The Shadow Sisters

[E1] Chapter 22 - Marie Shadow

Marie bought a takeout latte from one of the corner cafes. She had barely taken a single sip of the foamy, caramel-flavoured beverage, when someone called out her name.

When she glanced up, she confirmed that it was Riley. Deja and Curtis were marching either side of her shoulders, like a pair of bodyguards. It was strange to see them out of their Willow Wood uniforms. All three were stuffed into thick winter coats.

Was it cold? Marie barely felt a chill. She only had a jumper on, and a thin one at that.

"How goes it?" Curtis asked.

"All good," Marie said, acknowledging them with a nod. "And you?"

"About the same," Riley said.

"Can't complain," Deja said.

When those three also bought a coffee, one hazelnut, one mocha, and one almond, Marie began texting Ryan their location. He joined them in only fifteen minutes and ordered his coffee black.

"I'm a bit of a Plain Jane," he explained.

"Nothing wrong with that," Curtis said.

Once united, they all delved into the shops and searched for some appropriate costumes for tonight's festivities. Curtis had to try on every hat, wig, and mask that he could find, much to the amusement of the others. Ryan remained glued to Marie's side, like he was a pet that may get lost, should he stray too far.

Once they all bought something suitable, they delved into Old Willow Town. The ancient town was at the heart of the city. It was where the city had grown out of, like so many weeds, sprouting from the original flower patch.

The air immediately felt different. It was difficult to describe, almost intangible, but Marie knew something was there. A presence.

In Old Willow Town, the buildings were crooked, like they could topple over from a stiff breeze. The streets were cobbled, narrow, and twisted. Street lights were few and far between, meaning that the middle portion existed mostly in darkness.

There were plenty of bodies around them, nearly as many as there'd been on the High Street. People snapped pictures of the thatched roof pubs, alehouses, and inns.

Many folk were already in costume, incapable of waiting until tonight. A big burly man had hair stuck to every visible inch of his body, making a very convincing werewolf. A woman was dressed as Athena or some other Greek or Roman Goddess. A gang of men wore top hats, overalls, and white face paint.

There were a lot of unusual sights, but Marie was brought to utter stillness as she saw a cloaked man amid the crowd.

He stared at her with a smoldering gaze. His face was wrought with scars and mostly hidden in shadow. His eyes widened, showing far too much white.

Eventually, the sea of bodies thickened and Marie lost sight of him, as if he'd never truly been there. Her mouth was dry. Her throat was beating. Gazing around herself now, she realised that she'd lost track of her friends and thus was left completely alone in the middle of the street, in a swarm.

As she backed up, she thought she saw more cloaks wandering around her encircling her like sharks. But she whipped her head side to side and saw nothing concrete.

Was she just being paranoid?

When her breath became quick and shallow, to the point where she felt on the precipice of a panic attack, she cut off from the crowd and found refuge in an alleyway.

She'd barely taken a few steps into it when someone, following her out of the crowd, grasped her wrist.

Inhaling, she prepared to scream for help as loud as she could, until she spun around to face Ryan.

"Hey, hey, it's just me," he said.

"I thought you were someone else," she said.

"Look at you. You're shaking like a leaf. You're pale as a ghost."

"And all the other cliches."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm okay."

"Did someone say something to you?"

"No. Nothing like that. Nothing happened. I just... It's stupid. It's-" She cut off what she was saying as she looked up at him, realising he was very close.

Judging by his expression, he realised it too, because he quickly began stammering. "I j-just wanted to make sure you were safe."

"My hero," Marie said, and although she was only joking, she did feel safer now. Her heart ran a different race as the heat rose up in her cheeks.

Ryan leaned towards her. It seemed the right thing to do.

Perhaps Marie even leaned in a bit herself.

Perhaps.

They kept moving closer, slowly, as if some invisible resistance kept the pair from coming together quicker. Finally their lips brushed and Marie wrenched her head back.

"What is it?" Ryan asked, startled.

Marie was unable to answer that question honestly. Why had she pulled away like that? She quickly affected a false smile. "Just that, the party isn't until later. I'd hate for us to have too much fun too soon."

He grinned shyly and rubbed the back of his head. "I..." A dozen conflicting expressions warred across his face.

"What is it?" she asked when the words were a long while coming, as if stuck in his throat.

He stared down into her eyes. "It's just that, I've only known you for a week, and it all feels very silly."

"Silly?"

"It's just that, I really like you, Marie Shadow."

Marie grinned, enjoying the way her name sounded upon his lips. She was about to tell him that she liked him too, until she heard Riley calling her from the street beyond.

Her gaze returned to her shoes. "We'd better get back to them."

"Yeah," Ryan said, "Before they start to worry."

After they emerged back onto the street, there was an almost Hannah-like skip to her gait.