A New Dawn

Conclusions

Anna

“What the heck just happened?! Hey kid! Wake up! Harvey?! Dad! Help! Harvey just passed out!” What did I even do? Did I really just make him pass out by just questioning him? Stupid Anna! What were you even thinking?! Dad hurried towards me and Harvey, I’m cradling his head my lap, still shocked on what happened. “Anna! What happened dear?!” I can’t talk; I lost the capability to talk. What did I do? “Here, let me have Harvey, then just follow me back inside when you’re all composed” why is he so calm now? Before I was the sensible one, always keeping everything neat and in line, always looking out for him. Now the tables have turned and he’s taking care of me, I’m his little daughter who doesn’t know what to do again. He carried Harvey and took him to the old barn. Why there? It’s dirty and stinky in there. I stand and follow after him, I did this.

Harvey’s still out cold and I don’t know what to do. He’s stuck like this because of me. “Anna, dear, talk to me. What happened out there? And why is Harvey like this? Did you have anything to do with this?” I did this. “I don’t know what happened.” What are you saying? You pressured him. He passed out because of you. What do you mean you don’t know what happened? “I was preparing to teach him more, like greetings and stuff, then he suddenly passed out. “ Why are you lying to him? Why don’t you just tell him the truth? I’m still in shock, I did this. “Why don’t you make lunch while I tend to Harvey, maybe I can find out what’s wrong with him.” How can you? You’re not a doctor; you don’t even know what happened to him. “Okay” that’s it. That’s all I can say. Okay? What kind of sick person did I turn out to be? Why didn’t you just tell the truth? Walking away from my dad and Harvey’s lifeless body makes me feel so empty. I just wanted to find out what he really is, I don’t want to endanger me and my dad with some kid some secret. You trying to snoop into someone’s business is making it more dangerous for the both of you. “SHUT UP!” who am I even talking to? What’s happening to me? I walk around the place feeling lifeless as ever. I did make lunch, but I didn’t know I did it. I’m confused out of my mind right now and my body is doing things for me. “Thank you” who am I thanking for? Am I also losing my mind?  Tell him the truth. He’ll understand, he’s your father and your only blood. He’ll understand.

I walk back to the barn carrying loads of food and milk for the both of us since I don’t think Harvey would be waking up soon. “Anna, are you alright dear?” am I alright? “Yes dad, just a little shaken from what happened” Tell him. This voice in my head is really starting to bug me and it’s not helping at all. “So is there any change to him? Do you know what to do to him?” who am I kidding, he’s a store guy. He doesn’t know stuff about healing. “I think he has something living inside of him. The same way a shadow living inside of you.” what did he say? Something inside him? Inside me? a shadow? “Dad. This is not the right time to be making such jokes” he is joking, right? “Anna, you are what they call, children born of the shadow era. You children are dead since, well, a very long time and shadows occupy the space that was once your body. You are Anna, but what’s inside you is what I do not know. Remember the night we fell into a deep whole?” we fell into a whole? When was that? I shake my head still trying to figure out when that was. “I see, so you don’t remember the day you died.” I died? “Dad. Stop this nonsense, I’m here alive and breathing. I’m in front of you, how can I be dead?” I’m not dead. “That night, I was hoping death would also come for me, but I survived. I waited until my body can support my whole weight again so I can crawl to you. Before I could even reach you, a shadow of some sort came out and hovered over you, saying ‘this child is special and thus must be resurrected’ and you did came back to life once it entered your body, you twitched and gasped for air-“ I remember “The night I found you lying on the ground looking broken.” I remembered “Yes, you finally remembered. That was the day I hoped for finding another one of those shadows, a shadow child, like you, and that day finally came. Another lost child embraced by the shadow era.” I was dead, and then I was alive. “So, this kid, Harvey, he’s still alive?” he’s still alive. “Yes dear, but I don’t know how to bring him back; it seems his shadow is doing something to keep him asleep.” So he’s just sleeping. He has a really innocent face he has that. We’re alike, children of the shadow era. “Can I help bring him back?” can i? “I don’t know Anna, I don’t know how to treat him, but if your shadow knows what to do maybe you can help him.” My shadow knows what to do. “Are you there? You know, inside me?” nothing, well that made me feel stupid. “Maybe it’s still dormant?” dad knows more of this stuff than me. Why is that? “But I was talking to it a moment ago, I told it to shut up because it keeps telling me to tell the truth.” I said it. “What truth?” say it now. “I made him that way, I was desperate to find out this morning what the thing was behind him. I saw it. It was small, sleek, and black. A shadow, then I really don’t know what happened next because he blacked out and fell to the ground.” There I told the whole truth, can you come out now? Yes.

Maybe I wasn’t really thinking of what more to say because I just told the thing that’s keeping me alive to come out. Everything went black and I’m in a place I haven’t seen before. Everything is black, gray, or white, a whole place with just three monochromatic colors. For the first time, it’s a place I don’t want to be in alone. There’s no life to be found within eyes reach. I wander around searching; searching for something or someone to tell me where I am. There, I saw movement in the shadows. I don’t know what I’m thinking anymore. I’m desperate to find something down here and I want to find out now. “You don’t want to go in tight, dark places missy” a voice, husky, must be at least seventeen years old. “Where are you?” I’m just asking to be killed right now. “First, please step away from that place, then I’ll come out.” this alley? “Why? Why should I follow orders from you when-“ then it came rushing to me, teeth barred to the moons light. Is this a dog? “MOVE IT!” then a loud gun shot rang my ears. It’s gone. The shadow’s gone. Where am i? What is this place? “Good thing I have good aim or you’re shredded meat.” He’s behind me now. “Hi, I’m Dante” what’s with the wink? Does he have eye problem? “Hi, to you too, my name’s-“ he interjected “Anna, yeah, Hi” how does he know my name? “How do you know my name? And where am i?” he’s skeptical, he’s wary of me, as if at any point I might freak out and do something bad. “Well you’re famous here so everyone knows who you are. You are the shadow with the wings of a broken angel” What is this boy blabbering about? “I don’t know what you’re talking about and you haven’t told me where the hell this is” He’s laughing, did I say something funny? “Well you just found out where you are” what? He’s toying with me, but wait. Did he just say I found out where I am? “Hell..”

AU: slight turn of events. What would you do if you found out you’re already dead?