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 Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 4:50 pm
“Adalia! Hey, Adalia, hold the door!” Blinking, the young woman looked over her shoulder and caught the sight of a familiar face – Bryan, the young man that lived just down the hall from her. She nodded and held the door long enough for him to climb in with her before letting the door slide shut while he punched the button for the 2nd floor. “Thanks; I didn't want to have to take the stairs. I haven't seen you for a few days; how've you been? Looks like you got caught out in the rain too.” The blond young man gave her a grin as he leaned back against the wall of the elevator, water dripping from his bangs. “Still taking lots of pictures?”
“I've been alright...” She gave Bryan a timid smile before looking up to the display above the elevator door. She hoped that they'd reach the second floor soon. “Yeah. At the park normally. What about you?”
“I've been fine. You know, we should get together sometime. Maybe for some coffee? I know a nice place just down the str-”
“I'm really sorry Bryan, but I'm in a hurry. Maybe some other time?” She gave him an apologetic look as the elevator door open before hurrying out into the hallway. Then, she quickly moved to her apartment, unlocking the door before slipping inside. Once she was safely there with the door shut behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief. Bryan didn't seem like a bad guy, but...she didn't want to take a chance. Her step-father hadn't seemed like a bad person at first either.
But he'd changed rather quickly.
Sighing, she headed for the bathroom to grab a towel, wanting to dry herself off before changing into some dry clothes. Hopefully, her camera hadn't been damaged – she wouldn't be able to afford a new one. She was contemplating that when she what sounded like a laugh coming from her room. A little girl's laugh. Confused, she peeked into the bedroom and quickly caught sight of who had made the noise.
A small shadow-girl, who appeared to be twirling in front of the mirror at the end of her bed. Suddenly, her camera had become the least of her concerns.
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 4:21 pm
The evening had started out as a fairly quiet one.
Adalia had been sorting through her photographs, trying to decide which ones she was going to use for her next project, while Alice had been occupying herself with a doll that her guardian had given to her just a day prior. Outside, a snowstorm blew, covering everything in a blanket of white. It was probably frigid outside – however, the two of them were warm and snug inside the apartment, leaving the evening quite peaceful. In fact, Adalia doubted that anything eventful would happen tonight, a fact which she had no complaints about – it was quite relaxing.
Then the lights flickered. Blinking, the dark-haired girl looked up from the scenic photos that she'd been sorting through just before they did so a second time. “Oh no.” A moment later, the lights went out completely, plunging the apartment into darkness. Nearby, she heard Alice shriek in shock, before the little shadow began whimpering in fear. She wasn't incredibly fond of the dark, apparently.
Adalia got to her feet and stumbled towards the cupboard, fumbling for the candles that she kept handy there for such an occasion. After managing to light one, she moved to where Alice had been sitting by the couch, soon discovering that searching for a shadow in the dark was no easy task – Alice all but blended in with everything, though Adalia doubted that the little shadow could help it.
“Ali, lice lice!” Adalia heard Alice whimper as she approached the couch, raising the candle in an attempt to spot her shadow. The candle's faint glow finally passed over Alice's form, and the dark-haired girl was finally able to spot her shadow huddled into the couch cushions, clutching at her precious doll like it was a lifeline. “Liiiii...” Alice lifted her head, looking up at Adalia as the young woman knelt down next to the couch. She smiled softly to the little shadow, and carefully gathered her up into her free arm.
“There there now, it's alright...I'm sure that the power will be back soon.” She let the shadow girl cling to the front of her shirt. Poor thing seemed to be terrified – Adalia never would have thought that she'd be afraid of the dark. Then again, they'd always had a nightlight handy in their room, so perhaps Alice had never had a reason to be afraid before. A thought came to the young woman's mind, and she stood up, carrying Alice to the room that the two of them shared. “How about a story, hmmm? That should help us pass the time until the power comes back...” Or perhaps it would help Alice to fall asleep – that would be even better, really. It was late, after all, and she really should have been bed a little while ago.
Soon, Alice was tucked under the covers, and Adalia was seated next to her at the head of the bed with a book of fairy tales opened in front of her. “Once upon a time, there lived a poor farmer and his wife, who both longed to have a child...” Throughout the story, Alice listened intently, quickly forgetting her fears as Adalia recounted to her a story about a young girl with long hair. By the end of it, the little shadow had fallen asleep, oblivious to the storm outside...
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