Shadows - Ch 3

Chapter Three

     My hand hit the snooze button on my alarm clock hard enough for it to fall off the table. Groaning and throwing a pillow over my head was my answer to this morning. Meg kept us out far too late. I was glad that my parents had long since gone to bed by the time I returned home. The only reprieve I have is that it was Sunday, the day where my family slept in and took the day slowly. My mom had insisted on Sunday being a slow day. Don’t know why, but if it meant a few extra hours of sleep, I wasn’t going to complain. Closing my eyes, I tried to grasp the remnants of my dream. All I could remember was walking along a river’s edge as my Shadow moved alongside me. Tomorrow was when I was going to be assigned one. I was so excited. Sitting up, I grabbed the letter from the table beside my bed and read over it again. I still couldn’t believe I had been selected. I wonder what my Shadow would be like. Would it have a defined shape or be a shifting form? Would it have a personality? Would we be able to talk and it keep my secrets? There were so many questions I had. My father wouldn’t tell me anything about Shadows, despite working with them. He also never released his Shadow when he was home. My father said that if our lives were in danger, he would use it to help us. I read the last line of the letter again. “May the journey you are about to embark upon be pleasant and may your Shadow forever remain by your side.” So much for going back to sleep. This day needed to go by quickly. Hopping out of bed, I changed into some clothes that had a few grease stains on them. Today was going to be bike day. My bike needed some maintenance. I skipped down the stairs, grabbed half a bagel, and opened the garage door, letting in the light and air. As I munched away on my sorry excuse for a breakfast, I pulled my bag of tools out from under the workbench. My father hardly used the garage, except for the usual parking his car. I used the extra space to store my bike. Swallowing the last bite of bagel, I pulled out a wrench and screwdriver. I needed to clean it and I wanted to see my reflection in every nook and cranny. Taking the decorative covers off, I took a rag and began wiping the engine down. If I was to go to the Shadow Research facility, I wanted to make a good impression because we all know that first impressions are important. “Hey Mila!” I looked over my shoulder to see Marcus walking across the small yard.
“Morning!” I continued my cleaning.
“You’re up later than normal. Long night?”
We laughed. “You know it!” Pointing toward the workbench, I asked for another rag. He took one as well and began wiping down one of the covers I had removed earlier.
“You ready for tomorrow?”
“I will be once I’m done with this.” I sprayed a cleaning fluid onto the rag before tackling the tires.
“When do you leave?”
“Around eight. I’m supposed to be there no later than nine. I want to get there nice and early.”
“Cool. Know when you’ll be back?”
“Nope. I don’t know if I’ll be there for five minutes, five hours, or all day.” Holding my hand out, Marcus put a water bottle in it. “Thanks.” I took a swig.
“Meg called me earlier. She brought up something we both noticed last night.”
“What’s that?” I took the cover he held out to me.
“Your reaction when the blonde Shade showed up. What was his name?”
My hold on the cover slipped, it falling to the ground. “Scott?” I wiped the dirt off the cover.
“Yeah. You were staring at him like, as Meg put it, a piece of hot blonde chocolate.”
“I was not!” Placing a screw, I tightened it before I could drop the cover again.
“You kind of were. If Emily didn’t say anything, I would bet my bike that you’ve scared him away.”
“What?”
“You know Shades. They get enough attention already without wanting it. He was a little uncomfortable.”
“He just looked different from the others. How many super blonde Shades have you seen?”
He shrugged. “Not any, so, I guess you have a point there. You might need this.” The screw I was looking for sat in his hand.
“Thanks.” Securing it in place, I moved to the other side of my bike. “What about Meg? She was fawning all over the Matthew Shade.”
“Yeah. She said he called himself Matt, not Matthew. And heads-up, she’s going to gush about him next you see her.”
“Sounds fun.” I smiled at him. “Nothing like gossiping about boys to keep the conversation going.”
Marcus laughed. “Yeah, not my forte.” Shrugging, I put the last cover back on my bike. One last wipe down and my bike looked almost new, except for the giant scratch on the back cover from me dropping it. “Well, I’m off to grab lunch. Wanna join?”
“I’m good. Mom said something yesterday about eating together today since dad is home for once.”
“Understood. I’ll see ya later!”