The River of Shadows by Elektra (great books for teens .TXT) 📕

to my sword when I first got it…” Reemo pondered.
“Simon was like that with his bow and first set of arrows.” Darius interupted.
“Uh, HELLO! I was a thirteen-year-old boy and I had something that would impress girls and kill someone. Of course I would love it.” Simon protested.
“You kids are really something else.” Darius sighed, shaking his head, even though he had an amused look on his face.
There was a knock on the door, “I’ll get it,” Simon said, tripping and falling over his own feet about ten times before finally getting to the door.
“Um… do you need some school classes? Like How to Walk 101?” I asked, chuckling.
He opened the door while glaring at me, he froze and tilted his head, “Who are you?”
“Uh, no one important, I just need a place to stay…” A voice replied, I got to my feet and went to the door myself.
“Emma?” I asked, seeing that it was indeed the girl from the mountains.
“Oh, wow, How did I know you were here?” She asked, “Whatever, anyway, I need a place to hide out for a while. Apparently a few people I know don’t like hearing the word “no” very much.”
“Um…” Darius thought, “Yeah, sure… especially since I know who you are talking about.”
“But she’s…” Reemo began to protest.
“Human?” She asked, flopping down on the couch, “Yeah, I get that a lot.”
“Wait! You’re human?” I asked, more confused than ever.
“Wow, you don’t catch on very well do you halfie.” She sighed, “Allow me to explain; I was born in a hospital like any other baby. But, there was a mix up. A baby much like me, born to two loving Gekians and I were switched. The Gekian grew up, never knew she was one, and ended up being killed by a Crazed set loose to earth. I, however, grew up in this insane place. I was always kept at my step-mothers side, and my dad was, well… working with the Crazed as a volunteer, he didn’t even have Absostrainia. Anyway, we found out I was not Gekian when, by my thirteenth year, I still hadn’t had any of the symptoms of becoming a full-grown-Gekian, just regular puberty.” She said, acting as if it was completely normal.
“So… why do you stay here?” Simon asked, “Why don’t you observe your home-world?”
“I would feel out of place.” She replied, kicking her feet up on the table, which, oddly, didn’t bother Simon’s dad, “Besides, this world is more fun!” The gleam in her eye practically told me that she isn’t always up to good.
“Big deal, So she’s a human.” Darius shrugged, “A lot of my friends are humans and they can be the most exilerating people you have ever met.”
“Speaking of which, General, I’d like to join you. I’m done with dealing with flip-flopping.” She said.
“Well… what do you want to be anyway? It’s not like The Choosing Method would work on you as you are human.” He said.
“Arialist, I was meant to fly.” She immediately replied.
“But…” Simon was about to interupt.
“You don’t have to be a Gekian to work the skies, Sunshine!” She replied, “Or to work an enchanted item.”
“Very well.” Darius said, nodding, then a spear came down from no where. You may think I mean those indian-like spears but I say, no, is was sharp as a ninja star and the tip was multi-pointed to tear through skin. The staff was black with multiple scratches and patterns. Then I heard a thud outside.
We all looked to see this weird metal chariot with no horses, metal wings and a steering wheel instead of reins. Emma glided her fingers across the frame work and grinned approvingly, “Yup, definitely feels right.” Reemo baisically acted as if he could care less which really pissed me off so I smacked him in the back of the head.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“For acting as if you wouldn’t have been excited about when you first found out that you were to be a warrior.” I said, jabbing him playfully with my staff.
He was speechless for a second until he said, “You hold onto that stick for dear life.”
“Come on you four.” Darius finally butted into a conversation that ten weeks ago I never thought I would have, “Lets get back inside.”
We sat back by the fire, laughing, talking about coffee virsus cocoa and sensless things like that. Then we went on the subject of music, which would just never end.
“You’re crazy dude! How could you think Nuclear Balloon is better than Venom?” Reemo said to Simon.
“Well…” I said, getting interupted.
“Because Venom does nothing but scream.” Simon replied.
“I…” Another interuption.
“Well Nuclear Balloon is a total stoner group.” Reemo countered.
“I like Poison Tatoo!” I shouted at them both.
They both looked at me as if I had just knocked their heads together instead of just interupting them.
“Their okay, I guess… a bit odd but…” Simon said, trying not to offend me. What a gentalman.
“What about you Emma? What do you like.” I asked her.
“Well… I do like a lot of music that’s rock with rebelius edge.” She said, “Personally I don’t name groups as I’d rather just listen to it and make it, I don’t get obsessive about a certain band.”
Simon looked at her as if she was completely insane.
“Hey, I just have a new take on life is all.” She said shrugging, “Why do bands have to have names anyway? Why can’t they just name all the different band members? It would give them more credit anyway.”
Now I thought she was a bit nuts.


Chapter 8

The next morning I wake up to hear Simon screaming like a girl, “My eyes!” He screeched. I ran out of the room that Emma and I shared, not noticing that Emma wasn’t there.
I came in to see Emma punching Reemo in the face. I saw him fall to the floor with a thud, wondering how on earth that all came together.
“That’s for kissing me you man-whore!” Emma said, wiping off her lips, “Thanks to you I’ll have to drown my face in disinfectant.” Her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles had gone white.
“Okay…” I said, still confused, “Could someone please tell me how this all happened?”
“Okay, so Reemo got me pissed off, saying all this shit about humans and we get in this huge fight. Then out of no where he starts sucking on my face like a leech.” She spat.
“What the hell?” I replied, staring at Reemo, passed out on the floor.
“Okay, the kiss freaked me out but… I will admit that punch was pretty hot.” Simon said, his voice cracking from his girl-scream-moment.
“You wanna join him on the floor?” She asked, glaring at him with her deadly maroon eyes.
“Wait… why do you have red eyes anyway? I thought you were human.” I said, getting myself even more confused.
“Well, deep, deep down in my family gene pool, I found out, is Native American blood. They can have reddish eyes in rare cases I’ve heard.” She said, acting as if it was the dumbest question she has ever heard.
“What is going on here?” Darius said, stepping out of his room, “And whose swearing like a truck driver.”
“The one that lives in a cave.” Reemo said, staggering to his feet.
“You know, next time you say something I might just have to knock you out again, and when you wake up, BAM! You get knocked out again, and then the next time you wake up, you’re strapped to a chair, confused, and in MEXICO!” She spat.
“Uh…” Simon said, a frightened twang in his voice even though he wasn’t the one being threatened.
“Ole’!” She said, snapping her fingers up in the air, her eyes soft and her voice caremel sweet. She slid next to Simon, raised an eyebrow, and grinned. She then walked out of the house. I had no idea where she was going. Really, did anyone?
“Okay, she punches me in the face and then comes on to YOU?” Reemo asked, looking really, really stupid.
“Huh?” Simon had no idea what happened.
“Oh come on.” I sighed, putting my elbow on his shoulder and leaning on him, “You really couldn’t tell she was flirting with you like some kind of Spanish…”
Darius waved his hands in the air, signaling that there was a parent in the room.
“Right… Sorry!” I said, my face going red.
“What I wonder though, is why is it that no matter what under any circumstances can guys and girls unrelated have to feel so awkward. I swear to God that there is no way a girl and a boy can be ‘Just friends’.”
“Um… what about if they were to be friends mostly because one is married to a supposed brother or sister.” Simon said.
“Simon, you over look things…” I replied, giving him the stinky-cheese look.
“Yeah, well, you underlook things!” He said back.
“Oh whatever! Anyway, I know this is out of the clear blue, but do you happen to have any history files or something, I want to learn more about past Portrayors.”
“Oh of course I do!” He said nodding and running into the next room, I followed quickly behind. He began clumsily making his way up a ladder to a high shelf.
“You may or may not know this but Archers are also keepers of knowledge.” He said reaching up to the top of a thick stack of paper. Nearly slipping he jumped down and landed firmly on his feet.
“Geeze! Like I said, do you know how to walk?” I asked.
“Hey! Have you ever seen a graceful geek?” He asked, “And do you WANT to see these files?”
“Oh… right!” I said, “Sorry.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” He said, waving the papers about as if they were a bribe.
I looked through the papers over and over, unable to comprehend.
“So, wait! There’s only one other Portrayor alive right now? But I can’t have that much weight on my shoulder!” I said, pulling at my corse hair.
“Listen! They chose you for a reason, They believe in you, My dad believes in you, and I do too.” He hissed, shaking my shoulders.
“That’s not fair! You believe too much.”
“Ugh! Just take your stick and shut up!” He hissed, jamming the staff into my hands.
I then just began to relax a bit. When it comes to this world, Simon was the only thing that seemed normal. I knew him before the insanity… well… he caused the insanity. Now a days he actually was my best friend.
“You really believe in me?” I asked.
“Well… I mean, yeah, I always knew you’d be important.” He replied. I then began to sweat. I know you think OOH here comes the cliché, but it’s not how it looks. I began sweating because It’s irritating when you’re friend likes you and you REALLY don’t feel the same way. It’s awkward. And that’s when I noticed that he was clutching onto my hands. I slipped my hands out of his. Obviusly he didn’t notice that as rejection as he just got up and brushed himself off.
“Yeah, I guess we need to get out of this room. I’ll bet that my dad is wondering why just about everyone ran off.”
“I think I’m gonna go try and find Emma.” I replied and dashed out of that house faster than you can say, ‘wow’.
I immediately found Emma, she was frozen in the spot that she was in, staring into blank space. I then noticed what had happened to the village. All the quaint little cottages, all the flowers, all the upside-down trees, the