Blue Shadows

chapter 1- alone in the dark

 *i'm not sure whether this was a overly long chapter but i thought it necessary. there wasn't a natural break for the story flow. so if you think otherwise,

let me know what you think,

hummie.*

CHAPTER 1

nianna closed the car door with a loud bang. another mind numbing day coming to and end. not that she kept count, she wasn't even sure what day it was. Tuesday? Friday? they all were the same to her. she really didn't have anything to keep her thoughts focused on this life. she had been living in the past for a year now, ever since julianna had left.

nianna opened her front door and got into her small apartment. she had moved there after julianna had left. she couldn't stand the thought of living in their home, surrounded by their shared memories day after day. she had to admit though, moving away from home had done shit to erase the pain. she still dwelled on the pain, mainly just to feel something.  she was just a hollow shell, a walking corpse. she had given up on everything the day she had learned the betrayal of julianna.

nianna took of her coat and threw it carelessly at the direction of a chair. not bothering to take of her shoes, she went straight to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. school was hard enough in itself, but today had been pure torture. memories of julianna had haunted her all day and the pain was now white hot. closing her eyes she wished to fall asleep and keep sleeping till kingdom come. no such luck. 

it was exactly one year ago when julianna, her sister, had told her she was leaving. her words had come like a lightning out of a blue sky. why juju? what are you talking about? 'i've had it with this hiding. i no longer want to pretend i am one of them, when it's clear i'm not. we're not nianna. we are powerful, they should fear us, not the other way round. i am going to a place where my powers are appreciated.' 'come on julianna, you're just having a bad day. after a night well slept you'll see you're being silly.' anger had flashed in those brown eyes of hers and she stormed out of the room. worried, nianna followed julianna to her room, where she found her sister throwing thing in a bag. 'nianna, you might think i've having a bad day and being 'silly', but i'm not. i've thought about this for along time and done some research. i am not telling you where i'm going, i don't want anybody coming after me.' julianna turned and grabbed her magic books and threw them in the bag. nianna was now getting scared julianna really was leaving. julianna lifted her bag and came to the doorway where nianna was standing, shocked. a little smile was on her lips when she spoke 'goodbye nini, don't be sad. this is for the best. for all of us. tell dad it'll be no use trying to come after me. i'm going to a place where no one can find me.' she tapped nianna gently on the cheek before getting into her car and driving of.

the reality of the situation hadn't sinked in until later that evening. julianna really had left. and she had done nothing to stop her. but why? it didn't make sense..she had a loving family and a happy life. 'i've had it with this hiding'? what did that mean. sure, it was a struggle sometimes to hide their magic from the people around us but it was necessary. the normies wouldn't understand. for fucks sakes weren't history to prove that, with the witch hunts and burnings? but julianna had always thought differently. she liked using her powers to cast some seemingly harmless spell on somebody just for the kick of it. she thrived from others misfortunes. julianna was a selfish, cold person but she had her good qualities. for those she cared for she would do anything. she was smart and had been a good sister to nianna. she was flawed (on her personality that is, she was just perfect on the outside) but they were family and they had loved each other.

her dad had been devastated to find their youngest daughter crying on the front porch after a sister that had ran away. of course, he dismissed julianna's words for not finding her, and thought it to mean just the opposite. that she was in some kind of danger, why else would she leave like that? he had contacted the police and for a while the house had swarmed with officers who tried to find something, some lead that would explain juliannas actions. a week went by and after not a word from julianna, they had no choice but to admit that julianna had left on free will. her dad had made nianna try and reach her sister with magic. she had tried but got nothing. she couldn't find her spirit anywhere, almost like she had died. 

it broke her dads heart and nianna felt bottomless grief. their home became a grey place where the ghost of julianna wandered the rooms. it had gone like that for a month when nianna had had enough. finally her brain had kicked in and tried reasoning. julianna had left them. she didn't want to be with them, why should they be grieving her being gone? because they loved her,missed her, wanted her back, her heart said. it was a truth her brain couldn't over rule and she accepted that she'd always feel like a part of her was missing. still, she couldn't stay in that house. wouldn't let juliannas leaving ruin her life.then her dad had died. 

the only moving on she did was to move into a small appartment in the city. here, where julianna had never laughed with her or her father huggeg her, nianna felt the sorrow slowly fade. but the pain only intensified. julianna had always been the most important thing in her life. growing up she had been the only friend nianna had, she looked up to her, wanted to be like her. a little older she had realised julianna wasn't as wonderful as she had thought, but still she loved her.the fact that julianna had left her without even a single tear or appology was a betrayal she couldn't get over. and the pain she felt for her father was too raw to think about.

despite all her best efforts to move on, she couldn't let go of the hurt. and after a while she had gave up trying. the few friends she had had tried to cheer her up, take her mind off things. but when nianna hadn't responded to anything, just sat looking in front of her with unseeing eyes, eventually they had gave up. they had started talking over her like she wasn't there and soon didn't sit with her at lunch and tried to stay clear of her. nianna didn't care. she didn't much notice of the world revolving around her. the teachers had talked to her, sent her to a psychiatric, but nothing had helped. she was drowning and couldn't see a lifeline to save her.

sighing, nianna got out of bed. the soft pillow didn't give her any comfort and she was too stressed to lay down anyway. what had had her this agitated was what happened in history. the teacher had talked about the witch hunts of the middle-ages and she had shuddered looking at the slide show mr winding had been showing. she tried not to pay attention but couldn't look away, the images were too gruesome. at a particularly horrible image of a woman whose arms and legs were being pulled apart nianna had heard a cruel laugh. what the hell? she looked around and saw discusted expressions on everyone in the class. the laugh started again and she realised she heard it in her head. shocked, she felt her body tensen. she could see an image of a beautiful, angelic face surrounded by thick blond hair. the smile that came to those red lips was anything but angelic though, it was a cruel cold smile. it made nianna shiver when she recognised the eyes, now cold as ice but still hers. julianna.

she felt her breath caught up in her lungs and her vision swim. she hadn't seen that face in a year and though it was now leaner and set in a grim expression it was recognisable. julianna was using a spell which allowed her to be in her mind. it was easy for julianna to read the shock and the thousand questions running through niannas mind. looking almost bored, julianna opened her mouth again to speak.'hello sis, long time no see, eh? you look like shit by the way, you should do something to your hair. but enough with the pleasantries

i have a message for you. something wicked your way comes........join us or die with the rest.' "what? join you? julianna what the hell are you talking about!" nianna was screaming in her head and felt cold sweat break out all over. julianna lifted her left hand and nianna felt like the floor would go beneath her. she blinked hard as if willing the vision of julianna to disappear. in her hand, julianna had a fiery red circle with a triangle inside. the mark of a Sihir.