Secrets In The Shadows

Chapter 20: Crazy Is Only Crazy Until It Works

Staring at Hunter and Maddox's faces, I can tell the two of them don't believe me. Not even the slightest. I start explaining, " It's true ok. I can control the shadows. Here I'll prove it". I stick out my hand towards the shadow under the tree and concentrate.

For a long terrifying minute nothing happens, then the shadows begin to squirm and twist until they begin to take the shape of the things that I will them to. They form the shapes of a butterfly and a raven and they begin to fly on the bark of the tree.

I turn my attention to Maddox and Hunter whose mouths are dropped open. Satisfied that they believe me, I wave my hand and the shadow images morph back into ordinary shadows.

I turn to face them and suddenly Tress appears on the tree bark and waves to them. Amazingly that action seems to be what shakes them out of their stupor. My brother first, as always.

"How- how long have you been able to do...that?". I smile at him. "Since I was eight, remember that tree accident you had?" He nods. " Well...I did save you. I used my shadow powers to stop you from falling....kinda like...this".

I put both of my arms out infront of me and move my fingers up and down. A tingle begins at the base of my skull. Soon tall shadowy tendrils begin to rise up from above, tall as the trees.

They begin to twist around the branches, weaving and gliding until they wrap around a medium high branch and begin to squeeze. I clench both my fists as hard as I can. So hard I feel my nails prick into my palms. I let everything I've been feeling for the past couple of days leek out of me and into my ability.

All the pent up anger, fear, frustration and helplessness trapped inside of me. The killer targeting people I know because of me. People are dying because of me.

Snap! I watch as the branch breaks into two, a clean snap. Carefully I obey the tendrils to gently lower the pieces to the ground next to Hunter and Maddox. After that I let out a whoosh of breath and let my ability fade back into myself. The tingling subsides.

I let myself smile, feeling proud of my ability until the dizziness comes and I promptly sit myself down on the grass. Maddox and Hunter follow suit.

No one speaks for a while until Maddox asks what I know both he and my brother are thinking. "How are you able to do that?"

I sigh and comb my hands through my hair before explaining. "From what I know, I...got it from Mom" I look at Hunter when I speak. There is pain and confusion on his face. Before he can talk I speak quickly,

"Mom got them from a student experiment when she was in college. One of the teachers was trying to study the movement of shadows and....something went wrong. She never told me what exactly she just said something went wrong. She said after that she had the ability to...do this" I wave my hand around at the mess I've created. "I think she thought it wouldn't be heredity but...here we are. I...I think her ability was too much for her body to handle after all these years. She never.... practiced it as much as I did she told me. I think thats what did it. Made her in-" I cut myself off.

I lift up my right hand and flex my fingers. This time a shadow wolf appears on the grass and begins to go on the prowl, for what I don't know but the movement is comforting.

I hear Hunter tell Maddox what I couldn't. "Our mom went into a coma eight years ago. She...she hasn't woken up". Maddox doesn't tell me brother he knew already though I have no idea why.

"That's what it did to her because she didn't use it enough" I say, my voice angry and raw. " She just let it sit inside her, basically eating away at her, giving her so much pain until she finally couldn't handle it anymore. I don't want that to happen to me, I refuse for that to happen to me".

I blink back the tears quickly filling my eyes before I raise my head up to look up at them. Wanting to change the subject to anything else, I tell them of my newer power. That I've spied on the police.

Maddox speaks up, "couldn't you find out who the killer is by following his...thing or whatever it was you listened to?". I frown. In hindsight it's not a bad idea but..." I just found out I could do this. I'm not even sure I'm able to track him that way. And even if I am what if something goes wrong? My power could go haywire and I'd be defenseless".

Hunter nods in agreement. "She has a point. Anyway look at the sky, it's getting late. We'll talk more about this tomorrow agreed?" We all nod, and get up.

We head out separate ways. Hunter and I don't speak, lost I'm our own thoughts. When we arrive home, we head up to our rooms. I flip down on my bed. The weight of everything that's happened today releasing from my shoulders and onto my soft bed. I pull the covers over me and go to sleep, happy with today's results.