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Prologue:
Agutturalroarsoloud it shook me down to my bones, reverberating through the terrifying forest.The menacing sound was deep and caused my heart to race like a racehorse. As I ran, my feet loudly pounding the soil beneath me, I felt like I was running through quicksand.Splashes of water drenched my legs, as I realized I was in a swamp. A huge, dark shape closed in on me as I ran through the forest. I twisted around a low hanging branch; my clothes snagged on the rough bark. The night was black, but even so, I could make out the clearing that marked one end of the woods. How I had ended up inside of here, I have no idea, but I had to escape.
I had to survive.
Another growl echoed around me, and suddenly, piercing yellow eyes glowed near a body of water. The trees stretched out before me and then disappeared into another shadow.
Something called to me-- beckoning me to go toward the creature with yellow eyes. I knew it was dangerous, but it was as though my body and mind were no longer in my control. It was as though I was under some ancient spell or compulsion.
"Who are you?" I finally managed to cry out. My small voice blended into the vastness of the forest.
Something moved behind me, causing me to turn so swiftly on my heel, that I lost my balance and almost fell onto the dew-soaked ground below.
"Run," the creature before me roared out.
Was the animal hunting or helping me? I had no idea, but I did know that I needed to get out of here. This place was going to destroy me.
Scared, I was trapped inside a circle of towering cypress trees with shadows dancing around me. The shadow-beasts that lived in the lightless places inside of this forest were waiting to devour me. My nightmare was threatening to consume me – to take everything I have left…
I jolted awake, my sheets drenched with a cold sweat, and a searing pain coursing through my throat. Gasping for air, I inhaled a sharp breath of air that radiated pain throughout my entire body. Aching muscles screamed at me to get up, but I just couldn't. Struggling to keep my breathing steady, I struggled out of bed, feeling dizzy and unsteady on my feet.
This was how it was every time I woke up from one of my nightmares.
I glanced at the bedside table next to my bed. Red numbers blurred as I saw that it was well after one in the morning. I laid back down on the bed, sighong.
Closing my eyes, I willed myself to go back to sleep, but I knew it was a lost cause now. Once my nightmares appeared, it took days for them to disappear. I could only hope that this one wouldn’t plague me any longer than it already had.
Chapter 1
Ifeltmyheartplummet to the pits of my stomach as I neared the vast, southern estate that would now become my home. As the interstate rolled on, I couldn’t help but stare at the blur of asphalt.
“Calm down,” Mom said, as she gripped the steering wheel.
My knees were shaking as I sat beside her in our family vehicle. Chewing on my nails, I turned and gave her a half smirk.
The SUV turned off the main highway and onto a small two lane road. We were moving further into the countryside and away from the main city of Charleson, South Carolina.
“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled, as I continued staring out the window. There was a nervous, bitter edge to my voice that I didn’t bother to hide.
I hated that I was being sent away– hated that this was a choice that I never got to make.
As mom turned onto a small drive, a strange mist seemed to fill the air. Mom slowed the car as we neared a massive building that towered before us, seeming almost alive with a malicious energy. Thoughts of fear and regret raced through my mind; why had I agreed to stay here for the semester? Why had I agreed to give this place a chance?
As we pulled up to the expansive southern estate, a wave of horror surged through me. The sky had grown ominously dark and the building exuded an aura of dread. Sinister spires on a large, iron fence soared toward the heavens. A heavy fog climbs from the ground and seems to overtake the car as we move past a large forest. My gaze focuses on the expansive trees and overbrush. Blood red roses and violet flowers dot the treeline of the forest, and I feel this strong compulsion come over me like a rogue wave. My heart rate increases and something calls to me, telling me to run into the forest. Shaking my head, I try to ignore the strange sensation that has overtaken me, but the strength of the urge is almost too much.
Suddenly, the car slows to a stop and the large gates open almost as if by magic. I’m struck in awe as I watch them open and I don’t know what sight to look at first. As mom drives through the gate, the urge to look back at the forest pulls at me again. I feel like a puppet and invisible strings are pulling me in different directions.
“Farrah, look,” mom announces, as a smile spreads across her face.
She’s peering out the front window and I see a spark of happiness in her eyes. Mom always talked fondly of her time at the school, but I wasn’t sure I had the same excitement she had expected of me.
The school was three-stories high and constructed of a dark red brick and each level had it’s own large balcony that overlooked the driveway. Steep stairs led up to a large, stone porch with a massive black door. I stared at the strange building until the slamming of moms car door startled me. She was out of the SUV and standing, waiting for me to join her. Her lips pursed as she crossed her arms across her chest and waited for me to get out. Sighing, I got out of my seat and made my way around the SUV to her.
Large oak trees lined the drive and the heavy Spanish Moss that hung from the gnarly branches almost looked like ghosts swaying in a slight breeze. Beyond the grounds, I could see more of the massive forest that seemed to go on forever. We began walking up the expansive drive and toward Shadow Legacy Academy, a place where I would be forced to live and go to school until I reached eighteen-years-old. Just like my mother and her mother had done before. It was part of my legacy, but not one that I was excited to explore.
I traced my hand along the cool metal of a black iron fence that lined the drive and felt a shot of electricity course through me.
I wondered what secrets lurked beyond the walls of this place. With each step I took, fear clawed its way inside me, threatening to consume me before I even stepped to the front door.
