forehead with my fingers. “Okay. Silas was checking up on those people at the Bowman farm before he died. He probably thought that they might be Shadows. I think we should pay the farm a visit.”

  Alex gave me an incredulous look. “What? Just drive up and say here I am, take me? I think you'd better revise that plan.”

  I felt grim. “No, I think we'll drive up, armed to the teeth, and say, 'if you screw with me and mine, I'll kill you'.”

  “I like the attitude Paris, but you and I don't have concealed weapons permits.”

  I shook my head. “Don't need one. We'll carry them in a holster, in plain sight. Since they're invisible, and want to remain anonymous, they won't call the police. That is, I'm gambling that they won't. We'll at least get their attention.”

  Alex looked apprehensive. “Maybe we don't want their attention.”

  “Alex, we already have their attention. I want to confront this head-on. Maybe if we shake them up, we can get them to back off.”

  She shrugged, resigned. “I suppose it’s better than just worrying about it. When do we go?”

  “Right after supper. We'll eat on the way over to the farm. First, I want to call Elizabeth, and I suppose you'll want to call Caesar. Tell him about Silas and that you won't be seeing him until after the funeral.”

  Alex bit her lip. “I'll tell him about Silas, but as to not seeing him, I'll make that decision.” She pulled out her cell phone.

  I reconciled myself to the fact that at least she was thinking about it. I went to the study to make my phone call in private and dialed Beth on my cell phone. She answered on the second ring.

  “Hello darling.” She said with a laugh.

  Again, I experienced that butterfly feeling. “God that sounds great. Do you answer all your calls like that?”

  “The wonders of caller ID. How was your day with the lawyer?”

  I sat at Dad’s desk. “Not so good. In fact, we were greeted by bad news. It seems that Silas Brawley is dead. The police think that he committed suicide. It's really tragic, in more ways than one.”

  “That's awful,” she replied. “I think I might have heard about that in the ER. There was a self-inflicted gunshot victim who arrived DOA last night. I wasn't on duty. It must have been your lawyer.”

  I rotated the chair, rocking it back and forth. “I don't know how he died, but I have my doubts it was a suicide. There's no way to prove it, but I think it had something to do with Alex and I.”

  “How in heaven's name could you and Alex be involved?”

  I looked at the ceiling and sighed. “It's complicated, and I don't want to discuss it over a cell phone. I'll tell you about when we see each other again. Where are you?”

  “I'm staying at the Bed and Breakfast. I'm doing extra shifts so that I can get Sunday free. I'm glad you called. I was going to call you, but I just got back from the hospital, and I haven't had time to change clothes and take a shower. Our father knows that Caesar and I are dating you and Alex. He wants to meet you both. Can you come to our house on Sunday?”

  In spite of my resolution to stay away from her, I couldn't resist. “Certainly, what time?”

  “Before lunch, say, eleven o'clock? That's when he's most active,” she replied.

  “Okay, I'll be there, and I don't think an earthquake could keep Alex away. But where do you live? Come to think of it, I don't have your address.”

  “Do you have a pen and paper handy?”

  I opened the desk drawer. “Yes I'm at Dad's desk.” She recited her address, and I wrote it on some note paper. The address looked familiar. I thought that I had seen it somewhere else, but I dismissed it as unimportant.

  “What plans do you have for tonight?”

  “I've got some weird shifts to do, to get ready for Sunday. I've just got enough time to eat, and then I'm headed for bed.”

  I chuckled. “Want some company? I can be up there in an hour.”

  She laughed. “Actually Paris, that sounds attractive, but I don't think I would get any sleep. We'll save it for another time, Okay?”

  “Promise?” I asked.

  “Promise,” she replied.

  “Elizabeth, have I told you how much I love you?”

  “A few times.”

  “I mean recently. Like in the last five seconds?” I asked.

  “No, but sometimes, I need to beat you to it. Otherwise, I'm sounding like a parrot.”

  I didn't say anything.

  “I love you, Paris. You'll be in my thoughts and in my dreams tonight. I miss you.” She laughed and disconnected before I could yelp.

  I emerged from the study with a warm, dreamy feeling. I felt like I was floating. If love got any better than this, I thought I would levitate.

  Alex was still on her cell, apparently talking to Caesar, so I ambled back to the study, and sat down at the desk. I studied Elizabeth's address, wondering where I had seen it before. Suddenly, a memory materialized. I went to the bookcase, and pulled out the list of addresses that Dad had written. I compared them to Elizabeth's address. Hers was one of them.

  How could her address have anything to do with the Shadow, I wondered? She certainly wasn't one of them, was she? Dad's list had indicated that the addresses were of people who could help us with the Shadows. Why was Elizabeth's address on the list? I hurried from the study to the living room. I caught Alex's attention and made frantic cutting motions to indicate that she should end the call. She frowned at me and indicated that she didn't want to get off the phone.

  Finally, she said, “I think Paris needs to talk to me sweetheart, I'll call you later.” She was silent for a moment, listening. “Okay I'll call you tomorrow. I love you.”

  “What
is so damned urgent,” she exclaimed with anger.

  “Did you get Caesar's address?”

  “I didn't need to. I've had it for a while.”

  “Well, compare it to this.” I gave her Dad's list and the address that I had written on the notepad. That got her attention. She looked a little sick.

  She looked stunned. “They're the same. How can that be possible? It has to be a coincidence.”

  I understood her anguish. Were we being set up? What was going on? I sat beside her on the couch, feeling a little nauseated.

  Alex thought for a moment. “Okay, Paris. These addresses, according to Dad, were of people who could help us, not hurt us. You certainly can't believe that Caesar and Elizabeth are out to harm us. That's really sick. It's paranoid.”

  “I don't know what to believe anymore. A few weeks ago, I didn't believe in invisible people. Now, it’s like the world is spinning backward. Think about it. We just happen to meet the two people of our dreams, at a place that we thought belonged to us alone, and their address is contained in a list that Dad prepared, to warn us of Shadow People? That's a little too much to swallow.”

  “Paris, there has to be a rational explanation for this,” Alex said. “Maybe the address is out of date. It could be someone who lived there before. Besides, what does it matter? If the people at this address are destined to help us, who would be better than Caesar and Elizabeth?”

  I still felt confused and apprehensive. “Why wouldn't they warn us?”

  “We haven't been exactly forthcoming ourselves, you know. We've kept our suspicions and worries secret. We haven't confided in them,” she said.

  “I didn't want to sound like a raving lunatic, like those people on the Internet. What do you think Doctor Rowan would say if I told her I was seeing invisible people?”

  Alex giggled. “She'd probably order a straight jacket.”

  “Well, she might not be wrong. I feel crazy enough.”

  “Look Paris. Let's just see what happens on Sunday. If we need to, we'll put all of our cards on the table and let them explain. We owe them and ourselves that much trust.”

  “You're right. Maybe I'm overreacting. I'm letting this get to me. I think I'll take out my anxiety on some bastards who are trying to spoil what should be the happiest time of my life. Let’s go Shadow hunting. Are you up for it?”

  “I can't deny it scares me,” she said and shuddered, “but I guess it’s necessary. Let's do it.”

  We changed into some rugged hiking clothing and boots. I didn't want to delay our reconnaissance of the farm past daylight, so we stopped off at a drive-through and ate some fast food to give ourselves plenty of time.

  The trip out to the old farm passed through Jamestown heading north. I’d been there before as a randy teenager and roughly knew the layout. After reaching the turnoff, I parked Alex's truck on the side of the road leading to the farm, near the entrance to the main highway.

  I removed the pistols encased in holsters from the truck and I strapped one of them to a webbed belt. The one I handed to Alex was a thigh holster.

  “Put this on.”

  She looked nervously at the gun belt. “I thought we didn't have weapon permits.”

  “We don't have concealed weapon permits. We don't need permits to carry weapons openly. If the police saw them, they would most likely stop us and ask what we're doing with guns, but it's technically not illegal to wear them. If someone asks what we're doing on private property with hand weapons, we simply say that we were going to talk to the owner about target shooting on the property. The worst that can happen is that they chase us off the premises, in which case, we apologize profusely and leave. However, I don't intend to be seen when we approach the place, and I don't think that if these guys are Shadows, they'll want the police to take notice of them either.”

  “Paris, plans have a tendency of not quite working out as you intend.”

  I laughed. “Yeah. I know, but this was the best I could come up with on short notice.”

  She rolled her eyes, but followed me as I led her into the wooded area along the road.

  I stopped to make sure that both of the weapons were on safe, and then continued through the woods.

  The wooded area was a narrow ribbon that bordered the road. Beyond the woods was a large, overgrown field that would hide our approach if necessary, but if I was right, the woods we were traversing fed into another strand that continued to the right; completely up to the farmhouse.

  We moved silently and slowly. Both of us had experience tracking animals through Kentucky forests before, and we knew how to move without making noise.

  We became more cautious when we reached the bend leading to the right. I motioned for Alex to stop. I leaned close to her ear.

  “If they have guards, they’ll most likely be stationed here and in front of the house.” I whispered. “From here on out, we've got to be careful.”

  We moved to the outside perimeter of the wooded area next to the field.

  I peered into the woods, trying to discern any human-shaped outline or movement. Not seeing anyone, we moved deeper into the wooded area, toward the gravel driveway leading to the farm, and finally reached the edge of the drive.

  I looked through the screen of trees, and scanned from the main road along the driveway, toward the house, looking for a guard.

  The house was white clapboard construction, and I could see that it had been recently mended and painted. It stood back against the wooded section, at the end of a long sloping lawn, which needed mowing, about the length of a football field.

  Standing in plain sight at the edge of the lawn was a man; he appeared slightly bored and chewed idly on a blade of grass. A portable communicator was strapped to his side. I could see no sign of weapons.

  Near the farmhouse entrance, leaning on the side of the building, was another man. He was similarly equipped, reading a book.

  I was confused. Obviously, these were sentinels of some type, but they clashed with my military concepts of standing good guard duty. I puzzled over their behavior for a moment, and then it came to me.

  The guards must be Shadows. It was the only explanation for the lax approach to guard duty. As far as they knew, they were hidden, hidden in plain sight. If anyone came out here to investigate, the people in the farmhouse would have plenty of advance warning, because they couldn't see them.

  The knowledge of the layout and the number of guards changed my plans. I formulated another approach, one that would use their abilities against them, but needed to talk it over with Alex.

  I crept silently back to her position. After conferring for a few moments, we walked out of the woods onto the paved road, walked down the road without trying to conceal ourselves, and turned right onto the gravel driveway leading to the house.

  The guard standing at the edge of the lawn startled when he saw us coming. He grabbed the communicator and spoke briefly into the mouthpiece, but he didn’t make any move toward us. As soon as he spied the pistols strapped to our hips, he used the transmitter again. He watched us as we passed him. Neither Alex nor I looked at him.

  We continued up the driveway toward the farmhouse. The guard left his position and followed behind us.

  Walking toward the front door of the house, we ignored the guard. The man who stood at the side, moved between us and the front door.

  We continued to walk straight to the entrance, pretending we didn’t see them.

  As we neared the front steps, I felt a slight sensation in my head; similar to the one I’d felt when I had accosted the woman at the fair.

  By now, both men blocked the entrance. Alex and I stopped on the front steps. I unsnapped my holster, drew out my gun, pointed at their general direction, and said, “Get out of our way, we're going in.”

  The surprised look on the guy's face was nearly comical. “You can see us!”

  “Yes, I can see you, and I'm here to see your boss, so step aside.”

  The man who�
��d been standing at the front of the house seemed more composed.

  He looked carefully at us and at the gun I held in my hand. He paused for a moment, and then he said, “The reports are true then. This changes things I think. Wait a moment.” He spoke into the hand-held communicator in what sounded like a foreign language. A voice replied.

  He ended the conversation. “Anthony will see you, but no guns.”

  I shook my head. “No deal. I don't trust you. We go armed. We'll keep the guns in the holsters.”

  He stood there in front of the door. Plainly, he struggled with his decision. He spoke into the communicator again. Again, a voice answered. “Okay the woman can keep the gun, but you leave yours out here. Deal?”

  I thought for a moment. “Maybe we should just leave and come back when you're being more reasonable?”

  At that moment, the front door opened, and a voice issued from the house. “Let them in, George. I don't think Mister Fox means us any harm.”

  The guards stepped aside. I holstered my weapon, and snapped the cover over it. Alex and I entered the house, and George followed us.

  The previous encounter with the guards raised some questions in my mind. It was obvious that we had caught them unaware and off balance. It was also obvious that they knew about us, but it seemed that they did not know all about us. Was the gesture of letting armed people enter their house an effort of good faith, or arrogance in their abilities?

  I surveyed the interior of the house. We had entered a fairly large, comfortable living room. Area rugs covered the polished hardwood floors. A short slim man stood in front of an overstuffed chair.

  He appeared to be middle-aged, his black hair did not exhibit signs of gray, but there were creases around his eyes, and he had a high forehead, corrugated with worry lines.

  He walked over to us and extended his hand.

  “Mister Paris Fox I presume, and your lovely sister Alexandra,” he said, looking at Alex.

  I shook the extended hand. It was soft, nearly effeminate. He turned to Alex, took her hand, bowed, and kissed it.

  “Please,” he said, “sit. Would you like some refreshments?”

  I ignored the question. ”You know our names, but we don't know yours.”

  “Pardon my manners. My name is Anthony Anagnostopoulos. – You may call me Tony. That's much better than Mister Anagnostopoulos. Please. Sit. I'm sure that you have a lot of questions. George, go fetch some refreshments for our guests. He smiled at us.

  My expectations of this encounter jarred with the unfolding reality. Now, I was the one caught off guard. I looked at Alex and she looked at me. She shrugged, sat down on the edge of the living room couch, and I followed suit.

  “It's been nice weather recently,” Tony said. “Not good for the crops, however.”

  “Tony, I think that we can dispense with the preliminaries. It's obvious you know who we are, and it's equally obvious your people are Shadows. I admit, I didn't expect a warm welcome after what happened to Silas Brawley, but just so you don't get the wrong idea, I’m here to stop you, anyway I can.”

  “Ah. Mister Brawley,” he said, “yes, that was unfortunate, but we didn't have anything to do with his tragic death. You see, if we had known what he planned, we could have prevented it. He antagonized the wrong people. There will be repercussions, I assure you, but they will be too late to matter.”

  “Repercussions?” Alex said sarcastically. “The man's dead. How about arrest and trial for murder?”

  “Unfortunately, that will never happen. Witnesses will vanish or lose all memory of the events. Courts will dismiss cases, attorneys will refuse to prosecute, and if necessary, the murderer will be freed and simply vanish. You see, Alexandra, the human race is defenseless against us. What it cannot see, it cannot punish.”

  I sat uncomfortably silent, thinking about what he’d said. Finally, I spoke. “That may be true, but we can see you, and we can punish you.”

  “Think about what you're saying, Paris. You are only two people. Two people with a productive future. There are many of us all over the world. Why would you want to ruin a potentially happy life, just to crusade against a people, who in the main, are not out to do you any harm? I assure you that I and my people do not intend to harm you, or your friends.”

  At that moment, George brought a tray loaded with a carafe, cups and saucers. He placed it on the coffee table.

  “The coffee is Turkish, a special blend. I think you'll like it. Ah, here is the baklava. Have you eaten it before? It's wonderful. Try it, you'll like it.”

  I ignored the offerings. “What I want to know is who you people are, and what I can say to convince you to back-off and leave us and our friends alone. Let’s start with the former.”

  Tony pressed his hands together in front of his lips and looked down at the floor. “To answer your question, I think that I should relate a tale. A story that has as much to do with you as with us. A story that began hundreds of thousands of years ago, during the dawn of humanity.”

  I wondered what he was up to. I didn't need a history lesson. I glanced at Alex, she looked puzzled also, but she waited.

  “Very well,” he said. “We have no way of really knowing – so much of what I am about to say is theory and speculation. The archeological record of the People – by the way, we don't call ourselves Shadows, we are 'The People' – is indistinguishable from the mainstream of humanity. When we die, we lose our abilities, and decay like ordinary humans. Our artifacts are identical to any artifact found in human grave sites, because they are human artifacts. Therefore, there is no evidence of our presence.”

  He sounds like one of my college professors, I thought and settled in for a lecture.

  “We theorize that we genetically split from the human mainstream in response to external threats both from predators, and other, more powerful humans. We are essentially a species branched from early humans. You can liken our genetic adaptation to the behavior found in a prey animal, when they freeze at the sight of a predator. You can imagine an animal such as a rabbit, cowering, and thinking, 'you don't see me, you don't see me'. Somehow, that behavior manifested in us as an ability to literally disappear from sight. We’ve always been a slight people, short in stature, not big boned, with weak musculature. In addition, we’re abject cowards. We do not engage in confrontation. It’s not in our nature. We prefer subterfuge.”

  Cowards, I thought, maybe that was one of their weaknesses. Could I exploit it? He droned on.

  “Once we found ourselves living amongst teeming masses of humanity, we naturally gravitated toward the role of parasite. Always living on the food and comforts provided unwittingly by the normal humans that we lived around. We speculate that the earliest human superstitions and rituals were the result of our close proximity to humans. Some normal humans can partially see us, or a shadow, but we completely disappear if we are still and not speaking.”

  “Wait,” Alex said. “Are you saying that you physically disappear?”

  “No, we just can't be seen by a normal human. Their mind refuses to acknowledge us. In all other ways, we are basically human, but like all humans everywhere, we started assuming a superior attitude toward normal humans. We began to call the majority of humanity, 'Normals'.

  “If we had bred at the rate that is the rule in the human majority, we would have soon surpassed the Normals as the majority species, because we didn't have any competition. But, nature, being the wise guardian of life that she is, made sure that we would be handicapped. Our birth rate is very low. I suppose it's the price we pay for our ability.”

  He paused and sipped some coffee. – “As the millenniums passed, our parasitic nature and assumptions of superiority hardened into a caste-like system, where we lived in wealth and comfort. Humanity, as the inferior species, was destined to serve us, and we existed in that fashion, until over four millenniums ago, at the dawn of civilization. We think that the gradual evolution to farming and city-states made it much harder to ke
ep the old caste structure, so the People banded together in Houses, clan-like groupings that were frequently related by blood. But the gradual flowering of culture and learning made some of the People rethink their role in the human world.” He stopped talking, as though waiting for any comments.

  I had nothing to say, so I remained silent. His voice seemed to encourage listening.

  He spread his hands in a beseeching manner. “You see, we were stagnant. We didn't have art, learning or culture. We lived off the products of human ingenuity. Humanity was leaving us in the intellectual dust. We were immensely wealthy, and if we needed anything, we simply took it. However, we were a mental wasteland. None of us could read. Learning was not necessary. Since our birthrate couldn’t hope to keep up with the Normals, we were becoming a distinct minority.”

  He waited again, as though collecting his thoughts, and then he continued. “A number of the Houses, realizing the danger, resolved to correct these imbalances, and began to make contacts among Normals.

  “Our abilities were evolving as the human race evolved, and some of us had developed unexpected attributes. We began to be able to do more than just hide in plain sight. We began to be able to influence minds and affect matter. However, the abilities emerged randomly, and were not necessarily inherited. We started acquiring human allies, sometimes willingly, often unwittingly.

  “Also at that time, was the start of disaffection and disillusionment with our culture, and a desire to join the human mainstream. Some of us found mates in the normal human populations and began to raise families, half People, half Normal. Our abilities emerged sporadically in these hybrids, but they were fertile and added to our population. But many of the Houses did not share the majority viewpoint. They clung stubbornly to the old ways. Humanity was their servant and they would be humanity's master. But they did adopt the practice of using proxies among Normals, and they assumed control of entire nation-states, to serve them and do their bidding.”

  “Wait a minute,” Alex said, “do you expect us to believe the Shadows, or 'People', as you term them, could take over a whole nation? That seems preposterous.”

  “You underestimate our powers, Alexandra. It’s not a wise idea.” He hesitated. “Shall I continue?”

  “Please” do,” I replied.

  “A conflict emerged among the Houses due to this difference in attitudes. Some of the Houses used their power among the nation-states to try to subdue other Houses. A split occurred in the continuity of the People. After a time, we were using our proxies to wage total war.

  “None of the People engaged in direct confrontation, but periodically we’d be injured or killed by the peripheral effects of the mayhem they caused. Once the pain of our suffering became too great, the fighting stopped, but the animosity remained.

  “The hybrid offshoot of the People became nomads, what you might call gypsies. They retained enough of their abilities to exist successfully in a quasi-parasitic fashion amongst Normals. The Houses hardened their antagonism toward each other, and the People separated into two distinct groups, those who viewed humanity as a partner and those who viewed humans as serfs. The two groups existed in constant conflict, but in modern times, we’ve learned to make accommodations. You two are at the center of some of those more regrettable accommodations.”

  He stopped talking and looked expectantly at us.

  I sat back in the cushions of the couch, trying to make sense of all that he’d said. But the last sentence he spoke sharpened my attention.

  Before I could say anything, Alex spoke out. “What the hell are you talking about, 'accommodations'? We're not anyone's accommodations. We don't want anything to do with your...People.”

  “I'm sorry Alexandra. You don't have a choice. You are one of the People,” Tony asserted. “You and your brother are successful hybrids with unusual abilities. You represent a bridge between the People and Normals. You have a foot in both worlds. Nearly all of the Houses are keenly aware that you and your siblings exist. Your siblings have been removed from the conflict. You, however, remain at large, and you are the target of several competing forces. If you're smart and careful, you may maintain your autonomy, but it will not be without cost,” he warned.

  “Kidnapping and murder,” Alex said. “Your 'People' are nothing more than slimy criminals, and I’ll treat them that way if they come near me.”

  I had only one question. “What happened to our parents? Did your People kill them?”

  “No. Not my People. That was an unfortunate incident, a tragedy in more ways than one, caused by excessive zeal among one of the competing House's Normal proxies. The matter was disposed of. The persons who caused it no longer exist. I suspect that doesn't help you, but pursuing the matter would be futile.”

  My throat became choked with rage. “We could just kill all of the members of the House that caused it.”

  “Let it go, Paris,” Tony said compassionately. “It wouldn't serve any useful purpose, and you need to devote all of your energies to finding a way out of your current dilemma.”

  “And what, exactly, is that dilemma?” Alex asked.

  “To answer that,” Tony said, “I would have to relate another story.”

  I glanced at Alex; she looked exasperated, but nodded in the affirmative. So I sat back in the couch.

  “Go ahead. Tell your story.” I said, resigned.

  “As I said, the Houses had developed a great deal of animosity during the millennium preceding the modern age. This hatred and distrust spilled over into the Middle Ages and beyond. Numerous wars were fought using the new nations, and so the conflict continued.

  “During that time, we often suffered from the consequences. Sometimes exhaustion and destruction of wealth, caused a pause in the conflict, but we continued to use our proxies to gain ascendancy over our enemies. After all, what value was a Normal life, compared to the People?” he said with apparent bitterness.

  “As the conflicts ebbed and flowed, they became more violent and destructive, resulting in the great wars of the last century. It was at the end of the Second World War, and the beginning of the Cold War, that we realized that our squabbles could result in the destruction of the whole world, not just our proxies.

  “We set about to codify our conflicts and limit their scope. We defined the prerogatives of the Houses, and we established the boundaries of our interactions with the 'Normals'. We established a Council to arbitrate disputes and violations of the codes. At this point in time, you are caught in a crack between those rules, and your father willingly exceeded them.”

  “Wait a minute. Are you saying that the Shadows were responsible for the Second World War? I find that hard to believe,” I said.

  “You certainly don't think that a psychotic misfit like Hitler, alone, could convince a few small nations to attempt to conquer the whole world, do you?” Tony said. “Think of the targets of the Nazi persecutions. Jews, Gypsies, they all were allies or blood relations of some of the more forward-thinking Houses. Meddling in House business can lead to a short lifespan.”

  I suspended my disbelief, in favor of a more important question. “What's your interest in our problems?” I asked.

  “I am here as a – call it – proctor. I am acting to insure that the rules are obeyed, and that no one House or Association steps outside those rules.” He took another sip of coffee.

  “Understand, Paris, I am not your ally nor am I here to help you. You’re on your own in this matter. I’m a neutral party is this drama, and you would be wise to remember that.”

  “Well then, why have you given us all this information? Why not turn us over to the Shadows? You have the opportunity right here and now to end this. What kind of game are you playing?” I asked.

  “No game. I may be acting as an observer, but unlike some of my species, I have moral principles. I sympathize with your plight.”

  “What do your People want with us?” Alex asked.

  “Ah – this is delicate. – However, th
ere's no way of making it sound any less crude or barbaric than it is. You see, you two are the property of one of the more powerful Houses. The House in question bred you. You are the offspring of a controlled breeding experiment. The House that provided your birth mother is one of the more traditional Houses. They view the more adept members of their group as nobility. Everyone else is a serf, subservient to the Adepts. To them, you are property that they can dispose of however they wish.”

  “Huh. They'll find that this property has teeth!” Alex said.

  “Is that what happened to our half-siblings?” I asked.

  “Not all of them.” Tony said. “Once the other Houses found out, a few of your half-brothers and sisters were taken in by rival Houses. You two are the only ones remaining free. Your father was trying to negotiate a truce on your behalf when he was killed. He might have succeeded, but the fools killed him,” he said.

  “What's so important about our father? Why would they negotiate with him? Why didn't they just abduct us and kill him?” I asked.

  “Ah. That’s the sticking point. Your father accomplished something we thought wasn’t possible. He somehow acquired some of our abilities. We were astounded. To think that a normal human could acquire our powers was intolerable. None of the Houses could allow that. They knew that if ordinary humans knew about us and were able to counter our powers, it would be a bloodbath. We are weak and few in numbers. We would be exterminated. The Houses will do anything to prevent it. Unfortunately for them, as long as you stay in your father's house, they’re powerless.”

  “So, we've got to fort up in the house to prevent your miserable freaking People from abducting us and taking away our freedom,” Alex shouted. “I can't believe this. – This is the United States of America. We have laws, for Christ's sake. It’s the Twenty-First Century, not some medieval knockoff!”

  “Calm down, Alexandra,” Tony replied, “you've got to think. Who will believe you? None of the Normals can see us or even sense us, unless we will it. If one of your friends were to walk in this room right now, they would find you talking to an empty chair. No, you've got to use your minds to think of a solution. You do have a few options.”

  “What kind of options?” I asked.

  “At this time the situation is stable, an uneasy truce exists. All of the Houses that are involved in this conflict are afraid that one will seize an advantage over the others, so they are trying to avoid open actions. You could form an alliance with one of them.”

  “And do you have a House in mind?” I asked carefully.

  “Ah – I see, you’re testing me. You want to know if I have a motive in suggesting this. I can't blame you. I could have a motive. You don't have any history with the families, but you'll just have to trust that I am acting as an arbitrator. In fact, as a member of the Council, I shouldn't be giving you as much information as I have. I just feel that you are facing overwhelming odds, and you deserve a chance to guide your own fate. You do have an advantage. The complex conflicting motives of the forces involved makes opportunities to find allies in unexpected places.” He paused. “I will say no more. You need to leave, and think over the things I’ve told you.”

  “Wait. What would happen if the House that thinks they own us were to succeed in abducting us?”

  He paused, as though unable to voice his reply. “Alexandra would become an unwilling breeder, and you would be subverted to becoming a pawn of the House.”

  His words chilled me. The thought of that kind of fate was the fabric of nightmares. I would die before I allowed that to happen.

  “You tell the House in question,” I said coldly, “that we will die before we let them take us, and before we die, we will make sure that there are several fewer Shadows alive in this world. You tell them that we have the secret of my father's abilities, and if necessary we will reveal it to the entire world unless they leave us in peace.”

  Tony's face blanched with that last statement. “No. You don't want to reveal that. Whatever you do, don't make that threat. It will just make things worse. You can't imagine the harm it would cause.”

  I stood up. I looked coldly at him. “Come on Alex, we're leaving.”

  Alex rose to leave, and joined me as we walked to the front door. George barred the way. I looked at him. Something in my face seemed to convince him, and he stepped aside.

  After leaving, we walked to the truck and drove back to our house.

  I drove in silence for a while, thinking.

  Finally, Alex broke the silence. She looked grim. “How much of that shit did you believe?”

  I kept my eyes focused on the road. “Hard to say. Some of it makes sense, but it's a lot to swallow in one sitting. We know what has happened to us, and what we’ve experienced. Maybe the Shadows can do what he says. Maybe they're as powerful as he says, but one thing I learned in the Army. Everything has a strategic or tactical weakness.” I glanced over at Alex. “The trick is to find that weakness and exploit it. That should be our focus. They're panicked. We represent something they want, and we have something they're desperate to possess. Those are bargaining points and weapons. The problem is that we don't know who we're dealing with, so we don't know where to strike to use our weapons.”

  “What about releasing Dad’s discoveries on the Internet? Assuming we can find them, of course.” She chuckled. “He sure looked scared when you laid that on him.”

  “You saw how many hits we got when we googled 'Shadow People' didn't you? If we released it on the Internet, it would just be background noise,” I replied. “Still, it's a thought.”

  We lapsed into silence until we reached the farm. I parked the truck, and we went in the house. As soon as we entered it, I felt an easing of the tension that had been surrounding us on our trip to the Bowman farm.

  “You know Alex? I think he's right. Can you feel it?”

  “Yeah, it’s like a cocoon. I feel less tense.”

  “It must have something to do with the alterations that Dad made to the basement. It's the only thing that makes sense. He found a method of shielding the house. It must be keyed to us, because it seems to be welcoming us.”

  “I think our father was an amazing man.” Alex said.

  “Yes, he surely was.”