JenniMerritt
Synopsis
Her father is dead. And it is all her fault. Riddled with guilt, hated by family, Siri falls into her own darkness. That is why she can't stand at the funeral. That is why she turns and runs.
Little did she expect the hole she would fall into.
The hole that would throw her into the world of the Shadows.
A dark underground maze of caverns and tunnels inhabited by Shadows, beings once banned from the world of the living. The world of light. Shadows, angry beings intent on returning and claiming what they believe belongs to them: Life.
Lux, a man self sentenced to this world of dark, will stop at nothing to save the light. And Siri just may be the key. Can there be light without the dark?
Excerpt
“Did you enjoy my lovelies?” he asked.
“Yes. They are… lovely,” Siri fought for the right words, her eyes sweeping over the piles of trash and trinkets. The mirror was heavy in her pocket.
Siglio beamed. His blue eyes seemed brighter, more alive than before. “I like having you here, Siri. You are so pretty. So white.” Siglio took a step closer. “You stay? Will you stay here? In my home? Be my guest, be my guest…” his voice trailed off into song, his smile goofy as he bounced up and down.
Siri pushed herself to feet. Her knees were caked in mud, her one bare foot sinking slightly as she leaned back onto it. “I would love to, Siglio. But I need to get home.”
Siglio stepped forward again. “But you are home! This is my home, and now yours.”
Siri shook her head. “No Siglio, not mine.”
His face sank. A shadow passed over his eyes, but was gone as fast as it had appeared. Siri gasped at the shadow. It was the same one that had passed Alec’s eyes. The same look of darkness, solitude. Anger. Siglio smiled.
“Okay. Okay, you don’t want to stay. At least have dinner with me? It will be de-lic-ious, I promise.”
The image of the moldy cheese passed through Siri’s mind, and her stomach tightened. “What are you making?” she asked tentatively.
As if in answer, the mound waiting in the water slowly moved. It let out a groan, low and growling. Yet almost…
“Is that a person?” Siri asked quickly.
Siglio shook his head, his lips tight.
The mound groaned again, this time raising a shadowed hand to rub at its head. Five fingers. Five fingers, running through a mess of tangled silhouette hair.
Siri took a step back, her feet sinking into the cold water. It sent shivers up her legs. The rest of her body shook, but for a different reason all together.
“No Siri, not a person. It is dinner.” Siglio stepped closer to the mound, motioning as if his words would suddenly turn it into a pig. The silhouette groaned again, then let out a long, slow sigh. In one blink it was on its feet.
“It’s not a person, Siri. Siglio would never eat a person. Siglio likes pasta. And sushi. And donuts. Not persons.”
The silhouette took a shaky step forward.
“Siglio, I need to go now,” Siri said, taking a few steps back. Her eyes were wide, staring at the figure as it approached Siglio. “It was nice meeting you, but…”
“Shadows are not people!” Siglio suddenly screamed. His eyes darkened, his teeth bared for a moment before relaxing back to his usual grin. His eyes burned blue in the dark, florescent and almost fake. “Shadows,” he said again, his voice light and airy, “are not people.”
With that, he turned and pulled something out of his bulky coat. It lit up faintly, a holiday glow stick striped in pink and green. With a grunt, Siglio ran to the silhouette and thrust the glow stick into its stomach. The silhouette bent double for a moment, then suddenly screamed, its arms flying out, its head leaning back.
It burst. Shattered. Fell into the water like dirty soot.
Covering her mouth to stifle the scream waiting on her lips, Siri turned and ran into the dark tunnel.
