Twilight: The Shadow

Prologue

Breathing.

That's all that's heard in the woods as a boy zoomed past trees, he looked about 8 and was barefoot and was covered in blood and bruises. He heard the revving sound of a pick up truck on the highway road, right next to the treeline he was running through. Luckily, the driver couldn't see him and the boy made sure of that.

"You better run, boy! Because when I find you I'll make your suffering ten times worse!" came the driver's voice over the sound of the truck.

The boy whimpered in fear and was squinting, tears started to stream down his face.

He jumped over a branch and lands on the soft soil again before he tripped on a rock, he sprawled forward into a roll before he stopped by a rock and hit his forehead. White hot pain flashed before his eyes as he hit the rock, he lay on the ground as blood ran down his face and he slipped in and out consciousness.

Inbetween his blackouts he could hear the sound of the truck receding into the distance, then he felt a small breeze come over him and he went blacked out again as breathing became difficult. When his eyes opened again, he saw a shadowy mist come into his field of vision and he lay there with glazed eyes.

The shadowy mist moved around before it disappeared and a woman came into view, she was dressed in a tight black, flowy dress with hanging sleeves as she came toward him. She was beautiful and had curly black hair that ran down her back, she was pale as well and had dark eyes.

She looked at the boy and saw he had ebony skin, but much on the lighter side and saw how he was covered in blood.

"Oh, this is quite a mess. Quite a mess indeed." she said before crouching inches from him and locked eyes with him. "A human in my territory."

Another shadowy mist came through and then a young girl formed out of it before she walked forward, another shadow came into the area and a young man appeared. The girl had straight, long black hair and one side of it was over the front of her shoulder. The young man had blonde hair with a fringe on his right side, he looked annoyed.

"Sebastian. Go see if anyone is in the area that did this." the woman said from her crouched position.

The young man stared for a minute before he dispersed into shadowy mist and took off.

"Julie. Come here, I might need your assistance." the woman said as she slowly pulled out a rag from between her breasts in the dress.

"I can't come forward without ripping his head off first." the girl known as Julie said. "Too much blood."

The woman frowned.

"Julie!"

"Okay, okay." Julie said before plopping down next to the boy.

"Hold up his head." the woman instructed.

Julie did as she was told and lifted the dazed boy's head up, blood covered her hands and the smell hit her nose but she quickly shook her head from the temptation.

The woman ripped off one of her hanging sleeves from her dress and started to clean off the blood and avoided the open wound, then she placed a small cloth on the wound to put pressure on it before she tied the rag over it, around his head.

"We'll have to take him back. I can't help him here, he'll run a fever soon and I want to avoid that." the woman said getting to her feet.

"Anna, I don't think-"

"Oh, hush. Its just a boy, Julie." the woman known as Anna said.

The shadowy mist returned and formed into Sebastian and he approached them, Anna looked toward him expectantly and he just shrugged.

"Well?" she urged.

"It was a Chevrolet pick up truck. Whoever it was took off when he noticed I was around." the young man replied.

"Whoever it was wanted to harm this child." Anna said as she glanced back at the boy who was lifted up in Julie's arms.

"What then?" Sebastian asked.

"We return. But don't even think about feeding on him." she warned.

"I dont feed on children, Anna." Sebastian said crossing his arms.

"Way to make me look like a jerk, Seb." Julie said while holding the boy.

"Do not call me that." Sebastian shot back.

"Enough, you two! Let's go before I break both of your jaws." Anna said before going ahead while the other two followed.

                 .................................

The morning was still as the boy woke up, he felt a cloth wiping his face between different intervals and he groaned in content at the cool cloth. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the sunlight streaming into the room and on the bed that he lay on.

He looked up at the woman that was wiping his face, she looked like an angel from the way the sunlight hit her body.

"Well, look who's awake?" the woman said with a smile as she stopped wiping his face.

The boy looked at her carefully, her voice made her seem different. She smiled at hin bit he could sense there was a sense of cruelty underneath her display of warmth, but he felt he could trust her.

"W-where am I?" he asked hoarsely.

"In my home. Somewhere safe." She said.

He curled up his knees and scooted to a corner on the bed.

"Why were you in the woods last night?"   she asked.

"Running." he said quickly.

"What about the man in the truck?" she asked.

"My daddy. He was punishing me, so I ran." he said as his eyes became moist.

Anna frowned. She knew now why the bruises and wounds on the boy made sense, then she heard Julie walk in. She turned and saw her enter with a tray, the boy's breakfast and his meds that they were able to salvage.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Nine." the boy said feeling a bit comfortable.

"What's your name?" she continued.

"André." he said softly

"Ah, French." she hummed. "Such a beautiful name."

Then she got to her feet.

"Stay with him for a bit." she said to Julie who nodded.

Then she headed out of the room.

Sebastian was leaning against a wall as he waited, when she noticed him, he quickly straightened up and she approached him.

"That truck, from last night....."

"What about it?" he asked.

"Did you happen to see its number plate?" she asked.

He nodded at her and she smiled at that, but he wasn't fooled by that. He knew her long enough to see the sadistic glee in her eyes sparkle even if she composed herself.

"What will you do?" he asked already fearing the answer.

"I'm suddenly in the mood for a snack." she said with a cruel smirk.