Trial of Shadows

I. Debris & Birth

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Ash to ash
Dust to dust
The world will burn
As she lays untouched

Sun-rays pierced my closed, raging eyelids. I raised my arm shielding the sunlight as black ash fluttered down onto my chest, almost as if it were in slow motion.
Tears fell as raindrops only to evaporate as they hit the ruins of the town to smoke , one by one. "No" I gasped weakly. "Not again, not again please no!". My croaky cries and sobs echoed my guilt inside. Salty tears dampened loose hairs hiding my face, now sticking to my cheeks in vines. Piles of rubble and burnt skeletons blanketed the singed earth. Their riots of insults, accusations and judgmental glares flooded my mind. I lost control, I burnt them all. My surroundings scorched black in debris, my skin an outsider among the ash. Every child, woman and man. 2,596 burnt to the point of no recognition on my hands.

It wasn't fair. I hadn't chosen this life for myself. A life of loneliness and isolation, a freak.

Ever since I was young I knew I was different. While girls played with barbies I played with fire, senses, empathy.

I was gifted with supernatural abilities. A world seperate to the normalcies of ordinary humans.
I could feel people's pain and ease their despair if I concentrated. I could understand animals by mind, I could read all languages, could set fire to anything and anyone in the blink of an eye yet I cannot burn. All my senses were completely enhanced 4 times the normalcy of an average human.

The only thing I had going ordinary for me was my looks as far as I was concerned. 5'8 with light brown skin. My eyes black as night to the human eye but only to me, my right eye had a crimson red ring. I like to think myself petite and plain. My 'heart' shape faced had slight feminine angular cheekbones but that was all that added any character personally. My dark brown hair rests just below my waist but it's not like I could care a wink of the atrocious state of it. I couldn't imagine what I looked like now smelling of smoke and pain-
"Hey girl listen! Your name!" The policeman glared at me clicking his fingers, eyebrow raised. I sat opposite him in his office exhausted and drained of power, I'd drifted off again.
"Oh. sorry officer".
He raised his brows again expecting an answer. I had to twist my name again like so many times before. What shall it be this time?
"Evangeline. I prefer eve, eve uh Embry. Evangeline Embry. I'm 16 years of age". I hardly lied, my first name was in fact Evangeline. My full name Evangeline Embry Ashfault.
I glanced quick at the police-mans badge and name tag which read 'Gary'.
He still held the same accusing facial expression. Rubbing his forehead in circular motions, he sighed. I could read the frustration, the long sleepless nights, the pain of a lost one. Little did he know the criminal sat right before him acting as a 'lone survivor' in the 'tragic town fire'. Nobody feels worse about it than I, if anything I shouldn't be alive.

"Look gir-Eve", he said boldly looking at me with eyes which were clearly still refraining from tears...or perhaps hopelessness. "I trust you are aware of the seriousness of the situation. Lies will only get you as far as whoever you lie for".
I was rather shocked at his ability to recognise that I had lied in the first place - as humans were often fooled. Tears accumulated as he croaked
"2,596 people Evangeline . Including my wife and daughter".

There it was, it was over. My cover will be blown seconds after I had established it. Guilt washed over me threatening to crash my mental walls of control I had almost completed, although I had no intention of curing his emotions. "I'm sorry to hear that sir" was all I could budge in the smallest voice.

Sighing once again he tapped a pile of papers straightening them out whilst pulling himself together. Mirroring his patterns I did the same. If I broke this easily then it would be only a matter of days before this town discovered my abnormalities and secrets.
"Anywho your guardian is waiting for you in the lobby. I suggest you go see him now. He must be very worried about you."
That didn't make sense, I have no family left, only an empty last name. But anything to get out of this dull office. The air felt at least five times thicker. I smiled a weak pitiful smile of appreciation and sympathy. Turning stiffly, I exited his office bound for the lobby.

I had no family left at all. Who could possibly want me? I surely didn't remember any descendants still alive. Not that I needed any.

"Miss Embry was it?" came a deep, rich male voice from behind me, halting my train of thought. Twisting around I almost staggered back at the looks of him. An olive tanned man of height of about 6'4, muscular and heavily built. His hair ebony black which provided shadow to his angular cheekbones leading to his strong jaw. A dark faded beard shade and intense, forest green eyes were hidden behind black lashes.
He wore a grey tight sweater outlining his arm muscles as they were folded across his chest. There were three buttons at the neck, the top open. Dark navy baggy Jeans and soon to be worn black boots. He smelled of spices and a luminous, tasteful smoke. It was intoxicating. He was the most beautiful yet frightening guy I'd ever laid eyes on. The kind I would have read about or seen on a magazine.

There was something about him that kicked my senses into caution making me take 2 steps back. A wide dashing, yet terrifying grin spread across his face.

Lifting his right hand to his chin in thought he growled an internal noise almost like a purr mixed with a dark deep chuckle. Pinned in place, there was nothing I could do. "found you" he breathed. Suddenly Gary's dull office didn't seem like such a bad place anymore.

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Authors note:
So throughout the chapters I may add a photo to abide some characters. If you would rather leave that to your own imagination by all means do!
Also black background is encouraged!

Xx G