What's in the shadows

1

Blackness stretched endlessly before me in the form of an abyss swallowing every trace of light. It was all I could see, thick and suffocating, as though the world had ceased to exist and went on for miles. Then, without warning, a swarm of vibrant shapes invaded my vision, worms in every imaginable color, twisting and churning. Crimson entwined with emerald, gold tangled with cerulean, their hues merging into strange, swirling patterns, each new form more bizarre than the last. It was as if the darkness had cracked open, spilling chaos and color into my mind. I felt a hand on my shoulder, a firm shake, trying to pull me back to whatever reality awaited. But I refused to yield. My steps never faded. I pressed forward, my focus locked on the kaleidoscope unraveling before me, ignoring the pull of the outside world. Another tremor. Shapes swirling into landscapes. A voice cutting through the chaos, calling my name.

"Sam"

"SAM"

The last yell jolted me awake, punctuated by a sudden smack across my face. I blinked, still half-dazed, and let out an unsteady sigh. Above me, my sister, Maya loomed, her dark hair spilling over her face as she grinned down with that annoyingly sweet smile of hers.

"I'm glad you're up, you almost missed breakfast," she said, her tone wavered slightly, as if unsure of herself.

"Well, yeah, you did slap me across the face," I replied, my voice held more irritation than usual.

"Okay, okay," she muttered, rolling her eyes with exaggerated exasperation. "Just get dressed, I'll have breakfast done for you when you're done." She mentioned before I could respond.

I walked slowly to my dresser, eventually choosing a Teal button down, a black blazer, and brown dress pants. Then standing up to head to my bathroom to change. Placing the pair of clothing I picked only moments earlier on the marble of the counter. I turned on the light then proceeded to look into the mirror. A red splotch resembled a handprint the size of my sister's hand, I raised a hand to touch it. As the tip on my finger lay upon my face a stinging feeling clouded my mind as I though my hand down, whispering "Ow" to myself.

"Sam hurry up." Maya yelled from downstairs.

"I'm coming, chill." I yelled at Maya.

I grabbed my pants to put them on trying to go as fast as I could making me jump around which ended up annoying my sister.

"Sam come on you're going to be late" Maya Hollered.

"Jesus I'm coming" I say, shoving my shirt over my head. I grab my blazer and running down the stairs grabbing the toast out of the toaster and stuffing my books into my bag.

"Come on the portal to school is about to close" Maya Exclaimed.

I run over to Maya, gave her a hug and run through the portal right before it closes.

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Word count: 481