The Shadows We Hide by Jane Bailey (best short novels txt) 📕

Prologue

2012

2012. The year the world was supposed to end. People thought floods, or hurricanes. As if it would be that easy.
An American scientist named James Wilkinson invented a formula for the perfect soldier. The soldiers would have powers that no mere human could handle.
The Government found out he was testing it on humans, killing them in the process or just plain ruining them. They called it off and went to arrest him. The project was inhumane.
Before they could reach him however, he dumped it all in the sewer.
The rare 20% of humanity that already had what they now call a J chromosome, were infected with the virus, labeling them Freaks.

Chapter One

Saturday, June 19, 2020

It was the day of Ivy's fifteenth birthday.
She should be excited right? Wrong.

10:48 am.
Her Mother went out last night and still hasn't come home. Ivy didn't mind because it was her Mothers birthday on the 17th but the fact that she still wasn't home pissed her off.

11:30 am.
Ivy had a flashback of her last birthday on which she turned fourteen.

Ivy was sitting on the couch practically vibrating with excitement. She was waiting for her Dad to get home. She couldn't open her presents without him. Not that there was many. Ivy had always lived in poverty and in the back of her mind she knew she was probably going to have to sell them but she wanted to enjoy her gifts while she still had them.
Just then, the door banged open, revealing her Father.
"Hey, Honey." Her Mother greeted.
He didn't pay her any mind and instead looked over to Ivy. "I thought I fuckin' told you to put a Goddamn song on my MP3." He screamed as he set down his cooler and his tool bag. He was a drywaller.
Ivy was stunned. These things didn't happen on your birthday did they? "I-I-I forgot." She stammered quietly.
"No, you didn't forget! You did it on purpose. You're a disrespectful bitch." He spat before turning away and seemingly dismissing her.
Ivy turned around and padded softly to her room where she would stay the rest of the day, presents, balloons, and past excitement forgotten.

12:00 pm.
Her Mom finally got home.
Relieved from babysitting duty, Ivy was about to go try to sleep through the day in her basement when her Mom's voice stopped her.
She had come to hate her parents voice over the years. After her parents constantly complained about each other to her it got beyond tiresome. Her parents would come to her with their problems and she'd push away her emotions and give them a cold, logical solution. Something no ordinary thirteen year old year old, now eighteen year old, should be able to do. They should have known something was wrong with her but they were to busy fighting to listen to her silent screams for help... But that was a story for another time.
"Ughh! My head hurts! My stomach hurts! I feel like I'm going to puke!" Her Mother complained.
Well what did you expect going out, getting drunk, staying in a hotel with some guy, and going to get breakfast all on your daughters birthday?

She thought to herself.
What she didn't realize was that she accidentally muttered it out loud.
"Are you serious?" Her Mother asked in a nasally voice. "What the fuck do you do around the house? Huh?" Um, I don't know. Watch your kid, feed your kid, bathe your kid. Any of that ring a bell?

"Nothing. That's what!" She went on when I didn't answer. "I deserve to go out and get drunk once in a while."
Ivy may not have meant to say it out loud but she sure as hell couldn't take it back now. "Once in a while?" She repeated in a cold, patronizing tone. "You go out all the time! I wouldn't even mind if you weren't spending all our money on weed, alcohol, and cigarettes!"
"You better shut your fucking mouth, Ivy." Her Mother growled.
"No, you better!" Ivy yelled, getting worked up now. "You're just pissed that I'm making valid points!"
"Valid points? Name one of your valid points." Her Mother spat.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you have no job yet you have kids to support. Is that valid enough for you?"
"So what?" Her Mother shrugged it off.
Ivy froze when something snapped inside of her.
So what?

The thought resonated through her mind
So what?

Her Mother spent all of the food money on drugs.
So what?

My sisters and I are a 'so what?' to her?

Ivy thought.
"So what?" Ivy repeated coldly.
Her mother didn't respond. Ivy's pupils were dilating, taking over her entire eyeball and the shadows around her became a solid black and started rotating around her waiting for her command.
"You're a Freak! Get out of my house you demon!" Her Mother screamed.
The scream seemed to knock some sense in to her. She wasn't surprised her Mother kicked her out. She's been waiting for a chance to kick her out of the house since Ivy was nine.
Ivy ran upstairs and threw some clothes and her birthday money into a backpack and got dressed. By the time she got outside, the whole neighborhood was standing with her mother throwing curse words at her. People she thought were friends stood now with her enemies.
"Freak!"
"Monster!"
"Demon!"
The humans now formed a tight circle around her. She was crouched, whipping around this way and that, trying to face everyone at once.
"Your kind should be wiped from this earth!"
"Animal!"
"Die!"
Ivy couldn't take it anymore. She's been verbally and emotionally abused her whole life. No more.
Her eyes went black.
Her canines sharpened.
Her nails grew in to claws.
Just as she was about to attack, she saw through a gap in the humans circle, a bunch of cops running full speed towards the circle with their guns drawn.
Instead of attacking, Ivy jumped into the nearest shadow not really realizing why but following her instincts.
As she jumped from shadow to shadow escaping the humans, Ivy changed her name.
The cruelty and bigotry of humanity steered her away from the path of acceptance and forgiveness and turned her from Ivy...
To Shadow.

Chapter Two

Everything around you is a shadow at night. People fear it, and what it might hold when really, all it does is provide security for people like me.

Shadow thought to herself. The light could be equally dangerous. Maybe even more so because it provides people with a false sense of security.
Humanity baffled Shadow even when she was human.
She was now on a lone road. She took out the map of Canada and chose a direction. She then started walking with her thumb out. About 45 minutes later a car finally stopped for her.
"Where you headed Ma'am?" The large man in the drivers seat of the transport that stopped for me asked once she got in.
"Laughlin City." She said in a flat voice.
He slid her a sidelong glance but she was too busy trying to calm her nerves. She's never hitch hiked before and this guy looked just plain creepy!
Shadow observed him as he drove.
He had a beer belly, a small unattractive stubble spread over his face, and his beady little eyes kept glancing over at her, not knowing she was watching him. She fingered the pocket knife she stole from her Mother as she watched him watch her.
"So what's a pretty little thing like you doin' travellin' all alone?" The fat man asked.
"I don't really want to talk about it." She answered in a kind voice.
"Then answer this one. What'cher gunna pay me for this ride?" He asked.
"I'm sorry mister but I ain't got no money. If you could just drop me off here?" Shadow asked growing more nervous by the second.
The man pulled over but locked the doors. "I ain't talkin' 'bout no money Missy." He leered at her black corset, and fashionably ripped black shorts. He took in her eyebrow piercing and long hooded black coat as well. Shadow has always dressed in dark clothing.
"Well I have nothing to offer you!" She snapped.
The man pulled out a knife. "Take off your shirt."
Shadow could feel her eyes start to darken but she reigned it in. Her newly acquired powers were a last option.
She noticed that he only had a light grip on the knife. She made a quick second decision and made a grab for the knife. He was stronger, but she was faster. She grabbed his rusty hunting knife and pulled her's out.
She pressed her knife right below his belt buckle and his knife at his throat. "I politely said I had nothing to pay you, yet you wanted it the hard way. You will drive me to Laughlin City, and you will not speak again. I've had a really bad day and the sight of you is giving me a headache." She said softly and sweetly. She then yelled, "drive!"
Shadow didn't move or even blink the rest of the drive. Her hands didn't waver and she knew without a doubt that she could kill him. She hated rapists with a passion but somewhere in the back of her mind, she was worried. Worried about how she would become seeing as how she was only eighteen yet she could kill without a second thought. She wanted to kill.
She pushed that tiny voice away. She couldn't have doubt right now. Maybe later she'll look into it some more.
Once she got to her destination she hopped out of the truck and the man drove off as fast as he could.
Shadow snickered to herself and headed into the bar she was dropped off at. She needed to find herself another ride.
She buttoned up her coat that went just above the knees and pulled up the hood so she covered up most of her outfit. The black hood covered her boy cut blue hair