Welcome back to Sandman everyone I'm glad you are enjoying it please click the above video while reading because I think it goes well with this chapter. Anyway please remember to VOTE and COMMENT it really means a lot to me and I like chatting with you guys in the comments. XOXO BUTTERBALL.

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-Samantha-

Covering up my scratches and bruises were easier than I expected. All I had to do was wear a sweater, wearing a sweater in Dover with its odd weather and sudden rain wasn't abnormal so I didn't stick out at all.

When I got to school I saw Nathan waiting by my locker, he looked at me frowning.

"Let me see them, Sam," he said softly.

I instantly knew that he was talking about my wounds. I bit my lip and glanced at the students that had filled the hallway.

"Okay, but not here. What about the gym, it's empty at this time of the morning," I suggested.

Nathan nodded but didn't say anything. When we go to the gym, I let out a sigh before I slowly removed my sweater, underneath I was wearing a sports bra.

His eyes widened as he looked me up and down, "Jesus Christ, Sam. Did a shadow really do that to you?" He whispered.

I nodded slowly, "It pushed me down the stairs, the lights went out or it turned the lights off, then it flung me across the room, and started clawing at my back," I mumbled.

Nathan gritted his teeth and I saw his canines slowly grow into fangs, I looked at his eyes to see that they were a bright, amber color. "N-Nathan, your eyes! And your teeth what's happening to you?!" I asked frantically.

"I'm trying to talk to that asshole, I'm one hundred percent sure he's behind this somehow. As for my appearance, I can't talk to him in my human form when it's daytime," he said.

"Okay, listen here little boy you really have to stop blaming me for shit."

I looked up as Theo appeared, except he was see through almost like he was a ghost or something.

"Why are you noncorporeal?" I asked Theo.

He looked at me and let out a loud whistle, "Holy hell, Sam what in the world happened to you. Did you and Nathan get a little too rough? See this is what happens when you let children play violent games," he said as he looked me up and down.

Nathan glared at him growling softly, "What did you do? Who did you tell to attack Sam?" He asked Theo.

Theo frowned giving Nathan a bored look, "What do you mean? Also, stop growling at me little boy I swear it's like watching a Chihuahua growl at a Great Dane,"

"You know damn well what I mean, just look at her one of your shadows did that! They came to, Sam's house and attacked her!" Nathan snapped.

Theo's frown deepened and he looked at me again, however this time I noticed that his eyes focused on the claw marks. After a moment he shrugged, "Whatever this is, it isn't my problem. I'm tired, it's bright out so I'm leaving, screw this," he mumbled, then he left.

Nathan let out a sudden sharp growl at Theo's disappearance, then he sighed. "I hate him so much. Sam, you should cover back up and get to class before you're late. I need to stay here and cool off for a second," he told me.

I nodded and pulled my sweater back on, Nathan gave me a kiss on the forehead. I glanced at him.

"Please be careful, Sam," he told me softly.

I smiled slightly and gave him a hug, "I'll try, Nathan but I don't think that's within my control anymore," I said.

He bit his lip for a moment before he spoke, "Sam, you'll be fine as long as you remember to never chase shadows."

When I got to my American Literature class I noticed that we had a new teacher.

"Hello, I'll be standing in for your old teacher until she comes back from her DUI suspension," he informed us.

No wonder it was taking her so long to come back. It all makes sense now.

"Please get out your textbooks and turn to page 354," The teacher told us.

A sudden sharp, ache, shot through my claw on my back and arms, I winced and clenched my teeth before letting out a sharp breath. I massaged my aching arm hoping to ease the pain as I flipped through my textbook.

"Sam, Samantha."

I glanced up from my textbook and looked around the classroom briefly to see who had called my name, but like me, everyone else had their face buried in their textbook.

I let out a shaky breath and looked back at my textbook but when I did the words seemed to swim on the page for a moment. I blinked, then rubbed my hand over my eyes when I looked back the letters looked fine.

God, I need sleep, I've only gotten a few hours of sleep in five days.

"Sam, Samantha."

I frowned then leaned forward and poked Victoria on the shoulder when the teacher wasn't looking. "Victoria, were you calling me?" I asked her in a hushed tone.

"No," she whispered.

I frowned then winced again as pain shot through my wounds again.

"Samantha."

I took a deep breath then I looked down at my shadow however it was normal, it was still me. I nibbled on my bottom lip as I turned back to my textbook.

Am I just too paranoid?

As the day went on I continued to hear the voices, soon I began to see small shadows flicker out of the corner of my eye but each time I looked back they were gone, the wounds were aching more and more.

By the time gym arrived I felt horrible, my body felt like it was burning up and the wounds were throbbing all over. When our teacher told us to go change I walked up to him instead of following the other kids.

"Mrs. Elliot, can I go to the nurse's office please I don't feel good," I pleaded.

"Samantha, how many kids do you think have tried that on me? Now go get changed," she told me gesturing toward the girls changing room.

I changed into my gym clothes as quickly as I could but I left my sweater on so that no one would ask questions. I forced my aching body outside the bright sunlight made my eyes throb and my head throb. Suddenly it felt like my wounds were on fire like they were ripped open and someone was pouring salt and lemon juice in it.

I let out a small groan.

"Samantha."

I looked around quickly but everyone else was already starting their laps, and my shadow was normal.

"Stop it," I whispered.

A wave of dizziness washed over me and the voices increased turning into a chant.

"Samantha, Samantha, Samantha, Samantha!"

I felt myself falling to the ground and my body felt oddly numb and warm at the same time, my vision grew dark around the edges and before I lost consciousness I heard the voices once again.

"One of us."

When I woke up, the first thing I realized was that I was cold. I shivered took a deep breath, then began coughing violently as the acidic smell of smoke entered my lungs.

I sat up and looked around at my surroundings slowly. I was outside and it looked cloudy enough to rain, underneath me sat a gray cobblestone road. To either side of me were large gray brick and metal buildings, behind me was a dead end.

"Where in the hell am I?" I whispered.

I knew I was in some kind of alleyway, but as to where said alleyway was I had no clue. I walked out of the alleyway and into the cobblestone street and immediately I was surrounded by these humanoid, shadow creatures.

They were made of darkness and their facial features were nothing more than a two glowing, white, holes and a wide, white, glowing, cruel, Cheshire grin.

"Beautiful. Pure. Light. Not for long. One of us," they said all at once in a raspy voice.

"Hey! Get away from her!"

The shadow people parted to reveal an odd looking man, while he looked slightly human he also looked slightly like some of these shadow people. He had a pair of small ram horns, and five more tiny horns coming out of his head.

He wasn't wearing clothes, the darkness covered all of his body like shadowy, feathers the only parts uncovered were his face and chest. The man had small elf-like ears and thick, black, crow talons for nails.

I frowned as he approached his eyes on me the entire time. The shadows moved closer to me and the man let out a loud roar that sounded like a mix between a lion, a T-rex, and a panther.

The shadows let out a collective shriek that sounded like glass rubbing over sand before they just disappeared. The man let out a sigh and looked at me, crossing his arms over his, "What are you doing here, Sam?" He asked me.

I frowned as I stared at the man, "Excuse me but do I know you?"

He rolled his eyes, "Listen to my voice."

I gasped as it suddenly hit me. "T-Theo?" I whispered.

"Yes, this is my real form since I'm in my kingdom. But due to the fact that I'm still attached to that boy, my voice isn't my own," he told me.

Then looked me in my eye, "What are you doing here anyway? If you were going to go anywhere I thought it'd be his kingdom. But it's not like he goes there any way he despises it."

"My injuries were hurting all day, and I started hearing people call name, I was hallucinating moving shadows to because I hadn't slept much in five days. However I felt so horrible in gym, I was burning up and really dizzy, the voices also got worse the last thing I remember is a voice saying one of us," I told him.

Theo just watched me as I spoke and by the time I was finished he let out a sigh. "You were poisoned and tagged by the shadow creatures, but I'll tell you right here and now that I didn't send them out to get you. I prefer to do all of my dirty work myself," he informed me frowning.

"What do you mean by poisoned and tagged?" I asked.

Theo looked away, "They were trying to weaken your body so they could take it over, and control it, then consume you or bring you back here for more fun. Tagging means that's it's easier for them to find you now and there's nothing you can do about that," he informed me.

I let out a whimper as I looked down at one of the wounds on my arms, to see black veins spreading from it. "Am, am I going to die?" I whispered.

He sighed, "You would if I wasn't going to help you. But I am, now hold still," he told me.

A moment later Theo was kissing me, I froze up at first then I started pushing violently at his chest but he grabbed both my wrist in a tight grip. I noticed that his entire body was ice cold. An odd chill swept through my body from the inside out and I began shivering and shaking in Theo's grip uncontrollably. After what seemed like a while he released me.

My vision was getting darker and darker around the edges.

Theo smiled at me, "Goodnight My Darling."