Shadows Before

This started off as an english assignment. One paragraph I could pass off as a ghost story. But I developed it in the holidays into what it is now. It's very long, so to reduce the posts, I have ignored some paragraph rules, new line for speech, etc. Please don't shoot me.

Part One: Jade

My breath came in short gasps as I lay on the floor. The tiles felt cool against my cheek as I lay there, silent as a corpse. The shadow swept past, almost gracefully, past my hiding place. Sitting up, I turned. Suddenly I felt hands on my shoulders. I could feel his hot breath on my neck as the shadow leant forwards…

Gasping, I sat up in bed. My Twilight book fell to the floor as I pulled the covers off and sprang up. Walking to my mirror, I kicked it aside. I knew I should never have read it so late. The face in the mirror scared me. Dark shadows under my eyes, hair all over the place, red lines where I had laid on the book… urgh. When was I going to grow up and stop having nightmares about stupid things like vampires and shadows?

School that day was uneventful. Skipped through tutorial, breezed through my lessons and generally chatted with mates. As I walked home with Jacob, the sun beat down, casting long shadows over us all. Even though I was way over the nightmare, I couldn’t help but shiver. “What’s up?” Jacob asked, taking me in his arms. “Are you cold? I’ll warm you up if you like”. I sighed, and regretfully pushed him away. “No, it’s not that… just a stupid dream, that’s all.” He kissed me on the cheek and said “Well, I can’t have dreams troubling my Jade, can I? Don’t worry about it love.” I blushed and hid behind my hair. At the same time, I noticed a girl, sitting under a tree. She was crying. Poor soul, I thought, Must have broken up with someone. Taking one last glance, I walked on.

It was Friday. I could barely concentrate as the hours ticked by. The only thing that kept me sane was the thought of meeting Jacob in the park after school. When the bell went, I practically flew out the door and into Jacob’s arms. Surprised, he kissed me, but it was very brief. He stroked my face – but something was wrong. “What’s wrong?” I asked. He didn’t respond, so I pressed harder. “Tests? Family trouble? Mates? What’s wrong?” He sat me down on a bench. “Jade… there’s something I have to tell you.” I was hit by a sudden fear.

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“Not exactly. But it will be harder for us to see each other. You see… I’m moving away. To Manchester.” I hadn’t even realised I was crying until a drop fell on Jacob’s hand. “I’m sorry.” He said, and moved away.

I had to get away. I ran, tears still streaming, and sat under a tree. I leant back, and sobbed.

(Seeing a connection yet?)

Weeks passed. I couldn’t think, couldn’t eat, couldn’t speak. Jacob did send me an email, but only to say he was having a great time. With new mates. Some of them girls. This was the final betrayal for me. I deleted his email address.

The phone rang, and I jumped at the sudden noise. Picking it up, I found Sophie on the end of the line. “Hiya Jade! Listen, the fair’s in town tomorrow. Do you wanna go?”

“Um, well, I don’t feel up to it…”

“Oh please! You haven’t been out since Jacob left…” I gulped. Well, might as well get a life. “Ok. What time?”

I felt slightly overwhelmed when I entered the fair with Sophie. There was a plague of little kids, screaming from fear and excitement. Bright lights popped and whirled round. The floor was a candyfloss and ice cream maze. My head hurt just looking around. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…” I murmured.

“Oh come on! Just enjoy yourself!” So I did. We went on numerous rides, and Sophie won a bong – eyed teddy on one of the stalls. As we were walking around hitting each other with “Boggle” as the teddy was now called, Sophie stopped. “Oh you have to be joking.”. A ‘Mystic Meg’ tent was sitting in a corner. The entrance was covered with beads and jewels, and a flag flew on the top of the tent. “I dare you to go in!” Sophie suddenly giggled.

“No way! I am not going in some psycho’s tent!” But she was pushing me forward with Boggle, so I sighed and began walking. As I brushed past all the jewels, I couldn’t help noticed that same girl from Friday, the one under the tree. She was looking nervously at the tent, as if… as if she was scared. Hope she doesn’t know anyone I do, I thought, as I entered Mystic Megs.

The smell of incense caught me off guard. The inside of the tent was just as gaudy as the outside. I was taking in so much that I didn’t even notice the veiled woman sitting at the table. She gestured for me to sit down, and I obeyed. She spread a pack of cards out on the table and croaked “Pick 6 cards”. As quickly as I could, I did so. “Meg” put the other cards away then turned my picked ones over. In spite of myself, I couldn’t help but gasp at what I’d picked. Meg was muttering to herself over my cards. She put a finger on the first card. The Lover. “He will come back” – how did she know I’d broken up with someone? – “But not with the same purpose. He feels affection, but in a different way. Consider this” Gulping, I followed her finger to the next card. The Friend. “She is close, but in a different way… there is another close bond, but not with you…” Her finger hovered over ‘The Lover’, then she moved on.

For the next few minutes I listened, fascinated, as she described my other cards. Even though ‘The Time’, ‘The Choice’, and ‘The End’ cards didn’t make much sense, the last one did. ‘The Shadow’. A shiver ran down my spine as Meg’s head whipped up. She stared at me, and her veil fell off her face as she trembled. As she pointed at me, she said. “The Shadow… you must run! Flee the Shadow!” Shaken now, I got up to leave, but she clutched at my top. “You must understand! You must understand how the cards fit! Flee!” I shook her off, and ran from the tent.

Sophie was waiting outside with some candyfloss. “That took a long time. What were you doing in there?”

“I had to pick some cards. Then she went mad and told me to run from the shadow. Probably just a show.” By now, Sophie had an orange in her hand, with a steely glare in her eye. “Ah yes, I can see it now… you will meet a tall, dark shadow on a cliff. There you shall meet your destiny…” I laughed, and knocked the orange out of her hand. Even so, I couldn’t help glancing back at the tent and wondering if the whole thing could have some truth in it.

When I got home, exhausted, I sat down at my computer, which told me I had two new emails, both from Sophie. The first was vaguely normal, asking me if I wanted to go to Peak cliff this Sunday. “If it’s sunny, we can look for shadows!” it said on the bottom. Laughing, I read the next one. It simply said “FLEE THE SHADOW!”

Peak Cliff was a sea of green in the summer. Green grass, green trees, even green plants. The only thing that wasn’t green was the gravely path running down the middle. It was this that we walked along as we continued along the cliff. Every now and again Sophie would grab me and whisper “What’s that? Over there!” as if she’d seen something terrifying. I laughed the first few times, but after a bit it just became annoying. The fifth time I snapped “Give it a rest, ok?”

“Alright, I was just messing.” She responded sulkily. We continued in silence for the next few minutes, until Sophie clutched her side. “Oh bum! I’ve dropped my bag! Listen, just keep going ok? I’m going to go back and look for it.” Before I could reply she’d sped off into the distance. Slightly puzzled, I continued along the cliff. Puzzled, because I was pretty sure she hadn’t got a bag.

My hair covered my face as I walked along the gravely path. The cold lashed at my face as I hurried along. I hadn’t even wanted to come here in the first place. It was all Sophie’s fault. She had practically blackmailed me into coming, with the whole Jacob thing. And now here I was, walking along this ancient, crumbling cliff.

I was tiring; I could tell that. My legs were aching and my eyes were aching. My whole body was aching. And yet, I was suddenly alert when I saw her.

Further up the path was a part of the fence that had been broken somehow. The cliff edge seemed to sway when you looked at it. I knew if I stood there, I would suffer from vertigo and dizziness. So when I saw the figure there, I was surprised.

The figure was standing perfectly still, apparently looking for something. They seemed to find it, and began to move on. But then they hit the rock. The figure stumbled, ever closer to the cliff edge. In spite of myself, I yelled out. “Stop!” I shouted. “You’re going to fall!” But my words were lost to the wind and as it whipped my face, I was forced to close my eyes. When I opened them again, the figure was gone.

Puzzled, I began walking again. I had a feeling the answer was lurking somewhere out of reach, but I couldn’t quite see it coming. I continued along the path. A thunderstorm was brewing now. A few minutes later, it began to rain. The rain soaked the path, and some of the smaller stones were pushed out of the way and pounded by the bullet – hard drops. It was getting dark now. I was going to have to find something to light the way.

I was at the broken fence now. Standing perfectly still, so as not to go too near the edge, I began looking for my mobile. At least it would provide some light, even if there was no signal. Remembering it was in my bag, I leant over to reach for it, while the thunder rumbled ominously overhead. Got it! Absentmindedly, just out of habit, I glanced at the screen. 5 missed calls, and 1 message. View. From Sophie. “Where r u? Plz ring. Soph xxx” How dare she! After all this, she’s worrying about me! She left me in the first place! Angry now, I went to shove the phone in my pocket. A bolt of lighting startled me, and I overbalanced. I hit a rock, and as I did so, I remembered something. Something that had happened only a few minutes earlier.

The figure had done exactly this. The figure had been looking for something. The figure had hit a rock and stumbled. And now I was doing the same. With a sickening jolt, I realised. Somehow, impossibly, I had seen myself. I had seen the future and watched myself disappear. As I stumbled even closer to the edge. I thought of my own words. “Stop! You’re going to fall!” I looked over the edge – and realised something else.

When I was forced to close my eyes, I hadn’t seen what had happened to the figure – me. I had just assumed it had disappear. But now, I was lead to believe something else. It – I – had fallen. And I hadn’t just seen myself then. At school, the girl crying under the tree. That was me, after I broke up with Jacob. At the fair, the girl looking nervously at the tent. That was me, rattled by what might have been the truth.

Only now was I beginning to see how the other cards fitted. ‘The Time’; I kept somehow seeing the future. ‘The Choice’; I had chosen whether to come here or not. I had practically chosen my fate. And ‘The End’, well, that was obvious. But the end of what? My friendship with Sophie, or something more sinister?

A few hours ago, I had been a person, a normal girl out on the cliff. But now, I was simply a doll, being tossed away by a child. The dizziness claimed me, and I spiralled over the edge…

(Do you understand yet? I hope you do XD)

Sophie was waiting outside with some candyfloss. “That took a long time. What were you doing in there?”

“I had to pick some cards. Then she went mad and told me to run from the shadow. Probably just a show.” By now, Sophie had an orange in her hand, with a steely glare in her eye. “Ah yes, I can see it now… you will meet a tall, dark shadow on a cliff. There you shall meet your destiny…” I laughed, and knocked the orange out of her hand. Even so, I couldn’t help glancing back at the tent and wondering if the whole thing could have some truth in it.

When I got home, exhausted, I sat down at my computer, which told me I had two new emails, both from Sophie. The first was vaguely normal, asking me if I wanted to go to Peak cliff this Sunday. “If it’s sunny, we can look for shadows!” it said on the bottom. Laughing, I read the next one. It simply said “FLEE THE SHADOW!”

Peak Cliff was a sea of green in the summer. Green grass, green trees, even green plants. The only thing that wasn’t green was the gravely path running down the middle. It was this that we walked along as we continued along the cliff. Every now and again Sophie would grab me and whisper “What’s that? Over there!” as if she’d seen something terrifying. I laughed the first few times, but after a bit it just became annoying. The fifth time I snapped “Give it a rest, ok?”

“Alright, I was just messing.” She responded sulkily. We continued in silence for the next few minutes, until Sophie clutched her side. “Oh bum! I’ve dropped my bag! Listen, just keep going ok? I’m going to go back and look for it.” Before I could reply she’d sped off into the distance. Slightly puzzled, I continued along the cliff. Puzzled, because I was pretty sure she hadn’t got a bag.

(short post :/)

My hair covered my face as I walked along the gravely path. The cold lashed at my face as I hurried along. I hadn’t even wanted to come here in the first place. It was all Sophie’s fault. She had practically blackmailed me into coming, with the whole Jacob thing. And now here I was, walking along this ancient, crumbling cliff.

I was tiring; I could tell that. My legs were aching and my eyes were aching. My whole body was aching. And yet, I was suddenly alert when I saw her.

Further up the path was a part of the fence that had been broken somehow. The cliff edge seemed to sway when you looked at it. I knew if I stood there, I would suffer from vertigo and dizziness. So when I saw the figure there, I was surprised.

The figure was standing perfectly still, apparently looking for something. They seemed to find it, and began to move on. But then they hit the rock. The figure stumbled, ever closer to the cliff edge. In spite of myself, I yelled out. “Stop!” I shouted. “You’re going to fall!” But my words were lost to the wind and as it whipped my face, I was forced to close my eyes. When I opened them again, the figure was gone.

Puzzled, I began walking again. I had a feeling the answer was lurking somewhere out of reach, but I couldn’t quite see it coming. I continued along the path. A thunderstorm was brewing now. A few minutes later, it began to rain. The rain soaked the path, and some of the smaller stones were pushed out of the way and pounded by the bullet – hard drops. It was getting dark now. I was going to have to find something to light the way.

I was at the broken fence now. Standing perfectly still, so as not to go too near the edge, I began looking for my mobile. At least it would provide some light, even if there was no signal. Remembering it was in my bag, I leant over to reach for it, while the thunder rumbled ominously overhead. Got it! Absentmindedly, just out of habit, I glanced at the screen. 5 missed calls, and 1 message. View. From Sophie. “Where r u? Plz ring. Soph xxx” How dare she! After all this, she’s worrying about me! She left me in the first place! Angry now, I went to shove the phone in my pocket. A bolt of lighting startled me, and I overbalanced. I hit a rock, and as I did so, I remembered something. Something that had happened only a few minutes earlier.

The figure had done exactly this. The figure had been looking for something. The figure had hit a rock and stumbled. And now I was doing the same. With a sickening jolt, I realised. Somehow, impossibly, I had seen myself. I had seen the future and watched myself disappear. As I stumbled even closer to the edge. I thought of my own words. “Stop! You’re going to fall!” I looked over the edge – and realised something else.

When I was forced to close my eyes, I hadn’t seen what had happened to the figure – me. I had just assumed it had disappear. But now, I was lead to believe something else. It – I – had fallen. And I hadn’t just seen myself then. At school, the girl crying under the tree. That was me, after I broke up with Jacob. At the fair, the girl looking nervously at the tent. That was me, rattled by what might have been the truth.

Only now was I beginning to see how the other cards fitted. ‘The Time’; I kept somehow seeing the future. ‘The Choice’; I had chosen whether to come here or not. I had practically chosen my fate. And ‘The End’, well, that was obvious. But the end of what? My friendship with Sophie, or something more sinister?

A few hours ago, I had been a person, a normal girl out on the cliff. But now, I was simply a doll, being tossed away by a child. The dizziness claimed me, and I spiralled over the edge…

(This was the orginal paragraph, with a few additions)

Part Two: Sophie

I watched from a safe distance as Jade stumbled and fell off the edge. In some ways I felt relieved. After all, that was one less danger in the way. However, there was a small part of me that felt sad. She was my friend. That was the first time I’d felt emotional about one of our ‘Clients’. To distract myself, I flipped open my mobile and called Jacob. He wasn’t going to react well to this. Eventually, he answered. “Hey Soph. What’s up?” My throat dry I replied. “Another one gone.”

“Who was it this time? We need to think of some cover story.” I swallowed.

“Jade”. There was silence as Jacob swallowed. Then, “You idiot.”

“Why? You understand why we’re doing this?”

“Yeah, shadow people and all that. But you do realise this is going to be impossible? Her parents will think she got so depressed about me leaving that she killed herself?” I bit my lip, and hung up.

I had to get away. Jacob’s words rung in my ears. “So depressed… she killed herself?” No, no she didn’t. It was my fault. My entire fault. Unthinkingly, I ran into my Grandma’s house and into her bedroom. There was the pack of cards, spread out on the table; ‘The Shadow’ card on the top. A sudden voice startled me. “I knew you’d come back”. I span round to find my Grandma in the doorway. Mystic Meg herself. “Ever since I read Jade’s cards at the fair, I knew you were in the process of getting rid of another one.” She moved closer; I was crying now.

“Why do I do it Grandma? Why do I do it?”

“Because you know it’s the right thing to do. Our destiny’s are there; yours is to do this. The Shadow People are in danger of ruining Time itself. With their visions, they could choose an entirely different path and ruin everything.”

“I should have been more prepared. I heard you reading her cards after all. You even gave her a warning.”

Grandma nodded. “Ah, so that’s why ‘The Friend’ card came up. ‘She is close, but in a different way’… yes, you were close to the tent. I didn’t realise you were friends with her.” I began to move away. How could she talk about Jade as if she was nothing, just rubbish to be disposed of? A hand caught my shoulder. “You will understand the whole process soon. Jacob will have to live with this fate as well. Be strong love. You know it’s for the best.”

That's it. I'm sorry for so many posts.

Please comment nicely

That was cool 8D but with an odd ending But yeah. Cool.

Wow.That's cool!