Irina Taylor, a girl who lives in the 1940s with the gift to see any human's soul, goes from a social outcast to a prophecy come true. But there is a realm that coexists with ours, invisible to the majority of mankind; only a select few can see thro...
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𝓝ɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇꜱᴏꜰꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ haunted me in my dreams every night. In between the nightmares were some good dreams. It was predominantly Charlie's voice echoing in the darkness, saying, You are not alone. I believe you are strong, Irina. A fleeting smile formed on my lips when I woke up. I quickly wiped it away because, ultimately, Genny was right. I was scared to let him in. He was just one more person to lose. It was easier to keep my barrier up than to risk another fracture in my already cracked heart.
Three weeks had passed since we talked to Madam Lindholm. Her words had yet to stop churning in my mind. If only we hadn't been interrupted. I had so many more questions for her, but she was long gone by now, off to the next town with her traveling future-reading act. Now, at least I knew it was not always a fraudulent act.
I lugged myself out of bed with a paltry amount of sleep under my belt; then, I got dressed and ready for school. Recently, I had been seeing Dark Shadows at every turn, though they never drew near. They just loomed in the corners of the room, almost as if they were mocking me, watching my every move. I positioned a silver candlestick on my nightstand as I slept, then placed it in my book bag before class. Fortunately, no one had discovered it in my bag yet. That would be a little difficult to explain.
My friends and I had gotten into a rhythm before school where Charlie would meet Annika and I at my house. After, we strolled to meet Genny at her house, and the four of us continued the rest of the way to school together. I enjoyed our routine. Having Charlie with us added a new lively energy to the day. I liked seeing his bright smile all the time. It was somehow very comforting.
"Are you still seeing them?" Genny asked me as we treaded on the pavement bound for school that morning.
"Yes. I barely got any sleep last night. The Shadows are everywhere. The only place I haven't seen one is in the bathroom."
"At least we know they aren't perverts," Charlie grinned.
I snorted and said, "I wouldn't say that. There is one in the corner of my room every night that watches me sleep. That doesn't exactly scream civil. Gen, have you been seeing anything recently?"
"A few here and there, but it hasn't worsened since the start. Why are you seeing more and not me? Not that I'm complaining."
"Remember what the fortune teller said? They target oracles because we can see them in plain sight. But I think it might be more than that. The Shadow that night in the alley—it tried to take my soul, but it couldn't. Then it said 'you' as if it knew who I was."
Charlie shrugged. "The fortune teller did say you were special. . . in a very creepy, mysterious manner, I might add. Maybe that's what she meant."
"Maybe."
We rounded the last corner. The brick school building sat unchanging as always. We were running a bit late this morning, the bell had already rang, so the schoolyard was cleared of the usual lingering students. Except I quickly found that the grounds were not vacant by any means. My stomach lurched in fear. "Gen, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
