Shadowed Glory by K.M.Shadowens (fantasy novels to read .txt) 📖

“Nikki, look honey! Isn’t the lake just beautiful?” My mom asked staring out her window at the greenish murky lake. At forty-three she was still just five and a half feet tall. She had grey blue eyes that cold tear a person to shreds when she was mad and brown hair that was showing new grey strands constantly since my dad told us we were moving to an off-the-map-completely town with the population barley over a thousand.
“Yeah, just beautiful” I replied with absoulutely no enthusiasm. Oh well, they brought me out here, what do they expect me to do? Be all happy about having to transfer to my fourth high school. Or maybe jump for joy at having to leaving my kitten Basset back in South Carolina with my grandmother. God, I hate my parents! Didn't they care how I felt every time we moved for my dads job, which i would like to point out that I no clue what he does exactly.
We drove for another mile or two passing nothing but dirt and brow grass that was forever burnt by the sun. Know that just because someone says “it’s not just dirt, its good old Texas dirt” that it is still dirt.
We finally pulled into the driveway of our new house and I kind of regretted thinking that I hated my parents, but not quite enough to take it back.
The house is a beautiful creamy color that reminds me of the French vanilla I put in my coffee every morning. It towered three stories high with about fifteen windows in the front and a white pic-kit fence around the whole house. The front yard, or the dirt in front of the house, is the size of a football and from what I can see the back yard is three times that.
The house was truly beautiful and I couldn’t wait to get inside and see the rest of it. I walked to the front door and was not so surprised to find it open. Dad trusted everyone he met so he always leaves things unlocked; and considering where we were I doubted many people even knew there was a house here. At least we would have privacy.
When walked through the door I was absolutely stunned. I was standing in a massive foyer that was fully decorated with a massive light-wood round table in the middle and pictures of my family hanging on the walls already. Off to the right was a door way that led to another fully decoratd room. On the left was a huge set of curved stair that led up to the second story. We had never had a house like this before. Or even close to this. What IS my dads job?
“So you like it honey?” My dad asked behind me making me jump four feet of the ground.
“Um, yeah it’s amazing but-“ I walked into what I guessed was the living room “-where did we get all this furniture and who arranged it?”
“Last time I was here I found a couple of high school guys who agreed to do it just the way I wanted it for a hundred dollars each; and my work gave us the money to buy this furniture. Do you like it your mother arranged it?" So that's why it looks so much like the cover of my moms favorite magazine.
“Well that’s nice of them. Where’s my room?” I could only imagine what it would look like if my mom picked it out.
My dad smiled. “That’s my girl, polite but straight to the point. Just go up the stairs and it will be the first door you see on your right.”
“Thanks Dad.” I called back as I bounded up the curved stairway. As I reached the top of the stairs I noticed that there were only three doors in the hallways and only one on the right. I opened the door and was anything but disappointed.
The walls were a light pink, a little girly for a sixteen year old but it tied into to everything else so perfectly it didn’t matter. I now had a king sized bed with a white comforter with flowery lace, a huge white desk with a new laptop, a gigantic full-length mirror and a comfortable looking white wicker chair. All in all the room was beautiful but a little bare. That would change. The only thing that was missing was space to put my huge wardrobe. I walked into the hall and immediately noticed one of the doors across the hall was open. I pushed the door the rest of the way and found myself in an enormous white bathroom with a huge tub that was screaming for me to come relax in. What was with my mom and the color white?
I spotted another door next to the sink. I bet it’s my parent’s room, of course they would have to have the room with the bathroom attached; didn’t they understand teenagers at all? But when I opened the door I realized I was in my new closet. “My god, it’s the size of my old room!” And it was filled with all new clothes, purses, jewelry, and shoes. Omigod, I have the whole second floor to myself! Mine. All mine.


At dinner I walked down the stairs and found my way to the dining room, which was decorated in – you guessed it, all white furniture. I sat down in one of the chairs that practically swallowed me whole. The white table cloth was covered in food- all my favorite food. Forget it, I don’t care how amazing the house is or what food they cook me, I want my old friends and house back. I had been at my last high school the longest and had really made some good friends and even had my eye on a guy or two.
“So I’m guessing you found your way around just fine then dear?” My mom asked sitting down across from me.
“Yeah, and thanks for all the new stuff. I know dad’s job is complicated and all but how come we are suddenly living like royalty? I mean we have never had a house even close to this size or furniture like this.”
“All I know is someone offered your dad the job and showed him four or five houses available that we could live in. Your dad obviously accepted and we were allowed a budget to decorate with. By the way how do you like it, I picked it all out myself.”
“Looks great mom. Where’s dad?” Wow dad was right; I was a straight to the point type of person.
“He’s in the study working dear. He apologizes but will come up later to tell you good night” I’m pretty sure her voice was a mix between annoyance and weariness. I couldn’t tell who she was annoyed at. Either way I had better make this dinner short and sweet.
And short and sweet was exactly what it was thankfully. After I was finished I rushed up to my room and found that while I was eating dinner dad had been busy stacking boxes in my room. Great! Not.
For the next two hours I unpacked box after box. I tried to organize things but every time I found a place for one thing I unpacked something else that needed a place to go. I tried my hardest to get all the boxes unpacked but by nine I was still nowhere near done. I decided to take a break and go for a walk. I love walking in the dark it gives everything a more adventurous feel. Mom and dad knew that too and never asked where I was going or when I would be back, I just left and came back sometime later.
I grabbed a pair of old converse and a hoodie.As I walked down the stairs I heard mom and dad screaming at each other. Oh what now? I thought as I walked out the door.
Not only did I have to worry about starting my life at a new school but now I have to worry about what’s up with my parents. I pushed them it to the back of my mind and thought about school starting tomorrow. Were the people nice? Would they like me? How big was the school? Tons of questions and scenarios of embarrassing things were swirling around in my head until I saw a shadow about a hundred yards away.
Oh God, I’m dead. The movie Texas Chainsaw Massecer was replaying itself in my head. I could only stand there hoping the whatever it was wouldn’t notice. Nope, the figure was coming closer at an alarming rate, too fast to be possible really because in three seconds the was a really hot guy standing in front of me, more like towering over me. He had to be at least six feet tall. His eyes were green like dark emeralds and his shaggy hair was so dark it blended in with the sky. He was wearing regular blue jeans and a black shirt that was a little tight and showed that he was built.
“Do you realize what time it is, or maybe that its night? How stupid are you?”He was really pissed and I didn’t know why. Who the hell pissed in his cheerios?
“Well obviously it’s after nine and I’m not blind I can see its night time!” Wrong thing to say. He seemed to get taller, which seemed impossible since he was huge already. And I could have sworn his eyes got another four shades darker.
But then his face changed, “Your family just moved here didn’t they?” Even though he seemed to already know the answer.
“Um, yeah. Now why are you yelling at me for taking a walk?" He just smiled. A smile that made me want to smack him but was killing me at the same time.
“I’m surprised you and your family were not told considering it’s required for you to be warned before coming here.” I'm pretty sure the look on my face as of disgust, humor, and a bit of terror. Whatever the look on my face was it just made his smile get bigger.
“What am I being warned about exactly?” God for some one so amazing looking he was so annoying with all the answering my questions with riddles things.
“Your shadow.” See, exactly what I”m saying.
“My shadow, I am supposed to be scared of my shadow that is completely harmless? Why?”
“Yes your shadow, well really the fact that your shadow just might get you killed. And I would stop being so smart, I could kill you right now for smarting off