Light

by Adrienne Woods

  “It’s just hair, Margot. We can deal with it.”

  “No, she put him up to it. What are you looking for this time, Shadow Caster?”

  “Enough Margot, now go to your room.”

  Everyone was in the lobby now, thanks to Margot’s little outburst and was staring at me again. If it wasn’t clear before, it was clear now.

  “All of you, go to your rooms.”

  Margot glared at Fox before she stormed off in the direction of her room. I couldn’t help but stand there. I knew that Margot would figure out why I never wanted to show my sand inside the Virtual Realm. Even if I never knew that it was the Virtual Realm. Still, to blurt it out like that, she had no right.

  “Chastity…” Fox looked at me.

  “I never took her stupid pendant,” I replied.

  “I know, but please, you need to try and keep Mr. Grey out of the other students’ rooms.”

  “It’s Mr. Grey, Fox. The cat never even listened to Selene, why on earth would he listen to me?”

  “Just try, please.”

  “Fine, I’ll speak to him tonight.”

  “Tonight? He’s not here?” she asked, worry lacing her tone.

  “No, he only comes back from his rendezvous at night. Who knows what mischief he does? I can’t be held responsible for his actions Fox.”

  “Then let him know that his actions reflect badly on you.”

  I nodded and went straight to my room.

  Dinner was quiet and Nat kept to herself. I knew that she didn’t want to be my friend anymore.

  Even if that wasn’t true, all of them would label me as the girl that had an agenda and that I might be hiding something, which I was, but they didn’t know that for sure.

  I didn’t ask to be a Shadow Caster. Heck my mother tried her best to guard me from this world, and I knew if my Grandfather found her, which I was pretty sure had already happened, she would pay with her life for what she did.

  By nine, my eyes didn’t want to stay open anymore and I’d tried so hard to stay awake to speak to the stupid cat about making everything even worse. Why had he gone and messed around in Margot’s room? He knew how much she had it in for me, why go and make things worse? I told him not to.

  I still thought he had another agenda, one that was going to get me into more trouble.

  The pendant would come back when she was tired of searching for it. That was what lost things did and then she would feel guilty for saying all those awful things about me.

  When I couldn’t open my eyes anymore, I got up, and went to sit on the sill of my window. I opened the window more, trying to get the cold breeze to wake me up.

  I’d seen many nights in my life but none of them were quite as gorgeous as Revera’s. The huge moon with its million stars was simply lovely. Then right before you fell asleep, the evening sky became filled with golden beams, like the northern lights. They flew in every direction and believe me, I didn’t think anybody saw how it ended as one breath of sleeping dust was enough to knock you out.

  My dreams were filled with Leigh, lately.

  I knew why too, I would die if he ever found out how I felt about him. He didn’t look like the type of guy that would go for a girl like me. He was more of ….Margot’s type.

  Still, dreams were there for the impossible, and I knew Leigh fell under that category.

  I wished that I could share this with Mom. I remembered how she used to scan guys at my school and ask plenty of questions to find out if there was one that I liked, but I always gave her the raised eyebrow or lip, which made her laugh every time.

  She would’ve liked Leigh. I was glad that I’d told her about him, still she would never know that he was my first real crush. Well secretly in my case.

  A girl could dream, even in a dream world. I lay my head on my knees and slowly my eyes started to close. It was dark for a few seconds and then a meow made them fly open.

  I found myself staring at a plastic horse, not my stupid grey cat.

  It was a weird feeling.

  At first it was just the plastic horse and then the entire picture came to life and expand. The horse was moving, followed by more horses turning around in a carousel, until all the other plastic pieces of a carousel with an old eerie tune played, was fully in my view. I turned to my left and saw other rides. Hot dog stands and people, plenty of people that moved around.

  I place my hands in my hoody’s pockets as a cold finger traced up my back. I knew I’d been here before, in my Initiation dream, with Leigh. But the only difference was that this fair wasn’t in ruins like the one inside that dream.

  A part of me felt uneasy, even though I knew the tests were over, I still felt like this dream tried to betray me, to show what I really was.

  I started to walk away from the carousel and past a vendor who sold popcorn, cotton candy and other treats. A hot dog stand was across from him and something about those two vendors looked familiar. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

  Their heads shot up and they stared at me. A pair of black eyes, the same kind I’d seen once on Mom when she’d turned back into a Shadow Caster.

  I knew what these men were and why they were in this dream. They wanted me and were probably searching for me as I dreamt. I didn’t stay to find out if my instincts were right. Instead I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

  Screams filled the entire theme park as objects near me exploded before dark sand took their place and fell in heaps to the ground. For some stupid, unknown reason the only escape route I could find was the House of Horrors.

  Who would’ve thought that I would become the bimbo who chose the House of Horrors to lose her dark pursuers?

  I jumped as a skeleton with a long sword fell on me with teeth chattering inches from my face. Adrenaline flowed through my veins and black sand formed in my hand. I didn’t care if it was not natural anymore and destroyed all the art created to scare the living jeepers out of a human.

  One horror after the other came. A cat, spiked on a steel beam appeared next and the only thing I could make out was its bushy grey tail. I screamed, and wanted to get him off the spike but the barrel inches from me exploded.

  It connected hard with my leg and a grunt left my mouth as a stabbing pain seared through my leg and up into my torso.

  One of the wooden splinters was sticking out from my leg. There was blood everywhere.

  I had no way of escaping them now and I crawled into the only dark secluded spot I saw, leaving a trail of blood behind me.

  More black sand flew from my hands. It was stronger than my golden sand and it flowed more freely. Its powers awakened a darkness inside of me I never knew I had.

  I waited for the first figure I saw and willed a weapon to appear with all the concentration I had.

  It took shape real fast, the shape of my baseball bat, and I used it first to get myself back onto my feet.

  I balanced myself on my good leg and took hold of the bat in my right hand.

  When the first figure walked around the corner, I swung as hard as I could and I felt my bat connect with his face.

  He fell down immediately as I pulled the bat back for the second blow, only to find that the body lying in front of me was Leigh.

  I WOKE UP WITH A START AND FELL OFF THE

  windowsill.

  My leg still ached, but it wasn’t gashed open with blood seeping out. It was aching because I’d fallen with all my weight on top of it.

  Still, I didn’t think it was broken and I pushed myself from the floor and fell onto my bed.

  Why was I dreaming about this shit? Had I really hit Leigh?

  I hated this not knowing. The dreams always felt so real, and dreams in Revera, well, they weren’t your average dreams.

  “Did I interrupt something?” I heard the voice before I saw its owner.

  “Would you stop doing that?” I growled at the cat.

  “Sorry,” he said in a sarcastic voice. “What happened to you?”

  He m
ust have seen the dread look on my face.

  “Chas?” He jumped on top of the bed. “Are you okay?”

  It was the first time he’d actually asked me that.

  “No, I’m not okay. I keep having nightmares.”

  He gave me a funny stare, yep, even cats have those and Mr. Grey’s was open for anyone to read. “Don’t look at me as if I’m insane.”

  “Okay, what was this dream about?”

  I told him about the theme park I’d experienced inside my Initiation dream but I didn’t tell him about Leigh or about my dark sand. The cat already avoided me most of the time and only pretended that I was his favorite Caster at night. If he ever discovered that I was a Shadow Caster, and of royal blood, he would certainly avoid me forever. Still I told him about the Shadow Casters chasing me through the House of Horrors and he even chuckled when I told him about the cat I thought was him, dead on the spike.

  “It’s not funny, it felt so real.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I care about you too, Chas.”

  “You do?” I raised my left eyebrow. “You have a funny way of showing it, like getting me into trouble and shedding all over Margot’s top.”

  “Blah, blah, blah. I can’t help it.”

  “What were you doing in her room? I told you not to go and sniff around.”

  “I’m trying to find the person who stole her amulet for real.”

  “You made it worse. She called me all sorts of things today because of it and now the entire house thinks it’s the truth.”

  “What, that you are a Shadow Caster?”

  “It’s not funny, Shades.”

  “Chas, why are you so worried about what people think about you? Unless it’s true?”

  “Don’t. I don’t have the strength to argue with you tonight.”

  He chuckled. “Is that why you don’t like to experiment with your sand?”

  “Shades.”

  “Hey, I’m on your side. Well, just as long as you don’t expect me to follow you into the Oblivion. Those Shadow Pups…they don’t work for me.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  “Chastity, your sand is golden.”

  “What if it changes?”

  “Do you want it to change?”

  “No!”

  “Then why do you worry about it?”

  “Because…”

  “Because what, Chas?”

  “What if I have the gene? What if Margot is right, Shades, and those Shadow Casters in the dream were some sort of sign?” I told him about everything that’d happened in the Outer. We’d shared a couple of stories since he claimed me as his Tula.

  “Then you will change. It won’t be right now or tomorrow, but down the line, if that is what you want, Chas.”

  “You know that’s not true, Shades. I will turn and it doesn’t matter if I want it or not.”

  “It does, more than you know, Chas. I can tell you of dark Light Casters living inside of Revera. They still have their golden sand, even though I’m pretty sure they are destined for the Oblivion.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You can choose, Chas. You don’t have to be so afraid. You are a Light Caster because you are fighting to be one.”

  “It can’t be that simple. They say Shadow Casters are born Shadow Casters.”

  Shades laughed again. “Nothing is born dark, Chas. It’s made.”

  He yawned and curled up on my bed. I knew that our conversation was over. He knew that I was a Shadow Caster and he hadn’t jumped out of my window and run back to Selene.

  “Believe me, I would rather take my chances with a Shadow Caster than go back to Selene.”

  “You can read…”

  “I’m your Anitule, Chas. You read my mind, it works both ways.”

  I felt pretty stupid all of a sudden. All the things I thought in his presence. Leigh….

  “Yeah, know about that too.”

  “Just shush.”

  He chuckled one more time and fell asleep.

  MY SECOND DREAM OF THE NIGHT WAS IN THE

  forest. It reminded me so much of the one I’d spent three wonderful weeks with Mom in. Finding out what and who she really was.

  I missed her so much.

  A twig behind me snapped and I turned around and found Leigh.

  He was laughing. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “I thought I killed you.”

  “When?”

  “Urgh! It doesn’t matter.” I walked past him, pissed that he would sneak up on me like that and pissed…I don’t know at what, I was just really pissed at him.

  “Hey?” He ran to catch up and grabbed my arm softly. “What is up with you lately?”

  “Nothing. What are you doing here anyway?”

  “I needed to talk and I like your company,” he said.

  “My foul mood you mean,” I said in a quirky way and he laughed again.

  “Yes, that one. So, you going to tell me what is really bugging you?”

  “I had a dream. A stupid dream where these two Shadow Casters were trying to….” I didn’t know what they were trying to do as they looked like they were really going for me and not in a good way.

  “Trying to what?”

  “To kill me.”

  “Chas, that is absurd. Shadow Casters won’t kill if they sense the dark in another Caster. They would welcome you in a heartbeat.”

  “Yeah, well my dreams disagree.”

  “And I showed up in this dream?”

  “Yes, your face connected with my bat.”

  “Ouch, how so?”

  “I thought you were one of them.”

  He chuckled.

  “It’s not funny. I didn’t know if it was real like now, or not. I really got scared.”

  “I’m fine. It’s nice to know you dream about me.”

  “Hahahaha.”

  “Don’t need to be sassy about that. Miss Chicago.”

  I giggled, this time for real.

  “So how’s Shades?”

  “You knew before I came to Revera?”

  “What, that the cat belongs to you?”

  I waited for his answer.

  “Yes, I’ve always sensed him close to you. I bet you Selene didn’t take it well.”

  “She was okay, I guess. If she wasn’t, she sure hid it well.” We started to walk deeper into the woods. “You still haven’t given me a proper answer as to why you are here, for real. What danger do I have to look out for next?”

  “Busted.”

  I giggled. “Spit it out.”

  “It’s about Shades. Don’t misjudge the cat so much, Chas. He’s onto something. I can feel it.”

  “What do you mean, he is on to something?”

  “Something is wrong with Revera. The Virtual Realm is starting to change but I can’t pin-point it. It has something to do with Margot’s pendant.”

  “It’s just a stupid pendant.”

  He shook his head and I just stared at him. “It’s not?”

  “No, it’s the real deal. I don’t think she knew how real, but it does show when a Shadow Caster is near.”

  “I didn’t take it.”

  “I didn’t mean you. Whoever took it, Shades is onto that person. All I’m asking is, give him some credit Chas. He knows about a lot of things in Revera.”

  “You think he’s close to finding out who stole the pendant?” My mind automatically went to Dingle and the conversation I’d walked in on between him and Fox. He must’ve known that Margot’s pendant could show a Shadow Caster being near, and he could’ve taken it easily from her as they exited that last virtual test with Leigh, the one I’d had to sit out.

  “Maybe, but I’m not his Tula and I sure as hell don’t read kitty minds.”

  I rolled my eyes and kept walking on. “So what, I need to be the middle man now?”

  “If you don’t mind. I’m not as useless as you think, Chas. I can do some things inside my world that could save Revera if it comes
to that.”

  “I’m sure you can.” Okay that came out totally wrong but was so right at the same time.

  He just chuckled.

  “Keep your eyes and ears open.”

  “You’re leaving already?”

  His mouth opened but the weirdest sound came out of it. I just looked at him and then my eyes opened for real. The sound from Leigh’s mouth still rang inside my ear. It was my stupid alarm clock.

  When I looked around, Shades was MIA like usual.

  Okay, so I should trust the cat, give him more credit and find out what the hell someone wants with Margot’s pendant.

  THE NEXT DAY I WAS RELIEVED WHEN NATALIE

  poked her head into my room.

  “Hey,” I said a bit confused about what she was doing here.

  “You weren’t at the table, you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine, it’s just Margot and now everyone thinking what she said is the truth.”

  “Not everyone, okay. I know yesterday was hard on you, but I also know it’s not the truth. So stop whining and let’s go, otherwise you are going to be late for school.”

  I smiled. “I’ll be there in a sec.” I looked at Shades who was lying on my bed. The cat came back while I was in the shower, exhausted and I found him curled up on my bed. “Guess I’ll see you later.”

  “Yeah, sure, whatever,” he said, closed his eyes and fell back asleep. I ruffled his head which made him growl from deep within. He hated that, but I didn’t care.

  Our relationship was the reverse of what Tom had with Henry. Henry was the giddy one, and Shades shared Tom’s foul mood. The cat was always grumpy.

  I didn’t have time to eat breakfast as I’d overslept. An apple flew in my direction and I caught it.

  “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Fox stood in the kitchen.

  “Really, they use that saying even in Revera?”

  She laughed. “We have healers.”

  I giggled and ran to catch up to Nat and Charlie who were waiting at the front door.

  “So, he’s not coming?”

  I huffed. “That cat is the spitting image of Sleeping Beauty.”

  She giggled. “Still, he is your Anitule, Chas. It’s not good for him to just stay cooped up in your room the whole day.”