Chapter 3 - Silent Shadows

A warm glow; sunshine on her face.

            Arratay laughs as the man throws her up in the air, the whoosh of air in her ears. A woman holds Susurrus' hand tightly as he drags her ahead, and the scene is perfect. The sweet nectar of summertime makes them heavy with happiness, heavy with rightness. As she falls back down, she is sure that she has never felt so complete in her life.

            Her smile dims. She cannot remember where she is, or why she is there. She's so small, how old is she? She is lost in a whirl of confusion as she spins around. The woman and the man stand together.

            "Do you remember what happens next, pet?" the woman asks. Her voice is wrong, unsure, like a memory of something half-forgotten and imagined.

            The man speaks in his half-voice. "Remember, Arratay? Can't you remember what happens next?"

            Arratay's heart drops. She knows where she is. She knows what happens next. "No!" she screams. Too late. Again.

            She is running, running towards them, towards her parents, but the sky is dark and they are already burning. Turning into dust and ashes. Falling apart. Screaming. They burn to nothing in a flutter of lashes.

            She was always too late.

* * *

Arratay gasped. It was one of those dreams that defied time, where everything happens in mere seconds. Lives end and lives ruined in a blink of the eye. She opened her clenched fist, half expecting the steel grey ash that she knew so well from her dreams, but her hands only yielded her crumpled bed sheet.

            It was a dream, just a dream. How had it gotten in, after all this time? Always waiting for her to fall asleep, for her to be vulnerable, before invading her mind. Reliving the same thing over and over again.

            She waited for her rushing heart to be steady again, hating the hysterical skipping of the beats, the way the dreams haunted her. She wasn't afraid - she had driven away the fear long ago - and she had vowed that nothing would make her feel afraid again.

            Her jaw clenched. There was no fear, only anger. To feel so right and then have it taken away from her, to have her happiness replaced by a cold regret… the dreams lied to her.

            This was her life. Waiting, haunted, for the chance to pay her debt. Her parents had given her life, had brought her into this world. And she had been too late to save them.

            But she had Susurrus. And for years, this is what they had been doing. Tracking the killer, waiting for the perfect chance to strike and punish him.

            Waiting for the Unnamed.

           

* * *

Arratay's lids fluttered. She became distinctly aware of her surroundings. Pillow. Blanket. Her bed. She yawned and rolled over, frowning when she saw the time. 2:54 AM. She lay quiet for a while, peering into the darkness that was only illuminated by the digital clock, numbers blinking back at her in the silence. She tried to shake off an uneasy feeling that sat at the bottom of her stomach, but it lingered like a bad aftertaste.

            A creak came from kitchen and she stiffened. Another, this time from the dining room, and she forced her mind to sharpen, brushing off her weariness like cobwebs. She crept out of her bed and hesitated as she reached for the doorknob. Her eyes narrowed and she gently pulled open the door.

            A fist of shadows hit her on the side of the head and she flew sideways, skidding across the hallway. Her mind was a kaleidoscope of colours and explosions as she groped for a weapon, too late as another wave of shadows caught her square in the stomach, throwing her against the walls. She curled up into a ball in the corner, trying to back away from the shadows. Her mind processed everything slowly, from the fact that she was being attacked to the realisation that the attacker wasn’t really an attacker at all.

            It was still dark, but somehow she felt the shadows creeping in, suffocating her. It didn’t make sense, it was impossible, but it was somehow true.

            Nobody was controlling the shadows.

            A tendril of shadow wrapped around her wrist.

            Another around her other hand.

            A last one around her neck.

            She choked and fought, kicking her legs. With every struggle, the tendrils wrapped tighter and tighter. She was going to pass out soon, she knew, and still she tried to push back, tried to free up some space between the shadow and her neck. Her head was beating like a drum, her mouth gaping for air that wouldn’t come. With her last ounce of strength, she hit her heel against the wall, emitting a weak sound that was more comparable to a tap. Still, it was enough.

            A light flicked on as Susurrus teleported in, and then Arratay was released as the shadows melted into the dark corners of the room. She collapsed and fell sideways, Susurrus catching her just in time.

            “What the hell were those,” he began, “and what the hell are they doing in our home?”

            Darkness clouded her mind, and the room swallowed itself into nothingness.

Apologiessss

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. (<---psst Doctor Who reference.)

I have been terrible at writing recently, and I know I promised two more chapters before I start school next week.

I will never make such promises again.

UGH this chapter has been so difficult to write, it's not making any sense. AGH.

In better news, this blog has just hit 601 views (whoop whoop) ! Thanks and don't hold your breath on the chapter... it's highly unlikely I'll get it done.

I'm sorry. But the truth is out there.

I CAN'T KEEP PROMISES. *GASP*

NEW CHAPTER (..........after summer)

Did I get your hopes up? 

:) Sorry! I'm am (I swear I am) writing Arra's chapter right now, and then after that is Duck's, and then after that is....uhhhh I think Eld's? 

Anyhowsies, I will surely post when I get back, and even maybe I might post during July! 

Uh and this is an awesome photo, to make your time here worthwhile (click to enlarge):

IT'S ADORABLE!
(no spoilers please, I'm only on the third season!)

Can I just say a massive THANK YOU for coming and reading and letting me use your characters and commenting? It means so much to me and you guys have been ultra-nice. *hugs* :)

WATCH OUT FOR YOUR DOORKNOBS, ONE OF MINE ATTACKED ME, AND THEN ONE ATTACKED MY DAD. *nods* seriously, though.

Chapter 2: Bat Wings and Metalbenders

Formatting's weird...meh.

A waiter approached Fabi with her iced coffee and placed it on her table. Fabi thanked him and began to sip the cold liquid, her dark blue eyes following a man who was across the street from her. His name was Dalet, a known assassin that had escaped from a prison in Prague. She watched as he approached a Chinese restaurant and discreetly showed a card of some kind to the hostess. Her eyes narrowed. The hostess led him to the back and he slipped into the back room.

Standing up, Fabi made a mental note of the restaurant's name. She paid for her coffee and left the café, strolling down the street in her shorts and t-shirt. Her phone rang.

"Hello?" 

"Fabi! It's me, Eldritch! I heard you were in Perth," a bright voice answered.

Fabi smiled. "Yeah, I'm in Perth. I'm actually in Northbridge, walking down James Street."

"James Street? Me too!" Eld squealed through the phone, and Fabi saw a tall girl wearing a long coat at the end of the street, tearing through the crowd. Her frizzy hair was flying, and the hand that didn't hold the phone was covered in purple, black, and grey striped fingerless glove. Definitely Eld, she thought.

Fabi braced for the impact and Eld tackled her, taking them both down. A bemused passerby sidestepped the collision and shook his head. Fabi and Eld lay laughing in the street.

"Fabi?"

"Yes, Eld?"

"It's good to see you."

They grinned at each other and stood up, starting to walk in the direction Eld had come from. Fabi put up her disheveled hair in a bun as they talked, rearranging the multitude of bobby pins that were intertwined in her hair.

"Is this your first time in the city?" Eld asked.

"Yeah," Fabi replied. "I was just…checking something out."

Eld raised an eyebrow. "Another criminal loose? Where do you parents think you are?"

Fabi nodded. "Yeah, another one. Supposedly I'm on a two month school trip in Europe."

Eld smiled so wide it looked like she was about to swallow her head. "Two months? Will you stay here?"

Fabi considered it, chewing her lip. It didn't look like Dalet was going anywhere, and besides, she could use a holiday. "Affirmative."

Eld squealed again and began dragging Fabi to the bus stop and began to babble excitedly.

____________

Eld led Fabi up a set of stairs in a small apartment building. Thankfully, Eld offered to let her stay in her apartment with her roommate, whom she had never met. They walked up to the top floor, and Eld unlocked a light blue door that looked like it had been hand-painted.

"Sorry the mess," Eld mumbled. "It's her fault."

They entered the apartment and Fabi looked around. The walls had been painted a light beige, which gave the apartment a warm feeling, and the sunlight streamed through the large windows that covered all the walls. It was a small apartment, but it's high ceilings gave the impression of space. Eld took Fabi's bag from her and searched for a place to put it. Eventually she gave up and gave it back, shrugging.

Eld beamed at her. "Let's go on a tour!" Fabi was promptly yanked around by the hand into different rooms.

"Living room! Kitchen! Bathroom!" Eld listed as she opened various doors. "And this is my bedroom."

Fabi peeked in. It was messy in a charming way, with a low bed and a fuzzy rug. An assortment of different scarves hung on a rack in the corner, and books lined the walls in cleverly built bookcases. Eld took off her coat, and Fabi grinned.

She had almost forgot about Eld's wings. They were bat's wings, protruding from her shoulder blades, with a dark purple colour that sometimes looked black, and a wingspan that was over two metres long. When they were folded, the reached all the way down her back. She did a good job of concealing them.

"What about your roommate?"

Eld smiled. "Right, forgot about that." She led Fabi back into living room and began to climb a winding metal staircase that she somehow hadn't noticed. 

"It's like a little attic," Eld explained. Eld opened the door and stepped inside. Fabi followed, and looked around in wonder. The room was much smaller than all the others, and had a skylight that looked up at the blue sky. The floor was wooden, and every centimetre of it was covered in papers, pencils, and paintbrushes. The walls were covered with sketches and paintings, and at the centre of it all, sleeping on the floor, was a girl. She was small, and looked like a child.

Eld nudged the girl with her foot. The girl mumbled in her sleep and turned over. Eld pushed her with her foot again, smiling. Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes and grabbed a handful of crooked pencils, pointing them at Eld threateningly.

"Oh! It's just you," the girl panted. She put the pencils down and stood up.

Eld gave her a careless smile and shrugged. "Fabi, meet Dau Sketch, my roommate. Dau, this is Fabi. She's staying in Perth for a while, so I said she could stay here."

Dau stuck out her hand, but then seemed to change her mind and pulled Fabi in for a hug. "She'll need a bed, right?" Without waiting for a reply, Dau left the room with one of the crooked pencils and her sketchbook. Fabi followed Dau to Eld's room, where Eld was beginning to clear a large space next to her bed. Dau looked her up and down.

"Why is everyone so tall?" Dau muttered, shaking her head. Eld smirked and rested her elbow on Dau's head as she sketched. 

Fabi gave up trying to figure out what sketches had to do with carpentry, and instead flopped onto Eld's bed. Dau finished the sketch and brought over the pad to Fabi.

"Does that look okay?" Dau asked.

Fabi looked at it. A roughly sketched bed frame. Next to it was a rectangular shaped box next to it with rounded corners, which Fabi took to be the mattress. She nodded. 

Eld sat down next to her and Dau stood near at the edge of the clearing with her sketchbook. She touched the sketch, which glowed, and Fabi jerked back as the crooked bed frame materialised in the clearing. Moments later, the mattress fell on it clumsily. 

"Dau," Eld scolded, "how many times have I asked you to use rulers?"

"There was a crooked sorceress," Dau half-sung, "with crooked furniture, who lived in a crooked house…"

"That's all right, I got this," Fabi said. She got on her knees and touched the frame, smiling. Metal. Concentrating, she laid a hand on the frame and closed her eyes. She could feel it twisting under her palm, shifting and straightening out. She looked at the frame and grinned.

"See?" Dau said to Eld. "Who needs rulers?"

Eld punched Dau playfully and scowled at her.

____________

Fabi covered the last of her pillows and set it down on her bed. She made the bed neatly, tucking the blanket in at the end, like her mother used to when she was little. She sat down, tucking her legs underneath her, and pulled out her phone, turning it in her hands. Her fingers were restless, aching to dial, wanting to call. Mom and Dad. She dialled and put the phone to her ear, listening to it ring. Pick up. There was a click, and she held her breath. Her mother's voice.

"Hi, this is the Cavendish house. We're not home right now, please leave a message after the beep." There was a small beep, and then silence. She cut off the call softly, and gently clutched the phone to her chest, swallowing the bitterness in her mouth. Her parents were usually not home. They were never home. 

Dau and Eld were in the kitchen, supposed to making dinner. Fabi watched the scene, amused. A red-cheeked Eld fumbled through a variety of cookbooks, while Dau threw assorted ingredients in a pot with a kind of childish gleefulness that told Fabi she had no idea what she was doing. Eld looked over her shoulder and glowered at Dau.

"Oi! Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

Dau nodded convincingly. "Yeah, of course. I'm just throwing in some…" she consulted a tin full of white powder. "Some baking powder."

"Are we baking, Dau?" Eld asked exasperatedly, and swiftly took over control of the pot. Dau glared at her and went to sulk next to the spices.

Fabi entered the kitchen carefully. "How's it going, guys?"

Eld gave her a radiant smile and laughed. "Oh, just fine! We're almost done." Dau made faces behind Eld's back, and Fabi resisted the urge to laugh. Eld grabbed a spoon and scooped some of the mixture out of the pot. "Here, try some."

Dau's eyes widened and she made throat-slitting motions. Fabi smiled weakly at the spoon, and nibbled at the brown concoction. Immediately she gagged and went to the sink to rinse her mouth.

"Vile. Absolutely vile." she wheezed, her head in the sink.

"It'll pass," Dau said from her corner. "We've all been there."

Eld patted her back. "There, there," she added unhelpfully. She glanced at Dau. "Maybe we should order some pizza."

Fabi moaned. "I hate both of you."

Chapter 1: Dresses and Ties - Dau

I HAVE WRITTEN! Be proud of me :) This is how it's going to work: chapters will be written from different perspectives, but always in third person. This chapter is written from Dau's perspective, aaand that's all I'm going to say. My brain is bursting with inspiration! P.S. If you don't like the way that you've been written in, tell me and I'll try to fix it :)

        Dau looked around nervously. Needless to say, the black darkness that was seeping out of the sky was slightly unsettling.

        "Dau?" Derek looked pale.

        She hesitated. "Yes?"

        "There is black stuff seeping out of the sky."

        "I noticed that."

        "Good. I just thought you might like to know. So you can, you know, do something."

        She swallowed. "Well, you see, there's a bit of a problem," she said quietly. "When I got transported here, I didn't have my pencils with me."

        She saw Derek pause. Slowly, he looked at her. "Pencils. You need…pencils." He continued to stare.

        "Yes, Derek, I need pencils," Dau answered defensively. "It's my power. I make drawings come to life."

        Her explanation was obviously lost on Derek. She sighed, exasperated. It didn't matter now, anyways. The darkness was coming closer to them, winding down from the sky like serpentine shadows. Somewhere, the troll roared.

        "What would you prefer, Derek, being eaten by a troll or being killed by black shadow vines?"

        "You're asking me my preferred choice of death?" he asked, horrified. "Oh god, this is it, isn't it, I'm going to die."

        "I think the troll would be a quite pathetic death," Dau mused. "Shadows would be cooler."

        "Shadows are cooler," a voice remarked. Dau and Derek spun around.

        A tall girl with long, dark hair stood next to a good-looking man. They both wore black, and they smiled.

        "I'm Arratay Shadows," the girl explained, "And this is my brother, Susurrus Ayer. And we're here to save you."

        Susurrus and Arratay joined hands with Derek and Dau, and in one second, they had teleported into a small, warm room.

        Derek fell on the floor. "Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick," he moaned. He curled up into a foetal position.

        Susurrus smiled. "That's what happens when you cross realities, Derek." Derek continued to moan.

        Dau studied Arratay closely. She wore black clothes that Dau recognised. Definitely Bespoke.

        "So, proper introductions," Arratay said brightly. "I'm Arratay, as you know, but you can call me Arra." Dau shook her hand awkwardly and smiled.

        "I'm Dau. Dau Sketch. Thanks for saving us, by the way. How did you find us?"

        "No problem," Susurrus replied. "When you and Derek transported through to that alternate reality, you left a hole. We saw it, decided to save you guys."

        Arratay nodded. "Long story."

        Dau peered outside the window. "Where are we?"

        Arratay opened the curtains and the light flooded through. It was about late afternoon, from the looks of it, but it was a sunny day. The skyline was unfamiliar, filled with tall buildings that Dau didn't recognise. "Welcome to New York. This is our flat, by the way."

        Dau stared. "New York?" She was in a different continent.

        "You're a long way from home, from the looks of it," Susurrus remarked. "It's fine, we can take you back."

        Dau nodded. She had guessed that Susurrus was a teleporter. As for Arratay, she couldn't tell. "Have you been to Perth?" she asked.

        Arratay thought. "Yeah, once, but only in um, what's it?" She gesticulated randomly. "Kings Park, that's it. Do you live close to there?"

        Dau nodded again. "Yeah, that'd be grand, thanks."

        "And…Derek?"

        Dau looked at the heap on the floor and sighed. "I'll drop him off at the Sanctuary, I guess. He's not supposed to be here, you know."

        Arratay smiled. "I was wondering what a mortal was doing in an alternate dimension," she said, "Is there an explanation for that?"

        "I still haven't figured it out," Dau admitted. She thought back to hours ago. She had been sitting at her desk, and suddenly she had been transported to the field. And then Derek had turned up in the wedding dress. She frowned. She hadn't realised that maybe it wasn't Derek who had transported her there. And then there was the troll, and the black shadows. What was going on?

        "Ready?"

        She looked up, still frowning. Susurrus had Derek slung over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, not seeming to suffer under his weight. Arratay held out her hand, and Dau took it.

____________

        Dau looked around. They were standing in the shade of tall trees, surrounded by the warmth of the sunshine. The sound of laughter and conversation floated over to the group, and the smell of barbecued meat followed. A gentle breeze tousled her hair and she smiled. Perth had always been her favourite city.

        They dragged Derek over to the side of a restroom, and Dau approached the brick wall, scanning its surface. She tapped one of the bricks twice. To the regular passerby, nothing happened. But Dau could feel the magic pulsing underneath her palm, rising off the wall like steam.

        "Right, we'd better be off," Arratay announced cheerfully. "I'm getting hungry, and it's late." She looked around, confused. "It's morning here."

        Dau laughed. "The time difference is about thirteen hours, you know."

        Arratay smiled. "Right. Little buggers, those time zones, always confusing me." Arratay suddenly lunged forward, engulfing Dau in a bone-crushing hug. "I like you, Dau. I'm glad I saved you."

        Dau blinked, surprised. "I'm glad you saved me, too."

        Arratay stepped back and grinned. Susurrus nodded at her and they joined hands.

        "Arratay - I mean Arra, wait," Dau stuttered, blushing. "Thanks. Really, thanks for saving my life."

        "No problem, Dau," Arra replied casually. "See you around!" Susurrus gave a final wave and they vanished.

        Still smiling, Dau turned around to Derek. She glowered at him, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and started yanking him through the brick wall, and into the Australian Sanctuary.

        On the other side, she collapsed. She had to drag Derek through the entire corridor, all the time while Cleavers stood guarding the hallway. If they didn't have helmets on, they would definitely have had amused expressions. Amused expressions and annoying, smug smiles. Dau had silently declared Cleavers her nemesis.

        Now she lay on the floor, panting. The perplexed Administrator approached the pair with trepidation. Dau rolled over, groaning, and lifted her Sanctuary pass. The Administrator peered at it, and finally nodded. "Can I get you somebody?" he asked.

        Dau nodded. "Can you get me Duck?" she asked. "The Minister for - "

        "I know who Mr. Taasp is," he interrupted. "Do you have an appointment?"

        She glared at him from her place on the floor. "Do I look like I have an appointment?"

        He did not look amused. "I will notify Mr. Taasp of your presence, but I cannot guarantee anything, with this short notice," he replied stiffly. "Understood?"

        She scowled at him. She was often treated like a child because of her height and her looks. "I'm not a child," she said. "I've been here longer than you have."

        He gave her a look and stalked off. Dau smiled sweetly and closed her eyes.

____________

        Dau opened her eyes. She recognised the laughter coming down the corridor. Standing up, she grinned as Duck walked up to her.

        "Dau! How long has it been?" Duck smiled.

        "Just a month," Dau replied, and laughed, looking at Duck's clothes. "What's with your clothes?" she questioned.

        Duck pouted. "They made me wear a tie. A tie, for God's sake. Something about having to look good since I'm a representative for the Sanctuary and all."

        "The Minister for Foreign Affairs is an extremely important job," the Administrator said in his whiny voice. Duck's eyes were beginning to glaze over, and Dau suspected that this wasn't the first time he had heard this speech. "One who holds such a respected position should embody the responsibilities of his or her job through a formal dress code, as he or she is the representative for all of Australia when he or she meets with the other representatives of other nations." The Administrator finished and smiled triumphantly.

        Duck applauded loudly. "Very good, very good," he praised. "Someone's been a good boy!"

        The Administrator looked insulted, and finally walked away.

        Dau laughed and shook her head. "Are you allowed to do that?" she asked.

        "Of course," Duck said. "Being a representative of Australia and all, I voice the opinion of the people, and…other things like that." He nodded. "What can I do for you today?"

        Dau gestured to Derek, who was beginning to wake up. Duck's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.

        "Is that Derek Landy?" he sputtered. "The Derek Landy, the only mortal who's allowed interact with the magical community?"

        "That's the one," Dau replied. "Somehow, he and I went dimension-hopping. Ended up being chased by a troll, you know." Dau suspected that the wedding dress wasn't helping with the explanation, either.

        Duck frowned. "Someone else did this," he murmured. "Someone else teleported you two there." He looked at her. "Anyways, I'd better contact the Irish Sanctuary, get someone to take him back. Does he normally wear dresses?"

        Dau shook her head and laughed again.

        "Right, I guess that's a no," Duck said. "You heading off, then? Need anything?"

        "Ah no, my place is close to here, I'll just walk. Can you handle him?"

        Duck raised an eyebrow. "I am the Minister for Foreign Affairs, you know. I'm trained to do this kind of thing. I think. Job description didn't mention wedding dresses, though." He began to trail off.

        Dau waved. "See you later, Duck."

        "Mr. Taasp," the Administrator corrected from behind his desk.

        Duck smirked at Dau and she glared at him. She skipped out of the Sanctuary and back into the sunshine.