Dana Ilic and the Shadow Door (Lightwielder Chronicles #1) | ✔️

3| Abducted By Aliens

"What the heck is going on, D?" Max yelled into my ears as we steadily rose higher and higher, traveling along some kind of see-through elevator made of gleaming air. Oak Grove Middle School now looked like a mini Lego brick house.

This might be a good moment to panic.

My budding scream was cut short by a roar below us, an angry, tortured sound. It made my hair stand on end.

"What the heck is going on, D?" Max reiterated. His hand clasped mine, demanding an answer, and goosebumps prickled my arms.

I always had imagined how it would look like to get stuck with the cutest guy in the school in a tiny space.

But not in this... glimmering lift without any buttons to press.

"What were those creatures in the bathroom? And how did you..? You know... Burn that shadow thing?"

"I don't know," I opted for the most honest reply. "I'm sorry, Max."

"I'm kind of half-hoping this is a bad dream we're sharing, and we're about to wake up from it."

"Wanna hear my theory? We're being abducted by aliens." A goofy smile began forming on my face, but...

I shut my trap the moment I looked at him.

The flattened mouth and pressed-together eyebrows of Max Martinez spoke volumes of his disapproval.

Gosh, Dana! He's gonna think you're a total weirdo.

"There's nothing we can do but wait. For all we know, this could be happening for a reason."

He let out a huff and turned away from me.

Fine. Be like that. You know I might be right.

As we continued to rise, I studied the surroundings. Serene skies surrounded our shimmering cabin. This couldn't be a tornado.

There wa something fishy about all this.

The light around us flickered.

"Dana, we're slowing down!" Max shouted.

He was right.

"Shadows!" Max yelled.

I blinked and risked a glance downwards.

Dozens of shadowy tendrils, of all sizes and shapes, darted towards us, accompanied by whispers and cackles as the darkness expanded, claiming the elevator floor.

There was no way out of this for us. We were trapped in a sealed bubble.

I stiffened. Max sat on the floor and hugged his knees, muttering unintelligible words.

The shadowy tendrils enveloped our light elevator with ever-growing darkness. They lumped together in a shape that slowly grew more and more distinct, and I saw it for what it was.

It resembled a lizard I once brought home without mama's permission. The poor fella ended up as Osenya's lunch. Only this lizard was pitch black and the size of a five-story building.

Oh, and, as my growing panic was beginning to point out—it had ginormous bat wings.

I gawked at it, when it suddenly hit me.

"It's a Shadow Drake."

"A Shadow Drake? What the heck is a Shadow Drake?" It was Max turn to gape, but this time—at me. 

"I can't believe my eyes. A real Shadow Drake." I babbled on, so excited to see one live, that I even went close to the edge of our light elevator, pressing my palms on its tepid surface. "It's incredible. I mean, sure I'd seen illustrations of them on deviant.art.com, you know. But they were not even close to... this. Legend says they were commanders of the Black Army. The Black God, Chernobog, mounted them in battles."