Welcome to the Lost Cities

( Continuation of last post “ Andra’s story”. If you haven’t read the recent post, turn back and read it! If you’ve never read Legacy or beyond that, please spare yourself spoilers until you’ve completed the journey through KOTLC. Thank you. Now please sit back and enjoy Part Two of “ Andra’s Story”. P.S, will come up with better name for story. Any suggestions?)

The Invitation

Lunch hall. The best place to hide. The best place to blend in and not be noticed( and slip away if absolutely necessary). Andra used to have more of a social group, but things have changed a lot since she manifested.

When Andra entered the hall, she saw a crowd of prodigies milling around, talking to their friends or getting their lunch.

Don’t talk. Head down. Keep out of sight.

She took a deep breath as she covered her white head with her dark amber hood, and casually strode across the hall. She weaved through the chaotic maze of loud, noisy prodigies and headed straight for the lunch counter. When she approached it, she could smell that familiar smell that always made her heart light and her stomach growl:

Mashed carnissa roots

After her first week of absolute torture in Shade sessions, she could use a good break. Andra filled her plate full of the scrumptious roots and topped them with a delicious desert of sweet mallowmelt, then hastily headed towards her favorite spot in the whole school, the furthest corner of the hall, away from everyone else. Once she got herself situated against the wall, Andra gladly scarfed down the roots as if it were her last meal. It was the only way to drown her misery( and that horrible flavor Elwin picked for the lick strip that morning. It tasted like banshee poop and yeti sweat).

As she happily munched on her roots, she watched all the students pass by her and sit down with their friend groups, chatting as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Everyone’s lives were more interesting and so much better than hers, as she would say. She would listen in on all kinds of conversations, evaluating whether they were nice people to hang out with or not. It was a little game she liked to play as she silently ate her lunch everyday. She’d pretend that she was having a conversation with one of the people she liked, and have a relationship, fall in love, maybe get a date….but she tried not to go that far. At times, it almost felt like she could actually be present at a conversation while still sitting at the corner of the hall, but she figured that was her overactive imagination talking again. She thought about getting to know some of the less popular crowd, but decided against it. As far as society was concerned, she was content being invisible. As soon as she would walk up to them, she was sure that they would scatter in a heartbeat. Her reputation as a Shade has been described as “ unstable” , “reckless”, and basically “ the essence of chaos”. The last incident was in the orientation room. The room seemed a little dim and she freaked out and practically caused a total eclipse. Thankfully, Magnate Leto was gracious enough to let it go as an accident. She was sure if she had manifested when Dame Alina was principal, she would’ve been in so much trouble.

She still remembered the day she manifested, and the day she figured out she was a Shade. It was the most terrifying moment of her entire life. She thought she was just having a nightmare, but it wasn’t. Everything changed on that one fateful night when she was laying alone in her bed, scared. It was one of those lonely, painful nights she wished her father where there and that she was terrified of being alone in the dark. The shadows started shifting across the walls, and she thought it was just the shadow of the tree swaying outside her massive window. But soon it changed into a hideous form, a monster straight out of her nightmares. And the worst part was that she could feel its presence. It was cold, hazy, and… something even darker. It started climbing across the ceiling, coming straight for her, and that’s when she screamed. Her mother came rushing in, asking her what was wrong. She told her mother about the monster on her wall, and her mother simply told her that she was too old to be afraid of the dark, and that it was simply a nightmare. If only it had stayed a nightmare, then everything would be just fine. But after that night, shadows everywhere started following her, and that’s when it became apparent to her that she had manifested as a Shade. That’s when she started avoiding people, pushing away her friends, and avoiding as many dark and shadowy places as possible. But she couldn’t control it, and she ended up with the worst Shade Mentor ever ( and as luck would have it, the only Shade Mentor available), no social life, a total zero as reputation goes, resulting in a pretty miserable, down trodden life. And as a bonus, she would have to live with this curse the rest of her life( How ironic for a girl who’s scared of the dark to manifest as a Shade)

Andra bit down harder on her roots and tried not to reminisce about that day. She didn’t want to remember that she was a creep and that she was a lonely, friendless elf with no life… except for her painting. That seemed like the only thing left that gave her joy. She would let herself float away with the colors as they form a beautiful scene on a white canvas, creating a lovely picture that depicted life as something light and pleasant. If only that were true for her case, then perhaps she wouldn’t be avoiding shadows all the time or staying up late in an intense cycle of anxiety and insomnia. If it weren’t for being a Level Three, she’d wear bright colors all the time instead of dressing like a Shade, wearing the dark amber and brown uniform. She couldn’t wait until she was a Level Four and wear bright green. If she had a choice, she’d wear her pastel gowns all day. They could beat any shadow any day.

As she started nibbling on her mallowmelt, Andra spotted two familiar faces step into the hall. The short, blonde haired girl was Marella. She was always the girl with the scoop. Besides herself, she was the eyes and ears of the entire school. If there was good gossip floating around, she would sniff it out in a second. The tall, dark-skinned beauty with the bright blue streak through her raven black hair was Maruca. Maruca is more of the cool, could be elf model queen that has a cool but firm confidence about her. Andra liked watching her best. She seemed to always have her friend’s back when it counted, and was not afraid to stand up for herself. Andra often secretly wished she was like Maruca, but of course she could never she like her. Not with her fragile confidence, pasty, freckled skin and bleached white hair( yet another reason why she stands out). Marella and Maruca have been hanging out a lot lately, which wasn’t surprising to her. Their personalities merge just fine, along with that new girl, Linh. She’s the new Hydrokinetic who came with the Exillium correspondence course that started during that possible threat of war with the Neverseen. She seemed at first like a really shy girl, but then she came out of her shell once she started hanging out with Marella and Maruca.

Thinking of Linh made Andra notice that she hadn’t showed up with her friends. In fact, she hasn’t seen her all day. She’d heard rumors that her brother, Tam, had mysteriously disappeared. Besides herself, Tam was the only other Shade in the school. After she manifested, Andra had actually considered many times approaching him with her secret, but she was afraid that would draw too much attention to herself. Plus, Tam seemed like he really want to get to know anyone( except everyone in the Foster group, of course). He did seem like a good brother though, always sticking by his sister like a truly devoted guardian. Behind that tough exteriour, he's got a soft heart. That, and he's just so cute and handsome with those silver bangs of his, and ....

It would never work out. She didn't even know if he was still alive.

Some said he had ditched Foxfire because he didn’t like following the rules, others say he was banished. Andra knew for a fact that he was taken by the Neverseen the night of the Celestial Festival. Lady Zillah was mentoring him( before she manifested) and she seemed concerned about him when she had heard he was taken. She started some sort of secret research involving him for the Black Swan, but she wouldn’t specify what that was.

Maybe that was what that whole thing about shadowflux was about.

Andra pondered this when something distracted her and she could hear Marella and Maruca having a heated conversation in rash whispers. They both seemed to be discussing something very serious and looked like they were arguing. Andra watched intensely, wishing she could over hear them. Marella kept looking at her, which suddenly made her very uncomfortable. She’s also noticed Marella seemed a little out of sorts, like something was bothering her. Andra knows her mom’s got emotional issues, so that could always be a possibility. It also could be because everyone’s been whispering that she’s gonna end up Talentless. As far as she knows( and she knows a lot) Marella, nor any of her friends had even mentioned that she manifested. In a way, Andra felt sorry for her. On the other hand, being Talentless would be a lot better than being an uncontrollable Shade.

Maruca kept trying to convince Marella of something until she slumped her shoulders in surrender and finally nodded her head in agreement. Maruca patted her friend on the shoulder and told her something in a lighter tone of voice. Andra witnessed all of this from her corner, licking her plate clean from her hefty lunch. She knew she should get going. Classes will be starting again soon, and she had elementalism next( ugh). She was sure it was going to be blizzard prevention, because she already felt chilly.

When she started gathering her books together and setting her plate on top of the stack, she saw a shadow looming over her. Andra nearly jumped out of her skin, when she saw Maruca standing over her.

“ Are you okay?”

Andra’s heart was racing, but she tried to be casual and said, “ Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“ Because of…that.”

Maruca pointed down at Andra’s feet, and there was a pool of inky black shadow carpeting the floor. Suddenly, she realized that she was coated in shadows and she sprung from her spot, screaming and scraping at her uniform until every last shadow was off. Panting, Andra doubled over and caught her breath, then stood up, straightening her uniform trying to act like nothing happened. Of course, she had to freak in front of the one of the coolest girls at Foxfire. And…everyone else.

Andra realized that the entire school was looking at her, wondering what lunatic was screaming in the middle of the lunch hall. Andra turned red and hid her face in shame. She tried hard not to look Maruca as she nervously pulled her hood tightly over her eyes. The bells outside conveniently sounded, signaling for the afternoon sessions. Everyone stopped staring and began slowly filing out of the hall, resuming their usual chatter. Andra started to breath again, although she could hear several passing prodigies comment on the

“ wimpy Shade” to their friends. Maruca looked at them, then back at her and said,

“ It could happen to anyone.”

No, of course not, just to a really awkward Shade.

Andra looked down at the floor and started to really feel awful. She used to hang out occasionally with her and Stina, of course that was before Stina started to get mean because she was a “white-haired creep” and that she didn’t want no Shade to be in her group. Thankfully, Stina was called away from school for a “ very important meeting”, which she’ll probably hear all about the next day. Maruca seemed fine with that too, especially since she’d been busy with Sophie Foster’s group( which always meant some sort of adventure). She was sure Sophie would flip once she found out she was a Psionipath. Andra never really known a Psionipath before, but she had heard they were many that usually go to Exile or become apart of the Neverseen( which is probably why Sophie would really like to have one on her side). As soon as she thought it, she blocked out the word, Neverseen, from her brain, knowing too well it would conjure up very unwanted memories. She did not also want to cry in front of Maruca.

The embarrassed girl shifted from one shaky foot to the other. She could feel the distance between them stretch a mile a minute. Finally, when she felt she couldn’t take it anymore, Maruca finally said,

“ So….me and Marella were going to Choralmere to practice our skills and abilities with Linh. We wondered if you would like to join us?”

Andra was shocked. She hadn’t had any friend invites in what seemed like forever, and she was afraid she never would again. But Maruca was standing right there in front of her, asking her if she wanted to practice with her and her friends.

Practice?

Suddenly, she felt cold as the word sank in and brought clarity to what Maruca was asking. She wanted her to use her ability in front of other people, and become an extreme embarrassment for all the world to see. Andra knew how it would turn out. She could already feel the cold, subtle slither clasp itself around her throat. No, she would not go through that again.

Andra shook her head ardently and replied in a hoarse voice,

“ I…I can’t. I’ve got, I’ve got lot’s of studying to do and I need to…see how my mother’s doing. She hasn’t been doing well these past few days, especially with…”

Suddenly, the floor seemed very interesting. She tried to hold back the tears that were welling up inside, and wait…was that mallowmelt sticking to her shoe? Maruca looked at her with deep, sympathetic eyes and said,

“ I’m sorry. I know it…it must be hard. If you change you’re mind, you’re always welcome to come by.”

Andra looked up when Maruca started to exit the hall for afternoon classes, when she turned and added,

“ We meet outside the school after our sessions.”

Andra smiled weakly as Maruca left the hall, when a sudden thought made her call after her. Maruca stopped in her tracks as Andra asked the question that was itching at the back of her tongue,

“ Why me? Why are you inviting me to hang out with you?”

Maruca smiled and answered, “ Because…I know how hard it is when you first manifest an ability. It can be hard to get used to and… I just don’t want you to be alone.”

Andra reflected on what she said, feeling touched that someone( besides Lady Zillah) actually cared about helping her through her burden. For a moment, it softened her up enough to consider changing her mind…but she knew it wouldn’t work out. She again shook her head “no", and Maruca nodded and left Andra standing there alone, pondering what she had done.

You idiot! Why didn’t you go with her!! This is the best offer of friendship you’ve had in a long while, and you threw it all away?!

Andra wanted to kick herself in the shin. She looked after Maruca’s shadow, hoping she would come back. She wondered if it was possible it could be just a harmless hangout. Part of herself wanted to run and flee from the thought and remain safe and sound in her perfect sphere of solitude. The other part of her wanted to run and chase down this opportunity, to embrace the chance of actually having a life.

Maybe…..maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe I could just sit by and watch. What could possibly go wrong?

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Okay, so there will be several “ parts” to my story, so it might take a week or two to finish it, but it’s coming along. Thank you again for reading! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I love writing it. Fun fact for you Shade fans, when I was researching for a perfect name for my main character, I stumbled upon the Latin word “ umbra” which means “ shadow”, which I believe is the inspiration for the name of our terrifying Neverseen enemy, Umber. Just thought it’d be fun to throw out there. Anyway, ciao!