Shadow Born

by Jamie Sedgwick

  “No,” Gabriel laughed again. Jodi gave him a dirty look.

  “You’re going to have to start thinking for yourself if you’re gonna survive around here.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Gabriel was losing his patience. He couldn’t tell if Jodi was just messing with his head or if she really did believe all this craziness. And what really bothered him was the feeling in his gut that some part of him actually wanted to believe her. In a way, what she said made sense. But it didn’t have anything to do with him. Did it?

  Jodi planted her feet firmly on the ground, one hand on her hips, the other pointing right at his nose. “You’ve got to start reading BETWEEN THE LINES! There’s a lot more going on in this world than what you see on TV. There are things all around you, things that you couldn’t even begin to describe, or to understand.” She pulled something from her back pocket and thrust it into his hands. It was a small, paperback book with a nondescript black cover. Printed on the cover in small white letters were the words:

  The Book of

  ShadowS

  By: Professor P.S. Frump

  Gabriel flipped through the pages and saw dozens of black and white drawings of fantastical creatures. Some were familiar -mythological beasts like unicorns and dragons-but there were many he’d never even heard of. Each page was dedicated to one particular creature, with a drawing of what the creature looked like and a brief paragraph describing it. The book described them all as shadow creatures.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?” he said.

  “Read it, stupid,” said Jodi. “That’s what books are for, isn’t it? Try to learn something while you’re at it.”

  Gabriel snorted. “What kind of head game are you playing?”

  Jodi clenched her fists and it looked like she might punch him. Gabriel took a step back and settled into a defensive posture. He had no desire to hit a girl, but he wasn’t above defending himself.

  Surprisingly, Jodi relaxed herself and very coolly said, “I think the party’s started.” She spun on her heels and started walking back. Gabriel had no choice but to follow her.

  Chapter 9

  Julia was waiting when they arrived, and she instructed Gabriel to sit at the head of the table. Reeves was there, already seated, along with two other guests that Gabriel had not yet met. The first was a distinguished looking elderly man with gray hair. He was smaller in stature than Reeves, but had broad shoulders and a strong jaw. His eyes were sharp and clear, like brilliant pools of crystal blue. He looked surprisingly fit for a man of his age, which Gabriel guessed was either late fifties or early sixties -probably about ten years older than Reeves and Julia.

  A slender black cane with a silver wolf’s-head grip was slung from the back of his chair. Gabriel noted that the man didn’t use it when he stood to greet him. “I’m Flannigan Oglesby,” he said in a pleasant British accent. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope you’re getting settled in?”

  “Yes sir,” Gabriel said, doing his best to be polite.

  “Mr. Oglesby teaches science and astronomy at the middle school,” Julia said. “He’ll probably be one of your teachers.”

  “If not two,” Mr. Oglesby said, laughing at his own joke. Gabriel smiled weakly.

  The second guest was a young man about a year older than Gabriel. He was tall and skinny, with a freckly face and odd octagonal-shaped eyeglasses. They looked like something Ben Franklin would have worn. “…And this is Pete Skeverson,” Julia said. “He’s a grade above you. You’ll see him around the estate a lot because he handles all of our computer systems. He’s quite a prodigy.”

  “It’s no big deal,” Pete said. “I’m into computers and stuff.”

  “Pete’s father recently won a Nobel prize. He’s an ambassador for the US government. What’s your father up to these days, Pete?”

  “Skiing, I think,” Pete said sourly. “Him and mom have been in Switzerland for the last three weeks. They’re not due home until at least the end of the month.”

  “That’s too bad,” said Julia. “It’s not right that they leave you alone all that time.”

  “I’m okay. My aunt checks on me all the time. Besides, I’m here half the time anyway.” Julia let it go, but Gabriel could tell from the disapproving look on her face that this wasn’t the end of it.

  Despite the expensive catering service, dinner was actually a smorgasbord of kids’ food. The guests were welcome to choose between corndogs, hamburgers, pizza, or chicken strips, plus there was a soda fountain with unlimited refills. There was also a salad bar -no doubt at Julia’s insistence-but it didn’t seem to be very popular.

  While standing in line for a refill, Jodi and Pete introduced Gabriel to a few kids from school. He couldn’t remember most of their names, the introductions came so fast, but they all seemed very nice. There was another group of kids however, that did not seem nice at all.

  Their leader was a big kid named Robby. He was a tall, scrawny eighth grader with long, greasy hair and a bad attitude. They said he ran the school like the Godfather. Everyone seemed to be afraid of him. When Gabriel first saw him, Robby was cutting in line at the soda fountain. Gabriel made a move to stop him, but Jodi and Pete held him back.

  “See those four kids following him around?” Pete said. “They’re called the Death Squad. They’re all eighth graders, and they love to make trouble. They’re always pushing kids around, stealing money and stuff. Sometimes they find a kid they don’t like and beat him up just for the fun of it.”

  “Why doesn’t somebody stop them?” Gabriel said. “They might be big, but they’re not big enough to fight all of us.”

  “Maybe,” Pete said. “But they carry weapons too. They always carry knives and I heard that Robby was suspended last year for bringing a gun to school.”

  Gabriel eyed the boys as they stepped ahead in line. “So Robby’s in eighth grade,” he said. “He looks more like he’s eighteen.”

  “He probably is,” said Jodi. “He’s dumb enough to have been held back that many times.”

  The members of the Death Squad were busy joking and laughing, pushing the smaller kids aside, and Gabriel took a moment to size them up. He studied them, making subtle calculations: height, weight, physical condition -even what they were wearing and how they walked. Any detail might be of importance, and there wasn’t much Gabriel missed when he was paying attention.

  Of the five, he thought at least three had pocketknives, and one had something bulky inside his front jeans pocket. Two of them wore steel-toed boots, which only made sense for a kid to wear if he was planning to kick someone. Pete was right. Those kids were trouble.

  Shortly, Gabriel and his friends returned to the table. They engaged in polite conversation with the adults as they ate. After they were finished, Julia grabbed a microphone and made an announcement:

  “First of all I’d like to thank you all for coming!” she said. “This is a very important event and we’re thrilled you all cared so much to attend.” There was some applause and Gabriel shifted uncomfortably as all the faces turned to stare at him again. He turned about three shades of red. “I’d also like to thank you for all of your gifts. There are far too many to open now, so we’ll let Gabriel stay up late tonight.” There was a little bit of laughter.

  Gabriel was surprised. It was a little awkward, having all those strangers bringing him gifts. What he didn’t fully understand was that the entire town had been following his story all weekend. This sort of thing just didn’t happen in a small town like Shadow Falls. Everyone wanted to make sure Gabriel was well cared for, whether he found his parents or not. In the two days since his appearance, Gabriel had become something of a local celebrity.

  Julia continued:

  “Last of all, I would personally like to show my appreciation to all of you. Therefore, I have something special planned. No doubt, you’ve noticed the carnival to my right. Well, we are going to have free rides for the rest of the evening.” Screams filled the air, so loud
that they almost hurt Gabriel’s ears.

  “Good,” Julia said. “I can see you’re all ready. If everyone would just form a line at the gate…” The kids were scrambling before she even got the sentence out. “Also, Reeves will be handing out raffle tickets for all the children. At the end of the evening, most of you will get prizes. However, only one person will get the grand prize… a MOTORCYCLE!”

  Gabriel glanced at Jodi and she shot him a triumphant look. “I’m gonna get that,” she said confidently.

  The kids screamed at the announcement and began pushing and shoving anxiously. Reeves appeared at the gate. “No pushing!” he shouted, and a stillness descended over the line. Even Robby and the Death Squad weren’t gonna mess with Reeves. “I will be watching you… all of you.” this part he directed at Robby, “So don’t make trouble. Take your ticket when you pass through the gate. Keep it! Don’t lose it or you won’t get a prize! And the rule is first come, first serve. No trading, no whining, and NO FIGHTING. Everyone understand?”

  “YES!” they all shouted.

  Reeves smiled, something Gabriel hadn’t seen before. He clearly wasn’t used to doing it. “All right then. GO!” He swung the gate open and got out of the way as the children stampeded through, each snatching a ticket out of the metal box as they ran by.

  Jodi caught Gabriel by the arm. “We’re doing the Zipper!” she said. Gabriel followed along, even though he had no idea what the Zipper was.

  The rest of the evening was a blur. Gabriel, Jodi, and Pete spent the next few hours running from one ride to another as fast as their legs could carry them. The vendors were even giving out free cotton candy and caramel-covered apples, so by the time they were through, none of the kids were feeling that well. They’d been eating sweets and going on death-defying rides all night long.

  Finally, Julia gathered them all together. She stood on a platform at the front of the crowd so everyone could see her and began calling out the raffle numbers. Gabriel noticed a younger kid crying because he’d lost his ticket. Gabriel pulled the strip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the boy.

  “Gee, thanks!” the kid said, his eyes wide.

  Gabriel smiled. “No problem. I’ve got too much stuff anyway.”

  A few minutes later Julia called Jodi’s number. Jodi hustled up to the front of the crowd and came back carrying a large box. Gabriel watched as she unwrapped it and pulled out another box. Inside that box was another, and then another, and another. By the time she was done, Jodi’s grin had faded to an annoyed glare. She was surrounded by boxes. In her hands, she held the last one, a tiny little square that barely fit in her palm.

  “I don’t believe this,” she muttered.

  Reeves appeared next to them. “Ah, that looks like a good one,” he said, winking at Gabriel. Jodi shot him a look.

  “I couldn’t fit a quarter in here, Reeves. I started with a box almost as big as me.”

  Reeves was still smiling. “Big things come in small packages,” he said wisely. Jodi rolled her eyes.

  “Well, open it already!” Gabriel said. He’d been watching her open boxes for ten minutes. He was getting impatient.

  Jodi sighed and opened the tiny box. And then she squealed. She pulled out a shining silver pendant in the shape of a unicorn with diamonds for eyes. Attached to it was a fine silver chain. “Reeves, you knew!” she said. Jodi leapt up and threw her arms around him.

  “Oh, I had an idea what it might have been,” he chuckled.

  The moment ended as Julia turned the mic back on. “Finally,” she announced, “it’s time for the GRAND PRIZE!” The crowd roared.

  One of the security guards rolled a brand new dirt bike up next to her. Julia held up a ticket stub. “This is the LAST NUMBER!” she said. “Whoever has the other half of this ticket wins a motorbike!” The crowd cheered again as Julia glanced down at the ticket stub. “1, 6, 7… Oh, I forgot! After this prize, the carnival will shut down in thirty minutes. So, get your rides while you can!” The children waited impatiently through this announcement. She began again: “1,6, 7, 35, 5, 94!”

  “Here!” a voice shouted in the midst of the crowd. Gabriel saw a hand shoot up in the air. His eyes followed the hand as it moved through the crowd. Gabriel’s jaw dropped as Pete appeared on the stage.

  “I don’t believe it,” Jodi said. “He won the dirt bike.”

  Julia checked Pete’s ticket and confirmed the numbers. Everyone clapped as Pete rolled his new motorcycle off the stage. Julia directed him towards the barn, and Pete disappeared behind the carnival rides.

  Jodi talked Gabriel into going on a few more rides, but he didn’t enjoy them much. It was getting late, he was tired, and he was glad the party was almost over. There was a thought that had been gnawing at the back of his mind all evening. His family was out there somewhere, but he was having a party.

  He knew the police were doing everything they could. The press had been helping as well, but it didn’t seem like enough. It didn’t seem right for him to be enjoying himself when -for all he knew-his family could be out there suffering somewhere. What if something had happened to them? What if the entire family had gotten in a wreck? What if he’d been found just because he happened to wander off?

  The thought made him sick to his stomach. He knew it wasn’t likely. The first place the police would have searched would have been the area where he was found. Still, there was a chance that he had a family out there somewhere and that they needed him. And here he was, at a carnival.

  Finally, the rides shut down and the carnival lights started going off. Gabriel and Jodi walked back to the house together. They were halfway up the drive when they heard a shout in the distance.

  “It’s MINE!” a familiar voice cried.

  “Not anymore, it’s not!”

  They exchanged a look. “That sounded like Pete!” Jodi said.

  Gabriel pointed at the barn. “I think it came from there.”

  They broke into a run.

  Chapter 10

  They sprinted across the lawn as fast as they dared in the dim light. The stars were clear overhead and the moon was just coming up on the horizon. If not for that, they would have been in complete darkness.

  As they reached the barn, Gabriel saw pale light streaming out between doors. Pete let out a yelp and Gabriel put on an extra burst of speed. Jodi was right at his heels as they plowed through the doors and stumbled headlong into the Death Squad.

  Pete was seated on his motorbike as if he’d been about to ride it out of there. Robby had him by the collar with his fist raised in the air. Poor Pete looked terrified.

  “Let him go, Robby!” Jodi shouted.

  Robby laughed. “Well this must be Christmas!” he said. “I got me a new dirt bike, and I get to beat up three little brats all at the same time!” The Death Squad spread out, surrounding them and blocking the exit. Robby lifted Pete off the bike and threw him backwards into a stack of hay.

  The Death Squad broke out in laughter as Pete tumbled head over heels, frantically trying to get back on his feet. Jodi took advantage of the distraction by tripping the kid next to her. She stuck out her leg and gave him a hard shove. He went straight to the ground. He landed hard on his rump and his smile vanished.

  “Get them!” Robby shouted.

  Gabriel’s mind had been racing, trying to keep track of everything that was going on. The boys were probably carrying weapons. He was afraid that if he made a move, something terrible might happen. He was trying to think of a way to end the whole situation peacefully. When the first two boys attacked Jodi, Gabriel knew there wasn’t any peaceful solution.

  The kid next to Jodi grabbed her, while the boy she had tripped hauled off to punch her. The other two rushed Gabriel. Robby watched the whole thing play out with an approving grin.

  Gabriel wasn’t sure exactly what happened next. Something changed inside of him, like the flipping of a switch. Everything became a matter of instinct.

  Gabriel exploded into a
ction.

  He leapt like a panther. Robby’s grin disappeared as Gabriel vaulted over him. He landed with his feet on Robby’s shoulders. The two boys who had been about to grab Gabriel stumbled as he disappeared overhead. They ran into each other.

  Gabriel launched himself from Robby’s shoulders and caught one of the roof beams. The force of his jump pushed Robby backwards, and the older boy stumbled as he hit the bike. He landed face-first in the dirt and the motorcycle came crashing down on top of him. Robby yelled for someone to give him a hand, but no one could.

  Gabriel used his inertia to swing forward. He did a somersault in the air, and landed on the shoulders of Jodi’s attacker. The kid crumpled. She bent forward, pulling her weight against the third boy who was holding her from behind. She twisted, and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed hard on the barn floor, gasping for breath.

  Robby was back on his feet by then, and he rushed Gabriel. Gabriel danced back, waiting for Robby’s attack. The bully launched himself forward, trying to tackle Gabriel, but Gabriel wasn’t there. At the last second, he leapt into the air and spun sideways. Robby missed him completely. Robby hit the ground hard enough that it knocked the breath out of him, and he lay there helplessly, fingers clawing at the dirt as he gasped for breath.

  Gabriel stepped aside, circling warily. None of the kids made a move. They were all struggling just to get up.

  A shadow filled the doorway. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?”

  The ground seemed to shake beneath the force of Reeves’ voice. His face had gone a deep crimson color and a vein was throbbing in his neck. Even under his sport-suit, Gabriel could see the man’s muscles bulging. Gabriel fought the urge to run. Robby looked about ready to pee his pants.

  Suddenly they were all tripping over their tongues, trying to get their side of the story out first. Robby and the Death Squad made up some story about Pete giving them the motorcycle. Naturally, Pete said it was a complete lie.