In The Shadows

Chapter One

The lovely cover above was made by the talented @PhantomInvasions !

*****************

The steps creaked as I tiptoed down them, grimacing as one groaned under my weight. When I reached the bottom, I released a silent sigh of relief and shifted the bag on my shoulder. But when a shadow came through the doorway of the kitchen, I sucked it back in quickly and froze in my place.

"I thought you might be leaving." Debbie, our orphanage mom walked around the corner. The morning light of the rising sun shining through the window cast a glow around her graying hair to give her the false appearance of seeming almost calm and peaceful. But one look at her stern look and I knew better than to think she was going to let me leave without a talking to.

Oops. "I'm sorry, I know you're worried about the random recruitments, but I need to go into town for Kaylie's birthday present and-"

She arched an eyebrow and I stopped rambling, waiting for her response.

"You know what I'm worried about, so you know what to watch out for," she started and I nodded, knowing about the random recruitments the army had recently been making. Only a week earlier when I had been in town, I had seen a girl and a boy, both my age, being dragged from their homes in order to serve. My heart had ached to reach out for them, wipe away the tears staining their cheeks, and tell them it would all be alright. But that was a lie. That's why the recruitments were reaching people who didn't even volunteer: the army was desperate. Most people that were dragged away didn't come back. That was the reason we lived in a run-down place far away from society. Even though these events were recent, Debbie always had problems following the government's orders.

Debbie continued, and I waited, "Yes you can go. But, I want you back home before noon. Is that clear, Amber?"

I nodded my head vigorously. "Crystal clear. Can I go now?"

"Yes. Be safe." She pulled me in for a hug and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead.

I smiled. "I will."

Softly, I shut the front door behind me and took off into the woods. There was a worn path of leaves I followed that lead down to the town. It was unnoticeable to anyone but us orphan kids, or as I like to call us: The Misfits.

The walk was my favorite part about the trip. It was refreshing, providing a bubble of serenity and tranquility apart from the chaos of the rest of the world. It allowed nature to have its peace without the stain of a human's touch affecting it. This early in the morning, birds whistled from tree branch to tree branch, greeting one another and basking in the warm rays of the rising sun.

I reached the edge of the woods, jogging out onto the dirt road in the direction of the town about a mile away. This town was the closest "city" I had ever been exposed to, but it was nothing even close to a city. It was a handful of poor buildings lining dirt roads and the main market in the center of town. The main market was always alive with people and vendors scrutinizing and shouting and walking. That was where I had heard rumors of real cities where huge buildings called skyscrapers towered above your head to make you feel like an ant. These buildings lined a maze of paved roads, with metal machines called cars driving around on them. But those were only stories, ones that I could only dream up.

While I was still far away from the town life, I knotted my hair into a bun and unzipped my bag to grab a black wig. It was a straight, shoulder length cut, which was very different from my curly, long hair. While in town, The Misfits had all learned how to blend in. In such a small town with familiar people, a simple hood and glasses would be considered too suspicious so we had to opt for other methods of disguise.

Why blend in, you ask? Well, as I mentioned earlier, we aren't really supposed to exist which is why we live in the orphanage so far away from society. Two, we don't have any money either. So when The Misfits go to town, we steal what we find.

As I walked closer, sounds of laughter and conversation reached my ears. The laughter was high-pitched and erupted into a fit of giggles, just two little girls sitting on the steps of the restaurant. They were probably only four or five, waiting for their parents to pay the check and meet them outside. I smiled at their innocence, but secretly, my heart was constricting at the painful memory that resurfaced every time I walked past the restaurant.

It was a long time ago, I was probably only a year younger than those little girls, but I could still remember what happened. I used to have a mother and a father, one with red hair and one with dark hair. I was too young to remember everything, but I do remember the panic and the worry we were enveloped in before they abandoned me. I remember being asleep on the back steps and waking up to fat raindrops slapping my cheek. When I woke up, it was a complete downpour. Rain stung my skin and splashed off the road, making mud from the dirt. I remember crying, my tears blending into the raindrops that fell from my face. Nobody was around to help or do anything. It was like a ghost town. 

I don't know where she appeared from, but I remember a middle aged woman with black hair run up to me. She asked me what my name was but I shook my head. I couldn't remember anybody calling me anything special. She nodded and brought me into one of the houses.

Light had flooded the small space, much brighter compared to the gray gloom outside. She told me her name was Debbie and she could help me. She fed me, clothed me, let me sleep. I remember that as I was falling asleep, her soft hand stroked my red hair. Or as Debbie called it, my amber hair. Because that's what she named me: Amber.

I tore my eyes from the little girls, pulling myself away from the memory. It caused pain because of the abandonment I felt, of not knowing of life before that moment. But it also caused an unexplainable happiness because I had been found and if it hadn't been for Debbie, I don't know where I'd be after these fifteen or so years. I loved Debbie like my own mother and I knew she loved me like her own daughter. If it wasn't for that night, I don't know where any of The Misfits would be because after me, Debbie opened up a secret orphanage for other kids like me.

"Excuse me," A woman murmured, the slight touch of her shoulder bumping into mine was enough to jostle me out of my thoughts.

I offered a small smile and concentrated on doing what I was best at, slipping through the crowds. Debbie's warning words rang in the back of my head, like every other time I came into town.

"Be careful, Amber. Remember, while you're down there, stay in the shadows."

*********************************************************************

hey guys!

thanks for reading the first installment of In The Shadows!! if you liked it (or at least semi liked it), please click that little star to vote for this chapter!!

what do you think of it so far? do you like Amber?

-Scarlett