REMEMBER ME

THE SHADES

    Nighter stood on the shore in the darkness overlooking the lake bathed in moonlight. It was a beautiful view. Too bad he couldn't enjoy it. All he could think about was what is happening at midnight tomorrow. The Shades were getting a new member, a female. She's sixteen and the first snew member in two years, Nighter was the last one before her. Over the years fewer and fewer Shades were being born. 

    Nighter thought about what it meant to be a Shade. Shades were the ones who had lived before, reincarnated to keeping fighting for the safety of the human race. The humans, however, didn't know they even existed. When the Shade was born they did not know what they were. They lived a normal human life until they turned sixteen. Then they were taken to a secret "pocket world", another dimension, for training. If they survived the training and were able to accept the knowledge they gained from their past lives they were sent into the world to keep the demons from killing the humans. Most Shades couldn't stand the humans once they went through their training, the humans didn't believe reincarnation was even possible, other Shades loved watching the lives around them grow and flourish.

    Thinking back to two years ago, Nighter remembered when he came here to train. He had no idea what he was, but the Elders had known when he was born and had told his parents that they would have him until he turned sixteen and then he would be taken. Sure enough, on his birthday at midnight, the trainers came for him. They told him not to be frightened and that he would see parents again one day. He never got the chance. He found out that two days after he was taken that both of his parents had been killed in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver on their way home from dinner. He remembered having dreams for weeks before his birthday, dreams he couldn't quite remember when he woke up. The Elders told him that all Shades start having dreams about their past before they turn sixteen but they are unable to remember their past lives until they come here to train. They didn't know why, but that was the way it has always been.

    Right now, he didn't want to go back to the center. Everyone was in an uproar about the new girl and excited for the welcome party that was going to be thrown.  Every time a new Shade entered the community, a big party was thrown to help them feel more comfortable. Honestly, he thought, it just makes it worse. Knowing you're stuck here and can't see your family and friends and that your whole life has been a fraud just tends to piss a person off, but the Elders didn't see that.