The Hade Chronicles: Into the Shadows

Chapter 1

  "Take good care of your brother and sister."

  Sarah and Bryan, the parents of three children, were saying goodbye to their kids. Sarah and Bryan sat on their bed, with their kids sitting on the floor in front of them. The bed was purple, and was average sized. The walls were painted a light brown color, and the carpet on the floor matched it.  The windows filtered a lovely and comforting light into the room. The children were taking turns talking with their parents about what was to happen. At that particular moment, they were talking to Marcus.

  Marcus was the oldest child, at the age of fifteen. He and his two younger siblings were home-schooled, and he felt responsible for both of them. He was intelligent, but he wasn't the brightest of the three. He usually wore a T-shirt of some sort, with ripped jeans that were a good looking shade of dark blue. His skin was tanned, and his hair was a dark shade of blond. His eyes were a light shade of turquoise. His hair was long and thin, and he usually swept it to the side. He was about 5'7, and was skinny but muscular. His voice was deep, but not overpowering.

  "But Mom!" he was saying, "How am I going to take care of both of them while you're gone?"

  "It's okay," his mother said in a reassuring voice, "You'll be fine! We're only going to be gone on vacation for a few days."

  "I know that!" he responded politely, "But it'll seem so much longer than that! Plus, I will have to tell Marci that we have to cancel our date in two days!"

  Marci was a fourteen year-old girl with chocolate brown hair that she usually tied back in a ponytail. She had piercing light blue eyes, and she had been Marcus' girlfriend for about six months. Marcus had asked her out again for what seemed the hundreth time since he had the first time six months ago. She attended the public school in their town in Arizona.

  "No, you don't have to tell her that." Bryan replied, "Tell her that the date will actually be in the park. Your brother and sister can take care of themselves for a few hours."

  Marcus looked stunned. "Okay," he said, in a surprised tone, "I'm sure that they can do that."

  "Yes, they're old enough now. Now, Rachel," Sarah said, turning to her, "can I count on you to take care of your younger brother for that long?"

  Rachel, the middle child, was thirteen years old. She had long brown hair that was always perfectly straight and reached down to her lower back, and light brown eyes. Her skin was tan, but not as much as Marcus'. She usually wore a long sleeve shirt, with a fancy pattern on the top. Her pants were usually jeans, and she kept them clean when she could. She was tall for her age, at 5'4. She always wore her favorite green coat over whatever shirt she was wearing. It was light green, with dark green lettering over the top. The hood was white cotton, so it was very comfy. She was probably just as smart as Marcus, but she was the most creative of all the kids.

  "Yes Mom," said Rachel quietly, "and please come back as fast as you can."

  Bryan laughed softly. "Okay sweetie. Now Michael," he said, turning to the last child remaining, "please behave for your brother and sister while we're gone."

  "Okay Mom. I will." Michael was eleven, and he had short-cut brown hair and dark brown eyes. He liked to copy his older brother, so he also usually wore a T-shirt. He loved sports, especially football, so he normally wore a jersey of some sort on top of it. That day he was wearing his Arizona State Jersey. He loved wearing athletic shorts, especially his dark red pair. His legs were long and tan, and his knees were constantly dirty and scratched. He loved to joke around a lot. But at that time, he was being serious.

  "Now," Bryan said, "We'll be taking the truck with us. We're leaving the car with you. Try not to mess it up."

  The truck was a grey Nissan truck, and whenever their parents went anywhere, they took it. The car was a Toyota that was colored white, but it wasn't anything really special.

"Goodbye Mom," they all said sadly, "Goodbye Dad."

  They all hugged each other, then the three kids watched out the window as their parents got into the truck. Sarah gave one final wave, and they drove away.

  "Well," Marcus said cheerfully, "We'll see them in a few days!"

  "Yep." Rachel said.

  "Yeah," Michael said, "Everything is going to be fine. Absolutely fine."