Savior of the Shadows

Chapter 2: -𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐-

𝓐ꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ bell rang, I met Genny and Annika in the hallway to walk home together as we always did. "Can I come to your house?" Genny asked.

"Your father won't be mad? His face was redder than a tomato when he saw me with you last time."

"Which is exactly why I need to spend more time with you to spite him, of course."

I grinned mischievously at her as the three of us walked out of the front door together. I grunted when I saw Charlie, the new boy, talking to a group of seniors—who were the rudest men in school. He danced nervously, doing a little side shuffle as he waved his hands. He saw us and smiled. "Hey, Genny! Hey Irina!"

"You know them?" one of the boys sneered.

"Yeah," he said ecstatically.

James Belcourt, the man all girls except me drooled over, scoffed at me and said loud enough to hear, "Don't talk to her. She is strange. I mean, look at her. She dresses like a guy. C'mon."

"Jerkface!" Annika yelled in what she thought was a moment of seven-year-old bravery. I glared at her as a silent warning to shut up.

"What's wrong with that?" Charlie asked. "I think she looks good."

James huffed again. No one ever dared disagree with him. I had always been cautious of who I befriended. Maybe Charlie hadn't gained my friendship yet, but he had my respect.

One of the other boys laughed. "Why don't you marry her then?"

"Simple. Because she is too good for anyone in this lowlife town, especially the men at this school." He eyed them up and down before jogging to our sides, leaving the group of guys flushed and infuriated. I tried to hide my smirk of approval, but he saw it.

"Charlie Charleston, huh?" I said, stepping in front of him as we walked away from the school grounds. He went rigid when I stepped in his path. After a tense moment of silence, I extended my arm to shake his hand." His eyes grew wide.

        "Are you sure? I mean, I thought you didn't like shaking—"

        "I don't. . . Usually. Now hurry before I change my mind."

"Okay, okay." He shook my hand proudly, but instantly, his emotions came flooding in. He had a naturally joyful disposition, however that joy masked an unmistakable pain. It was a deep, devastating pain, but he hid it well. He smiled dorkily, oblivious to my new knowledge.

We all stood there awkwardly for a wink before Genny piped in, "We are all walking to Irina's house if you'd like to join."

"Yeah! Let's go!" Annika jumped gleefully.

I aimed a covert glare at Genny.

"Sure!" Charlie said. "If that's alright with you, Irina." He looked at me with those large brown puppy dog eyes, and I couldn't refuse, so I gave a stiff nod, and his smile widened.

Annika skipped ahead of us the whole way home. Genny told Charlie her entire life story in under five minutes while I walked along in silent contemplation. I thought about the old woman and her warnings. If it was true that a Shadow was after me for having special abilities, that must have been what killed my father. Ma said he had the same marks as I did, but somehow, I escaped, and he didn't. How?

        "Helloo?" Genny poked me in the stomach. "Are you alive? You haven't blinked in minutes, and we need inside your house. The door is locked."

        "Oh, sorry," I apologized, snapping back to reality and unlocking the front door. I was too lost in my thoughts of the fortune teller to realize we had arrived at my house already. Charlie entered joyfully unaware, but Genny knew something was troubling me. Annika ran into our bedroom to do homework so she could listen to the radio when she was done.

        "Ma," I exclaimed after entering the living room, finding her out of bed. "Are you alright? Why are you out of bed?" She was rummaging through a drawer under the radio without looking up at us.

        "Oh, our conversation last night sparked a memory. I kept this because I thought someday you might have questions." Ma pulled out a newspaper article. The cream paper had yellowed a bit in age. She spun around and flinched, not expecting to see Charlie. "Oh, hello. I'm Irina's mother."

"I'm Charlie. It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"And you, Charlie." My mother smiled. She handed me the paper for later and whispered, "He's a keeper." I frowned at her as she slowly made her way to the kitchen, giving us privacy.

Genny cocked her head in curiosity and asked, "What did she give you?"

I unfolded the newspaper and scanned the front page. It read: Man Murdered in Plain Sight. The Ice Killer is Still Unfound. "This is a piece on my father," I said. "Of how he died. It has something to do with what happened to us with the Dark Shadow. . ." I trailed off, remembering Charlie sitting on the couch without any knowledge of what I was talking about. Genny glanced from me to him, back to me with that look I knew all too well. Her lips were pursed, holding back something that would get her in trouble. I was too late to clasp my hands over her mouth.

She blurted out, "Irina has special abilities. She can see a person's soul—"

"Genny!" I slapped my hand over her mouth to keep her from talking more.

She made a muffled apology through my hand. Charlie stared at us, mouth hanging open. I couldn't tell if it was shock, fear, or both. Then, he surprised me by saying, "Okay."

"Okay?" I asked incredulously. "That's it? That's all you have to say? You aren't going to tell me I'm lying or run out of my house screaming or call me a witch and burn me at the stake?"

Charlie stared at me blankly for a minute before he burst out laughing. "No, I think it's fantastic!"

"You do?"

"Sure. I thought when you didn't want to shake my hand, it was because you hated my guts, but it has something to do with your superpowers, doesn't it?" His eyes dazzled. I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut, and opened it again, speechless.

        ". . . Sure."

        "She can also see thoughts feel people's emotions when she touches them," Genny added. "That's why she didn't shake your hand at first." I gave her another glare. She shrugged. "Might as well let him in on everything. If he tells anyone, we will have to resort to murder anyway," she jested.

        "Naturally," I grinned deviously. Charlie's eyes popped out of his head. We giggled after, and he laughed nervously.

        "So you can see souls, read minds, and feel emotions. Got it. But what's that your mother gave you? How does it relate to anything?" He pointed to the newspaper in my hand. Genny and I sat down on the couch next to Charlie.

        I sighed. "Genny and I were attacked by a Shadow last week. It's a kind of invisible creature that can take your soul from your body. At least that's how the legend goes. Long story short, I think that's what killed my father before I was born."

        I read the article closer. My breath hitched. "Gen!" I tugged on her sleeve. "It says here that there were all kinds of people walking on the sidewalk next to where he was killed, but no one saw the killer before or after his death. They named him the Ghost Killer."

Genny gasped. "Because no one could see it. The Shadows are invisible to anyone who isn't special like you or touched by one like me."

"Yes, and," I gulped, "he–he died of frostbite."

"Frostbite?" Charlie questioned. "How cold was it that winter??

I looked up at him, perplexed. "It was June."
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Thanks for reading, my loves