Shadow Eyes

by Dusty Crabtree

  I considered the fact that there were still no signs of any shadows around him, so I assumed he mustn’t have any bad intentions with his parties. But I also knew there would definitely be several other people showing up at his house with dark figures strapped onto their backs or hovering over them like fog. School was bad enough with its immense population of delinquent students, and I had just mastered the ability to ignore their shadows enough to function. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle a place even more saturated in evil darkness.

  “Thanks…but I think I’ll have to pass for now.” I smiled to clarify that my decision wasn’t because of him.

  However, instead of pleading more or reluctantly giving in as I assumed he would have, he nodded swiftly and rolled back to his computer, muttering, “Good. That’s good. It’s better you didn’t come anyway.”

  Chapter 17

  THE REST OF THE WEEK, Patrick’s mood swings wavered from flirtatious to caring to distant to angry and back again to flirtatious. On Friday, I barely knew what to think when he invited me one last time to his party that night. I decided to play it safe and spend the evening with Kyra. There would always be more later if I changed my mind.

  We sat in my bedroom as Kyra tossed out possible destinations and things to do, and I tried to call Lexi one last time to join us. She hadn’t responded yet.

  She finally sent a cryptic text in reply:

  Sorry. I’m with Nicole. Talk to you guys later.

  She hadn’t actually said where she was or what she was doing, but I figured it was a safe bet she wasn’t going to spend the evening with us.

  Kyra furrowed her eyebrows in worry as I read the text aloud, but once I set my phone down and glanced up, she promptly relaxed and grinned. “That’s all right. It’ll still be fun with just us!”

  I smiled in return, but her briefly-apparent worry made me wonder if she knew something I didn’t. I shrugged it off. “So what do you want to do tonight? You decide.”

  “Hmm.” She tapped her pointer finger on her tightly-pressed lips. “Let’s go to that retro coffee shop again. It’s cold out. Something hot like lattes sounds good!”

  “Did I hear the word lattes?” Hanna peeked her head through my partly opened door with exaggerated raised eyebrows and a wide open smile fit for a clown.

  I laughed. “Yes, Kyra said lattes. Although, judging by your energetic enthusiasm, I’d say you didn’t need any.” My sister had always been a positive, goofy person, but after her trip to Haiti, her high spirits and kindness made her even more of a joy to be around. I wasn’t certain, but I was pretty sure I knew why. Her glowing friend had been by her side almost constantly since her return. I hadn’t gotten used to it yet, but I at least wasn’t scared anymore…as long as I was able to keep a safe distance.

  Kyra smiled warmly. “Nice to see you again, Hanna.” They had only met in passing once before, but it was clear that their similar personalities would make it easy for them to get along. “You can come with us tonight if you want to. We’re just going to go that coffee place down the road.”

  Hanna frowned. “Actually, I think I’m going to pass tonight.” She turned to me. “That’s why I came in here. Mom seems really depressed for some reason. I think it’s about Tom. I asked her if she was going out tonight, but she said she was just going to stay home. I think I’m going to stay and watch a movie or something with her so she doesn’t have to be depressed and lonely.”

  Kyra’s face was full of concern. “Should we stay too? We don’t have to go out.”

  I was partly annoyed by Kyra’s assumption that I would be okay hanging out with my depressed mother on a Friday night and partly mad at myself for not being selfless like Kyra and my sister.

  “No, no. You guys go out and have fun. It’ll be fine just us. I’m hoping maybe she’ll open up to me anyway. It might be harder with more people. Thanks, though. That’s really nice of you.” Hanna smiled at Kyra and bent over to pat her leg once before heading to the door. “Have fun, you guys, and wish me luck!”

  “Good luck!” we both shouted to her as she slipped out of my room and down the hall to my mother’s bedroom.

  I had also noticed a difference in my mother the last few days. I hoped Tom wasn’t breaking her heart. She still wasn’t over the loss of her first grandchild. All she needed was another tragedy in her life to send more shadows rushing to our house to bring her down further.

  Kyra turned to me, grinned, and shook my thigh with excitement, determined to keep our spirits up. “Well…on to Coffee at the Ritz!”

  I hadn’t paid much attention to the time, but it must have been late by the time we arrived. The crazy college crowd was starting to emerge. In front of the building, a small group of college guys huddled around, smoking close enough to the front door that we would have to walk through the hazy fog to get inside. From far away I could already tell they were drunk by their faltering gait and by the horde of shadows hovering around and among them. As we approached, I could also regretfully hear their crude conversation and joking about college girls they had slept with as well as future conquests.

  I rolled my eyes and wished I could close them without tripping. At least then I wouldn’t have to witness the dark silhouettes influencing the guys that had unwittingly invited them to their party.

  Kyra naturally didn’t seem fazed by any of it at first, but as she grabbed the handle to the glass door, her glow unexpectedly erupted from her body. She swung the door open with such extreme force I thought it might come off its hinges. Even more unexpectedly was that as it swung to the right, the blinding light from Kyra’s aura reflected off the entire glass surface of the door as it simultaneously smacked one of the shadows behind it. The shadow staggered back and looked dumbfounded as Kyra smirked smugly and ushered my stunned self inside.

  I managed to shut my gaping mouth and pull myself together before I had to face Kyra again, who took her place beside me in the back of the line. However, on the inside, the logical part of my mind was trying to make sense of the fact that an object had just hit a shadow instead of going through it like vapor as it normally would have. On the flip side, the rest of me was impressed and in awe of what Kyra had inadvertently done. I had a hard time not smiling and laughing as the image of the door hitting the shadow and the shadow’s subsequent bewildered look kept replaying in my mind. Like a hilarious yet disturbing video people watch over and over on the Internet.

  Kyra acted as though nothing had happened, but the way her confident eyes bore into mine intermittently as we waited in line made me feel like she was daring me to ask her about it. I didn’t know what I would ask that wouldn’t sound crazy.

  Kyra stopped eyeing me and stepped up to the counter to place her order. “Can I get a grande caramel latte, please?” She gave the young male cashier a friendly smile and he grinned widely as if she had just told him he was the best, most handsome coffee shop employee in the world.

  I chuckled to myself as she moved aside for me to order. “I’ll have the same.”

  “All right, two grande caramel lattes it is.” He was still beaming. “If you ladies would just have a seat anywhere you like, I’ll get these made right away.”

  “Thank you so much,” Kyra replied, smiling, and we wandered over to the same spot as last time, only not quite as secluded since the place was packed.

  “Man,” I giggled, “if every transaction in the world happened with as much kindness as that, I think our world would be a much more pleasant place.”

  She grinned. “I’ve always said all the world needs is a little kindness from everyone. It really does go a long way.”

  She pointed back to where the cashier was happily making our lattes to prove her point. As he worked, his coworker bumped into him, dropping a half-full cup of espresso, and the liquid splashed all over the floor and on his shoes. Instead of getting flustered or upset or commenting on how busy they were, he simply laughed, grabbed a towel, and began cleaning it up. He even motioned the girl
to go ahead and re-make the drink while he took care of her mess.

  I turned back to Kyra, truly impressed. “You see,” she said. “It spreads…like a disease.” She shrugged. “Only without the negative side effects.”

  I laughed. “All right, I’m a believer.”

  “So, what do you want to talk about? I’m all ears.” She rested her elbows on the table and set her chin on top of her folded hands, peering into my eyes with genuine interest and attention.

  As comfortable as her friendly gaze made me, it also made me apprehensive about the potential direction our talk might take, especially considering the conversation we had last time we came in for coffee. “Hmm. Maybe I should say what I don’t want to talk about instead…like Patrick or anything resembling our conversation the last time we were here.” I smiled nervously to act as though I were joking, but she got the hint.

  “Okay, okay, fine. Take my fun away, why don’t you.” She laughed. “Well, since we’re laying down guidelines, is the topic of your sister and her husband off-limits too?”

  I contemplated that for a minute before responding. “How about I think on that while I go get our drinks? They should be ready by now.”

  “Sure. Sounds good.”

  I strolled up to the counter as the hurried yet relentlessly cheerful employee was just steaming the second latte. The first sat on the counter in front of me without a lid, and I bent over to drink in the tantalizing smell of caramel and coffee.

  “Sorry, they’re almost done,” he apologized. “I had to clean up a small spill earlier.”

  In a quick decision to apply Kyra’s kindness approach, I smiled sincerely. “It’s no problem. Those things happen.”

  He grinned in appreciation and finished our drinks. It felt good to be gracious and kind and for that kindness to be reciprocated. This is what human interaction is supposed to be like, I thought.

  When I grabbed our lattes and turned to scan the room, however, the pieces of my utopian world one by one slowly fell to the ground like a puzzle being turned upside down and shaken in slow-motion. Shadow after shadow after shadow assaulted my vision from every possible angle, covering at least seventy percent of the crowd. I was reminded how evil and depraved the world truly was.

  Feeling hopeless and jaded, I had seen enough depressing reality for one evening and pivoted back toward our seats. But as I did so, my eyes caught one last dark shadow hovering over a man who was leaning casually over the counter at the other end, flirting with a cute employee in her early twenties. It was my brother-in-law. I listened as the last large mass of puzzle pieces crashed to the floor.

  I quickly ducked out of view, not wanting him to see me, but peeked around the corner to gawk one more time. Sure enough, he was flirting with his brilliant smile and jokes and his confident posture, and she was eating it up, getting flustered as she tried to do her job and flirt back at the same time. I also noticed his shadow seemed rather changed and darker since Thanksgiving. I told myself I was just imagining things.

  He’s still hurting. He’s just trying to laugh and enjoy life again. I hardly believed any of it, but it was enough to put on a face and return to Kyra who smiled as she reached for her drink.

  “So, what’s the verdict on the topic of your sister?”

  I winced. “I think I’d rather talk about my depressed mom and her boyfriend issues.”

  Lexi hadn’t called or texted me all weekend, and I was starting to get worried. My selfish worry was less about her safety, though, and more about the possible loss of her friendship. I hoped Nicole hadn’t somehow convinced her to spend all her time with her instead of me. It wasn’t as if Nicole and I weren’t friends anymore, but we rarely hung out together. I could sense us drifting apart. I missed my friends…both of them.

  I arrived fairly early to school Monday morning and walked down the hall to Mr. Delaney’s room, hoping Lexi would already be there waiting to spill about her weekend, but I froze in my tracks. A brilliant light flashed, illuminating the entire hallway for a split second. I blinked several times and recovered my sight just in time to see the light swiftly retreat and concentrate within a tall, glowing figure halfway down the hall.

  I spun around to the locker beside me and fidgeted with it in an effort to look inconspicuous, but I kept peeking down the hallway in semi-concealed amazement. I had never seen a figure of light so independent and calm as this one. It wasn’t even attached to anyone or rushing to help anybody. The form was in the shape of a man, and from his movement and gestures it appeared he was talking to someone, his glow brightening and dimming, indicating inflection or emotion.

  I glanced over several times, beginning to feel like I was eavesdropping on a private conversation. But I had been so caught up in studying the glowing man, I had forgotten to take notice of whom he was talking to. Only then did I see Kyra.

  She had her locker open and occasionally reached in to grab or search for something, but most of the time she had her back to me. Her gaze was directed toward the bright figure of light as if she were listening.

  Of course she couldn’t see him and it didn’t look like she ever actually said anything in reply, so I assumed the man was just whispering helpful advice or words of wisdom to Kyra. It must have been a coincidence she appeared to be staring at what she couldn’t see. Whether or not any of my theory was true, I didn’t know, but at that point, my explanation seemed no more ridiculous than the alternative I had stubbornly pushed aside ever since I met Kyra.

  The luminous figure suddenly glanced up and disappeared. I shivered as its warm light vanished with it. The hallways were dark after gazing at such a strong light for so long, so I let my eyes adjust for a moment and then approached Kyra who had just slammed her locker door shut.

  “Hey, Iris!” She beamed once she saw me, although something in her cheerful attitude sounded forced. “You’re early.”

  “Yeah, I was hoping Lexi might be here already. I haven’t talked to her all weekend.”

  “I haven’t either. I’m sure everything is fine though.” She smiled reassuringly, but I had a strange feeling she knew more about the situation than I did. Or at least she had her suspicions.

  We pushed open the door and I sighed in relief. Lexi was already seated, as well as a few other random, sleepy students, but no Mr. Delaney yet.

  “Hey you!” I said, feigning annoyance as Kyra and I took our seats. “I thought you’d died or something. What happened to you this weekend?”

  Lexi’s cheeks turned red, embarrassment evident all over her face. The silence in the room was oppressive. “Well…” she began sheepishly, and then took a deep breath and inspected the room to make sure nobody was listening before continuing. “Nicole and I went with Tyler, Josh, and Sam to Patrick’s party Friday night.” She stared at her desk and waited for my reaction.

  I was too stunned to say anything at first. How could I have been so blind? Of course that’s where they all would have been. Lexi was with Nicole who was glued to Tyler who was always hanging out with Josh.

  I wasn’t sure how to feel about Lexi’s confession. In one way I felt betrayed just as I had the day Nicole chose to sit with Josh and his friends at lunch after we broke up. In another way I felt left out and alone, secluded from my friends because I was too scared to face the mob of shadows that would be lurking in Patrick’s house. What I would have given to be ignorant and blind like them.

  I eventually realized Kyra had been eyeing me the whole time as if she were decoding my reaction, and I snapped out of my reverie. Desperately not wanting to lose Lexi as my friend, I did my best to remain calm. I finally responded, “So, what was it like? Did you have fun?”

  My attempt at calm and indifferent sounded more like a news reporter than an interested friend, but Lexi looked up at me with relief. “Um, yeah. It was okay. It would have been more fun with you there, of course…and you too, Kyra.” She turned to Kyra who had been silent the entire time.

  Kyra regarded Lexi with a quick, pol
ite smile that, without appearing judgmental, implied she wouldn’t be coming in the future.

  Lexi returned her attention to me. “Nicole had already been to one of his parties over the break. She basically twisted my arm to go this time. I just felt weird about telling you I’d be hanging out with your ex-boyfriend at Patrick’s house. I didn’t know how you’d react. I’m sorry. I should’ve just told you.”

  She hung her head low, clearly ashamed and repentant, and I readily forgave her. “I understand, really. It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay and that you’re not mad at me or something. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t heard from you. I was kind of afraid I’d lost another friend.”

  I smiled and she grinned in reply. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Her smile slowly faded as she turned serious. “You know…Tyler told Nicole that Josh still has feelings for you.”

  My eyes grew wide at that revelation, and Kyra shifted in her seat.

  “You should come next Friday with me so I’m not all by myself again,” she pleaded. “Patrick said he’s having another party at his house then. He even asked me to try to get you to come.” She laughed. “Strangely, Patrick and Josh seem to get along just fine. But…I think you might have to choose between them if you go. I swear they both like you.”

  I blushed as my mind raced with the idea of having to choose between two guys. The thought made me both anxious and excited. Also, the thought of having Lexi and Nicole with me among the swarm of dark shadows somewhat comforted me about the whole prospect of going.

  Kyra’s opinion on the matter, however, hadn’t changed in the slightest. “Well, whether or not Josh and Patrick both like you, Iris, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go to Patrick’s party to find out.” She paused before continuing carefully. “I just have a bad feeling about you going.” Kyra’s concerned gaze remained on me as if there were something wrong with me in particular that made me the only one prone to danger.