Shadow Cats
an excerpt

Excerpt One

Shadassa walked along the hallway, avoiding mops and buckets and brooms as other orphans of Dreday Orphanage hurriedly cleaned the floor before dinner. They knew the drill. Do your work well, and get rewarded. Do it wrong, or don’t finish it, lose dinner. And breakfast, if your mistake was really bad.
For this was not a cheerful, happy orphanage. Mrs. Sanderfell was a horrible caretaker, making the children work from dawn until dusk, taking away their food or locking them in the broom closet if they didn’t finish the work they were given or talked back at her. Shadassa had lived there for thirteen years, ever since she was found on a doorstop one morning by the old cook, Trudy’s mother. She’d been wrapped in a coarse, gray wool blanket. A note had been pinned to it. It read-

This is my daughter. Be careful. The shadows follow her.

There was no signature, and Trudy’s mother had brought her to Mrs. Sanderfell, who sniffed and told her to have one of the older girls raise it. The cook gave the baby to the first girl she saw and passed on Mrs. Sanderfell’s orders.
“What is her name?” the girl had asked.
The cook glanced at the note again. The shadows follow. “Shadassa,” she told the girl. Which meant ‘shadow bringer’. The girl tossed her red hair. “That name’s bad luck,” she said.
“We shall see,” said the cook. “Now you best come down to the kitchen for some milk for the little one.”
And that is how Shadassa come to Dreday.

Excerpt Two

“Line up!” ordered Mrs. Sanderfell.
Quietly they all arranged themselves along the wall from the two year old, Henry, to Ann. Shadassa was about three-quarters of the way along the wall. She stood between Tony, who had just turned thirteen, and Gretchen, who was about twelve and a half years old.
Mrs. Sanderfell waited until they were settled, then turned to the nearest man.
“Well?” asked the caretaker.
“They look fine,” said the man impatiently. “But please call the child now. We would like to get this settled as soon as possible.”
Mrs. Sanderfell sniffed. “Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Mr. Breckle? A young child should not live in a house alone. Perhaps you should hire a caretaker?”
“That is not necessary, Mrs. Sanderfell. The will clearly states that the child is to live alone in the house, with the exception of the cook who will be staying in Searbay Port.”
“Mrs. Sanderrrrfell, I would not want to seem rrrude, but I have an appointment with a hairdresserrrr and I do not want to be late.” The woman with the accent waved her hand toward the orphans. “They are marrrvelous children. Please do take a moment to tell them what is going on.”
Mrs. Sanderfell looked as though she had taken a drink of lemonade and found that it had no sugar in it. “Very well. Children!”
The orphans snapped to attention.
“Today is a lucky day for one of you,” said the caretaker icily. “Shadassa, step forward!”
Shadassa froze. What was going on?
Tony gave her a nudge forward, and she walked toward the adults in a daze.
“These people are lawyers, Shadassa, and they have come to tell me that you have inherited a...mansion,” here the woman’s lips curled, as though she couldn’t believe such good fortune would fall upon an orphan, “And you are to move there immediately. Mr. Breckle and Sir Frederick will be escorting you. Pack your things at once.”
The woman with the accent stepped forward. “I think Shadassa will prrrrobably want to say goodbye to her frrrriends, Mrs. Sanderfell. And she is obviously dumbstruck by her good fortune. Would you like a few minutes with your frrrriends, dear?”
Shadassa nodded.
“Run along, then,” said the woman. “Oh, I am Lady Alexandria, by the way.”
Shadassa shook her hand, then turned and left the room with the other orphans.
“Sh-Shadassa, w-will you st-still come b-back and visit?” This came from four year old Annie, a small, dark haired girl with a perpetual stutter.
Shadassa shrugged, but bent down and hugged the little girl. Annie clung to her, so Shadassa picked up the little girl and started walking again.

Excerpt Three

She found Mrs. Sanderfell, Mr. Breckle and an older man waiting for her.
“This is Sir Frederick,” said Mr. Breckle. “And I am Mr. Breckle.” He waited a moment, then added, “It is good manners to greet someone when they are introduced to you.”
Shadassa’s face reddened, and she turned her gaze to the floor.
Mrs. Sanderfell smiled evilly. “I am afraid that is quite impossible, Mr. Breckle. Shadassa...”
“Miss von Faider,” interrupted Sir Frederick.
“I beg your pardon!”
“Shadassa’s real name is Miss Shadassa von Faider,” said Sir Frederick. “I assume that she wishes to keep her first name, unlucky as it may be...”
Shadassa nodded vigorously.
“But,” continued Sir Frederick, “You may address her as Miss von Faider. Now, I believe you had something to tell us regarding her lack of speech?”
“Shadassa is mute,” said Mrs. Sanderfell triumphantly. “She cannot talk.”

Excerpt Four

Shadassa sat in the back of the luxurious Rolls Royce, sipping a soda that Sir Frederick had given to her.
“I’ll bet you’ve never had root beer,” he had said.
She had shaken her head, but bravely taken a sip of the frothy drink, and found that she liked it.
Now she sat back, the soda in a cupholder, contemplating what had just happened. In only an hour, her whole life had changed.
But is it for the better? she wondered to herself. Or for the worse? Why didn’t the old man... I mean, my great uncle-she was having a hard time digesting the fact that she had, or had had family-never sent anything or called, or anything. And how did these lawyers find me?
Shadassa’s eyes started to droop. Although she had almost a million questions she couldn’t ask, she had awoken at five in the morning, and she’d been on her feet all day. As she drifted off one more question surfaced. Why am I to live in the house alone?

Excerpt Five

“Shadassa!” called an unfamiliar voice. “Shadassa! We’re at the Brin. You need to wake up now.”
Shadassa struggled to remember were she was. Oh, right. The dinner guests, the amazing revelation, the trip in the car, the root beer... She reached groggily for the bottle, and distantly heard a laugh.
“You can take the soda with you,” said the same man who had woken her up. “Sir Frederick’s getting some rooms for us. Come on, now. It isn’t far, and you can go right to sleep.”
Shadassa yawned and opened her eyes completely. Mr. Breckle was standing beside the car, holding her door open.
Rubbing her eyes, Shadassa climbed out of the car. She turned and picked up Formena and grabbed her bag, as well as the soda.
Then she followed Mr. Breckle into the hotel, a large, five story building.

Excerpt Six

Shadassa noticed a jewelry store with a small display. There was a gold pendant necklace that looked interesting. She went in.
A large man looked up as she came in. “Can I help you?” he asked.
Shadassa pointed to the pendant on display.
“You want to buy it?” he asked, suddenly interested.
She shrugged.
“Here, take a look.” He took it down and handed it to her. “That’s ebony imbedded in pure gold,” he said.
Shadassa looked closely at it. The ebony was in the shape of a sitting cat. She flipped it over. The back had writing etched into the gold. She held it up and pointed to the writing.
The man shook his head. “I don’t know what it says. Some sort of ancient writing. Would you like it? Or feel free to browse for a while.”
Shadassa handed him the pendant and looked around. There was a tray of watches, wrist and pocket, to one side. She looked them over.
To her surprise, there was a gold pocket watch with an ebony cat imbedded in the top. She flipped it to take a look at the back. There were markings on this as well. As far as she could tell, they were exactly the same as the ones on the pendant.
She carried the watch over to the counter and set it down.
“You want that?” asked the man in surprise.
Shadassa shook her head.
“No?” he asked, confused.
Shadassa pointed to the watch and the pendant.
“Both together?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “All right.” He rang up the price.
“That will be $1500,” he said.
Her jaw dropped.

Excerpt Seven

Shadassa ran all the way back to the third floor.
She phoned Sir Frederick, using the special keyboard, then went over to collect the money.
Shadassa knocked on C11’s door. Sir Frederick opened it. “Ah, Shadassa! Here’s the money. Don’t let anyone pick your pocket, now.” He laughed.
She nodded as she stuffed the money into her dress pocket.
“Good. Run along, now.” Sir Frederick closed the door.
Shadassa ran back down the three flights of stairs, through the reception hall, into the shop area, and through the door of the jewelry store.
The man looked up.
Shadassa walked up to the counter. She boldly pulled out the money.
The man’s eyes gleamed. “Fifteen hundred dollars?” he asked.
Shadassa counted it out onto the polished counter, then held out her hand demandingly.
The man smiled, scooped the money up, sorted it into his cash register, and wrapped the pendant and the pocketwatch in tissue paper. “Have a good day,” he said.
Shadassa nodded, smiled, took her two purchases and left.

Excerpt Eight

Salamandestrom was arguing with his father yet again.
“I forbid it!” growled his father. “Never shall a son of mine do such a thing! Do you wish for the sunlight to kill you?”
“But Father,” protested Salamandestrom. “I’ll only go out at night. The sun does not shine then.”
“But the moon does,” growled Frenztail. “I said I forbid it. Go, I will hear no more of this foolishness. Go!”
Salamandestrom ducked his head. “Yes, Father.” He stalked away, shaking with anger, barely able to keep his tail from lashing back and forth. If only he dared to contradict his father’s laws, but that was punishable with exile.
If only his father wasn’t the Ragus, the leader of the Shadowclan. Salamandestrom hung his head sadly. So many ‘if onlys’. He walked along in the shadows.

Excerpt Nine

Shadassa opened the door to the main bedroom, and immediately wished she hadn’t. There was a chill of tension hanging in the air. She started to feel for the lightswitch just as yowls, hisses, and growls erupted from under the bed. She screamed soundlessly, then hit the switch. Light flooded the room and the fighting sounds silenced.
Shadassa relaxed slightly when the noise stopped, but wondered what had made it. She walked slowly across the room, ready to run if something jumped out at her. She got down on her knees beside the bed. She was not going to sleep until she knew what was fighting under the bed. Slowly, she lifted the cloth edging so she could see under the bed.
Shadassa noticed a movement in the shadows and squinted in that direction, trying to see what it was. It looked like a cat, but it couldn’t be. The shadows seemed almost to be a part of the creature. What are you? she thought.
Shadassa wondered what she was going to do. She couldn’t leave the creature under her bed, and it might be a pet that wondered in to the mansion through an open window. She decided to try to coax it out. She slowly reached out a hand, ready to yank it back if the animal attacked.
The creature growled at the wall, then rushed at the human.
Shadassa saw the shadowy creature headed for her and jerked back in shock.
The warriors came through the wall at a lightning speed. They quickly spread out in a half arc, looking around.
Shadassa sat back on her heels, waiting for the creature to emerge. It did not. She heard a hiss, then a howl. They had sounded strange, though almost like words... She shook her head. No way could the creature be talking. Though, she thought bitterly. It would be just my luck if it was. She shook he head sadly. It seemed as though everyone could talk except her.
She waited, but no more sounds came from under the bed. That’s strange, she thought. Shadassa decided to investigate. She got back down and lifted the cloth to look under the bed. There was no movement, and she wondered where the shadowy creature had gone. She shifted forward a bit so she could see better...
A yowl was her only warning, as one of the younger warriors could not keep himself from screaming as the warriors moved forward in one quick, fluid, silent attack. Shadassa jumped, banged her head on the bottom of the bed, and dizzily watched, surprised, as many creatures, some bigger, some smaller than the first one, rushed toward her. Her brain realized she was being attacked and she started to back away.
The warriors did not give her time to retreat. Hissing and spitting now that their blood was up, they converged on the slender girl as one large mass. Scratching, biting, yowling their bloodlust, they attacked Shadassa in waves.
Shadassa tried to protect her head. Her arms were bleeding; she could feel the hot liquid dripping onto the carpet. She felt an asthma attacking approaching, and fought for breath. Striking out as best she could, she struggled from under the bed.
As soon as she had squirmed back into the lit room, the warriors stopped fighting.
Shadassa was surprised. She sat back for a moment, thinking. These creatures didn’t seem to like the light... She had an idea. She took a look at the skirt that ran around the edge of the bed. It was attached with snaps... Shadassa started to unsnap the skirt.
The younger warriors started to shift uneasily. “What is going on?” asked the one who had yowled when the warriors had charged.
“Hold your ground,” growled the leader, Darkspaun. “If I know humans, that girl will be back before you know it with a weapon.”
The young warrior shivered slightly, but didn’t move.
Shadassa unsnapped the last snap, grabbed the loose end and pulled sharply. The skirt fell away, letting light shine in.
There was an unearthly howl as several of the warriors died, their shadowy bodies shredded by the light.
“RETREAT!” howled the leader.
The shadows poured through wall. Soon there was no trace of them left, except the blood stains on the carpet.
Shadassa watched them go, gaping after them. That creature had talked. The creatures untouched by the light had gone through the wall, and those others, the ones who had been hit by the light had sort of melted. Now she knew how to fight back. She smiled grimly. This was war.

Excerpt Ten

Salamandestrom hung his head, then lifted it. “It’s true,” he said.
His father dropped his head, then lifted it. “Then, Salamandestrom De Ragus, I strip you of your name and exile for the rest of your life. Leave this place and never return!” His last words rang in the silence.
“No!” screamed Salamandestrom’s mother, Greytalla. “Please! NO!”
“The charge can be lifted only if the charged renounces what he did as wrong,” said the Ragus icily.
Salamandestrom had known this was coming, but the enormity still caused him to sway on his feet. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. They burned with determination.
“I will go,” he said. “I will never renounce what I think is right, and will fight for my honor.” He turned and stalked proudly away, his head held high. He had done it! He had actually done it!
“How dare you challenge the shadow cats’ way of life!” his father yowled. “From this day forth, you, my son, are dead to this clan. I declare you exile and outlaw!”
“NO!” screamed Greytalla.
“The decision is final,” said the Ragus firmly. “Go.”
Salamandestrom ran from the place. Exile was one thing, but outlawed? That meant that any shadow cat could capture him and bring him to court for sentencing, and any warrior could kill him on sight.

Excerpt Eleven

Shadassa took a deep breath before stepping toward the bed. She tried not to start hyperventilating. If she did she would have an asthma attack.
She pulled the rest of the skirt away, then folded it up and set it in a corner of the room where it would be out of the way. She then well out into the hall, staying away from the shadows, and made her way to the bathroom. She reached in quickly and switched on the light. She spotted a tail vanishing into the wall and gulped.
Shadassa turned on the hot water and took a washcloth out of a cupboard marked ‘Towels and Soap’. She opened the medicine cabinet and took out the box of bandaids and the tube of first aid cream she found in there. Then the slim girl washed the blood off, wincing at some of the deeper slashes. Once the blood was washed away Shadassa spread cream over the cuts, then put bandaids over the cream. She was still shaking from the surprise attack.
Shadassa headed back down to the kitchen. She turned on every light she could. Once in the kitchen, she hunted through every drawer, pulling out any matches, flashlights, candles, or batteries she found. These she carried back to the master bed room. She was ready.