Shadow Prince
Adrian remembers nothing of his past. But when bad things start to happen, is he sure he wants to remember? (Just kind of testing out new ideas.)
The first thought that hits me is: The water is cold.
This is followed by the fact that it is bright, so incredibly bright. Something fine and gritty rubs up against me. No, I’m lying on it. Water splashes over me again, causing more senses to prickle my mind.
A strange sound begins off in the distance, slowly growing louder and more insistent. The sound washes over me with the water, suffocating me with the eerie sadness of it. The more I listen, the more familiar it seems, almost as if…
Wailing. That is it. Someone is wailing.
Water washes over me again. I try to open my eyes. They feel glued shut. I try again, and brightness fills them. I blink a few times and lift my head off the ground - sand, I now see. I am lying on the beach, right on the shore line.
Why am I here?
I can’t remember. I can’t remember anything. This disturbs me.
I struggle into a sitting position. I am in a relatively unpopulated strip of beach surrounded by grasses, and a little further on, forests. There are no houses in sight.
I’m wearing a gray t-shirt and blue swim trunks - both thoroughly soaked and ripped in some places. Dark hair drips over my eyes. My breathing is slow and steady, and I appear completely healthy. Completely healthy and abandoned on a beach with no memory.
The wailing washes over me again. I stand up, agitated, and take a few steps. I walk fine, my steps easily connecting with the earth. My feet fly towards the sound - before I know it, I am running.
Sand trails out behind me as I dash to the sound.
The girl stands meters away, long blond hair covering her face. She shakes as she bends over something small and definitely fragile.
"Hello?" My voice is deep and husky, scratchy from lack of use.
She turns and stops sobbing. Tears stick to her lashes and lips, and a little whimper escapes her lips. "The bad people did this," she sobs. "The bad people hurt Ar-tur."
I glance down and see that "Ar-tur" is an English Spaniel lying motionless in the sand.
I bend down to my knees and put a hand on the young girl’s shoulder. "Who’re the bad people?"
Her bottom lip sticks out, and she shakes her head violently before bursting into more hysterics.
"Please," I plead. "I can help. Who’re the bad people?"
She looks up at me with pleading eyes, then something catches her eye behind me. Her eyes widen and her mouth gapes. She catches my shirt in her tiny fists and buries her face in it. "Oh, no no no no no." Comes her muffled reply. "Help meeeee."
The blood in my veins run cold. A twig snaps. A throaty laugh comes out from behind me. "That’d be me."
I whirl and turn to see a raven-haired girl snap another twig. Black rimmed eyes blink at me. "Well? Are you adopting her or something, Adrian? We don’t really have all day, and I’m kinda tired after getting that dog."
She knows me. This girl knows me. And I’m her friend, supposedly. I am… the "bad people." But no memories come to mind. I realize that, if this girl knows about me, she could use me. I know only one thing now. I am not going to go back with her. Not with a petrified little girl wrapped around my leg trying to go home. Whatever this girl could do, it is not something I want to deal with. It is wrong.
I glare at her and wrap my arms defensively around the girl, who remains whimpering as she peeks out from behind me. "I don’t know who you are, but you need to go. Now."
A look of shock passes over her face. "But you’re mine. We’re the same."
I shake my head. "I don’t know how you killed that dog, but it’s wrong. And I don’t hurt things."
She laughs loudly. "Of course you do, silly. It’s just a dog. We’ve finished way worse things."
I shake my head again. "Well, not anymore, then. I don’t want to remember." The last sentence slips out quick without my permission.
Her smile is wicked, quick. "You… don’t remember?" She pauses and smiles again. "Sorry it had to be this way, A. But have it your way. I’m sure the boss won’t be happy."
She cracks her knuckles and steps toward us. The blond girl squeals and grips me tighter. I try my best to shield her with my body, hoping that the raven-haired girl will leave her alone and just take me.
A sound off in the woods startles her and she turns back toward us. "Looks like someone’s coming. You won’t be so lucky next time, A." And then she vanishes into the shadows without so much as a hair left behind.
The little girl lifts her face to mine. "T-ank you, Adweean. T-ank you. I-I’m Emiwee…" Her fists loosen around my shirt and she steps away. "I can go now."
I blink. "No! I can’t just leave you here. It’s, like, the middle of the woods."
A bush rustles and Emily squeals, jumping back into my arms.
A girl identical to her, yet much, much older emerges from the trees. "Emily? Arthur?" She called out until her eyes rest on us. She glances once from Emily, to the dead dog, to the state of my ripped clothes, to the fact that my arms are around her sister.
Then she screams. "Get away from her! She’s just a little girl! You can’t take her!"
Her verbal pummeling startles me, and I pull away from Emily immediately. I stand and hold my hands out in a gesture of peace. "Look-" I begin.
She snatches Emily up from the ground and chucks a stick at me. I dodge it easily. "Hey, I’m not-" I try again.
The next stick hits me square on, and I collapse into the sand, pain springing into my mind. I blink and my vision blurs drastically. Waves of nausea sweep over me and I moan. Blackness corners me from the edges of my vision, slowly creeping over me.
"Manda, nooo!" Cries little Emily from somewhere beyond my vision.
The last thing I remember is two faces hovering over my head; a tiny one with the look of horror, and a startlingly pretty one with an expression of uncertainty.
Then everything is black.
This is followed by the fact that it is bright, so incredibly bright. Something fine and gritty rubs up against me. No, I’m lying on it. Water splashes over me again, causing more senses to prickle my mind.
A strange sound begins off in the distance, slowly growing louder and more insistent. The sound washes over me with the water, suffocating me with the eerie sadness of it. The more I listen, the more familiar it seems, almost as if…
Wailing. That is it. Someone is wailing.
Water washes over me again. I try to open my eyes. They feel glued shut. I try again, and brightness fills them. I blink a few times and lift my head off the ground - sand, I now see. I am lying on the beach, right on the shore line.
Why am I here?
I can’t remember. I can’t remember anything. This disturbs me.
I struggle into a sitting position. I am in a relatively unpopulated strip of beach surrounded by grasses, and a little further on, forests. There are no houses in sight.
I’m wearing a gray t-shirt and blue swim trunks - both thoroughly soaked and ripped in some places. Dark hair drips over my eyes. My breathing is slow and steady, and I appear completely healthy. Completely healthy and abandoned on a beach with no memory.
The wailing washes over me again. I stand up, agitated, and take a few steps. I walk fine, my steps easily connecting with the earth. My feet fly towards the sound - before I know it, I am running.
Sand trails out behind me as I dash to the sound.
The girl stands meters away, long blond hair covering her face. She shakes as she bends over something small and definitely fragile.
"Hello?" My voice is deep and husky, scratchy from lack of use.
She turns and stops sobbing. Tears stick to her lashes and lips, and a little whimper escapes her lips. "The bad people did this," she sobs. "The bad people hurt Ar-tur."
I glance down and see that "Ar-tur" is an English Spaniel lying motionless in the sand.
I bend down to my knees and put a hand on the young girl’s shoulder. "Who’re the bad people?"
Her bottom lip sticks out, and she shakes her head violently before bursting into more hysterics.
"Please," I plead. "I can help. Who’re the bad people?"
She looks up at me with pleading eyes, then something catches her eye behind me. Her eyes widen and her mouth gapes. She catches my shirt in her tiny fists and buries her face in it. "Oh, no no no no no." Comes her muffled reply. "Help meeeee."
The blood in my veins run cold. A twig snaps. A throaty laugh comes out from behind me. "That’d be me."
I whirl and turn to see a raven-haired girl snap another twig. Black rimmed eyes blink at me. "Well? Are you adopting her or something, Adrian? We don’t really have all day, and I’m kinda tired after getting that dog."
She knows me. This girl knows me. And I’m her friend, supposedly. I am… the "bad people." But no memories come to mind. I realize that, if this girl knows about me, she could use me. I know only one thing now. I am not going to go back with her. Not with a petrified little girl wrapped around my leg trying to go home. Whatever this girl could do, it is not something I want to deal with. It is wrong.
I glare at her and wrap my arms defensively around the girl, who remains whimpering as she peeks out from behind me. "I don’t know who you are, but you need to go. Now."
A look of shock passes over her face. "But you’re mine. We’re the same."
I shake my head. "I don’t know how you killed that dog, but it’s wrong. And I don’t hurt things."
She laughs loudly. "Of course you do, silly. It’s just a dog. We’ve finished way worse things."
I shake my head again. "Well, not anymore, then. I don’t want to remember." The last sentence slips out quick without my permission.
Her smile is wicked, quick. "You… don’t remember?" She pauses and smiles again. "Sorry it had to be this way, A. But have it your way. I’m sure the boss won’t be happy."
She cracks her knuckles and steps toward us. The blond girl squeals and grips me tighter. I try my best to shield her with my body, hoping that the raven-haired girl will leave her alone and just take me.
A sound off in the woods startles her and she turns back toward us. "Looks like someone’s coming. You won’t be so lucky next time, A." And then she vanishes into the shadows without so much as a hair left behind.
The little girl lifts her face to mine. "T-ank you, Adweean. T-ank you. I-I’m Emiwee…" Her fists loosen around my shirt and she steps away. "I can go now."
I blink. "No! I can’t just leave you here. It’s, like, the middle of the woods."
A bush rustles and Emily squeals, jumping back into my arms.
A girl identical to her, yet much, much older emerges from the trees. "Emily? Arthur?" She called out until her eyes rest on us. She glances once from Emily, to the dead dog, to the state of my ripped clothes, to the fact that my arms are around her sister.
Then she screams. "Get away from her! She’s just a little girl! You can’t take her!"
Her verbal pummeling startles me, and I pull away from Emily immediately. I stand and hold my hands out in a gesture of peace. "Look-" I begin.
She snatches Emily up from the ground and chucks a stick at me. I dodge it easily. "Hey, I’m not-" I try again.
The next stick hits me square on, and I collapse into the sand, pain springing into my mind. I blink and my vision blurs drastically. Waves of nausea sweep over me and I moan. Blackness corners me from the edges of my vision, slowly creeping over me.
"Manda, nooo!" Cries little Emily from somewhere beyond my vision.
The last thing I remember is two faces hovering over my head; a tiny one with the look of horror, and a startlingly pretty one with an expression of uncertainty.
Then everything is black.
Post Comment
