LIGHTS IN THE SHADOW Read online

  LIGHTS IN THE SHADOW

  RANA DEMIRIZ

  Copyright © 2021 Rana Demiriz

  All rights reserved.

  CHAPTER 1

  I was running in the dark while screaming at the top of my lungs. I couldn’t see what was ahead of me. I was running as if the death itself was following me. The only thing I could hear was my own screams as I was gasping frantically. The blood rushing to my ears was throbbing loudly in my head.

  My feet were touching the soft sand. It was as if I was running on a beach or a desert at night. However, I couldn’t hear the sound of the waves, and the sand wasn’t hot to touch. It only left a soft sensation on my skin. I was floundering through the sand, and it was taking the strength out of my legs. My whole body was about to collapse. I was so tired that it felt like I could fall any second, yet the danger was right behind me. Even though I couldn’t see it, I could feel that.

  I noticed a light that was the size of a pinhead. It got brighter as I ran closer as if the sun was rising. The darkness of the night was descending. I’d been running in the dark for so long that I had to cover my eyes when the light dazzled my eyes.

  As my eyes accustomed to the light, I realized that I was in a desert. There was nothing but the golden piles of sand shimmering under the sun and me. When did I get here? How did I end up here? I had no memory of it.

  A shadow was forming far beyond me within the light. In a split of a second, the shadow turned into a human silhouette, but it was barely visible. I couldn’t see who it was. For a few frightening seconds of heartbeat, I stood still and tried to figure out if the shadow was a threat or a help. The mist that was coming out of my mouth from breathing too fast was mingling with a soft wind that was blowing my hair. As I was still trying to figure out what was going on, the silhouette started running towards me! Its hands were reaching forward as if it desired to catch me. As it’s getting clearer to see, I noticed that it was a man. He had curly hair, sharp features, and an athletic body. I debated with myself and decided that he didn’t have an aggressive look on his face. He radiated a strange feeling of trust.

  When I knew I had no strength left on my knees, he caught up with me. Exhausted and confused, I tripped on a pile of sand. He caught me with his muscular arms and helped me to stand straight. The muscles on my knees were shaking helplessly and protesting against my will to stand up. I looked up to his face. With a sudden beam of light in the darkness, I realized that his eyes were a vibrant green. He locked eyes with me and started to talk. At first, I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. As my ears were ringing, the only thing that caught my attention was the swift motion of his lips. I did not know how to read lips, so as I tried to focus more carefully, his words became clearer.

  “It’s time, Mia. There is no more running away. We are all in danger. You have to pick a side or else...”

  He paused in the middle of his sentence. He turned back in a sharp motion, and while I was still trying to figure out who he was and how he knew my name, he used his body as a shield to protect me. As I peeked over his shoulder, I saw another man. The first thing that crossed my mind was how spectacularly tanned his skin was. He had the most beautiful and most muscular face I have ever seen. As he was standing in front of me with his nose as perfect as if it was sculpted, high cheekbones, slightly cornered chin, and shapely lips, he seemed almost unreal. His hair, spilling on his shoulders, was fluttering lightly in the wind. His eyes were like a rainy night sky, black as the night itself. His eyes had a slight shimmering to them, like a massive tornado waiting to consume everyone who dares to come closer. And then I heard his laugh. It wasn’t the typical bad-guy kind of laugh. He had a fine, strong voice that held a certain kindness. It was a kind of laughter that you do out of courtesy when you hear a terrible joke.

  “What are you doing here?” said the man who was still shielding me.

  “The same thing as you… Apparently, you already found it.” It was the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard from a man. It was as if his voice was coming out from a cave in his chest, but it was still as clear as the harmonic sound of water running down a stream on a warm spring day. His accent made me think he was Hispanic. It explained why his skin was so perfectly tanned. His sarcastic yet suggestive voice showed that his tension levels were high.

  “Don’t you dare to touch her, Alejandro!”

  He didn’t even pay attention. His eyes found mine, and the way he looked at me sent shivers down my spine. I felt like I was hypnotized, and his eyes were swallowing me. I couldn’t decide if he was one of the good guys or the bad guys. My brain was numb, and I couldn’t think. I was not able to take my eyes off of him for a while. He broke the eye contact first. He looked at the guy who was shielding me as if he wanted to get rid of the only obstacle that was standing between us. He grabbed the guy from his crisp white shirt, which I only just realized and then threw him aside. The guy fell onto the sand. Frankly, he didn’t seem as weak as to be tossed aside so easily. But If he was as tired as I was, that could have been the final straw. Our eyes met, and he looked at me apologetically, but he stayed on the ground.

  When there was no longer an obstacle between us, I could see Alejandro in his full glory. He was neither beautiful nor handsome. He was simply magnificent. His muscles, which his black shirt couldn’t hide, were broad under the light of the desert sun. With his matching black pants and belt, he was looking as solemn and dangerous as a Latin god.

  He leaned forward and held my hands carefully as if they were made of glass, and before I had a chance to draw them back, he kissed my hand. I did not expect that.

  “I wish our meeting could be more pleasant, Mia. I’m Alejandro. Please forgive the Rio’s rudeness,” he said, pointing at the guy on the ground. It was the green-eyed guy’s name. I took advantage of the opportunity and used my talent; I perceived and interpreted what I sensed.

  I was not born to be ordinary, and neither were my sisters. My family, our acquaintances, none of us were ordinary people. We were Azurites, a superior clan to humans. Every one of us is blessed with a different ability. Mine was the ability to sense everything and beyond. We are called the Azurites because our eyes turn into the color azurite blue when we use our powers. We don’t have the kind of superpowers that can save the world, so we almost look like ordinary people. The rest of humanity is unaware of our presence, and we also cannot recognize our kind among other people. Every clan has a distinct emblem, but it is a mark not visible to anyone but themselves. The two men I was standing with were also one of us. They were Azurite too. That was the only thing I could sense.

  “Go back wherever you came from, Alejandro!” Rio turned his eyes to me as he was trying to stand up. “Mia, don’t listen to him. It’s a trap! It’s all a game.”

  For a moment, his words startled me, and I decided that Alejandro was evil. To be honest, I had no evidence other than Rio’s words. I didn’t know why I trusted Rio. Maybe I was just confused. Alejandro and Rio had something which partially blocks my abilities. Something was wrong. This place and these people were all wrong.

  Alejandro kept looking at me as if Rio had never spoken. “Mia, I only came to warn you. I am going to be there for you to protect you from the upcoming disasters and you will stand by me. We wouldn’t want lovely little ladies like you and your sisters to share your mother and aunt’s fate now, would we?” There was a trace of threat hidden under his kind voice. He was not going to give me any other options. He had the arrogance of a man who is used to get what he wants.

  I knew something that could help me at a time like this: Martial arts. I had lots of medals. My sisters and I knew how to defend ourselves. As a matter of fact, my oldest sister Lana was actively sent out to operations b
y an undercover organization which works for the government. This meant that I knew some useful moves and techniques myself. While Rio was standing up, Alejandro became distracted for a moment. I decided to use that to my advantage. The adrenaline and fear which were being pumped through my veins gave me the strength I needed. I jumped to kick his face. I spun in the air once and gained more strength and with that momentum, I stretched out my leg. For a moment, I thought I was going to succeed but then he grasped my leg while it was still in the air.

  “Did you really think you could defend yourself with cheap parlor tricks like that Mia? This is my final warning. Do not dare to challenge me again. Never!” He let go of my leg and held me in his arms. He pulled me closer. He was pretty tall. The tip of my head was the same level with his chin. I caught a glimpse of a soft expression in his eyes. He was so close to me that his lips were about to touch my skin. He brushed against my cheek and leaned into my ear. The time slowed down. I could hear my pulse right under my ears. It wasn’t beating frantically because of anger. I was completely terrified. A light wind blew both our hair as he whispered into my ear.

  “It’s time for me to go now Mia. We will meet again soon. I will be there when the time comes.” He said with a silky voice. I wished I wasn’t so afraid but it was too late.

  ***

  The last thing I remembered was the sandstorm. I heard a soft voice calling my name from a distance. I slightly opened my eyes. I was looking at Carmela’s beautiful face. Her big eyes were filled with concern. We always envied her as she was the only one in our family with colored-eyes. Her long auburn hair was braided as always. She was twenty-two which meant that she was two years older than me and she was the second child in our family. We were sharing a room in our family house. I loved being roommate with her because she was the closest one to me among my sisters. We shared almost everything.

  She spoke with her sweet, calming voice. “Sweetie, wake up. It’s over now. You were having the same dream. You were screaming and saying our names in your sleep.”

  I stood up and looked into Carmela’s hazel eyes. It was hard to describe last night as a dream. It was more like a series of images but not so much. It felt so real, almost like a memory. I couldn’t explain these to her because even to me that sounded insane.

  After a long pause I asked the time.

  “It’s five in the morning. The sun is about the rise.”

  “I had the same dream Carmela. That man was talking to me again.”

  She hugged me tightly. It felt so good to be at home even though I didn’t really go anywhere. “Come on, let’s go downstairs. Others have already woken up to your screams.” I guess I disturbed everyone’s sleep. I blamefully apologized.

  “It doesn’t matter. Come on, put on your robe.”

  I nodded and put on my satin lilac nightie which was almost reaching to my ankles and its matching robe. I carelessly put my brown hair into a bun.

  “It’s better to be cautious. We are no longer safe in this house. We need to warn the others,” I said turning to her.

  By ‘others,’ I meant the Azurites. We were living among other people. I didn’t even know how many of us were left.

  I turned to Carmela who was looking at me with an anxious look on her face. Her talent was telekinesis. This meant that she was able to control objects with her mind. It was a more active talent compared to mine. Besides, it was more useful in a daily life basis.

  She had been worried for days because of my dream. I also agreed that we had to do something about it. For the last few days, the moment I closed my eyes, I was having the same dream. No matter how many hours I slept, I was always tired. We had to mention this to someone. We could no longer ignore this because this dream was not like any other.

  Maybe we should even call some Zathefs. They had information almost about everything. Surely they would help us understand what was going on. Zathefs were stronger than us. They were created to control the world and ensuring the divine balance. They were neutral creatures. They were living among the ordinary people just like us and they were not recognizable to anyone but their own kind. It was hard to contact with them.

  In other words, humans consisted of three different races: The Ordinary, the Azurite and the Zathefs. There were only the ordinary humans at the beginning. However, they failed to appreciate the value of the gift of life. Then the Azurites came into existence as a superior race. When they -I mean us- also failed to keep the balance, the most superior race, Zathefs, was formed.

  I put aside my thoughts which were buzzing in my ear. I turned to Carmela.

  “It’s time Carmela. I repeated Rio’s words from my dream. “Let’s go and find out who those men are.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Carmela was going down the stairs. Her waist length braid was swinging side to side with her every move. Since she was a little girl, she has always braided her hair before going to bed, or rather my mother used to braid her hair when I watch them both. You could read the concentration out of her eyes while she was braiding her daughter’s hair. Still, from beginning to the end, she would always have that compassionate look on her face. I always wanted to be like her. When her loving eyes crossed my mind, I suddenly shuddered.

  Carmela headed towards to the room we called ‘peace’ as I followed her. In this room, there was an aquarium filled with various fishes, different kind of flowers and my mother’s paintings on the walls. There was a straw sofa set with white cushions in the middle of the room. My oldest sister Lana was sitting on the armchair. She was four years older than me. None of us could get along with her that well and we argue a lot. That’s why she has been staying in the master bedroom by herself which was once belonged to my mom and dad. Sofia, who apparently couldn’t resist being woken up this early by my screams, was snoozing on the side of the sofa. Her frowning meant that she was troubled in her sleep. She was two years younger than me and she was the most light-hearted one among all of us. On the other side of the sofa, there was Aida, our youngest sister. Her eyes were closing with the lack of sleep. She is staying together with Sophia. They must have come downstairs together. Our house was a little too cramped for five of us. Yet we were more than happy to live in this house. Carmela sat on the other armchair and I threw myself on the sofa between Aida and Sophia. I was normally the latest riser among them but I felt like I was always on a knife edge because of the dreams I’ve been having. We exchanged glances for a while and that we all turned to Lana. Aida raised her head from the sofa and looked at me. She was so innocent and not even eighteen yet. How could we possibly drag her into the upcoming dangers?

  “Mia! What’s wrong? I’ve been up the whole night again! We should do something about this or else we’ll all go to school like zombie sisters!”

  Lana turned to Aida. “Hey, hey, hey! Calm down young lady. Mind your words. She didn’t want any of these to happen.”

  “You are not my mother, so stop acting like you are.”

  Back then, Lana would be startled for a moment. However, she has heard those words at least once from every one of us, as she has been carrying a tremendous amount of responsibility on her shoulders ever since mom died.

  “You’re right. I’m not your mom but you know she wouldn’t approve the way you talk to your sister.”

  Sophia interrupted their argument. “Hey! We have more important problems to deal with. You two can continue this later.” Suddenly, everyone looked at me again.

  “Same dream again?” asked Lana.

  I nodded and held my head between my hands. I wanted to forget but the images were still vivid as though they were engraved on my mind. They gave me some time to calm down. After a short silence, Carmela started talking in a soothing tone. “Sweetie, you said you had some useful information for us. Now, please tell us what they are.”

  I briefly summarized the events in my dream because they already know the details. “The first man’s name is Rio and the other one is Alejandro who is disturbingly polite. As far
as I can tell from his accent, he is Spanish. “

  “And what did he say exactly?” said Lana. She asked that because neither Rio nor Alejandro ever talked in my dreams before.

  “Rio told us to take a side and Alejandro said that he would be there when the time came.”

  Everyone was listening to me in a daze, even Aida. There was a long pause. Everyone must have been thinking about what those words meant. They tried to interpret what they heard but, just like me, it didn’t make sense to anyone.

  Lana stood up in a swift motion and reached for her phone. It didn’t take long for me to get who she was calling. She was calling Carmen, who helped us get through a lot after mom passed away. She would always visit us with hope to ease our loneliness. She was my mother’s best friend while she was alive. Lana, Carmela and I took private lessons from her to improve and control our talent better. Carmen’s sixteen years old daughter Rose and Aida grew up together.

  Lana started to talk: “Hello? Carmen? I’m sorry to bother you this early in the morning. Yes, it happened again. The same dream… No this time they spoke. One of them was Rio. No, I don’t know. Alejandro, I guess… Hello? Carmen, are you there?” Her voice rose with panic, and after a few very nervous seconds, she sighed with relief. “Okay, we’ll be waiting.”

  She hung up and looked at us. She had that blank stare on her face. Both the unfortunate events of our family and her job taught her how to hide her feelings well. She even pulled herself away from us and became distant. However, I could tell that she was as surprised as us about why Carmen acted so panicked when she heard Alejandro’s name.

  The ticking sound from the clock kept us company while we nervously wait. It was almost six in the morning now. We were not able to do anything but to remain in utter silence. While Sophia and Aida were napping, Carmela was lost in her thoughts. Lana was nervously playing with the aquarium’s water. She was making little waves and foams and then calming the waters all over again. When I checked her eyes, I saw that they were azurite blue. This was her gift. She could control the elements. It was a very rare talent among the Azurite clan. Our beloved little sister Aida always admired our gifts, but I don’t think I can ever understand why she envies us so much. Our whole family crumbled apart because of our so-called gifts. I still remember that horrible night from fourteen years ago. I was only six back then, yet the monstrosity of the events that I witnessed that night could never be underestimated.