Mr. Sandman

Revelations

He stood at the end of the bed, looking down to his gloved hands which gripped the metal frame. I hadn't noticed him wearing those before but it seems like he'd need to wash them soon as they were stained with dark patches of gray.

It was hard to start a conversation with him and he looked to be in a similar position. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, unsure of what to say, a frown etched in his brow as he tried to rack his brain for something.

I giggled, catching his attention as his eyes widened slightly. He grinned like a young boy, dimples embedded deep within his cheeks, but like earlier, there was something about all of them that made my hair stand.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he says, finally gaining the courage to speak. "I didn't know you were a Skugga so when I tried to look into your soul it blocked me out."

There were many things about that sentence that seemed to whip itself above my head. First of all, I appreciated the apology. Admitting a mistake and owning up to it is a difficult thing to do and I appreciated that he started with one. Onto other matters, there was that word again. The one that everyone seems to have on their lips when it came to me.

"I heard the shadow man say that too. What does it mean?"

"He mentioned it?" Kai asks. His face morphing into a stern expression. He walked closer to me, bending his head slightly as he grabbed my upper arms. "Are you sure he said it?"

Nervously nodding, I couldn't help but wonder why he was being like this. Kind one moment and frightening the next. This man seemed to run hot and cold with his expressions as he began to mumble curses under his breath.

"Why? What's wrong?"

He looks at me, realizing that he was scaring me as he takes a deep breath, "He knows what you are."

"And what am I?"

The thudding in my heart reflected the dread I felt. The next words from his mouth were the most unexpected thing I heard.

"You're what he's been looking for," Kai says, "You're a weapon. A weapon he can use to accomplish what he wants. A shadow manipulator."

The mixed feelings I had must have been evident on my face. Honestly, I was both confused and terrified. Were the shadows not a hallucination? Were they truly listening and talking to me? How could that even be possible? It had never happened before and no normal person would go out saying that they can talk to shadows. I mean, if I heard myself, I would think I was crazy. Maybe I really did get hit in the head too hard. I was probably only dreaming everything up after falling into bed or something. It wouldn't be a surprise. That last fanfic was pretty intense and I've dreamt up vivid scenarios before.

Hysterical laughter began to bubble up inside of me as I shook my head and curled in on myself, "This isn't really real, is it? It's all just a dream and I'll wake up tomorrow not remembering any of this."

Kai frowned, "Lisha, I'm sorry but this isn't some fantasy."

"How do you know it's true though? I only talked to the shadows once! One time! It may have all just been a fluke for all we know?"

Sighing, Kai shook his head, "Why don't you try it right now?"

"What?"

"Try it. Talk to the shadows and try to call them," Kai says.

I narrow my eyes at him, uncertainty swirling inside me at the thought of doing such a thing. If I called the shadows and nothing happened, this was all a dream. If the shadows responded, it was all real. Everything that happened is real. "How do I even do that?"