by J. M. Pierce
Prim rolled his eyes. “You have no idea.”
“The issue,” continued Iku, “isn’t that they have a child. The issue is that the child is a Shadow.”
All of the air was sucked out of the room as Prim and Lauren stared at Iku in a stunned silence.
“How old?” Prim finally managed to ask.
Taking a sip of his coffee and then placing the cup down slowly, Iku tapped the rim with his index finger. “Last I saw him, he looked to be three, maybe four years old.”
Though Prim knew that there was more to things than what Iku was saying, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking. “That’s not possible. Shadows don’t come into their powers until later in life.”
“That’s not completely true,” replied Lauren with both hands wrapped tightly around her coffee cup.
“Lauren is correct,” said Iku. “There has been one.”
With Prim turning in his chair, waiting for her to answer, Lauren’s voice suddenly became timid. “Yeah,” she said, glancing back and forth between Prim and Iku. “But he’s…”
“Special?” interrupted Iku.
Once again, the dead silence returned as Prim’s legs bounced anxiously under the table while Lauren studied Iku.
Leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest, Iku continued. “There’s something else.” He paused, trying to determine how to best put his thoughts into words. “Not only does the child have the gifts of a Shadow, he also resembles one of us.”
Immediately, and in a whisper, Lauren blurted out a name. “Test.”
Prim watched as Iku slowly nodded his head. “What?” he asked in disbelief. “Are you saying that this is Test’s child?”
“No,” answered Iku. “I’m not saying that. I’m saying that the child looks like he could be Test’s clone.”
“That’s not possible is it?” asked Prim.
As Iku opened his mouth to respond, Lauren spoke. “I think it is,” she turned in her seat to face Prim. “Think about it. Test has told us the story of when he was captured. He told us about how they learned what we are. They have his DNA.”
“This is real then?” asked Prim in disbelief, taking Lauren’s hand but turning to face Iku.
Iku took a deep breath and reached for his coffee. “Clones have been made around the world for decades. It would be ignorant to think that the government wouldn’t want to weaponize our kind.”
Furrowing his brow, Prim replied. “So you think the twins are working for the government?”
With a chuckle, Iku answered. “No, they are much too arrogant for that. I think they took him.”
“Wouldn’t we have heard about that on the news or something?” asked Lauren.
“Yeah, the government is going to get on the news and tell everyone that they’ve cloned a Shadow. Not just any Shadow, mind you, but the most powerful Shadow ever known to exist. Oh yeah, but by the way, that clone has been kidnapped,” Prim replied sarcastically.
Lauren’s eyes flared at Prim as she clenched her teeth tightly, trying desperately not to lose her temper.
Realizing what he’d done, Prim patted her thigh and tried to ease the tension. “Hey, it could be worse. At least we know the kid won’t have Test’s full power for the next ten years or so.”
Abruptly, Lauren shot up straight in her chair. Numbness overcame her as she stared across the room. “That’s not true,” she answered, as she looked to Iku. “Is it?”
“I’m afraid not,” he answered. “We know that Test had his powers when he was a child, but his mother found a way to suppress them, which more than likely delayed Test’s full development. I doubt that Casper and Ashley want to do that. In fact, I think their goal is more than likely to develop them as fast as possible.”
Raising his hand, Prim spoke incredulously. “Hold on. I’ve got a question. If this kid is three to four years old, how is he Test’s clone when Test was captured less than two years ago?”
Lauren turned to Iku with raised eyebrows, waiting anxiously for the answer to Prim’s question.
With a heavy sigh, Iku replied. “Of that I am not exactly sure. My theory is that when cloned, something else was done to accelerate the boy’s growth rate.”
“Why would you say that?” asked Prim. “I don’t understand how you can even connect those dots?”
“When I first saw the boy six months ago, he was an infant.”
“Shut the front door!” shouted Lauren as she slapped the table top again. “Come on, Iku. This is bat-shit crazy!”
Iku leaned forward on the table and clasped his hands together. “If I hadn’t been witness to this myself, I wouldn’t believe it either, Lauren. But the words I speak are true. The boy’s growth rate actually appears to be accelerating.”
Standing from the table, Prim laced his fingers behind his head and arched his back. Turning his back to the table, he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “So who wants to be the one to tell Test?”
CHAPTER 3
Standing atop the peak of Black Mountain, Test looked out and took in the view. Moving to the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico wasn’t necessarily a choice that he had made; he felt that it had actually chosen him.
No matter where he was, it seemed he’d always been drawn to the forest. It was a place that he could get lost. The Gila Wilderness provided a wondrous mixture of trees that varied from the junipers and oaks at the mid-elevations to the fir and pines higher up. Standing amongst them gave him comfort, like an old blanket that a child would hide under to be invisible from the monsters in the night.
Though he surrounded himself with peace, internally his spirit was at war. His mother had left them shortly after their arrival in New Mexico. She left under the premise that she wanted to see long lost loved ones, but it was the words that she had uttered just before she left that stuck in Test’s head. “No one wants their mother to live with them forever,” she had said. She was right—Test didn’t necessarily want his mother around forever, but he wasn’t really ready to see her go either. He was hoping to make up for the time they’d lost before.
He continued to struggle over Nicole’s death. As much as he tried not to think about it, her memory always crept in, never allowing his peace to be complete.
He worried about many other things as well. He wondered if Prim was dealing with the loss of Jenz any better than he was with the loss of Nicole. He wondered if Prim resented him for Jenz’s death. After all, as Test saw it anyway, she had died for him.
Just as his thoughts were beginning to stain the tranquility of the area, Test sensed a spirit’s presence down and to his right.
“Alyssa?” he called out half-heartedly.
“Nope,” called out an old man’s voice. “It’s me, son.”
Taking a seat on the rocky earth, he instinctively offered a small amount of his energy and looked down to see Cliff’s form come into view. As the old man sat next to him, he avoided eye contact, staring off into the distance.
“Everything okay?” asked Cliff.
In two years, Test had never questioned Cliff’s presence. Though he was happy and grateful to have him, the question tumbled from his mouth like a pinecone falling from its branch.
“Why are you still here, Cliff? Why haven’t you moved on like Mom did?”
Caught off guard by the question, Cliff couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why would I?” he asked. “Everything that means somethin’ to me is in this world.”
Test continued to stare off into the distance, his stoic expression remained. “When does it end, Cliff?” he asked as he turned to his friend with a pained expression.
Though the question was vague, the old man knew what he was asking. Resting a hand on Test’s shoulder, Cliff replied. “When you finally decide to forgive yourself.”
Suddenly blinded by a well of tears, Test held his hand out in front of his face and watched as the light from within him glowed faintly in the early morning sun. The frustration of his emotions quickl
y escalated as he reached out with his right hand. A stream of red streaks ran down his arm as a boulder ten feet away lifted from the mountain side.
Cliff watched as Test tossed the boulder as though it were a stone skipping across a calm pond. Though he’d witnessed Test’s power on many occasions, the sense of amazement never went away.
“Well, I guess that answers my question,” replied Test as he wiped his eyes.
“How’s that?” asked Cliff.
Test turned to him and replied. “I don’t know if I can forgive myself.”
Feeling defeated himself, Cliff sighed deeply and let his shoulders slouch. “Boy, you have got to let it go,” he spoke sharply. “What’s done is done; there ain’t nothin’ you can do for that poor girl. She just wasn’t meant to be happy in this world.”
“Bullshit!” shouted Test as he jumped to his feet. “And in what world was she destined to be happy, Cliff?” He paused, glaring at the old man waiting for his answer. “She’s gone! Not just dead, but gone! Wiped from existence!”
“I don’t believe that!” shouted Cliff in reply.
Leaning over Cliff, Test retaliated. “Then why isn’t she here?” he shouted with arms held wide as he looked around. “Why isn’t she standing beside you on the other side?”
Cliff glared into Test’s eyes; the young Shadow’s tortured expression etching itself into his mind. In a broken, yet calm, voice, Cliff replied. “I don’t know, son. But I gotta believe that she is somewhere.” Cliff stood and placed himself in front of Test while resting a hand on each of his shoulders. “It’s called faith, son. You gotta have faith.”
With his vision blurred, Test struggle with a reply. “Jenz said…”
“I know what Jenz said,” interrupted Cliff. “But what if that’s just what she was told? Ain’t it possible she was wrong?”
A heavy silence overtook the mountain top as Test pondered Cliff’s words.
“What if she was wrong, boy?” repeated Cliff, this time with a little more intensity. “What if, Test? Just ask yourself that question. Instead of being so focused on the possibility of the worst, why not have faith that everythin’ that happened was for the better? What if Nicole is actually in a better place?” The old man paused for a moment, attempting to reign in his own emotions. With his hands still gripping Test’s shoulders, the old man shook Test as he asked a final question. “What if she’s happy now?”
Overwhelmed with thought, Test focused for a moment on Cliff’s theory. Though he still wasn’t convinced, he admitted to himself that everything suddenly did appear less bleak. With tear streaked cheeks and a crooked grin, he nodded to his friend.
CHAPTER 4
The descent down the side of the mountain was Test’s favorite part of his early morning treks. Always fearful of being discovered, by the average man or otherwise, he was ever mindful of how much power he released. This meant limiting his time for flight. Though he knew Isaac was gone, he’d learned that there were more Reapers and Shadows in the world than he had ever considered, and he knew that the odds were good that he hadn’t met them all yet.
With a quick burst that sent him upward and outward, he allowed himself to glide over the tops of the trees. The wind on his face carried the fresh scent of the pines and the warm morning sun made each needle glisten as he passed. To him, there were a lot of disadvantages to being a Shadow, but flight was the one thing that he was grateful for above nearly all else.
At the base of the mountain was the cabin that Prim had so graciously purchased for them. While Prim had provided the money needed, Test, Cliff, and Alyssa were allowed to choose the location. They had chosen this spot on Black Mountain for its seclusion as well as its beautiful surroundings. While it was not devoid of visitors, the remote location kept any sign of civilization to a minimum.
Prim had purchased the home and property for them with money that he and Jenz had accumulated over the many years of their existence. The home was microscopic by anyone’s standards, barely six-hundred square feet, and was painted an off white color. Energy was provided by several small wind generators that powered the pump for the well and the small window unit air conditioner. It was all that provided Test with any comfort from the heat. Due to the home not having much insulation, it was difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature. Though neither Alyssa nor Cliff had to worry about physical comfort, Test took it all in stride. Besides, it always gave a good excuse to take a dip in the cool stream that flowed a short distance from their home.
Thad, Cliff’s grandson, sent them money once a month so that Test was able to purchase groceries and such. Test was glad that Cliff had found Thad. It seemed to bring his friend a happiness that he’d not seen him have before. That reason aside, he was grateful to Thad for his financial support. He knew it couldn’t be easy for someone making a teacher’s wage to spare anything.
As Test landed in the clearing in front of their home, Cliff appeared by his side.
“I win, youngin’,” said the old man with a wink and a grin.
Patting Cliff’s back, Test replied while trying to mimic his friend’s trade mark wink. “I wasn’t racing, my friend.”
The two of them walked toward the house, enjoying the last bit of the morning sun before it became much too hot. As they stepped to the front door, Alyssa’s body glided through the wood.
“Good morning!” she said spryly. “What have you boys been up to?”
Test couldn’t help but smile. “You can open the door, you know?”
Her form to becoming completely solid, she bounced on her toes and then kissed Test on the cheek. “Yah, but why not take advantage of the things that being dead allows?” Though she knew comments like that bothered Test, her speech filter sometimes failed. Grinning widely, she kissed his other cheek. “Just kidding,” she said cheerfully.
“Dang,” said Cliff as he stood to the right side of Test. “You’ve got an old man kinda feelin’ left out over here.”
Alyssa turned her head and received a wink from Cliff.
“You know,” she replied. “You can’t really use that phrase anymore.”
Cliff’s brow wrinkled. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“You’re not old, you’re…”
“Alyssa,” interrupted Test with a stern look.
“Oh, lighten up, son,” answered Cliff as he wrapped an arm around Alyssa’s waist. “If being dead don’t bother either one of us, it shouldn’t be botherin’ you, now should it?”
With a kiss on the old man’s stubbly cheek, Alyssa said, “Thank you, Cliff.”
Draping her arm over Cliff’s shoulder, the two of them turned toward the door and walked through it. Just before they disappeared completely, Alyssa turned, stuck out her tongue, and then blew a kiss to Test.
For a moment, he thought about phasing to show them that walking through walls was not something special that they had over him, but phasing took a great deal of energy and it was more than he was willing to risk.
As he reached for the door handle, Alyssa’s head appeared through the door in front of him.
“Are you coming or what?” she asked playfully.
Test began to laugh as Alyssa made faces. Living with ghosts just as if he was with the living…he’d just remembered one more thing that being a Shadow gave him to be grateful for.
****
Test watched as Alyssa and Cliff walked off into the kitchen. Instead of following them, he walked to the small living room just to the right of the front door. He plopped down in his favorite spot on the couch, leaned back and stared at the ceiling, and thought a bit more about the conversation he’d had with Cliff on the mountain top.
From the kitchen, the sound of a voice that wasn’t Alyssa’s or Cliff’s broke his train of thought and he quickly leaned forward, trying to focus on its owner.
“Test!” shouted Alyssa from the kitchen. “You need to come in here!”
He quickly jumped from his seat and took long strides towards the kitchen
. The cabin being very small, it didn’t take too many.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, immediately noticing the troubled look on Alyssa’s face.
“There’s a message on the answering machine from Prim,” she said.
Again he asked while taking a couple of steps forward, “What’s wrong?”
“Just listen,” she replied as she pressed play on the answering machine.
The sound of Prim’s voice played with too much base through the cheap machine. “Test, this is Prim. We are going to be paying you a visit in the morning. It’s important, but I’ll leave it at that for now. I will say that we are bringing a friend.” There was a great emphasis given to the word “friend”. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
The message ended and Test immediately played it again to listen for any clue as to why they were coming. Prim’s voice didn’t seem right. Something was definitely bothering him.
“Do you want me to go see them first?” asked Cliff the instant the second playing of the message ended.
Staring at the answering machine, Test took a deep breath. “No,” he replied. “Let’s just wait. It’s probably nothing to worry about.”
“Maybe Lauren’s pregnant?” asked Alyssa in a weak attempt at trying to ease the tension.
Test shot her a sideways grin as he stepped up to the coffee pot.
A strained silence filled the tiny ten foot by eight foot room that was their kitchen. Alyssa always joked that having two ghosts and a Shadow living here was the only way there’d be enough room. Having had enough of the silence, Alyssa patted the countertop rhythmically and asked, “So, where have you boys been this morning?”
Test stood with his back to her and listened as Cliff answered. He knew he could count on the old man not to say anything that would upset her.
“Oh, we just went for a stroll and cleared our heads a bit,” said Cliff.
Thankful to his friend, Test took a sip of his coffee. He closed his eyes and savored the warm cup of goodness and, for the moment, focused on nothing but the coffee. As was always the case though, Test couldn’t keep the peace within for long and his thoughts quickly returned to the strange tone of Prim’s voice. Something was definitely wrong and he wouldn’t be able to relax until he knew just what it was.