A Shadow's Kiss ~ A Pitch Black/Rise of the Guardians Fanfiction

Chapter 2 ~ Summer Nights

High school is great, except when it isn't. Four years of your life that are considered the foundation of your core development. Don't get me wrong, most aspects of it are nice. I love my education and my friends, the small few I have, and the busy hum of the seven hour days. Yet, I can't stand most of the people I go to school with. I am the last person to stereotype, but let me tell you, that building sees it all. The jocks are idiots, the cheerleaders are stuck up, you know, typical clichés. It's completely exhausting, especially if you're like me and you don't fit into any one group. I guess you could say I'm strange. I can get along with almost anyone, but I prefer to be alone. I can be sarcastic and cynical, or supportive and loyal when I need to be. I dislike sports, which of course makes me stand out against ninety percent of the school. I love the arts and literature, particularly anything relating to horror or romance. Notice a trend? So far, I'd gone through three years of Hell, and I needed a break from the craziness that surrounds school life.

Thank God it was summer. The warm days where the sun shines down on my skin and the sky was a cloudless blue. No school, no drama. Just relaxing and doing all the things I love to do. Hanging out with friends, watching movies, reading, writing. I'm seventeen, what could be better than this? I thought, walking down the street toward my house with my dog, Artemis. Named after the Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt, the black and white husky yelped happily at my feet. I looked up into my bedroom window, seeing my cat Aphrodite licking her paws out of boredom. Her mocha and white colored fur pressed against the screen, making me worry for her safety in case the window gave out from her weight.

I ran inside with Artemis, bolting up to my room and pulling my cat from the narrow ledge, placing her on the bed. Seeing that she was safe, I walked over and closed the window, before returning to the mattress and running my fingers through her long fur. I placed a kiss on her head before running back down the stairs.

I walked into the kitchen, hearing my cat and dog following me, clearly expecting to be fed. I rolled my eyes, opening a nearby cabinet and pulling out a bag of cat food. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something peculiar move on the opposite side of the kitchen. Frowning, I slowly shut the cabinet door and looked around, trying to find the source of the movement. Whatever it was had been tall. A dark shadow that flickered across my vision. My gaze scanned the kitchen thoroughly, but the only other beings with me were Artemis and Aphrodite. Even though I had the summer off, my mom was still working, so she couldn't have been what I had seen. A chill ran from the base of my spine to the top of my neck, causing me to shiver. I had the distinct feeling something or someone was watching me, but the room was practically empty.

Shrugging the occurrence off, I returned my attention to the animals, refilling their food and water bowls. Then I strode back over to the fridge, retrieving a cold soda from the top shelf and walking into the living room to watch tv. Nothing exceptionally amazing was on, just some crappy, B-acting movies made by low budget companies. I sighed, deciding to turn to A Nightmare on Elm Street, the only good film on at that point in time. Listening to the sounds of characters shrieking in fright, I opened my phone to see a text from my best friend, Jade. I hardly had time to read it before I felt a rush of wind come from behind me, causing my hair to fan out abnormally.

Startled, I quickly sent a reply and looked over my shoulder. Nothing. The windows weren't open and the air conditioning was off for the moment. A foreboding feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Something weird was definitely going on, but what? I waited for a few more moments, expecting someone to pop up out of the kitchen or from the staircase. But they didn't. I turned back toward the tv, but used the remote to turn the volume down so I could hear what was going on around me. Aphrodite padded around the corner of the couch, stretching her legs as she pranced in front of me. I patted my lap, urging her to jump up into it. She did so, lazily yawning and curling up across my legs. I bit my lip, stroking the cat quietly as I listened for another noise.