Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. I do not know the sexual orientation of any of the celebrities who will be appearing in the story.
WARNING: The character does not have a happy life and will not have very many happy events in his life. If this kind of stuff bothers you, I do not recommend reading. Otherwise, enjoy.
The Shadow created by Street and Smith, Walter B. Gibson. Copyright Advance Magazine Publishing Inc.
Author's email address: authorjames2002@yahoo.com
Chapter 22 Iris
After the group got to safety, the Shadow disappeared into the night. He knew what he had to do. He had one final penance to serve, the one his victim called him to do. But before that, he wanted to reconcile everything with Jacob. He wanted to open himself up to Jacob, to experience the feelings Jacob brought out in him, to experience what Jacob felt toward him.
The Shadow found the hotel room and knocked on Jacob's door.
"Just a minute," Jacob called out. After hearing several clicks, the door opened and Jacob stepped back allowing the youth to come in. "Sorry about the locks. We've all been keeping ourselves locked down tight. After what happened, we've all been a little paranoid."
"I understand. It freaks me out, too. I never thought anything like this would ever happen. I thought it all was confined to fiction."
"Yeah."
Both started to talk and then stopped.
"Listen," the youth finally said, "there's something on my mind that I've wanted to tell you. And I want to say it without interruption at all. You're the first person to see past the physical appearance of me. That has meant a lot to me. You are a wonderful person, Jacob. I know I haven't acted like I've had any feelings for you. The truth is I have. I've been afraid to express them because something happened in my past that has caused me to reject any type of feelings. I just want you to know that I really like you..."
The sensation he's felt for the past several days which led into singing moved over him. 'It seems Danu's spell has some lingering effects.' And his sentence continued, but turned into song.
"And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
And sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive
And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am"
The room remained quiet for several moments as Jacob looked away, out the window, at a nearby picture, anything but the youth who just sang his heart to him. After what seemed an eternity, Jacob took a breath and began.
"Wow, that was... revealing. I respect that." He took a breath, and continued. "However...God, I don't want to do this."
"Do what?" the youth asked confused.
"You're a real sweet, sincere guy. I've seen your soul in the past few days and it has been unbelievable. I can honestly say you are rare and wonderful. And I truly loved your soul."
"Loved?"
"The truth is I don't have those same feelings for you. I can't...I can't get back to what I felt before. Once the spell-thingy wore off..."
"You saw me for what I really look like," the Shadow completed. "What you fell in love with, what you saw, was a reflection of my inside as a physical form. That's why you were attracted to me. But now that you see my true, outer appearance, the feelings you had for me disappeared."
Looking at Jacob's face, the Shadow knew it was true. What Jacob felt for him was real, in a sense. But, like most people, he couldn't truly move past the cover in order to love the book.
Without a word, the Shadow stood and moved toward the door. Jacob didn't make a move to apologize or stop him. The Shadow wouldn't have given him the opportunity if he had. 'It's okay,' he thought. 'It makes what I have to do that much easier.' And silently he left the hotel never to set foot in it again.
The Shadow broke into the drug store and looked around for what he needed. The night before when he looked up the ingredients for the potion to stop Danu, he also looked up the best medication needed to mete out justice for Greg, pills that he could take that would do the job of both making him suffer and still be sure to end his life. He found the medication and went back to the gym.
"This is where it started," he said as he opened the bottle. "This is where it will end." And he dumped the pills in his mouth.
After a few moments, the pills kicked in and pain shot through his chest. It felt as if his heart were going to explode. He fell against the wall and clutched at his chest. Then his stomach burned and he held his stomach as well. Pushing away from the wall, he ran out the back door and fell into a pile of trash bags and trash cans.
Rob got the address from someone who recognized his best friend and told him the place his best friend frequented. "I think he stays there, too," the person replied.
Rob hailed the nearest taxi and got in.
"The name's Moe," the driver said. "Where to?"
Rob gave him the address of the gymnasium and the cab sped away.
To Be Concluded...