Shadow

You may be thinking: Oh, there is no magic. It's make believe. Well, maybe you think that, but that's only because few humans know about it, like you will in a few seconds. Assuming you're human, which I think you are. For example, I'm an elf. And I have wings.

It isn't as awesome as you would think. Some people devote their lives to hunting certain elves like me for the iridescent designs on the stupid wings they have. Anyways, it SUCKS! Why? Because I don't have anywhere to use my wings, simply because of how busy NYC is. The second I unfolded these things, people would be on me, snapping pictures, and I'd be in a museum or a zoo before I could explain myself. If you're wondering why Stefan or the bullies didn't see my wings, it's because I fold them behind my back and cover them with my dirty "shirt" - if you can call it that. Plus, if anyone sees them, I can just trick them into thinking it's a costume. They would certainly fit the part.

My wings are lavender, flecked with amethyst and gold around the edges. They are large, and feature a lot of spikes around the edges, which have sharp points. Poisonous and sharp. Despite that, my wings are thin as a pixie's. Stunningly, they are still strong. They are covered in scales, just like a dragon's. Only some elves earn wings. You only get them if you do great deeds, and are blessed by someone of importance. But sometimes they just ignore you. I got them when there was a flood, back at school in my old home, and I accidentally found out who caused it. Long story, and not an important one. My old home? It's... not important. And I don't want to talk about it.

Elves are just like humans, but we have pointy ears, and are magical. Being an elf also means you are born with weird eye colours. But, unlike humans, it doesn't matter what eye colour our parents have. For example, my parents had gold and pink eyes, and I have violet eyes. Elves and demons also gain a certain amount of abilities once they are of age. I haven't gotten them yet. Apparently, it should happen sometime soon.

Eons ago, the Vamcorl (that's what magical beings call ourselves) decided to leave earth, as humans weren't advanced enough for them. I mean, they were just advanced gorillas at this point. The elves, kitsunes, vampires, pixies, fairies, dragons, mythical birds, and griffins all joined together. We found a new planet to live on, but thirteen years ago, the demons began to attack. My parents didn't know why the attacks started, but Mama and Papa wanted me to grow up safe. With the war raging on, no one noticed as Mama and Papa leapt away to earth. Elf money is what they call "silver" and"jewels" on earth, and when my parents tried to buy a tiny shed-like home with only two hundred pure silver and two thousand diamond coins (a normal amount of money to Vamcorl), the company ended up building them a giant mansion-like house.

A few months later, I was born, and we mostly only stayed in our house to avoid drawing any attention to ourselves. It didn't work very well; it was huge and screamed for attention. Still, the government didn't really notice us at all, and any weird behaviour detected from us was shrugged off. In other words, they thought we were a rich human family. Actually, back when I was four, before any of this happened, I went to school; a school in the magic world. Anyways, I live in the alleyway I ran to after the attack, with Dracoponian, an ice dragon. We're pretty much family. And my companions can talk.

I have finally gotten 'home', and it is late at night. Pustyn and Durpner are there. They're my friends, my fellow homeless. They also happen to be vampires. "Hey, Shades," Pustyn says. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her brother, Durpner. My friends call me Shadow, or Shades. They know about my being an elf. Pustyn tries to smile as I walk closer towards her, but something about her looks sad. Distant. Her face catches the light of the sunset, revealing her long, straight black hair. The hair closest to her ears is intricately braided up to her head, and molded into a crown-like shape, as if she'd spent the morning getting every strand of hair in perfect position. The rest is long enough to brush against her thighs. The sun illuminates her pale skin and razor-sharp canine fangs. She locks her glance with me, and I find myself staring into her coal black eyes. Durpner has the same qualities as his sister, but his cheeks are the same pale colour as his skin. He's dreadfully handsome, which is bad, because every human girl that sees him immediately falls in love with him. Maybe some elves too... not including me, of course. But you should probably ignore that about him - he isn't exactly interested in love. They both wear sun hats to protect themselves- Vampires can't stand the sun.

Like me, they both came from a harsh background. They refuse to tell me more than these few facts: Durpner told me that they were raised by an empty, and cruel mother. Eventually they fled to the human realm, leaving their mother, and their old life, forever. He told me not to tell anyone else, so I don't know if he's told anyone else. I met them by pure chance, but we've been friends ever since. I met Pustyn and Durpner first, so we trust each other the most. We're in this together. Humans know about most magical beings (Although very loosely, and not very accurately), but only the government and Magic Hunters know about us. The elves. They call us magical creatures beasts. Pests. As if we're not real, living creatures. They're pure evil, really.

I smile at the two siblings, but it fades once I notice the devastated expression on Pustyn's face. "What's wrong?" I ask her, but she opens her mouth to speak. But, then her eyes get glassy and she closes it again, swallowing a sob. "Wait- Durpner, what happened?" I ask, almost frantically.

His eyes meet mine. They are cloudy, unfocused. "Shadow. It's all over. Tina was killed, and so were Gigrine and Greglef. We- we don't have a chance anymore." Durpner sighs. He almost never shows emotion, so this is bad. "Cristopher told." My heart stops, then starts again. Four of my friends, dead. And I wasn't even there to help them. I close my eyes and blink quickly.

"What- no, no. That's not- I didn't..."

Durpner looks down. "I'm sorry. There were too many- we were overpowered. Everyone is gone."

Pustyn's eyes light up abruptly. "But we managed to save Vapor!" she announces, attempting a smile.

Vapor, a young male elf, stumbles towards us. He is limping and has a black eye. There is an arrow sticking out of his left wing, but I know that it will heal. His right wing is permanently twisted, but luckily he can fly from being a Gale. His black hair, dyed blue at the tips, is messy, in a wild, dreadlocked style. His bronze skin is caked with bruises, and his usual sapphire blue eyes are cloudy. The dark green glasses that he always wears are broken and cracked.

Upon seeing his injuries, the injuries that prove the blistering, terrible truth, I roar out in anger. Christopher was a human, and homeless. He must have found out about us! Crusty and Tina were vampires. Gigrine and Gregleftor merfolk. Salty tears run down my face.

Pustyn wraps an arm around my shoulder and I lean on her, my tears soaking her dirty royal purple shirt.

I wipe my eyes and glance over at Vapor. He seems to be getting worse by the second. I gather some leaves and moss, and arranged them on the ground in the shape of a mattress. Then, as careful as possible, I drag him to it. He sighs in relief, and quickly dozes off.

"I guess we should all get some rest," Durpner says. Pustyn sighs.

"I-I guess that means we're going to the Homeless shelter."

"Not all of us," I point out.

Dracoponian harrumphs silently.

"You guys don't have to go to the shelter. I'm sure we can hide somewhere," Pustyn tells us, being the eternal optimist.

"We can't stay here. We'll be found and taken to a shelter anyway." I admit.

"Not if we hide well," Durpner argues.

"It's too risky!" I yell. Dracoponian bares his teeth at me. "Shadow, please! You chose to stay here, instead of Vlamkorlar!"

Durpner says. Dracoponian nods.

Vlamkorlar is the magical world.

"Because, as long as we stay clear of the Hunters, it's way safer here!"

"I'm sure it'll be ok, Shadow." Pustyn says quickly. "Besides, I don't want to split up. And I doubt you do." I sigh and say sorry to Durpner and Dracoponian. He always makes me feel better when times are rough; I can at least let him decide this. Everyone living in this alley more or less loves one another like a family. We want to be together, always. That's why the elves and vampires of our group hate going to the shelter. We also hate it because the risks of Dracoponian getting taken away are greater than ever without us. How would you feel if one of your family members were taken away from you?

After a while of debating, we decide as a group to hide and sleep. Dracoponian nestles behind a couple large, sickly green salt storage bins. Pustyn and Durpner transform into bats, and safely hang from a shady branch. "Don't move too much," I whisper, as the salt bin shakes. Only Vapor and I are left. Vapor whispers, "I can go behind the garbage." I nod at him. "Where will you go, Shadow?" he asks. I point to the rooftops. "Oh," he says. I fly up to the rooftop. Dracoponian was cursed in a battle, and that's why he doesn't speak. I only know his name because he pretended to be his letters. It took months to understand. It was kind of dumb, I'm not sure why we didn't just find some sand and let him carve his name into it. Then again, that way he has a high chance of getting caught. I watch until I know they are all safe. I curl up into a tiny ball on the roof and try to fall asleep, but this is not the most comfortable bed. Our little 'group' is trying to find something that will help stop the war. We all have a history with it, though I barely know anything about most of theirs. I watch the birds. The full moon's light illuminates their wings. I squeeze my eyes shut, and eventually fall asleep.

After a few hours of shut-eye, my slumber is disturbed by a slight movement in the alley. I have fast reflexes, so the slightest unusual movement wakes me up. I sit up. Watching from the rooftop, I can see the outline of two figures. "What are you doing to me?! Let me go!" The first one with glasses whisper-screams. "We need information on your side, the only way to get it is from you." The second figure whispers. He flicks his wrist, and suddenly, the first figure's mouth shuts. The second figure sighs, and grabs hold of the first figure's arm. There is a flash of light, and then they're. The only clue that they were here is a small Vamcorl Elf-I-Holo that fell out of the second elf's pocket. I stare at it intently, wondering if I should go get it, but my brain is too tired to think and I quickly fall back asleep.

...

"Shadow, wake up," a voice calls. "Shadow, up," The voice is so close, yet so far. "Shadow," The voice is closer this time. But I don't really want to- "ARKERA!"

"Ack!" I bolt awake. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, you wouldn't wake up!" Pustyn says, sounding sorry.

I vividly remember someone calling a familiar name. My name. "Are the others up?" I ask.

"Yes. You certainly slept," Pustyn says. "C'mon, let's eat breakfast,"

She leads me towards the others, who are snacking on a couple of apples, and a banana. As we eat, I tell them about what I saw last night.

"It could have been a dream," Durpner suggests.

"I don't think so. They left evidence," I say.

"Well, let's look," Pustyn says, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and getting up from the ground.

After searching for a couple minutes, we finally found a now battered and broken Elf-I-Holo hidden by a pile of dirt. "Someone must have stepped on it," I note.

"Well, it's not useful anymore, so we can leave it here," Durpner says. "Let's get back to the group." We all split up to look for food. I head towards a McDonalds. Usually, the restaurant throws the food out when it still has the wrapper, and sometimes people don't even touch the food. I find an untouched pack of french fries, and two slightly-nibbled hamburgers. I see a human walk out of the store, towards me, and I run away. I sigh. McDonalds always has lots of food. Well, there's nothing I can do about it, because there is no way that I am going to the homeless shelter. Because I do not want to be split up from the others, but I can't really get mad, because I chose to be on the streets. And I don't regret it. I wouldn't want someone to try to replace Mama and Papa.

I remember that there was a new house near here, with a backyard full of apple trees. I go to it, and climb over the wooden fence. They have a brown cat, and it's outside in the garden, climbing a tree. Hmm. It will probably yowl if it sees me, and its owners will come. I look around for a rock, find a fairly large one, and throw it behind a bush. The cat speedily rushes towards it, intent upon it's non-existent prey, so I throw a few more rocks just to make sure the cat stays distracted. It'll be busy for a little while. Then, I quietly fly over the fence and then up to a tree. Then, I put as many apples that will fit with the food I already collected in my satchel, and fly towards a small stream. I clean my dirty hands in it, and then drink a bit. I head back to the alleyway. The others are already there. Durpner and Pustyn are holding small juice boxes, and Dracoponian is carrying a few rabbits. We're lucky, because most of the other homeless people don't have others to help them. Dracoponian is tending to Vapor, and the pixies are helping him. The pixies aren't really with us- they just help sometimes. We make a pile of the food.

"I'll start a fire," Durpner says. He works on that for a few minutes, and then we carefully roast the rabbits on it. I breathe in the scent of food.

"Okay. Vapor should eat first, he's injured." the others nod, but my stomach growls in protest. I try to ignore it. Dracoponian slices up a piece of rabbit with his claws. He gives it to Vapor, who chews it slowly, as if it hurts to move. We each take our fair portion of food, but I still have an empty, hollow feeling in my stomach. This isn't enough for six Vamcorl.

"How long until Vapor's better, Dracoponian?" Pustyn asks the mute dragon. He breathes ice onto the ground and, with his claw, sketches a line. Then, he sketches another line overlapping the bigger line, a bit away from the middle. "A day?" Pustyn asks. Dracoponian opens his mouth to respond, remembers he can't speak, and shuts it again. He scowls and nods, glaring at his mouth and going cross-eyed. I giggle. "Then we should be looking."

Our team's goal is to stop the Vlamkorlarian War, but we know it'll be almost impossible, given our current state. Vapor says that he can leap us to the Elf Cities once he's better. We'll get in better condition there. The thing is, it isn't as safe. Unless something happens, I'm the leader of us, and I say we're staying. I sneakily fly to a forest, and search for something magical. I see something red and swoop down to look at it. It's a piece of rubber. I roll my eyes, get up, and clutch my arm. I banged it against a tree. The pain jolts me and I jump up and down. It fades away partially but still is there. I'm about to give up and fly back, when I see a bit of light, un-foresty brown. I curiously brush some dirt off it, and see a small cardboard box. It doesn't have a postal code, but taped to it is a flower- a sunelise, which only grows in Vlamkorlar. I gasp, take the box, and fly back to the alley. The others are already there, except for Dracoponian. He arrives about ten minutes later, holding something. He sets it down. We peer at it. It looks like a white-blue scale. Dracoponian looks excited, and keeps pointing to himself. I suddenly understand. "It's an ice dragon scale?" I ask. He nods, annoyed. "Um... Is it yours?" He nods again.

"How does that help..?"

He shrugs, and I face-palm. "Guys?"

"Yes?" Vapor croaks from his corner.

"I found something, too." I show them the box.

"It's cardboard?" I roll my eyes at Pustyn. "What? Vamcorl usually don't use cardboard! It breaks easily!"

"Not that easily. But look." I point to the flower. Its stem is sunset-red, and the petals look like the sun, which it was named after. I use my dagger, which is in a little attachment under my boot, to carefully slice the box open. Inside, there is a smooth, oval stone, the colour of a midnight sky.

Dracoponian jumps. He points to the stone, and then to himself. "You want to keep the stone with you?" Durpner guesses incredulously. Dracoponian glares and shows his teeth. Durpner huffs for a moment, and allows him. "Doesn't look too important, but okay." Dracoponian takes the stone, which is about the size of his paw, and uses his ice to freeze it onto him. Honestly, he looks silly, with a stone stuck to his back. Not that that's related to anything.