into the shadow

Chapter Two : The words on the paper

Chapter Two

The Words on the Paper

Elara sat on the floor beside her bed, staring at the old piece of paper.

She had been staring at it for several minutes now.

The words were still there.

“If you need someone who will never leave you, call upon the shadow.”

And underneath them was the name.

Auren.

Elara traced the name with her eyes.

Who was Auren?

Was it a person's name?

A spirit?

Or was the whole thing just some strange story someone had written years ago?

She turned the paper over.

Nothing.

She checked the inside of the wooden box again.

Nothing.

There was no second piece of paper, no instructions, and no explanation.

“Great,” she muttered. “Very helpful.”

She picked up the box and examined it more carefully.

The strange symbol carved into the lid looked like a circle surrounded by thin, crooked lines. There was something almost familiar about it, but Elara couldn't remember ever seeing it before.

She ran her finger over the carving.

A chill ran through her.

She immediately pulled her hand away.

“Okay…”

She stared at the box.

Maybe she should just put it back.

Maybe she should tell someone.

The thought of telling Kiara immediately came to mind.

Kiara would probably say she was crazy for even considering it.

Nina would probably examine the paper and tell her it was some kind of old ritual.

And if she told her mother?

Elara didn't even want to imagine that conversation.

She sighed and folded the paper again.

She placed it inside the box and closed the lid.

Then she pushed the box underneath her bed.

“There,” she whispered.

Problem solved.

Or so she thought.

That night, Elara couldn't sleep.

She turned from one side of the bed to the other.

She pulled her blanket closer.

Then she pushed it away.

She closed her eyes.

Opened them.

Closed them again.

Nothing worked.

Her mind kept returning to the same sentence.

Someone who will never leave you.

She thought about Kiara and Nina.

They were good friends.

The best friends she had.

But even they couldn't always be there.

They had their own families.

Their own problems.

Their own lives.

Elara couldn't expect them to protect her every second of the day.

And what about everyone else?

Her mother didn't understand her.

Her father barely noticed her.

Julian seemed to have no interest in her life.

At school, people made her feel like she was a target simply for existing.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

“I just want someone to stay.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

She sat up.

For a moment, the room was completely silent.

Then something tapped against the window.

Elara froze.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

She slowly turned her head.

The curtains moved slightly.

Her heart began beating faster.

She stared at the window.

Another tap.

Elara grabbed her pillow.

“It's probably a tree.”

She waited.

Nothing happened.

After a few seconds, she slowly got out of bed and walked toward the window.

She pulled the curtain aside.

There was nothing there.

Just the dark night outside.

She looked around.

Nothing.

Elara let out a breath.

“I'm officially losing my mind.”

She closed the curtain and returned to bed.

But when she turned around, she stopped.

Her eyes went directly to the space underneath her bed.

She could see the wooden box.

It wasn't where she had left it.

Elara's face went pale.

She had pushed it far underneath.

Now it was sitting closer to the edge.

She stood there for several seconds.

“No.”

She slowly stepped closer.

Maybe she had imagined pushing it farther.

Maybe it had been closer than she remembered.

She bent down and picked it up.

The box felt cold.

Much colder than before.

Elara quickly placed it on her desk.

She didn't open it.

Instead, she climbed back into bed and pulled the blanket over herself.

She told herself she wasn't going to think about it anymore.

But she did.

She thought about it until she finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Elara woke up exhausted.

She stared at the ceiling.

Her alarm had already gone off twice.

“Ugh.”

She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

For a second, she forgot about the box.

Then she saw it sitting on her desk.

Her stomach tightened.

She quickly looked away.

She got ready for school and left her room.

Downstairs, her mother was already complaining about something.

“Elara, you're going to be late again.”

“I know.”

“Then stop standing there.”

Elara grabbed something to eat.

Her mother looked at her.

“Did you even sleep last night?”

“A little.”

“You look tired.”

Elara shrugged.

“I'm fine.”

Her mother shook her head and walked away.

Elara didn't say anything.

She left for school.

When she arrived, Kiara was waiting near the classroom.

“You look terrible.”

Elara stared at her.

“Good morning to you too.”

Kiara laughed.

“You know what I mean.”

“I didn't sleep well.”

Nina joined them.

“Why?”

“Nothing.”

Kiara narrowed her eyes.

“That answer usually means something.”

Elara hesitated.

She thought about telling them.

She almost did.

Then she remembered the box.

Maybe it was better to keep it to herself.

“Just couldn't sleep,” she said.

Nina studied her face.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Kiara sighed.

“Fine. But if something is bothering you, tell us.”

“I will.”

The three girls entered the classroom.

For most of the morning, Elara tried to concentrate.

She really did.

But her thoughts kept wandering.

Auren.

The box.

The strange symbol.

The words.

During one of her classes, she found herself drawing the symbol in the corner of her notebook without realizing it.

She stared at what she had drawn.

Then quickly scribbled over it.

“Elara?”

She looked up.

The teacher was standing beside her desk.

“Are you paying attention?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

The teacher continued walking.

Elara lowered her head.

She needed to stop thinking about it.

But when lunch finally came, Vanessa walked past her desk and knocked her books onto the floor.

“Oh, sorry.”

Elara looked at her.

Vanessa smiled.

“Didn't see them.”

Tara laughed.

Chloe stood behind them, watching.

Elara bent down to pick up her books.

She heard Vanessa whisper something to Tara.

They laughed.

Kiara immediately stood.

“Can you leave her alone for one day?”

Vanessa rolled her eyes.

“Why do you care so much?”

“Because she's my friend.”

“And?”

“And I'm tired of watching you treat her like this.”

Vanessa shrugged.

“Whatever.”

She walked away.

Kiara helped Elara gather her books.

“You okay?”

Elara nodded.

But she wasn't.

Something inside her had changed since she found that box.

Before, whenever people hurt her, she simply accepted it.

She had gotten used to being alone.

But now she had a thought she couldn't get rid of.

What if someone really could protect me?

That evening, Elara went straight to her room.

She closed the door.

She looked at the wooden box.

It was still on her desk.

She walked toward it.

She stopped.

Then she opened it.

The old paper was still inside.

She unfolded it again.

The sentence stared back at her.

“If you need someone who will never leave you, call upon the shadow.”

This time, Elara noticed something she hadn't noticed before.

There were tiny words written beneath Auren's name.

She leaned closer.

The writing was faded.

She could barely read it.

But she managed to make out a few words.

“Speak his name…”

Elara's eyes widened.

There was more.

She tilted the paper toward the light.

“…and offer your heart…”

She swallowed.

“What does that even mean?”

The rest of the writing was too faded to understand.

She searched the box again.

Nothing.

Elara sat down on her bed with the paper in her hands.

She knew she should stop.

She knew this was strange.

She knew she probably shouldn't be playing around with something she didn't understand.

But then she remembered the hallway.

Vanessa pulling her bag.

The laughter.

Her notebook on the floor.

Her mother's voice.

Her father's silence.

The loneliness.

And suddenly, the strange ritual didn't seem quite as ridiculous as it had before.

She looked at the name again.

Auren.

“Who are you?”

Silence answered her.

Elara looked around her room.

Nothing.

She folded the paper carefully.

She wasn't going to do anything yet.

She just wanted to understand it first.

Maybe tomorrow she'd search for information.

Maybe she'd ask Nina.

Maybe she'd forget the whole thing.

She placed the paper back inside the box.

Then she closed the lid.

For a few seconds, everything was normal.

Then the symbol carved into the wooden lid seemed to grow darker.

Elara blinked.

She touched it.

The cold sensation returned.

She immediately pulled her hand away.

Her heart was pounding.

She stared at the box.

For the first time, she wondered if finding it hadn't been an accident.

Maybe there was a reason it had been underneath her bed.

Maybe someone had put it there.

Maybe the words were waiting for her.

Elara shook her head.

“No. That's impossible.”

She pushed the box away.

But deep down, she knew something.

She wasn't going to forget about Auren.

And sooner or later, she was going to discover exactly what happened when someone called upon the shadow.