Chasing Shadows by Rebbeca Stoddard Page A

then I saw them again. Shadows. They shifted and moved with the wind, coming closer to the windows. My heart stopped, and my breathing became escalated. Sebastian turned immediately in his chair, looked at where my eyes were focused, and told the teacher something calmly. He grabbed my arm, pulled me out of the seat, and the moment we were out of the classroom, we ran. We were no longer as safe as we thought we were. The end was coming sooner than we had hoped.
    I sat straight up. My sheets were tangled, and sweat clung to me like I had just run a marathon. The sun blared through my curtains. It was ten in the morning, and I had two hours to get ready for registration. Frustrated and scared of my dream, I stumbled out of bed and into my bathroom. The claw-foot tub looked so inviting, but I had to hurry, so I opted for the shower. Hot water struggled to get going for a few seconds, then poured out of the faucet vibrantly. Steam filled the room as I got undressed. When I stepped in, goose bumps crawled on my skin, so I put my head under the water. Tense muscles started to loosen and relax, my body heated up, left over thoughts of my dream faded away, and my mind felt clear. Cucumber melon shampoo and conditioner left my hair hydrated and filled the room with a wonderful smell. I shaved my legs and washed my body. Soft fluffy towels hung on a rack, and I used them to dry off.
    Various jean shorts littered the floor of my closet. I dug through them to try to find what I wanted to wear. White shorts with roses printed on them caught my attention in the corner; I grabbed them and decided to pair them with a baggy gray T-shirt. My hair was practically dry by the time I was finished getting ready. Helios purred and chirped at me, so I scratched his ears before going downstairs. There was orange juice on the counter, and Alexandier was making toast. I shuffled around the busy kitchen, got a glass of juice, a banana, and a spoonful of peanut butter. The front door closed, and my dad hurried in with some bags from the car. He stopped, pointed at me, and then pointed to the door. It was time to register for my senior year.
    The parking lot was full of redneck trucks, beat-up cars, and fancy rich-kid cars. My dad carefully pulled into a spot and we got out. Groups of kids huddled together in the commons of the school. Friends hugged and laughed about stuff they remembered from last year. I kept my head down as we made our way to the registration tables. As my dad paid the appropriate school fees, two new girls walked up to the tables. They were short, with long, thick, wavy hair. One of them had fire-red hair, and the other had earthy-brown hair. The girls smiled brightly at the teachers and staff behind the tables, and their voices were soft and delicate. A tug on my arm pulled my attention away from the girls and toward my class list, locker information, and receipts. I followed the line as it led to the school and student ID photos. After handing the photographer my receipt, he made me sit, pose, smile, and stay still for a minute. An awkward little machine whirred and buzzed, then spit out a school identification card. Then we made our way to the library to get my textbooks and stopped at my locker so we could put the heavy books inside. Feeling a deep sense of relief, I sighed and closed my locker.
    I jumped when I saw two pairs of big brown eyes staring at me. The two girls from the registration tables smiled up at me. “I am Fiora, and this is my sister Willow.” A sweet voice came from the redhead, and she gestured appropriately. “We know Sebastian. He’s a family friend, and he told us about you. So we came to this small town and decided to go to school. We are here to help. He sort of filled us in, a little bit.” Fiora kept going, and I had a feeling she wouldn’t stop until she felt like it. I smiled and shrugged at my dad, and he walked outside.
    “Fiora, leave the poor girl alone. She doesn’t need your incessant