❝After a series of tragic deaths in Shadow Swan's family, the young ginger finds herself being shipped off to Forks, Washington. A town that Shadow hasn't stepped foot in years. Here she finds the prospects of a fresh start awaiting her and the chan...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
FROM WHERE SHE STOOD by his side, Shadow stole a glance at her companion. Minutes had passed since leaving the classroom and he still hadn't said anything to her. But, his quiet was enough to to speak volumes.
Was he always this intimidating? She felt almost uneasy in his presence. It was unsettling how he could portray so much without speaking─ that or Shadow was just looking into it too much.
She figured she was looking into it too much.
Taking the lead, the boy wove a path through the lunch-time rush. The crowd of students parted easily and few spared them a second glance. Shadow felt relieved.
She was concerned about how much attention the golden boy would draw to them. But, it seemed his group's impact relied on strength in numbers. Thank god for that, she thought.
Shadow doubted she'd be able to function among the rest of the group, let alone just one of them.
"So," Shadow began, breaking the silence with a drawn out 'oh', "I didn't catch your name." She wasn't really looking for a conversation, but she preferred a first name basis when it came to accepting lunch dates with strangers.
The boy said nothing. Shadow pursed her lips, thoughtful. She couldn't decide if he was trying to be rude or if silence was just his natural element.
"Jasper Hale," he finally said.
Shadow almost missed the strain in his voice. She studied his tense shoulders. For an infinitesimal second, she was almost compelled to ask what was bothering him.
But, she quickly thought better of it. It was too personal a question. Besides, it wasn't her business to ask─ and like she had said, they hardly knew each other.
More silence passed and Shadow waited for him to politely reciprocate. But, when she realized he wouldn't ask on his own, she smiled bitterly.
"Nice," the comment was more sarcasm than anything. "My name is Shadow, in case you were wondering." She didn't expect a reply. As far as Shadow could tell, Jasper Hale didn't seem like much of a conversationalist.
"Shadow?" Jasper turned to give her a curious look.
She lifted her shoulders defensively, "Just a nickname, the real thing is weirder."
Shadow made air quotations with her fingers, "'Adark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface' was too cool a nickname to pass up." She smiled, trying to cover up her embarrassment.
