Monsters: The Folklore Trilogy Book 3

In Which We Play With Shadows (Part 1)

I stood on the beach, the wind gently rustling my hair. I watched my friends joking around with carefree laughter. Audrey had climbed a tree to keep Deynan's bouncy ball away from him, and Sophie was watching, giggling. Isaac and Abigail were sitting off to the side, talking happily.

I stood apart from everything, feeling happy, yet...detached. It seemed like something was missing.

Just then, I heard a low growl. I turned, and suddenly, the beach was filled with zombies.

A feeling of panic rose in my chest. How had they gotten here without anyone noticing? What?

"Sierra, do something!" Sophie shouted.

I spun around to make sure she was okay, but my friends were gone.

My eyebrows knit. Where did they go?

But the zombies were closing in. My breathing sped up. I had to be a warrior. Or wait...was it unicorn? No, phoenix. Wait, what?

"What are you doing, turn into warrior!" Audrey hissed in my ear. I flinched and turned towards the sound, but no one was there.

The mob was getting closer and closer. They could have reached out and touched me. My heart was beating faster and faster. It felt like there was a boulder on my chest and I couldn't breathe. My throats constricted.

"Are you okay?" came Isaac's voice from somewhere to my left.

"Yes!" I shouted. "Yes, yes, I'm fine!"

But that was a lie.

A blonde woman reached out a decaying, gray hand and touched my cheek, dragging her cracked nail down my face. I felt a trickle of blood in its wake.

I began to shake, petrified from overwhelming terror. I couldn't transform. I couldn't even run.

Just then, I heard a shout.

I turned and standing right behind me was Ravi.

"So, uh, what's on your mind?" he asked, his hands in his pockets. He didn't look casual, but he was trying: for me.

And suddenly, all the zombies were gone.

My mouth started moving of its own accord. "Well...out on the battlefield just now, something sort of...happened."

His eyebrows creased. "What do you mean?"

The knot of anxiety in my stomach began to disappear.

"I couldn't turn into warrior. I can't be honest. I can't."

And then suddenly his hand was on my shoulder. A feeling of warmth spread through my body. I looked up.

His dark eyes were serious, caring, and concerned. "Are you okay?"

No, I wanted to shout. No, I'm scared.

But I just said, "I-I think so."

And suddenly the world began to spin and then everything was dark.

Something small appeared in the darkness. Curiously, I crept forwards. Then I realized what it was.

The mirror. It was farther away this time, as if showing me that the mirror itself was more important that the reflection. I gazed at it curiously. The handle was scratched a few times. It hadn't been like that before. I turned my attention back to the reflection.