Spirit World Adventures

Chapter 4 - Letting Myself Down

I took as long as I could to go home after school. Instead, I went by the track to see Enzo and Blake with Olivia for an hour or so. Running like maniacs up and down the sodden off-red athletics track, we tore up the ground, Kya flying like a free beast ahead of me. Blake always ran in front of me like a taunt, but today I ran faster and faster and almost caught him.

Exhausted finally, we sat and chatted about the day. Apparently, Enzo had been given a detention for telling his teacher he wanted to live outside the Walled Cities when he was old enough.

'I get why you're so scared with all your mom stuff,' Olivia said to me, when the boys were out of earshot.

'Yeah, I don't know what to do. I don't think she will change her mind. If Blake is right, and it's the way things are done, then there's no hope,' I leant backwards on my elbows, looking up at the grey sky above and imagining the toxins that Lab-Coat was talking about in the air.

'I mean...for me it's even worse,' Olivia said, her head hanging.

'What do you mean?'

'Everyone has to...well, they want you to marry a boy, a man, right?'

'I guess so. I didn't think about it.'

'With the number of children only getting lower and lower, they don't like...they don't like people who like the same gender.'

I tensed, 'I don't know what you mean...'

But I think I did.

'Girls who like girls. Boys who like boys. We're not allowed in the Walled Cities anymore, because it means we can't reproduce as simply.'

Her words hung in the air around us, adding to the toxins. Kya hid inside of me.

'Oh, and you're...you're one of those people?'

I didn't know what else to say. The words didn't taste right coming out of my mouth, but I felt overwhelmed; caught off guard like the carpet had been pulled from under me. Why was she saying this?

'Yes, and I'm not ashamed of it. Why should I be? It's who I am. It makes my shadow feel happy.'

'But it's not allowed.'

'I know that which is why I was saying I understood how you felt-'

I scoffed, 'But I'm not...that. I just don't want to be told what to do.'

'Nor do I,' Olivia began to stand up, 'Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't realise you would react like this. I just thought...we were friends.'

I hung my head and I know now that I should have followed after her but instead, I let her go, watching as she disappeared beyond the gate, Polly (her shadow kin) sulking behind her.

**

When I got home, Mom was noticeably mad at me. She told me to go upstairs and bathe before coming down for dinner because I was a filthy disgrace. Unexpectedly, Gran was sat on my bed when I got upstairs. She turned quickly as if she had been doing something naughty, which simply made me laugh.

'Hi Gran,' I said, peeling my school shirt from my sticky body.

'Tenaya, dear, why is Kya not with you?'

I didn't answer her because firstly, I didn't even know that Kya could hide, and secondly because I didn't like the answer as to why.

'You need to be careful, our shadow-kin are the ghosts of our inner world following us around and spilling out all of our secrets.'