Seeing with the Shadows

Chapter 2

Lena watched the clock much more than she had the previous morning today, and got to school on time.


When she got there, though, she felt exposed. Like everyone was looking at her... like that Vampire- No, pranker! She kept reminding herself, was looking at her.


Nothing happened during morning gym and morning music, which were both disasters. But not Vampire/pranker disasters. It was break when it started. Pacifica was home sick, and Lena didn't feel like playing soccer, so she was hanging around, leaning against a wall of the school, watching.


"Hi!" Someone said, right next to her.


"How are you?" Another someone said, next to the first someone.


One of them smiled, and Lena backed away. Pointy teeth. Lena started breathing in large gulps, then turned and walked away quickly. She felt super paranoid, but she was really freaked out.


Lena quickly walked all the way inside, lying about the fact that she had to go to the bathroom.


"Phew!" Lena leaned against the swinging door and started clicking her abnormally pointed teeth, a habit she had developed. But those Vampires, or whatever they were, were really scaring her. The bell rang, and Lena went to her locker and got her binder out, then casually slung it over her shoulder using the strap and calmly started walking.


"Something scared you eh?" a teasing voice came from a boy heading past her.


"Shut up!" Lena said angrily.


"Oooh! Something's got her riled up!"


"IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP RIGHT NOW MISTER, I'M GONNA MAKE SURE THIS IS YOUR LAST VIEW OF THE EARTH! GOT IT? GOOD!" Lena was really scared by now, and was turning her fear into anger. He quickly sped away muttering about how he had to get to class anyway. That made Lena realize she had to get to class too, so she ran towards her English classroom.


As she entered every eye turned towards her. Her plump English teacher surveyed her, waiting for an explanation. The final bell had already rung. "I'm so sorry Ms. Ramshim! I got delayed finishing some homework." She smiled at her and Ms. Ramshim smiled a slightly crooked smile back. There are some advantages of being a teachers pet! She thought to herself.


Ms. Ramshim cleared her throat and continued writing on the board: 5 BAD WRITING HABITS: 1. TOO MUCH DETAIL! EXAMPLE: Mary hurriedly flicked her ponytail over to the left that was slightly put to the side held together with a silver and gold hair tie. "Can everybody please notice this when they are writing? Too much detail overwhelms the reader and might not make sense, but remember, too little," she looked pointedly over at some boys making paper airplanes in the back, "will definitely bore the reader. Not too little, not too much! You have to find just the right amount." she looked at the boys again, and sharply said, "Listen if you want to pass this grade! Now then," she continued more smoothly, "I want a 5 paragraph essay on why someone might do these BAD writing habits, or why they are important NOT to do!" She did a bit more talking and writing on the board and then the bell rung and class was dismissed.


Lena stopped in the bathroom on the way to Math class to check her reflection in the mirror. She pushed her dirty blonde hair out of her face and stared hard at her eyes in the reflection. They weren't the usual hazel, her eyes looked almost... Could those be flecks of red?


Suddenly she noticed one of the two girls who had been following her around peeking around the corner of the tiled wall. She had red eyes, too. Lena whirled around, startled. "Why are you following me!?" she asked, dismayed to see the two girls again as the other revealed herself, also with red eyes.


"You have to come with us. You have to come to the school! It is too dangerous out here in the outside world!" the first one whispered urgently.


"Um, ya. I'm already at school..." Lena said nervously, trying to edge away from them, but they blocked her path. Where they like crazy people trying to kidnap her? But whoever heard of two kids... kidnapping a kid? "I'll um like, uh talk to you later, okay? I have to get to Math/."


"But it is too dangerous! You have been Called. Your eyes are turning, your teeth are sharpening, soon-" she shuddered, "They'll catch you!" weird girl one and two had absolute looks of terror on their faces.


"Look, I have to get to math class, I have NO IDEA WHAT YOU WANT SO LEAVE ME ALONE!" she shouldered her way through them, and marched out of the door, and started running full speed down the hall. She went in, panting to Math class, only to find no one there.


"Okeeeeeeee, I'm going to ask the office where everyone went," she said to herself, unsure of what to do, she turned on her heel to leave. Then a glimmer of movement caught her eye. It was weird girl two.


"You have to come with us!" she protested.


"GET OUT OF MY LIFE!" Lena started to run away, anywhere but here, when the girl put her hand through Lena's shoulder. Lena screamed, teachers came running, and the girls disappeared.


"Are you okay?" A thousand voices seemed to be saying, lots of people crowding around her and pushing to get past or see what all the fuss was about.


"I think I need to see the nurse." Lena managed to get out, and a eighth grade teacher she had never seen much of before escorted her to the office.


"The nurse is on a lunch break right now, just sit on this and she'll be bak soon I'm sure." The woman informed Lena, and Lena took a seat on a small cot where a set of thin blankets encased in plastic sat at the end of. Then she left.


"I- I think I'm having hallucinations." Lena nervously told the new school nurse once she arrived and wondering where the old one went. This one had black hair and long fingernails that almost looked like claws, but were probably just the cheap ones you got glued on instead of painting your nails. "Like, this girl put her hand through my shoulder and I just don't know how that could be real. I mean, it couldn't be real, right?" Lena said practically all in one breath anxiously.


"I totally understand! It must be very disorienting to see that." The nurse said to her comfortingly, "I'm Vanessa, by the way. When did you go to bed last night?"


"Uh, around 9:30 I guess..." Lena replied, slightly confused why she needed to know that.


"All right... and when did you wake up?" Vanessa tapped her cheap red fingernails on the desk.


"Seven." Lena answered promptly.


"Oh, okay... let's see." Vanessa flipped through a huge binder until she got to Lena's name and ran her finger down the page and shook her head. "Well, you're not taking any medications... I'm not sure what could have caused this, so I'm just going to need you to stay here for the rest of the day, is that all right? Then I'll take you to the hospital- and you'll be fine! The doctors there would just need to run a few..." she hesitated before saying the word, "Tests."


"Why would you need to take me to the hospital? Why can't my mom just one to pick me up and take me to the doctors if you can't do anything right now?"


"Lena!" Weird girl one and two rounded the corner. "NO! Come with us! She's just going to hurt you. Come with us!"


"Um, what the hell is going on?" Lena whimpered.


Vanessa stood up, eyes flashing... red. She smiled a smile full of pointed teeth. She grabbed onto Lena's arm and dug her fingernails- They have to be claws! Lena thought, and yelped when she saw they were literally going through her skin, and hurting. The two girls face's both drained of color and their red eyes looked like they were almost glowing.


The nurse pulled a stick from behind the desk. In a flash the whole room looked red. Lena shrieked when an unknown pain grasped her, the worst she'd ever felt. Once it was gone, the nurse was also gone. For a moment, Lena thought she saw her eyes red as well, in the mirror above the sink, but shook her head and turned around.


* * *


After school, Michaela drove her car into the parking lot. Kids streamed out of the school, calling to friends and then running to parents. Lena wasn't there. Could she have walked home...? No, she would have called her. She's just finishing some work, or getting help, or possibly in trouble. Nothing's wrong. Michaela thought to herself.


But something was wrong. It had been an hour. With shaking fingers, Michaela picked up the phone and dialed Lena's number. After a few rings, she heard:
"The person you are calling cannot accept any calls at this time. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused." Then some muted beeps followed. Disconnected. Out of reach. Gone.


"No..." she whispered, "No! It's a phone malfunction, she must've just gone somewhere else after school. He promised me, all those years ago, he promised me. That night... That it was a mistake and she would stay like me." Michaela slowly started the car and drove home.


Gone. Lena was gone. She should've known. He'd promised her things that he couldn't fulfill.


* * *


"Serena, I know she will be okay! You shouldn't worry so much! Look, she's waking up now."


"But listen, if she has ONE scratch on her we're dead. I mean, you know how she feels. But Rose, if Lena really is who we think she is, well I don't know, but if they found out- I mean, they already did find out..." who Lena figured out was Serena trailed off.


"But they won't! You are SO pessimistic Sera!" Rose said in an annoyed voice. "Come on, look she's not dead! She's fine! It's just hard to find your talents all at once. Soon she'll looking for blood, and be normal enough to fit in even if she is that. So calm down!"


Lena's eyes flickered open and a hazy image of a white stone room appeared. The two girls were standing around her bed. Or around a bed, not hers.


"Where... am I?" she asked, confused, dazed, and angry that she had a pounding headache. "Where- where's all the light?" Every single window in the chamber had a heavy, dark, thick curtain drawn across it.


"You are at the school now Lena. It's all fine." Rose said in a calm voice. She had pale freckled skin with red hair up in a bun and big blue eyes, though not nearly not as big as Pacifica's. The other girl, Serena, had blonde hair in a fishtail braid going down her back and green eyes. They were a couple years older than her and both were wearing a preppy uniform: a skirt that was a little higher than mid thigh length, blue plaid and fashionable knee high black boots. Rose had on a low cut pink shirt showing a bit of cleavage, and Serena had a creamy white knit sweater on.


In spite of her headache, Lena had another surge of anger, and she jumped up painfully. "You know what? It's not fine, I have no idea again what you want, or why I'm here. I was at my school. By now, school's probably over. I won't be home. My mom's going to be so worried, and it's all your fault! Bring me back to her! Now! You need to, okay? NOW! It's super important for us to stay together..." Then with the shock of it all, her legs swayed, gave out from under her, and she crumpled to the floor.


AUTHORS NOTE:
This is kind if short lol sorry I hope you have an awesome day & VOMMENT! (vote & comment) YAY! ily!

tova