The Shadow Twins
Book One
Terese Mason
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Editor-in-Chief: Nik Morton
Editor: Jane Finch
Publisher’s Note:
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.
Solstice Publishing - www.solsticepublishing.com
Terese Mason 2012
Dedication:
To my loving mother, who always knows what’s best for me, whether I know it or not.
To my lovely, wonderful cat Nuevo—we love you so much and
we will miss you will all our hearts.
And to all young writers—anything is possible if you believe.
In the Beginning
A long time ago, when humankind was just starting to crystallize, the people of the earth had found ways to attribute all their good tidings to the gods. The celestial rulers and idols of the earth lived in Caelum, an ethereal kingdom in the firmament which existed parallel to the human world – recognized as the first star seen in the sky at night. Holding the balance of the kingdom together was an ancient artifact with tremendous power, called the Serei. It contained a strong, primeval force; too overwhelming for any of the gods to bear, so it was kept in the Temple, for all to admire.
The Serei had many forms – sometimes a blade, or an urn. The most common form was an amulet, with a gold chain and a black jewel center, with sigils engraved in black ink. The guardian of the Serei was Aduro, the god of the element fire. It was his job to ensure that the Serei did not fall into the hands of the more tactless gods.
Aduro’s fiancée was Nora, the goddess of languages and words. She was one of the most respected goddesses because from her own tongue, she created Latin, the language on which other languages were based. She was one of the most illustrious goddesses on Caelum, and had received much of her beauty from her mother Saeta, the goddess of air.
On the eve of the summer solstice, Nora and Aduro got into an argument about Aduro’s job. Yearning for some time to think, Nora left Caelum, transforming into a bird of prey and traveling the short distance to the human world. There she met Cairus, a human male, who, although not recognizing the goddess in her later-acquired human avatar, fell in love with her. Nora spent a very long time on earth with Cairus, who, unlike Aduro, did not spend all his time working, and was willing to put everything aside for her. He treated Nora like the goddess she was.
Nora did not tell Cairus that she was engaged – she was still upset with Aduro.
Four weeks later, she was whisked away from earth – like a sheet of paper being yanked from under a boulder – back to Caelum, only to receive a sincere apology from Aduro, promising that he would pay more attention to her. Nora did not tell him about Cairus, nor did she forget about the human mortal. She often watched him, making sure that nothing horrible befell him, using the scrying bowl in her bedroom. One evening, while Nora was eating, she felt something move inside her belly, and a cold feeling crept upon her. She hid this from her husband for months, wearing only loose garments, and dressing in private.
While she was bathing, Aduro silently came into the bathroom, intending on reigniting their relationship. He was outraged when he cast eyes on Nora’s body, and her stomach.
“What is this?” he cried. “Are you to bear a child that is not my own?”
Aduro demanded to know what had happened while Nora was on earth, and she was forced to tell him about Cairus. She pleaded with him that she had not known she was pregnant, but he would not listen. Fueled by anger, Aduro traveled to earth, found Cairus’ home and with a wave of his hand, set it on fire. Nora begged and cried, but to no avail.
In tears and blind fury at Aduro’s outburst, Nora returned to Caelum, dashed to the temple and stole the Serei. She melted it into a brew and swallowed it. Only after the transgression was done did Nora realize the magnitude of the consequences. She was careworn by pounding headaches, and she retched so often that she was convinced she would die, and so would her child. When Aduro returned to Caelum, he discovered that the Serei was missing. He noticed the way Nora was behaving, and came to the conclusion that she had consumed it, along with its power.
The other gods were soon aware of Nora’s sin. At her trial, she pleaded guilty. She was thrown out of Caelum, and was sent to live on earth. Thinking that Cairus’ family would help, she searched for them, but they had also died in the fire. After three days of labor, Nora gave birth to the child deep in the wilderness. The Serei’s power was so immense, that it overtook her and she died staring into the eyes of her infant girl.
Hours later, after Nora’s spirit retreated to Ulam, the underworld, a passing merchant and his wife heard the cries of Nora’s baby and immediately adopted her. They named the child Aurelia, meaning golden. Aurelia grew up well in the merchant family. She always had enough to eat, and someone to tell her they loved her. But the gods were watching. As soon as Aduro realized that Nora’s child had been born, he did everything in his power to plague her, but because Aurelia was precocious, and had the power of the Serei, she always managed to protect herself and her family without realizing it.
One evening, while Aurelia was in village with her father, they were attacked by a vicious, hideous beast. It was Ohturpe, the god of nightmares – sent by Aduro – in his true form. The monster had the head of a purple-skinned old man, and the body of a snake, with black-feathered wings and the claws of a lion. It flew through the sky, reeking of unburied corpses, destroying the village homes and shrieking so loudly that the ground shook.
The people fought the creature with fire and snares, but that didn’t work. Ohturpe turned his nasty head towards Aurelia. But before he was about to swoop down and devour her, she raised her hand and inadvertently cried out in her mother’s tongue, “Vera Morte!”
Ohturpe looked at her with terrified eyes, as if he’d never before seen such a creature, and screamed, as his body caught fire and turned to dust. Aurelia watched as the demon’s spirit escaped from the body, only to be sucked down into the earth to Ulam. Aurelia was considered a heroine in her village. Aduro looked down upon her and was angrier than ever.
He quickly traveled to earth, and possessed the village chieftain. “This child is the child of a demon! She has unspeakable, dangerous power!” Aduro said through the chieftain. “She destroyed a god! How do you know she will not destroy you as well? She belongs in Ulam!”
As the people closed in around her, Aurelia then realized the extent of her power. But before she had a chance to explain herself, she was banished from the land, as her mother was. Aduro never kept an eye on Aurelia after that. He thought he’d won. The girl wandered the deserts and plains for years; with every second that passed her anger for the gods and for her town increased.
She was a demigoddess – half mortal and immortal, and yet accepted by neither.
As her anger blossomed, so did her power.
When Aurelia was physically sixteen years of age, she looked deep within herself and found the power of the Serei locked in her subconscious, waiting to be accessed. The girl channeled her energy and, with her mind, used it to fulfill her deepest desires – to fashion a world for herself and to destroy the ones who had forsaken her.
With her energy, she created three warrior species from her evilest nightmares – letum vaterra (the Vampire) with beautiful white skin, huge wings and a thirst for blood only; perscitus magnir (the Witch or sorcerer) with mind-bending powers; and omnis ducairi (the Shapeshifter) with the powers of all living animals. Aurelia’s warriors made up the Greater Races.
They were all powerful, and all female.
With her three warriors alongside her, she traveled to Caelum and attacked the unsuspecting gods. There was no way they would win because they no longer had the Serei, and Aurelia knew that. The battles took place in Caelum, but on rare occasions blood was spilled on earth. Humankind suffered horribly, and Aurelia made sure to destroy Aduro herself.
When Caelum was destroyed, Aurelia thought to herself: What have I done? Yes, she had succeeded in conquering her enemies, but now she was more alone than ever. Realizing what she had to do, Aurelia made it so that her nightmarish creatures took on subtler facial appearances. She also instilled in them emotion and free will. For centuries, she sat back in the restored and cleansed Caelum and watched her creatures as they made homes and families for themselves.
The letum vaterra lost their wings – there was no need for them anymore. The lupine creatures of the Shapeshifter Race grew large in numbers and soon broke ties with the ducairi. Aurelia made them a separate Greater Race: celero lupan, the Werewolf. The magnir exceeded the most in blending in with humans. The ducairi took on shapes of more animals. Aurelia granted her creatures what they desired, and in turn, they would worship her.
For the most part, Aurelia was contented, but a deep yearning stirred inside her. She wanted someone to love, to take care of, like the merchant and his wife cared for her when she was young. She traveled down to earth, took some dirt and mixed it with her blood. She set it on the ground, and watched as it grew and formed into a young girl. She named the girl Helen, meaning light. Instead of making the girl her daughter, Aurelia made Helen her younger sister, and when the girl was of suitable age, Aurelia granted her immortality, so they would live together forever.
Helen and her older sister Aurelia lived in Caelum among the stars and looked over earth. As humans continued to create their civilizations, Aurelia’ creatures multiplied – by birth, biting or blood exchange. Yet no matter how large the quantity got, the creatures remained hidden in the shadows from those who did not belong.
Aurelia noticed this, and decided to combine her fashioned Races as one: the Shadow World. By her subjects she was named the Shadow Queen, and was given many stories and many names – Rhiannon, Hecate, Isis, Nótt, Coyolxauhqui – both in human and Shadow World. She represented different elements, appeared to different people in different ways and was worshipped by a vast number of civilizations.
From her scrying bowl in her home, Aurelia saw that the world was changing, and that her people did not depend on her anymore. She decided that after a millennia of creation, and a millennia of not using her Serei powers, she was growing out of practice. She and Helen then settled down to live mortal lives on the same continent. Aurelia arrived in the country later known as Italy, and years later, married Angelo, a wealthy merchant.
Soon, Aurelia gave birth to two children – twins: a boy and a girl. She couldn’t help but pity them, for they, like her, were born into two worlds. Aurelia once again searched fastidiously inside herself for the power of the Serei, and decided to divide it between her children – the powers of the Shadow Races, and much more, engraved in their core. If I had the power of the gods to help me, she thought, then so should my children. She raised them as any mortal would, and they grew to be happy and healthy.
Aurelia made sure that no Shadow People ventured near her children.
Then one day, Angelo didn’t return from a trip. Aurelia searched for him with her mind, but could not find him. Days later, she was informed by a neighbor that he was dead – stricken by a ruinous disease. The two worlds were thrown into imbalance while Aurelia grieved. Towns did not prosper. People fell ill and did not recover. Natural disasters plagued the lands for seven months. Anon, Aurelia took her children and traveled to the neighboring country to find Helen, who already had a family: three children and a husband, though not as powerful. Aurelia and her children stayed with Helen’s family for two years.
One rainy night, while her children and her sister’s children played, the Shadow Queen confided in her sister that the Shadow World didn’t need her anymore, and she was going to retreat to her home, where she could never be reached without her sanction and that in order to do so properly, her creatures needed to think that she died. Helen did not agree, saying that the world needed at least one goddess with creation abilities or both worlds would fall into chaos.
Yet Aurelia’s mind was firm, although she worried about the fate of her children. Helen suggested that her sister plan ahead – for the time when the power of the Serei would make manifest in the twins, and they would be able to access the tremendous energy. Aurelia did so, creating a book bound by her, and only to be opened by her children, once they turned sixteen.
Helen promised to keep the book safe.
Later that night, a seditious vaterra crept into the house from above, creating an entrance for itself and making the entire home cold. The Shadow Queen sensed its presence, and in order to protect her family, she offered to be the one to dispel it. She went upstairs, and out of the darkness, she commanded the creature to show itself. She stared into its eyes. It was tall and broad-shouldered, with wild, black hair and long, fangs. He brandished two white blades. They were cruent blades – swords made from the bone and dipped in the blood of the vaterra. Aurelia watched him. He moved in such a way that was familiar to her.
He settled into a fighting stance, holding the cruent blades in front of him.
Aurelia raised her arms in surrender, her face emotionless. She chose that time, that way.
She let the vaterra attack her, but she felt nothing. She fell to the floor, pretending – her spirit leaving her body and returning to her home in the skies. Her body lay there, and she forced herself to comfort no one when she saw the agonizing, heartrending expressions of her family, her children, to whom she appeared deceased.
Of all the twins born and made into the Shadow World, hers were the most powerful, the most divine, because of their bond – the primeval power of gods, humans and Shadow alike surging through their veins. It was foreseen that together, they had the power to redeem the entire world of the impending doom within their own society, waiting to reveal itself.
At the world’s breaking point they would emerge from their humble state and assume their role as the children of the Shadow Queen, while their mother watched.
1
Mallory
In one summer, my life got ten times more complicated. First, my grandmother moved out of our house and halfway across town to be closer to her store. Second, all of my best friends moved away – and not even to normal places like Toronto or L.A., but to Jacksonville, Canberra and Vancouver. I know nothing about these places. And third, I got my period. Now that I’d said it, I didn’t think that last one counted, although it did complicate things.
I was starting the tenth grade – which was when high school started in my town – with no one to sit beside at lunch, no one to complain to about how annoying and unfair the teachers would be in the future, and no one to hang out with after school. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I couldn’t plan for this, because it was unexpected. It was like, “Oh, guess what? I’m moving to Australia in two days. Sure, there’re lots of poisonous animals, but it’s beautiful!”
I was lost now – well, not really, because I’d been living in Ashville for six years and I knew my way around town – but I felt helpless, like that feeling little kids got when they lost their parents in a huge department store. Sure, my social life wasn’t as important as academics and getting into a good university – as my Dad always said – but it was as important as everyone thought it was. The average teenager had at least two good friends. Currently, I had zero. My acquaintances added up to well over fifteen, but they all had things to do, as far as I was concerned.
They didn’t have time to be my friends.
I sat on the school bus far at the back where no one could see me by myself mentally debating the pros and cons of my situation. There were no pros – at least, no possible ones. I had considered: my friends coming back and everything returning to the way it once was or someone new moving to this town and me befriending them. But no one new had ever moved to Ashville in a long time – not since two years ago. The population didn’t go over ten thousand…ever.
I sighed and leaned my head back against the leather cushion on the back of the seat. That was nearly a big mistake. My head just barely missed a huge wad of bubble gum that someone had stuck there; probably from last year (the seniors are a nightmare).
I stared out the window. Everything – the cars, the houses, the trees, the people – was moving by so quickly. It seemed like only yesterday when I was hanging out with my old friends. Then, in the blink of an eye, they just got up and moved away, one of whom hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye to the rest of us. I didn’t know if their parents didn’t want us all hanging out or they just spontaneously got better jobs. It was annoying, and I didn’t want to think about that. It made me feel sad. Outside, the sky was a beautiful, cloudless blue. I was hoping for a cloud, because they said that every cloud had a silver lining. I would need a thousand silver linings to make me feel better today – but even one could really help.
The bus pulled up in the bus loop in the front of the school seconds before the bell rang. If I didn’t hurry, I was going to be late. God, I hated my bus driver. He was old and fat and rude and he was always late picking me up. I’m sure it was just me. What was wrong with me? I wondered as I walked down the tiled hallway and up the stairs to my newly-assigned locker.
There was nothing unlikable about me at all.
I had caramel-colored hair, that edged just above my shoulders and it was always tamed with a pink-and-white headband with roses on it whenever the sun or rain came out. That was a gift that my grandmother had given me. I was named after her: Mallory Joan Harper. She’d given it to me when I was young, and I hadn’t started wearing it until a few years ago. The last time I’d spent time with her was for her fifty-ninth birthday the past summer.
I hurriedly put my books into my locker and dashed into my homeroom class. I tripped over my shoelaces (not that clumsy) but caught myself quickly by thrusting out my hand and gripping the doorframe (rather good reflexes). I needed to buy new shoes anyway. As I walked in, all eyes were, thankfully, facing the teacher. I was probably about the plainest girl in the now tenth grade – either that or the girl who always wore that pink-and-white headband – my rep.
The teacher, whose name was Mr. Jameson (who was homeroom as well as English), was tall and lanky and had auburn hair and a matching moustache. He talked very fast and loud and I disliked him from the minute I heard him.
I had to spend forty-five minutes with this guy.
Lunch was after math class, which had been brutal. I’d felt like I’d been bombarded with trigonometry and Cartesian graphs. Yeah, sure, I didn’t really understand how to use the cosine law, but neither did half the class. And yet, Ms. Dante felt that I knew all the answers to all the questions – just because her and my mom were, like, best friends. I’d blushed so many times, I felt I could never blush again. My cheeks were permanently pink, which did nothing for my face. My mortification made my hair look bleached blonde, like I was extra, or didn’t have a clue about anything, especially in math.
The cafeteria was a crowded place, with floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls, letting lots of light in. The room was large, the voices bouncing off the walls and assaulting my ears. I moved cautiously around the tables, searching for one that I could make my own. I found the perfect one – the table in the back, near the vending machines. I could see the soccer field from where I sat. And I wasn’t too far away from the cute boys’ table, too – not that that mattered. No cute boy would look my way anyway. I took out a brown paper bag with my lunch. Usually I packed it myself, because my mother had other things to do. I wasn’t very picky about what I ate – leftover Alfredo pasta from last night’s dinner, which wasn’t slimy and mushy at all, by the way. I was just about to take a bite out of my lunch when a voice called out in my direction:
“Mallory!”
I cringed in my seat, hoping the floor would split open, swallow me whole, and then spit me back up in a place far away from America, like New Zealand. I knew very well who that was: Leigh-Anne Kingsley, the most popular, most inconsiderate, most annoying person to ever exist. I hated the way she said my name – she probably held her nose when she said it; her voice sounded nasally high-pitched and disgusting. A few students – seniors – looked in her direction. But when they realized it was her, they decided not to get involved. God, she even got respect from those older than she was. Leigh-Anne called me again, as if I were a child, and wasn’t to be taken seriously, or like my feelings didn’t matter.
I turned around and saw her waving. I sat in my seat, gooseflesh rising on my arms. I made my body rigid, and didn’t glance in her direction again. I didn’t like her. I didn’t even respect her. Okay, fine, I respected her (a little) but I didn’t appreciate her. Everything she did was for herself, or for her friends. And even then there had to be something in it for her. Her selfishness was terrible, in an amazing way. I was very aware of the fact that sitting at the same table with her, looking over at her, or even breathing the same air as her, would get me some social recognition. That was usually how half the famous people in Hollywood became famous – fame by association.
I didn’t know if I wanted to risk that, even though life was worth taking risks, because nothing was really set in stone. Miracles happened everyday. The only assurance was that you were going to die. I didn’t want to die right now. And by hanging out with Leigh-Anne I was guaranteed to suffer from serious migraines due to lack of sleep and stress. Could migraines kill you? But the sane side of my brain kept telling me that I really had nothing to lose, and that things could be a lot worse – I could be kidnapped, or killed, or both. I mean, it wasn’t like I had any other friends that I would rather sit beside, right? I’d known Leigh-Anne since I moved here.
Social interaction was a must for every living creature.
I needed to talk to someone.
So I grabbed my lunch, stood up and went over and sat with her because if I didn’t, I knew there would be some sort of consequence. It wasn’t that I was afraid of Leigh-Anne (she was scary, though), it was just that I knew her well (we weren’t friends) and I knew what she was capable of. And, incidentally, I was thinking of taking back that last comment about her being selfish because it really was nice of her to invite me to sit with her and her friends, even though she hated my guts.
At least, that was what I thought.
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