Seeing with the Shadows

Chapter 40

Once the sun had risen, Lena decided to get up because she had to somehow get the vision out of her head.

As soon as Lena opened the guest bedroom door, she was bombarded with questions. “I wanna know what happened yesterday!” Jade told Lena in a shrill voice, “Or else I’ll follow you around forever!”

“I’m shaking.” Lena said sarcastically.

“Really? I win! I win! Tell me now!” Jade exclaimed.

“No, that was sarcasm. Get out of my way, now.” Lena tried to push past Jade, but she tried to tackle Lena by jumping on her leg. Lena almost tripped and fell face first. “What do you want?” She asked in frustration.

“To know what happened.”

“Well, I want to know when you’re going to leave me alone.”

“When you tell me.” Jade responded, putting her hands on her hips and trying (unsuccessfully) to look intimidating.

“Michaela swore me to secrecy, so go ask her.” Lena lied.

“I already asked.”

“Um, well... leave me alone.”

“No.” Jade crossed her arms, puffed up her cheeks, and furrowed her brow. Then she repeated, “No.”

Since Lena realized she was stuck until Jade decided to go and do something else, she walked back into her room and shut the door. Jade walked in after her.

“Oh, my god.” Lena muttered and jumped into bed, pulling the covers over her. Jade squealed and jumped up on the bed. The mattress bounced. “Stop it. Get off.” Lena said, her voice muffled by the blankets.

“No.” Jade inched her way up to Lena and hesitantly poked her. “Are you playing dead?”

Lena chose to not respond to the comment.

Finally after a ton of pokes, Lena was furious and Jade was frustrated.

“Lena.” Michaela’s voice was the one thing that made Lena push Jade off of her and throw the covers down.

She set her jaw and looked at Michaela. Once the sight of her had had a different meaning then it did now. “What.”

“Can you come downstairs a moment?”

“I can.” Lena responded coolly, checking her emotionless face in the mirror on the wall.

“Will you?”

“Fine.”

Lena followed Michaela downstairs, and Michaela turned to face her. It was almost ten, and Lena was getting pretty hungry. “I would just like to tell you to treat Jade better. She has been through a lot, and, even though she never knew him, she had the same father as you did. You’re half sisters.” Michaela left the room abruptly, as Lena’s mind whirled.

Half sister? But that could mean that she had Vampire blood, too. And what about Half Moon? Lena winced. She looked out the window and sighed. “I’M GOING OUT. BYE.” She yelled, and walked out the door with no idea of where to go.

*  *  *

Half an hour she returned to the house, after having tried to find something to do around town and failed. When she walked into her room, there was a letter sitting on her bed. A moon stamp was in the corner. Already knowing it was something from Half Moon, Lena tore the envelope off and practically tore the paper inside in two.

Dear Year Two Student:

    As you may have been aware, Wilderness Week is approaching. The school will provide all supplies that you may need for this activity. The activity will be enforcing your understanding in History. You will live as part of a Vampire group for a week- one of the three main ones that first came to be: Venasues, Envertine, or Leiena. You will also learn which group(s) that you originate from, and will be able to trace your history. Once you have been placed in a group, you will be given enough food, shelter, and other things to sustain yourself. You will then get to spend one week in the wild as your ancestors did before you. Please send back a parent or guardian signature and $145 for the cost of supplies for the trip.