The Shadows

43| Aryah

"What a freak!" A young kid yelled from across the playground. I watch as my smile faded and Declan's turned to anger. The kid taunts me a bit longer before running to the other children to make fun of me some more. Declan turns to me with a sympathetic grin. "You're gifted Aryah, don't let anyone make you feel like you're not." I smile shyly at his words, picking the petals individually from the fresh flower, letting them flow through the wind.

They remain in the park for some time, but soon depart as the weather becomes more questionable. I walk quietly at a distance behind my younger self, until we reach home. When we step inside, my mother is yelling. We both freeze in the front door, listening, for the first time, able to hear them clearly. "She was never mine. She belongs to that witch!" My mother wailed, her voice ringing through the walls. "How can you say that?" My father pleads desperately. "Your first child was always going to be hers." I could practically hear the tears falling from my mother's eyes. "How is that my fault? She brought me back to life. Gave me a second chance! It wasn't my choice!" My heart sinks to the floor when I realize they're talking about me. At the same time my younger self does too. I watch as I drop the stem from the flower in the park to the floor.  "She is your blood. You carried her for nine months for god sakes." The energy in my father's voice was low, he was exasperated. "I was her surrogate." My mother stated firmly, silence following.  I couldn't stand to listen any longer. I watch my younger self, sprint down the hall to my bedroom, I follow her to see her throwing things into a bag as tears stream down her face. I throw the bag over my shoulder, open my bedroom window and jump out. I quickly do the same, running behind her, to find ourselves back at the park. It was not dark outside and sprinkles of rain began to release from the clouds. I slump onto the ground, underneath the same oak tree and sulk.

"It's not safe out here at night, you know?"

A gentle voice brings my teary eyes up to meet Lucan's. She scoffs when she sees him. "Oh, it's you. Please don't tell my dad I'm here." Lucan sighs, taking a step closer. "Why are you here?" I shrug, "My parents are fighting, about me." He raises an eyebrow, "About?" I sigh, "I'm not really sure, my mother just said doesn't think I'm hers?" His eyes narrowed. "is that so?"  An intensity from his voice brings me to think what he's doing in the park at this time? "Why are you here?" I ask. He glances down to me, evading my question completely. "Would you like me to escort you to Declan's?" I stand up cautiously before shaking my head. "No thanks, I'll walk myself." He nods, approvingly. "I will tell your parents." I nod before turning around and sprinting off into the darkness. Lucan watches me until I disappear. He turns around, taking several steps to a nearby bush. I decide to follow him. He pushes some branches aside to expose and injured man bleeding out onto the grass. My eyes widen and the feeling that I should have followed my younger self becomes more apparent. The man pleads to Lucan to help him but he simply shakes his head. "I'm afraid it's your time Glen." The fear and confusion in the man's eyes when he says his name, took the breath from my lungs.

Lucan leans down towards the man and my surroundings melt around me. Desperate to see what he's doing I try to run towards him. Unfortunately for me, I blink and I'm in front of my house, watching as Lucan knocks on the door. My dad yawns as he opens the door, he tilts his head in confusion when he sees Lucan. "Lucan?" My dad questions. "I'm curious if you know where your daughter is?" He gets straight to the point. My dad shakes his head, not knowing what he means. "In bed?" Lucan grins menacingly, "You ask that like it's a question. You're wrong. She's at Declan's house. You and your wife had been fighting, so she had snuck out." Panic fills my fathers face. "Be careful what you say around her you fool, or she'll find out too early." My dad furrows his brows, not sure what he meant by that. Before he was able to ask, Lucan turned around, walking into the darkness. My father watches him until he disappears, slowly closing the door behind him.