Fade Into The Shadows
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I was in the middle of a conversation with Kari when I felt it. A presence, like nothing I’d ever experienced before…
The hair on my neck stood up and goosebumps broke out across my skin as something moved through me. It wasn’t physical; there were no actual sensations at all to describe what happened next, but suddenly everything around us seemed different.
My eyesight sharpened so that every detail became clear: the leaves swaying gently from side to side in the breeze, even the individual hairs on Kari’s arms standing straight up as she shivered beside me. Everything beyond our immediate surroundings faded into the background until only we remained—only ourselves.
And then, just like that, it was gone again. There had been no warning or explanation for what occurred between those two moments, either. Just an abrupt shift back to reality where I could see myself shaking uncontrollably while Kari looked at me curiously.
She didn’t seem frightened by whatever happened though, which made sense since her ability allowed her to share mine without any real effort whatsoever.
“What did you feel?” she asked softly after several seconds passed. “Was someone watching us? Or is this another one of your ‘powers’ coming online?”
It took me a few more moments than normal to answer because I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to tell her about what happened or not. On the one hand, if anyone else knew they might be able to replicate it somehow…but on the other, maybe it would make things easier for me knowing that I wasn’t alone in experiencing these strange occurrences.
And besides, Kari already thought I had some kind of power anyway thanks to how often I used my abilities outside of combat scenarios. Maybe telling her wouldn’t do much damage.
In the end, however, I decided against sharing anything further. Even though I hadn’t told her exactly why I kept secrets from everyone else, I still didn’t want her to think less of me for doing so now. Besides, I doubted she’d believe me even if I tried explaining what went down.
Kari gave me a curious look but said nothing as we continued walking along together. We weren’t heading anywhere specific today; instead, we simply walked aimlessly through the forest surrounding our home base.
This time, however, it was different. Instead of taking long strides forward, I found myself moving slower and keeping my head turned slightly downward whenever possible. As far as I could tell, nobody noticed except Kari, who offered little commentary aside from asking me once again what I sensed.
Eventually, the feeling vanished completely, leaving both of us confused. Whatever had happened during that brief moment was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced before, yet neither of us had any idea what caused it.
In fact, it left me wondering if there really was such a thing as magic at all, let alone anything supernatural. Could that have been some kind of psychic phenomenon or perhaps a manifestation of some sort of metaphysical energy? If so, what was its purpose? What good did it serve? Why did it disappear so quickly?
These questions plagued me over the following days, especially since none of them were answered anytime soon.
***
A week later, I awoke early in the morning to find Kari sitting on top of the bed reading a book. It was rare for me to sleep past dawn, so seeing her awake always caught me off guard regardless of how many times it happened. When I finally managed to drag myself out of bed and stumble toward the kitchen, she looked up from her novel and smiled warmly.
“Good morning,” she greeted cheerfully. “How are you feeling?”
She gestured toward the breakfast table where a steaming pot of coffee sat waiting for me alongside three plates covered with eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit. I nodded appreciatively and seated myself at the table, then began digging into my meal. After finishing most of the food within minutes, I leaned back in my chair and sighed contentedly.
“You know, I haven’t eaten this well in weeks.”
“That’s because you’re eating too fast!” Kari scolded playfully. “Slow down! You’ll ruin your appetite if you keep stuffing yourself like that.”
I rolled my eyes and chuckled lightly. While I appreciated the concern, I honestly believed I ate plenty slow enough. Regardless, I slowed down considerably after that comment and finished everything on my plate. Once I was done, I reached for my mug and took a sip of the hot liquid.
“So, what’s going on?” I asked casually. “Why aren’t you asleep right now?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Kari replied nonchalantly. “Just got up earlier than usual to get started on some work.”
“Work?” I repeated incredulously. “On a Saturday?! Are you serious?!”
The elf woman shrugged dismissively.
“Don’t worry about it,” she assured me. “There isn’t anything urgent that needs tending to. I’ve got a lot of paperwork to go over, plus I need to write up reports for the rest of the team members. The only reason I woke up early is that I figured I should start working while I can concentrate better.”
“But…” I trailed off uncertainly. “Isn’t that stuff supposed to happen when everyone else goes to sleep?”
“Well, yes, normally it does,” she admitted. “However, I don’t see any harm in getting ahead of schedule. There won’t be a ton of people around here until lunchtime, so I doubt anyone will mind if I finish my report writing sooner rather than later.”
As she spoke, I realized something important: the elves actually worked every day of the year just like humans did, including weekends. They also didn’t take their own holidays off like we did – apparently, they celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Day, but those celebrations came second to the ones held by their respective tribes.
That meant that Kari would be spending more time away from home than normal, which made me feel guilty for not being able to spend much time with her. However, I knew deep down inside that she wouldn’t appreciate my worrying about it. She wasn’t the type of person to complain no matter what, so I’d try to make sure she enjoyed herself wherever she went.
Once I finished my cup of coffee, I stood up from the table and headed for the bathroom. Since we lived in an underground bunker, there were restrooms located throughout the facility. I used one of these facilities to clean up and brush my teeth, then returned to the bedroom to dress for the day.
By the time I emerged from the room again, Kari was already dressed and ready to head downstairs.
“Ready to go?” she asked brightly.
I nodded and followed behind her, pausing briefly to grab my boots from under the bed. We descended the stairs together and walked outside through the front door. As expected, most of the other members of our group were still sleeping, save for the few who had decided to rise early.
One such member was a young man named Roloff, whom I recognized as one of the two dwarves currently stationed near the entrance. He spotted us approaching and hurried over to greet us.
“Morning, guys!” he called happily. “It looks like you both slept in pretty late today.”
Kari smirked and shook her head.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” she apologized. “We stayed up talking last night.”
Roloff raised his eyebrows curiously.
“About what?”
“Oh, nothing really,” she answered vaguely. “Just catching up with each other.”
He frowned slightly and glanced between the pair of us.
“What do you mean?” he asked skeptically. “I thought you were dating.”
Kari laughed softly and waved him off.
“Relax, Rolo,” she told him gently. “Nothing like that has ever happened before.”
Her words seemed to placate the dwarf somewhat, though I could tell he was still skeptical. After all, the two of them weren’t exactly strangers; they’d been friends since childhood, and Roloff had known Kari long before she met me. Still, she insisted that nothing romantic was happening between the two of them, so he reluctantly accepted her word at face value.
After giving Roloff a friendly wave goodbye, Kari led me back into the building. When we arrived in the living area, she pointed out the kitchen where breakfast awaited us. This particular meal consisted primarily of fruit and bread, along with several different types of cheese.
It wasn’t particularly filling or nutritious, but it was a nice change of pace compared to the previous meals. I sat down next to Kari and began eating, while the others joined us shortly afterward. Once everyone was seated, Kari turned toward me and smiled warmly.
“How are things going with your new job?” she inquired.
“Good so far,” I confirmed hesitantly. “They’re treating me well, and the pay is good too. I’ll have to find somewhere else eventually, though.”
She arched an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side quizzically.
“Why? You like this place?”
I chuckled nervously and scratched my cheek.
“No, it’s fine,” I replied. “Actually, I’m kind of glad to leave. The people I work for aren’t bad people, but they’re very conservative and old-fashioned. Their views on certain issues are outdated and offensive, especially considering how progressive the world has become recently.”
“That doesn’t sound great,” she remarked. “Are you worried they might fire you because of your beliefs?”
I shrugged helplessly.
“Maybe, maybe not,” I said. “Either way, I’ve got enough money saved up to live comfortably for a couple years without working. If worse comes to worst, I can always move back in with my parents and look for another job once I get bored of staying home.”
The rest of the morning proceeded uneventfully after that. While some of the others took turns showering and changing clothes, I spent most of my time reading through the documents I’d found while cleaning the house yesterday afternoon.
Most of them were mundane and boring, detailing the history of the organization and its operations, but a handful contained more interesting information. For example, there were notes written by various agents regarding their experiences with the organization, including descriptions of specific missions they undertook and details on the results.
There were also records pertaining to the recruitment process itself, which included interviews conducted with potential candidates, biographical sketches of those deemed worthy, and background checks performed on individuals who passed the initial screening.
In addition, there were reports concerning the placement of operatives within key positions around the globe, along with data related to ongoing projects and intelligence gathered via surveillance and infiltration.
One of the most intriguing sections, however, dealt with the origins of the organization. Apparently, it had begun sometime during the mid-20th century when a small group of men came together to form an independent security firm.
They formed the company with the goal of providing protection services to businesses and wealthy clients and initially operated out of New York City. Over the course of many decades, they expanded across North America and Europe, establishing offices in major cities worldwide.
Eventually, they branched out into Africa, Asia, South America, Australia, and even Antarctica. By now, they were one of the largest private security firms in existence, employing thousands of employees and managing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of assets.
As I read over these documents, I couldn’t help but wonder if any of the names mentioned in them belonged to former students from the Academy. Some of the locations listed in the files matched up perfectly with places I knew, such as London, Paris, Rome, and Tokyo, but none of the references made mention of countries in the Middle East, India, or China.
However, that didn’t necessarily mean anything – perhaps the organization’s activities extended beyond the borders of Earth. That would explain why no reference was made to the fact that it was founded here, and it wouldn’t be hard to believe that the founders simply decided to keep quiet about their involvement with our school.
By the time lunch rolled around, I’d finished reading everything in sight. As usual, I ate alone while everyone else socialized with each other. My stomach growled loudly, prompting Kari to ask what was wrong.
“I’m starving!” I exclaimed between bites. “Where did all this food come from?”
Kari laughed heartily at my comment before answering.
“We just stopped off at the grocery store earlier today,” she explained. “There’s plenty left over, so feel free to grab whatever looks good.”
My eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t told me anything about stopping anywhere!
“You could have asked me first,” I complained.
“Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly. “But we figured you probably wanted to eat something different than us anyway. Besides, you don’t need to worry about spending money anymore, do you? We know where you’re living now, so you won’t ever have to buy groceries again.”
“Wait…what?!” I gasped.
A wide grin spread across her face as she nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes, it’s true,” she continued excitedly. “Your mom sent a message last night saying she wants you to stay with us indefinitely. Isn’t that exciting?! Now you’ll never have to go hungry again, and you can sleep whenever you want to! Oh, and I almost forgot…” she added with a mischievous smile, “…you get to meet my boyfriend tonight.”
***
After dinner, I went upstairs to change into fresh clothing and freshen up. When I returned downstairs, Kari informed me that the meeting was scheduled for 7:00 PM sharp and instructed me to bring my tablet computer along with me.
I followed her instructions and set my things down on the coffee table next to the couch, then sat myself down on the sofa beside her. The room was dimly lit, and only a few lamps provided illumination, casting shadows throughout the space.
All of the furniture appeared brand new, and the walls were freshly painted white. It looked like someone had moved right in, leaving behind nothing except a pile of trash bags filled with old papers.
Kari turned toward me and smiled.
“So, how are you feeling?” she asked curiously. “Are your legs still bothering you? You should take it easy until tomorrow. Don’t try to push yourself too much; otherwise, you might end up hurting yourself worse.”
“Yeah, I think I’ve been pushing myself pretty hard lately,” I admitted. “It feels better now though, thanks to the painkillers.”
She chuckled softly as she leaned back against the armrests of the couch.
“Well, let’s hope that continues,” she said. Then, after taking a moment to study my expression, she added, “Is there anything else you’d like to talk about? Anything you haven’t gotten a chance to tell anyone yet?”
The question caught me by surprise. After all, I thought I already shared every detail of my life with everyone who cared enough to listen. Still, I wasn’t sure if telling Kari more details about my past would be beneficial, especially considering how little information I actually possessed.
But I also felt compelled to share some of the things that weighed heavily upon me, regardless of whether or not she understood them. So, I took a deep breath and began explaining everything that happened during my encounter with the alien ship two years ago.
When I finally finished talking, I found myself staring at the floor, lost in thought. There were many things I wished I could say, but I lacked the confidence to speak those words aloud. Instead, I kept silent, hoping that somehow, someday, they would find their way out of my mouth.
“That must have been quite an experience,” Kari commented quietly.
For several moments, neither one of us spoke. Eventually, however, I gathered the courage necessary to respond.
“Yeah, it really was,” I agreed. “And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about it afterward. Every day since has been a struggle. I keep wondering why God allowed such horrible events to happen to innocent people, and I can’t help but wonder if He even exists at all.”
“God is real,” Kari insisted firmly. “He loves you very much, and he always will.”
“Even though I’m a sinner?” I countered hesitantly. “How does someone like me deserve His love?”
Kari frowned slightly at my response.
“You may have sinned against Him,” she replied slowly. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t worthy of His forgiveness. In fact, Jesus Christ died for our sins because we cannot repay him in any way.
That’s exactly what makes us sinners unworthy of his grace – we simply cannot pay the price required to make amends for our actions. However, this isn’t a problem for God. Forgiveness comes free of charge, and He offers it freely to anyone who asks.”
The End