Crossing Dimensions

Chapter Two

Shadow's POV:

Shadow squared her shoulders as she faced the man in front of her. She ran her fingers through her short, dark brown hair. She stared hard at the man. "Let's go, Bristle, hurry up," she muttered.

Bristle tensed, shook his long, auburn hair, and quickly shot lightning at Shadow.

Shadow dodged, but some of the lightning hit her leg, and she yelped. "Ow! Can't you be more careful?" she snapped.

Bristle snorted. "Yeah. Just go out on the battlefield and ask your enemy, 'Hey, would you mind being careful?'"

Shadow sighed, then created a tumbleweed and flung it at Bristle, who sidestepped.

"Try harder!" he snapped.

"I am trying," Shadow retorted. It's not very easy when you have a harsh mentor and your father abandoned you, she thought to herself. Just then, a horn sounded.

"Time to get back to camp," Bristle said. "You really need to try harder," he grumbled as he walked away. "You are destined to be the next Savage, after all."

Maybe I don't want to be, Shadow thought bitterly.

They arrived at camp. The leader, Spike, was standing on a boulder.

"Members of the evil dimension!" he was saying. "We are gathered here because one of our members is accused of crimes against us!"

There were murmurs of outrage. Only Shadow didn't join in.

"As you know," Spike continued, "food has been disappearing. Some of our houses have been attacked. And Twister said he thinks he knows who did it!"

Shadow twisted around, trying to see the man who was Spike's second in command, but couldn't spot him.

"Shadow, as the next Savage, you will speak the words of exile," Spike said. "Get up here."

Shadow slowly made her way through the crowd. She made her way up onto the boulder next to Spike, and stared at the crowd.

"Twister, bring Thorn up here!" Spike commanded.

Shadow gasped as she saw the man push someone in front of the boulder. "You want me to exile my mother?" she spat in outrage.

Spike glared at her. "Twister said he saw her sneaking food into her house," he growled.

Shadow glared back. "She wouldn't do something like that!" she spat back.

"Just exile her!" the man shouted. "Or I'll kill her."

Shadow glared, angry, then grabbed a small stone. "This here person, Thorn, has been accused of crimes against the evil dimension. She has stolen food and destroyed homes, and now she will be exiled. She will bear the same mark as those exiled before her." She paused, looked quickly to the side of Thorn, and purposefully threw the stone in that direction. Thorn flinched, looked up at her in fear, and fled.

My own mother's afraid of me, Shadow thought, and felt even more anger towards Spike.

"You missed," Spike growled.

"The stone slipped," Shadow retorted. Before Spike could respond, she turned, jumped down from the boulder, and ran towards her house.