Fan Fiction ❯ ShadowBaby ❯ Hard Labor With No Pay... ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

“Beep, Beep, Beep,” screeched the small black digital alarm clock that lay beside Anna. Anna groaned as her arm lazily reached over to turn it off. Unfortunately her arm knocked it off the maple wooden counter table. Anna lazily sat up and peered over at the fallen clock. Her eyes were half closed and she slowly reached down to pick it up. The clock read 5:00 A.M. Next she turned it off and sat it back down were it was before she knocked it off. Her feet kicked the thin blankets off of her and shivered as she touched the cold wooden floors. Then she finally stood up and stumbled out of her room and down the hall towards the bathroom.
After her morning shower she proceeded downstairs into the kitchen to make a wholesome breakfast for her and her unholy family. After living with them for six years she had learned to become an excellent cook and housekeeper. She winced as hot cooking oil splattered her right arm. A hiss followed from the bacon she laid on the equally large skillet. When it was crispy enough to eat she laid it down on a plate that had several napkins placed on it to drain the crisp bacon strips of its unwelcome fat/grease.
Anna slowly cooked eggs and pancakes afterwards. They were cooked to perfection and she hummed a tune as she placed the hot morsels in the center of the table for them to pick and chose. Next she got out glasses and silverware. As she sat the last piece down a yawn echoed down the small crowded hallway and then a grumpy old man soon emerged. He was wearing his night shirt and long flannel pajama bottoms which was accessorized with his raggedy looking brown slippers.
He smacked his lips together and stretched before he sat down at his usual spot at the table and began to gather his food onto his plate. She had known to call him by his first name, Bob. He was as equally grumpy as he looked and had a short fuse that led to a bad temper. She usually didn’t talk to him.
Another yawn came as a plump looking woman came out wearing her usual blue silk nightgown accompanied by her pink bunny slippers. She too yawned and stretched before she sat down and began to fill her plate. Anna called her first name too, Teri.
“Juice,” Bob demanded before he stuffed some bacon into his already scowling mouth.
Anna lingered toward the refrigerator and looked around for his morning orange juice. When she found it she walked over to him and began to pour him a up. He grunted with satisfaction when she was done and began to engulf the thirst quenching beverage. Anna poured him so more and sat the small container down next to him in case he wanted some more.
“Where’s the toast?” Teri asked as another yawn escaped her slightly jarred mouth.
Anna sighed as she went over to the toaster and placed two slice of whole wheat bread into it. Her head lowered as her eyes concentrated on the two slots that the bread will pop out from. After two minutes they finally popped up and she easily caught them. She placed them on a small white saucer and laid them in front of Teri. Then she went to fetch the butter and jams from the fridge.
Teri was pleased as she grabbed her butter knife and sloppily spread a large chunk of jam on one piece, and butter on the second. Anna sighed as she two sat down for the first time that day and began to fill her own plate. She grabbed four strips of bacon, two slabs of eggs, poured herself some orange juice that she asked Bob to pass her, and ate the last pancake on the platter. When she was done she began to gather the dishes and wash them in the sink. Her saddened hazel eyes glanced over at the wall clock that hung overhead the sink. It read 6:29 A.M., she had two more chores she had to do before she could even think about getting ready for school. She huffed and sighed as she finished washing the last plate. Next she headed to her room and fixed her bed. Then she went to feed the dogs and cats that were inside. The birds had all died off and she was quite glad too; such a racket they use to make. There was only two dogs now, one got run over, and two cats left, since one died form old age. When this chore was done she went one to her next. She had to water the flowers that were by the front of the house that she had planted herself last year. Surprisingly they were still alive and were growing at a fast pace. When she was done she went back inside and up the stairs toward the upstairs bathroom.
Anna fixed her hair and brushed her teeth. Next she went back to her room to change into her clothes that she planed on wearing to school. When she was done she went back to the bathroom and checked herself over in the mirror. Anna sighed with hopelessness.
“I’m pathetic,” she sighed, “I look like a poor kid.”
Her shirt had small stains on it and her pants were all dirty with grass stains and dirt. It was the only thing she had though and decided it might look better if she covered up with a jacket or something. So she ran to her room and searched for her oversized jacket that Teri had bought for her at a theft shop two days ago. She finally found it under a heap of dirty clothes. It smelled like old cabbage, but she put it on none the less.
The clock read 7:00 A.M. Anna still had ten minutes left. So she searched for another outfit to wear. She found a pair of pants that had holes on the knees that Teri didn’t like her to wear. The quickly changed into them and threw the other pair in the heap. Next the ran down the stairs and yelled to Teri as she passed, “All my clothes are dirty, and we have no laundry detergent left.”
Teri grunted with annoyance and called, “Bob you need to pick up some laundry detergent after work.”
Bob grunted with acknowledgment and headed out the door and into his red Ford truck. Anna got in the passenger side of the red truck and began to look out the window. Bob grunted with annoyance as he started the ignition and pulled out onto the road. The long drive to the high school was surrounded by silence. Anna was still staring out the window and Bob was busy looking at the road ahead of him.
When they reached Anna’s school she quickly pried the door open and hurried inside to meet her friends. Bob quickly sped off and turned back onto the road that led unto the highway. Anna sighed with nervousness as she entered the large school building and walked through the halls and into her first block, English II with Mr. Oliver. She liked the class, because she was really into storytelling and the literal arts, like Shakespeare or Homer. He was a fun teacher too. He had an assistant named Mrs. Jones that would sometimes talk to Anna about her reports and how talented she is. Anna would but on a fake facade and say, “Thank you.” Anna would sometimes talk to a girl named Brazil that sat next to her. She knew other people in there too, but couldn’t sum up the nerve to talk to them, because they were mostly boys out of her class. She knew Carl, Cory, Patrick, Stevie, Jeremy, Brazil, Kayla, Harold, and she even knew Colton. There was only four girls in her first block class and they were all spread out around the room.
Her next block was Geometry. She knew someone in there that was dating one of her friends. Anna had grew up with him, his name was Will, and he was dating her new friend Jennifer she had made last year in her Freshman year. Will barely talked though. She usually had to start the conversation with him, and she would usually wind up laughing before she could even say anything. Anna had once dated Will at one point and knew him quite well. So she felt comfortable around him and would mostly talk about his cousins or his girlfriend. Their lockers were even near each other in the downstairs English wing. Mrs. Sparks was their teacher. She was nice, but her work wasn’t. No matter who taught it, Anna would always hate Math.
Third block was the piece de resistant. It was called Housing and Interiors. Anna knew at least six people in there she could talk to. One of the six though she hated with the passion. Anna had also grew up with this girl. She was a deceitful little thing that would always lie about someone or gossip about them behind their backs. A liar she was and Anna despised her to no end. She liked to pit one against another and lie to them both saying, “Well I never said that.” It got on Anna’s nerves. Yet everyone was so blind and foolish not to see her true colors. All of Anna’s friends seem to always flock to her and constantly talk. It’s funny how one day they say they hate her and are seen talking to her like they’re best friends the next. It drove Anna insane. Some of them though saw her true motives and tried to avoid her. The rest were as blind as a bat. Besides that one girl, Anna loved her third block. The teacher was practically a teenager and would always talk like a cheerleader would. Even though Anna hated cheerleaders, she loved this teacher to death. Most of the time they talked about their New York trip they planned to take in Spring. They barely did any work and when they did it was really easy. The downside to this class was that she got fourth lunch, last lunch, and they usually got the leftovers. Mrs. Castleberry let them eat in there though and even go to the school store to buy food.
Her fourth block class was pretty boring. It was Spanish I and Anna didn’t like it one bit. She made good grades in there and the teacher was fun, but she hated the language. She was more of a French person to a Spanish, but you see more Spanish speakers then French in the United States, so she decided to take it. Anna was kind of glad too when she realized she had it with Will’s girlfriend, Jennifer. Anna and Jen seem to talk nonstop in that class. They would always tell each other embarrassing moments that happened between them and Will and they always had something new to talk about each day. There was some other people she knew too, but she seemed to only talk to Jen.
When school finally lets out Anna is glad. She hates it there, it wears her out all the time. She has to ride the bus home and she hates it. She gets to rid it with Will though and she usually sets behind him and starts to listen to her radio, but today she decided to chat with Will.
“So,” Anna said as she threw her backpack on the bus floor, “Jen told me an interesting story about you in fourth block.”
“What,” Will muttered with uninterest.
“Oh,” Anna said with a smile, “something that had to do with your backpack strap and it breaking.”
Will’s eyes went huge and he began a hysterical laugh.
“How bad did it hurt?” Anna asked with a smile.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha,” he laughed hysterically.
Anna smiled with victory and placed her headphones on her head. Her short skinny fingers traced the play button before she pressed it. Will’s insane laugh was replaced by a loud guitar solo from one of her favorite bands, Simple Plan. After a few minutes she felt a tap on her shoulder and her eyes flew up and saw Will looking at her. She took off the headphones and asked, “What?”
“Um,” Will stuttered, “Jen’s birthday is coming up and well you’re one of her friends…do you know what she wants?”
Anna shook her head and said, “No, I’ll ask her tomorrow though. Word of advice though don’t give her a cheesy twenty-five cent vending machine toy like you got me.”
Will frowned and said, “Hey we were only in third grade.”
Anna smiled and said, “I know, but still you made me feel cheap.”
“God,” Will grunted, “even back when you were a kid you were a gold digger.”
Anna laughed and went back to listening to her music. When her stop came up she hurried to the front of the bus. Will slowly followed. They both got of and started to head over the small wooden bridge that connected the road to their roads. Anna took her headphones off and began to chat with Will.
“SO,” she said.
“So,” Will said, “so what?”
Anna sighed, “What are you planning on getting Jen just in case I don’t get an answer?”
Will shrugged and said, “Don’t know, maybe a necklace or something.”
“God,” Anna huffed, “you, my friend, are one of the cheapest persons I’ve met.”
Will laughed, “You didn’t seem to mind me being cheap back then.”
“Back then,” Anna sated, “I didn’t realize the values of money. I have matured and now know money makes the world go round. The more you have, the happier you are.”
Will snorted, “I hate the mature you.”
“Well I hate the immature you,” Anna snorted back.
Will waved goodbye as he headed a different direction from Anna. Anna also waved goodbye as she started up her gravel road. When she finally reached the house she notice that Teri was outside lounging on the new porch the installed last Spring. Anna didn’t even bother to stop and say hello to Teri as she passed her by. She ran inside the house and started to do her own little personal chores before she did her real chores. She ran over to her dirty clothes and stuffed them into her dirty clothes hamper outside. Then she took them downstairs to start washing them. She was greeted by the old blind dog that lay about downstairs. His short stubby tail wagged with delight as she dropped the hamper on the floor and ran into the garage to fetch the dog food.
Anna poured a cup-full into his dish and soon she went in search for the other dog. She finally found him lounging in the kitchen. She also poured a cup-full of dog chow into his bowl. His head eagerly perked up upon hearing the sound of small objects jingling into his bowl and he eagerly trotted over to devour the turkey flavored treat. Anna heard a door slam and ran through the hall to great the old grumpy man that was her new father.
Bob growled as he came through the doors. He had a small white plastic bag. He threw the bag onto his red recliner and headed toward the downstairs bathroom. He let out a loud grunt as he turned the faucets and ran a nice long hot bath.
Anna glanced around the living room and peered over at the recliner. Her ears faintly picked up the running sound of water and the loud click of the door being locked. She smiled and headed for the bag. The small plastic bag rustled and a purple bottle fell out. It read Rainfall detergent. Her smile grew as she carried the bottle down the hall and into the laundry room. Next she began to start the washer and put all her clothes in it.
Thirty minutes later she went back to the laundry room and put that load into the drier and another dirty load into the washer. The old blind dog had managed to find his way into the laundry room and he bumped into Ana’s left leg.
“Huh,” Anna mumbled as she shoed the creature away. The dog nudged at her leg again. His tail wagged with happiness upon finding someone. Anna sighed with annoyance as she bend down and to pet him. The dog wagged its tail faster and he nuzzled his nose against her knee. Anna sighed again as she bent down to stare at him. She laid her head on top of him. Her eyes showed sympathy as she cradled his nuzzle. She smiled with warmth as she raised back up and left the room. The old blind dog followed as fast as he could.
A set of motherly eyes watched over her from the corner of the room. “My little Anna,” Dena whispered as she disappeared into the shadows.
Anna made her way into the kitchen to start fixing her supper for the night. She decided to make hickory smoked chicken with green beans and corn. As a side dish she also made rolls and cornbread. In between cooking she would run off and unload the drier and re-load it with stuff from the washer. Since she had started washing her clothes she thought she should wash her foster parents clothes too. When supper was done she heard the bathroom door open and out came her foster father. He made his way to the kitchen and his nose smelled the heavy aroma of chicken frying. He seemed to lick his lips and he sniffed the air more intently. Anna took great pride in this small outburst.
Teri came stomping into the house screaming, “Anna!”
Anna didn’t even bother to look over as she said, “What?”
Teri’s pig like nose flared with annoyance as she said, “You forgot to touch up my dress for the Sanderson’s annual gathering tonight. Now I have to go out and buy me a new dress.”
Anna scoffed, “Well sorry, I guess I forgot to sew it while I was doing the dishes, feeding the dogs/cats, cleaning the living room, doing your laundry, and cooking dinner. Lets see did I skip anything?”
Bob scowled at her and threatened, “Don’t you dare talk back to your mother.”
Anna dropped the fork she was using to stir the chicken with and glared at him as she said, “She is not my mother.”
Teri frowned and said, “What?”
Bob growled and balled up a fist. Next thing any of them new Anna was lying on the ground with a red handprint on her face. Tears began to form along the edges of her eyes. Anna hesitantly stood up and ran out the door and into the woods.
“Bob,” Teri muttered, “why did you have to hit her before she was done cooking our diner?”
“Don’t worry,” Bob said, “she’ll be back. After all she has nowhere else to go.”
Anna cried quiet sobs as she ran through the dense woods. A sad sigh escaped her lips as she came across her small hideaway she had found a year ago. She always came to it whenever she felt sad. It was her small sanctuary that seemed to suck away all her troubles. Today though seemed different around the small shed that was covered by weeds and thorns.
Anna opened the door and heard the small squeaky creek noise that always sent a shill up her spine. She took one last look at the dried up creek before she entered her small secluded oasis. Anna stared at all the boxes that were stacked high upon each other and were covered by sheets. Anna hadn’t had the courage to taint the small shed with her retched presence. Her back slouched against the doorframe and her sobs grew louder.
Dena watched from the window at her beloved daughter. How she wished she could hold her and comfort her, but sadly she couldn’t. Dena reached out and sighed as her hand fazed through the dirty old wall. She glanced back at her daughter before she too slouched to the floor. The shadow man, Anna’s father, watched form afar. His head bowed with shame as he said, “I’m sorry Anna, but I do have orders.” The shadow man’s eyes began to glow a fiery red and a golden circle of hieroglyphics appeared before him. The wind began to grow harsher. Dena noticed the sudden change in the wind patterns. She glanced over every which way to find the source. A gasp cascaded from her dead frozen lips as she saw the shadow man glowing a fiery red.
The shadow man growled an eerie verse before he pulled a staff from the ground and aimed it toward the shed.
“What are you doing!” Dena screamed.
“What my master ordered.” he muttered as his staff began to glow and an orb of energy began to form at the tip.
“No!” Dena screamed, “She’s your child. You can’t kill her.”
“I have no other choice.” he muttered.
Dena watched in horror as the energy flew toward the shed. Before she knew what she was doing she jumped in front of the blast.
The shadow man’s eyes widened as he saw her jump right in front of the blow. A swarm of energies engulfed her and she screamed out in pain. Soon the energies devoured her soul and began its course back to the shadow man. It also devoured him whole and he smirked with pain as he too disappeared into the energy. ‘Home sweet home,’ he thought as the last trace of him turned to ash.
Anna’s head jutted up as she heard the screams. She soon decided it was only her imagination and went back to sulking.
Outside though things began to stir. Ghostly pale arms jutted up from the ground. Some wore shaggy clothes that were torn and ragged. Some wore elegant dresses that appeared to be from a masquerade or a ball. Others wore simple clothes from the olden days. One or two wore new aged clothes. They all made their way to the shed though. Slowly, but surely.
Anna continued to weep into her arms as she wiped away some snot that managed to run from her small now red nose. She would have continued her uncontrollable sobbing if it wasn’t for the fact that a rock came crashing threw the glass window above her. A startled gasp escaped her quivering mouth as she quickly raised her arms above her head to keep the glass from cutting her head. She cried out in pain as some glass shards cut through her arms.
The ghostly wind howled fiercely as it stormed through the small abandoned shed. It lifted sheets off of the boxes and blew freshly fallen leaves all throughout the shed. An eerie howl followed the ghostly wind, as if it was singing to you in a creepy voice. Dust from the sheets clouded the air around Anna. She coughed and wheezed as her lungs chocked on the dense air. Her eyes barely opened as she stared in awe at what was happening.
When it was all over she stared around, as if waiting for something else to happen. Nothing came though. Anna then decided to re-cape the boxes with the dusty white sheets. She re-caped each box, one by one. On the last box though there was no lid. She happened to glance down and see a leather back book with a lock on it. It was covered in cobwebs and dust. Anna, against her better judgment, picked up the book and wiped away the dust and cobwebs.
Gold letters boldly printed a foreign word. The sun’s rays suddenly began to glow upon it and it showed Magick in bold cursive letters. Anna’s mouth hung low as her mind paced with several thoughts. Her fingers traced the gold italic words and trailed along the edges of the lock. As if on instinct the lock snapped and dropped to the floor. Anna jumped with fright and dropped the book along the way. She slowly reached down, after clenching her heart, and picked the book back up.
She was hesitant to open it. It felt as if it was calling to her and wanting her. Another eerie wind picked up and blew around Anna. Her eyes widened as the book suddenly opened up and the pages began to turn, with the book still in her hands. The pages began to turn more rapidly and then as suddenly as it started it stopped. The wind stopped blowing, the pages stopped turning, the trees stopped swaying, and the leaves stopped dancing. The dust was settling around her and her eyes sparkled as she read the page.
It read…Chapter Thirteen Summoning. As she read onward it described how to summon spirits and guardian angels. It listed what you needed to buy in order to perform this spell and what to say. How many people that you needed to have in your summoning circle. Suddenly she felt all giddy inside. Deep down inside she always wanted to try a spell. She always dreamed of being like the witches in the movies. This was her chance to become just like them. Anna hid the book back in the box and laid the sheet back on top of it. Then she ran out of the shed and back to her house. All along the way back she was smiling with hope.