Chasing Shadows

by Rebbeca Stoddard

  “Look, she can hear us!” My mother’s voice was high pitched and excited.

  “Of course she can, her eyes will open any minute now. But we should probably move her to her bedroom,” Sebastian said.

  “Oh, right. Honey, would you? Oh.” My mom sounded a little surprised. I felt myself being shifted and shuffled upstairs. A few moments later, cold sheets greeted my back and I choked to get air. “Is she okay? What’s going on?” She was frantic once again.

  “She’s okay. The cold sheets must have shocked her a little bit.”

  “Then we shouldn’t have moved her. Shock is bad for her, for anyone.” Warm hands pressed against my forehead to check for some kind of sign or symptom of shock settling in.

  “We needed to. She could not have made her way up the stairs on her own, even with help. When she awakes she needs to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible, with very little stress or strain, at least overnight.” The tone of his voice had caught my mother’s attention. I could tell because she was no longer pressing at my body or grasping my fingers.

  Feeling irritated that I couldn’t sit up or look around, I moved my eyes back and forth so quickly that I started to become dizzy. Scrunching my forehead, I focused on wriggling my fingers and toes. Wait, my forehead, it was scrunched? I smoothed out the lines of my face before wrinkling them again. Excitement poured through my body. One more push and I was sure my eyes would open. Pushing and praying that it would work, I forced my eyelids open. When they did, everything was too bright. The lights were blinding and gave me a headache. In one quick motion, I threw my arm over my eyes and let out a small groan. It almost felt like the process before changing: painful, annoying, and exhausting beyond belief.

  Of course, my mom being, well, my mom, she jumped up and turned the lights off, except for a small night-light from my bathroom. She then fretted over me like I was her first newborn baby. My dad looked at me with big sympathetic blue eyes and silently apologized. Thankfully, Sebastian stepped in and told my mom I was okay and that I just needed to relax and get some rest. A small amount of hurt appeared in her eyes, and I told her I wanted some soup and water. Immediately she perked up and ran out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. We sat there in total silence, then Helios jumped up, curled into my side, and licked my hands, letting me know he was trying to heal me. I reached up and scratched his ears to thank him. His soft purring started to lull me to sleep, but a timid knock made me jump up.

  Melly was standing in the doorway with her little bear that was missing an eye. Her hair was still damp from the shower, and her big blue eyes looked too big and scared. “Daddy?” Her voice was so small it sounded like a whisper.

  “Yes, baby?” He walked toward her and crouched down in front of her.

  “It’s back. It’s in my closet again. I told it to go away and that it wasn’t real, but it laughed at me. Daddy, I’m scared.” Small tears came out of her eyes as she told my dad about the monster that had plagued her for years.

  “Okay, let’s go tackle it together. We will send it away, once and hopefully for all. All right?” As my father reached down to take my little sister’s hand, she nodded and looked up at him with a glimmer of hope.

  Once they were both out in the hall and on their way to her room, I looked at Sebastian. My heart broke. “I am taking them away from the two people in this house who need them the most.” Feeling utterly ashamed, I hid my face.

  “That is not true, AubrieAnna. You still need them, and I think they know that you are not 100 percent well.” His voice was sad as he looked down at me.

  “It’s scary. Honestly? I am terrified by how often I get knocked down with something small. I might not make it through saving the world.” There was something so brutal about what I said that I couldn’t look at him anymore.

  “I won’t let that happen.” He stood up and spoke fiercely. “You need to rest. I will be back in a few hours. I need to go have a conference with the gods.”

  “Wait.” I reached out and grabbed his arm. “I am coming with you. Do not tell me no. I can sit on the floor, and you can always use my help. Besides, you need my help—unless you have another witch friend somewhere.” Feeling a little smug, I stuck my chin up in the air and started to get up.

  “AubrieAnna, you . . . ” Sebastian stopped talking when I glared at him. “Oh, all right. But you have to eat that soup. And drink water. Perhaps even some juice.”

  “Fine. Now let’s go. And be a dear and help me down the stairs so I don’t fall.” I stood up and felt a little woozy. A chirping Helios jumped off the bed and followed behind us. We made it down the stairs with a few hiccups, and my loving cat waiting patiently at each step to make sure I was okay. By the time we reached the bottom step, my mom was already on her way with the soup and water. She looked at me in shock, then quickly composed herself and smiled at me.

  “Mom, do you think you could put some juice in a bottle for me?” I sat down at the table and took a deep, exhausted breath.

  “I sure can, sweetie. But why do you need a bottle of juice?” Her face became concerned.

  “Please don’t get mad or yell. It’s something that we have to do. I’ll be okay, I promise.” I didn’t want to tell her, but I didn’t want to lie to her either.

  “Where are you going and what are you doing?” Immediately her back went perfectly straight and her eyes glared into mine. I squirmed. “And so help me God, if you do not answer me, I will torture you and Sebastian until someone talks.”

  “We are going to have a conference with the gods.” I stared at my soup as I answered her.

  “And they can’t come do that here?” her voice demanded.

  “Well, it isn’t exactly that simple, Mom,” I stammered.

  “Then explain it to me, AubrieAnna.” I shivered at her tone. It had been a long time since my mom had talked to me like that.

  “Well.” I swallowed hard. “Sebastian and I have to go to sacred ground. We have to call them down. It’s a ritual, and there are certain protocols we have to follow.” I shrank back into the chair, hoping if I made myself small enough she would forget I was there. It didn’t work.

  “And what protocols do you have to follow?” I gave up trying to be small. It really wasn’t working.

  “Mom, you guys aren’t even technically supposed to know about me, or Sebastian. The supernaturals are called myths and legends for a reason.” I looked into her eyes, pleading her to understand what I was trying to say.

  “Oh.” Her eyes softened and went sad.

  “I would never let anything happen to you two. You’re my parents. I love you to the moon and back again.” I reached out toward her with a small smile on my face.

  “I know, Auby. Sometimes it’s still very difficult not to worry about you. Even though you are stronger now than ever, there are times when I think about my twin baby girls and how you both were so sick. Then she just gave herself up for you. You survived. Always have, and always will. Oh, how I would watch you be so fearless with Alexandier. You scared me half to death sometimes. Then you taught Melly and little Mickey how to be fearless too.” My mother had turned from me so I wouldn’t see the tears slide down her face.

  Somehow the words she spoke gave me the strength to get up and walk to her on my own. “I know, Mom. I love you.” I kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

  “I love you. Now go do what you need to.” She kissed my forehead and let me go.

  Sebastian grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and snagged the juice my mom poured while I carried the bowl of soup to the car. As he started the car, I sipped on the soup, which was no longer hot. Once the tires hit 99E, he sped off toward Silverton. The more I ate and drank, the better I felt. We reached the light that led to our destination, and I finished off my soup and sucked down more water. My belly twisted and turned at the thought of knowing more about the blood rite. Sebastian turned the wheel, and it took all I had not to vomit on the dashboard. I was more nervous than I ha
d thought. He reached over and traced circles on my knee. It had a strangely calming effect and the nausea dissipated.

  The mood became somber and tense as we continued down the street. There was only one way to describe it: It was like we were traveling to our deaths. It was almost like those moments in the movies when everything becomes silent and you watch as the rain crashes down or they run into battle with silent shouts and war cries. Although we weren’t going to our deaths, we were going to talk to the gods about how to prevent them. I sat there staring out the window as dilapidated houses passed by, and I thought about all the pros and cons of the blood rite. The good things were we would be completely immortal, each of us sharing the other’s abilities. I would live forever with him, and we would be bonded in a way that mortals could only dream of or read about. The bad things were we could die, we would be in a lot of pain, the gods might not know where to take us, and we might never find the sacred grounds where we needed to go. A sigh escaped my lips as I continued to think about it.

  “What are you thinking so hard about over there?” Sebastian’s voice startled me.

  “How do you know I was thinking, and thinking hard at that?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “You get these cute little wrinkles in your forehead, and your eyebrows scrunch together. Plus, you sighed. You only sigh when you are thinking really hard, are full, or feel extremely tired.” I turned to look at him, and he smiled his smile that I loved so much.

  “Well, how do you know I’m not full or tired?” I countered.

  “You had your forehead wrinkled and eyebrows scrunched together.” He winked at me.

  “Fine. I was thinking about what we are going to do.” I returned to watching our surroundings pass by.

  “What about it?” Sebastian questioned.

  “The pros and cons. I was making a mental list.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How does this list look?”

  “Well, there are more pros than cons.”

  “And what are the pros and cons?” His eyes were amused, almost like he found my thoughts peculiar and entertaining.

  “I can’t say.”

  “Why on earth not?” He jerked his head toward me and threw me a confused look.

  “See, if I told you, I would have to kill you. And I don’t wanna kill you.” I winked back at him.

  “I see. Well, I wouldn’t want you to kill me. So I guess I will just have to wait.” Sebastian’s lips curved softly.

  “I guess you will.” I didn’t turn back to watch the surroundings this time. I just watched him. The way his tan skin always seemed to glow, his eyes always sparkled with delight and happiness. There was no other being out there that was as handsome as he was. Sure, a lot of the actors and performers were attractive, but they had nothing on him. Sebastian was the epitome of male beauty. He always made me smile, even without knowing it. With that, I turned back to stare at the trees and wide-open fields that now greeted and passed us by.

  After ten minutes we turned down the bumpy dirt road that led to the creaky shack. My mind started wandering farther and farther down the list possibilities of what may or may not happen. My heart began beating faster, and my skin broke out in a cold sweat. I had never been this nervous about something in my entire life. Sure, I got nervous before I went on stage in the plays I did as a kid, but it was nothing compared to this. This feeling, the nervousness, the anxiety, all of it was caused by what we might or might not find out. Some part of me knew I was being overdramatic, but what we were going to talk about could change our lives forever. If we survived, I wouldn’t have to worry about losing him, and he wouldn’t have to worry about losing me. There was just so much riding on what we would hear from the gods.

  The sharp turn onto an overgrown road let me know we had reached our destination. We rolled through potholes and over weeds that had grown out of their own beds in the surrounding woods. In a few short seconds, the shack appeared in the headlights. I became more and more anxious the closer we got. Sebastian cut the engine and reached behind his seat to grab a flashlight. A soft glow from the moon threw shadows that seemed to waiver and shift without wind. Something felt wrong. There was someone out there, but I couldn’t tell who it was. With absolutely no warning, the sky cracked and rumbled. Rain yanked itself free from clouds that weren’t there a minute ago. Bright lights flashed through the sky. It wasn’t lightning. This light was familiar. I had seen it once before. It was the gods. They were coming down; everywhere around us a flash appeared, and then we would see a god or goddess standing on the scarred ground. It seemed to go on for close to an hour. When it finally stopped, I got out of the car.

  Murmurs filled the air around us. The gods stared at us, some with big eyes that were shocked, others with confusion, and very few with reverence. I turned in a full circle, meeting each of their eyes. There were a few distinctions between them. Each of them had an emblem on their chest that represented what they were god over. Aphrodite’s was a heart, and it was encrusted with diamonds and rubies. Athena had a shield and spear made out of bronze. Zeus’s—well I assumed it was Zeus—had a lightning bolt made out of silver. Once I had made a full circle, I looked up at Sebastian. His eyes were tight and nervous as they wandered back and forth between faces.

  “Let’s get this over with; I have other matters that need attending to,” a loud booming voice called out from behind me.

  “If these other matters were so important, you didn’t need to come with us,” a female sneered at him.

  “I was told I had to,” he fought back.

  “Well, leave if you must, no one here particularly cares and you don’t seem to either,” she shot at him. I had turned to stare at the arguing god and goddess.

  “Enough!” Zeus cut them both off before they could continue. “If you feel like this is a waste of your time, then leave, Apollo. And Artemis, please do not start again. I cannot deal with the headache you two cause me.”

  “Yes, sir,” they both mumbled.

  “Now I suppose you are wondering why we are here, and why so many of us have gathered.” Zeus looked at me.

  “Yes, I am.” I spoke clearly and looked him directly in the eyes, hoping it would not be a sign of disrespect.

  “You are brave to look me in the eye. Not many have had the ability to do so. I like it.” He nodded his head toward me and I smiled back. “At any time, feel free to interrupt and ask any questions you have. We heard that you were planning to call upon one of us to have this conference in order to learn more about the blood rite. I decided that I would include all the gods and goddesses I trust who may need to be part of the blood rite. Each will explain where they come in and what they are going to do. Please bear with me, as this could take a while.” Zeus looked at me then turned to look at Athena.

  “Wait, I have a few questions before this whole thing starts rolling.”

  “All right, what are your questions?” he implored.

  “For starters, the two who were arguing, they are your children, right?”

  “Unfortunately, they are,” he sighed.

  “I’m sorry. May I say something?”

  “You may.”

  “Hey, you two, Apollo and Artemis.” I turned to look at them, and they gave me their attention. “You two help make this world the way it is. You are a freaking god, Apollo, and you are a goddess, Artemis. My little brother and sister don’t fight like that, and they aren’t as old or as wise as you. Aren’t you here to help?” They both nodded in shame. “Then act like it. I may be mortal and weak compared to you, but I sure as hell don’t want two arguing gods helping out when I may die or my other half may die. Got it?” I pointed my finger and gave them the look mothers give their children when they know better.

  “Well I’ll be damned. No one has ever put my twins in place like that. Thank you, AubrieAnna.” Zeus bowed slightly while chuckling to himself.

  “You’re welcome. Okay, now on to my actual questions pertain
ing to the blood rite. First, what do you mean by the gods and goddesses you trust? And what if the things some of these gods rule over don’t involve what may or may not happen? Can the u da yv la dv hear our conference, because we are out in the open, ya know? Oh, and before everyone starts going around and telling us how they will be helping, I want to know everything about the blood rite, I mean before, after, during, the whole nine yards.”

  “As you can see, Hades is not here, just as a few of the others are not here. This may look like a big group, but this is a small number compared to how many are up in our home and floating around the earth doing their own business. And, my dear, you have no idea how very important some of these gods are and will be in the blood rite. Those arrogant little creatures have no idea what is happening right now, and they cannot penetrate this ground, for it is sacred and blessed by us.” He gestured to the area around us. “The blood rite is typically dangerous. We do not interfere. But this time we will. You two will be married in the supernatural world. It will not be legal in human eyes; however, that does not matter. You will then consummate the marriage. After you do that, we will begin the blood rite. AubrieAnna, you will cut Sebastian’s hand, and he will cut yours. After both of you have been cut, you will place the wounds together. Your blood will flow into him, and his will flow into you. It will be painful, and there will be times you will want to let go. You cannot give in to that desire. The only way to stop the pain is to get to the sacred place. Unfortunately, we do not know where it is. With every supernatural couple who does the blood rite, it changes. When your blood flows together, you will feel a pull toward this place. You must tell us which way to go and how to get there. We will do whatever is necessary to get you there as quickly as possible.

  “Once you two are in the correct place, you will recite certain words and you will have intercourse until the flow stops. This will be exhausting, so we will do what we can to keep you as energized and awake as possible. However we will not be there and we will not be constantly watching. All you need to do is call out for one of us and we will be there to help however we can. The after part is a little simpler than all of that. After the blood rite is finished, you will notice changes. Both of you will. Sebastian will have power like yours, and you will have strength and immortality like him. You won’t lose each other, and it secures the way the war ends. Now I believe Athena should tell you what her part in all of this is.” He finished the explanation and nodded toward the goddess.