Page 1 of Power of Shadow

Flashback 1

Ryker 6 years old

“You worthless piece of shit!” My father’s voice booms through the house.

I look up right away, mid-toy car play. My gaze shifts from Theo to Eli and back again. Both have wide, frightened eyes.

An icy shiver runs through me. My blood is pumping faster, like something is coming alive inside me. I straighten up sensing that we’re about to be attacked. But we’re alone. The door to my room is closed.

“I should kill you for this!”

My father must be furious. His voice is so loud, it pierces right through the walls.

The next sound is my mother's scream. Filled with pain.

I push myself up from the floor.

“Wait. What are you going to do?” Eli whispers.

I don’t know. What do I want to do? What should I do?

Mom’s in there! Her scream has long since faded, but I can still hear it in my head. Piercing and pleading at the same time.

Why can I hear it?

Except now, silence blankets everything.

What’s worse? The scream? Or the silence?

They never argue in front of me. Never scream. Only sometimes, muffled sobs echoed from behind the wall of my mom’s room. I sneak up to her and hug her as tightly as I can.

Mom never says why she’s crying, but when I hug her, she stops. And I’m proud of what I do. I’m like a superhero.

A loud thud from deep inside the house makes me jump. I need to make sure she’s alright.

Forcing my legs to work, I take my first step toward the door.

“I’m coming with you,” Theo announces, also getting up from his seat.

“No. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“We’re brothers.” Eli gets up too. He’s trying to be brave, but his eyes reflect my own fears. “We’re one.”

My eyes well with tears, and I respond with a nod. That’s our motto. We’re brothers; we’re one. Of course, we’re not brothers in the normal sense. We don’t share the same parents. Our bond stems from a shared decision.

Encouraged by my brothers’ support, I go into the hall first.

Darkness creeps into the house, and gray light already bathes the hallway.

“I should get rid of it right now! I should take a knife and cut it out of your body! You had one thing to do, you ungrateful bitch, and you fucked that up too!” My father’s growl is full of venom and hatred. I don’t need to see him to know. But when my mother’s next scream echoes, I run toward the stairs.

“Ryker, wait!” Eli calls behind me, but I’m already too far away in my need to get to my mother. Feet hit the wooden steps hard as I run down to the ground floor.

Each step intensifies my fear. However, this doesn’t hold me back right now; it actually pushes me forward. I won’t let anyone hurt my mom. Not even my father. Especially not my father!

Her stifled sobs hit me like a wave. It hurts so much.

A second later, I jump down the last three steps and land on the granite floor. Most of the ground floor is open space, so a quick glance around is enough to make sure no one’s here. Something tells me where I can find them. In a few steps, I reach the half-open door of my father’s study.