It Consumes

Chapter 1

Darkness looms in everyone's shadows; it is just a matter of whether one's self acknowledges its presence or not. It consumes one's soul if looked upon, yet if it goes ignored it only makes one stronger.

Every human being has a shadow, but what is hidden within them differs for each person. Some conceal hate for one another in their shadow, while others hide their pain. Some mask their regrets, grief, and sadness in their shadows, while others seal their past within it. And then there are those who mask their true evil nature within their shadows in order to go unnoticed by those who live in the light.

Demons walk amongst us every waking day, hiding within their shadows. They take us for fools, thinking that we cannot see what truly lies in their tainted hearts. They can smile innocently all they want and try to make us out to be fools, but their eyes are a dead giveaway. Hatred consumes one's soul just as much as blood lust and revenge. It consumes, and the only way to defeat it is to let it go unacknowledged.

It can be unlocked unintentionally. Some may see something tragic or scarring, and the evil inside of them might just come into play. Some have tempers that consume their rational thoughts, while others may get so frustrated that they just snap.

The only way to fight darkness is with light. However, darkness consumes any shred of hope, rendering it unstoppable. Fight the evil that is darkness; stop it from overtaking the light. Stop those who are evil from smothering kind souls until they are left empty inside. Fight the darkness and pull the light out to shine high above with the stars. That is the true meaning of the word vatonage: to give life to the light that has been concealed in darkness---

"KATE!"

The book snapped shut as the girl pushed off from the ground and skidded her desk chair backwards across the grain of her carpet. She stood up from her desk, gingerly grasping the rather large hardcover book within her frail arms. She briskly stepped out of her bedroom to glance down the staircase.

"Yes, Mom?"

Faye Hitomi, the girl's mother, stood at the very bottom of the stair steps. She smiled up at her daughter, ushering her to follow. "It's almost time for you to leave soon. Finish packing your bag so you don't miss your boat!"

Faye had curly, light brown hair a similar shade to Kate's, and vibrant green eyes that flickered with her happiness, but it was the woman's smile that really made you realize the two were mother and daughter. They both gave off the same cheerful, positive glow.

The girl simply nodded in response, motioning to return to her room. Her name was Kate Hitomi, an eighteen-year-old with cropped, dusty-brown hair tied up in two pigtails with straight across bangs that barely covered her thin eyebrows. Her sky-kissed blue eyes glimmered when catching the light that poured in through her windows, which accented her fair skin very well. She stepped over to the suitcase lying atop of her bed without eliciting a single sound, placing the book on the very top of her folded clothes and personal items before zipping it up.

Aside from the necessary essentials, Kate had only packed two school uniforms, her phone, and at least twenty paperbacks. She never bothered with makeup or any other things such as that, so there really was no need to pack such items.

Kate's passion was to read. She loved reading, both for pleasure and education. She was never much of a talker, but if the subject was books, you would have a tough time getting her to shut up. She was an introvert whose ideal day consisted of lounging on Summerland's beach with a good book for hours. She easily went through five novels a week of any genre. She enjoyed reading adventures the most, however. Despite her introverted nature, Kate desired the adventurous life the characters in her books lived, and that was precisely why she had filled out an application to attend Almia's Ranger School: the best Pokemon Ranger Academy in the world.