*Theo*
Shadow has answered the door, and my colleague, Johnathan, stands there with a suitcase in hand, and a smile firmly present on his face. But when I catch the expression on her face, I instantly jump into action. "What is it Shadow?" once her name has left my lips, Johnathan's smile drops as he gazes at her closely. John is older than I am, by at least ten years, maybe a little more. "Shadow..." her name escapes his lips in a slight whisper, one that is a mix of surprise and wonder.
"There's no way. You... you were dead. You died. How are you even here?" his voice shakes as he looks upon her, and I see her body as it trembles. I move to her side and take her hand in mine. "John, this is my girlfriend, Shadow. Shadow, this is my colleague, Joh..." but she is the one to finish the sentence. "Johnny," I catch the heart broken note in her voice, and I glance at her. "How do you know his name?" I ask, feeling enraged for a reason I do not know.
"Wow Shadow, you haven't even aged a day since I last saw you. Why did your dad and James say that you were dead? I swear, it was on all over the news. Baby, did you know how much I missed you? Where have you been?" his questions make me wonder what's going on, and his use of the word baby makes me even angrier. "John, did you not here me?' he makes an idiotic face and finally turns his attention to me. "Sorry, did you say something Theo?" I roll my eyes and invite him in. "Yes, I did. I introduced you to my girlfriend, but it seems as though you already know her. How do you know her?"
I feel the jealousy as it burns deep within my gut, and I shamefully put a possessive arm around her waist. "We used to date a few years ago. Many, many years ago actually. And I guess, you know, we never actually dated. I was in love with this girl, but then she was supposedly dead, and I never heard from her again. I guess your dad and step brother were wrong. Where did you go when you vanished? Why didn't you ever call me? Or write me? I've missed you so much Shadow."
I think back to her story, the one about her death and I blink at him rapidly. He was the boy who would do anything for her at the time, the one she used to play with his heart. Whoever would have guessed that him and I ever would have started to work together. But it is difficult to deal with, because how is Shadow supposed to explain what happened? There is no way that she'll ever be able to tell him the truth.
"I had to get out of town, and I had to start over. I'm sorry that I never contacted you. I was just scared. Things had gotten bad at home, and I never told anyone. But that night, when I disappeared, things had just gotten too bad. James assaulted me, and I left. Got a job far away, made money, and now I work for my loving boyfriend here. I don't know how I've seemed to stay so young. Luck I guess. 'Bout time I got some of that." She laughs musically and I cannot stop the grin from seeping across my face.
"I'm just glad you are okay. James has gone through jail programs a lot in the past few years. Still thinks he has a chance with my younger sister, but I will admit, she's crazy about him. Never understood why. Guess she likes the bad boy act he puts up." John goes on for a while longer before I clue in to the fact that this James guy is living in the city. "You cannot tell him that Shadow is still alive, you know that right? You could get her killed. For real this time." John nods his head and I release a sigh of relief. My sweet little Angel is safe. John doesn't stay long, and before I know it, he's left, telling Shadow that they need to get together and catch up. She smiles and agrees, but once the door is closed, she falls back against the hard wood. She breaks into tears and won't allow me to comfort her. Lilac is nowhere to be seen, but with a little searching, I find her tucked into bed crying. I am at least useful with her, because she allows me to comfort her. I pull her into my lap and stroke her hair.
"What will happen when Shadow saves you?"
"Well, she goes back to Heaven, and you and I get to be together. I'll be like another big brother. I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Really? You aren't just going to get rid of me once she's gone?"
"Of course not. I have grown to think of you as a little sister, and I love you dearly Lilac. Don't ever think otherwise, okay? I'm here to protect you both."
I hear a loud smash come from the bathroom, and both of us sprint toward the door. I gaze into the room to find the mirror on the wall smashed, shattered into millions of individual pieces that can never be put together again. That's what I see when I look over to Shadow, curled in on herself, a deflated beach ball that no one has bothered to breathe new life into.
She is a bloody mess, scratches covering her arms and hands, tears streaming out of her eyes. I even catch the sight of the broken smile, the one I've seen so many times. The one I was forced to see every time I looked into the mirror when I wanted to die. I couldn't stop the reaction to reach out for her, and I grip her firmly in my arms. She doesn't make a single sound, and that's how I know that this is serious.
But she doesn't stay in my arms long, and instead pushing away and runs out, toward the door. She flings it open, and hurries down the hallway of the apartment building. I follow, calling her name, praying that she'll stop. But she doesn't. She just keeps on going, not once slowing down. I go after her at top speed, but I fear that it won't be fast enough.
She makes it to the bridge, and by now she has drawn a lot of attention. People watch as she moves toward the railing, but none of them try to stop her. "Shadow! Don't do this. I need you, remember?" she turns to look at me, and I see the burning need to die in her eyes. The intensity of it so strong I feel as if the world is spinning. Her eyes move past me, and her mouth falls open. I turn around, and watch over the top of many people's heads as Lilac is shoved into a van. Shadow and I cry out at the same time, but it feels as though our voices are swallowed up by the surrounding silence, but a silence that is filled with so many demons.
