Episode 1.
The night went deep, quiet but bright, as the moon shown it's light down the earth. So quiet that you can hear ones footsteps from miles away. Crickets as usual whispered, sounds of owls and crows pierced the deaf silence. In the forest, darkness overwhelmed, just the slight little piercing of the moon light through the leaves.
At the top edge of a tree, where darkness hid bellow from the light above, Julian sat, with music booming through his Bluetooth headset. Irrespective of this, the sound of car tyres stretching from distance filtered it's way to his ears. Without hesitation, he jumped from the top to the ground and with extraordinary speed, he was in no time at the coal tar. A vehicle tumbled down with a leaking tank, smoking from the bottom. He made for the door but it was stuck, jammed. With little bit of strength applied he ripped the door open and pulled a young lady out. She was bleeding from her nostrils and forehead. Taking time to observe the affected areas on her body, the car exploded and he with deft, turned and protected her, using his back as shield. He however was burnt, but in seconds, he healed back instantly.
SHADE GENERAL HOSPITAL, 9:00Am:
"Oh thank goodness, you're awake!" Abel, her elder brother exclaimed.
"Of course I am, where the hell am I?" Emma asked, making to rise from the bed.
"Don't be naive, little girl. Lay back, you almost died, and for what?"
"Partying," she sighed, slowly falling back to bed. "I was at Audrey's house."
"Great, you almost got yourself killed, thanks to the unknown fella."
"Yeah. . . How did I get here, who?"
"The nurses said they didn't see. They heard a knock and when they reached there it was just you."
"How about my car?"
"Oh! That one," he laughed. "You should see your car, roasted, burnt alive. Smelling like a nice barbecue, hmm, yummy!"
"Oh. . . Bloody hell! Hope you didn't tasted my delicious car?"
They both chuckled and he kissed her forehead then proceeded to rubbing her hair.
Emma and Abel Potter were siblings. It has been at least five years since the great tragedy dawned on them, their parents both lost their lives in a ship wreck, boarded on a picnic from Shade to the neighboring town, Pillars.
Later in the evening, Emma had just woken, and she could feel the wind whoosh and the window was open, so she assumed it a normal ventilation.
The forest had always dominated Shade town, especially the outskirts.
Emma and her friend Audrey went deep into the forest, they however sat on a large fallen timber. At that moment, Audrey had just remembered she forgot to bring along a text book that was supposed to help them through their assignment.
"You dump girl!" Emma complained.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah I accept. Hold on let me go back and get it."
"Of course you, sure you ain't expecting me to head on back with you, are you?"
"It would be nice but I know you, you wont."
"You're really smart, Audrey. Now, go on, go go."
Audrey had no problem at all heading back as Emma presumed it to be.
Suddenly, Emma heard footsteps approaching, she nervously wandered around anxiously.
"Hello, is anyone out there?" she asked shakily.
She stood on the timber to heighten and enable her get a better and distant view. Turning back she collided her sight at Julian and she screamed falling back, but fortunately, she fell in his arms.
"Bloody hell!" She exclaimed.
"Sorry I scared you, miss," he apologized.
"Of course you should be," she said unpleasantly."
"And I am, truly."
She calmed, staring at him as well.
"So what's a scared lady like yourself doing in the heart of the woods all alone?"
"Am not alone, my friend is just a few walks from here, so if you're thinking anything negative, sure you picked the wrong woman to mess up with!"
"I overestimated you to a lady, you're a girl," he teased.
"What? I'm a full grown woman, who heck are you even?"
"No you not, you're like what, 19 or even 18."
"Screw you, I'm 20."
"Not so different after all. Perhaps 19 approaching 20."
She was speechless as obviously, he was right with that and knew, so she decided to change the topic.
"Who are you, are you from Shade?" She asked.
"Yes right from the beginning. My name is Julian Castle."
"Castle?" she grimaced, from the familiarity of the name.
"Oh, so sorry, I meant Casper. I'm just too addicted to his works, you know, Castle," he however noticed the puzzle look on her face so clarified.
"Wow! Julian, that means you know much about the founder of Shade," she hoped.
"Of course, like I was there."
"Wow!" she smiled. "You must be an immortal then."
"Sure," he forced a smile.
"So please I will need your help," she opened her book. "We were given an assignment to write down the history of Shade and a bit about Castle."
"Story time it is. Now pay attention," he sat next to her.
"During the 18th century," he began. "When slavery was the hit of the time, the white men randomly purchased slaves from the local chiefs themselves, who were greedy and selfish. Castle happened to be born by some of the slaves who were taken and growing up he lived as a high servant in the house of his master. He was loved, treated as mostly equal to the other white servants. And all that ended in a day, when news of his affair with his Master's only daughter Eva, reached his ears. He was doomed for hanging the very next day, but by nightfall Eva freed him and he exiled himself never to be seen again. On the run he came across a slave lady and freed her from her captors and together they fled. In search for a home, they came to this place."
"Wow...!" She exclaimed wryly. "And?" she asked further
"The land was virgin and green, waters blessed with sea creatures, the air was exonerating. They however took shelter for the first night it rained, and they settled, decided to make it home for a better start. Months later, travelers, pass bys, stray people all settled there and called it home. For they found peace and shelter in here, so my father named it 'Shade'."
"Your father?" She instantly asked.
"Oh! Sorry," he hastily amended. "I meant my ancestor, our ancestor named it that."
Yet she didn't steer her sight from him, kind of awkward why he kept making the same mistake. Anyway, she left it be and only smiled at him, being impressed by his narration and his attachment to it, especially putting himself involve with Castle.
"It's that all? She asked"
"No, I just thought you were bored."
"You're kidding right?" She vigorously said. "It's amazing, well go on Julian."
"As time went on, they had two sons, and in ten years Shade became a recognized settlement, village. And Castle was the chief of the village."
"The sons, what were their names?" She asked.
At this point he looked sombre and hesitated, although his lips moved but nothing filtered through.
"What, don't you know their names?" She looked curious.
"I don't, sorry," he replied and stood from the timber.
"I thought you were there," she put on a joke softly chuckling.
Just then the footstep of someone approaching were listenable, stepping on the dry leaves of the forest as the person was not too far away. Emma sharply turned in anticipation of Audrey and getting a lucid sight of her, she turned back to Julian but only felt the whooshing air temporary and it stopped. He was gone, and she stood and wandered her sight around for him but saw nothing, even till Audrey met her, she still looked perplexed.
"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Audrey asked staring around as well.
Emma turned to her and asked softly, "Do you believe in fast ghosts?"
"Not in Shade, baby girl," she joked. "Now let's get on with the assignment."
Emma scoffed and picked her book laying on the timber and started wobbling off. Audrey while sitting sought why but Emma kept walking away.
"Ain't we doing this again?"
"I got what I need, and I'm off."
Quite strange and awkward, but nevertheless, she stood and hurried up as Emma was receding from her sight.
