Chasing Shadows

by Rebbeca Stoddard

  “Now, as to what made you sick today. Your supposed chemistry teacher had attacked you. He’s testing your strength. Until I can teach you how to continually block yourself, you must wear a charmed crystal at all times. Even after you have learned how to block yourself, it is still a good idea to wear it all times, just in case. To rid you of his magic, I had to force you into a small charmed sleep state. You were basically in a special coma that you could only wake out of when you were cleared of the attack.” She looked at her watch and sighed. “I have kept you for too long today. Tell your parents I apologize. Sebastian, please take her home.” With a wave of her hand, Clamora dismissed us.

  I was still upset that Sebastian hadn’t told me what he thought or how he felt. With my back straight, I stalked out of the room, down the stairs, and to the door. My heart stopped when I thought about us being in a small space together. When I tried to open the door, Sebastian shut it and turned me around. With my back pressed against the door, he stared at me. His eyes looked at my lips, then back to my eyes. All resolve was lost at that moment. He jerked my head forward and his lips crashed down onto mine. Shivers and butterflies flew through my body. Electricity tingled on my skin. Without any hesitation, my fingers tangled in his soft hair and I opened my mouth for him. His tongue teased me as it traced my lips. It took all my effort to finally break the kiss. When I did, he smiled and placed gentle kisses on my lips, nose, cheeks, and forehead. Then, finally, he said, “I love you, AubrieAnna.” My soul sang and my heart flip-flopped like it was jumping for joy.

  “I love you too, Sebastian.” Regardless of how little I knew him, I knew it was true. It had been true from the moment he gave me Helios. I was happy, and absolutely nothing could ruin my mood.

  He held my hand on the ride home. His smile was wide and pure. We sat in awkward silence. When we got to my house, I climbed out and scrambled to get my bag and say goodbye. With a wave of his hand, he sped off down the driveway. My heart sank a little, knowing I wouldn’t see him until tomorrow. I stopped to tell my parents that Clamora apologized, and went upstairs to get ready for a relaxing night. A claw-foot tub sat in one corner of my bathroom. After a few minutes of digging under my sink, I found bubbles, candles, bath oils, and a pillow. With hot water flowing from the faucet and bubbles forming, I lit the candles, plugged my iPod into my iHome, and selected my bath-time playlist. As the water got higher in the tub, I undressed and climbed in. Soothing music flowed through the room, candles created a soft and relaxing environment, floral smells filled my nostrils, and every muscle in my body released its tension. Taking a deep breath, I sunk farther into the bath and closed my eyes.

  My fingers and toes were wrinkled like raisins. Sighing, I got out of the bathtub and pulled the plug out of the drain. I blew out the candles, turned off my iPod, and wrapped myself in a towel. It was almost ten o’clock at night. Stopping in the doorway to my room, I bit down on a scream. Sebastian was crawling in through my window. He smiled and put his head down to look at the floor. Color flooded my cheeks. Before I started rambling, I ran into my closet and changed into some sweats and a T-shirt. As I emerged, he was looking at my bookshelf. It wasn’t as nice a collection as his, but it was mine, and I loved each and every book that filled the shelves. His back was to me and I coughed to get his attention. Turning abruptly, he looked at me. Sebastian was always quiet, but he said what he needed to without hesitation or shyness. With a sad look on his face, he stepped forward and placed his hand on my cheek. Tenderly, he kissed my lips. A small peck at first, it deepened into a heartfelt kiss. My left hand was on his chest and my right was on his cheek. I wanted more, but he broke contact and stepped away. Head down, he sighed. I waited for a minute before he finally broke the silence. “AubrieAnna, I love you and I want to be with you. But right now, that cannot happen. I’m sorry.”

  My heart shattered, and I stumbled backward as if he had slapped me. As I lifted my head to ask him why he had kissed me or had come to my house, he was gone. Cold air breezed into my room, my curtains swayed and danced in the incoming wind. Completely numb, my body shut down. I fell to the floor and sobbed. Yeah, my heart had been broken before. But that time was different. Langdon didn’t want me, and Sebastian did. Tears kept flowing no matter how hard I tried to get them to stop. Every muscle in my body stopped working. Coldness crept over my soul, and I shivered violently. Forcing my body into motion, I got up and crawled into bed. A hollow feeling settled in my chest cavity, leaving me alone, empty, and utterly broken. Another onslaught of sobs wracked my body and left me exhausted. My eyes finally closed hours after he had left, and sleep took over.

  The buzzing of my alarm woke me up, but I didn’t want to move. Rolling over, I hit the off button and curled back into a ball. After a few moments of thinking about last night, I sighed. I needed to go to school, needed to show Sebastian that what he had said didn’t affect me. Getting up, I searched through my closet. After finding the cutest and most comfortable outfit, I put on my makeup, brushed my hair and teeth, and went downstairs. Today was going to be a hard day, but I would do my best to make it through with my head held high. My eyes ached, and my nose was stuffy. With the sun shining so brightly, I could easily wear sunglasses and no one would ask questions. Ready to get going, I skipped breakfast and tugged my dad toward the door. He kissed my mom’s cheek and scrambled after me. I had my headphones in and my music playing when we got into the parking lot. Kissing my dad’s cheek, I got out of the car and walked into the school.

  One of the popular girls stood at my locker. Her smile was bright and too sweet. Rolling my eyes, I turned around and headed outside. She didn’t want to be avoided, and obviously wanted to talk to me about something, since she followed me closely. When I sat down at one of the picnic tables, she politely touched my arm. I looked at her and took an earbud out. “What do you want, Madeline?”

  “Well, I noticed that you hang out with the new kid. And I want to know if you know if anyone has asked him to homecoming? It’s coming sooner than it has before. I want to sort of ask him to go with me.” Madeline was stammering, and her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

  “No, I don’t think anyone has. And from what I know, he hasn’t asked anyone either. So you can ask him if you want to.” I looked down at my bag and picked at the zipper.

  “Oh my God! Thank you so much! I appreciate it. And by the way, I’m sorry about all the things Langdon has ever said about you. It’s not right. I always try to tell him to stop, but he doesn’t care.” Her eyes were full of sincerity, and she placed her hand on mine as she spoke.

  “Thanks.” I wasn’t sure if I believed her. It was hard to believe someone who never tried to apologize before they wanted something from you.

  “You’re totally welcome.” Madeline turned to walk away but looked back at me and said, “I hope we can be friends.” She smiled and left.

  After the bell rang and we all filed into first period, we got our first assignment. Mrs. Summer wanted us to draw someone who had changed our lives somehow. She gave us the guidelines and released us to do our work. At first I wanted to draw Sebastian, but since I was upset with him, I chose to do a collage of people who had changed my life. I started with my family in one corner and continued with faces of people who shaped me. Teachers, friends, my ex-boyfriend, Sebastian, Clamora, strangers who would tell me something inspiring, they all filled the page faster than I thought they would have. They were all just faceless heads of hair. The bell rang faster than I wanted it to. Carefully, I gathered my belongings and headed out the door.

  Fiora walked with me to second period. As I was sliding into my seat, she started asking me about Sebastian and why we were being so weird. I tried to shrug it off, but she kept asking. Finally, I gave up and told her. She gasped and demanded that we have a girls’ night after the football game on Friday. Even though I barely knew her, I could tell there was no arguing with her whatsoever.

  Just then, Mr. Hodges walked into the room.
Anticipation seeped through my body. He talked about a lab that we were going to be starting, and I waited for the tingling sensation in my fingers. But it never came. We got our packets and were told to pick our lab partners. Of course, Fiora stuck to my side like glue. Surprisingly enough, she got to work and sped through the hypothesis, steps, objective, and the various other parts of the lesson before we could begin the fun part of the lab. I sat there in shock. Fiora was a science nerd. Smiling, I shook my head in disbelief. That’s when I realized that she liked science because she was a fire nymph. Science meant using, catching, and starting fires. Groaning, I watched as she walked up to the teacher to hand him our papers. His eyes went wide as he saw how quickly she’d completed the lesson, and that it was correct. He told her that we had the rest of the period to ourselves, but that we were not to distract the other students. Bored, I pulled out my art assignment and started drawing. Since Fiora just wanted to pester me, I gave up on drawing and put my stuff away. She rambled on about the cute guy she’d seen the day before. Not soon enough, the bell rang.

  Third period and lunch passed awkwardly. Sebastian wouldn’t look at me or talk to me. I was thankful for a release when I got to fourth period. Willow had creative writing with me, and she said the teacher was amazing. The first writing assignment was to make a small book of poetry. All I could think about was what had happened the night before and how Sebastian had just thrown me away after admitting his feelings. My thoughts flowed onto the page in front of me. I wrote about Sebastian and my heartache. When the bell rang, I was startled out of my seat. After carefully collecting my things, I followed the flow of students out the door. There was only one more class of the day, and I was thankful that I was a teacher’s aide. The halls were too crowded and everyone seemed to move slower than usual. I pushed my way through the students, anxious to get the day over with. As I neared my last class, I heard Madeline giggle, followed by Sebastian’s apology. Sighing, I passed them both and walked into the choir room.

  The teacher was tall and skinny. He was balding. His eyes were a deep, murky brown and seemed to stare into my very soul. I smiled at him when I walked in. Mr. Manatovan nodded his head once then pointed to his office. Students started filing in and sitting on the various chairs that were spread throughout the room. My job as his TA was very simple. All I needed to do was take attendance, make copies, and help around the class. After I took the attendance, I started working on my art project. The only portrait that was finished was Sebastian’s. Sighing to myself, I tried to focus on Alexandier’s face. When that didn’t work, I tried my mom’s, my dad’s, Amelia’s, and even Clamora’s, but nothing seemed to help. I gave up and started doodling on a blank piece of paper. A small knock on the office door shocked me out of my drawing. There was a small black-haired girl on the other side. She was a freshman, and she asked me about a folder containing the music for one of the songs they were singing. Grabbing Mr. Manatovan’s keys, I went into the back room and looked for the folder. Carefully, I looked in each of the filing cabinets until I came across what she was talking about. Opening the folder, I checked to make sure the music was in there, and then I handed it to the freshman. Back in the office, I looked down at my doodle and gasped. There on the page was a very large figure standing in the middle of hundreds of students, staring out blindly through giant, completely empty eye sockets. Shivers ran through my entire body. I folded the paper and shoved it into my bag. The rest of the period was wasted with me staring at the wall, trying not to hyperventilate. As soon as the bell rang, I ran out of the school and waited for Sebastian at his car.

  My heart hammered in my chest. I was anxious to get to Clamora’s. The image that I had drawn seemed to be permanently glued to the inside of my eyelids. Every time I closed my eyes, it was there, towering over me with a menacing presence. Heat from the blaring sun couldn’t make the shivers go away. As soon as Sebastian came out of the front doors with Fiora and Willow, he saw my wide eyes and ran to me. Even though he had told me he couldn’t be with me, he still cared, which made it hurt worse. His fingers touched my cheek as his eyes wandered over the rest of my body. All of my nerves and muscles responded to his touch. Sighing, I leaned into him. But when I started to close my eyes I jerked away, not wanting to see the creature again. Fear shook my body once more and I climbed into the car in a hurry. Fiora, Willow, and Sebastian quickly followed suit. We made it to Clamora’s sooner than I had thought possible. With unsteady legs I climbed out of the car in a hurry and scrambled to get inside. Clamora was in her office upstairs. Her head snapped up immediately when I burst through the door. Without saying a single word, I pulled the drawing out of my bag and shoved it onto the desk in front of her. She stared at it for a moment, then pushed it aside and signaled for me to sit down. I sat down slowly and stared at her with wide eyes, waiting for an explanation of what was on the page. Clamora sighed heavily and looked down. Willow, Fiora, and Sebastian walked in and sat down. The girls looked at me with a confusion. After a few minutes, Clamora finally jumped into an explanation.

  “That is an U da yv la dv. It has shown itself to you in its truest form. They are getting stronger. The U da yv la dv that you have drawn only appeared to you in your thoughts. It doesn’t have the full power to manifest itself, yet. However, I feel that when it does, that is exactly how it will appear, in the same area and situation that you have drawn it. You must be careful of what you say in public from now on. With you drawing this so soon, I fear that they will become more open with their attacks, as well as spying more frequently.” Clamora looked down at the page with sad eyes.

  “Clamora, how do you know that they can’t spy on us here?” Willow spoke from the corner of the room.

  “I have secret enchantments drawn and written all over this place. You will always be safe here unless they manage to destroy a wall or figure out which part of the enchantments to attack.” Clamora sounded resolute, and her voice held a tone that said there would be no more discussion. “AubrieAnna, you will learn to control the element fire today. Fiora is going to help me teach you to call on the witch that resides in you.” With that, she ushered us out of her office and down the stairs.

  Our training room was one of many. It was purposely made so I couldn’t catch anything on fire. Clamora stood behind a fireproof glass wall and wore a suit that resembled a fireman’s. I had to focus on something else so I wouldn’t laugh at how silly she looked. Fiora wore old burnt clothes. She had told me to focus on something that made me feel warm inside, something that made my body light up with electricity. As I thought of Sebastian and his kisses, soft warmth spread through my fingers and toes. The more I thought about it, the hotter my body grew. Thoughts of Sebastian flooded through my mind; every good and bad memory flowed. Memories from past lives filtered in, and I felt a sharp pain pierce my soul as I focused on how he made me feel. Clamora gasped loudly, and Fiora hollered in excitement. All of my concentration was lost and I fell to the ground, landing on my hands and knees with a hard thud. My body felt heavy and too cold. Not wanting to move, I just sat there. When I finally got up, I looked at Fiora and Clamora. They both had wide smiles on their faces and shock in their eyes. I felt embarrassed and like a freak. Carefully, I searched myself and everything around me. After my inspection, I looked at my teacher and friend, waiting for an explanation.

  “You lit up like a damn Christmas tree, Aubrie! I so wish that I could do what you just did. And you didn’t even singe your hair or burn your clothes! I am totally jealous.” Fiora was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

  “Yes, you did. Your whole body caught on fire and you levitated. That has never been done before. Ever. You are going to be one powerful being. Even the U da yv la dv will have a hard time fighting you. This is good, very good.” Clamora smiled at me like I was a mad scientist’s experiment. “Today was a good first run. Tomorrow we will continue to work with fire, as well as teach you to use it. Now go home, do your schoolwork, and get rest. You will surely
need it.” As she spoke those last words, she walked out the door to somewhere on the other side of the warehouse.

  Feeling accomplished enough for one day, I went out to Sebastian’s car and waited for him. The drive to my house was short and quiet. When we pulled up to my house, I got out of the car. I didn’t want to do anything except eat, shower, and sleep. Taking a quick pit stop in the kitchen, I grabbed a Capri Sun out of the fridge and a pizza pocket out of the freezer. While I waited for the microwave to heat my food, I sliced an apple and filled a glass with water. Beeps from the microwave made me jump. Shaking my head, I grabbed the hot pocket, set it on my plate, and made my way upstairs. Carefully using my foot, I closed the door and put my food down on my nightstand. It felt nice being the only person home. My dad was still at work, Melly and Mickey were at daycare, and my mom was on her way to pick them up. Once I set my backpack down by my closet, I walked over to my bookshelf and looked through the various novels. After careful consideration, I chose one of my favorites: Vision in White. Nora Roberts had written a beautiful and heartfelt story about love and weddings. Even though I had read it dozens of times, I still enjoyed it. Flipping through the worn pages, I sat down on my bed and started reading. I ate my apple, hot pocket, and drank my juice until I was halfway through the book. The sun was setting, and I hadn’t realized everyone was home. A yawn took me by surprise, and I hopped into the shower. My hair still damp, and with my eyelids getting heavier, I crawled into bed and fell asleep.

  Chapter 6

  The school day felt fairly normal, except that it was Friday, the first home football game, and three weeks away from homecoming. A pep rally was held on the football field, and the cheerleaders did tricks that made everyone cringe and applaud. Teachers introduced the foreign-exchange students, and everyone talked about homecoming week. After school I went with Sebastian to Clamora’s and we worked with fire some more. I kept messing up and failing at small tasks that she or Fiora would ask of me. A few hours passed before she dismissed me and told us to be careful. Fiora and Willow demanded I ride with them to the game, since it was our girls’ night. Sebastian let me go quietly, and I wished he hadn’t, or that it hadn’t upset me. Fiora rambled and talked about next weekend—we had to go dress shopping for homecoming. When we finally reached the school, I got out. Relief washed over me as Sebastian parked next to Willow’s car and walked next to me. The girls went and got some hot chocolate. With shy and awkward movements, Sebastian grabbed my hand. He held it as we found a spot on the bleachers. But the moment the nymphs found us, he dropped my hand like it was going to burn him if he held it much longer. My heart sank and I watched the football game in disappointment. Somewhere during halftime, Fiora had decided that we were going to have a sleepover at my house. As the game finally ended, we parted ways from Sebastian. My heart sank lower than ever when he didn’t even say goodbye.