The Shadowdancer

He wasn’t supposed to be here. This land, these trees, this forest—it was forbidden territory. To come here, he was told, would invite death upon him.

The ground was wet but not yet muddy as William made his way through the towering redwoods. It was dark this day. The clouds refused to let the sun show its face in almost a month. Thunder rumbled behind him, promising storms that would force most people indoors. William didn’t mind getting soaked, nor did he mind the lightning or the wind. It was one of his most favorite times—just before the storm. The air seemed to crackle with energy. The soil, pine needles, and water smelled stronger than it would on a hot dry day.

And there was something else—

Always, when the weather would turn, he felt as though something big, something important, was going to happen. He could feel it in the air as though the storm’s energy was trying to communicate with him through a passive sense.

William couldn’t help but look over his shoulder every four or five strides. He could never tell if the soft noises behind him were footsteps or raindrops falling to the earth. He didn’t know if the leaves of ferns bounced and swayed from the water hitting them or from someone passing silently by.

He continued on, however, pushing his anxiety aside, knowing that regret would consume him if he turned around now.

His cell phone buzzed angrily in his pocket, reminding him again that he had been told specifically to never come here. If he couldn’t find another way to do what he had to do soon, he wouldn’t be safe on either side.

Whatever would I do then? He smiled as he thought about it. Leave the country? Is there anywhere they wouldn’t find me? When the phone vibrated again, he closed his hand over his pocket, pushing the button to shut it off.

Ahead of him, the trees began to thin out. The land simply dropped off, and even on a gloomy day as this one, the view was breathtaking of the mountains and small town below. He’d been here twice before: once on a clear night when the stars could be seen and early in the morning to watch the sun rise. He remembered they had chased him in a memory here, eager to throw him off the side or end him in some other way.

In the ancient thoughts he would have killed them—or at least most of them. He had been ready to die. The madness that consumed him had become more than he could bear, and he had been ready to unleash it … but she got to him first.

Everything changed from that moment on.

William stopped when he got to the edge of the forest. His eyes drifted slowly over the massive trees to his left and then to his right. And then he spotted her leaning against one of the leaner redwoods, looking up with her eyes closed. Rain had drenched her hair and clothes, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her clothes matched the forest both in color and texture. Had her back been turned to him, he probably wouldn’t have seen her. It was how her kind was—if they did not wish to be seen, they would not be seen.

Walking over to her, she smiled just before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “How long do we have?”

Her smile faded a little. They stared at each other for several moments. The world around them slowed and faded from their senses. William watched her dark brown eyes, felt them penetrate his very soul. He cherished these brief moments he had with her, knowing that he was the only thing that existed to her for that short time. And when he looked back, there was nothing else in the world that mattered to him either. Never had his focus been so finely honed and precise. When he looked at others, his mind wandered, and it took all his willpower to keep from losing control. Without meaning to, the minds of others crumbled before his gaze.

But not around her. Around her, his mind turned from raging waves to a sea of glass.

She didn’t answer him. Instead, her hands went to the sides of his face and pulled it to her own. When their lips met he couldn’t help pulling her closer, crushing her against his body. She exhaled audibly and then closed her mouth over his, biting his lower lip. William pushed her against the tree, grabbed her by the thighs and hoisted her up so that her head was level with his. He loved the way her body felt in his arms—he loved feeling the muscles in her legs and back—and how strong she was. He loved knowing that he could kiss and touch her as fiercely as he felt without causing her harm. He grinned when she wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed, letting him know that he was being too gentle…

Avery loved how it tasted when they kissed. The experience was enhanced tenfold by the rain, those drops of water falling from the trees, pouring down their faces and into their mouths…when she breathed in, her senses were flooded with the smells of the earth, forest, and him. Feeling his fingers press deeply into her legs and back, massaging wherever they touched, calmed her in a way meditation and sleep never could. As lethal and capable as she was, he still somehow made her feel safe beyond any weapon, skill, or bodyguard she’d been around.

Behind them, deep within the shadows of the redwood giants, two birds began to call to each other.

Avery stopped, her eyes changing focus from William to the sounds behind them. “William, you have to go.”

William’s jaw clenched. He let her down but kept her close. “I’m not afraid of them. I’ve never been afraid of them.”

She looked sad but stayed focused on her surroundings. “You don’t understand. I don’t have time to explain. Not now. Please.” She ran her fingers through his wet hair. “One day when the time is right, I’ll tell you everything. Be patient with me.”

“It’s not you I have a problem being patient with,” he muttered under his breath. The pupils in his eyes began to glow a dark crimson, then returned to black.

“Avery...”

She looked at him. He could read everything by just looking into her eyes: how sorry she was, the anger and pain she felt, but more than anything—

“I love you.”

She smiled that sad smile he knew all too well. She knew how much he loved her smile but hated the mask she was forced to wear. “I love you, William.”

They kissed once more, and then William turned and ran into the trees away from the call of the birds.

Moments later, a figure emerged from the shadows of the trees and approached Avery.

“What are you doing here?”

Chapter 1: Things New & Old

The entire school stood outside waiting for the bell to ring so that they could go to their classes. William never liked this part of the day. Everyone was always so loud, each group of students shouting at the top of their lungs so they could be heard over the people standing next to them. Every five minutes someone was shoved, resulting in a mosh pit three seconds later. Every car that pulled up had their music high enough to drown out all sound in their immediate vicinity. Some of the freshman would start making strange noises for no reason just to get attention. And it was cold outside, cold enough to see steam from a hundred mouths drift and vanish into the air. Hair stood frozen on the heads of guys who wet it before school. Pockets of several dozen people stared down at their phones, texting others standing no more than five feet away.

Some loved throwing themselves into the chaos, but he had never been one of them. All of it was a cacophony to William. Normally he would have found a wall to have his back to, but his older brother had thrown a victory party for GSP the night before after the UFC championship. He knew Nolan had fully intended on getting up on time for the first day back after fall break, but one hour of sleep never cut it for him. And it was Nolan’s senior year, or ‘the year of apathy’ as he called it on the zodiac calendar. So, trying to convince him that anything involving school mattered was next to impossible.

Suddenly pushed from behind, William’s head jolted upward. He slammed into a girl who screamed as though she was raped and then fell to the ground. He laid there for a moment, debating on whether he should see who pushed him or just let the masses trample him into the dirt. He wouldn’t be a senior for another year, and so he still had to survive until then. And so he stood up, adjusted his backpack, and turned around.

It always amazed William how everyone could be cramped together in such a confined place and in the next moment have a twenty foot circle of open space just before a fight. “I think my brother is over by the central office Tyler.”

“I wasn’t looking for your brother,” the big bleached blond responded. “You a badass like your big bro?”

“Nope,” William said. He would have turned and walked into the crowd, but they were packed even closer together to make room for what they hoped would take place before the first bell. William rubbed at his temples. It always felt like the pressure outside affected his brain directly. “Can this wait until later today?”

The kids around him laughed. Even Tyler had to smile. “You’re funnier than your brother.”

William didn’t smile. “It isn’t intentional.” And then someone pushed him forward towards Tyler.

Now, William was no fighter in comparison to his older brother. But, he had fought with Nolan enough to get the basics down on how to survive in a fight. The moment Tyler swung high, he ducked low and planted a fast solid punch to the larger kid’s groin. Tyler crumpled to the ground in a heap, curling up in a fetal position. Everyone in the crowd ‘Ooooed’, and William was sure that was the end of it.

When he felt a punch land between his shoulder blades, he knew it was going to be an all-out brawl in a matter of seconds. He could feel a boiling anger brewing inside from being pushed and punched from behind. He turned his head and kicked out, burying a heel into another groin. Another kid buried his shoulder into William’s stomach, grabbed at the back of his legs, and lifted him off the ground. The two collapsed into the crowd of people. William punched the unknown assailant in the ears and neck while he was pounded in the ribs. Seconds later the kid wrapped around his waist went limp, and without thinking, he grabbed at the ankles of those standing nearest to him and pulled. The two students fell down, and William jumped onto one, raising his fist.

But before he could bring his knuckles down, he was hit with a battering ram of solid muscle. He rolled over a few times before coming to a stop and could see legs wrapped around his waist and feel a thick arm around his neck. William bucked and thrashed but could not break free of the hold.

“William! Calm down!” he heard a familiar voice say. It was loud but firm and controlled. “Calm down, William! Stop fighting!”

William growled as he pulled at the arm around his neck. His head hurt badly. His temples felt like they were beginning to burn. He heard a few people gasp before another thick arm covered his eyes.

“HELLS BELLS, WILLIAM! CALM DOWN!”

Not being able to see the people around him helped. He still pulled against the arm restraining him, but his breathing slowed, and eventually the burning in his head stopped.

“Get the hell off me, Nolan,” William said.

The arms and legs disappeared, and Nolan was on his feet before William could even get his bearings. “It’s nice to know my brother will show up to take me down in a fight I didn’t start and was most likely the other guy’s fault.”

The crowd began to disperse, returning to their conversations as though nothing happened.

“I saw the whole thing,” Nolan said quietly. “I came as soon as I could.”

“Yeah,” William said. He pushed dark brown hair out of his face; bits of dirt and grass fell when he brushed his fingers through it. “This happened because of you. I don’t want to fight anyone. That’s you. Not me.”

“I know, Will. I’m sorry.” Nolan rarely spoke seriously, but when he did you could hear it. “I wasn’t thinking me bein’ the way I am would affect you like it has. I’m really sorry.”

William looked at his older brother and sighed. They looked similar except that Nolan was the thicker, taller, and the better looking of the two. He knew his brother was sorry by the way he avoided eye contact. “Nolan, it’s fine, but why did you stop me? I was the one outnumbered.”

“Are you kidding me? You could have killed that kid if I hadn’t stopped you. You were out of control, Will. All he was doing was watching.”

William’s eyes narrowed a bit. He could feel his temples begin to burn again. “Perhaps next time the spectators won’t be so eager to watch someone have the shit beat out of them. Maybe next time they’ll walk away or actually help the guy who is being bullied.”

“Will,” Nolan began, his eyes going to his feet again.

The bell rang.

William turned to go.

“Will, we need to talk later tonight,” Nolan said. “It’s kind of important.”

William stopped, staring at the backs of the people walking around and in front of him. “Well, that depends on you, Nolan. I’m not the one who ever has any plans.” He didn’t wait for a response; he really didn’t care if Nolan had one. This hadn’t been the first time something like this happened. Sometimes Nolan was there; sometimes he wasn’t.

He reached into his back pocket to take out the paper listing his classes with his new rotating electives only to find that it was gone. Normally, it would have infuriated him. Right now, he just didn’t care. “What the hell ever. Someone will tell me where I need to go,” he said to himself as he fell in with the crowd.

The day continued on without incident. William watched as old friends reunited from fall break while others pursued grudges that seemed to have no end. He saw Tyler at lunch giving him the evil eye, but his threats never went beyond that. He went to three classes before one of the teachers told him to go to the central office for another copy of his schedule. And so he had Trigonometry twice that day.

William recognized most of the faces even if they didn’t recognize him. He was paired up twice with girls who had no interest in being his partner in Advanced Chemistry and English Literature. Overall, it was turning out to be just like every other year.

The penultimate period of the day was a study hall, which he had absolutely no use for. He stared at the pictures of the U.S. Presidents on the wall next to a Garfield motivational poster with books piled on his head and words underneath that read, “I’m learning by Osmosis.” He wondered if Martin Van Buren would have appreciated being pinned up next to Garfield.

“Hey, are you that William fella?” asked a voice with a thick southern accent.

William turned his head a little and whispered over his shoulder, “Yeah. Why?” He heard the desk behind him squeak as whoever it was leaned forward.

“Well, I’m in a situation that is a bit of a conundrum for me, William. I’m kinda new here. Come from a ways down south.”

“I couldn’t tell.”

“Really? I thought my accent was a dead giveaway.” He was quiet for a moment, whispered something to himself, and then continued, “All the ladies are quite kind to me, but I was hopin’ to make some male friends before the end of the week.”

William furrowed his eyebrows. Can only make friends with girls? What a tragedy… He turned around and stared at the boy sitting behind him. What the hell... Is he wearing makeup?

The stranger’s hair was fashioned like a celebrity’s, and his eyebrows were thick like a man’s but shaped so that they were identical to each other. His shirt, jeans, and shoes were all designer brands, and his teeth shown as bright as the noonday sun. He was tan and toned; his square jaw line, semi-thick neck, and hands showed he was no stranger to hard labor.

“Dude, I’m not gay,” William said and turned back around.

“I didn’t think you were,” there was another long pause of silence.

William looked around and saw almost every girl in the class look at him when they thought he wouldn’t notice. His gaze shifted to his desk and began to trace the geometrical designs that were carved into the wood with his mind.

“The name’s Jer,” said the young man. “Short for Jeraboam. Parents loved the bible.” He laughed a little.

William looked up. “Jeraboam? Must not have loved you that much. Have you ever read it?”

“Hellfire yes,” he said in a normal voice.

The teacher and several of the students sshhhhed him.