Dark Shadows by Toni Vallan

Author:Toni Vallan [Vallan, Toni]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B017PT3IA2
Publisher: Infinite Ink Books
Published: 2015-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

AFTER KYLA LEAVES, I sit on the sofa, still and emotionless as stone. The light fades and the shadows grow and it gets darker in the room, and so much darker in me.

But I notice nothing.

I sit there for so long that when I finally blink, as if waking from a dream, I’m sitting in the pitch dark. And for a moment my heart stills. The darkness is thick and palpable. And so very terrifying. I take in a shuddering breath and shake my head wondering what came over me? How did I switch off like that for so long? Hours have gone by with me just sitting on the sofa, silent and still. I swallow a lump in my throat and decide this is something to discuss with Dr Benton.

I stretch, pulling at the stiff muscles in my shoulders and arms. When I head into the kitchen, I pause and stand staring at the refrigerator. It makes an odd hum and hiss sound, and then sometimes falls into a silence that hurts my ears. The thought of food is highly unappealing, the remains of the burger still sitting solidly in my stomach, so I head to my room.

The alarm clock on my bedside tells me it’s after 11:58 and it reminds me of how much time I’ve lost. I think about calling Kyla- I want to check on her and make sure she is alright, not because I want to apologize. I had nothing to be sorry for. She was wrong, not me.

And suddenly, the thought of talking to her makes me cold. I settle for sending a text and grab my phone from my jeans pocket. I scroll through, my thumb sliding along the numbers until I reach Kyla’s. A few taps of my thumb later and I’ve sent her a message: We need to talk. Where are you?

I close the phone and stare at it for a while. Kyla is my friend, but she is beginning to frighten me. Dread grips me with unrelenting fingers and weighs me down. I could think of a number of places she could be, but the few that stand out are enough to chill me to the bone. I really don’t want to think about her intentions, but I do worry that she is willing to hurt people in the name of avenging me. Suddenly, I’m not so sure I know Kyla all that well anymore.

I trudge to my room, drop my phone on the dresser and gather my things for a shower. I spend far too long under the hot spray, but Mom’s asleep so she won’t nag me about wasting water, so I don’t care. The shower drains my energy and before I know it I’m diving under the covers, not caring a jot about my homework. I’m exhausted, my mind, my heart and every muscle in my body cry out for rest, but I don’t spend any time wondering why.

I switch my bedside lamp on, then throw one of my dark scarves over it.

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