SHADOWS OF THE HEART

The shadows lurked, its whispers a fearful caress to the heart. A word of it begot omen and doom is the person who sees it. The world was evolving, creatures emerging and some going instinct, but one rule remained among the humans, "BEWARE OF THE NIGHT CREATURES." Ophelia, tossed and turned by the cruel wind and unfortunate side of the world found herself embracing the very shadows that were feared by many. The shadow which always haunted her. Not only was she haunted, but she was also the reason the shadow lurked. Its darkness deftly intertwined with the course of her life, bringing to light secrets locked away in the abyss. Secrets which led her to the arms of the one whose statements remained of evil. Rumors of her prevailed, each one more abhorrent than the other. While most of the rumors were false, there were specks of truth in them. However, in the dance of darkness, its drums beaten by the shadows, everything and every danger she faced culminated on the day she was bitten by the very creature humans termed evil and vile. She was his pawn, his amusement to be poked, his first bite. Her blood the first to ink his fangs, had unbeknownst to him formed a forbidden and sacred bond that could not be severed unless she died. Gone from his play toy to the number one on his kill list, Ophelia found herself confronting dangers that she, no matter how hard she tried, could never win against. When the game of chase and death slowly evolves into an unspoken spark-like trail of shadows weaving in the hearts of the predator and the prey, Ophelia is conflicted about the path to follow. The path to toss the dangers aside and embrace the whispers of her heart— or, the path to heed the warnings of her heart and run further from her predator. Unfortunately, in the dance of the cruel hand of fate, whichever way she took, he was always there like a shadow ready to entrap her. SHE WAS HIS FIRST BITE AND HE WAS HER SHADOW.