Eliza's Shadow

by Catherine Wittmack

  “Mmm, I think I need a little space.” I said softly.

  Ren nodded agreeably and took a step back.

  I took a deep breath, feeling silly but reminded myself that this was real. He did it and maybe I could too. I closed my eyes and listened to the water sloshing beneath the dock. Instinctively, my legs collapsed into a sitting position, giving in to an urge to get closer to the sound. As my concentration deepened, in my mind, I saw the ebb and flow of a soft current swirling below the placid surface of the water. I observed the graceful current for a few minutes before attempting to interact with it. Thinking I was simply asking for a visible swell around the dock. I sent a request out to the current.

  Rise.

  With a crash, a huge wave collapsed against the dock soaking me from head to toe. My eyes flew open. As my concentration dissolved, the water receded like a wolf backing down from a rival.

  Ren laughed. I turned to see that his pants and shoes were sopping wet too. Clearly this was not what I’d intended yet I was furious with myself for welcoming the onslaught.

  “Wow, that was something, Eliza. Incredible!” Ren gushed rushing toward me excitedly.

  “What? We’re soaked! All I asked was for it to rise. I didn’t mean for it to roll over me!” I spouted with annoyance.

  “Well, be more specific next time then.” He said with a shrug.

  “I think we’ve found one of your strengths. I certainly didn’t expect this would be so easy for you.” He said incredulously, shaking his head.

  He jerked his watch to his face. “We should go if we want to make it to school in time. Now that we have to get some dry clothes for you on the way.”

  I squirmed in my uncomfortable wet clothing, then thought of the time with chagrin. “Not possible. Jane is still home. I can’t let her see me like this, she’ll freak.”

  Ren’s eyebrows shot up as he studied my appearance. A cold breeze blew in off the water sending the chill of the wet clothes against my skin deeper into my bones. My teeth began to chatter.

  “I…I… have an idea.” I stammered haltingly. “Laun…laun…dro…mat. We can dry my clothes there. Won’t… take long.” I managed to say. My shoulders shook uncontrollably.

  Ren’s forehead creased. He quickly whipped off his coat and stooped to throw it around my shoulders. “Alright let’s go then.” He agreed.

  He reached for me with both hands and pulled me to my feet. For a brief moment the deep chill in my core vanished, overpowered by a surge of warmth flowing from our clasped hands.

  “I have to ask…will this always happen when I touch someone… you know, someone who has, a gift?” I asked shyly.

  A crooked smile crossed Ren’s face. “Probably not in the same way. We all sound and feel different to each other.” He responded with equivalent shyness.

  Unable to meet his gaze, I focused on controlling my wobbly legs and numb feet, negotiating my way across the rocky beach toward the path that would lead us to the street. As we started the climb up the stairwell toward the street level, a sense of satisfaction washed through me. I’d accomplished my first magical feat. I felt stronger with the thrill of power coursing through my limbs.

  But after the initial thrill, a creeping anxiety settled in. A chasm was forming that I knew would only deepen, separating me from the life I knew and the person I knew myself to be. I was entering a new world but more importantly, I had to learn about a powerful stranger. Myself.

  8

  As the sun sank into the sea and the streetlights flickered, illuminating the sidewalk and trees. I stood at the window, with my coat on, anxiously spinning a woven leather bracelet around my wrist. I glanced up the street, waiting for Pete’s car to arrive. The trees on Main looked tattered, their leaves yellowed and brown. Most of them lay in heaps on the sidewalk, swirling when the wind gusted down the corridor between the rows of buildings.

  I restlessly shifted from foot to foot. The incident at the old marina flashed in my mind. My fingers flexed and tingled at the memory of Ren’s hands clasping mine. It had been a strange week full of exhilarating new discoveries and new feelings but tonight, all I wanted was to be the old Eliza, just a normal teenager enjoying a concert with her normal friend, if only for one last time. Defiantly, I pushed the thoughts of Ren and my newfound identity from my mind, committing myself to the experience of the night.

  Pete’s ancient sedan pulled up to the curb below my apartment. Excitement shot through me as I grabbed my bag and dashed out the door.

  “Hey Pete! How’s it going?” I asked, jumping into the passenger seat.

  Pete’s car smelled of musky cologne and tobacco. Though not a habitual smoker, he had a penchant for smoking clove cigarettes occasionally in his car. The scent along with the smell of burning leaves that seeped in from the crisp night made my pulse quicken with anticipation.

  Pete smiled from the passenger seat. “Good… now.” He said and pulled away from the curb heading out of town.

  “So, do you know how to get to this place? I’m sorry to be dead weight tonight, I didn’t look for directions or anything.” I shrugged realizing that I’d been too preoccupied this week to help Pete prepare for this adventure.

  “Yeah, I got directions online, it doesn’t look hard to find.” He said, rummaging under his seat. He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out and handed it to me. I noticed that it was a map and list of directions.

  “Just read the directions to me as we go. Don’t think too much about them, just read what’s on the sheet, ok?” He shot me a sarcastic grin.

  “I think I can handle that.” I responded crisply.

  Pete was well aware that I was extremely directionally challenged. Of course, I could certainly read the directions to him but the map was useless in my hands.

  Mellow instrumental music floated from the car speakers. Pete focused on the road, navigating our way out of town and onto the highway. I leaned back in my seat and watched the lights of town rush by my window. Just as I was beginning to relax and distance myself from any lingering thoughts of Ren, Pete spoke.

  “So, Eliza, what’s the deal with Ren? Are you gonna start dating him?” I blushed hot at his question. There was no denying my attraction to Ren. But he was my pharos. He had a duty to spend time with me. It was entirely unlike Pete to question me about anything this way. Odd as it was, he seemed innocently curious.

  “No. Why?” I asked defensively.

  Ren had slipped effortlessly into our little group of friends. Though, the flavor of the group was distinctly different in his presence. I didn’t sense that he irritated either Pete or Bryn. Rather, they both seemed bewildered by his interest in all of us. Bryn, observing the bond I’d developed with Ren, dismissed any hope in finding love but bugged me incessantly for details that would indicate a budding romance. Having little information that I could share with her, I’d shirked her inquiries, shifting the focus to helping Ren get acquainted with his new town and school. Bryn had been very helpful in that regard.

  “You just act weird around him.” He said laughing.

  “Means a lot coming from you, freak.” I snapped, punching him playfully on the arm.

  “You two just seem to be getting close, that’s all. He obviously likes you.” The phrase ‘obviously likes you’ coming out of Pete’s mouth sounded ridiculous but my stomach flipped when he said it.

  “Oh really? You think so?” I asked sarcastically, trying to mask my hope.

  Pete glanced over at me with a smooth grin.

  “Yeah, I do.” He said.

  I laughed and shrugged Pete’s comment off self-consciously.

  “Oh, I wanted you to listen to this bootleg I just found online yesterday. It’s awesome.” Pete said, easily switching topics as he fiddled with his iPod.

  It was a relief that Pete had dropped the subject of Ren. We continued the drive without further discussion, enjoying the music, until we saw signs for Providence.

  After driving around town awhile, we managed t
o find our way to the concert hall. Pete railed me for reading the directions wrong.

  “Look I’m sorry! It’s dark. I missed a line. It could happen to anyone!” I defended myself.

  “Ok, Eliza, anyone who has below a third grade reading level, maybe.” Pete snapped. If there was anything that ruffled Pete’s feathers it was being late for a show. We walked quickly toward the doors of the concert hall, shivering in the chilly air.

  I stalked ahead of him, charging into the building but halted when I remembered that he still had both the tickets. It wouldn’t be a good idea to get separated now.

  Pete caught up with me, taking his time. Obviously, he remembered the ticket detail and was reveling in his upper hand. The lobby was still crowded but the opening band was well into their set by the time we arrived. Pete reviewed a seating chart before guiding me up a staircase and across a landing to an entry door. An attendant scanned our tickets and pointed out the best route to our seats.

  We slipped inside the loud, dark theater. The song raging in the auditorium had most people up on their feet dancing and cheering, making it easier for us to shuffle down our row into our seats. We had a clear view of the stage. Pete and I scanned the energized audience before sharing satisfied grins, our skirmish entirely forgotten as we settled in to enjoy the show.

  As I’d hoped would happen, I became entirely immersed in the music, the heat and clamor of the crowd. The tangled thoughts of Ren and all that his presence in my life had brought shrank into my subconscious. Pete stood next to me but we both enjoyed our own universe of experience. That was part of what made Pete such a good friend. We understood each other’s need for individuality and space. As strange as that was, we were excellent partners in solitude.

  The headlining band opened with one of my favorite songs and the crowd exploded around us. It was a full sensory experience. The music was magical and flawed in a way that only live music can be. The heat of the crowd intensified as the night wore on and aromatic smoke rose over our heads.

  I let my inhibitions fall like a heavy coat to the floor and relaxed enjoying the anonymity of the crowd. My mind wandered with the music away from my surroundings, floating unencumbered and free. That was a mistake.

  Suddenly, the lights around me grew dimmer and the haze above thickened. The sound of the concert began to fade like a song playing on the radio of a car that was driving away. It happened so quickly, I didn’t have a chance to scream or reach out to Pete. I found myself alone in dark silence, as if I’d slipped into an abyss.

  Then a light passed over me. It was clear, like a full moon on a cloudless night. Then I realized that, in fact, it was the moon. A gentle breeze blew the haze around me away revealing a scene that invoked a wave of cold fear in me. No! I thought with terror and quickly set about pinching my arms and stamping my feet trying to shake myself out of the trance that had brought me there. But the soft moist dirt of the road beneath my feet quietly absorbed the assault and the pinching of my arms served only to remind me of how much trouble I was in.

  Sounds of the swamp rose softly around me, the deep rhythmic croaking of bullfrogs accompanied by the rapid hum of insects. In the distance I heard a menacingly large plop and splash. The water rippled in the moonlight. I bristled with alarm but alligators were not my primary concern.

  I spun around searching my surroundings. I stood on a dirt path in a clearing near the edge of a large marshy lake. It was pitch dark but the clearing was just wide enough to allow the moonlight in and it bounced reflecting off the water. I followed the path with my eyes, my only real option for escape. It trailed into the woods, which were dark as a crypt at midnight.

  Panic slammed like a fist inside my chest. What should I do? I glanced back at the lake.

  Something was moving near the shore.

  I froze like a mouse in hawk’s sight, trying to quell my panting breath.

  The water broke in smooth concentric circles around a figure rising slowly from its depths. Dread swelled in my belly as the graceful curving lines of the silhouette unfolded. And from the dark figure framed by the moonlight, an amber stare glowed.

  “Eliza.” The eerily familiar voice came to me like a feather on the wind.

  Within moments other figures were rising from the water, flanking the first. Their long wet hair glistened like rivulets of blood in the moonlight. I felt their smoldering eyes on me. What were these creatures? Why were they after me?

  Shaking myself from the grips of terror, I pried my feet from the ground and stumbled backwards, determined to fight my way to the trees. I spun on my toes and raced with every ounce of my being into the darkness.

  Despite the deafening sound of my own heartbeat, I heard a unified hiss from behind. Then there was splashing and an odd whirring noise.

  I pounded heedlessly into the dark.

  Only yards away from the tree line, I felt a slick sting on my shoulder and then something cold and wet like an eel wrapped itself tightly around the top of my arm. Within seconds my legs were similarly bound. I fell to the ground and felt the dirt slide beneath me. I was being dragged.

  Senseless with fear, I thrashed wildly against my attacker and screamed an answer to an offer posed long ago,

  “I will not join you!”

  I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed away with all of my heart and mind.

  Suddenly, the dragging ceased. The cords around my limbs slipped away.

  I opened my eyes.

  Pete’s face hovered above me. His expression was unlike any I had ever seen before. The sounds of the concert poured into my ears. Strangers’ faces peered down at me, hands reached for me. Then a flashlight was shining in my face from an usher at the end of the row. Confused and mortified, I found my voice again and fought to settle the commotion directed at me.

  “I’m ok. It’s ok, I must have fainted or something.” I muttered.

  Not knowing what had really happened, it was difficult to find an appropriate excuse. No one around me looked shocked. We were at a concert. They could assume I’d been drinking or taking drugs.

  Pete looked scared. He leaned close to me, helping me to my feet. “Are you ok?” His stony expression frightened me.

  “I don’t know.” I managed to say. All I knew was that the terror I’d experienced lingered and the blackness felt close as if it could return.

  “Pete, I need to get out of here. I’m sorry.” I said truly remorseful. The noise and air around me was saturated with danger and I felt exposed.

  “Let’s go.” Pete held my arm as we shuffled by bewildered partiers.

  He clasped my arm tightly as if steadying himself as much as me while we made our way out of the dim theatre. Multicolored lights flashed, sporadically illuminating the floor and my balance wavered. My ankles tingled where the slimy tendrils had squeezed them.

  Seeing us approach, the usher shoved the exit doors open. A cool breeze sucked us out of the theater. The bright lights of the lobby hurt my eyes, mercifully thrusting me into reality. My body was weak and ached all over. I wondered if I was hurt. I reached for my pant leg and pulled it up to examine my ankles. I expected to see bruises or burns but my skin was unscathed. Terrified by the illusion and implications it might have, I clasped Pete’s arm as he rushed us down the stairs and out of the auditorium. Before we left the building he turned to me,

  “Should I take you to the hospital? What do you want to do, Eliza?” His eyes fixed with concern and uncertainty.

  “No! I don’t need to go to the hospital. I just want to go home. Let’s just get in the car and start driving.” I didn’t feel like talking and certainly didn’t want to get into a discussion about the episode with Pete. I needed to get home and most importantly I needed to talk to Ren.

  I was a fool thinking that, even for one night, I could pretend like nothing had changed. Danger had found me and I needed Ren’s help.

  Pete was obviously anxious but obeyed. He helped me to the car, started the engine and zoomed out of town. I was
grateful for his naturally reserved demeanor. He didn’t ask questions just focused on the mission of getting us home. We were well on our way to Port Rune before he hesitantly broke the silence.

  “Eliza, what happened back there? You scared me.” His voice trailed as if he wasn’t sure he really wanted to hear my answer.

  “I don’t know. One minute I was fine and the next… it’s hard to describe. I don’t really remember. What did it look like happened to me?” I asked not wanting to divulge more than necessary.

  “You just collapsed. You were on the ground kicking and flailing. Then you screamed. You opened your eyes and looked really scared. I almost thought you’d had a seizure or something. Do you think you had a seizure? Has that ever happened to you before?” He asked.

  “No… It wasn’t a seizure. ” I didn’t know how to get around the kicking and flailing issue but thought it best to avoid implicating Pete any more than he already was, for his own sake.

  “I’m exhausted, Pete. Do you mind if I just close my eyes for a bit? I feel terrible.” I mumbled, hoping he would take the hint.

  He nodded, shooting me another concerned look but didn’t object. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.

  Who… rather, what, were the creatures of my nightmares? All these years, they’d been searching and now they’d found me. What did they want from me? And now, they’d breached my nightmares. What else could they do?

  Had they taken my mother the way they threatened me? At the thought of it, tears welled hot and full behind my closed eyelids. What was I going to do?

  The terrain changed beneath the wheels and the car decelerated lurching to the right. I opened my eyes as we exited the highway. Pete looked solemn behind the wheel. My heart sank with the thought that I had ruined his night. He navigated carefully through the streets of Port Rune.

  “Pete, I’m sorry that I wrecked the night.” I said as the car pulled up to the curb in front of my building.