Without a Shadow - Julie Steimle (best books under 200 pages .txt) 📗

Her mouth gaped open. She dropped the broom she was carrying. I closed my eyes, turned my head, and continued to flap away—far away from there. I was a monster, and no amount of teeth filing or hugs would fix that. Worried

 

“I figured you’d be here.”

I didn’t even look up. I knew Will’s voice well enough. My older brother walked to the edge of the shore cliff where I had been sitting for a while contemplating where a monster like me could go. He peered down at the rock and sand-covered shore yards below and shuddered. “And now I know why you have never been scared of heights.”

“Go away,” I murmured, not removing my eyes from the crashing waves on the sand below me. “Don’t you know I’m a monster?”

I heard him exhale as if he was tired. He crouched down cautiously then sat next to me with a simple contented sigh that sounded so much like our father. “Monster? People aren’t calling you that again are they?”

I looked up at him with my orange eyes, which were now probably going increasingly red. Lunch seemed forever ago.

“Do they need to? Look at me.” I flapped my wings so he would take notice of them. “Do normal people have fangs and wings? Do normal people see imps and lose their shadows? Do normal people have no reflection?”

His eyes opened a little wider, but he only seemed impressed rather than surprised. “So that’s what’s been bugging you.”

Moaning, I shook my head and turned my eyes back at the shore. “You guys are better off without me.”

He snorted and then chuckled. “Eve, if you think that, then you really must be depressed.” He patted me on the shoulder and leaned over to my ear. “Come on home. Let’s have dinner. Mom’s getting worried.”

I got up in spite of myself. None of it made sense, but I really didn’t want to leave home, even if I was a monster.

My wings retracted into my back, and I stood next to my brother, who grinned reassuringly at me, reaching out his hand. I took it, drawing in a deep breath. We walked home.

The sun had nearly set by the time we reached the house. Trick-or-treaters were already running around in their costumes, ringing doorbells and laughing as we passed by. Not one person noticed the rips in my father’s jacket. Not one paid attention to my red eyes. In fact, several people commented on my great costume. My brother laughed as we walked up the steps. An overgrown imp came out of nowhere just then, and stood next to the front step. It stuck out his foot to trip Will just as we were going through the door. With one shove I forced the creature out of the way and stepped aside, letting my brother in first. “After you.”

My brother smiled at me with a startled glance at the man who had materialized before his eyes, nodding in amazement. “Wow, what a handy skill.”

I said nothing, as I followed him inside.

Dawn was still bickering with my parents when we returned. Yet, as soon as my mother saw me, she enveloped me in hugs and kisses, scolding me soon after.

“Don’t ever run away like that again! You could have been hurt!” she said.

I averted my eyes, feeling my ears grow hot from embarrassment.

Dawn stomped away in a huff. I felt sorry for her, wondering again if it would not have been better for her if I had never come to the family.

Happy Halloween

 

Jane arrived on our doorstep at the time we had planned to meet.

Travis had opened the door, dressed as a Musketeer. He drew his sword with a shout and pointed the tip straight at her. “What ho, you wench! Why standest thou at our door?”

With a snicker, Jane replied as she peered behind him through the doorway, “I was hoping Eve had come home. We were going to go to the school party together. I saw her go out, but—”

Will popped up from his seat next to me at the table and drew his own sword. He was dressed as Zorro, mask, whip, and all. “Señorita, the captive princess is indisposed at this time. She cannot come to the party.”

I slumped in my seat. I really was. I had no costume, and I was still depressed.

“But she may come later with two handsome escorts if you only wait for a moment,” he finished.

I glanced at my mother, who sat at the table dressed as Raggedy Ann. My father had retrieved his ripped coat. He was wearing as part of a mad scientist’s getup and winked at me from across the table, I had already changed my shirt to a tank top, just in case my wings popped out again. My mother shivered just looking at me—but, as usual, I didn’t feel cold at all. Dawn had already left the table, tapping her red high-heeled shoe on the kitchen tile as she watched Jane and then me.

“Can I wait here?” Jane asked, stepping inside.

“See, she’s still your friend,” my father whispered over his plate.

I forced a smile. Glancing to where Jane uncomfortably stood, I hoped. Jane smiled awkwardly at me. I doubly hoped and turned to eat the rest of my broccoli, scraping the last of the cheese sauce off my plate.

“Don’t keep your guest waiting,” my father said.

I smiled at him, then hurried to the sink to wash off my plate and silverware. When I rinsed out my cup, I dropped it quickly in the drainer, then spun on the balls of my feet, dashing straight toward the stairs. I bounded up the steps, not even noticing that my wings popped out a little to give an extra lift in my jumps. In my room, I changed into a black pair of pants and yanked on some socks. I peeked in the mirror to see what I looked like out of habit, but stared instead at the back wall behind me. With a huff at my missing reflection, I shook my head and turned to take the long black gloves my mother had lent me. I pulled them on, watching them vanish in the mirror as I did so. That made me laugh. I put on my shoes, then jumped to my feet. Hurrying out the door, I practically flew down the stairs to where Jane stood. I was grinning happily, thrilled that she was still there.

“Let’s get me a tail and some ears, and we can be off,” I said breathlessly.

Jane blinked at me for a second trying to keep her eyes from looking over my shoulder at the tiny remains of wing that still stuck out. She shrugged. “Ok.”

“That is not fair!” Dawn blurted out with a huff. “You can’t just let her fly around the house like that! What if someone else besides Plain Jane saw her?”

I spun on my heels and lifted my chin. “She is not Plain Jane, so stop calling her that!”

I grabbed hold of Jane’s hand and tromped out the door. However, I made sure my wings had fully retracted before I got outside.

We were outside and halfway to Jane’s house when I stopped dragging my friend by her arm. Jane had been silent the entire way, and I started to feel nervous again. I turned to look at her. She stared pensively at my face, though occasionally she glanced at my back.

“Dawn has been so mean lately,” I said, trying to break the silence.

Jane smirked, nodding at me. “She’s jealous. Also, I overheard her friends telling her nasty things about you, saying you almost bit them in the girls’ bathroom.”

I made a face. “They were writing nasty thing about Dawn on the mirror, and all I did was—”

“I know, Eve. You were protecting her.” Jane smiled.

We walked silently towards her house. There was nothing else to say. Jane had always been sensible. Even her imps had little to shout at her that did not seem absurdly out of character for her.

We did not even reach the yard when a man met us on the road dressed in a tuxedo and a top hat. He smiled a close-mouthed smile at us and nodded. Jane blushed as she continued on, but I could hear her heart beat louder in her chest. The man smiled a little wider.

“How do you do?” he asked, tipping his hat, mostly looking at Jane.

“How do we do what?” I replied with a snort, taking Jane by the arm and leading her farther on.

The man gazed straight at me, and then blinked as if seeing me clearer than before.

“Eve!” Jane hissed at me. “You know what he means! What are you doing?”

But I felt something, looking at that man. Jane generally did not flirt with strange men, and strange men generally did not come to our town to pick up high school freshmen. The man appeared to be at least thirty—thirty and pale.

“Eve? Is that short for Evelyn?” The man asked me as he turned to keep up. He was focusing on my face, gazing deep into my orange irises as if to inspect them amorously.

“No,” I replied with a toss of my head, not unlike how Dawn acts when she is annoyed with a boy. “It is short for Evening. Though I’m not really called that. I came to my parents in the evening. Who are you?”

“What are you doing?” Jane hissed at me through her teeth. It seemed like she was still trying to impress the old guy. “You are being so rude.”

I could read her panic. That was the moment I realized she was worried that this man would be insulted and leave. With one glance, though, I could tell he wasn’t that sort of person. He had a calm demeanor that said very little would ruffle him. The phrase ‘cool as a cucumber’ barely fit him. More like ‘serene as a man who has seen it all’. We were insignificant motes in his existence that he simply decided to toy with.

“I am Marvin Delucinane, a visitor to these parts.” He gave a majestic and gracious bow. He eyed Jane again, who blushed and grinned in a rather stupid and star-struck way. Jane had never been like this.

Lifting my chin, I replied, “A visitor? On Halloween night? That’s an odd choice of days to come to our little town.”

He smiled at me, but his smile became sly as he gazed at my face. I could tell he was trying to focus his charm