The Shadow Dwellers





1

Damian

It was night, as usual. The only time we could ever come out most of the time, except some of the luckier few who could resist the sunlight. Dwelling only in the shadows, using them as our shelter.

“Zoë, come on. We need to get more things,” Jay said quietly.

“Just be quiet, Jay. I know what I’m doing,” Zoë ordered.
“Where is Jezebel when you need her,” I murmured to myself.
All eyes went on me, their stares lingering while one burned right through me. I knew who’s it was. Now I was in trouble.

“What did you say, Damian,” Zoë growled.

“Never mind,” I muttered.
Zoë stood up from our spot behind the trash cans in the alley and stared down at me. “WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY?” She held her palm out flat and raised it. I cringed and stood up unwillingly. “Now tell me what you said, Damian!”

“No,” I muttered. Man, I would regret saying no to Zoë for the first time. The winds picked up and Zoë turned to her human form, jet-black hair swirling around her, a black cloak wrapped around her body that was adorned in all black like the rest of us. She raised her hand higher and I rose up off the ground. “Make your choice, Damian! Tell me or get hurt,” she hissed.

“I’m not telling you anything,” I spat. As soon as I said that last word, I regretted it. She snarled and moved her hand in a motion as if to push me. I was moved from where I was and slammed into the wall. I slid to the floor with a thud, my head throbbing from when I hit the brick wall. Zoë walked over to me, kneeling so we would be at eye level. Her cold, black eyes bore into mine.

“Never, cross the line like that again, Damian. You got that?” I glared at her and she slapped me across the face. I growled as she walked back over to our group.

“C’mon. We have a mission to do,” she ordered. They nodded and all disappeared except two other people. She turned and glared at me. Muttering something quietly, she dissolved into a shadow, going to wherever out new destination was.

I stood up weakly as the other a friend from my group rushed over to me. “That was brave how you stood up to Zoë like that,” Jay grinned at me. I smiled back at Jay.

“Thanks man.” I grinned.

“Hey! Earth to Damian,” Jay said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

“Wait what,” I shook my head, confused.
He laughed, smirking at me. “You were staring off into space.”
I sighed, muttering to myself. “Where do we go now?”

“We go back to the Shadow Realm and receive our orders from there,” Jay informed, “Hopefully Zoë won’t be there.”

“Would you like to go as a group or as single,” I asked.

“Group is faster, but it’s mostly for people who are new. I could get there without getting lost in some other part of the Shadow Realm,” Jay said confidently.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Closing my eyes, I summoned all of my power and we dissolved into shadows, ready for shadow traveling.
Shadow traveling was my least favorite thing to do as a Shadow Dweller. The process was fast and quick, but it always had some sort of after effect once we got to our destination. For me, it was a headache. I didn’t know if anyone else got the after effect or if I was just messed up like that.
I opened my eyes, seeing we were finally back at our homeland. Everyone seemed like they were busy with something. Tracking certain mortals down, moving objects certain places. . .

“Ready to get our orders,” Jay sighed.

“Sure. Ready as ever,” I muttered.

“It can’t be that bad. Jezebel might be there,” Jay said.

I sighed as he ushered me to the Grand Hall. Roran was standing guard, one of our most powerful Shadow Dwellers.

“Do you have an appointment?” He grunted.

“We were supposed to come here after our mission.” My voice didn’t sound right. More authority? Maybe.
Roran grunted and nodded, opening the doors. “You may proceed.”

The two of us all entered and walked down a long aisle. The whole room looked like a mortal’s courtroom. Sitting on the seat where the judge should be, the Shadow Realm’s king sat. Two other seats were next to him where my friend Jezebel sat and her brother, Minus. Their father, Altren, sat discussing something with his assistant. The rest of our group was standing in the rows, waiting for Atren’s response.

“Jay, it is a pleasure to see you again,” Jezebel smiled. She turned to me. “It has been too long, Damian, since we last saw each other.”
I returned the smile and nodded at her. “Good to see you again Minus and Altren.”

“I see you have completed your mission, Damian. Welcome back,” Altren said.

I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
“I hear from Zoë that the mission went well. Did you get all that you needed?”
Before I could answer, Zoë stepped forward, glancing at me. “We did indeed retrieve all of the items that you said to get; a backpack, clothes of different styles and sorts, wallets, purses, foods.”
He nodded, stroking his black beard thoughtfully. Altren looked the type to do business. He wore a black suit nearly always and had a briefcase he carried around. As far as I was concerned, there could just be papers in there.
Turning, he said something to Jezebel quietly and turned back facing us. “Young Shadow Dwellers, this mission will be the most important of the millennium. Only one will be chosen to do so and it will be dangerous and difficult,” Jezebel said icily. Jezebel wasn’t like Zoë at all. She had long flowing blonde hair, unlike the rest of us who normally had black hair. Her eyes were golden of the new day’s dawn. Always adorned in white, graceful gowns and golden jewelry. You would think she wasn’t from the Shadow Realm at all, more like Heaven. Jezebel normally left the Shadow Realm like the rest of us to investigate the mortals’ world. Even when she did, normally she would stay with a guard or one of her close friends.

“Who is prepared to take this challenge?” Everyone seemed eerily quiet, glancing from one another.

“I will take this challenge and I will succeed,” Zoë said confidently, glaring at me.

“Would anyone else like to take this challenge,” Jezebel questioned.
This probably would kill me for doing this. I stepped forward and looked at Jezebel, then to Altren. “I will accept this challenge.”

“Only one of you may good. Any sign of weakness and you will soon enough die trying to survive,” Jezebel regarded. “Any one of you can back down now.”
I looked over to Zoë, who didn’t look too confident now, knowing her life was on the line. Her hands were clammy and fidgety.

“Damian should go,” Jay blurted out. My head jerked back and I stared at Jay. All eyes turned to Jay. “I mean, he should,” he said quietly.

“We shall vote to decide this matter,” Altren said loudly, his voice echoing in the hall. “All in favor of Damian, say I.”
I heard about twenty I’s and I couldn’t believe that. I looked around at everyone, they all stared at me.

“All in favor of Zoë, say I.” The room grew silent, no one voting for Zoë. She glared at all of her peers, hands shaking with anger.

“It is decided! Damian is chosen for this mission and it is final. Lacey, please clear the room out except for Damian please,” he told his assistant Lacey.

The room started clearing out, quiet congratulations being said to me and about twenty thank-you’s said back.

“Good luck on that mission, dude,” Jay grinned at me, nudging me in my stomach.

I laughed. “Thanks Jay. You’ve been a great friend all these centuries.” Did I mention I’ve been around for about five centuries? My kind never really dies or grow old. Either they get destroyed by some other force or they’re just born at the certain age they were supposed to.
A girl named Kate walked up to me, smiling at me. “I’m glad you could take this mission. You’ll be written down in the records. Good luck.”

“Thanks Kate.”
The room was silent as the last person got ushered out. Jezebel, Minus, and Altren proceeded towards me. Jezebel smiled at me as Altren spoke.

“You are brave to have the courage to accept this challenge, child,” Altren boomed.

“Thank you, sir,” I nodded.

“This is the great leap of faith, Damian. Are you sure you would like to do this mission? Once you accept this, you cannot take it back,” Minus warned.
I thought for a moment. Would I really want this? Want this so bad that I’d risk my life for this? The decision was final. All I did was scout and hunt down items like the others. They never told us the real purpose for all of these items.

“I will accept this mission and I will not turn back. I accept this mission and will give my life if I must,” I said boldly.
Jezebel smiled at me. “You are brave, Damian. But this is beyond our knowledge. You’re mission is to go to the mortal world and settle as if you were one of them. We will keep in touch with you every now and then. Take this phone. We have another one here just in case you need something. Lacey will bring supplies for this trip. We have no idea when you will return, if you return,” she said darkly.
I clenched my jaw. “So be it.”

She nodded hesitantly. “We will have you to stay in one of our rooms tonight. You need to get ready to leave,” she said quietly.
I nodded and Lacey led me to my room for the night. There was a bed and a bathroom, bags besides the bed and bags of supplies. Some things I haven’t even heard of were in there. What was a football anyway? Much less a Gameboy.

I sighed, trying to process all of this. I was going to the mortal world. Other Dwellers have been in the mortals’ world, but no longer than an hour. Either we would get caught or destroyed.

A knock came at the door. “Come in.” The door creaked open and Jay stepped in, looking nervous. I frowned.

“Are you okay?”
He forced a smile and sat on the bed next to me. “Yeah, I will be fine. What do you think about you going to the whole mortal world and all?” His fingers were toying with his white shirt and his eyes locked onto the floor.

I shrugged and pursed my lips. “I think it will definitely be different.”
He looked up at me. “You’ll Shadow Travel back if something goes wrong right? I mean. . . You can’t just die out there. . . Someone will figure out who you are,” he mumbled.

“I’ll try not to die,” I said quietly. “But I swore that I wouldn’t turn my back on this mission.
He stared at me, his brown eyes flaming. “How?! What if you did die!? I couldn’t let my best friend die. . .”
I sighed and look into his big brown eyes. “I won’t die. Maybe Jezebel will put something over me to protect me or something.”
He shrugged. “I doubt that. Oh well. You’re leaving in a few hours right? Here. Take this,” he said taking something out of his pocket. He dangled it in front of me. It was a silver chain with some sort of cross on it. I could see some shapes of moons in it.

“Take it. Just, wear it all the time. If you die or something,” he mumbled.
I took it in my hand and looked it over. The cross seemed so small in my palm. My hand faded in and out from being solid to a fading shadow. My hand closed around the chain and pendant and I looked up at Jay. Smiling I said, “Thanks Jay. I’ll use one of those phone things or something. Update you on my latest ‘adventures’,” I laughed, putting air quotes.
He grinned at me. “Yeah well, good luck or something.” He winked at me and walked out of the small, isolated room. I sighed, wishing so badly I could sleep like the mortals were said to do.
A quiet knock came at the door that was barely audible. I told them to come in and saw Jezebel stride in and sit next to me. She smiled at me gently.

“Are you ready for this mission?”
I nodded. “Yes, I am.” She stared at me and stayed quiet for a moment.

“I have to come with you,” she said almost in a whisper.
I was shocked to hear that. “I thought I had to go alone? Much less, you couldn’t get hurt since you’re Altren’s daughter and all….” I rambled off.
She shook her head and chuckled at me, her blonde curls bouncing off her shoulders. “Well, from our research, you will be attending Downingtown High School in Burdette Pennsylvania. We will be living in a four bedroom on Ackley Creek road in Greene County. Homeroom teacher will be Mrs. Weatherman who teaches English. Minus might be coming with us,” she said finally.
I blinked, trying to understand all of this information. “What role would you and Minus play, exactly?”
She smiled. “Your guardians. Turns out, you are going to need parents. We need to fit in as much as we can and not seem suspicious. The town will be secluded and near the Appalachian Mountains.”
I nodded, not really knowing where these places were. “We leave in few hours right?”
She smiled. “Actually, we are leaving now.”
My eyes widened and I felt myself fade into a shadow. My mouth opened to speak but no words came out. This is too soon. I couldn’t leave my life behind. Could I? My best friend Jay would still be popping in and out of the mortals’ world just to do ‘research’ on them as usual. Everything would be so normal and we would go on with our daily lives. . . I would be the first of the Shadow Dwellers to experience life as a mortal. . .

“Damian? Are you alright,” Jezebel’s voice seemed to bring me back. I extended my hand and saw it was still fading in and out of being a shadow. My headed nodded.

“Yeah… I’m fine,” I stammered.
She smiled at me as she rested a hand on my shoulder. Someone cleared their throat and my eyes darted to the door. Minus was leaning against the door frame, looking calm and cool as he was meant to be.

“It’s time to go,” he said quietly.
Jezebel stood up and nodded at her brother. Dark hair covered his eyes. Clothes from the mortal world were on him, basically just a black t-shirt and jeans. The style fit him well since he wasn’t very talkative.

“Are you ready, Damian,” Jezebel said, turning to me.
I nodded and stood up uneasily. Jezebel and Minus clasped each other’s hands. She held out her hand also and I took it. Closing her eyes, we dissolved into shadows. This would be my last view of the Shadow Realm for awhile.

3




Damian’s POV


“Aw. Damian on his first day of school. How adorable. Jez! Is there anything to record this with? One of those machines that flashes,” Minus snickered at me.

“A camera, you mean,” Jezebel read from the manual. “It’s used to record memories and certain moments. There are a lot of colors and models in here.”

I rolled my eyes at Minus as he sneered at me coming down the stairs in a white shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a red hooded sweatshirt with a black backpack (whatever that was used for) slung on my left shoulder. This was not the usual for me. I normally wore black just like the rest of the Dwellers did while Jezebel stuck to white and light colors.

Jezebel still wasn’t feeling her most powerful while she flipped through the manual page after page of information on the human ways. Minus had been pacing up all night worrying about his sister. I could tell from the dark circles under his eyes.

“What time is it,” I asked Jezebel.

“It’s seven o’clock now. You have to leave in fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks, Jez.”
Jezebel nodded at me and handed me something that was toasted and had yellow-colored stuff on it. She smiled at me when she saw me examining it.

“It’s called butter with toast. Try it. It’s something else.”
Just as I was going to take a bite, Minus swooped in and snatched it out of my hands, taking a big bite out of it. Sneering at me, he shrugged when Jezebel shook her head disapprovingly.

“Vis is good stuff,” Minus said with a mouthful of toast.

“So much for trying that,” I mumbled.

“Oh? You want some? Here, have some.”
Before I knew what the heck Minus was talking about, I found my mouth full of toast and Minus laughing hysterically at me with Jezebel just glanced at me while glaring at Minus, trying to hide a smile with the sides of her lips twitching.

“I think I have school to go to,” I said flatly, swallowing down the mouthful of toast that had been shoved into my mouth.

“Okay! Okay! You have to admit that was hilarious though,” said Minus, who was still laughing.

Jezebel glared at her brother and smacked him upside the head. “That’s enough, Minus. Since the school is just about maybe a few blocks away and we really don’t know how to get there, you should just Shadow Travel there. I have a picture right here of the campus. Try to think of a place that’s secluded instead of in the middle of a crowd. Got it?”

I nodded, waiting for Jezebel to pull out the picture. When she did, I saw a white-bricked building with girls in blue and yellow outfits and men in big baggy shirts that were white and blue all lined up kneeling in grass. There were some trees in the background. That’s where I would ‘appear’ at, I decided.

“Bye, Damian. Good luck,” Jezebel whispered to me, squeezing my hand.
I smiled back at Jezebel. “Thanks.”

Minus clapped me on the shoulder as he said, “Have fun at school. Don’t tell anyone what we are. Hear me? Don’t pull any stunts with your powers.”

“Got it,” I said icily.
Closing my eyes, I felt my body slowly dissolve into a shadow as I had the clear image of the school and the secluded area of the ‘trees’ in my mind. Just as all of my body dissolved into a shadow, I felt Jezebel’s hand slip out of mine ever so softly.

When my eyes opened, I saw big, tall things. Jez had told me they were trees. They were huge. Taller than me. Some had green, fuzzy stuff on it while others had a white base. There were different colored leaves on them.

As I was about to walk up to a ‘tree’ and take a closer look, someone cleared their throat and said, “Are you lost or something? Normally people don’t just wander around on our campus looking at trees…”

Whirling around, I met a girl just about four inches shorter than me with her blonde hair pulled up messily and blue-green eyes probing my dark, black eyes. She had a different type of backpack than I had. It was slung over her shoulder too but the bag hung by her waist. Dressed in a white ruffled blouse and jeans with black boots, she had a book in her left hand and her right hand was clenched in a fist.
I swallowed and nodded, shifting uneasily. “I… got lost and just took a look at these trees here…”

The girl’s lips twitched as she switched her book to her other hand. “I can direct you to campus, if you still don’t know your way there.”

Smiling as I readjusted the bag on my back, I nodded. “Thanks. I would like that, please.”
Brushing a piece of hair out of her face, she turned and started walking back from where she must’ve come. I followed her. The sound of sloshing boots in the wet earth and faint breathing was all that could be heard as we walked. It was still uncomfortable to see other beings tower over me.

“Here we are. Downingtown High,” she breathed. Moving out of the way for me, I saw the white building just like I had in the picture, but without all of the people in uniforms. There were other people though, all with backpacks and huddled in groups.
The girl turned to me and smiled. “I hope you like it here. Home of the cougars.”
I smiled back at her slightly. “Thanks.”
Holding out her hand, she said hastily, “I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Chelsea Weatherman. Mrs. Weatherman is my mom. She’s the AP English teacher. You might have her if you’re in an advanced English class.”
I took her hand and shook it, puzzling over the thought of what AP English was. “I’m Damian… McDuff,” I stammered, thinking of my ‘last name’ that Jezebel had told us we’d be going.

Chelsea nodded approvingly after she dropped her hand, “Damian McDuff… I like that. Well, Damian McDuff, I believe we have class to attend to.”

I nodded, adjusting the backpack again on my back. “Okay, sure.”
Chelsea started to lead us to the giant mass of crowds, a girl with reddish-brown curly shoulder length hair waved over to us, smiling ever so slightly at me. My heart skipped a beat when she started walking over to us. I looked down and saw my hand fading in and out of being a complete shadow. Not good, I thought.

“Damian, this is my best friend, Katrina Daniels. I call her Kat; you can call her whatever you want. Katrina, this is Damian,” Chelsea told me happily.
I smiled slightly, my hands feeling sweaty. Sweaty. Sweaty? Dwellers didn’t sweat… nor did we have to sleep either… “Hi,” I finally managed to mumble.

Katrina wiped a curl out of her face, revealing soft brown eyes that peered out from beneath her curls. “Hi,” she said quietly.

“Um, what homeroom do you have,” I asked quietly.

“I get put in Chelsea’s homeroom every year since her mom’s a teacher and all… Since we’re finally getting taught by her mom this year, I’m in her homeroom.”

“Splendid! Now let’s go! We have to get to class,” Chelsea said ecstatically, ushering Katrina and I along.

Glancing over at Katrina while chuckling at Chelsea, I caught her glancing at me too. She blushed and looked away, clearly embarrassed. I smiled to myself, thinking, This is going to be an eventful day…