A few days later, Shadow and Harlow invited me to the shadow part to see their progress in deciphering the illusion. As the three of us were walking through the slightly darker part of the woods, I was quietly observing the changes. Brazen, Naomi, Harlow, and I had originally found this place two years ago during the last month of school. During that time, the slight hint of darkness that I’d seen then had creeped further, making the place seem a little darker. I knew it was worse for Shadow, who couldn’t see, but Harlow and I could. Harlow, who was leading the way, stopped at a small crossroads in the path. “This is as far as we got.” I nodded. “What did you figure out?” “You were right - it is an illusion. Shadow has tried to use her light in here many times, but she still can’t see. We even tried the night vision spell, but that didn’t work either. The only logical explanation-” “Is if there’s no actual darkness to begin with!” I finished, catching on. “You two are smart.” “They’re not the only ones who’ve figured this out,” a voice came from behind us. “In fact, they’re not even the farthest along.” Shadow and I whipped around, while Harlow stared at the newcomer in surprise. “What do you mean, we’re not the only ones?” The newcomer smiled slightly, their startling gray eyes standing out against the shadowy backdrop behind them. Their shoulder length hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, the brown hair blending in with the darkness. Their hands were in the pockets of their jeans. “Not to brag, but I know a good deal about this illusion,” they said. “I’ve been here for years, studying it. You guys are correct, though. No amount of magical light or spells will help you here. Only a handful of people can see here.” “How do you know? And who can see?” Harlow asked. “Shades, Seers, and another handful of people I haven’t figured out a connection for.” “Who are you?” Shadow cut in, probably quite confused on account of the fact that she was the only one who couldn’t see. The newcomer smirked. “She speaks! I’m Chaiyn,” he said, pronouncing it like ‘Shane.’ “And you are?” “I’m Acwulf,” I said, gesturing to myself. “That’s Harlow, and that’s Shadow,” I finished, pointing to each of my friends in turn. Chaiyn nodded. “My guess is that you’re a Shade,” he said, gesturing to Harlow. “And that you can see. And you two,” he continued, gesturing to Shadow and I, “Are werewolves, but only Wolf - can I call you that? can see. I’m not sure why, but that’s what I’ve gathered.” This boy was impressive. I had no clue where he’d come from or why he was here, but the amount he’d perceived simply by looking at us both alarmed and awed me. “That’s all correct,” Harlow said, also slightly unnerved. “How did you know?” He shrugged. “You two are the only ones who’ve really looked in my direction; Shadow is off by a few inches, indicating she doesn’t actually know where I am. And as for how I knew you were a Shade? It’s a bit darker here, but a good amount of the shadows are hanging around you, kind of like an aura, indicating that they’d obey you. And you, Acwulf, I knew you and your friend were werewolves because I can see some of your scars.” I subconsciously adjusted my jacket to hide the scar on my shoulder. Shadow tucked her left ankle behind her right leg. Chaiyn was pretty observant. That was equal parts creepy and cool. “You say you’ve been studying this place for years,” I said. “Where have you been doing that?” “You can come see it - well, Shadow won’t really be able to, but I can show you the way. C’mon.” Chaiyn turned on his heel and ran off into the woods, the three of us at his heels. We stopped at a small clearing with a rather large workshop built in the center. Parts of it were quite precarious, leaning at unsteady angles and looking ready to fall at any second. Chaiyn walked right up to the table in the center, completely unaware of the dangers. He ran his hands along the spines of notebooks and journals on the bookshelf as Harlow quietly described most of the scene to Shadow, who still couldn’t really see. I started a conversation. “How long have you been here?” I asked Chaiyn. He didn’t turn my way, but I had a feeling he’d know exactly when I moved and how I did so. “Like I said before. A few years.” “Yeah, but how many? ‘A few’ can mean a wide range of numbers.” “Five years. Happy?” “That’s a long time. Why? Do you have any family?” He was getting a little annoyed, so I got the cue to drop the subject. I wasn’t going to until he answered at the very least the first question. “I’m here because I was sent here. My family doesn’t care whether I live or die. Do you want to know anything else about this part of the woods?” he said, voice going from ice cold to sort of friendly as smoothly as he’d changed the subject.
Notes/Credits: If you're reading this, you probably know I wrote The Wolf Boy. Well, here's the sequel: The Monster's Curse. This is Chapter 20, Pt 1. Previous Chapter(s): Chapter 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652476202/ Chapter 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652950608/ Chapter 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177024/ Chapter 4: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177565/ Chapter 5: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655621072/ Chapter 6: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/656955201/ Chapter 7: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657580423/ Chapter 8: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657583863/ Chapter 9: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657586191/ Chapter 10: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657668860/ Chapter 11: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/658404211/ Chapter 12: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659115920/ Chapter 13: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659116659/ Chapter 14: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659117186/ Chapter 15: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659420154/ Chapter 16: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661425573/ Chapter 17: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661428771/ Chapter 18: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661974554/ Chapter 19: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/662108449/ Credits: Me, for being the author Shannon Messenger, JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, and many other authors for inspo @aqua_di_angelo, @AL600AWESOME, @Lanze_cupcake_face11, and @Yayabinks for inspo and supporting the story! QOTC: Why do you think the shadow part is an illusion?
