Only A Shadow

Chapter One

        I was running. As fast as I could with sweat pouring down my face, I was running.  I didn't know where I was nor did I know why I was running, but it was all I could do to escape the fear hidden deep inside me.  As the trees whizzed past me in a blur, I remembered his face. The evil dark menace who threw my parents into the fire.

        — "Mom!" I screamed, "Dad!" I yelled to them as I was tied to a moss bearded tree. Tears pooled in my eyes as the giant, black cloaked person held my beloved parents in his steel armored fists. 

        "Quiet, you imbecile! Or I'll throw you in as well." He roared.

        "I'd rather die than see you kill my parents!" I shouted through my tears.

        "Artemis!" My father halted, "Silence!"

        The black being roared with laughter and called,  "Mordecthin, silence the little rat."      

        As soon as he ordered this a hunched over, discusting creature with a face of a beaten hyena, hobbled over to my side. "As you wish master, " He growled. The creature ripped from it's satchel a dirty piece of cloth and gagged my mouth with it. The cloth tasted of rotten fish and soil. 

        "Now, Ramon, tell me why you killed Jean Baudin, my chief officer." The evil one hissed. 

        "Papa!"  I cried. Though it was muffled, he turned his wounded face toward's mine. With a look that said, 'Everything is going to be alright."

        How could he do that? Everything's going to be alright? I thought furiously.

        My father's icy blue eyes turned to the dark one's and with a cold face and said nothing.

        "I give you two choices. Death, or freedom. Now, tell me what brought you here to kill my officer!" He roared once more. 

        My father's face was frozen. He always got that way when he was never going to change his mind. 

        "You will be sorry."  The evil one whispered. With that he opened his fists. 

        I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Nooo!" I lunged my entire body forward with all the strength I had and the ropes loosened. I could only run. Run away from that evil man who had no soul and killed the only people I loved. I could still hear my mother's soft voice, "Oh Artemis, Artemis, Artemis...."—

        "Artemis!" I awoke with a start, breathing hard as I stared into my mother's beautiful hazel eyes. "Artemis, you'll be late if you don't get up." She declared. As she noticed the fear struck in my eyes, she grasped my pale shaky hands and asked, "What's wrong sweetie?"  I shook the fear off and simply stated, "Just a bad dream , that's all." 

        "Okay, well hurry up and get dressed." She stated as she walked out of the room in her normal nurse attire: dark jeans, black heels, and a collared black dress shirt. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a classy tight bun. 

        What a dream. I thought to myself as she exited the room. It was so vivid! 

        After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes and pulling myself together, I heaved myself out of my fantastically comfortable white bed, and slipped into my  fuzzy white slippers. With my eyes half open I pulled my frizzy red, and I mean red,  hair into a ponytail. Upon entering my cluttered bathroom I looked into the water splattered mirror. 

        Who are you, Artemis Kokinos? What's your purpose? I thought to myself. These questions often came to girls of my age—fifteen. I never knew what to answer. All my life I seemed to have been hiding in the shadows and floating through life, hoping not to be seen. Which was pretty easy for me, since I was small and didn't have much significance. All of my "friends" would say, 'Oh no, Artemis, you're special.' But I didn't think so. What could I do to change the world? I'm just a whisper in the wind. And I intend to stay that way. I really disliked the spotlight. I could never perform on a stage in elementary school, or even in front of my parents. I don't want to embarress them, I would say. They were so popular in college, and they had such cool jobs, being an archeologist and nurse. I'd never measure up to thier expectations. In a way, I was thankful for the many work trips they had to make. This didn't give me as much opporotunities to embarress them. 

        All these degrading thoughts played through my mind like a cassette tape that Dad would listen to, over and over and over again; repeating itself for hours.

       I got dressed in my ripped jeans and black ombre t-shirt with a white bengal tiger on it, then raced down the spiriling wooden staircase and entered the kitchen. I usually wasn't hungry in the morning so I just grabbed a granola bar and an orange. 

        After popping the granola bar in my mouth, I packed my school binder, calculator and notebooks and slid the orange in the side pouch. In the mudroom I slipped on my teal converse and head out the door, for I heard the shrill beeping of the school bus. I ran down the long gravel driveway being chased halfway by our two dogs, Leo and Cocoa our Boxer and German Shepherd.  

        I was greeted harshly by the nasty school bus driver, Mr. Sherman and soon slunk into the worn seat of the bus preparing my mind for another boring day in Riverwood.          

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"Hey, vomit-face, think fast!" A deep voice called. The voice I knew all too well belonged to Jason Richards, the most popular rich kid in the whole school. His actions however, didn't measure up to his status.

        The nickname, you may be wondering, came about last semester. It was the last day of freshman finals.

        —"Attention all freshmans," the school secretary ordered, "please report to room 205 A. Your science finals will begin in just a few moments! Do your best!" She called out excitedly. I, on the other hand, was not so excited.

        I was typically an 'all A's' type of kid, except when it came to science. History? My favorite. Math, Spanish, Economics, all of them are great! Except, of course, for science. 

        As we filed into the classroom and took a seat, a hunched over old man with a crooked smile hobbled into the room. As his wooden hooked cane clicked across the linoleum floor, he stared eerily across the room. "Greetings." He croaked, " I am Mr. Harrison. I will be your overseer today. I'm going to pass out these tests." As he said this he grabbed a stack of papers and plopped them on the worn desk.

        My heart began pumping hard. I watched him hand out the tests....which were about a fourth of an inch thick. I groaned quietly. Though I had studied practically all week long, my mind completely blanked as the huge stack was placed before me. My pale hands brushed my hair back in frustration. The long list of questions seemed endless. The words included in the questions began jumbling and my hands began to shake. My face grew hot and I felt my stomach churned. I stood to go the restroom, but it was too late. —

        And thus, the nickname stuck. "

        "Think fast!" The bully taunted. The anger riled up inside me and in utter resentment I stuck out my hand and immediately caught the red dodgeball and thrusted it at Jason. As the ball, thrown with such force, pinned him to the ground, I cried, "Think fast, you big cry-baby!" 

        While he groaned on the floor all the rest of the kids stared at me in astonishment. Whispers arose. I could only catch a few words which included, "Artemis.....strong.....principle...." My eyes widened at the last word but it was too late, once more. 

        "Will Artemis Kokinoss come to the principal's office please?" the whiny voice ordered. 

        I winced as my name was called. 

(c) doveseyes 2015