The Alchemy Of Shadows

Chapter 4

Althea

May 2015

The gentle pitter-patter of rain against my bedroom window pulled me away from my homework. I glanced up, my pen hovering mid-air. I wondered why people called it gentle. There was nothing gentle about the way the rain battered the roof, its relentless rhythm sounding more like a volley of bullets. It brought with it an anxiety I could never shake. It was as if the rain, caught in its headlong tumble from the heavens to the earth, was afraid of never reaching its destination, and somehow, that fear seeped into me, stirring the same unease.

It hadn’t always been like this. I could remember a time when I loved the rain. I remembered jumping into puddles, splashing water in every direction, and laughing until my sides hurt. I remembered watching in awe as the rain transformed dry, dusty lands into rich mahogany hues. Those memories, though, felt distant, like relics from a life that didn’t belong to me anymore.

Now, the rain only brought anxiety and a profound sense of loss. I didn’t remember much from the night my parents died—only fragments, blurred and incomplete. But one image stood out, sharp and unyielding: the rain hitting the window as I waited for them to come back. It was the night that changed everything.

But tonight, it wasn’t just the rain causing my unease. It was Aaron. He’d ditched our homework session, which could only mean one thing—he was at the rings again.

“Ali, what’s wrong?” Ray’s voice broke through my train of thought.

“What? Nothing’s wrong. Why do you ask?” I replied, trying to sound casual.

“You’ve been staring at the same line for an hour, girl,” he said, rolling his eyes at me.

“Umm... I’m just a bit out of it,” I admitted, my voice faltering.

“It’s Aaron, isn’t it?” he asked, his tone laced with exasperation. I dropped my head, unsure how to explain the gnawing worry without sounding irrational.

I simply nodded.

“Ali… he’s not a kid. He’s been doing this for a long time, and he always comes back in one piece. You’ve gotta stop worrying, princess,” Ray said, siding with Aaron as he always did.

“I know, Ray. It’s just… the rain. It brings all this out of me,” I confessed, knowing he would understand. Ray was one of the few people who knew everything about my parents’ death—well, almost everything. I’d never told him about the nightmares.

“Then how about a game of Mario Kart and a ridiculous amount of chocolate ice cream?” he offered with a grin, walking toward the door.

“You’re the best, Ray. Get the big tub!” I called out, already heading for the PlayStation.

For two hours, we raced, laughed, and ate our weight in ice cream. But eventually, Ray’s mother called him home, and he reluctantly left.

Now, lying on my bed with nothing to distract me, my earlier worries returned with a vengeance. The first time I’d seen Aaron bruised and beaten, I panicked like never before. That had been almost a month after the weekend he’d spent at my place—the weekend he’d witnessed my nightmares for the first time.

After that weekend, Aaron had started spending nearly every night at our house. It sounded strange, even to me, but somehow, his presence had become a cure for my nightmares. With him beside me, I never had them.

At first, Kay had been concerned. We even talked about it with Dr. Beth, my therapist. Dr. Beth had explained that, while rare, it was possible for nightmares to stop when someone we trust deeply is close by. It apparently has something to do with the feeling of safety that person provides. And for some unknown reason, I feel safe with Aaron. Safer than I ever felt over the past 10 years. Even the sunbconsious version of me knows that he wouldn't let harm come my way. Once Kay understood the effect Aaron had on me, she was more than happy to let him stay.

It quickly became a routine. Aaron’s mom, Lydia, adored me as much as she did him. She’d been happy to let him sleep over as long as we promised to spend two nights a week at her house. I agreed readily—it gave Kay some space to herself. Ever since taking me in, Kay had put her own life on hold. She rarely went on late-night dates, and if she did, she never brought anyone home, likely out of concern for my comfort. This arrangement worked well for everyone.

A soft tap on my window made me jump, jolted out of my thoughts by both apprehension and relief. Slowly, I walked over and opened it to let Aaron in.

This was how he always snuck in after a fight. Kay didn’t know about his obsession with the underground rings, and we intended to keep it that way. She was fiercely protective of the people she cared about, and Aaron was no exception.

As he stepped into the light of my room, my breath caught. His lower lip was split, a bruise blooming across his chin, and he moved with a stiffness that made my heart ache.

Eyes fixed on the floor, Aaron tried to walk past me but doubled over in pain after just a few steps. I rushed to his side, helping him to the bed.

“This is worse than usual. You need a doctor,” I said, my voice firm. He groaned, clearly unhappy with the suggestion.

“You know I can’t, Thea,” he replied, his tone weary. I knew why. These fights were illegal, and hospitals—and by extension, the police—were completely off-limits.

“Then stay still while I help you,” I said, heading to the bathroom for the first-aid kit. Opening it, I found the supplies I needed to tend to his injuries.

His lip was split, a small cut marred his eyebrow, and the bruise on his chin was turning an angry shade of purple.

“This is going to sting,” I warned, dabbing at his cuts with a sterile wipe. He flinched but said nothing. Once the cuts were clean, I applied bandages and fetched an ice pack for the swelling on his chin.

“What about your ribs?” I asked, gesturing to the side he’d been favoring. Despite his best efforts to hide the pain, I could see him wince with even the slightest of movements..

“They’re fine,” he said, too quickly.

“The hell they are, Aaron. You’re wincing with every move. Let me see,” I insisted, my voice rising slightly.

Reluctantly, he pulled off his shirt, revealing a mess of bruises and cuts across his torso. My stomach twisted at the sight, and despite my best efforts, a tear slipped down my cheek.

“Thea… please don’t cry, muñeca,” he said softly, his voice filled with guilt.

“You promised to be careful,” I whispered, shaking my head. Words failed me as I gently pressed around the bruised area, checking for signs of a broken rib. My uncle Jake, a doctor, had taught me some basic first-aid skills, and I was grateful for them now.

“It’s bruised but not broken,” I concluded, placing another ice pack on the injury. Aaron said he’d already taken painkillers on his way over, so I closed the kit and helped him settle more comfortably.

“Thea, I...” he began, but I cut him off.

“Don’t, Aaron. I can’t… I’m not ready to hear it,” I said, my voice trembling with the weight of my emotions.

“Thea, please. Listen to me,” he pleaded. “There was a mix-up with the lists. I got paired against someone way out of my league. It doesn’t usually happen, you know that.”

I did know. He’d explained the workings of the rings before, but no explanation could ease the anxiety I felt every time he fought.

“It happened this time, didn’t it? And it could happen again. Why can’t you just stop, Aaron?” I asked, my voice breaking.

“I can’t, Thea. You know I can’t. It’s the only way I can silence my demons,” he said, his words cutting through me like a blade.

His demons. The pain he carried was a puzzle I couldn’t piece together. I’d met his mom, Lydia—a kind, bubbly woman who radiated warmth. But beneath her cheerful exterior, I sensed an undercurrent of sadness. It left only one possibility, one I’d been too afraid to confront.

But tonight, the need to know outweighed my hesitation. I needed to understand his pain, his demons. I needed to stand by him as he fought them.

Taking a deep breath, I finally asked the question that had been burning inside me for so long.