1: NATALIE
I meet the girl who is a shadow
Hey.
I'm Natalie Lockhart. But, when you meet me, you can call me Ali or Nat. Please. I prefer it.
It's also my code name.
I know. "Why the heck am I gonna meet you and who the hell are you?" Let's start simple. Congratulations. If you're reading this, that means you've lived a normal life. For now, anyway.
If you want to live, you better email me (you'll find it in your locker) and get on the next plane to Canada, Calgary. Quick.
Before they find you.
You should be able to identify me easily. I have bright orange hair and pale skin. My eyes are hazel, but you probably won't notice that.
It might help that I may or not be holding a banner and chanting your name.
Kayla forced me to do that.
You might be wondering; why am I so special? Easy. You're part of The Shadowy, a top secret group. This was sent to one child of every country in Earth. (Except for Canada, California, America, England, Paris and Italy.)
It all started that one day when I pulled a prank on Nancy Winston...
Besides that one time I got a F in math, I was a pretty good student. That is, until Nancy Winston insulted Cornelia.
Cornelia Ronald is my best friend. She's super pretty, admittedly perky and always seems to be wearing a leather jacket. She has this always tanned skin and windblown, wavy brown hair. Her favourite colour is dark blue. "Like a whale," she keeps telling me, which seems weird to me, but whatever. She's a kind of bad girl and comes from California.
Nancy Winston should insult me, with my ghastly white skin and fiery hair. Not Lia.
I may or may not have mixed soup and shampoo together and poured it over her head.
What did the little devil say? Oh, I don't know, just, "Cornelia Ronald is the most ugly creature I have ever come upon."
Best friend, remember.
Nancy instantly blamed it on me. Oh, how I still remember it. (I kinda want to forget, though.)
"Mr. Haynes!" she shrieked very, very loudly. "IT WAS NELLIE! SHE DID IT!"
She even got my name wrong.
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Somehow, Nancy found proof (when did I use the bucket with my name imprinted on it!? Stupid me!) and they called my foster mom.
Jenny Campbell was a pleasant woman with blond ringlets and two dimples. She was pretty kind and sweet, but I could see she was disappointed in me. Jenny always, always was perfect. My grades were average enough for her, but this...this was completely different.
Principal Haynes beckoned Jenny and I to sit down, discussing what my punishment was.
I kept my head down, which didn't do much.
"Ali," Jenny said gently, "I was thinking I could send you to a special boarding school for a while."
I stood up, looking amazed. "Because I pulled a prank?" I said astonishingly. "And what about Cornelia? She's my best friend!"
"I'm just so busy-" Jenny started.
"As for Ms. Ronald," Principal Haynes interrupted, "I've been thinking of sending her there as well. Her father suggested it to me, in fact."
I almost breathed with relief. "But...but..."
There was a conflict in Jenny's eyes. One I'd never seen before. I swallowed. "Alright. Could I be excused for a walk?"
"Yes," Jenny said quickly, although I could tell Mr. Haynes was not as sure.
I sprinted toward the wet grass. It had rained earlier, and now the sun was shining. This didn't fit my mood.
What's next? Rainbows and unicorns?
I reached the fence that ended the school's property and sighed.
Let me look somewhere else. Anywhere but the school. Where all those events would be replaying. Over and over again.
I looked at the fence. It reflected my shadow back to me.
Shadows are such interesting forces.
I walked more slowly now.
My eyes kept flickering back to the school, warning me of the change to come, but I just didn't want to be reminded. I wanted to cherish what freedom I had now.
I forced my eyes to my shadow.
Wait...I didn't have pin-straight hair.
I wasn't wearing shorts. I didn't wear that many bracelets.
That wasn't me.
I shook my head, trying to rid my brain of such ridiculous thoughts.
But they stayed.
Alright, Em. If apparently you have a different shadow now, experiment! Find out!
I reached out a hand to my shadow.
It reflected that. Then I touched it.
And screamed.
Twice.
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The hand was sizzling hot, and ice-cold at the same time; laced together.
I might have even shrilled, but pretending to be calm, I climbed up the fence.
The shadow didn't move.
I closed my eyes and opened them again.
Nope. Still there. I pinched myself sharply and let out a yelp.
Still there.
"What's going on?" I whispered.
"Hi."
And of course, I screamed. Again. Because what would you do if your shadow talked to you?
"I see the spell has worn off," the shadow said. "Am I changing?"
"This is so freaky...wait, yeah you are."
I tried not to faint. The shadow was beginning to colour. I could see it/she was wearing peach flats. She wore blue shorts and a frilly fire tank top.
Her skin was ivory and her hair was silky and brownish black. It was obvious she was Korean-American, or maybe Chinese.
"Oh...My...God."
"Hi, Natalie Lockhart. I'm Lilia Ellery."
"This is the most creepy thing that has ever happened to me! There is no way I am talking to a shadow."
Lilia Ellery looked offended. "I'm not a shadow right now!"
"But you were!" I cried. "I might even faint from all this!" I backed away.
"I thought you knew!" Lilia exclaimed. "I'm your shadow! I follow you everywhere! I'm your opposite! Or at least intended to, anyway. But not fully. And get used to it. At your new school, there will be people like you."
I stopped in my tracks. "What do you mean people like me?"
"People from The Shadowy," Lilia responded. "Even your friend Cornelia is a Shadowy."
"Cornelia?" I said, and must have sounded shocked.
"You must be the only Shadowy since the Old Ages to not know anything about it!" Lilia complained.
"Cornelia knows?"
"You bet she does, Ms. Lockhart. In fact, I'm surprised she hasn't noticed you're a Shadowy."
"You keep saying Shadowy this, Shadowy that. What is the Shadowy?" I asked. Why hadn't Cornelia mentioned anything to me, anyway?
Lilia rolled her eyes. "Not even that! The Shadowy is a group of unique humans who have power over the dark which includes shadows. They always have their own shadows, but there are rare humans who don't know anything. You're one, apparently. Anyway, The Shadowy's haven't used shadows since the Dark Ages."
"That's seriously all you're gonna tell me?"
"Just start packing. This is the most important day of your life."
"Besides my marriage?"
"Besides your marriage."