A Revolution In Shadow And Blood

Anne

My wide eyes dart around the room, desperate to keep track of anything that dares to move. A spider crawls across the floor near where my bed is upturned, and my eyes track its every move. The wind pushes a tree branch against my window, and I let out a tiny scream at the noise. I relax when I realize what it was, but only a little. I can't relax anymore. There are demons now. Scary monsters that hide in the dark. Every light in my room is on, including lamps and flashlights I stole from other places in the house. Still, I'm not safe. The shadow monsters can still live in the light.

I'm the only thing that can kill them. I sob as the strange glowing mark on my arm sends another shock of pain through me. I can't get help. I can't move. My back is against the wall in the corner, so they can't sneak up on me. They can't walk through walls. That's why I scream when Mom and Dad open the door. They can't let the monsters in. I won't let them.

I sob again, and wipe the tears away as fast as they come. I need to see if any shadows get in. I need to see if I'm in danger. My small body shudders, and I wrap my skinny arms around my knees. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. Despite my best efforts, my eyelids still sag and my body still slumps and I fall into the darkness.

When my eyes open again, I'm curled up on the floor, with a blanket around me. Someone has been in my room, which means someone has opened my door. I shoot awake, and get tangled in the blanket. I need to see if the shadow monsters got in. When I can finally look around the room, I see something else. It reminds me of the shadow monsters, but it's not the same. It's gray, but almost white. And it has blue dots near the top of it, not too far from each other. If it's like the shadow monsters, those are its eyes.

I whimper, and move back until I'm in my corner again. "Please don't hurt me." I whisper.

The white thing moves, and I see it's shaped like a person. It kneels down in front of me, and makes a noise. It sounds like music, the kind a harp makes on TV. "I'm not going to hurt you, dear child."

I blink. It talked. Maybe it's not a shadow monster after all. Shadow monsters scream and growl and hiss, but they don't talk. "You're not?"

It shakes its head. "No, little one. I'm very different from those other Spirits you've encountered."

"You mean the shadow monsters?" I ask, leaning forward into its warmth.

"I suppose they look like that. They're Dark Spirits, and they come from negative emotions. I'm a Light Spirit. When I died, I was surrounded by family and friends, and I was happy." It says. It sounds happy, so I believe it.

"What do you mean you died? You're right here?" I ask, very confused.

A musical noise comes from it, kind of like it's laughing. "No, my precious child. I didn't really die. The person that looks like me died, and doing so created me."

"Oh," I say, "But you don't look like anybody. Just a cloud."

"Give it a second, honey. Really look at me." It tells me.

I squint at it, and try to see what it tells me. After a few seconds, it does start to look like someone. An old lady, with kind eyes and hair pulled back into a loose bun. "Oh." I smile. "I see you now."

She laughs again. "Well done. My name is Anne. What's your name?"

"Freya." I beam at her. "You're very nice."

"Thank you."