DARK SHADOW

1.

Seth sat by and drifted off in the shade of an old oak tree on the school grounds. Just sitting there was dangerous enough but having drifted off too, well that really was pure carelessness. For day walkers may be capable of being outside during the day but they are not completely immune to the effects of the sun, and the shade of an old oak tree is no protection at all.

His sleeping mind's eye could sense an approaching darkness as if a shadow had just swooped in to cover the daytime land like a blanket. His dream took him back six years in time to the morning with which Seth wishes he could go back to and alter for the better. A day which prior to this sleep could only be remembered in fragments, fragments to which Seth so wanted to be able to piece together.

It comes to him as if he is watching a movie. In this moment it is clear and straight forward. Nothing is fragmented.

A ten-year-old Seth twisted and turned in bed and appeared to be in pain as his foster mother entered his bedroom to wake him to get ready for school and what happened next no one could have seen coming. Seth did awake soon after his mother entered the bedroom. He quickly moved to be on his knees on the bed and began hissing uncontrollably. His eyes were dark red in colour. Seth's skin around his eyes and nose darkened, a cold sweat dripped from his brow, his mouth opened as he hissed revealing fang like teeth not dissimilar to that of a wolf.

Seth's mother screamed dropping the clothing she had carried into the room. The screaming alerted her husband who was downstairs in the kitchen. He quickly made his way upstairs to the bedroom only to find his wife lying lifeless on the floor with Seth kneeling over her and covered in blood.

Upon seeing his foster father enter the room Seth quickly turned, got up and attacked him and the same fate took him just as quickly as it took his wife. A little under an hour would pass before Seth would calm down and gain some sort of semblance. He did not understand what had just happened or why it happened.

The people he knew as his parents were lifeless and covered in blood and it was, he who had taken their lives. At only ten years old how could any child comprehend what had just happened? He couldn't and this is why the memory became locked away with only and odd second or so escaping every once in a while, and now the whole thing had escaped.

It was quite some time before Seth even talked again after that day. He loved his foster parents. They had loved him. Having been unable to have kids of their own, they felt blessed that Seth had come into their lives. Seth had known nothing about his background other than the fact that he had been adopted.

His foster parents felt strongly about being honest with him. They had strong morals and values, and these were instilled in Seth but on that morning, Seth had been overcome. He had these sudden desires; desires he could not understand or control. He acted upon these desires and would go on to live with the consequences these acts had brought.

Taken into care, the truth to what actually happened that day had never truly been known for Seth had almost but not quite completely blocked out the memory of that day and it was moments such as Seth falling asleep in the shade of that oak tree that brought images back to him with the exception that this time the whole memory came back. Luckily enough for Seth, a Professor Edwards would soon arrive on the college grounds.

This professor had been more than just a course instructor to Seth. The Professor had also been a mentor and a good friend too. Of course, being in the shade does not provide any protection from the daylight. Seth was over heating and becoming dehydrated.

Professor Edwards attempted to keep calm as he quickly made his way to Seth's side after noticing that Seth was unconscious by that oak tree. He would try to wake Seth without having any success. Seth needed help and so did the professor. The professor has long surpassed his youth. With great difficulty he attempted to pick up Seth.

A nearby student came to the aid of the professor and together they brought Seth inside the school to the nurse's office where thankfully there was no nurse. Along the way to the nurse's office, they were met by Kimberly. No matter where she may or may not need to be, she was not going to leave Seth's side until she knew that he was safe and well.

The professor knows who and what Seth is and knew he needed to cool the boy down quickly. Kimberly also knew about Seth. They had been friends for a few years at this moment in time. The student who came to Professor Edward's aid however had no idea what was going on what-so-ever and he did ask as to what was happening, but the Professor just asked him to stand guard on the office door and if anyone tried to enter that he should try to stop them.

Curiously he was willing to do as he was asked. When the professor asked the student for his name the response was 'Thomas sir, it is Thomas Denton'.

Dimming the lights helped. The nurse's office had no windows so that helped too. Plenty of water, cool damp towels and then it would be just a matter of time for Seth to come back around. When he did come around, Professor Edwards let him have it.

'What the hell were you thinking? Do you want to do some serious damage to yourself?'

It took a few seconds for Seth to respond.

'What happened?'

'You fell asleep outside by that old oak tree.'

'Crap, I only intended to sit for a moment or two. I am just so tired these last few weeks. Not sleeping very much at all lately. It must be my Vampire side that is keeping me up.'

'What did he just say?' asked Thomas for he had just thought he was helping Professor Edwards out coming to the aid of another school student. He most definitely did not expect to overhear such a comment the likes of what had been spoken.

'Well ... eh ...'

The Professor turned towards Thomas as he spoke. He knew he had somewhat of a problem. The thought came that Thomas already kind of knew a little too much. There would be no way that he could be let roam the halls of the school with what it is he may think he knows so a decision had to be made.

'Seth if you are feeling up to it maybe we should show Thomas what you can do.'

Seth was feeling a little more himself, part of being a Vampire whether being a day walker or being full blooded, is the power he has to self-heal a whole lot quicker than the average person. He also agreed with the professor. The room still being quite dimmed Seth made his eyes glow a dark red colour and also allowed his fangs to descend.

Thomas is a big lad, a year ahead of Seth and there would be very little that would frighten him but when Thomas saw what was happening, he quickly backed up into the closed door and an expression of fear had taken over his face. He feared for his life no matter that there is nothing to fear.

'What the hell? ...'

'Thomas, Thomas, it is alright, we are all friends here' spoke the professor.

Seth retracted his fangs and returned his eyes to his natural colour. Thomas still looked fearful. The professor suggested that Thomas should take a walk with Kimberly saying that she would explain more.

'Right tell me what happened' asked the professor once Kimberly and Thomas had left the room.

Seth completely trusted the professor and felt completely at ease with telling him anything and everything that he may need to. Seth began by explaining that as he said before he has been having trouble sleeping at night. He arrived very early to the school grounds and sat in the shade of the oak tree with the intention of not staying there very long.

He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt that something was coming, something dark and something which was approaching like a shadow moving across the ground, something other than the memories which were about to come. He spoke of his dreams which he felt are awakening the memories which Seth had blocked out about the deaths of his foster parents.

'I did it Professor ...', the Professor waited, to allow Seth to say what he needed to say. 'I killed my foster parents ...'

Yeah, he had always figured that he had something to do with their deaths and now he knew for sure. Professor Edwards was glad that Seth could confide in him and whatever they discussed always stayed only between them unless it was of benefit to discuss it with the group.

'I kind of figured that. I did not know you back then so I couldn't be sure ...'

The school day began and went on as normal. Seth managed to get through it, not his best day as one might imagine ... still. The group met in Professor Edward's classroom after classes had come to an end for the day. Thomas had been invited to come along and join Seth, Kimberly, and the Professor who were also joined by two other students, Peter, and Jason.

Peter was Seth's next-door neighbour when they were just children. That was before the deaths of Seth's parents. Peter was someone who Seth was close enough to that he could tell his secret to. Peter was actually the first in the group to know. As for Jason, he had his own secret and that would be something which would create a few problems. He has yet to be told what Seth is, Seth believes Jason does not need to be told anything for as of yet not revealing his own secret, it in all honesty probably is its own detection system as is Seth's secret.

Thomas felt quite special to become part of this group or at least to be invited to be part of this group though being where he had come to left him a little unsure as to what he had got himself into with this day, and this moment being his first proper moment within the group, yeah there had been what happened that morning, he has had the time since to let it sink in. He was glad though that he did intervene when the Professor needed his help.

This particular gathering of the group was for to discuss what had happened up to the point where the Professor had found Seth by the old oak tree. Besides the fact that Seth believes his dream provided him with answers to the deaths of his parents, he now had an impending problem to deal with. This dark shadow which preceded the memories he dreamt about had something so much more to it. Seth felt that something was coming, something bad and it was coming for him soon, so soon that it come at any moment.

The group had Seth's back but there was only so much they could do for what was coming would be something big, so much bigger than them, any of them and all of them combined. However, there was someone with whom Seth could turn too. That man is Nicolas Moore.

Nicolas or Nick as Seth always called him was a close friend of Seth's father Gabriel. After what happened to Seth's foster parents, Nick's very persuasive nature allowed him to gain custody of Seth. Prior to that day it had been unclear as to if Seth indeed had a Vampire side beyond his sensitivity to light. As a young child Seth always had that sensitivity to sun light but it had been thought that he was suffering from a condition known as Polymorphous Light Eruption, but in actuality and of course that was never the case.

Nick is a day walker and as it turned out so too is Seth, just like his father. It would be Nick would help Seth to grow up, teaching him how to deal with his emotions and cravings, aiding him to fit into society and live among humans. In order to completely do that he would have to trust humans and he was more than lucky with how that worked out. For it would be this group with which Professor Edwards watched over that would stand by Seth, and they would do whatever they could to protect him.

Seth was just as willing to do the same for the group who stood by him. However, that fact changes nothing for it is still coming. The dark shadow is approaching. It is only a matter of time ...