She turned to me, her white-blue eyes flickering to mine for a brief moment before she started to look through me—that uncomfortable habit she had of making everyone feel like a ghost.
“Thank you, Derek of The Shade. I will remember that, and all your other kindnesses. I just wish I could see my own future… It is so dark and contorted. Since the moment I arrived here it has been unclear.”
“Perhaps, when you settle on a decision, it may help.”
She smiled softly, nodding.
“I think you are right. I will let you know what I plan. In the meantime”—she inhaled a gust of fresh air, her blonde hair whipping up behind her like freshly fallen snow—“I shall leave you in peace… There is much to come.”
She vanished before I could ask her what she meant. I became irritated for a moment, before starting to laugh at myself.
Of course there was much to come. We were talking about GASP and the residents of The Shade. There was always some twist of fate or surprise waiting around the corner. I didn’t need an Oracle to tell me that.
My musings were over. I wanted to go hunt down Sofia and kidnap her to the lighthouse for at least an hour, and then join the rest of our family for the evening.
Talking to the Oracle made me appreciate once again how fortunate I was to be surrounded by those I loved—children, grandchildren, and I supposed soon great-grandchildren. These were the blessings of an extraordinary life, and if I had learned anything in my time on this immortal coil, it was that the strange twists and turns of our lives would always surprise me, always catch me unawares.
For that, I was grateful… As a member of the undead, it was what made me feel truly alive.
IS THIS THE END OF THE SHADE?
NO, IT ISN’T!
There will be a Season 6!
*Woo!*
BONUS SNEAK PEEK!: The Secret of Spellshadow Manor
A spine-tingling new fantasy, perfect for adults or teens who enjoyed Harry Potter...
What would you do if you spotted a man following a young woman, but no-one else could see him?
Like most sane people, student Alex Webber thought he was hallucinating - perhaps he'd consumed something bad at the party he'd been attending that night, or he was severely overtired. But when he sees the mysterious man following Natalie again the very next day, he can no longer disbelieve his eyes.
Although Natalie denies the man's existence, Alex sees her walking with him down a road in his neighborhood he's never seen before - and can't help but follow. After a bizarre, but strangely short journey, he finds himself standing before a towering iron gate wreathed in gray ivy, behind which looms a decrepit old house named Spellshadow Manor.
Spellshadow, with its beautiful yet sinisterly decorated hallways, ever-changing outdoor scenery and very unusual residents... Alex will quickly learn it is a place that is as wondrous as it is deadly.
Especially for a normal person like him.
What if you found yourself recruited to an institute of magic, only to discover you really couldn't do magic?
What if your enrollment there was all one big, terrible mistake?
If you were at Spellshadow, you'd keep it a secret. A deep, dark, deadly secret...
Because Spellshadow's elusive Head is hiding a secret of his own, one that Alex soon realizes he and Natalie must uncover at all costs if either of them wishes to leave the Manor alive - and before it's too late.
Mystery, suspense, and plenty of twists and turns; an unforgettable experience awaits you in Spellshadow Manor... Welcome in.
Keep turning…
Bonus Chapter 1
A hard knot formed in Alex’s stomach as he stared at his laptop screen. He’d hoped this would be the month he finally earned enough to provide a meaningful contribution toward his mother’s bills—that all the sleep he’d sacrificed to hone his coding skills would pay off and he’d begin earning a real income.
Scrolling through his latest earnings report, disappointment swelled in him. He was on track to earn less this month than the last. Barely three hundred dollars. Most seventeen-year-olds in the sleepy town of Middledale, Iowa, would have been happy with that kind of side income, but most seventeen-year-olds in Middledale didn’t have a mother with a serious heart ailment.
Alex ran a hand over his face, tracing the lines in his furrowed brow. Then he dimmed the screen and pushed back in his chair. He was being unreasonable. He’d started looking for a way to earn money from home only five months ago, after his mother had returned from a two-week stay in the hospital barely able to walk. Coding websites had seemed like a natural fit for him because of its linear and analytical nature, but he needed to get a lot better at monetizing them. Still, five months wasn’t long in the grand scheme of things. He just had to keep working at it.