The Shadow

Chapter 1

     Jeffery Hensley sped down every back street and side road that he could remember to cut down the distance as much as possible. His old bike creaked as he passed familiar buildings, such as his old friend's house and his dreaded middle school. He looked up at the skies and noticed how quickly the day was fading away. The purple-ish hue surrounding the sun had already been plastered across the sky. Turning one corner, he could feel a strong breeze trailing him, giving an extra little boost he so desperately needed.

        "Come on, come on!" he urged, mainly to himself. His fairly long, brown hair kept whipping his solid brown eyes, causing him to keep batting it away. He continued to pedal with all the force he could muster. Finally, giving him a goal, he saw his fateful house far off in the distance.

            “Only a few more years,” he whispered confidently. House after house passed his vision as he kept his eyes fixed on the road and his house. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a familiar, beige house. Out in the drive way, he greeted an old friend, Zeke.

            “What’s up?” Jeffery shouted as he waved and passed him.

                “Nothing really. Late?” Zeke questioned with a smirk.

                “Never!” Jeffery laughed back. Zeke shook his head as he lumbered back into his home. Turning his head back to the road, Jeffery rode over a hill to take a look at his home to find what he dreaded. Driving up into the garage was his mother’s Honda CRV. He quietly cursed under his breath as he relented a little bit from his desperate pedaling. Fortunately for him, she had not seen him as she grabbed her purse and hobbled inside in his red high heels.

                Creeping up the driveway, Jeffery gently placed his bike in the garage where he always placed it and started to sneak around to the back of the house. Tip-toeing to one end of the house, he casually poked his head around every corner, checking to see if anyone was there. The fenced-in yard seemed to empty as he crept along the wall of the house. Inching ever so slowly, he approached the backyard where he hoped to sneak in and pretend he had been outside. Turning one last corner, he eyed the sliding glass door to his house to see if his mother was anywhere near it. He quickly pulled his head back as he saw a wisp of blonde hair that he noticed in the kitchen. Being so cautious about the backyard, he did not hear the click of a window opening behind him.

                “Now what do we have here?” a smug, annoyingly familiar voice asked him. Jeffery’s head snapped back around to see who had spoken to him to find someone’s head sticking outside the window of his house he had just passed. Upon further observation, he recognized the cocky, beaming face of his older brother, Hunter.

               “What does it look like I’m doing?” Jeffery retorted. He folded his arms and shifted his weight to one side to appear a little bit more confident.

              "To me, it seems like someone is trying to ‘sneak’ back into the house, doe it not?” Hunter replied with his usual mocking tone. “From my perspective, this window just seems to be able to fit someone of your size to, let’s say, crawl into. That is, of course, if that someone is willing to do a week’s worth of chores…”

               “You are one sick person,” Jeffery huffed. He took a second to think about it, and then let out a sigh. “Deal,” he unwillingly obliged. He stuck his hand out to Hunter, who in return grasped it firmly and helped Jeffery into the window and into his bedroom. With a bit of effort, Hunter yanked Jeffery through the tiny space and promptly dropped him on the ground.

                “Ow!” Jeffery yelled. Hunter smiled down on him.

                “I believe that you can start tomorrow?” he said more as a statement. Exasperated, Jeffery hopped-up from the ground and brushed his clothes off.

                “Oh, whatever!” he relented. Hearing footsteps in the hallway, Hunter sat down on his bed and Jeffery turned to him and pretended like they were just talking. Within a few moments, their mother walked into the room. She was still in her business suit and heels when she entered the room. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were defined from the rest of her features. The wire-rimmed glasses hung a little bit lower than normal, causing her to push them up closer to her eyes.

                “There you are! I was wondering where you two have been,” she said brightly. “Dinner’s at six!” With at nod and a wave, she left the room with the door ajar. After a few seconds elapsed, Hunter gave Jeffery a side-ways look.

                “Nice timing,” he chided. Jeffery responded by punching him on the shoulder.

                “Oh shut up!” Jeffery said as Hunter rubbed his now slightly-sore forearm.