But Addie didn’t understand. She was accepted. She was a pure blood. She didn’t know what it was like to be treated like the plague. I just wanted one other person to understand me. Was that such a crime? I didn’t want love, just a friend. Love was out of the question for me. I wasn’t going to subject myself to more ridicule. There was no one else like me and I didn’t want someone who wouldn’t understand.
Just as I’m about to walk up the stairs, I hear a knock on the front door. I walk back down the stairs wondering what I will find. A burning bag of dog poo? That’s happened more than once. An angry neighbor telling me to leave? That happened a few times. A child who was dared to knock on my door, then ran away? I’ve lost count on that one.
When I open the door, no one is there. I look out in the yard and see no one. They have to be hiding somewhere.
“Yes I’m back in town. You can leave now.” I don’t know if there’s anyone around to hear me say it but I thought I’d confirm it anyway.
I walk back upstairs, checking everything out. Addie’s room has nothing left but blankets on the bed. I slam the door shut, hating the reminder that I have this big house to myself. A quick look in my grandparents’ room shows it’s the same as when I left. Everything’s as my grandmother had left it. After she passed away, Addie and I couldn’t bring ourselves to change anything. That was all we had left of her and we wanted to keep it that way.
I’m not surprised by the mess when I go into my room. That’s how I left it when I stormed out of the house, never wanting to come back. Clothes are scattered all over the floor. The bed is still disheveled from the last time I slept in it. A bookshelf against the far wall is filled with books I once loved. My dresser sits right beside it, with various maps scattered on top. Evidence of my years of pointless planning. Turning away with a sigh, I glance at my nightstand. A lone picture of Addie and me sits on it.
We look so happy in that picture. It was taken on a fall day, just before sunset. Addie’s jet black hair shone in the sunlight as did her smile. Her blue eyes twinkled with happiness. I was just as excited as we hugged each other and smiled at the camera. I’ve always loved Addie’s eyes. They were always shining with love and happiness. She had always said she wanted my eyes but I would rather have her normal color any day.
I sit on my bed and survey the rest of my room. There’s a shelf against the wall by the door covered in weapons. My punching bag and weights are still in the corner. My gloves still lie on top of the bag. My favorite running shoes lay at the foot of my bed with all the clothes. I stretch out my legs and have a sudden urge to do just that, to run.
Instead, I sit here in the silence listening to the quiet hum that radiates through the house. It’s comforting to be sitting back in my own room after the hell I have been through this past year. But coming back home makes me feel like a failure. I had wanted to find someone else like me, another freak struggling in this world. How I could have fooled myself is a mystery. I had found nothing but nightmarish pain and laughter. The kind that still haunts me in my sleep.
I sit here trying to convince myself that it’s okay. That being unique is something to be proud of. Forget what the human and Shadow world think. But it’s not an easy feat to accept when I’m looking down the path of forever.
Chapter Two
I make my way down to the garage, hoping the Altima is still there, and it is. I didn’t want to trek all over town on the bus forever. The money my grandparents left me is pretty generous but I don’t want to waste it. I don’t know if anyone will ever hire me, so I need to make it last as long as I can.
Addie had been picked up in a black limo when she left for training at the Covenant. Most young Witches go to the Covenant after high school to begin honing their powers. Addie had been reluctant to go at first. She wanted to stay here for me but when I told her I was leaving and that she couldn’t talk me out of it, she finally went. When I left, I ran until my body couldn’t move anymore. Then I hopped on a bus, then a train, and then an airplane.
I go to grab the keys from the kitchen hook but they’re not there. I look around the garage, checking under the mat, the bolt can, even behind an old bridge sign but find nothing. Where are they? I walk back over to the car, giving it another look over. Lifting the driver’s mat, I smile with relief when I see the spare key lying where we kept it for emergencies. Should have realized that sooner.
As I’m backing out of the driveway, my curiosity spikes. I’ve only been gone a year but I’m curious to know if anything’s changed around here. I turn right, going north on Red Tree Street instead of turning left to go to the Corner Market.
I drive through the witchy cul-de-sac first. All the Witches live around this part of town. Although the Shadows mingle in school and at work, they like living amongst their own.
The Vampires live across town in the slums. Most Shadow beings don’t mingle their living quarters with the humans but the Vampires do. They like living in the slums of town where people disappear and no one notices.
The Shifters stay closer to the edge of town near the mountains. This allows them to change into their familiars without having to go a far distance to do so. They live on the south side of town away from the Lycans. The Lycans, to the east, like staying close to the woods too.
Fairies seem to go and do as they please. They really don’t have a certain part of town they occupy. Really, how much room does a fairy need? One tree would house all that live here.
The humans are spaced out in the city but stay clear of the Shadows’ neighborhoods. Humans aren’t prohibited from coming into our neighborhoods but we do discourage them from wanting to live there. They still come give their sales pitches, fix the water pipes, the common stuff. We have to keep our cover of being normal. If humans never went into a certain part of town at all, they would eventually start talking.
I do think humans have their own vibes to steer clear from certain parts of town anyway, especially where the Vampires live. Humans—well most things in general—don’t go where they feel uncomfortable.
As I turn the corner, heading into Lycan territory, I have to slam on my brakes and come to a screeching halt. Two hands slam down on the hood of the Altima. A Lycan boy stares at me, with hatred in his brown eyes. He stands in front of my car and moves his finger over his throat like he’s slicing it. Then he points his finger at me before walking off.
I hit the gas, speeding away. If he thought he scared me by using some pointless gesture, he’s sadly mistaken. I’ve had so many death threats, they don’t faze me anymore. If I was going to be killed, I would already be dead. Fortunately the laws of the Shadow World protect me. There have been several attempts to repeal some of those laws to get rid of my family but they’ve been denied.
The Ruling Council, made up of one leader from each clan, would not allow such a crime. The Council rules on every law that is broken, and killing another Shadow being carries the ultimate penalty. If a Shadow being kills another Shadow being the killer is sentenced to death immediately.
That law was put into place after the feud between the Lycans and Vampires got out of hand. They would kill each other on sight whenever they could. Now the law prevents that. And since the Shadows can kill each other quite easily, a law is needed. It’s as if we are all allergic to one another. A Vampire bite will kill anyone except their own kind, and humans. The same goes with the Lycans. Fairies have charms that allow them to control Shadows until they die. Witches can use their power. The Shifters are a peculiar bunch. Their saliva is deadly so any bite, scrape, or even drop of saliva that gets on a Shadow’s skin is lethal.
It’s all been tested on me by different Shadows as they spit, bit, or clawed me, but apparently I’m immune. So was the rest of my family—well, except for Addie. I guess the blood ceremonies that were done when my family got married have something to do with it. When the Shadow DNA blended together it created an antidote of some sorts. No one really knows, but those are my theories.
There are other laws that are designed for each group of Shadow beings but the main goal for us all is to blend in with the human world. We have to follow their laws as well as our own. Being a Shadow is very complicated. It used to not be this way, but when the gods left us, our lives became complex. Shadows had to go into hiding so the humans would believe we no longer existed. We made our lives more troublesome, in order to better their lives like the gods wanted. Why, I don’t know, but we did as expected.
I make my way on through the town and end up at the Corner Market. The Corner Market is open to humans and Shadows just like any other business in town. This particular market is owned by a Shifter. Not too many Shadows own businesses in town. The ones that do are usually the Witches who own herbal stores, tell fortunes with the Tarot, and teach natural remedy classes.
Typically, when a Shadow owns a business, all their employees are Shadows as well. Just like this market. I wonder if the owner would ever consider me for employment. Probably not.
I enter the store warily. I don’t ever go in somewhere without taking in my surroundings first. Years of experience has taught me that. Various Shadows mingle around the store mopping, checking, and bagging. The two humans standing at the checkout would never suspect it was a Lycan cashier or a Shape-shifter bagging their items. Ah, the secrets of the world that are displayed right in front of our eyes, yet they remain unseen to our mind.
I make my way down the aisles, hearing the snipes made about me as I pass. My super hearing is probably the most trouble of all my abilities. When I was a child, my hearing would keep me up at night screaming. I couldn’t tune out my neighbors’ snickers. When I was eight I tried poking out my ear drums. I ended up only bleeding for five seconds before the wounds healed up.
Over time, my grandfather helped me learn how to turn down my hearing and only focus on what I wanted to. Sometimes I still pick up conversations around me when I’m not concentrating, like now. I wished my grandfather would have taught me more before he skipped out on us. He left shortly after my grandmother died. I don’t think he killed himself like my father did, though that’s what everyone thinks happened. All I know is he just left me and Addie without a word.
As I reach up to get some salt and pepper off the shelf, I hear a voice that sends dread through my body. “Well, well, well, look who it is.”
I keep on about my business thinking that the dreaded voice will go away. Maybe he was talking to someone else. Doubtful. As I turn around there his hateful face is. Ethan.
Chapter Three
“Hey freak, come to spread some more of your venom?” Ethan’s standing behind me, arms crossed, a scowl disfiguring his tanned face.
Is he handsome? Yes. He’s around 6’2, with reddish brown hair that’s a little long and curls at the tips. He has deep brown eyes that are framed with beautifully long lashes. His toned, muscular body makes girls quiver in his shadow.
However, Ethan is the biggest jackass ever. He has terrorized me for as long as I can remember, always calling me out and leaving me nasty gifts. He’s one of the jerks who left a burning bag of dog crap on the steps. His came with a note far enough away so it wouldn’t catch on fire that stated, “You’re like a bag of burning dog crap. Something nobody wants to deal with but eventually has to be dealt with.”
Ethan and I have always loathed each other, and it seems time hasn’t changed anything.
“Hello Ethan, nice to see you too.” I place the salt and pepper in my basket, then cross my arms over my chest matching his stance and glare at him. “Miss me?”
Ethan snorts and shakes his head. “Quite the opposite, I was hoping you were dead.”
This is so not what I want to deal with right now. I’m tired and just want to get back home. I shake my head at him and roll my eyes, then turn to my cart to leave. As I start to walk away he slams his foot down in front of my cart.
“So what’s next? You already have a wolf, a Shape-shifter, and a vamp so I’m guessing Witch, especially if you’re going to follow the same pattern as last year.” Ethan flexes his jaw, showing his aggravation plainly.
“Yeah,” I snap back. “And then after that I think I’ll catch a fairy for dessert. What do you think? Or should I go for a Leprechaun, I hear they’re tasty.” I go to move my cart back so I can go around him but he grabs a hold of the front to stop me.
“So it’s true then? You are the one who’s responsible!” Shock, confusion, and delight all pass over Ethan’s face in a matter of seconds.
I’m anything but delighted. Confused, yes, but definitely not delighted. It sounds like he is blaming me for something, but what, I don’t know.
I look at him like he has totally lost his mind. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. This all started when you took off. Then Evan disappeared two nights ago and now you show up again. So what do you do with them? Eat them? Use them in some sick ritual?” Ethan’s body is tense, his eyebrows are pursed together, and his eyes are glowing with hatred.
“Seriously I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t know anything about anyone disappearing, or anything about Evan. I just came back because I couldn’t... you know what, never mind. That’s none of your business. I came back because I wanted to and the reason why is my business alone.” No way was I going to accidentally spill my guts to some idiot I despise. I may be desperate to talk to someone but I’m not that desperate. Besides he’s accusing me of something that I knew nothing about until now, and apparently he thinks I’m the prime suspect.
“Yeah, okay. You have no idea about the thirteen mysterious disappearances last year? Or about the six that happened at the beginning of this year? How about the fact that the pattern has started all over again? You’ve heard nothing about any of it?”
“No!” I shout, frustrated. If what he’s saying is true, then something is really wrong. Our kind hardly ever go missing. Sure there might be a few disappearances here and there but they eventually turn up somewhere. There was never a death without an explanation, let alone a sudden disappearance with some information, especially of this magnitude.
Ethan leans over my cart and puts his face close to mine. “I don’t believe that and I’ll be watching you. If you slip up once, I’ll be there.”
With that he shoves my cart and walks away. I have a ton of questions on my tongue, but I’m unable to get a word out before he’s around the corner and gone. The fact that he tried to scare me with his comment about watching me, doesn’t faze me at all. I’ve had people watching my every move since I was born.
I finish getting what I need and move on to the checkout line. As I’m standing in line I overhear a couple people talking about Evan. From what I gather Evan was working at the Movie Galla on Monday night. He spoke with a couple co-workers after their shift ended, then he headed home around midnight. No one has heard from him since.
There was no trace of a struggle in his home. His car was parked at his house, but there was no evidence of a struggle there either. Everything seemed normal except for the fact that Evan was missing.
Then they compare Evan’s disappearance to all the other weird disappearances. Apparently, last week a Vampire disappeared in Bulgaria. Not long before that a Werewolf went missing from a town in Argentina. I don’t know what to think. It doesn’t make any sense that all these disappearances are so scattered yet related.
I head home to start some massive cleaning. I stop and grab a burger not wanting to clean dishes just yet, considering I have years’ worth of grime beckoning my name. Once I get home, I unload the car and get to work.
After cleaning out the refrigerator and cabinets, I fill them with all the groceries I bought. Then I move on to dusting the house, top to bottom. I do the laundry, and then head back to the living room, pretty satisfied with myself. As I go to grab my bag from the floor, I notice the hallway closet. I don’t really know what would need cleaning in there but I check it out anyway.
There are a couple of coats hanging in there, and a box pushed all the way to the far back corner. I pull the box out to see what might be inside. I find a journal of my grandmother’s, an old teddy bear, a couple of pictures, and a baby blanket. My grandmother’s journal is filled with things about our family, the struggles we faced, and concern for what we would probably continue to face.
The last entry she made was extremely touching and made me miss my grandmother that much more. The date reads May 16, 2006. The day before she died.
I know my time draws nigh. I do not fear death for it is a passage that we must all face, all except for those dreadful Vampires, but I will not go into that again. However, I do fear for my granddaughter Harmony. She is the most brilliant girl I know and have ever known. But her life has been a hard one and I fear with me gone she will fall into despair and lose herself. It has almost happened already, I cannot imagine what might become of her when I am gone. I know that we must all depart this plane to move on to the next one but I wish for more time. If only I could be here for her teen years. That is the hardest time for any young girl and with the way my dear Harmony is treated, I fear that it will be extremely hard on her. My dear husband is in extreme agony as well. I can see it in his eyes. Although our marriage has been a strenuous one, we always knew this day was coming. My departing this world, while he stayed behind because of that dreadful Vampire curse. Never allowing the soul to rest so it may move on to a new level of bliss. The past few decades have been strange with my aging and him not. But we’ve made it through, and I can still see the love in his eyes. However, when I pass I do not know if he will be able to help Harmony the way she needs. Addie will be here for a while longer but she too will eventually have to move on to learn her true abilities. My heart pours out for my dear Harmony. Hopefully, one day the world will open its eyes and see her for who she truly is and accept her. Was our family really wrong for loving the wrong person? I never thought so, but looking at my poor Harmony now, I have my doubts. How could we have been so selfish as to put someone we say we love through so much turmoil? Oh how I hope my Harmony finds her way, and knows that I will be with her always.
Uniquely Unwelcome (The Shadow World, #1) Page 2