Chapter 1 part 1: Introducing Shadow

If Shadow woke up early enough this morning, if he chose to not press the snooze button on his alarm, maybe his dad would have given him a lift in, or maybe that's just wishful thinking on his part. Walking to school always feels like a chore, especially when he gets the same derogatory remarks, the same snide stares. he wishes he could say you get used to it, but that would be a lie, and maybe if he didn't push people away to keep them safe from him he wouldn't have to hang around Justin and his cronies everyday. His dad likes him though, in fact he's happy he hangs out with him, because his dad is loaded, which of course means more to Shadow's dad than anything else, because he's running for re-election soon in the summer to be the Mayor for another 2 years, and his standing isn't good with some of the town as it is. He gets to the school quicker than he would have liked, waltzing through the school gates, he feels the foreboding presence of evil already, or possibly that's just him being paranoid given that he hates school as it is.

It is not believed when things started getting bad here, but it’s been bad for a while. He always thought in the beginning things would be okay at least, especially given the fact that his friends and lover give him comfort when everything seems to be completely hopeless. He thinks if he's being really honest he used to rely on someone else much more than this, he trusted them even, however after certain events happened he hasn't seen them properly in 2 years without there being an issue of some kind. He misses them, he wants them around, but it's not safe to be around him, and it might never be that way. Sometimes he can even feel them close by, as though they're in the same room or something.

As he heads to school for his final day of torture until the autumn half term holidays begin and another type of torture takes over, increasing his misery incrementally from day to day, he wonders if his friends were around him would they save him from this hell, or is that just wishful thinking on his part? 'Hey Helsing! Where have you been, do I have to get my own breakfast this morning or what?!’ Someone yelled across from the front entrance in the middle of the school grounds, everyone turned and stared at him, damnit why did he have to yell his last name like that?! Now everyone is looking at him and it's making him nervous, he hates when the spotlight falls on him, can't he just be invisible just for one day of his life?! He stumbles at first, but rights himself as he trudges over reluctantly towards Justin. Justin slings his arm around his shoulders, he involuntarily flinches, tensing his shoulders as he does. 'Oh…erm…well, I grabbed something from home earlier if you want that?’ Shadow hesitantly replies, and hands over the bag of food he packed hastily this morning for breakfast. I guess I'm going to forgo breakfast today, He thinks to himself as he watches Justin open his bagged breakfast and starts scarfing it all down. When he handed his breakfast over to Justin with a reluctant resignation, which is all too familiar to him it wasn't because he wanted to, but because if he didn't Justin would have done far worse to him.

The bell chimes the hour and all the students make their way into the school, piling through the doors. All the students head to their respective classes sotting two to a desk. Class begins at the chime of the second bell, welcome to Star high academy everyone, may the lesson begin and may you learn well!