Chasing Shadows

by Rebbeca Stoddard

  “I am Rayne October. And you must be AubrieAnna. Clamora is a family friend, and she has talked about you quite frequently.” Rayne offered a small smile.

  “Yeah, that would be me. How much do you know about the people around Clamora?”

  “Lots. I could tell you about anyone. Why?” She tilted her head when she asked, but a light seemed to turn on and she said, “Oh! You want to know about someone, huh?”

  “Sebastian.” I smiled sheepishly when I said his name and looked down to conceal the blush that spread over my cheeks.

  “He has been here ever since I can remember. I suppose even before then too. But I can’t really say for sure. Anyway, his mom was Cherokee, and his dad was a mix of Italian, English, and French. Story has it that his mom and dad met when it was forbidden for the white man to be with an Indian. I think his mom’s name was Little Tiger or something like that, and his dad’s name was Charles. So Little Tiger’s tribe accepted Charles with open arms, and they married after a few months. Soon they found out she was pregnant. Charles wanted to take them back to the United Kingdom after she gave birth, but she refused. When the time came and she did give birth, she passed from an illness or loss of blood. Anyway, Charles took Sebastian back to the UK and they lived there for a while.

  “But Clamora told my mom that the Cherokee gods cursed his father with a fate worse than death and that since Sebastian carried his blood, he would be cursed too. So as Sebastian grew, so did the curse, and in time he fell for a girl who was sick all the time. He said he loved her more than anything, and he tried to find a healer, but the healer couldn’t fix her. His heart broke into pieces, but after a time it healed, and Clamora took him in and told him that the girl would eventually come back to him. He just had to believe it. And he does. He seems to think she came back sooner than he had thought, and he is all lovestruck by her and stuff. But I haven’t seen her yet, so he must not have brought her around when I’ve been out and about here.” Rayne shrugged and put her feet up on the small table. She wriggled her toes and watched as glittery polish twinkled in the setting sun’s rays.

  I couldn’t say anything else about Sebastian, so we talked about other girl stuff for a while, and the pain in my heart subsided to an ache. When the sun finally set, Rayne said that she had to go. A stifling yawn took me by surprise, and I went upstairs to my room. I stripped off my clothes, threw on a pair of running shorts and a clean tank top, and crawled into bed.

  Chapter 4

  After three hours of restless sleep, I woke up at one in the morning. Sighing, I rolled over and tried to relax enough so my eyes could close again for a few more hours, but my heart hurt—I thought I could hear the sound of pieces breaking off. I kicked the blankets off and decided to get some tea. The trip to the kitchen was difficult to navigate, but I found it after taking a few wrong turns. Digging through multiple cabinets, I found a teacup, teapot, and green tea leaves. With the pot on the stove, I turned to stare into the darkness of Clamora’s house. Shapes started to appear in the darkness, and the harder I stared at them the more difficult they became to see. A sharp whistle made me jump. The water was ready. I cleaned the pot out and put it back in the cupboard, grabbed my cup of tea, and made my way back to the dark recesses of my room.

  The green tea filled my nose with a soft minty smell. I took a small sip and leaned my head back on the wall with a big sigh. There was no reason for my heart to break over Sebastian. I barely knew the guy. His soul mate was back, and he loved her with an intense passion. Part of me wanted to believe that maybe I was his soul mate reincarnated, but that didn’t make sense. Yet there were moments where he would look at me as if I was someone special to him. At that moment, I decided I would not allow myself to open up to him unless he confirmed or denied that his soul mate was back, and tell me who exactly she was. With my mind made up, I finished my tea and crawled back under the covers, allowing sleep to claim me one more time.

  It was eight in the morning when my body finally woke up. I dressed in a pair of gray running shorts, a sports bra, and a pink tank top. Thankfully, when Sebastian had packed my clothes he’d added my running shoes. I threw my hair into a ponytail and went to grab a small snack before my run. As I opened the door, a gust of cool air hit my skin and created goose bumps. Shrugging it off, I took off and started my morning with a jog. I usually only jogged when I needed to forget the world around me or when I felt that nothing was going right in my life. This was definitely one of those mornings. I smiled as I wound around a path that led into the forest. There were tall conifers spread out around me, moss-covered rocks, and grass grew everywhere. It was pure beauty. It was my home. It was Oregon. Sighing, I stopped where a fallen tree blocked my path. My smile fell as I saw it had been cut down by lightning, and I reached out to touch it.

  When my hand met the wood, I gasped. The tree was screaming for help, and no one cared enough to hear it. I pushed the silver glow with all my might, prayed for it to save the tree, to help it live in some way. Bright light poured from my body and wrapped around the conifer, and I pushed harder. Snapping, clicking, and other strange noises filled the empty silence. I watched as the silver light helped the fallen tree grow back to its base and connected the splintered trunk together again. When it was whole, the light receded back into my soul and settled with a thick heaviness. My body felt weak, so I sat there for a few minutes. And then, with newfound excitement, I sprinted back to the house, leaving the newly healed conifer behind me.

  I hunched over to catch my breath, using the straps of my tank top to wipe the sweat from my forehead. The summer heat was already beginning to blare down on my back. When my breathing was finally normal, I walked into the house to search for Clamora so I could tell her what I had done. She was in her office, looking through paperwork and talking on the phone. As I tapped lightly on the doorframe, she held up one finger to signal that she would be a few moments. Taking that as an invitation, I sat down in one of the chairs, allowing my legs to rest. With an exasperated sigh, Clamora hung up the phone and shuffled the papers into a drawer. A curious look on her face had me looking down at my outfit and smiling sheepishly. Realizing that now was my chance to tell her, I spilled every detail from the morning’s run. When I finished, she smiled widely and congratulated me. Proud of myself, I skipped to the kitchen to make a hearty breakfast of cereal and toast. Belly full of breakfast, I wandered upstairs to shower and change.

  Taking one last glance in the bathroom mirror, I felt satisfied with my appearance. My green eyes were clouded with silver and purple, my hair reached the middle of my back, and my new tattoo was starting to turn red and green. I had chosen a green tank top, dark blue shorts that were tattered and torn, and red Toms. Dark eyeliner created an elegant look on my eyelids, and mascara flushed out my already long lashes. Even though I had decided that I was going to wait for Sebastian to tell me the truth, I still wanted to look good around him. Flipping my dark hair so it hung in waves over my left shoulder, I walked out of the bathroom with a smile. Nothing felt out of place in my life at that moment.

  I met Clamora out in the garden by the stream for more training. Bottles of water sat on the ground by a large rock, and I knew that it was going to be a long session of pushing myself to the extreme. We started by planting seeds in fresh soil, and she told me to make them grow. Pushing with all my strength, I bathed the seeds in silver light and small plants started growing into thick, beautiful bushes and luscious flowers. Clamora figured that I had to start by learning how to use my fairy magic, which consisted of healing, helping, growing, nurturing, and teaching the nature around me. Wild animals even came to me out of curiosity; she explained that they understood that I could help them and would never harm them. Pure excitement poured from my chest, and the nature around me thrived on it. When we grew hungry we picked berries, and I told the plants to regrow them. I learned that the more I used the small silver light, the easier it was to control it and call it when I wanted or needed it. By the time it was sev
en in the evening, Clamora decided it was time to end the training for the day.

  As we sat in her office, she told me that she was impressed by how quickly I learned and she was proud to be my teacher. “Your fairy magic is strong, and I am glad that it is. You will need it one day. But I think we can move on to training your witch or vampire side. Tomorrow evening Sebastian will be taking you to a sacred place. Depending on how your body reacts to it, we will decide what part we start training next. And there are a few other matters we need to discuss.” Clamora looked down at some more papers on her desk and tilted her head. Just when I was about to ask what the other matters were, a soft knock on her door interrupted us. Sebastian walked in with a wicked grin on his face, and his eyes were elated when they landed on me. Dark green eyes flashed back to Clamora, and he gave her a questioning look. When she nodded, he disappeared into the house.

  I figured now was the time to ask the questions that were flooding my mind. “What is he?”

  “Hm?” Clamora looked up through black eyelashes.

  “Sebastian, what is he? I mean, is he like me? Or is he something else?” I couldn’t help the flow of words as they escaped my mouth.

  “That is his story to tell. Not mine.” She didn’t look at me for a while, and I stayed quiet. Then she startled me with her words. “Sebastian will be enrolling in school with you. It has been arranged. He will be a senior, like you. And we will both be moving into your town, close to you, so we can keep training until you are ready.”

  “Until I’m ready for what?” My voice was a small whisper.

  “The war, my child. It is what you see when you have visions of the future. We can discuss it tomorrow. But right now, there is something waiting for you downstairs.” She shooed me out of her office and down the stairs.

  In the foyer there was a small kitten sitting on the marble floor. It looked like it was shivering. Carefully, I made my way to the small thing and scooped it up. I cradled it against my chest, and it purred loudly. When I turned to walk to the kitchen to get it some milk, I stopped. Sebastian was leaning against the wall. My eyes trailed over him, and my heart went into overdrive when I noticed he was wearing a white T-shirt that looked far too snug, showing off his large muscles. Black sweatpants hung loosely from his hips, and as my gaze kept going lower, I saw his bare feet on the floor. A soft laugh escaped him. Not being able to help myself, I looked back up to his face. Chirping noises from the kitten startled me. I gave the little thing a strange look and tilted my head.

  “It’s a Savannah. That one in particular is about 80 percent serval. It’s a wild cat, and they make strange chirping sounds like that. He is your spirit animal. I didn’t name him; I felt that you should be able to, since he is yours. There are cat supplies in your room.” He stepped closer and scratched the cat behind its ears. It purred even louder. “This cat will be large, and it will have the personality of a dog and cat. I hope you accept it as a gift from me.” With those words, Sebastian departed, leaving me alone with a shivering kitten in my arms.

  There were various toys and treats, two silver bowls, a bag of cat food, a bed that looked too large, and a purple harness. I sat down with the kitten on the floor after giving it food and water. He was beautiful. Black spots and stripes covered his body, and his belly was white. A short, stubby tail wagged in excitement, and his yellow eyes glowed with happiness. The longer I looked at the cat, the more I saw a shy personality with a strong sense of protection and friendship. Smiling, I realized I knew what his name was going to be. Helios. Tired after a long day, I picked up my new pet and snuggled him to my chest as I crawled under the blankets. He seemed content and went to sleep right away.

  My sleep was dreamless and restful. Helios, my new kitten, woke me up by licking my face. Scratching his ears to applaud his efforts, I stretched and yawned. I was in a lazy mood, so I threw my hair into a messy bun on top of my head and covered my legs in baggy blue sweats. My white T-shirt hung loosely from my torso. I scooped up my cat and headed to Clamora’s office so we could continue yesterday’s talk.

  Clamora’s slender frame sat in the oversized desk chair. Her raven-black hair was pulled into a frazzled ponytail that hung limply at the nape of her neck. A tired look clouded her gorgeous eyes, but she tried to perk up when she noticed I was standing in the doorway. I put Helios onto my lap as I sat down in a chair. Energy called to me, and as I listened carefully, I realized it was Clamora’s. Tilting my head, I listened closely to figure out what it was telling me. The Native American woman sitting in front of me needed rest, and lots of it. She was exhausting her body and her energy to the point of death. Carefully, I reached out with my silver glow and pushed at the energy. It wobbled immediately, then I pushed at it one more time and it fell completely. When I looked up at Clamora, her head was on the desk, eyes closed, mouth open, soft snores escaping her. Sighing, I stood up and walked to the kitchen with an unhappy Helios following at my heels.

  A smoky smell filled my nostrils. I picked up my pace and heard pops and sizzles coming from the kitchen. Rayne was making bacon, eggs, hash browns, and sausage. Futilely, Helios tried jumping on the counter to reach the delicious smell, but his small legs couldn’t make the jump and he clattered to the floor in a flailing heap. He shook himself off and walked figure eights around my legs as if to ask for some food. Some bacon was ready, so I grabbed a piece and gave half to the small Savannah. When Rayne finally turned around, I smiled sheepishly and laughed. Her eyes were glowing with happiness, her hair was a mess, and there were grease stains on the white apron that was wrapped around her tiny waist. She motioned for me to take a seat at the large table. As I sat down, she brought over plates of food and glasses of juice. Smiling, she even gave Helios a small plate of cut-up sausage and bacon. His hungry meow was ferocious, and he immediately dug into the warm meat on his plate. Eventually, when Rayne was satisfied, she took a seat next me and started eating.

  After breakfast I helped her clean up and thanked her for the meal. Rayne was more than happy that I enjoyed it, and that someone was finally around to taste her cooking. When I excused myself, I wandered up to Clamora’s office to see if she was awake. With my first step into her office, I realized it had been a mistake to push her energy to sleep. Her face was furious, and her eyes glared when they landed on me. I could tell she wasn’t really angry, just frustrated that she had lost time. I understood. There never seemed to be enough time in the days anymore. My apologetic smile made her face soften. She knew I had done it for her own good. A white chair seemed to call my name, so I sat with my legs tucked to my hip and waited for her to finish yesterday’s conversation.

  “Thank you. I really needed rest, although I would rather you not do that. I understand you felt it necessary. So thank you, AubrieAnna.” Clamora spoke with such serenity and so genuinely that I smiled at her. “About yesterday’s talk: You are going back to your parents’ cabin today. I believe they told Sebastian they were leaving tomorrow. Anyway, I will enroll Sebastian in your school, he will be there to protect you, guide you, and make sure that nothing bad happens until you are in full control. Also, I will be renting a home on a large property near yours, and we will train after school. If you have a ton of homework, please tell me, and I will make sure Sebastian tutors you before and after our training sessions. I have called your parents to tell them, and they are okay with it, as long as you pass your classes with As and Bs. That shouldn’t be a problem; I can tell you are a smart girl.

  “Also, regarding which part of training to start you on next . . . Sebastian is taking you to a sacred ground where those who are not supernatural cannot go. It will enhance the next part of your bloodlines. We will go from there. He knows what to look for, and he also will be able to help you through any situation that may come along. Now go pack your belongings, and your cat’s. Sebastian is going to take you there, and then to your cabin. I will see you in a few days. Be careful, my De de lo qua s gi.” Clamora stood up, and her blue dress touched the floor.
She stepped out of the room with such grace that I prayed would rub off on me someday.

  Helios slept peacefully on my lap as we drove on a winding road through trees and small moss covered houses. Sebastian had dutifully loaded my stuff into the trunk when I was ready to go. My black leggings were speckled with cat hair, but my orange shirt was safe for the time being. We had been on the road for at least an hour with nothing but trees for scenery most of the way. When we finally started seeing buildings again, they were all run down with broken windows, lopsided doors, and slanted roofs. I could tell that they were abandoned because no cars littered driveways, no stores were open, and gas stations were out of service. Shivers fled down my spine, and my cat growled at the surroundings. After another thirty minutes, we arrived at a small parking lot. I set Helios down in the backseat with a blanket to keep him comfortable and a bowl of water on the floor in case he got thirsty. Stepping out of the car, I almost fell to my knees.

  The sun was achingly hot, and my eyes burned. An overpowering force seemed to hold me up. Thankful for whatever was allowing me to stand, I walked toward the center of the lot, being called there by something unknown. Sebastian was by my side the whole time and never let me go where he thought it was too dangerous. When I reached the spot, a blinding light seeped through my pores. My jaw and teeth ached. I tried to reach for Sebastian, but my movements were foreign and strange. Too fast—I was moving too fast. Suddenly, electricity crackled in the sky. Dark clouds scampered toward us. Rain poured down and thunder clapped, making the ground shake. Iridescent flashes of lightning were so close that they scarred the ground beneath our feet. Cursing, Sebastian threw me over his shoulder and ran with inhuman speed to the car. As soon as he shut the door, the storm went away. Running his hands through his soaked hair, he grumbled about how it was ridiculous that both of my other supernatural parts had manifested. He stalked around to the front of the car, got in, and drove away from the empty, scarred and sacred grounds.