She heard a noise, a lamp falling over. She heard a scream, suddenly cut off. She ran into her sister's room and saw only a broken lamp and two shadows. One was adult-sized and the other was the size of her little sister, Megan. She panicked. She ran through the house screaming for Megan. She ran into the yard, still screaming.
"Ell? What's wrong? What happened?" asked her neighbor, Ms. Gregg.
"She's gone, she just, she she d-disappeared," Ell said shakily.
"Honey, let me call the police, okay?"
"Okay."
The police were called, and Ell told them everything she knew.
"I just left her room for a minute, and, when I came back, there was a broken lamp and two shadows."
The police thought she was insane. She couldn't possibly have seen two shadows in a room with just herself. She held to her story. The police begged her for more information. They believed she was holding something back, but she insisted that that was all she knew.
Search parties were sent out, but everyone came back without Megan. Ell fell apart.
A year went by. Ell obsessed over her sister's kidnapping. She began to research shadows online, hoping to get lucky. Finally, she came across a website one long night, www.ninjashadowcreatures.weebly.com. This took her to a website where she learned about dangerous, half-human, half-shadow creatures called ninjas. These ninjas supposedly kidnapped children for sacrifice. She scrolled through the page in a panic. She was convinced that these creatures kidnapped her little sister. She went to the contact page and immediately called a man named Derik Tase.
"Hello," he answered sleepily.
"Is this Derik Tase?" demanded Ell.
"Yes, and who do you think you are calling me at two in the morning?"
"I'm Ell Kane. Last year, my sister was kidnapped and I think it was one of those ninja things."
"Oh, yeah I saw you on the news. Are you sure it was a ninja?"
"Uh no not really," she said sheepishly.
"Well, what did you see that day?"
Ell told Derik what she saw in great detail and he agreed to meet her in Green Bay Wisconsin, two hours and twenty-one minutes from her hometown, Madison, Wisconsin, according to Mapquest. Ell turned off her phone and her computer and slept through the night for the first time since her sister had disappeared, soothed by her newly-found hope.
The next morning, Ell filled her Ford Fiesta with gas and headed toward Green Bay. She planned to meet Derik in at Mill Town Cafe. Upon arriving, she saw an attractive man wearing jeans and a Bowling for Soup t-shirt stand up.
"Ell?" he asked.
"Yeah, but how did you know..."
"Don't worry about it," he said quickly. "So you want to know about ninjas?"
"Yes."
"First thing about ninjas is that they're very dangerous."
"Yes, I know,I've read your website," she said impatiently.
"Good, then let's go," he said.
"Go, what?"
"Yes, go to the hospital to find one."
"Like, now?"
"Yes, now. You want to find your sister don't you?" he asked, annoyed by her slowness.
They nearly ran out to his car and sped to the hospital. Derik had it on good authority that a ninja was there at the very moment. They pushed the doors to the hospital open with great force. Derik ran past security, flashing some kind of signal to a man Ell assumed was his friend. They rushed to the maternity ward and saw a man reach for a prematurely-born baby and begin to shift into a shadow. Ell screamed and grabbed his hand before he could fully turn. His body went back to full-human mode and the baby in his arms started turning an odd shade of purple.
"Please, let me care for the child," said the ninja.
"How do I know you won't leave?" demanded Ell.
"Because I won't."
"Don't listen to him, Ell," said Derik. He was scared to death but tried to seem strong. He found Ell rather attractive and hoped that she would find him equally as so.
"Please," the ninja pleaded.
At this time, Ell and Derik witnessed something no human was meant to see. They watched as the soul of the poor baby boy began to exit the body. Ell released the ninja in shock. He disappeared with the baby, but returned a second later with a healthy one.
"Where did the baby go?" Ell screamed.
"Ell shhh there are other people here," said Derik, desperately trying to calm her. He couldn't afford to get kicked out of the hospital again.
"This is the same baby," said the ninja.
"Don't lie!" Ell said, terrified.
She lunged at the ninja, knocking it against the wall. She grabbed his face screaming and demanding to know what he did with her little sister. She slammed his head into the wall. He fell limp and she backed up in shock. She had read that they were stronger.
They remained in the room for nearly an hour. Ell curled herself into a ball on the floor and wept. She was ashamed of herself. She wasn't a killer, and she was scared. Derik tried to reassure her, but she was inconsolable.
They saw a shadow move in the corner. Ell and Derik flinched and scooted back across the floor. The ninja turned into human form.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," cried Ell. "I had no idea they were so gentle."
"Why would you try to harm one of my brothers? All we do is care for young ones like the babies in this ward."
"Then why the hell did you kidnap my baby sister? She wasn't sick! There was nothing wrong with her! She was happy! She was playing in her room with her freaking Barbies."
A look of shock and despair came across the ninja's face as he took in the news.
"Your sister was kidnapped by one of us?" he asked. "That isn't supposed to happen. When we take children for healing, we bring them back in a second. Nobody realizes that they're gone and they never stay gone."
"Where do you take children for healing?" asked Ell. She was beginning to calm down. The ninja's presence soothed her.
"To the Shadow Realm," the ninja replied.
"Take me there," Ell said confidently.
"Ell, are you insane?" asked Derik. "The Shadow Realm is not a good place!"
"I can take you there. I owe it to you. It is a horrible thing to miss a loved one," said the ninja, ignoring Derik.
The ninja held out his hands to Ell and Derik. Ell grabbed it right away. Derik was reluctant to trust the ninja, but did not want to leave Ell. Afterall, he was the one who opened her up to this unknown world. They felt their bodies melt away in a sense. Ell embraced the feeling. She felt light. Her sister's absence had been weighing her down for so long. She finally felt free. Unfortunately for her, the feeling only lasted a moment. They arrived in the Shadow Realm and she could feel her feet again. The ninja led them down a dark corridor. Derik flinched away from all the shadows moving across the walls as they went. At the end of the corridor was a grand door made of obsidian. The ninja told them to wait outside. He walked through the door and was gone for a short time. When he returned, he motioned for them to enter. There was no door handle or knob. Ell looked at the ninja, confused. He nodded at her and she understood. She took Derik's hand and walked through the door just a the ninja had.
They were greeted by a man wearing all black. He had a grandness about him that Ell did not quite understand.
"Hello," he said in a deep, frightening voice.
Ell felt goose bumps rise on her neck and a chill down her spine. She squeezed Derik's hand.
"I am Itzal, God of the Shadows," he said proudly. "My son has informed me that you are looking for your sister, yes?"
"Yes, yes sir," Ell choked out.
"And what would the little one's name be?"
"Megan Kane."
"Ahh yes. I remember her coming through here. About a year ago wasn't it?"
Ell nodded quickly.
"You see my older brother, Essien took a liking to her. I believe he himself watches over her as we speak."
"Your older brother?" asked Ell.
"Yes, yes. My brother, God of Children. He thinks he is so important. He watches over the little ones, protects them from nightmares, heals the sick, cures the diseased, yada yada, blah, blah, blah. Why do you want that little snot-nosed bucket of piss back for anyway?"
"She is my sister and I love her. I am not leaving here until I get her back," Ell said. She had nothing to lose if he became angry. She had a meaningless job as a physical trainer. She had no family. Her father was long gone and her mother was dead. The only thing she had to hold on to was the hope of finding her sister.
"Acting brave, are we?" said Itzal, amused. "Well we wouldn't want you to stay here forever, would we? I suppose I could bring you to my brother, but good luck taking his toy from him."
Itzal snapped his fingers, and suddenly Ell and Derik felt their legs be swept out from under them. When they were able to control themselves again, it was cold. Ell looked around and was taken aback by her surroundings.
"Mont Blanc," said Itzal. "Highest peak in the Alps. I still don't know why my brother insists on living in this dreadful, cold place."
Ell and Derik followed Itzal into a stunning palace. Essien was waiting for them.
"Hello, my brother," said Essien. "What has brought you here today?"
"These humans have demanded that a Miss Megan Kane be returned to them. I guessed that their Megan is the one you have locked away with your wife. Am I correct?"
"Yes, you are correct, but the child was a present for my wife. I will not take her gift away from her. I am very sorry, but she belongs to me now," said Essien.
Ell was furious. She ran towards the god, screaming her lungs out. With a flick of his wrist, she was flung against the wall. The collision made a monstrous noise. A beautiful woman and a child came running out from a back room. Ell was dizzy and everything seemed a bit fuzzy to her. She tried to make out the child but could not seem to do so.
"What is going on out here?" asked the woman.
"It's nothing, my dear Amara. Nothing at all. Our visitors were just leaving," said Essien.
Ell's vision began to come back. The little girl peeked out from behind the woman's leg. It was Megan. She saw her big sister and ran to her.
"Ellie!" squealed Megan.
"Essien, what have you done?" asked Amara. She was the Goddess of Love and could sense the sisterly love that Megan and Ell shared. She knew her husband had done something horrible. "You said this child was alone. You said she had no family. You lied. She had a loving sister and a good life. Why? Why have you done this to this poor girl?"
"For you,my love. Remember when we took a trip to Wisconsin and sampled all their delicious cheeses? Remember when you saw this child and said that she was the sweetest little girl you had ever seen? Well, I just wanted to please you. I knew you wanted a child, and I was only trying to give you what you wanted," explained Essien.
"But I didn't want it this way," said Amara. She began to weep. The sky became dark and the clouds wept with her. "How could you think that I would be okay with you breaking these two apart when their love for each other is so strong?" She turned to Ell and Megan. "I am so sorry, my dears. I had no idea that my husband had gotten this child from a loving home. Please accept my apology. I will willingly return you both to your home in Wisconsin, and I shall also grant you my most precious gift: everlasting love. Ell, this fine man has accompanied you on your journey, and I do believe that he will make a fine husband for you one day."
Ell was too overcome by the situation to register everything that Amara was saying. She just knew that she was getting Megan back, Before Ell could comprehend what was happening, she once again felt her legs being swept from beneath her. In a split second, she was back in her front yard with Megan and Derik. She turned to him, looked in his eyes, and knew that he would never leave her. He would not be returning to Green Bay. He would stay with her and follow her on every journey. Megan grabbed Ell's hand and Ell bent down to hold her. She was complete.
"Ell? What's wrong? What happened?" asked her neighbor, Ms. Gregg.
"She's gone, she just, she she d-disappeared," Ell said shakily.
"Honey, let me call the police, okay?"
"Okay."
The police were called, and Ell told them everything she knew.
"I just left her room for a minute, and, when I came back, there was a broken lamp and two shadows."
The police thought she was insane. She couldn't possibly have seen two shadows in a room with just herself. She held to her story. The police begged her for more information. They believed she was holding something back, but she insisted that that was all she knew.
Search parties were sent out, but everyone came back without Megan. Ell fell apart.
A year went by. Ell obsessed over her sister's kidnapping. She began to research shadows online, hoping to get lucky. Finally, she came across a website one long night, www.ninjashadowcreatures.weebly.com. This took her to a website where she learned about dangerous, half-human, half-shadow creatures called ninjas. These ninjas supposedly kidnapped children for sacrifice. She scrolled through the page in a panic. She was convinced that these creatures kidnapped her little sister. She went to the contact page and immediately called a man named Derik Tase.
"Hello," he answered sleepily.
"Is this Derik Tase?" demanded Ell.
"Yes, and who do you think you are calling me at two in the morning?"
"I'm Ell Kane. Last year, my sister was kidnapped and I think it was one of those ninja things."
"Oh, yeah I saw you on the news. Are you sure it was a ninja?"
"Uh no not really," she said sheepishly.
"Well, what did you see that day?"
Ell told Derik what she saw in great detail and he agreed to meet her in Green Bay Wisconsin, two hours and twenty-one minutes from her hometown, Madison, Wisconsin, according to Mapquest. Ell turned off her phone and her computer and slept through the night for the first time since her sister had disappeared, soothed by her newly-found hope.
The next morning, Ell filled her Ford Fiesta with gas and headed toward Green Bay. She planned to meet Derik in at Mill Town Cafe. Upon arriving, she saw an attractive man wearing jeans and a Bowling for Soup t-shirt stand up.
"Ell?" he asked.
"Yeah, but how did you know..."
"Don't worry about it," he said quickly. "So you want to know about ninjas?"
"Yes."
"First thing about ninjas is that they're very dangerous."
"Yes, I know,I've read your website," she said impatiently.
"Good, then let's go," he said.
"Go, what?"
"Yes, go to the hospital to find one."
"Like, now?"
"Yes, now. You want to find your sister don't you?" he asked, annoyed by her slowness.
They nearly ran out to his car and sped to the hospital. Derik had it on good authority that a ninja was there at the very moment. They pushed the doors to the hospital open with great force. Derik ran past security, flashing some kind of signal to a man Ell assumed was his friend. They rushed to the maternity ward and saw a man reach for a prematurely-born baby and begin to shift into a shadow. Ell screamed and grabbed his hand before he could fully turn. His body went back to full-human mode and the baby in his arms started turning an odd shade of purple.
"Please, let me care for the child," said the ninja.
"How do I know you won't leave?" demanded Ell.
"Because I won't."
"Don't listen to him, Ell," said Derik. He was scared to death but tried to seem strong. He found Ell rather attractive and hoped that she would find him equally as so.
"Please," the ninja pleaded.
At this time, Ell and Derik witnessed something no human was meant to see. They watched as the soul of the poor baby boy began to exit the body. Ell released the ninja in shock. He disappeared with the baby, but returned a second later with a healthy one.
"Where did the baby go?" Ell screamed.
"Ell shhh there are other people here," said Derik, desperately trying to calm her. He couldn't afford to get kicked out of the hospital again.
"This is the same baby," said the ninja.
"Don't lie!" Ell said, terrified.
She lunged at the ninja, knocking it against the wall. She grabbed his face screaming and demanding to know what he did with her little sister. She slammed his head into the wall. He fell limp and she backed up in shock. She had read that they were stronger.
They remained in the room for nearly an hour. Ell curled herself into a ball on the floor and wept. She was ashamed of herself. She wasn't a killer, and she was scared. Derik tried to reassure her, but she was inconsolable.
They saw a shadow move in the corner. Ell and Derik flinched and scooted back across the floor. The ninja turned into human form.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," cried Ell. "I had no idea they were so gentle."
"Why would you try to harm one of my brothers? All we do is care for young ones like the babies in this ward."
"Then why the hell did you kidnap my baby sister? She wasn't sick! There was nothing wrong with her! She was happy! She was playing in her room with her freaking Barbies."
A look of shock and despair came across the ninja's face as he took in the news.
"Your sister was kidnapped by one of us?" he asked. "That isn't supposed to happen. When we take children for healing, we bring them back in a second. Nobody realizes that they're gone and they never stay gone."
"Where do you take children for healing?" asked Ell. She was beginning to calm down. The ninja's presence soothed her.
"To the Shadow Realm," the ninja replied.
"Take me there," Ell said confidently.
"Ell, are you insane?" asked Derik. "The Shadow Realm is not a good place!"
"I can take you there. I owe it to you. It is a horrible thing to miss a loved one," said the ninja, ignoring Derik.
The ninja held out his hands to Ell and Derik. Ell grabbed it right away. Derik was reluctant to trust the ninja, but did not want to leave Ell. Afterall, he was the one who opened her up to this unknown world. They felt their bodies melt away in a sense. Ell embraced the feeling. She felt light. Her sister's absence had been weighing her down for so long. She finally felt free. Unfortunately for her, the feeling only lasted a moment. They arrived in the Shadow Realm and she could feel her feet again. The ninja led them down a dark corridor. Derik flinched away from all the shadows moving across the walls as they went. At the end of the corridor was a grand door made of obsidian. The ninja told them to wait outside. He walked through the door and was gone for a short time. When he returned, he motioned for them to enter. There was no door handle or knob. Ell looked at the ninja, confused. He nodded at her and she understood. She took Derik's hand and walked through the door just a the ninja had.
They were greeted by a man wearing all black. He had a grandness about him that Ell did not quite understand.
"Hello," he said in a deep, frightening voice.
Ell felt goose bumps rise on her neck and a chill down her spine. She squeezed Derik's hand.
"I am Itzal, God of the Shadows," he said proudly. "My son has informed me that you are looking for your sister, yes?"
"Yes, yes sir," Ell choked out.
"And what would the little one's name be?"
"Megan Kane."
"Ahh yes. I remember her coming through here. About a year ago wasn't it?"
Ell nodded quickly.
"You see my older brother, Essien took a liking to her. I believe he himself watches over her as we speak."
"Your older brother?" asked Ell.
"Yes, yes. My brother, God of Children. He thinks he is so important. He watches over the little ones, protects them from nightmares, heals the sick, cures the diseased, yada yada, blah, blah, blah. Why do you want that little snot-nosed bucket of piss back for anyway?"
"She is my sister and I love her. I am not leaving here until I get her back," Ell said. She had nothing to lose if he became angry. She had a meaningless job as a physical trainer. She had no family. Her father was long gone and her mother was dead. The only thing she had to hold on to was the hope of finding her sister.
"Acting brave, are we?" said Itzal, amused. "Well we wouldn't want you to stay here forever, would we? I suppose I could bring you to my brother, but good luck taking his toy from him."
Itzal snapped his fingers, and suddenly Ell and Derik felt their legs be swept out from under them. When they were able to control themselves again, it was cold. Ell looked around and was taken aback by her surroundings.
"Mont Blanc," said Itzal. "Highest peak in the Alps. I still don't know why my brother insists on living in this dreadful, cold place."
Ell and Derik followed Itzal into a stunning palace. Essien was waiting for them.
"Hello, my brother," said Essien. "What has brought you here today?"
"These humans have demanded that a Miss Megan Kane be returned to them. I guessed that their Megan is the one you have locked away with your wife. Am I correct?"
"Yes, you are correct, but the child was a present for my wife. I will not take her gift away from her. I am very sorry, but she belongs to me now," said Essien.
Ell was furious. She ran towards the god, screaming her lungs out. With a flick of his wrist, she was flung against the wall. The collision made a monstrous noise. A beautiful woman and a child came running out from a back room. Ell was dizzy and everything seemed a bit fuzzy to her. She tried to make out the child but could not seem to do so.
"What is going on out here?" asked the woman.
"It's nothing, my dear Amara. Nothing at all. Our visitors were just leaving," said Essien.
Ell's vision began to come back. The little girl peeked out from behind the woman's leg. It was Megan. She saw her big sister and ran to her.
"Ellie!" squealed Megan.
"Essien, what have you done?" asked Amara. She was the Goddess of Love and could sense the sisterly love that Megan and Ell shared. She knew her husband had done something horrible. "You said this child was alone. You said she had no family. You lied. She had a loving sister and a good life. Why? Why have you done this to this poor girl?"
"For you,my love. Remember when we took a trip to Wisconsin and sampled all their delicious cheeses? Remember when you saw this child and said that she was the sweetest little girl you had ever seen? Well, I just wanted to please you. I knew you wanted a child, and I was only trying to give you what you wanted," explained Essien.
"But I didn't want it this way," said Amara. She began to weep. The sky became dark and the clouds wept with her. "How could you think that I would be okay with you breaking these two apart when their love for each other is so strong?" She turned to Ell and Megan. "I am so sorry, my dears. I had no idea that my husband had gotten this child from a loving home. Please accept my apology. I will willingly return you both to your home in Wisconsin, and I shall also grant you my most precious gift: everlasting love. Ell, this fine man has accompanied you on your journey, and I do believe that he will make a fine husband for you one day."
Ell was too overcome by the situation to register everything that Amara was saying. She just knew that she was getting Megan back, Before Ell could comprehend what was happening, she once again felt her legs being swept from beneath her. In a split second, she was back in her front yard with Megan and Derik. She turned to him, looked in his eyes, and knew that he would never leave her. He would not be returning to Green Bay. He would stay with her and follow her on every journey. Megan grabbed Ell's hand and Ell bent down to hold her. She was complete.