by Lindsay Nall
“So do you two know each other or something?” Nyght asked Vander who thought about it for a minute looking the girl over then shook his head. Another thump resonated from behind Karter’s desk.
“I don’t think so.”
“I studied with Marinique Rayne,” Mari explained without being asked. “Storm?” She held out her hand for Storm who landed in it and began making a low buzzing noise. “He needs repairs…what happened?” She flipped Storm over on his back to get a closer look at the crack in his casing.
“I don’t know, we’ve all been through a lot.” Mari nodded letting Storm fly off to rest on Vander’s shoulder where Marclay was already sitting.
“Once I get settled I’ll look at him and see what I can fix.” Vander nodded at her offer as he scratched Storm on the head.
“They look so similar…” Nyght whispered reaching out to touch the two Wiggets, they both turned and made a hissing noise making him draw his hand back with a yelp. “Same temperament too.” He muttered eyeing the two Wiggets, the only thing that was different about them was their color. While Marclay was a dull silver Storm was pitch black and a bit smaller.
“Here it is!” Karter stood from the floor behind his desk triumphantly. Coming around it he handed the paper to Vander and shooed the three of them out of the door. “Now I have a lot of work to get done so if you two wouldn’t mind showing Mari to her room it would be a great help. I’ll leave it to you all to devise your training schedules.” He gave Mari a quick hug then pushed her out in the hallway and shut the door with a click making Nyght and Vander suspicious.
“Do you think he’s up to something?” Nyght asked.
“Probably, it is Karter.” Vander shrugged looking to Mari. She had walked over to lean on the stone railing looking down into the core of the building. She missed the koi garden from home, it felt empty here though she knew more people resided here than at any of the other district buildings. “Marisol?” She didn’t move and the two walked over to her. “Hey, we’ll show you to your room if you want.” She shook her head as if clearing the thoughts from it and nodded. Following the two men down the hallway, they passed a few people who offered greetings and stopped to chat for a few to ask about members from her district. Most of the researchers who stopped her only asked about other researchers but a few would ask her about Bart.
“So how is Bart doing anyways?” Vander asked as they took a left down a hallway.
“Hmmm? Oh, I forgot you’ve been to my district before.” A few years ago Vander had been brought to her district after an especially nasty demon had injured him badly. It had caused pandemonium in the building as the higher-ups tried to keep the researchers from finding out there was a Shadow in their midst. “He’s doing fine.” She shrugged looking away from him and watching with no interest the walls they passed. Nyght noticed her change in expression and body language making a mental note of it.
“Mari?!” The outcry of her name made her jump and turn around. Down the hall a man was waving his hand over his head and running towards her.
“Alex?” She looked to her guides asking with her eyes if they minded if she went to talk to him, Nyght waved her off telling her it was ok to go. She smiled at him and ran to meet the man halfway hugging him when she reached him, Nyght watched her for a moment then turned to Vander.
“I don’t think you should bring up her district if you can help it, especially Bart.” Vander cocked an eyebrow at him. “Just a feeling I get, something about where she came from bothers her. I might be reading too much into it but her eyes…they’re very expressive.” Vander nodded not understanding what Nyght meant but knowing he could read people better than he could. After a few minutes, Mari hugged the man again and ran back to her two escorts.
“Sorry, Alex has a cousin that works in my district.” The two men both nodded and turned back towards their destination stopping ten minutes and six people later in front of a wooden door with Mari’s name on it.
“This will be your room.” Nyght opened the door and waved her in. It was simple, cream-colored with a double bed, a small black desk in the corner with a reading lamp, two black nightstands held matching black lamps and a single tinted window over the bed. “It’s not much…”
“It’s perfect. Thank you for showing me where it is.” She looked to her luggage which was set at the foot of the bed. “Do you mind if I just get some rest tonight? We can talk about a training schedule tomorrow when Ella and Reagan have time.” Nyght blinked twice then nodded following Vander out the door but stopping in the doorway with his hand on the doorknob to turn back to her.
“If you need anything I’m three doors down.” She nodded with a weak smile as he closed the door. When it closed she realized there was a garment bag hanging on the back of the door. Thinking it must have belonged to whoever had the room before her she opened it to try and find a name but knew the second it was open it was hers. It was her new coat that marked her as a Shadow. Different colored coats were assigned to different members of the Silhouette, white coats were given to those that did their research in house without venturing into the field. For those who did go out into the field, their coat was light brown but for Shadows, they were very different. She had seen the coats before of course on both Tadum and Marinique but to have her own, to officially be recognized as a Shadow made her both excited and nervous. Reaching out she delicately pulled the sleeve of the coat out of the bag to examine the detail. It was a beautiful dark blue color that reminded her of deep ocean water embellished on the cuff of the sleeves with silver thread. The same thread lined the lapels of the coat and matched the silver double-breasted buttons. Over the left breast pocket was a solid black patch with a silver line through it, the only thing on the coat that told anyone that she wasn’t just a Shadow but a member of The Fourteen. She wanted to wear it, to flaunt the fact that she had officially been recognized as a Shadow, but she knew better, no one here would give a rats butt. Pushing the coat back into the garment bag she zipped it up and left it there to flop onto the bed and lay on her back staring at the ceiling wondering how she could be hundreds of miles from her home and yet still feel like she was in the same prison.
Mari woke with a start confused at first about where she was but calmed when the day’s events registered in her memory. Marclay chattered from the windowsill and hopped down next to her head giving it a reassuring rub. “I’m alright, I just forgot.” She sat up with a shake of her head and a groan, she was hungry. Grabbing her smaller suitcase she dug for her hairbrush trying to tame the wild fly-aways of her hair. With a grimace at her small mirror, she shrugged at her reflection and looked for clean un-slept-in clothes so she could hopefully find the dining hall and grab some food before it closed for the night. Finding her sole pair of jeans and mostly wrinkled black tee-shirt she shook it out with a growl. “So am I presentable?” Marclay cocked her head from one side to the other then nodded curtly. “Well at least one of us thinks so.” She pulled at the shirt a few more times to try and straighten out the wrinkles but gave up and headed out the door with Marclay on her shoulder.
Six wrong turns, three dead-end hallways and two sets of directions later Mari stood outside the two large double doors labeled ‘dining hall’. “Maybe I should ask Karter for a map.” Thinking back to the catastrophe that was his office she mentally scratched that idea off her list and opened the doors. Immediately the smell of food hit her reminding her how long ago breakfast had been. She glanced around the room at the researchers mingling with the elite as if it were an everyday thing. It felt so much more like a family here, there were no secrets, no lies.
“Are you ok?” Vander’s voice startled her.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She wiped at her eye where a tear had formed. A tear? Where had that come from? Shaking her head, she let Vander lead her around the room for a quick tour of where everything was located and joined him for a late dinner. It didn’t take long for her to figure out that this was the place to be to mingle and re
lax. She stayed in the dining hall long after dinner chatting with researchers and Shadows as well as Reagan and Ella. It was nice to be able to catch up with Ella, she hadn’t seen her since they were little girls when her father would drop her off here when he went into the field. She still didn’t understand why her father had put an end to bringing her here seventeen years ago, frankly, she didn’t understand why her father had done a lot of things.
Mari was sitting back just taking in the camaraderie when Nyght took a seat next to her with a bottle of water holding it out to her.
“You looked like you might need this.” She nodded with a weak smile taking the bottle but not opening it. She hated to admit it but she had been looking for someone all night and had yet to see him anywhere. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine just basking.” He gave her a confused look. “The east district…as far as they’re concerned Shadows don’t exist. It’s simply demons, demons, demons over there but here… to not have to hide anything, to not have to avoid the conversations of whether or not Shadows exist…it’s heavenly.”
“Yeah, I guess that could be a little overwhelming.” Nyght agreed watching her as she surveyed the room. She left him sitting there by himself a moment later. He watched as she made three slow circles around the entire room before shaking her head and going to talk to Ella. “What is she looking for?” He mused to himself as the dining hall door opened and two people walked in making his eyes go wide. They were supposed to still be traveling so what were they doing here? Scattering apologies Nyght made his way around the tables and through a few groups of chatting people to stand in front of the two newcomers nodding to each one. “Nevelyn, Micah.” The two nodded back. Nyght looked over their shoulder for the third to their party but he was nowhere to be found. “I didn’t know you were due back today.”
“Hm? Oh no we weren’t actually, it was a request to stop home for a few nights.” Micah answered. He had been working with a militia of townspeople when the Silhouette had found him and nobody was surprised when they found out what he used to do. Multiple scars covered his overly muscular six-foot-five frame, he was only three inches taller than Nyght but twice the girth with slicked-back brown hair and one good blue eye. His other eye had been injured in a fight with a demon, the scarring over it causing the eye to turn white. Nyght cocked his head looking from Nevelyn to Micah and back. “Neither of us made the request.” If neither of them did than Tadum must have but that made no sense to him, Tadum wasn’t the type to get homesick.
“Nevelyn!” Nyght was pulled from his thinking when Mari raced past him and threw her arms around the older man’s neck.
“Marisol, as rambunctious as ever I see.” Nevelyn chuckled and pulled the girl away holding her at arm’s length. “It’s been a few years now hasn’t it?” She nodded. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman.” She blushed brightly and smiled. Nevelyn was an older man with thick glasses and an emotional side that more than once got him in trouble; the eleventh member of the
Fourteen, more a teacher now than a warrior. He spent his time traveling with two others, Micah and Tadum looking for carriers of Paranus. “Are you still drawing?”
“Drawing?” Nyght looked from Mari to Nevelyn and back.
“Yeah, when I was younger Nevelyn would stop by my district every once in a while and give me art lessons, he said I was a natural.”
“You are a natural.” Mari shook her head and looked from Nevelyn to Micah and back with a question in her eyes, one member was missing from this trio, the one she had been looking for. Nyght couldn’t help watching her as she bobbed up and down trying to look for someone over the heads of the people around her. “You know how much he hates eating in public.” Mari stopped looking around and stared at Nevelyn with new hope in her eyes. “You know where he’ll be.” She took off out of the door immediately with a smile on her face.
“It will be good for him to smile again.” Micah laughed setting a hand on Nevelyn’s shoulder.
“He can’t help it when she’s around.” Nyght looked at the two men who were looking at the door Mari had left out of realizing how deeply rooted she was in the Silhouette and wondering how much farther her reach went.
Three
Marisol crept into the meditation room as quietly as she could using all the skills she had been taught not to make a sound or even a shadow as she looked for him. Carefully she slid behind one of the screens when she saw him sitting in the middle of the room, letting out a quiet breath she peered around the corner of the screen but he was no longer where she had seen him. Closing her eyes, she listened for any shift in the air or a creak in the floor but heard nothing.
“You’ve gotten better but you still need practice, Mari.” She froze at the voice behind her.
“You know I’m a work in progress.” She didn’t move from where she was still bent to peer around the screen knowing if she focused hard enough she might be able to catch him off guard.
“You haven’t caught me yet.” Her eyes snapped open at his comment, he knew her too well.
“Alright, I give up.” She stood and walked around the screen to stand in the middle of the room. “You want to come out now?” She waited acting like she was being impatient but listening for the slightest noise, finally he moved and as soon as he was close enough she dropped and kicked out her foot trying to knock him down but he was faster.
“Nice.” He whispered countering her roundhouse and catching the leg she struck at him with. She was always amazed at the fact that he never looked any different, even over the last five years he hadn’t seemed to change one bit. His black hair was still buzzed short on the sides but a bit longer on top, his blue-green eyes still held a tint to them that told anyone he was a guarded soul, his tan skin never seemed to darken no matter how much time he spent in the sun, he seemed like he just froze in time at 25. He was taller than her by four inches but his boots added another inch to that, she hated those boots, she had always complained they made her feel short when he wore them.
“Not so bad yourself.” He smiled and pushed her away. Outside the door to the room, Nyght and Vander watched through the cracked door as Mari and Tadum sparred.
“Is he smiling?” Nyght asked watching Tadum catch Mari’s foot next to his head then throw it back at her causing her to flip.
“They both are.” Vander whispered. He couldn’t help but notice that they both looked happy. Mari took a swing at Tadum’s head but he dodged to the side and grabbed her wrist, instead of pulling away from him she lunged forward and kissed him.
“I wasn’t expecting that…” Vander whispered with wide eyes.
“I don’t think he was either…” Nyght whispered back trying hard not to laugh at the look on Tadum’s face.
Mari wrapped her leg around his knees and knocked his feet out from under him sending them both to the ground; Tadum gave out a quiet grunt when she landed on him.
“Win.” She whispered with a giggle. He glared up at her but slowly a smile spread across his face. “Leaf…what are you thinking…no…I know that look…do not even…” Mari broke out into hysterical laughter when Tadum started tickling her sides soon falling onto her back but he followed her and continued to tickle her as she squirmed, laughed and pleaded for him to stop.
“He’s…” Nyght muttered.
“Tickling her…” Vander continued.
“And smiling…” Nyght finished.
“Leaf! Stop! I can’t breathe!” Tadum chuckled and ceased his attack on her.
“Did he just laugh?” Vander asked but all Nyght could do was nod.
Tadum lay down next to her with another quiet laugh as she glared at him. “Tickling should be against the rules.” Mari muttered taking a deep breath.
“Then so should kissing me.” She rolled onto her elbow and glared at the man lying next to her.
“You play hardball you know that?” He laughed and put a hand on her cheek.
“I’ve missed you.” She smiled curling up
on his chest with her ear over his heart.
“Are they an item?” Nyght asked.
“I don’t know…wouldn’t Tadum have said something before?”
“Tadum? About having a girlfriend? Not likely.” Nyght snorted.
“Maybe we could ask Ella, she might know.” Nyght nodded and the two took off back to the dining hall to try to find Ella and some more information on just who this new girl was.
“Did they finally leave?” Mari asked a few minutes later.
“Yes, finally. I’ll take care of them later.” She pinched his side smirking when he jumped.
“You’ll do no such thing, they’re curious about me, there’s nothing wrong with that.” She raised her head and folded her hands on his chest resting her chin on their backside so she could look at him while they talked. His eyes had softened now that they were both relaxed as he stared down a nose that was a smidge too small for his face and had been broken in the past.
“There’s a difference between curious and nosey…” He trailed off furrowing his thick black eyebrows as he glanced back to the door.
“You know I don’t care; people will do what they will. It’s not like we have anything to hide.” Tadum nodded and ran a hand down her spine turning his full attention back to her.
“Why did you wait so long to tell me you were being transferred?” She had sent a request out that the researcher in the field with his group be notified of her transfer and that he let Tadum know. Though she had been excited over the fact that they would now technically be stationed in the same district she hadn’t expected him to come home just to see her, granted she wasn’t complaining and in all honesty, had been hoping he would.
“Because Bart didn’t tell me, I didn’t find out until two days before I left...” Tadum knew there was more to it than that, he knew her and he knew when she was holding something back. He muttered a few choice comments under his breath about what he thought of Bart. They had never gotten along and as far as she was concerned she was pretty sure they never would.