The Shadow: The Poisonwood Shadows Book One

by Christina Crook

  William turned to look at the door as he heard it click behind him. He was locked in. Sitting back again, he sighed and closed his eyes, now with nothing to do but await his new life.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Everywhere she went she looked for him. Scarlett walked the streets and alleyways of uptown and downtown Poisonwood, scanning the faces of everyone she passed. He had to be out there somewhere. With every single heartbeat there came a flash of hope, followed by a disappointed drop. Every new day brought the promise of possibility. The evenings were spent hunched up in the chair in which he used to sit. She would read the books he had read, with a furrowed brow and distracted mind.

  “Don’t tell anyone,” he had said.

  Scarlett played it over and over. Since the storm, she was changed. She had always been a dreamer, but this was something else. She was waiting for him, waiting for the situation to change, waiting for everything to resolve itself. Everything she did, everywhere she went and everything she dreamed of was linked to him. She did the very best she could with getting on with her own life, but he was still there, always there, haunting her.

  Practically a ghost herself, Scarlett would wander up and down the streets, listening to every boy on every street corner who sold the daily newspaper and shouted updates of breaking news stories to the people of the city.

  She was adamant that she didn’t care if she never saw him again, she just wanted to know that he was okay. Three weeks had passed since the storm when Scarlett finally heard something that made her heart leap with elation.

  “Poisonwoods return!” Came the call from the street corner.

  A short, grubby boy with a loud voice was manning the newspaper stand. When she heard it, Scarlett immediately stopped in her tracks. The people behind her avoided a collision, gave a loud tut and walked around her. She ignored them, her eyes frozen on the words of the newly updated paper – ‘Poisonwoods return.’

  In a daze, she quickly purchased a copy and walked out of the bustle to a quieter street, sitting down on an empty bench. Scarlett’s heart thudded as she stared down at the front page. It showed a picture of William Senior and his wife smiling from the steps of the manor. The article explained how the Poisonwoods had been away visiting other cities, promoting peace, before settling in Silverwall for discussions with Victor Vale about an ongoing treaty. It was nothing more than an update of a false story that had been in the papers for weeks now. As expected, there was no mention of them being kept prisoner. The big news that followed this was that Walter Poisonwood had announced his retirement, and that William Senior would be taking his place as figurehead of the city.

  Scarlett scanned the rest of the article impatiently, looking for any mention of William. There was nothing to suggest that he had returned to the city also. With increasing anxiety, she continued to read. As she neared the end of the second page, her eyes finally settled on his name:

  “The son of William Senior, also named William, who had set out with his family on the mission, has chosen to remain in Silverwall City indefinitely. As an ambassador for Poisonwood, William will serve to keep relations between our two cities peaceful.”

  Scarlett closed her eyes and wished that she could be back in her room alone. She felt an unbearable pain spread through her body, from her head down to her stomach and back up again. With shaking hands, she read the paragraph for a second time, reviewing every single word and wondering what it could mean. Her chest felt heavy, as if it were weighted with stone. He wasn’t here. He wasn’t anywhere close by at all.

  ‘They have him,’ she thought. ‘He gave himself up for his family.’

  Scarlett made it home in a daze, instantly hating the safety of her bedroom and all her home comforts - the books, the music, her bed, everything that made her feel secure, because he didn’t have any of it anymore.

  ‘Perhaps he is in Poisonwood after all? They always said he was an ambassador outside of the city. What if this is just another line so that he can go about his work as a Shadow without raising suspicions?’ She wondered.

  Something felt wrong with the story. Scarlett had no doubt that William really had remained in Silverwall, but not in the way the newspaper stated. She wrestled with her thoughts for the entire day. In the evening, she ate a light dinner, methodically washed and dried her plates, before stepping into the bath and washing her hair. She attempted to read, but stared at the same page for a whole hour, unable to take even one word in, no matter how hard she tried.

  Eventually, she set the book down frustratedly and walked out onto her balcony. The sun had set and the sky was now a watery dark indigo colour, streaked with azure clouds. Scarlett gazed up and all around, before making her way up onto the rooftop.

  Scarlett knew that no matter what happened, she would have to keep going. Soon enough the sun would rise and she would have to go back to the real world and live her life. For now though, she curled up, drew her knees to her chest and set her head down, as she tried to pull herself together.

  A moment of silence followed, as if the entire world had stopped just for a second. The sky had darkened and night had truly set in now. Scarlett stared out across the gleaming lights of the city. Downtown seemed brighter and she recalled the words that William had spoken to her when he had left her on the roof on the night of the rescue.

  “Just be who you are. Don’t be anyone else.”

  ‘Who am I?’ She wondered. Scarlett really didn’t know. She had no roots and no idea what her role in life was supposed to be.

  The next day, she hurried through her chores, scrubbing hard at floors, pots and windows, before slipping out of the house again. The day was warm, the kind of day that cemented the fact that summer was on its way. Children screamed as they chased each other down the street, groups of people sat outside restaurants and bars, clinking their glasses together in celebration of the warmer weather. The whole of Poisonwood was relaxed, the atmosphere optimistic. People were sure that better, safer days were coming and Scarlett couldn’t stand it.

  She quickly headed home, her last task of the day being to check on Winifred. When she arrived back at the townhouse, she dropped her groceries in the kitchen, paused to chat with Betty for five minutes and then made her way to Winifred’s room, hoping she would have woken up from her afternoon nap by now. She slipped into the silent, stale bedroom. Somehow it seemed quieter than usual. The afternoon sunlight filtered in through the window, casting shadows and catching specks of dust which danced in its beam.

  Scarlett looked at Winifred, pale and shrunken in her chair. Her small eyes were squeezed shut, while one hand was balled up into a fist and clenched against her chest. Scarlett thought she looked uncomfortable, and said lightly, “Winnie? It’s time to wake up now.”

  She watched, waiting for a sign of movement, waiting for Winifred to scrunch up her eyes and open them, for her chest to move up and down as she breathed. Except…nothing. There was nothing.

  “Winnie?” Scarlett repeated quietly, moving quickly to kneel beside the old lady. She looked at her intently. “Winnie?” She said, louder now.

  Scarlett placed her hand over Winifred’s fist and attempted to shake her, expecting her to move and wake up, but the hand was cold. She drew back and watched, still waiting so that they could have tea and biscuits and talk about Scarlett’s day and whatever Winnie had been dreaming about.

  “Winnie. You have to wake up now,” Scarlett told her in a small voice.

  Though the old lady’s skin had always been pale, it now seemed white, grey almost. Scarlett continued to gaze at her, unwilling to consider what was in front of her. She bit her lip and twisted her mouth around stubbornly,

  “Winifred,” she said more sternly. “Winifred, it’s time to wake up.”

  Scarlett felt her eyes filling with tears, as her nose began to run. Standing now, she looked around the room with a whimper and back down at the old lady. Shaking all over, her lip quivering, Scarlett knelt again, as the tears fell from her fa
ce. “Winnie…I’m not ready for you to go yet.”

  She put her head in her hands, wiped away the tears and attempted to clear her throat and gather her thoughts. Unable to breathe normally, as shuddering gasps rolled out of her, she stood, slowly opened the door and waited outside. Everything seemed to pause as she stared down at the red and gold patterned carpet on the hallway floor. Minutes later, Celia strolled by, ever upbeat and confident.

  “Scarlett, what’s wrong?”

  Scarlett had lost the ability to talk now and all she could really do was fix her gaze on Celia, while her face crumpled and her eyes filled with tears again. After that, the world became hazy. She leaned back on the wall and slipped down to the floor. She didn’t know if she was crying or not and did not hear as Celia called out for Vincent. She paid no attention to the people who suddenly seemed to be bustling around her. What world was this? Who was she and where was she? Who were these people and what were these sounds she heard? Scarlett did not know. She was catatonic, still staring down at the carpet, unseeing and unfeeling. After a while, she felt Rebecca sliding down beside her to lean her head on her shoulder.

  Eventually small thoughts began to flicker into Scarlett’s mind, before they rushed back in all at once. In a split second, it had all changed and here she was, alone again. Winifred was gone. It hit her like a wrecking ball - hard, fast and painful. Scarlett leaned her head back, closed her eyes and waited.

  The End of Life

  Summer was passing by quickly, shallow and unfriendly. Poisonwood had acquired a hollowness which Scarlett had never felt before. The laughter, the glitzy parties, the glittering excess and false smiles that lurked behind every expensive dress and suit carried the trace of William Senior and his wife.

  As she walked, she took in the evening air for what may be the last time in her old life, but Scarlett did not feel sad. There was no nostalgia for times passed. The uptown streets were busier than she expected at night time. She guessed that the couples and families she passed were on their way from gathering to gathering, ready to spend their summer nights on mindless gossip, sipping on fine wines and discussing the goings on in the city. Of course, they didn’t really know the truth, but they were happier that way.

  Scarlett kept her head to the ground. She was headed downtown and had attempted to dress appropriately, so as not to raise suspicions. She looked as if she could be on her way to one of the clubs, like many of the people around her surely were.

  Scarlett walked with a purpose that grew with every street she passed by, knowing exactly where her destination was. The idea had struck her in a dream, vivid and clear, unlike the other dreams she had, which always seemed confusing and murky. This one was like a message telling her exactly what she was supposed to do.

  As she walked, the darkened buildings stared down at her, daring her to carry on. She rounded a corner and followed a dim path, which ran down the side of an alleyway just passed the border between uptown and downtown. The darkness didn’t scare her anymore, in fact she felt comfortable here now. It didn’t heighten her fear, it lessened it. With a smile, Scarlett came to a stop at the end of the path. She stared up at her final destination, her resolve growing by the second. The building glowered over her. It soared up over the city, a simple, unassuming building that blended in and attracted no attention whatsoever, the secret of Poisonwood - the Shadow Academy.

  With a final deep breath for confidence, Scarlett pulled open the black door which stood in front of her and entered. An office connecting to the main hallway in which she now stood was occupied and so, steeling her nerves, Scarlett knocked on the door, hard and quick.

  An official looking man came out, his eyebrows raised in surprise at the visitor. “Um…I don’t think you’re in the right place, miss,” he said, stepping back to take her in.

  “I think I am,” Scarlett said, staring at the man with a hard, unwavering gaze. “I want to see William Poisonwood Senior.” She spoke loud and eloquently, as if to get her point across in every way possible.

  Still looking around, the man winced slightly. “I…um, I’m not sure if that’s going to be possible tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s…um. He’s not available.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I know.”

  She waited for a second, still watching him, then said, “Will you check anyway?”

  The man remained silent, his eyes shifting as he debated how to respond. “Um. Just hold on for a second. Wait there.” He held out his hand in a shaky stop motion.

  With an impatient sigh, Scarlett crossed her arms and continued to stare at the man as he walked back into the office and closed the door behind him. She watched as he picked up a big, black telephone and have a short conversation, before hanging up. He nervously peered at Scarlett through the window of the office, before putting his head back down and feigning deep involvement in a pile of paperwork.

  She rolled her eyes and turned to face the front door again. Minutes later, she finally heard someone coming down the stairs. Turning expectantly, Scarlett was pleased to see that it was the man himself, William Poisonwood Senior. He looked tired. “Miss, I…” he began, lifting his hands, clearly ready to reel off some pre-prepared speech about arranging meetings through the council if she wanted to meet with him.

  “That’s not what I’m here for,” Scarlett told him, cutting him off before he got another word out, because this was it. No more procrastination, no more anxiety and what-ifs and all of the other excuses she had fought to provide herself with. They were all gone now. She knew exactly what would complete her and here it was – the end of life as she had always known it. Scarlett was ready.

  William Poisonwood Senior watched her curiously and waited for whatever it was she had to say, and then, once she had allowed the moment to consume her, once she had taken it in wholly, at last she spoke, “My name is Scarlett Winchester. I’m here to join the Shadow Army.”

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  The End of Life