Bill Gilmore had been through two marriages in his life before dating Catherine Parker. Before Ethan was taken, Bill was considering proposing to Catherine. He did not believe Catherine when she had told him what had happened, and was angry because he thought she was going crazy. He ended up breaking up with her, but then later he finally believed her and they made up, but it wasn't long until Catherine was seemingly killed.
Ever since then, Bill kept Catherine's two boys. Not long after that, his daughter, Jenna came to live with him. Sometimes, Ryan's girlfriend, Valerie, and her younger sister, Giana came to stay with them too. His house was always full of kids.
Early the next morning, Bill was getting ready for all the kids to get home from their camp. Giana had stayed with him for a week, and was still asleep.
Bill also worked as a plumber, and got called to work at any hour a day. The phone rang and he went to answer it. "Hello?" He asked. "Gilmore, we need you by the "Second Church of Carsonville" ASAP." His boss said urgently over the phone.
"Is...something wrong?" Bill asked in confusion. "It's a little hard to explain, we just need you here now." "Okay I'll be right over." Bill said. He hung up and went to put on his uniform.
Before he left, Giana came downstairs, rubbing her eyes. She was a girl who was nearly thirteen, and she wore polka dot pajamas. She had messy long blonde hair, and a face of freckles that matched Valerie's.
"What's going on?" She asked him. "Work called, I have to go." Bill said apologetically. "But if they get here before I get back, let them in. Also have your things packed you're leaving today."
Misty made her way downstairs dazed. She could not stop thinking about her vision from the night before.
She joined Andy at the kitchen table, who was piling his face with food, acting like nothing had happened.
He looked at her. "You look tired." He remarked. Misty was tired she didn't sleep for the rest of the night because she was so sweaty. Her eyes were raw red, and her hair stuck up everywhere.
"Did you forget?" Misty asked him in concern. Andy looked up from his plate. "Huh?" "From what happened last night. Did you forget?" Misty asked once again impatiently.
"Oh you mean your nightmare!" Andy chuckled, pretending to not remember. "Yeah just forget it Misty that was just a bad dream. "No it wasn't!" Misty huffed. Andy laughed again. He got up and kissed her forehead before heading upstairs.
A couple hours later, Ryan's car pulled into Bill's driveway. Garret had already gone home with his parents. Ryan, Valerie, Ethan, and Jenna went inside.
"Dad! We're home!" Jenna called. Giana hurried to them as they placed their luggage down. "He's not back yet." She explained. "What do you mean?" Asked Valerie. "He got called into work this morning for some emergency."
"He should get back soon then." Said Ryan. "Come on Ethan, let's get unpacked."
The emergency Bill had been called to tend to was unlike anything else. The mirror in the church that had been used to enter the Shadow Realm months before was shattered. Through the broken glass, there was a giant hole in it. Dark fog was filled up in the hole, and around the room.
"Well, this is new." Bill's boss, Tom Kelish remarked to the few men investigating the scene.
Bill suddenly had a flashback of when Catherine entered the portal, and never came back.
"What could have happened?" Bill asked. "Who knows?" Mr. Kelish chuckled as he scratched his beard. "Yeah after all the crazy that's been going on in this town anything can happen." Bill sighed.
"Sir," Another crew member said. "I say that we further investigate. "Affirmative. Tomorrow we equip ourselves properly, and explore this mystery." The boss decided.
The Thompson's doorbell rang. Andy darted down the stairs, and answered it. His two best friends, Ethan and Garret excitedly embraced him with a bro hug. Behind them were Ryan, Valerie, Jenna, and Giana.
"So how was no hot water for a whole week?" Andy asked jokingly. "Oh it was great." Valerie huffed sarcastically. "How was studying for your retake tests?" Jenna asked him insultly.
Furiously, Andy fought to go over to her, but his friends prevented him. "Where's Misty?" Garret asked looking around. "I'm here." Said Misty's low voice.
She approached them slowly as she walked down the stairs. She stood next to Andy. Her and Ethan's eyes met, like they knew what each other were thinking about.
"So did Andy behave himself Misty?" Ryan teased. Misty didn't pay any attention to him. Instead, she walked over to Ethan. "I saw you last night." Misty told him softly. "And I saw you." Ethan responded. Everyone else went silent. "Huh?" Asked Giana.
Misty gave Ethan a serious look. "The Mind Realm, how did you get in there?" Misty asked him. "I don't know." Ethan said. "I've...been appearing there a lot lately when I have PTSD attacks."
"We couldn't communicate, but did you see that green eyed man?" Misty asked him. "Yes." Ethan nodded. "I did."
"Misty what's going on?" Valerie asked. Andy quietly swayed back and forth, like he didn't want to hear Misty's story.
Misty turned and faced the curious group. Except for Jenna who was rolling her eyes.
"Last night, I had a deep vision in the Mind Realm in my sleep." She began. "I heard a voice. It was the same voice I had heard during my fight with Daruke. It told me that the shadow demon was still alive, and that the sacrifice I gave wasn't enough."
Misty then went on and explained everything else the voice had said, and everything she had seen in her vision, including the fire and twilight. She also said that the voice claimed she was chosen by the Great Shadow Spirit, and that she had to seek out the voice.
"But that makes no sense, You banished Daruke to the Land of Forgotten." Valerie argued. "Yes, but that doesn't mean he's dead." Said Misty. She pointed at Ethan and Ryan. "Your mom was the sacrifice the voice was talking about. I could only manage to get him there if I used her, but that wasn't enough. The voice also said that if not stopped, then this world and mine "will be in the clutches of Daruke"." Misty quoted.
Ethan looked at Misty. "That green eyed man we saw... you don't think that could be...?" His voice trailed fearfully. Misty nodded nervously. "Yes. I think...that Daruke can be very much alive at this moment..."
"Wait a minute, if you're the one with these powers, then how is Ethan having visions too?" Asked Ryan. "I don't know." Misty said softly. "There is so much that I don't know."
"Or maybe this was all just a dream." Jenna shrugged. Misty looked annoyed. "No, when I woke up I was having a panic attack like I experienced something real." Misty insisted. "Andy...was there."
Andy looked up like he had no idea what was going on. "What are you talking about Misty?" Andy chuckled. "You really must not be sleeping well at night. I never saw anything!"
"Andy!" Valerie hissed snappishly. Misty looked up at him like her heart had been torn in two. "But...you were there...you were right by my bed when I woke up..." She said in confusion.
"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell." Andy said loudly. "Jenna's right. You were just dreaming. None of this was ever real."
"Then how am I here then!?" Misty demanded. "Do you really not believe in anything that happened before!?"
Hiding her tears, Misty dashed back up the stairs. Everyone else was glaring at him. "Not cool dude." Garret said. "Even I would never do that." "What did I do?" Andy asked. "Uh, making your girlfriend look like she's crazy!" Garret said in surprise.
"But she is crazy!" Andy said as truthfully as possible. "Unbelievable. Misty is capable of millions of things that we aren't, and you don't trust her." Valerie huffed.
"You don't believe her either!" Andy told her. "Yeah, but if you love her, you would believe her no matter what." She snapped back.
Ryan opened the front door. "Come on guys!" Andy pleaded. "You just got back!" But they all left him standing alone by the door, with an angry Misty upstairs.
Ryan soon dropped Valerie and Giana off at their small, worn down house that sat alone in the woods. Over the summer, Ryan and his friends had helped patch it up a little bit.
The sisters carried their luggage inside, and to the bedroom they shared. They didn't even bother to check and see if their worthless alcoholic father was in his usual living room chair.
Valerie plopped her suitcase on her bed, and began unpacking. "So, how was school this week?" She asked her younger sister. "That boy say he liked you yet?"
"No." Giana sighed sadly. "And it makes no sense. He used to pass me notes and pull my hair all the time. But now he acts like I'm not there."
"Ouch." Valerie chuckled. "I remember when Ryan did that to me. But you're only thirteen. Guys at that age are pointless. If I were you, I'd find somebody older, and more mature." "Like Ryan?" Giana asked. Valerie smirked. "Ryan is out of school, and still not mature."
"VALERIE!" Their father barked. "I'll be right back." Valerie sighed. She found Mr. Hutchen's in the kitchen. He was standing and drinking beer. It was one of the few times she ever saw him out of his chair.
He slammed a sheet of paper in front of her. "I need you to pay the electricity bill for this month." He snapped gruffly. Valerie sighed. "Dad I'm still working on getting my car. I'm only three hundred dollars away. Didn't you finally get a job as a janitor at the bar you like to go to? Can't you manage to pay for it?"
Her father slammed his fat wrists down. "THEY FIRED ME!" He hollered. "ON TUESDAY!" "Oh no." Valerie groaned. "You weren't drunk were you? Dad this is the third job you've been fired from this year and you barely put effort into getting them. I can't afford all these bills."
"You've got a job and you've got money!" Mr. Hutchen's argued. "I am always too tired to work!" "Well I've also got school, and a future that needs preparing!" Valerie glared at him. "And you are no help to me at all!"
Mr. Hutchen's slapped her in the face. "DON'T YOU DISRESPECT ME LIKE THAT!" He yelled madly. Valerie turned around and returned to her room. "I can't wait to get out of here." She muttered.
"Everything okay?" Giana asked her. "Yeah." Valerie nodded assuringly. Giana took a camping flashlight from her bag. She randomly turned it on just to see if it worked, and shone it at the wall.
Just like that, she noticed something that was very wrong. Her shadow reflected normally onto the wall, but Giana, who was standing right next to her, did not have a shadow at all.
Giana noticed her sister's horrified face. "What's the matter?" She asked her.
Ethan had also been unpacking from camp. He tried not to think about his visions, and tried to tell himself that maybe it really just was from PTSD. He took out his fishing rod, and opened the door to his attic.
Ethan climbed up the ladder, and ducked as he made his way through the dusty top of Bill's house. He pulled on the light switch, and the shadows of the objects crammed into the attic reflected against the wall. Not long after putting away his fishing rod, Ethan heard a whisper.
"Ethan...." It hissed. Ethan jumped back in alarm. "Look at the wall...." Ethan obeyed the voice, and turned to the wall. "What do you notice?...." The strange voice asked him.
Ethan studied the wall, and all the shadows of the objects around him. He saw the shadow of an old couch, an old nightstand with a lamp, and many others. Then it hit him. Everything in the room had a shadow. Except for him.
Ethan took some petrified breaths as he touched the wall. He was disturbed by Bill calling him downstairs.
After shutting the attic, he rushed downstairs to Bill, who was washing the dishes.
"Ethan, we need to talk." He said. "Ryan told me that you've been having multiple serious PTSD breakdowns on the trip. I think it's time you got some help at a support group.
Ethan backed up and shook his head. "No." He said. "No you don't understand. Everything I've seen is real." Bill took a breath. "Ethan, listen to me."
"No you listen!" Ethan barked. "I'm almost sixteen years old! I'm tired of everyone treating me like a helpless child and not believing me! You're not even my father what do you know about me!?"
"All right that's enough Ethan!" Bill yelled fiercely.
Upstairs, Jenna blocked the arguing of Bill and Ethan out of her head as she recorded an entry in her diary. Her diary was given to her by her grandmother before she died. She died right before she came to live with her father, and Jenna had been writing in it ever since.
Her diary was pale blue, and it had a silver lock on it. Jenna kept the key hidden in her jewelry box. Lately, Jenna had been recording her thoughts over one specific person. That one specific person was Garret, the guy she had always claimed to hate.
Jenna's feelings for Garret were strictly kept to herself. She could never face him, and tell him that she loved him.
Misty had kept herself shut in her bedroom until the mid afternoon. She had let go some of the bitterness she had towards Andy, and decided to confront him about what had happened earlier.
Before going downstairs, she heard arguing coming from the living room. She listened from the stairs railing.
"Andy's it's been six months now! This is getting out of hand!" She heard Mrs Thompson say. "You said that it was okay if she stayed here until she had to go back!" Andy snapped.
"Yes but what's going on between you two is just too much, and you're mother and I aren't comfortable with it. We don't like catching the two of you in bedrooms making out all the time. I think it's time that Misty moved out." His father said.
Misty's eyes widened. "Okay then why don't I just go and tell Misty right now that she has to go live on the streets!" She heard Andy say.
If Misty fully understood the sarcasm that regular humans used, she would know that what Andy had said was not true. Instead, she played his words in her over and over again, until she decided that Andy really did not want her after all.
Misty stomped off to her bedroom. She threw her few belongings into a suitcase. She warped into her shadow form, which she hadn't done in a long time, and flew off.
Bill returned to the church that day with his plumbing crew. They were dressed in their proper gear. "All right men." Breathed Mr. Kellish. "Gilmore and Fredrickson, you two are with me!" He said pointing to Bill, and the other guy next to him.
Bill sighed as he followed his boss through the dark fog, and to the hole. "Is it big enough for us to fit inside?" Asked Mr. Fredrickson. Mr. Kellish stuck his foot inside the hole.
"Yes but I can't feel the ground." Mr. Kellish replied. "And it feels....kind of gooey." Mr. Kellish suddenly froze. "I can't lift my foot." "What's that sir?" "I can't feel my foot!" He said again.
His eyes widened. "Somethings pulling on it!" He said alarmed. "Help!" Bill and Mr. Fredrickson each grabbed one of his arms.
"AHHHH!!!" Mr. Kellish yelled as whatever what was in the hole tugged him down. "HOlD ON!!!" Bill yelled.
But the force of the hole was too strong for them. Mr. Kellish was dragged under all the goo and fog. "BOSS!!!!" Bill and Mr. Fredrickson both screamed in terror.
Knowing he was gone, Bill leaned against the wall, and breathed heavily.
After hearing the doorbell ring, Jenna went to answer it. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see that it was Misty. Misty didn't look too happy to see her. Her strange face looked at her glaringly, and her uneven hair was a shaggy mess with a hairclip in it. She also had on a plain pair of Andy's old overalls.
"Hi." Misty said in an unfriendly tone. "Hi. What...are you doing here?" Jenna asked in confusion. "I want to ask Bill if I can live here." Misty spat out.
Jenna looked at her like she was crazy. She also wondered if she and Andy had a fight. She was dying to hear details. "Ummm dad called and said that he wouldn't be home until later. Something happened at work."
Misty continued to stare at her coldly. "But...he can sort it all out when he gets back I guess." Jenna shrugged. She invited her in.
For the next two hours, Misty just sat on the living room couch and watched television while making little shadow toys to mess around with. Jenna watched her while cutting fruit in the kitchen.
Pretty soon Ryan and Ethan got home from Ethan's PTSD support group. "So how did it go?" Asked Jenna.
"Ha oh it went well!" Ethan sarcastically snapped as he made his way up the stairs.
Ryan sighed. Then he noticed Misty on the couch. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked her. "She wants to ask Bill if she can live here." Jenna sighed.
"Wait what!?" Ryan asked in shock. "Does Andy know about this?" "Andy doesn't have to know." Misty remarked coldly. "He does not want me there, and he doesn't believe in my powers anymore."
Jenna rolled her eyes at this. "Well...on Earth you can't just run away like that you know." Ryan told her. "Don't care." Misty said stubbornly.
Soon, Bill got home in a panic. "Has anyone seen Misty!?" He asked. Misty popped up from the couch, causing Bill to sigh in relief.
"Misty the Thompson's called me and said you weren't home! They are worried about you! What are you doing here?" "I'm not going back there." Misty insisted. "Can't I just stay the night at least?"
Bill sighed. "Okay fine. I'll call and tell them that you'd like to spend the night. We can pull a spare bed into Jenna's room and you can sleep there."
Misty's eyes widened. "WHAT!?" She squealed. "There's nowhere else for her to sleep. There's too many of you kids that come to stay here. And it's about time you two learned to get along anyway."
Ryan gave Jenna a smirk. Jenna twisted around her ponytail as she and Misty gave death stares at each other.
Ryan helped Bill bring an unused twin bed into Jenna's bedroom. Misty was not used to staying in a room like Jenna's. The wall was painted pale blue, and the sun streamed through her silky white curtains on her window.
Bill forced Jenna to make Misty's bed. Jenna threw on old white sheets and two thick blankets.
The two didn't say a word to each other at dinner. When they got into bed, Jenna left her lamp on so that she could write in her diary. Misty struggled to sleep because of the light.
She groaned as she tossed and turned. She itched in the nightgown she had brought with her.
Frustrated, she looked at the lamp. On the wall it was by, she held her hand to it, causing its shadow to appear. With her powers, she flicked her shadowed hand at the lamp, causing it to come unplugged, and fall over.
Jenna shot up in anger. "What was that for!?" She hissed. "Well do you believe in my powers now? Clearly they're real." Misty glared.
"Well clearly you have powers, but there is no such thing as a freaking shadow land!" Jenna snarled.
Misty glew red with anger. With a slap of her hand, her shadow threw Jenna's diary off of her bed, and onto the floor. It landed open onto a random page.
Misty was interested in the diary. "What's in there?" Before even waiting for an answer, she rushed to the floor to get it. "NO!" Jenna shrieked.
Both girls got to the diary at the same time. They began to tug violently on it. "LET GO YOU FREAK!" Jenna boasted. "NO! LET ME SEE WHAT'S IN IT!" Misty argued. "DON'T YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR PEOPLE'S PRIVACY?" Jenna demanded. "WHAT'S IN IT!?" Misty yelled. "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" "WHAT'S IN A DIARY!?"
As soon as Misty asked this question, Jenna took her hands off the diary, and looked at Misty a little bit shocked. Misty held the diary closed in her hands. Her mysterious eyes looked back at Jenna.
"You don't know what's in a diary?" Jenna asked in confusion. "No. I don't know...what a diary is." Misty replied shyly.
Jenna bit her lip. She knew that whatever Misty's backstory was, she never lived like a normal kid, and needed help. "Well...a diary is what most girls use to record...pretty much everything about their lives."
Misty blinked in interest. "Like what?" She asked curiously. "Well...I mean everything. Their thoughts, their dreams, what happens to them everyday, and...well you know....juicy things like...romance." Jenna explained awkwardly.
Misty tapped on the diary. "Can I read???" She asked brightly. Jenna's eyes widened. "No!" She said snatching it away. Misty looked surprised. "Another thing about diaries is that they are only allowed to be read by the person who writes in them. Diaries contain information that are private and top secret." Jenna explained.
"Top secret?" Misty asked. "Top secret." Jenna nodded. After a long pause, Jenna finally got up. "Well, I'm going to bed." She crawled under her covers with her diary.
The next thing she knew, she could hear talking from Misty's bed. She shot up. Misty was in her bed, turned on her side. "Get behind me. If he comes back I'll be ready to blast him." Misty mumbled. Jenna squinted at her. Misty was fast asleep, and acted like she was in some deep dream.
"I don't know. Hopefully we will wake up, and nothing bad will happen. But I cannot wake up yet Ethan, I still have to search for that voice." "Ethan???" Jenna mouthed. She was getting a little bit scared.
"Goodbye Ethan. I will see you when I wake up." Misty said. A few moments later, Jenna could hear Ethan yelling from his bedroom. "MISTY! HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING! RUN!!!"
What!? This makes no sense! Jenna thought. Her heart was pounding. Misty began tossing and turning in panic in her bed. She was breaking out in sweat. "Ethan!" She trembled. "Ethan!" "RUN!!!!!!!" Ethan yelled. "ETHAN! NO! NOOOOO!!!!" Misty screamed.
Jenna heard Ryan bolt from his room to Ethan's. "Ethan wake up!" Ryan yelled gently. "NO! ETHAN COME BACK!" Misty called in fear.
Jenna got by Misty's side, and shook her violently until Misty's fearful eyes popped open. She took deep breaths.
Jenna couldn't believe it. Misty and Ethan had been communicating in their sleep. Which meant that they were together someplace at the same time. At that moment, Jenna realized that everything Misty had said about herself was true. This made her completely change her views on Misty.
Jenna decided that from now on, she would help Misty get through society. She would teach her about things like diaries, shopping, and love. She would give Misty empowerment.
The next morning at breakfast, Bill told Misty that he had talked with the Thompson's, and they agreed that it would be best for Misty to stay with them for as long as she wanted.
"They said that Andy misses you." Bill told her. Misty sighed. She had forgotten that she left Andy. Jenna nudged her arm.
"Oh come on you just had to leave that dweeb." Jenna chuckled. "Now that you're with me, we can have some real fun." She pulled Misty up. "Where are we going?" Misty asked. "To the nail salon! You're gonna love it!" Jenna said eagerly.
"Ryan I want to talk to you about something." Bill said as he wiped off a plate. "Okay make it quick, I have to get Ethan to his group." Ryan said.
"I didn't tell you what happened at work yesterday did I?" Bill asked. Ryan shook his head. Bill explained what had happened at the church with his boss.
"I've been thinking that...maybe everything Ethan says he's going through...is true." Bill said looking at him.
Ryan didn't want to admit that he could be right. Instead he just ignored him. "Ethan lets go!" He called.
After Ryan got home from dropping Ethan off at his group, realized that Ethan had his good shirt for work in his bedroom. He walked upstairs to his brothers messy bedroom, and dug through his closet until he found the shirt.
Ryan looked at Ethan's desk where he always drew comics at. On top of it were drawings that did not look like comics. One was a drawing of this shadowy bridge with a picture that looked just like Misty on it.
Another one was one of a scary looking man dressed in machine. His eyes glew green. Bright green.
The next drawing was the most horrifying of all. It was a shadowy ocean with a woman lying beneath the waves. It took Ryan a moment to notice that the woman was his mother. Her mouth hung open, and blood was drooling out of it. Blood also oozed from her eyes and nose. Her face was lifeless.
Ryan jumped back in horror at the sight of Ethan's work. He breathed heavily as he continued to study the drawing. Afterwards, he took all the drawings, and hid them in his bedroom.