Uniquely Unwelcome (The Shadow World)

by Brandy Nacole

  After taking a few wrong turns, I finally find the place. I’m thinking it’s going to be some house or cottage, guarded and safe. Instead, it’s a normal inn. There’s a little café and coffee house downstairs. People are standing outside looking at maps, loading their cameras with film, smiles broad on their faces.

  I spot Coy outside at a table reading a magazine looking quite happy. As I walk over to him, I look at his features. The wind is tossing his sandy blond hair around as his brown eyes focus on whatever he’s reading. He looks familiar to me, although I don’t know where from.

  “Hey, is this where we’re staying?”

  “Yep.” Coy looks up from his magazine, a tourist guide of London.

  “Isn’t this a little exposed?” I gesture at the tourists and the inn.

  “Yep.” Coy looks back at his magazine and takes a sip of his tea.

  “Why would they put us somewhere like this?” I persist.

  “If you are going to continue to ask question after question, you could at least take a sit.” Coy looks back up at me, his eyebrows raised. “You know not to draw attention to yourself.” His smile is wide and playful. Nice too. It reaches his eyes, revealing the small dimples on his cheeks. Where have I seen that smile before?

  I roll my eyes at him and take a seat. “Well?”

  Coy shakes his head, the smile still splayed out on his face. “You’re not one who likes to wait are you?”

  I answer him with an eye roll.

  “Ethan assured us that this is a safe place. He said if we stay at a human location, whoever attacked us will likely not look there.”

  “Where are Ethan and Danika?” I glance around at all the people but I don’t see either one of them.

  Coy gives his shoulder a slight shrug. “They went to get something to eat. Neither one of them wanted to eat here. They said it didn’t look appetizing.”

  I’m sure. “Why didn’t we stay at the Lycan encampment?”

  “Because it’s a full moon.”

  I jump in my seat at the voice from behind, nearly spilling Coy’s drink. I turn around to see Ethan standing behind me. I give him my best glare. Unfortunately it has little effect on him.

  “Where’s Danika?” I ask looking behind him not seeing anyone but a little girl licking on a Popsicle.

  “She was tired. She went upstairs to lie down.” Ethan takes a seat with a plop.

  We sit there not really saying much. Coy comments on a few tourists sights but neither I nor Ethan are interested. I try picking up the conversation again. I’m still curious as to why we are staying here.

  “So what does the full moon have to do with us?”

  “Me, nothing. You three would be in extreme danger. That’s why they asked to meet with us tomorrow afternoon.” Ethan’s voice isn’t very high, kind of low and muffled. I look under the table to see him kicking around a few stray pebbles. Obviously something else is on his mind.

  I look back over the table at him. “Why would we be in danger?”

  Ethan looks back up at me. His eyes are in slits as he brings his eyebrows together. Less angry and more ‘are you stupid?’

  “Do you know nothing? I mean seriously. You don’t seem to know much about any of this. It’s as if you’re a mundane.” He looks over at Coy and mutters, “Sorry.” Coy gives him a slight shoulder shrug, too focused on his reading to care.

  I wish that everyone would quit pointing that out to me. I know the real important stuff. I know how to kill different Shadow. How strong each Shadow is and what powers they hold. How they live and eat. You know the basics, the stuff that will help me survive.

  “Just answer the question.”

  “There are three nights a month in which it is extremely hard for the younger Lycans to control themselves. Those nights would be the night before a full moon, the night of the full moon, and the night after. Tonight is the last night, so Jobe thought it would be best if we came tomorrow.”

  “I thought the full moon only affected a Lycan.” I knew Lycans went crazy around a full moon but the night of the full moon was the worst.

  “The night before and the night after has a pull over us too. Jobe orders all Lycans to be cautious during those three nights.” Ethan’s phone buzzes. He quickly checks it and then shoves it back in his pocket without answering.

  “Who’s Jobe?” Coy and I ask in unison.

  “Jobe is the Alpha.”

  “How does that work anyway?” I ask Ethan.

  “What?” Ethan sounds irritated. I wonder what has him falling from cloud nine.

  “Becoming an Alpha?”

  Ethan gives a long sigh. “It’s quite a long story with a lot more questions behind it. How about I meet you tomorrow morning and explain everything to you?”

  “Why not now?” I am the kind of person that likes to know things as soon as I hear about them. Especially when the person that knows such information is sitting right in front of me.

  “Because I’m tired and really want to get some rest.” Ethan does look a little worn. His face is drawn and his body’s slack. There are dark circles under his eyes too.

  “Ok. But can I ask you one more question? You can just say yes or no. I won’t ask any more until tomorrow, promise.”

  Ethan waves his hand in the air. “Go ahead.”

  “Does the moon have any effect on you?” I hold my breath, hoping he says no.

  “Some.” He then gets up and leaves. Oh I really wish he wouldn’t have said that. Now I want to know more and I promised I wouldn’t ask any more questions. This is going to absolutely drive me crazy.

  “I wonder what he meant by that.” Coy watches Ethan as he enters the inn. Then he looks back at me, as if I know the answer. Hello, did he not just hear Ethan chastising me for not knowing anything.

  “I don’t know.” I say rubbing my temples as if that will erase Ethan’s answer. “But lock your doors tonight, just to be safe.”

  I go to grab the drink sitting in front of me then remember it’s not mine. There’s not a line at the café, so I get up to go get me some tea.

  Coy’s voice rings through the air as I walk away. “You’re not leaving are you?”

  I look back to find Coy watching me with disappointment. “Um….no. Just going to get some tea.”

  “Oh okay.” Coy relaxes and goes back to reading his magazine.

  That was a little bizarre. Why would he care if I was leaving? After our little tiff on the plane, I figured he had written me off like everyone else.

  After grabbing my tea, I go back to our table. Coy is still reading his tour guide with fascination.

  “Finding the secrets of the world in there?” I say as I take my seat.

  “No.” Coy has a small smile on his face as he averts his eyes to the ground. “It’s just that I’ve never seen anything outside of my quarters back at the lair.”

  I didn’t think I would ever feel sympathy for another person until right then. When Coy reminded me of his life and how he spent it my heart panged for him. He grew up in a place where he was the main course. He was always expected to give respect to vamps chomping on his neck without being respected back.

  The look on his face is sad and hungry at the same time. He’s probably upset and feels guilty for leaving all the others behind. It’s not like we could have taken those hundreds of humans without being noticed. Yet another part of him is hungry to see the world, to learn, to be a part of it. I feel sadness when I look at Coy and think about all the others still in servitude.

  “So what are your plans tonight?” I had no intentions of asking him this five seconds ago but his sorrow changed my mind.

  “Nothing,” His face lights up with excitement. “Why?”

  “Well, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do and since we have the night off,” I give a calculating nod, “why not?”

  “What do you have in mind?” Coy’s glowing with excitement. I’m surprised he isn’t jumping up and down in his seat.

&nbs
p; “You’ll see,” I say not giving anything away, “but I’m going to take a nap before. I am completely exhausted.”

  “Okay. Here’s your room key, room number 20. Your stuff is all inside.”

  I’d forgotten he had brought my luggage over for me. I hadn’t exactly wanted to drag around a couple of bags in my track across London. “Thank you.”

  I drain my tea in one big gulp and head inside. Before stepping through the doors, I look back over my shoulders.

  “What room you in?”

  “Room 19, right across the hall.”

  “I’ll come get you later.” Coy smiles widely as he looks back at his tour guide. Before I change my mind and decide to go right now, I turn to find my room. There’s no lobby, apparently you check in at the café. There’s no elevator either since there are only 50 or so rooms.

  I find my room easily. As I open the door I find a simple room with a full bed, the usual flower print covers, a night table, a dresser with the TV sitting on top, and a bathroom. Nothing fancy schmancy, just simple and nice, that’s the way I like it.

  After showering and throwing my stuff on the floor, I’m snuggled in my bed and ready for a good days rest. It doesn’t take long for my body to seize the opportunity and my mind swims into complete darkness.

  ~

  I jerk upright in my bed. I try catching my breath as I look around my dark room. I had drawn the curtains to keep the light out. The only noise echoing through the room is the sound of my thudding heart. Flicking on the lamp beside my bed, I find myself alone. I sigh with relief as I realize it was just a dream. But what a horrible dream it was.

  We were back in Sofia, right outside the art museum. The creatures were attacking us but this time there were more. We held our ground for a while, but soon they overpowered us. Then all of sudden the scenery changed.

  My group was in some kind of a dungeon. I was chained to a wall, shackles encasing my wrist, waist, and ankles. I had looked around to find everyone unconscious. Even Coy was there and blood was running down his face.

  I caught sight of someone standing by a heavy metal door. They were wearing a full body cloak and the hood was draped over their face so I couldn’t see who it was. Three creatures walked into the room behind him and each went to stand by the unconscious bodies on the floor. The cloaked person moved over to me.

  “I told you to leave it alone,” the voice was definitely male, “but you did not listen. For that there must be retribution.”

  From underneath his cloak, he pulls out a sword. With his nod the creatures start ripping apart the others. The one that has Coy is part Vampire. After revealing his fangs, he rips Coy’s throat out. I’m screaming at them to stop. But no one listens, they just keep shredding. Then the man raises his sword, “This is a shame. I thought we would make good allies one day.” Then he had plunged the sword straight at my heart. I had awoken grabbing my chest and looking all around.

  I am still trying to get myself calm when someone knocks on the door. I grab the knife I have on the night stand and go to see who it is. There’s no peep hole in the door so I ask who’s there.

  “It’s Danika.” The door muffles her voice.

  I put the knife on the nearby dresser and open the door. Danika is standing there with a concerned expression.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her.

  “Yes. Are you?” She glances past me into the room and back at me.

  I start to say something about the dream but decide against it. No need getting Danika worked up over something like that.

  “Yeah.”

  “I felt distress coming from this room. It was so strong it woke me.” She walks past me entering my room without an invitation. She starts looking around as if trying to find something or someone. She even walks over to the bathroom and takes a peek.

  “Okay, Snoopy it’s all clear. It’s just me. Now how about we take a walk over to your room and see what spectacles lie within.” I fail to keep the irritation out of my voice. I don’t really like her barging into my room, uninvited. “Or how about the guy’s rooms, they probably have some interesting tid bits to look at.”

  “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never felt something so strong. It’s like you were crying for help or something.” Danika looks around one more time and heads back toward the door.

  “You will be staying in all night won’t you?” She asks me.

  Should I tell her the truth? If I do she’ll freak out. If I don’t and something happened she would really freak out. “Actually Coy and I are going for a walk.”

  She turns with a gasp. Here comes the freak out. “I seriously advise against that.” Danika carries “I’m all proper” attitude that I dislike. I wonder why she acts like she’s forty instead of nineteen.

  I cross my arms and lean against the wall. “And why is that?”

  “Not only is it a full moon tonight but we also have those creatures to worry about. If you insist on going then I must come with you.” Protective little thing isn’t she?

  “Look, I know we’ve got a lot going on right now but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Coy needs a break from all this. He needs a chance to see the world without all the fighting and running. If you come along he’s going to know something’s up.” Everything I say is true. Coy really does need to see London and other parts of the world without having to be in constant fear.

  She matches my stance, crossing her arms with that stern motherly look on her face. “Why would it look so suspicious if I went? And why do you care all of a sudden?”

  Okay, ouch. She talks to me like I don’t have an actual soul or ounce of humanity in me whatsoever. Is it really that hard to believe?

  “Jeez thanks for that verbal slap. You want to know why it would be so suspicious if you went.” I ask, waiting for her to nod before I continue. “Does it honestly look like we are two people that hang out all the time?” I gesture at her formal attire, that clashes against my laid back look. “No. Whenever we aren’t discussing, plotting, or running for our lives, we’re bickering.”

  Danika looks away for a minute, then she turns back. “I’m sorry Racquel, I really am. I never meant for us to bicker or wanted to make you feel different.”

  I stand there shocked. I never expected her or anyone else to ever apologize to me. Over the last few days, I’ve had more people apologize to me and seem serene about it than I ever have before. Usually it was just my grandparents and Addie and really those don’t count.

  I wonder what my grandparents would say about what I’m doing? My grandmother would be proud, I knew that. But my grandfather? My chest tightens as I think about all those times he practiced with me in my room or in my back yard. He would spend hours teaching me how to defend myself. He always told me to watch my back, not to trust any of the Shadows. He hated them, hated them for what they did to our family. He always lent me his love and protectiveness, knowing what I was going through. I’m not sure if he would be proud of me for helping them or if he would be disappointed.

  Danika starts walking away then turns back around. “Oh I forgot, we never did get to discuss your premonition.”

  I had almost forgotten all about that considering everything else we’ve been through since then. “I’ve never had one before. What exactly does it mean.”

  “I don’t know, maybe you’re descending.”

  “Excuse me, what?” Doesn’t descending mean to come down from somewhere? Well I’m pretty sure I’m grounded already.

  “It means your powers are fully establishing themselves in you. If you don’t mind me asking, what did you see?”

  “Lynna doesn’t like the way Aldrick is running things. She thinks he’s hateful and uncaring about their people. She’s planning a revolution.” And I totally agree with Lynna and hope that everything works out, I don’t say out loud.

  “That would be great. Everyone hates dealing with Aldrick and how he’s so loose with the Vampires.” Danika looks down at the floor, kicking her fo
ot against the carpet. “Well, be careful tonight and don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

  She hands me a piece of paper with her number on it. I probably still have it on my phone where she called me the other night but it’s nice of her to offer.

  I shut the door and plop back on my bed. It’s around 8:00 at night and the moon will be rising soon. Not wanting to spend any more time locked up in this room analyzing every bit of my life, real or dreamlike, I get up and get dressed.

  I decide on my usual: jeans and a t-shirt. Instead of boots I wear my sneakers. I don’t want to be trudging through London wearing heavy boots. I grab my jacket knowing it’s going to be chilly out. The weather usually doesn’t have an effect on Vampires or Lycans. I guess that super-power skipped me.

  It would have been nice to pick which powers and abilities I wanted. That’s life though. We never get to choose what eye color, hair color, body temperature, etc., that we want human or otherwise. At least humans can get nose jobs and contacts, which Shadows can’t wear because they dissolve, to change the things they don’t like about them. I don’t think I could change my body functions. Oh but to dream.

  As I’m heading out the door, I grab the knife I had set on the dresser just to be sure, tucking it safely in my leg strap. The strap is a little awkward under my jeans but it’ll do. Once I’m across the room, I raise my hand to knock on Coy’s door. Before my hand even touches the wood, it burst open.

  “Ready!” Coy steps out into the hall full of excitement. I’m left clutching my chest and trying to calm my racing heart for the millionth time.

  If I keep getting freaked out my heart’s going to eventually explode. “If you value your head, don’t- ever- do –that- again!” I bark the words out between gasps.

  A sheepish smile plays on Coy’s face as he shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry.”