Flesh: Chapter 1 by Nicola Collings (best novel books to read txt) 📕

                     “Hey, it’s ok.” He tried to say, as she sank back into sleep. As he looked at her, he could not believe just how real his vision had been. She really did have a face as pale as the moon, and fluffy black hair. It was weird to see her in the flesh.

                     Scottish Country Side:

                     Luna opened her eyes. The room she found herself in looked as though it belonged to an old person; she could see china ornaments on the mantle piece, old armchairs with an assortment of cushions and blankets, reading lamp, hearth rug...

                     The kind of cosy that tried too hard.

                     Luna was lying on a sofa, bundled in blankets, her head propped up on a cushion. It took her a while to shake off most of the grogginess, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the hunger she felt, or the fact that whoever had brought her here had left the  curtains wide open, bathing her in daylight. It wasn’t that shadows couldn’t go out in the sun; it’s just there opposite, so, naturally, they could withstand it, but the state Luna was in caused the golden rays of sun to sting her skin and eyes.

                     She rolled off the sofa, and covered her eyes as she went to the curtains, pulling them across.

                     As darkness filled the room, Luna relaxed a little.

                     She needed to feed, that much was certain; for her body to speed up the healing process, especially considering her age, she needed to feed. But it was still day, and she knew she’d have more energy tonight. Luna lay back down on the sofa and pulled a knitted blanket over her head, plunging her into cool, cosy darkness.

                     Jesse:

                     “Why is she here again? Please tell me because I think I missed the part where you explained why there was a perfectly good reason why we have a shadow in our house!” wailed Fran, almost in tears.

                     Jesse sat at the table, his head rested on his hands. “Because I told you! There is a reason I saw this girl! There is a reason she was in my visions. I have a hunch, and you know what my hunches are like!”

                     “But she is a shadow! A shadow! We could have been let back into the church! We could have rejoined everyone! After so long! But no! You had to bring the one thing that could land us in even more trouble! It’s your fault I’m out here!” her voice rose.

                     The last sentence lingered on Jesse and he felt himself anger a little.

                     “Hey! It’s not like I forced you to come with me! You could have kept quiet, not said anything, stayed where you belong instead of following me!”

                     “I came with you because I believed your vision!” Fran paused. “And I...”

                     Jesse looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “You what?” When Fran said nothing he continued. “Anyway, I know there’s something else going on here! Something isn’t right! Why would they let a shadow into the centre of Edinburgh? And why would they just let us come in and take it away? It’s like...they let us do it. Maybe they want to frame me. Again.”

                     “Wait! Sshh!” Fran turned towards the door. There was a soft thump from the lounge. Jesse went first, opening the door to find the curtains had been closed and the girl fast asleep on the sofa.

                     “Why did she just close the curtains?” asked Fran, standing on the threshold. Jesse sat in the arm chair.

                     “They’re shadows, it’s not like they love the sunlight.” He replied, no emotion in his voice.

                     It wasn’t long before the sun started to go down and by that time, the shadow was starting to stir. Jesse had held vigil whilst Fran pottered around like she did, trying to fill the time they had. It occurred to him, just what did the other people in the village think of him and Fran? A supposed young couple living out in the middle of nowhere, who did nothing but garden, make tea and sit in armchairs watching the world go by. Although, no one had ever questioned them, or said hi in the street, or even looked Jesse’s way with a smile...

                     It wasn’t the banishment that Jesse hated, it was the loneliness.

                     As the sun began to set, the girl started to stir. The Shadow sat upright, rubbing her eyes, revealing dark rings. She took one look at Jesse and frowned. “Ok, first question, where am I?”

                     “Scotland, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, generally known as the countryside.”

                     “Ok, second question, who are you, and why did you bring me here?”

                     “That’s two questions,” the shadow shot an evil look at him, so he continued. “But my name’s Jesse, Fran is in the kitchen and I brought you here because I saw you in a vision and I think something is going on with the Light Elders.”

                     The Shadow paused, trying to process it. She looked tired and hungry, but Jesse couldn’t understand why she looked so tired when she’s already been asleep for centuries.

                     “Right, so I’m not on Light territory?”

                     “No. I...well, me and Fran were kind of banished six months ago.”

                     “And you say you saw me in a vision?”

                     “Yes, over six months ago, I saw the shadows wake up, but there was no proof it had ever happened, so to avoid being executed for treason, I got banished.”

                     “OK, ok, hold it there.” She put her head in her hands. “I need to take a walk, or feed or something, before you tell me every detail of what exactly is going on!” with that, she stood.

                     She looked around before Jesse held up the aged, leather jacket she’d been wearing and pointed to the ridiculously heavy boots. He knew she would have needed to feed, and surprisingly it didn’t bother him. Not like every other Light in the world, who were somewhat disgusted by the process by which Shadows fed. It was nature. There is no light without the dark.

                     The shadow left the house and Jesse felt Fran’s presence behind him.

                     “You let her go? You let her go? After all that! We could have handed her in! We could have taken her back and got out of banishment! But now she’s gone! You idiot!” her face was red and her hands were balled into fists around the tea towel she clutched.

                     “She’s coming back.” Said Jesse, sitting back down.

                     He went to lean back, but severe pain exploded into his head. He gasped as he hunched forwards, his temples mirroring that of a bass drum. He felt tears in his eyes, vision going cloudy and red, and then he wasn’t there...

                     He was somewhere else, watching the shadow standing in front of him, in tears, a Light Elder behind her holding a pair of scissors, snipping at wires that littered the cold ground. And then, the darkness...it left...

                     Shadows lifted and millions of bodies were chained together, walking, line by line, faces down, their skin bloodied.

                     And she was one of them.

                     Part 5: Scottish Countryside

                     The village was small, too small. It was almost impossible for Luna to find a suitable person to feed on, but she eventually found a man, sleeping next to his wife. He was around 30, looked as though he’d had one too many good night sleeps. So, slipping into her shadow form, Luna made her way to the bedroom, hovered above him, and drank in his sorrow.

                     He would wake up the next morning, feeling like he hadn’t slept, and like he’d had the worst dream ever.

                     Now to deal with Jesse, the Light who apparently saw visions of the future. She didn’t walk into the house, she didn't trust them enough, and instead, she let her tendrils of shadow slip under the door. She arose to find Jesse, sat leaning on one elbow, blood pouring from his eyes and his nose. Fran could be seen in the kitchen, coming towards the door to throw a tea towel that hit Jesse in his chest; a gesture that had an underlying sense of anger.

                     Just as Jesse cleared the gunk from his eyes and face, Luna let the darkness lift and her human form return. He looked up at her.

                     “I...sorry,” he stood. “I’ll be with you in a minute, make yourself comfy.”

                     Luna stayed standing and waited while Jesse fumbled around in the kitchen, closing the door behind him. Strained whispers could be heard. For a moment, Luna thought they wouldn’t come out, but Jesse soon appeared on the threshold.

                     “So, I may as well start from the beginning.” He said, sitting down in his armchair. Luna sat on the sofa, leaning forward so as not to get swallowed by the cushions. “Six months ago, me and Fran lived within the Light community, in Edinburgh, close to the Elders. I’d had a reputation for having visions of things to come, and every time I was correct. I’m never wrong. But, one day, I envisioned millions of shadows, coming out of the darkness in human form. I foresaw them waking up from their sleep.” He shifted slightly, the pink streaks still present beneath his eyes, “They didn’t believe me. Didn’t want to believe me. But they sent a team to Athens and found nothing. So, they said they’d execute me for treason. Give me the same fate as the Shadows’. But they still wanted me. I was useful. So, they sent me into banishment. I think they’d probably find me useful sooner or later, they didn’t want to get rid of someone with such ‘gifts’.”

                     Luna looked up at him. “So that’s why we’re all the way out here?”

                     He nodded before continuing. “But I had another vision. Not too long ago, about a girl, falling from the sky, a Shadow, falling right into the middle of the Light community, right on the Elder’s doorstep. I thought they’d believe me, but they didn’t. But then it happened. It came true, and they did nothing. Nothing at all. They want you alive for some reason. They want you here, in Scotland.” He paused, looking her dead in the eye. “You should have been killed, captured, tortured...something, but you weren’t.”

                     Luna looked down at her hands. “Well that’s reassuring.”

                     “So now it’s my turn.” Jesse said as Fran appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame, her face stony. “Who are you and why did you...” He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

                     Jesse exchanged a nervous glance with Fran.

                     “Who is that?” asked Luna.

                     The knocking got louder and more urgent.

                     “I don’t know, we never get visitors, the Elder’s see to it that we don’t. That could only mean that...it’s the Elder’s who are visiting.” Jesse murmured, the nerves in his voice rising steadily to the surface.

                     “Shit” gasped Luna, as the sudden realisation made her skin crawl.

                     The knocking was starting to push the hinges on the door.

                     “What do we do?” Jesse looked at Luna.

                     “Turn her in of course!” snapped Fran.

                     Jesse shot her an angry glance, and both him and Fran turned to look at Luna.

                     The Knocking persisted and this time there came an angry male shout from outside, the words of which were too muffled.

                     “I’ll flee, I'm sorry, I can’t let this happen. I have responsibilities elsewhere. Thank you for saving me but I have to leave now.” She said.

                     “Wait!” Jesse was on his feet. “You can’t leave now! I’ve seen you in my visions for six months now and I have to know what’s going on! Especially since...”

                     Luna looked at him. “Since what?”

                     “Since I had another one.”

                     There came an almighty crash as the door