Life

Shadow and Dawn were busting with laughter and Alex shook his head, "You two a freaking scary, Shadow laughs through horror movies, Dawn doesn't so much as flinch at her first one, while Leo is over there screaming like a normal girl and I'm jumping like and abused puppy. Now Shadow goes completely scary chick in like two seconds because of a look Dawn gives her, and Dawn is about to cry of laughter. If the world is takin' over by zombies I'm sticking with you two."

Dawn smiled brightly at Shadow who just smiled back.

"Well, at least we know that there would ne no intruders!" Shadow laughed.

Alex shook his head, "As if anyone would even want to get close to the place you would be at!"

Dawn finally caght her breath, "Ok, So should we get this plan into motion?"

Shadow nodded, gasping for air. "My. . .sides. . .hurt. . ."

Dawn went over and helped her friend up who had fallen off the bed in her laughter and the three head out to find Leo

{~~~~~~~~~~}

"Hey," Leo said sitting on his bed.

"Hey, "The three replied back.

"Are you upset with me still?" Leo looked up at Shadow like an abused animal.

Shadow walked over and hugged him, "I wasn't upset. . .just suprised. . ."

Leo grabbed her hand, "Why do you sound so secretive then?"

Shadow lightly blind-folded him with shadows, "Because I have a suprise for you."

Leo called out for Alex, "Hey, is it safe to trust them?"

Alex chuckled, "Yea. . .I would." he said looking at Dawn and winking.

Shadow grasped both of Leo's hands, "I will lead you to the area where your surprise awaits."

Leo nodded and they headed off to the cell where he would be told about Shadow's abuse.

Dawn giggled occasionally making Leo more giddy.

"How much longer!" He wined a bit.

"We're close." Alex said shaking his head.

Dawn smiled at him, "We may have to do this sometime."

He looked at her kind of funny, "What do you mean?"

"I just meant we should get to know each other better."

They finally got to the cell, Alex had closed it.

Leo looked at Shadow once the blinf fold was of. "What?"

Shadow smiled weakly, "I want to tell you something. . ."

Dawn nodded at Shadow encouragingly.

"Why do I have to be in a cell?"

Alex spoke up before anyone else could, "Because you impulsive and we don't want you to get hurt."

Leo made a face at him, "Am not"

"Are to!" Alex said.

Dawn lightly tapped Alex's shoulder. "Hush."

Leo looked to Shadow, who was still holding his hands. "What is it Shadow?"

Shadow took a deep breath and sighed, "The reason why I was able to laugh at the movie was because. . ."

Dawn looked at Shadow encourageingly.

"I was abused by my father. . .many of the things he did was worse then the movie. . .what the movie had been. . .would have been easier to have been done to me. . .then what he had done. . ." Shadow looked away after finishing her statement.

((I have to do dishes I'll be back ASAP))

Dawn nodded again at Shadow who looked up to meet his eyes.

"He-" Leo stopped himself and looked at Alex, "Let. Me. Out. Now."

"I couldn't if I wanted to, she has the keys," He said gesturing at Dawn who smiled lightly.

"Sorry Leo."

"Let me out Dawn." Leo looked at her with an extremely serious expression.

"I can't it is for your own safety. . .Shadow thought it was better telling you here." Dawn looked at him.

Leo looked back at Shadow, "How did he hurt you?"

Shadow looked sideways and lightly tugged her shirt down so the Scar on her shoulder was visable.

Alex saw it, "He did that?" he whispered to Dawn.

Leo traced it lightly with his hand. "What is it?"

"It's called the light curse. . ." Shadow said quitely.

((I have an idea, thought it'd be a nice twist. What if Dawn said to Alex, "Yeah he did, he's done a lot of bad thingss, you two weren't the first one's sent to kill her." Which Alex wouldn't remember because of the herb.))

((XD Yea do it!))

"The Light Curse?" He placed a hand on it.

"Yes. . .IT had almost killed me. . .3 times. . .but it's okay now. . .even if there is others. . ."

"Others?" Leo asked looking at her.

For the first time Leo and Alex looked at her, realizing that The Curse was on both shoulders, in the center of her chest, her forehead, chin, and underneath both temples.

"Did he do those to?"

"No. . .they were from a Devourer. . .it had managed to get ahold of the curse. . ." Shadow said, her voice quivered.

Alex shook his head, "Her father..is messed up,"

"Yeah, he's done a lot of bad things, you two weren't the first one's sent to kill her." Dawn said watching Leo carefully.

"Wait, What?"

Dawn looked at him,"What?"

"You just said we were sent to kill him." Alex said staring at her, but keeping his voice low.

Dawn was quiet a long time not sure what to say.

"Why don't we remember this?" He said grabbing her shoulder.

"Let go," I'll explain once we finish with Leo.

"No!" His voice boomed, "Not later."he squeezed her shoulder tighter shaking her a bit.

Leo looked up from investigating Shadow's scars. "What?"

Alex looked at him briefly, "She just said that We were sent to kill Shadow!"

Shadow looked down, Leo looked at her, "What? Were we?"

Shadow played with the dirt under her feet, "Well.."

"Shadow.."

Alex's hand gripped tightened and Dawn bit her lip to keep from crying out.

Shadow wasn't watching him she was looking at Leo,"I-You-.."

Leo looked at her, "Were. We. Hired. To. Kill. You?"

Alex looked at Dawn, "Were we?"

Shadow sighed, "Yes. . .my father had hired you to kill me. . .so Blake could take throne. . .he believes that even if I am capable of taking the Throne. . .that it would ruin our family name. . .that I would be considered a Jinx and ruin the city. . . "

Leo looked at her, "What?"

"My father is sexist, he believes that girls shouldn't take the throne. That only men can handle the stress of the Kingdom. . ."

Alex looked at her, "Really?"

Shadow pulled out of Leo's grip and went into the darkest corner of the room.

Alex looked at Dawn, "Why can't I remember?" Alex said yelling and squeezing her now holding both shoulders.

"LET GO OF ME!" Dawn through all she had at him a big wind seeped through throwing him back.

Alex hit the wall and stared at he, "How did you..?"

Dawn shook her head stepping away, "It doesn't matter, but to answer your question, we could either wipe you memory and let you live here, or kill you. I hope we didn't make a mistake."

She turned and started to leave the room knowing Shadow could take care of herself.

Dawn turned to look once she had felt a hand grasp her wrist.

"Come on. . ." Shadow had pulled her into a Shadow.

This time, they didn't leave the Shadow-Realm. Shadow had guided them through the tunnel until they came into something that looked like a Coffee Break room. Once the door shut Shadow let go of Dawn, walked over to the couch and sat down.

Only then did she burst into tears and start crying.

"I knew we shouldn't have told them!"

Dawn sat next to her wrapping her arms around her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean too."

A breath caught in her throat, she wasn't going to cry, not in front of Shadow.

"They were going to find out sometime."

"I locked Alex in the cell, took the spare key. . ." Shadow mumbled.

"They were mad?" Dawn asked.

"Sort of. . .They. . .I. . ." She couldn't hold her words, she leaned on Dawn.

"They what?"

"They. . .were wondering why they couldn't remember. . .I told them I would explain later. . .Alex almost hit me. . .wanting to know now. . ." She started crying.

Dawn hummed lightly, rocking Shadow, "Oh dear...I'm sorry that wasn't right I' really sorry.

She hummed more still rocking.

Dawn didn't tell Shadow but she found this place draining, there was nothing alive here and she needed that to live.

Shadow reached down lightly pulling a tablet out from under the cushion's on the couch. She had pressed something on it, lightly taking Dawn's hand. She pressed the button in the middle.

After a moment or two, Dawn found herself with Shadow on the Island near the pond. They were sitting on the sand near the trunk of the tree. Shadow had walked over and put her feet in the water.

"I. . .didn't mean to drag you there. . .I. . .was just so mad. . ." Shadow said, almost as if she was apologizeing.

Dawn smiled a tiny bit, "It's fine Shadow. I'm glad you brought me you. I needed out of there. how log have we been gone?". Dawn knew time move differently in the shadow-realm.

Shadow looked at the sky, "Judgeing from the position of the sun. . .about 20 minutes. . ."

"Funny, it only felt like two minutes. . ." Dawn sad, trying to cheer up Shadow.

She sighed, "I think. . .I may go back. . .just for a little bit. . .but then again. . .a little bit there is a few hours here. . ."

"Are you sure you want to?" Dawn asked her.

"I think. . .I am not sure. . ." Shadow said, she played with the water as she spoke.

" I'll go with you, but we need to go back to Alex and Leo before the day ends and figure this out before things get more out of hand."

Dawn had done a lot of difficult things in her life but she knew this would be one of the hardest.