A new start
Pov: ???
Everyone has their own opinions about The Shadows, that they’re good people with evil actions or bad people who harm others, and almost everyone is right in their way. But the shadows are just-”
“Oh come on the shadows again?”
“Yes them again I’m recording a video essay, Aella”
“Nobodys going to watch it Jinx, nobody outside of our town has any idea what the shadows are. They think it's just something that comes from an absence of light when they’re a group of people who harm others.”
Pov: ???
I opened my tired eyes, The room was pitch black and I felt trapped sitting on a chair
“Hello,” I heard a voice say that wasn’t mine. Their voice was calm and slightly feminine sounding. I heard a switch go off and saw a flashlight turn on. The person held the flashlight just under their chin, and the top half of their face was covered by sunglasses and a hood. They had pale white skin and a fake smile. I’d been captured by The Shadows
**“Where am I and who are you” my voice anxious
“That’s none of your business.”
They placed the lit flashlight on the floor and I heard them take out a knife, they walked closer to me and I felt the cold metal of the knife against my thigh but not cutting me.
“You’re crazy,” I said shakily, one wrong move and they could hurt me...
“I prefer creative” They moved away with the knife in their hands
“YOU'RE A MONSTER FOR THIS” I exclaimed, my voice filled with fear and terror
“It has to be done” They wore an evil expression on their face as they stood before me
“NO, IT DOESN'T” I screeched again
“You won't make it out, unless”
“Unless?”
“Join us,” they said, and it wasn't a request
“Fine,” I said defeated
“I've observed you for a while now, you seem smart,” They started walking in circles around me. “I’ll let you in but tell anyone a word and I’ll decapitate you in a mirror room so you can see your demise. Welcome to The Shadows” They smile evilly and take down their hood and sunglasses, their curly blonde bangs covering their eyes I woke up that morning in my bed with a bandaged cut on my leg. That cut, its scar is the initiation. i have it on my leg, proving I am in The Shadows. Once you’re in there’s no backing out, now you just have to figure out who I am.
Pov: Kiran
I woke up to my cat jumping onto my bed her paws landing on my feet sending me into a state of panic. I love my cat but I gotta say she drives me up the wall, Metaphorically, I don't have my driver's license yet, one day I will, one day. Paprika, my cat who just scared the shit out of me, walked closer and closer to my face and head-butted me, one of her creamy white paws stepping on my thigh and the other on my bed sheet. She was hungry and wanted food, unless I wanted to get my eyes clawed out by a 1-year-old kitten I would have to get up and feed her. I’d like to keep my eyes for a few more days so I got up and fed her whatever I had on hand in the pantry.
After that I got to school, I was one minute late and got no penalty.
I heard medium to light footsteps coming towards me as I stared at my phone playing my stupid game, wondering why I was trying when I know I suck ass at it, and most things honestly. The creator of the footsteps was coming closer to me and then stopped. Standing in front of me I found was Soul, my only friend, known him since the end of fifth grade, and enter five years later. I saw his small, worn-on, slightly dirty, old sneakers he’s worn surprisingly since the end of last year, he does track and always wears those so he has less to change into and can run more or do whatever track kids do. They enjoy trying to scare me, while I enjoy how miserably they fail at it. He’s the same grade as me and is around 5 months older which he likes shoving in my face since people think it’s the other way around, he’s of Korean-American descent and you can see both in his face, he isn’t a nerd exactly and he isn’t dumb either, or the weird kid, oddly enough, people just acknowledge him and wave as he goes by. They leaned over to me
“Kiran” Soul whispered in my ear while I looked up and turned off my phone
“What?” I glanced over at him.
“I heard there's a new kid”
“Nice” I don’t react, I know it's a big deal but I don't give much of a shit.
“Kiran”
“What”
“We haven't had a new kid in two years”
“Hooray?”
“Come on” Soul begged
“What”
“You’re not at all excited?”
“Not really, l just have you. There are loners with more friends than me. I don’t care for many people”
“You're more introverted than a loner”
“Where is this meaningless conversation between us going?”
“I don't know I just want you to talk to her”
“It's a her? Great.” just what i need, someone who will probably misgender me for the hell of it.
“I'm not always going to be here Ki, you need to branch out”
There was a break of silence for about two minutes
“She just came in,” Soul says, his face brightens up as I look forward to the new girl with soft curls of strawberry-blonde hair looking around cluelessly like a freshman on the first day, her hair swinging and hitting her face as she turns her head back and forth.
Soul nudges my arm, nonverbally begging me to talk to her.
“Come on I’ll come with youuuu” I can hear the excitement in his voice as he grasps the last syllable for longer than he needs to.
“No.”
“You’re no fun” Soul walks over to the new girl, anyway, Curly and confused, he walks back over not too soon after.
“Kiran” Soul whispers loudly. I see curly and confused with him- i feel a panic in my chest, she’s right in front of me. Shit he’s gonna make me talk to her I quickly hide my hands in my front pockets of my my black pants in case my hands get clammy, and I try to relax my shoulders so I don't look stressed out. I don’t like to wear my heart on my sleeve.
“Yes, Soul?”
“This is Isobel” Soul continues in a normal tone, I nod, curly and confused waves.
“Is he in your grade?” Isobel asks I smile inside from the euphoria that single “he” gave me. Her voice sounds gentle and sweet, like a delicately detailed teddy bear with a pink ribbon bow that you just want to cradle in your hands- if that was a voice.
“I'm Kiran he's my only friend, I don't talk to people much” Why did I just tell her I have no friends? Idiot. She cutely giggles I crack a small smile from my stone-like face
“I hope maybe I can be another one” Isobel replies
I avoid eye contact, it's making me more nervous than usual.
“I- well maybe! maybe not we’ll see” I start walking to my homeroom and sit in my normal spot. That didn't happen. Nope. Soul walks in and sits with me.
“That wasn’t half bad”
“You’re just saying that” I hide my face in my hands.
“nope”
Soul whips his head around, while I stare at an uneven part of the very massproduced feel of this desk, someone clearly etched this thing. it looks like an ominous circle with details I don't know how to explain.
soul gets up and rips me from the desk and sits himself and pulls me over to the top of the desk he chose I look why he might've pulled this shit on me-
Oh
Isobel.
That's why.
“Did you hear about what the Shadows did?”
I don't roll my eyes but I look to the side not really caring. trying to get comfortable, albeit feeling very awkward.
“what did they do now? start a cult?” I snark not making eye contact
i make eye contact with Isobel and she waves at me despite the fact we talked maybe 5 minutes ago, don't people wave just after a mutual acknowledge of one another?
she gets up from her desk-chair and sits on the desk part and leans her albows on her thighs, her face in her hands her posture curving, clearly curious. she squints at me as if trying to find new details on my face, she wont find anything new.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” she smiles curiously
“Not really. That’s kind of the point.”
Isobel without missing a beat
“That’s fine. I didn’t move here to make friends with everyone anyway. Just the people who matter.”
I blink, surprised, not expecting her to be so forward…
but now I think of it, it does make more sense that she seems unbothered by most of our peers finding her curiosity and openness.. off-putting, I can see why others might but I personally don't find it that way.
isobel continues “Back home, most people didn’t like me being myself. So… I figured, new place, new chance. And maybe people here will be different.”
for a second I completely connect, but I don't show it. I don't know her, why would I show?
“oh”
.
…
……
…………..
…..
…
.
Soul and Isobel banter back and forth, pulling me into their whirlwind with little regard for my protests. I roll my eyes but can’t stop a small smirk from forming.
“Great. Now I have two extroverts,” I mutter under my breath.
Isobel glances at me, her smile easy, teasing. “Oh, come on. You’ll survive.”
“Survive,” I repeat, the word tasting strange in my mouth, because maybe I don’t really know what that means anymore.
Outside the window, a shadow flickers — too quick to be anyone from our class. My stomach knots, that same uneasy pull I always feel when thinking about the Shadows. I glance away, pretending not to notice, but the image sticks, lingering like a whisper I can’t quite shake.
For now, there’s laughter, chatter, and the warmth of people who care. But some questions are already following me home, the kind that don’t let go so easily.
end of chapter 1
