Warm, clear blue skies, you would never have known that last night it was raining cats and dogs. Well I wouldn’t have, anyway. I had just finished dropping off Claudia at the school. I didn’t know why I bothered. She was held back 2 years and never went to classes anyway. I wasn’t her mother, I couldn’t force her to go, and I guess I really didn’t want to force her do anything she didn’t want to do. Still, I wanted her to have a good life and an education of some sort. I sighed and parked the care next to a meter. I pulled out a few quarters and stepped out of the car. After adjusting the meter for a hours stay I headed onto the Coffee Shop. I ordered my usual and sat down to read the news paper. Wondering what Claudia could be up to at this time. I knew she wasn’t in class, and her life out side my home was pretty much a mystery. She didn’t have any friends that I knew off, not since we moved here. I thought about the possibility that Claudia was hiding something from me a moment. But shrugged it off and sipped my Coffee.
It was near noon when I left to the market. Living with Claudia was like living with a cat I never saw. I only saw her at night and in the mornings most of the time and some times the only way I knew she was around was that food slowly disappeared from the refrigerator. I smiled at that thought as I put the bags in the back of my car. As I shut the trunk I glanced over to a small shop of rare goods. There was a sale sign in the front. Looking at my cell phones clock I looked like I had time to spare before work. I stepped into the shop and looked around. At first it appeared to be empty. Large shelves full of strange items from all over the world. I poked around the store for a good thirty minutes before I noticed a man.
"Oh! Hello there, you scared me, I was half sure that this place was empty" I said with a smile. The man just laughed.
"Well I have a habit on scarring customers, as you can see." He said. "Is there anything particular your looking for?" he asked.
"no not really just looking thanks" I said as I walked over to a glass case with jewelry inside. Mostly necklaces, bracelets and rings. But as I looked further down there was a strange set of claw like jewelry. It was polished silver with hand engraved markings.
"That’s a weird piece" I commented pointing it out.
"oh yes, not sure but I think that’s from Asia, a strange little piece that is indeed. But for people who like to make an impression or stand out it’s a must." He said. I looked it over, it was very odd, but I could tell by the look in the mans eyes, that he wasn’t going to let me off without trying to sell something to me.
I sighed with a helpless laugh. "How much?" I asked, and as I did his eyes lit up.
"200?" he asked as if it was a question. I eyed the jewelry. That was a lot, but it was hand crafted and pure silver.
"Ok " I said "I’ll take it." The man smiled and quickly opened the case taking out the clawed piece with a red cloth that he wrapped it in and put into a box. He then took the box over to the register where I paid him. As I left he welcomed me back any time and I wave. As I got into my car I stared at the tiny box. Why had I bought this? when would I EVER use something like that? I wondered to my self.
[Later that night]
When I came home that night from work, the lights were still off, Claudia wasn’t there, probably out still. I went into my room to get into some more comfortable clothes. Then I saw the box from earlier. Curious I pulled it off the dresser and put it on my lap as I sat on the bed. Th same strange markings adorned the lid of the box. I popped the lid off and unwrapped the claw like jewelry. Maybe I’ll just try it on to see how it looks. That was my second mistake, my first was buying the damn thing. Once on my hand red light engulfed the room, and the claws began to burn. Startled I tried to remove them but it was stuck. A strange voice echoed threw the room.
"Heh…nice work, I thought I’d be trapped in that box forever…" the voice seemed to come from all around me. Friend I spoke back.
"What? Who are you? Where are you?" I demanded.
"Right here, where you put me. Look down on your hand." I was shocked, was the gauntlet talking to me?
"Wow your not very bright are you? Now Calm down and don’t get stupid, I can help you become strong, ..mmm maybe famous? But you have to know the rules first got it?"
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but some how I was interested in hearing more, so I agreed.
"First no trying to get me off, even if you could get ride of that gauntlet, I’d stay with you so its pointless to go cutting off your pretty little hand. Secondly, I can give you all my powers, but only at night in the dark, I’m useless in the light. Thirdly don’t talk to me in public, no one else can hear me so unless you want to look crazy, only speak if its important. I on the other hand can talk to you without anyone noticing!"
After all that I held up the hand.
"So what’s your name? Do you even have a name"
"Ha! A human could never pronounce my real name, just call me Shadow if you really must call me by a name."
"Dark huh? And how exacting are YOU going to make me powerful?" I asked, I was more than a little skeptical about the whole thing.
"Well missy if you must know, I’m not apart of you, that’s why I said you can’t get ride of me. What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine. Meaning I can give you all my powers all you need to do is provide me with your body and a source of power…that is to say blood."
"Blood!? Wait what? My blood?"
"No don’t be silly, other peoples blood missy."
"How am I supposed to get blood!?"
"birds, dogs, cats, are all sources of blood, but none give me as much power as Human blood."
"Why human blood?"
"Well the blood is a source for life, and there for a source of great power, I can’t use yours because that would kill you, and I don’t want to kill you, we are partners as I already said. So any other human is acceptable."
And that’s how I met shadow….
Wc: 1,203
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