Five Shadows

Chapter Four

I made sure to get into work early. I was there even before Carol. Computer fired up, headset on, posture prim and proper. I was in perfect working condition by the time Little Cut power walked past my cubicle. He put on the brakes and stepped into my cube. "Nora?"

"Good Morning." I drew the line at exclamation points. A tepid "Good Morning" would have to suffice.

"We missed you yesterday. I don't think I knew you were going to be out."

An irritating voice chimed in behind him. "You didn't. None of us did." Great timing, Carol. Thanks for the input, Carol. Go suck an egg, Carol.

"Just send a quick email if you can't make it in, okay?" And Little Cut ducked into his office. Well. That could have been worse. Carol looked like she wanted to wrap my headset around my neck and give it a good tight squeeze. I batted my eyes at her and took my first call of the day.

To say I was distracted all day was an understatement. I couldn't get Shadow #1 off my mind. Why did she come? I had a hard time believing it was because I "wasn't myself" or whatever bull she said, but then what? And when was the next shadow coming? Did I want the next shadow to come? I thought so, if only to confirm the first one had also come and wasn't a figment of my imagination or because I'd fallen and hit my head or something. Why why why hadn't I thought to ask Shadow when the next shadow would show up? Could I schedule them like a dentist appointment? Like, "do you have a shadow available the morning of October 21st?"

"Nora. Your phone." Thanks, Carol. I stabbed at my button and tried to focus on the order for eight dining room chairs.

*

My plan was to work through lunch, but by 11:30 my stomach demanded more than the yogurt I'd brought. "I'm taking lunch," I yelled over the partition. No answer. I peeked over. "Carol? I'm taking lunch." She waved a hand dismissively.

Thankfully, the man from yesterday wasn't outside asking for money again. I walked into a deli and saw Little Cut. Shoot. He raised his hand in a wave, so I couldn't leave now. He moved up to the counter and spoke with the boy behind the counter, then looked around the deli. "Nora!" he called. I raised my hand like he was my first grade teacher taking attendance. He motioned me up to the counter. I ducked past the long line in front of me. "It's buy one get one free today. What are you getting?" Little Cut was a thrifty shopper? That was weird. Not as weird as a dark smoky being visiting me, but weird.

"Um, I'll have the California Club, please." I reached into my purse, "Here, I'll get half." Little Cut waved me off in a much more polite way than Carol had. We shuffled down to the waiting area while they made our sandwiches.

"So. Happy Friday." This guy. He was so socially awkward in his wingtip shoes and tailored suit. With his super straight teeth and whispery soft voice.

"Yeah. Happy Friday."

"Plans for the weekend?"

Um, waiting for a supernatural shadow to visit me? "Just this and that. You?"

He looked at me, moved his mouth in one direction then said something in the opposite direction. "No." He wasn't particularly chatty, but better talk too little than too much. Our order came up just as something occurred to me. Little Cut handed me half a sub and scanned the inside of the deli. "Um, I was just going to eat at my desk, so..."

So, I hope you didn't expect me to eat with you is how he wanted to finish that sentence. Awfully presumptuous. I stuffed the comment I was prepared to make back down my throat. "Oh, right. I'll be right behind you. Thanks for this." I lifted my food up.

"Sure. Enjoy."

I sat under a bulletin board at the only free table I could find. A girl came over and asked if she could take my extra chair. "All yours." She gave me a thumbs up and it reminded me a little of Gwen. I wondered what she would say about Shadow #1. If she still lived here I would have already told her about my bizarre experience. The thought of telling her over the phone didn't appeal to me at all. I imagined her telling her new friends about it while they sat on surfboards watching the sunrise, a silhouetted pod of dolphins leaping in the distance. They'd laugh so hard they'd fall off their boards. And get attacked by sharks, for all I cared.