Causing Shadows Book 1, (My heart)

Causing Shadows - book 1 prologue

As the two 7th graders headed into the forest, snow beneath their boots, making crushing sounds, one of them was shivering, not just from the cold, but from pure fear. The other turned around.

Her short light brown hair barely reached down to her shoulders and her freckles were barely visible. She pushed her bangs out of the way and she completely turned around and stared at the other, causing the other bump into her.

"Watch it!" the short haired girl hissed at her brother, who had short and curly hair that was the color of toast, not burnt, as if it was just cooked perfectly.

"Sorry..." the brother mumbled, looking at his sister, who looked down at him with a smart-allic and sassy expression.

"Why are you scared?" she asked, looking down at her shorter brother. The wind blew her hair out of her face, but she quickly pushed it back and stared seriously down at her brother.

"I..I don-don't really know, but the teachers might find us-" he was cut off as the girl hit him gently in the head, making him grumble in anger and annoyance.

"Just-Just SHUT UP, okay?!" she hissed, anger piercing through her voice.

The boy grumbled. "Isla, what's the matter?" he asked, concerned for his sister. Isla looked at him, shocked. She looked as if he just ruthlessly destroyed the earth.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" she yelled, the wind blowing in her hair, making it swish back and forth like waves. "We BOTH know this school is hiding something!" she told him, looking at the night sky. She shook her head.

Why did we run away when we did. She asked herself, remembering how they had sneaked out of the school grounds when their recess had just started.

Her friends had chickened out, leaving her with her brother, who wouldn't leave her on her own, no matter how stupid the situation was. That's why she knew her brother cared.

But looking at him now... he looked like he regretted it. She rolled her eyes, not knowing why she hadn't expected her brother to be his normal nerdy, "do what the teacher says" self.

"You chose to come here, now you are NOT chickening out, got it?" she looked sternly at her brother, who looked full of regret. He sighed.

"Fine," he said sternly. "I just wished i packed a jacket" he mumbled the last part under his breath, but Isla could still hear him complaining to himself.

"Just a little while, Finn," she said, rolling her eyes. "We'll appear back at school the next day, mom and dad won't even notice! They're on their little," she cleared her throat, "VAY-KAY" Finn giggled a little, making Isla smile.

It was true, they had sent their aunt to watch them, but she had somewhere to go, making it easy for them to sneak out of school and discover what laid untouched behind the school grounds.

She looked ahead of her; she was in a small clearing, surrounded by trees. She jumped in shock as she heard a psycho-ish laugh. Finn walked up to her.

"And a flashlight also" he said, half joking. A shadow peered out of the trees, staring right at Isla and Finn. only its sharp teeth and eyes were visible.

"Ah yes" it hissed, "Just in time for dinner!" it stepped out, revealing a strong and powerful shadow body, at least five times the size of Isla and Finn. They lunged at them, showing no mercy.

Its claws were the height of Finn-short for a 7th grader, but still,they were long.

It lunged at Finn first, his screams filling the eerie silence in the forest as Isla watched in terror. Blood was shed all over the white snow. Isla couldn't move. Her brother was killed brutally in front of her, his heart hanging from his body, his eyes gazing at the back of his head, lifeless. His body hung from the shadow's claws, which had been stained with blood. The shadow's eyes were hungry, and they ruthlessly threw the body to the ground and stared at Isla.

Her first instinct was to run. But she couldn't. She was frozen in terror from what she had just seen, her hair blowing against the soft wind, her beanie covered in snow. The shadowy figure raced behind her, immediately catching up and digging its claws into her back.

She attempted to scream with whatever breath she had left as she choked on her blood, her heart being ripped out exactly like her brother. The shadow munched ruthlessly on her body. She fell down immediately, her mind whirling.

GET UP GET UP! Her mind yelled at her as she laid there, barely breathing, the snow blowing against her face, snowflakes touching it gently.

She looked at her brother's corpse. She reached for it, but her hands only reached a couple inches before she collapsed. She could see it, her brother's corpse laid in the snow, snowflakes quickly covering him.

I'm sorry Finn she thought, thinking of her brother, it's MY fault this time.

As her vision blurred, she thought of how stupid she had been when she had headed out here.

So much for being so confident, she thought as her vision went black and she let her last gulps of air leave her, eventually falling into a long, long sleep, one she wouldn't wake up from this time. Her heart slowly fell out and into the snow, allowing the shadow to eat it in one bite.