The Flight of the Shadow

by ShadowStrike11

Chapter 2: Birthday Surprises

Birthday Surprises

"So you're finally fourteen today, huh?" Shelwyn's father brought out a box from the refrigerator and a few candles lying on top of it. Shelwyn caught a whiff of chocolate and whipped cream as the cake passed by under her nose.

"It still doesn't change the fact that I'm the youngest in the school," she sighed. Over the past months in high school, she had found out that she was, indeed, the youngest in her grade level. Although it had nothing to do with size and strength, the bullies still used that as an advantage over her, calling her a 'wimp' and a 'baby'.

Shelwyn's mother draped an arm over Shelwyn's shoulder. "Who cares if you're the youngest in the school? If those kids think they could pick on you for that, then they've seriously underestimated you, am I right?"

"Totally!" Shelwyn responded with a smile. Then she turned her attention to the cake that was being brought out onto the table. It was a chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and pieces of chocolate, with cherries scattered along the rim. "Is that what I think it is?" she leaned forward to observe the cake.

"Yep!" her dad responded with enthusiasm. "Your favorite, Black Forest cake!"

"Ha! I knew it!" Shelwyn struck a ridiculously triumphant pose that gave her parents a good laugh. Any other person who didn't know Shelwyn as well as her parents would have she had lost her mind. But to her parents, it was normal to see her being bright and talkative at home. It was the other side of Shelwyn, hidden behind the dark, mysterious mask.

"Can I cut the cake?" Shelwyn eagerly reached for the plastic knife that came with the box.

"Simmer down, Shelwyn," her mom warned her. "We haven't even sang happy birthday yet."

"Oh great," Shelwyn dropped the knife and contorted her face into a fake pout. "Do I really have to endure a minute of torture for my ears?"

Her dad chuckled as he lit the candles on the cake. "Of course. You know everybody loves my singing," he said casually as he turned out the lights. There were only a few candles, but the glow they emitted was enough to light their faces with joy.

"And now," her father began dramatically. "Introducing for the fourteenth time . . . Shelwyn Furlan!" With that, he broke into the song with her mother joining in a little less loudly.

Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to Shelwyn,
happy birthday to you!

Shelwyn tugged her hands away from her ears to applaud for her father's loud, terribly off-pitch singing. She knew her father was no singer at all, but she did it just to be polite.

"Hey, that wasn't too bad, wasn't it?" her father tried to smile innocently, failing miserably.

"I think my ears are bleeding," her mother leaned over and whispered to Shelwyn, who stifled a snort in response.

Her father groaned and rolled his eyes. "Okay, enough with the insults. You'd better make a wish fast before I huff and puff and blow the candles down!"

Shelwyn closed her eyes and tried to think of just one wish. She had a ton of wishes in store, so it was hard to choose which one she wanted the most. Did she want to become the best athlete in the track and field team? Or did she want Leon to get his mouth glued shut permanently? All those seemed like perfect wishes, which she would love to have granted. But what, exactly, did she really want most of all? Feeling her parents' patience gazes on her, she chose the first wish that came to her mind.

I wish I could make some new friends, she thought as she blew out all the candles in one breath.

Her parents whooped and cheered as the room was once again engulfed in darkness. Then her father flipped the switch back on and held out the plastic knife to Shelwyn. "Now, you can do the honors and cut the cake. Just make sure to give me the biggest slice," he added with a smirk on his face.

"Not likely," Shelwyn replied bluntly as she carefully pierced through the chocolate and whipped cream, making sure to cut between the cherries so that everybody got an equal slice. She put two of the slices on paper plates and presented them to her parents first before cutting one for herself.

"Why do I still have a feeling that I got the smallest piece?" her father stared forlornly at the slice of cake before him. Shelwyn and her mother both rolled their eyes at the same time.

"Well anyway," her mother paused to shoot a glare at Shelwyn's father before continuing. "Did anything interesting happen at school today?"

Shelwyn immediately lit up at the mention of school. "Actually, yes, something did happen today."

Now that certainly got their attention. It was rare that Shelwyn said anything not along the lines of "nah, not really", or something like that. If something interesting did happen that day, then it must have been really interesting.

"Oh, really?" her mother asked curiously.

Shelwyn nodded while swallowing a bite of cake. "Today was the track and field tryouts. I think I did well, since Coach Williams actually came over to compliment me. He said that he was very impressed."

Her dad gave her a reassuring grin. "See? I told you that you'd do well. All you had to do was to believe in yourself."

"We are very proud of you, Shelwyn," her mother chimed in, her words shimmering with praise. "So I guess this means you made it into the team?"

Shelwyn tapped her chin, thinking. "Well, he said that he would announce the results next week, but judging by the way things are going, I'm pretty confident that I made the team."

"And to think that you stayed up half the night worrying about failure," her mom chuckled. Shelwyn groaned, remembering how she managed to wake her parents up with her late night pacing. But that wasn't the worst of it.

"If it helps, I could sing a song celebrating your admission into the team after I'm done with this slice," her dad added, shoving the rest of his cake into his mouth.

Shelwyn hastily cut another slice of cake and placed it in her dad's plate. "No, it's fine. Continue eating," she replied quickly, earning a laugh from her mother.

Just then, her mother asked a question that threw her off course for a second. "Would you mind telling us about what you wished for?"

Shelwyn almost spat out the piece of cake she had just put in her mouth. Now how was she supposed to answer that? She was unsure why, but bringing up the topic of friends just felt a bit, well, awkward to her. She had never really shown it to anybody, not even her parents, but she had always felt a bit embarrassed by the fact that she had no friends. But again, these were her parents. Surely they'd try to help her in any way they could?

She took a deep breath and got ready to spill one of her deepest secrets. "Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure if the wish was something good or bad, but . . . ," she trailed off, unable to find any more excuses. She mentally made a note to herself: work on coming up with excuses.

"But what?" her dad asked. "You shouldn't doubt your wishes. We know you have a good heart and that you'd never wish for anything bad to happen to anybody."

Except for Leon, she secretly added. That jerk could fall off the side of a mountain for all I care.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she focused on the best way to state a sentence without making it sound too pathetic. "You see, I usually don't prefer company since the people at school can get annoying sometimes, but over the weeks, I've started to feel a bit . . . lonely. It's just so boring without anybody to talk to." She sighed, knowing that she had to get to the point somehow. "I wish I could make some new . . . friends . . .

"What was that, honey?" her mother inquired, obviously not catching the last words.

"I wish I could make some new . . . friends?"

Her parents' faces lit up in smiles. "See? That wasn't so hard," her father said. "Nothing to be afraid of. In fact, I think that's one the best things you could ever wish for."

Shelwyn blinked. "Really? I thought it was pathetic."

"No!" her mother exclaimed. "Pathetic? Not at all! Friendship is a big part of life. Once you experience it, it's like you never want to let go. Friends cheer you up when you're sad and accompany you through hard times. Have you ever heard of the saying "friends are for life"? Well, it's true. True friends are those who take you for who you are and really know you better than anybody else. They're not like those who stick to you through high school, then leave you when you go to college. True friends will always be there for you through li - "

"Okay, okay, mom, I get it," Shelwyn cut through her mom's would-have-been one hour lecture before she could get too carried away.

Her mother snapped out of her lecturing daze and smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to say that you made a very wise choice in wishing for friends, Shelwyn."

"I know, it's just that I'm not the social type," Shelwyn admitted, burying her face in her hands. "I don't know if anybody would even want to talk to me, much less be my friend."

"Shelly, if there's one thing you're suffering from, it's self-doubt," her dad explained. "It's not that hard to just go up and say hi. You just got to be confident in yourself. If one person doesn't work out for you, just go to another. There's bound to be somebody in the world who will take you for who you are."

Shelwyn gave in as her parents' wisdom found its way to her head. "You're right. Maybe I was the barrier between myself and friendship the whole time and I just didn't realize it." She recalled all the praise she had gotten after her turn in the tryouts. It was the perfect opportunity to make new friends and she had missed it!

Her father, however, had a more efficient way of solving things. "Yes, and I think it won't hurt to have a few more kids attend parties like this one, wouldn't it? Why don't we make a deal? If you can make at least two new friends this year, we'll throw you a huge birthday party next year and your friends also get to come! Deal?"

Shelwyn grinned happily, confident in the idea of making friends. "Deal!"

Then, her father's grin morphed into a devious smirk. "After all, I do need a bigger audience for next year's song . . ."

Shelwyn dumped her own unfinished slice into her dad's again empty plate. "Nope. Enjoy the cake!"

The family chatted and ate for several good minutes. Soon, their stomachs were full, and only a few pieces of cake remained on the platter. Shelwyn, having eaten the least (thanks to a certain dad), put the remaining cake back in the fridge to save for upcoming days. Due to her good mood, she also volunteered to clean up the table and get rid of the paper plates and plastic knife. Of course, her parents accepted her offers with much gratitude.

As Shelwyn returned to the table, she noticed a change in the mood. The former bright, chatty atmosphere was gone, replaced by a more solemn, serious attitude. It was a bit bothering, considering that this was her birthday, but she shrugged it off as she returned to her seat. However, a second later, her doubts were confirmed.

"Shelwyn, there's something we need to tell you about," her mother started a little hesitantly.

Shelwyn wasn't surprised. She had learned from past experiences that when your parents use that tone, it means you've got to put on your serious face and listen. Now alert and listening, she nodded for them to continue.

Her mother was just about to speak again when her father stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure about this? We don't want to say anything that might change the way of how she sees us," he cautioned her. Her mother, however, shook her head. "No. It's time she knows."

"Huh?" Shelwyn failed to restrain her curiosity. What did he mean by "change the way of how she sees us"? What did she mean by "It's time she knows"? Was it some secret that they've been keeping from her all this time? Was it going to affect her life? Her mind was abuzz with questions at this point, her curiosity now at its peak. If it were a secret, then why did they choose this time to tell her?

Her dad sighed and stood up. "Alright, Shelwyn, follow me." Without another word, he started to walk down the hallway, her mother following him solemnly.

Shelwyn heart raced as she followed them down the hallway and into a small room that was plastered with pictures and memories. Each step she took, each second that raced by, was leading her closer and closer to her destination. She was just about to discover a secret that had been kept from her for all her life. Her instinct told her that this wasn't just any secret - it was fate. And knowing fate was only seconds away made her shiver under the protection of her cloak.

She stepped into the small room, taking in her surroundings. There was nothing bizarre about the place, just the same old room stacked with boxes and photo albums with a small table in the center. No strange messages written across walls in blood, no flickering lights or eerie ghost noises like those she had seen in movies. Yet, the normalcy of the room wasn't helping with her nervousness, not one bit.

"So," she started with a gulp. "What did you want to show me?"

Her father crossed over to a lone box in a corner. Then, he took out a large, leather album that had several pages sticking out unevenly. As he placed it on the table in everybody's sight, Shelwyn saw that it was titled The Furlan's: History and Records. Another useful clue as to what the secret might be about. By now, she was starting to get an idea of what might be coming at her.

"This is where we keep memories of all our past ancestors," he started, flipping the book to the table of contents. The words were handwritten in black ink. Her father pointed to the first name on the list. "Marcus William Furlan was the first to leave his mark in the book. He came up with the idea of keeping a family history so that later generations to come would get to know their ancestors better."

"I take it that I'm one of these later generations?" Shelwyn cut in a little impatiently. She had come here to find out a really big secret, not spend minutes trying to memorize family history!

Her mother paused before nodding and responding. "You could say that. But there's something else we need to show you."

Her father's finger trailed down to the last three names on the list. The first two spelled out her parents' full names, but the last one was very much her own: Shelwyn Furlan. Now that really caught her attention - she didn't even know she had her own page in the book. She leaned towards the book curiously as he flipped over to her page.

On the top right corner of her page was an identity card that had her full name and birthday. Taped right next to it was a school picture of herself that had been taken a few months ago. However, it was the picture in the left bottom corner that stole her attention.

It was a picture of a baby wrapped in a bundle and a black cloak that was way too big for it. Her mother was holding the infant and carrying it through the open doorway. The scene probably took place at night, since it was all dark outside and only a few stars were left to light the sky.

Shelwyn looked at the picture closely. Something was oddly familiar about the infant. If it weren't for the black cloak that concealed most of the face, she swore that it could easily be a younger version of her. Her eyes trailed to her own cloak wrapped around her body. It looked identical to the one in the picture. She looked back at the picture, knowing that the infant had to be her. Why else would the picture be on her page?

"But why the cloak?" she pondered out loud. Then, she mentally slapped herself for having a big mouth.

Her mother nodded, understanding the thought behind the question. "Well, you see, Shelwyn, you aren't biologically related to us."

I'm not biologically related to them? Does this mean -"I'm adopted?" her mouth finished what her mind started.

"Not exactly," her father contradicted, causing Shelwyn to stiffen up. "You were left outside the door with no note or anything. Just the cloak and the blanket." He looked down at the picture as he recalled the memory. "We couldn't leave you out there to die, so we took you in and made you our own."

Okay. So I was left outside with that oversized cloak in the middle of the night with no note or identity whatsoever. She took a step back as she tried to take in all of that information. This means that I could be from anywhere and my biological parents could be anyone. She took another step back. But why would my real parents leave me out there like that? She didn't notice her eyes gleaming red with rage. Why?! Why would they leave me like that?!?!

"Shelwyn! A-Are you alright?"

Shelwyn flinched as her mother's concerned voice pierced through her enraged thoughts. The flame died from her eyes as she looked up to see both her parents huddled on the other side of the room, eyes wide and fearful. Awkward silence ensued for several seconds until Shelwyn relaxed and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just . . . that's a lot to take in at once. I mean, who would leave me out there at dark in a black cloak and no identity?"

Suddenly, two blurs whizzed at her and before she knew it, she was enveloped in a rib-crushing hug. She looked up to see her mother's face, now streaked with tears. She looked behind her to see her father, also on the verge of tears, though a little less significant. Usually, she was not a fan of hugs, much less groups hugs, but this felt like home. So she let it last for several more seconds, before surrendering.

"Ack...can't...breathe...," she managed to croak. Her parents let go immediately, although her mother still kept her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Shelwyn Furlan, we just want you to understand that no matter who your biological parents are, you will always be our daughter," Mrs. Furlan whispered, just loud enough for Shelwyn to hear. Mr. Furlan then joined Shelwyn and her mother, placing an arm each on both their shoulders.

"Just because you found out today that we aren't your biological parents doesn't mean you get to think any differently than you did before," he reassured. Then, he arched an eyebrow. "Cause if you do, I can always use my singing to - "

"NOOOOOO!" Shelwyn suddenly cried out dramatically while throwing her hands over her ears, sending her parents into fits of laughter.

Soon, they were back in the living room, laughing and chatting like before, the former mood completely forgotten. After some fruit punch and a few more chocolate chip cookies - a LOT in Mr. Furlan's case - Shelwyn was soon sent to bed.

"Thanks for making this a great birthday," she said to her parents as she neared her room.

"It's our pleasure, darling," her mother responded. "We know you deserve it."

Her father opened the door for her. "And don't forget to make some new friends," he grinned. "I'm hoping to see some new faces by the end of this month."

"And last but not least, congratulations again on the track and field tryouts," her mother added. "We know you'll succeed no matter what goes in your way."

Shelwyn smiled as she walked into her room. It had been a great birthday . . . for the most part. "Thanks again. I'll try to make some more friends by the end of this month."

Her dad smirked. "And you'd better, or else - "

"'Night, mom. 'Night dad," Shelwyn bade them good night before slowly closing the door, just as they replied with a "Goodnight, Shelwyn".

Once the satisfying click of the door was heard, Shelwyn dropped the cheerful façade. She looked over her room - just a bed, a desk, a drawer, and a chair. Nothing big or special, unlike those rich, popular kids at her school who thought they were so much better than her. Narrowing her eyes, she crossed over to her small bed and sat down, thinking.

Who in this world would leave me at a doorstep in the middle of the night without any words? she growled in her mind. Who would be so heartless to do so? If they at least left a note with a reason for why they couldn't raise me, I would have forgiven them, but they didn't. She sighed, unable to get rid of that one question that stuck to the back of her mind.

Who are my biological parents?

She sat there on bed, just staring at the wall. In her mind, she pondered the questions over and over again, but to no avail. Seconds ticked by, soon turning to minutes, and all she could do was sit and stare.

I wonder what life would be life if I had grown up with my biological parents instead. Would they have been as kind and encouraging as my current parents? Would I still be the shadowy, mysterious unpopular kid at school? Maybe I would have gone to a different school that might have treated me better. But then would I still be who I am now?

She knew that it probably wasn't worth it. After all, her biological parents did send her away, confirming that they probably didn't care for her as much as the Furlans. Besides, life was good here . . . despite the bullies at school. She had never really told her parents how much she was being bullied, especially by Leon, but if she did, she was sure that they would switch her to another school for the better. They were the ones who really cared about her, not her biological parents . . . right?

But she couldn't help but wonder if her biological parents had left her for a different reason. Maybe it was an emergency where they had no time to write a note before sending her out of harm's way. Or maybe they were forced to give her up. Or worse, maybe they sacrificed themselves for her, leaving her to be found and put on a doorstep of a loving family that would take her in.

Perhaps I shouldn't judge them so harshly, she decided. Maybe they cared about me so much that they died trying to save my life. Tears formed in her deep, green eyes as she thought about the possible hardships her real parents might have gone through to protect her. She sat for another period of time, occasionally wiping away tears that dared to venture out of her eyes.

Well, at least I know I'm not as young as I was believed to be, she tried to smile at that thought. She wasn't sure of how old she was when she arrived at the Furlans, but who knows? She could be fifteen, or maybe even sixteen. Just the thought of being older then most of the kids in her grade excited her. Just wait till I tell them that I'm fifteen! She smirked as she imagined the looks on their faces if she suddenly announced that in front of everybody.

However, that smirk was soon wiped off her face as sleepiness started to overtake her. She glanced at the digital clock that sat on the corner of her desk. It said 10:45. She silently thanked god it wasn't a school day tomorrow. The last time she went to sleep any later than 10:30, she had to sprint to barely make it into class on time. And she had sprinted real fast.

Shelwyn noticed that she still had her cloak on the whole time. She had intended to take it off before the party, but due to her excitement, she had forgotten. Well, not that she minded anyway. However, as she reached up to unfasten the buckle on her cloak, she noticed that something was off. She held her hands up for better observation, but what she discovered made her gasp louder than ever.

Her hands were glowing.

Shelwyn just stared at her hands, mouth hung open, not sure what to do. They were actually glowing, light flaring all around them. She blinked hard, not daring to rub her eyes. But when she opened them, they were still glowing.

"W-What's going on!?" she croaked, her voice quivering nervously. She tried moving her hands by a millimeter - the glow didn't fade. The more daring side of her took over and she started shaking her hands out to try to get rid of the glow . . . which stuck to her hands like glue.

Shelwyn breathed in and out rapidly, doing her best to stay calm. She had always thought she was pretty good at handling these situations, since most people would have freaked out by now. But now, she didn't know how much longer she had before she started freaking out too.

Suddenly, her eyes were blinded by an intense glow that seemed to obscure her vision. She squinted hard, trying to block out all that white light, but it only kept getting more and more intense. Her whole body felt like it was on fire - it didn't take long for her to figure out that she must be glowing all over by now. Even her usually black hair seemed to be glowing with a tint of red added to the tips. She wished she had actually considered cutting a particularly longer strand of hair that hung between her left eye and her nose.

She barely had enough time to register what was happening when the bright light finally overtook her. Completely. The faint outline of her room was all drenched in white as she opened her mouth in a painful and soundless scream. She shut her eyes as tightly as she could to block out the scorching light, only succeeding to set her eyeballs on fire. Just as she thought she was going to explode . . .

. . . it all ended.

Everything turned black, all the light vanquished like a bucket of water over fire. Her whole body feeling completely numb, she fell back and let the darkness overtake her.

Author's Note:

The good thing is: this chapter actually came out longer than I intended to make it.

The other good thing is: The number of likes on the story actually surpassed the number of dislikes.

But seriously, I think I deserve a bit more than that. I mean, I worked really hard on this.

Okay enough with the complaints! Feel free to comment on what you like or what I could improve on. I'm using Fimfiction as a practice to improve my writing and prepare for real stories to publish, so I would like to hear your opinion on this! Just no negative comments please, I didn't have a issue with that yet and I'd like to keep it that way.

Stay tuned for the next chapter cause that's where it gets exciting . . .

Comments

[FaUn-Huh]

Hmmm decent chapter. The whole adoption thing was a bit melo dramatic. If I figured out that I got adopted at that age I would flip crap. Otherwise, I liked the end bit with the magic. Most stories make it instantaneous and that's not how it would be. So the stories looking good. Looking forward to when you get of hiatus.