Harry Potter Jackets

Harry Potter Gryffindor Track Jacket Harry Potter Gryffindor Track Jacket This is an officially Licensed Harry Potter Track Jacket in which these Harry Potter Track Jackets are printed on the front and the back. The back of this Harry Potter Jacket is printed with a large Harry Potter image. Track Jackets are generally made of primarily a poyester blend for durability over the long term. These garments are comfortable and hold up very well. $49.99

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone New York: . NY not stated good no jacket soft cover 8vo 312 pages. Cover has a little wear on top and bottom of binding pages are clean. ISBN: 059035342X. Not Stated. Soft Cover. Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7!" - 9!" tall. CHILDREN FICTION FANTASY SCHOOLS ENGLAND. Catalogs: Childrens. $8.50

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS Scranton PA: . Soft Cover. Good/very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7! - 9!Tall. Another adventure for Harry and friends at Hogwarts school. Harry under suspicion. Hagrids past finally revealed. Who is to blame for students being turned to stone These and more finally unveiled. The pages are clean and tight with no markings in the book. $8.00

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Scranton Pennsylvania U.S.A.: . Second printing. The corners of the cover are very lightly rubbed can hardly see it the book is both clean and tight inside and out. 309 pages. . Soft Cover. Very Good/No Jacket as Issued. 8vo - over 7!" - 9!" tall. Juvenile Fantasy. $6.99

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone Scranton Pennsylvania U.S.A.: . Soiling on upper edge of fep light creasing to spine. Reprint. Soft Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7!" - 9!" tall. $6.99

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Scranton Pennsylvania U.S.A.: . Text pages are not white bright but are not tanned either. Pages unmarked. Tiny light crease front. ISBN: 0439064872. Soft Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7!" - 9!" tall. POTTER HARRY FICTITIOUS CHARACTER FICTION. $5.00

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . Very Good-/No Jacket. . Later Printing. Hard Cover. 8vo - over 7 3/4" - 9 3/4" Tall 0439064864 Used In green cloth backed purple boards a modern day classic! light shelfwear and fading to spine. . $4.95

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets New York NY U.S.A.: . color illustrated soft cover. 341 pages measuring 5"x7.5". little wear at top cover edge creased spine owner's name on front endpaper. DAILY SHIPPING QUICK RESPONDING DEALER. Soft Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. $4.40

Discuss Harry, Ron and Hermione's school life at Hogwarts and battles against dark forces with the friendly members of our Harry Potter Forum, like these recent posts:

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Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Sunday 28 February 2010 05 43 47 am    Post subject: Re: RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game in topic:RPG: Parst City Super Hero Role Playing Game Sam glanced to her right and scanned the shop signs as they passed at high speed. "That one." she said out loud, and reached her hand out toward it, dragging through the front window a set of four shelves in a case loaded with sharp tools and nails. It raised about 10 feet into the air and came crashing down onto the street, spreading the piercing items all over the road. There was no way to avoid them. Sam looked into the rear view mirror and saw their pursuer run straight over them. A very loud 'bang' echoed against the buildings, and the car flipped and rolled because of it's speed. Sam slammed on the brakes and caused her own car to go sideways. She was facing the approaching car, which was flipping violently out of control, only near missing pedestrians and other cars. Sam pushed the car door open, stepped into the street and reached out her hands. The car stopped mid air. The street was suddenly quiet. No screaming, no crunching metal. And all eyes were on her. Sam turned her hands around and crouched down,and the car obeyed the action by lowering onto the ground and resting on it's torn up wheels. Sam was breathing heavily, and the people around her started to move toward the car. Some others were looking around. Others pointed at her. Sam silently cursed the situation. She had been exposed completely, and no phone call was going to clean up this mess this time. Sam moved forward with the speed that only her control over gravity would make possible and forced the door of the other car off it's hinges. The occupant inside was a mess, there was no getting answers out of him. But she had all the proof she needed when she noticed a damaged box of black clothes in the back seat. She reached in and pulled the items out. The very same cloaks worn by the poor creatures puppeted from the rooftop. She gathered up one of the cloaks. Sam turned to leave and found three people standing close behind her, observing. "Call an ambulance, this man is gonna need one." She demanded. The man in the groups eyes became round and he nodded, backing away and removed his phone from his jacket. Sam sculked away, and returned to the car. "We had best get to the hospital and get to the bottom of this, now!" Sam demanded. "There is no telling what will happen now that I've been exposed. I might be arrested." Sam sped off in the direction of the hospital.
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1754 Location: NanoWrimo, baby! I'm gonna write until my hands bleed!!!	Posted: Wednesday 23 December 2009 08 16 06 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow [I would like to make an amendment to my last post, my character isn't wearing a jacket, and is wearing a t-shirt. The girl is not wearing a poncho but is wearing his jacket.] "We'd better get moving," Hakan turned to Yuki. The rain was still pouring down over them, soaking Hakan to the bone. He was stuck in close to her, trying to keep himself warm. She was lying next to him, her soaked head resting on his shoulder. The fact that her hair was dripping down his back didn't help. Sighing, Yuki responded, "You sure we have to leave?" "Yeah." Groaning, Yuki stood up as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, turning her into a silhouette against the bright background. Reaching out her hand, she helped Hakan to his feet. "Thanks," he mumbled. "No problem," was her reply. She locked her arm with his as they made their way down the hill from the tree. The field around them was soaked to the ground, the normally high-rising grass laid flat on the mud. The rushing water made it difficult for the two to keep their step, depending on eachother to stay balanced. Reaching the base of the hill, the two began running as another bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a great roll of thunder. The paths of the former battlefield had been so well-worn that even in the dark of night, it was easy to find their way. Their feet sank into the mud as they plodded along towards the paved roads of the battlefield. Parked on the side of the road was their jeep. A four-seater with various maps and instruments strewn about the dashboard, along with several empty cans of Coca-Cola lying around on the ground. Lying across the seat in the back was a shotgun with shell cases kept underneath the leather cushions. Opening the driver's door, Hakan slid into his seat, listening to his wet clothing making a squishing sound on the leather seats. Slamming the door shut, he waited for Yuki to get in before starting the jeep. The rain pounded on the roof overhead as Hakan pulled the car away from the roadside. Yuki began rustling through the maps, looking over them while marking certain points with a pen. "We need to go to the Appalachians," she said to him as they drove along the road towards fork in the road. Lightning flashed across the sky once again. "The Appalachians it-" "Go left!" Yuki shot out. Instantly complying, Hakan jerked the steering wheel to the left, taking the left fork. Trees blocked the other road from view as they drove along. "Turn out the lights," Yuki instructed. Hakan did as he was told. Not even a split-second after he did so, the lights from a truck came into view behind them as it passed the fork to where they had just been. "Was it them?" Hakan queried, momentarily looking at Yuki before returning his eyes to the road. It was nearly impossible to see. "Yes," was Yuki's answer as she looked back. The lights had passed, but it had been a close call. She returned to a normal position in her seat and rested her head on Hakan's shoulder. "You can turn the lights back on." Nodding, Hakan turned the car lights back on. Not the brights, just the normal lights. He drove along the road, navigating the way through the battlefield to the exit gate. Looking at the clock, he realized just how late it, and how tired he, was. 0300. He'd have to find some sleep soon. Yuki was already breathing heavily on his neck, asleep. They reached the gate to the battlefield. It was closed. "Wonderful," Hakan muttered. "Of course it's closed." Swearing under his breath, he gently pushed Yuki to the other side of the jeep and got out into the freezing rain. Shivering, he ran over to the gate, which was held in place by a padlock. Swearing again, Hakan ran back over to the jeep, and opened the back door. Next to the shells underneath the seat was a toolbox. Opening it, he pulled out a hammer. Slamming the door shut again, Hakan ran back to the gate. Patting the hammer in his hand, he tried to see the best place to slam down the head. Then he saw it. Not the actualy padlock, but the thin metal ring screwed into the pavement that the padlock held the gate to. Raising the hammer high above his head, Hakan took aim, at the ring, before slamming the hammer down. The thin ring snapped instantly, releasing the padlock and, consequently, the gate. Pushing against the metal bar, Hakan opened the gate all the way before returning to the jeep, opening his door, getting in, and throwing the hammer in the back. "Nice job," Yuki said, startling him. Hakan hadn't noticed that she'd awoken, and now she was staring at him. Nodding, Hakan motioned towards the road. "I think I remember there being a suburb out just past the gate. We'll stay there for a few hours before we set off again." "Whatever you say," Yuki smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder again. [Sorry, not enough time to make an full-quality post.]
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Friday 18 December 2009 10 18 37 pm    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Jon followed Jeffery into the vault and took a sudden breath when he saw the number of drawers stacked to the very high ceiling. There was a library ladder so that people could go up to the boxes and collect the contents. As Jon entered the room, he noticed another room to the left that had a table in it and a rubbish bin. "That's where people can view their items in privacy." Jeffery said, as if reading Jon's mind. Jeffery looked at Jon's key again and then grabbed a remote from the bottom of the ladder and pressed a green, flashing button. The ladder moved ahead of them, and the two followed. "Thrity four... thirty five... yet.. here it is. Three hundred and thirty eight." Jeffery climbed the ladder, opened the box and pulled out a metal container. He slotted the container into a compartment on the side of the ladder and then pressed a button on the side of the compartment. Like a mini elevator, it descended down the side of the ladder. Jon looked at the box and waited for Jeffery to come down. Jeffery released the box from the ladder and walked back with Jeffery to the private room. "Here you go." he said, and ushered Jon in. Jon was about to go in, when something occurred to him. There were thousands of boxes in this room.. and he was the only one getting out a box today? There were at least 30 million people in this city. Jon turned around slowly to Jeffery, who was still holding the box. "Erm. It's a slow day today, huh?" Jon mused. Jeffery paused for a moment before speaking. "I...guess. " he shrugged. Jon noticed that Jeffery's cheeks and ears were going red. "Fair enough. Can't be a big business day every day." Jon said, and reached out for the box. Jeffery hesitated again, and then handed him the box. "Thank you. You can close the door now." and he turned his back on Jeffery. There was a gust as Jeffery closed the door firmly behind him, and Jon reached up and locked the door from the inside. He layed the metal box onto the table with a bang and undid the clip. Jon was presented with a card that said "Read me, Jon." in bright blue writing. The rest was covered with a white towel. He opened the card before going further. It read; "If I am correct, you should be super human matured by now, and your power is similar to mine. Each generation inherits the gift more and more strongly. I could control the elements with my mind, but only in their raw form. I expect that if your power has grown, you should be able to control the elements wherever they are at work. This means that water, fire, wind and earth are at your advantage. You must know that you have been followed; the Light were relentless when you were a child and they are probably the same now. I hope this does not find you too late, and that the world has not fallen to one side or the other. Within this box are three items; money, a watch, and a passport. The passport has already been identified to you as it only required genetic identification. The watch must be worn at all times and the correct time must be kept. There is enough money there and a card too to keep you financed as you travel. I wish I was there with you, but I know you can do this. May you find others like yourself and stay safe and protected. Remember, keep the correct time, always. Love, from your Mother." Jon pulled the towel aside an saw a wad of money with a bank card attached to it. Next to that was the watch in a case, he could hear it ticking. He pulled the watch out of the case and shook it, then lifted it to his ear. It was still going strong, after 16 years. It even kept the right time. It as an old fashioned wind up watch, and he wondered for a moment, how on earth it was able to keep going if this box had not been opened in so long. Jon put the watch on, put the wad of cash into his bag, and placed the bank card and passport into his wallet. Pulling out his new jacket his father had given him, he put it on and lifted the strap of his bag over his shoulder so it sat securely. Looking around, he plotted his escape. Jon crept over to the door and unlocked it, opened it, and peered outside. Jeffery was still there. "Let's go." he said to Jeffery, who turned suddenly. Jeffery led him silently through the vault door, to the outside room and to the cooridor leading back to the bank. Jon scanned the area, until he finally noticed them. A Light agent was sitting at the skinny man's desk, and he stood up as Jon approached. Jon stopped in spite of himself. Jeffery ran to the side of the coridor and ducked as the agent pulled out what looked like a gun. He fired it and a white light surged from it, creating a magnetic pulse down the cooridor, shattering the glass in the frames that lined it. Jon hit the deck, glass spraying over his back. What was he going to do now?
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Thursday 17 December 2009 10 14 31 pm    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Jonathan shook off his school jacket and took off the school tie. Pulling the rear view mirror down so he could see himself, he fixed his hair, and then he decided that he would look better with his glasses on. Reaching into his school bag, he pulled them out and slid them on his face. From within his school backback he pulled out another bag; a black bag with silver buckles that could be worn over the shoulder. He gathered up the items that had spilled on the floor, carefully making sure he hadn't missed anything, left his text books behind, kept one notebook and some pens and his math and chemistry tools, and exited the car, Locking it. Jonathan climbed the steps to the bank and pushed through the rotating doors. He stood still, his head down ,but he brought his glance up briefly to see if anyone had followed him or been notified that he was there. He didn't notice anyone, yet. Inside the lobby there were several old fashioned desks with leather patons around their borders. Clerks sat at each one, working on computers. Jonathan approached one of them, all the while in his mind not knowing how he was meant to get into this safe deposit box without any ID or password. He sat down. The man across from him was young, skinny and pale. He wore glasses too, but they were narrow and made his eyes huge. He gave Jon a once over. "Can I help you?"he asked dryly. Jonathan shifted in his seat and opened his bag. The man leaned back as Jon rummaged through his bag. He grabbed the key, and handed it to the clerk. " I need to collect the items in this Safe Deposit Box." Jon said as professionally as he could. The man turned the key in his fingers, looking at it. Jon continued. " This was given to me by my mother, Jemiah Deis. I am her son, Jonathan." The man suddenly stared at Jon and looked a bit shocked. "You? You're Jonathan Deis? Well... why didn't you say so?!"his whole attitude changed and he stood up and shook Jon's hand. "Come, follow me." the man took him over to another clerk at the far side of the bank. A much older man, grey haired, with a kind face. "You were right, Jeffery, he came, right on the day, just like you said!" The skinny man addressed the old man at his desk. Jeffery stood up slowly and smoothed his hair nervously. "Of course he did. I guess today is your birthday then, Jonathan?" Jeffery said, raising his eyebrows. Jon hesitated. "Yes... it is. I'm sixteen." Jeffery nodded. He referred back to the skinny man. "You can go now, Seth. Thank you." And Seth nodded and returned to his desk without another word. Jeffery motioned for Jonathan to follow him down a corridor to his left. "Come. 16 years ago these boxes were allowed to be sealed without content identity cards. But nowadays.. more and more ... people's privacy is going out the window. Whatever she left you, it's going to be a big surprise." Jon followed the man to a room at the end of a corridor where a single desk sat in the middle. Jeffery pressed what seemed to be an invisible keypad, and then something turned and a display panel appeared on the table top. "Come here, boy. I need identification." Jeffery prompted. "But I don't have id. I haven't got a drivers license or a passport... Oh, what about my student card...." Jon started to go for his bag again, but Jeffery shook his head. "No no. Not photo id. Genetic ID. " He took from a drawer a syringe, a test tube, and another long tube with a cotton swab locked inside it. He set the items on the table and then pulled out the chair. "Sit down." He said, and started preparing the needle. Jon felt himself go weak but he did what he was told. Jeffery took some blood and swapped his cheek, and put the samples onto the display screen. It beeped, and a door opened to their left.
salemboy Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 1754 Location: NanoWrimo, baby! I'm gonna write until my hands bleed!!!	Posted: Wednesday 16 December 2009 12 16 50 am    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow A thick, heavy rain was falling over Spotsylvania Battlefield, Virginia. Deep, piercing torrents of rain drilled unceasingly onto everything, soaking the ground into a giant mud-puddle. Animals were hidden away, trying to take cover from the neverending downpour. Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the bare field like a photo-frame. Animals scurrying for cover froze where they were at as the bolt revealed their locations, before flashing back into the dreary gloominess of the rain. A deep, rolling thunder split across the battlefield, like a loud drum, deafening the ears of those who heard it. Two of those ears belonged to Hakan Grosber. Not so much as twitching, he leaned against a tree, feeling the booming thunder rock his senses, deafen his hearing, only for his body to immediately repair the damage. The coursing water flowed past him down the hill towards the bottom, where temporary rivers were being formed. Drilling against his body, the rainwater soaked through his jacket and jeans, drenching him to the bone while the wind howled past him. Tucking into a hollow in the tree, Hakan tried as best he could to shield himself from the ravages of the storm. The tree above him creaked and swayed as the wind worked its hardest to topple it, and everything else, over. Swearing, he tried to remember why he was even here in the first place. "Ummm..." No thoughts came to mind. He'd simply wanted to check out some history. "Of course, I could have just gone to a museum." But then the Light would have been there. That wouldn't have been good. "How is it even storming this hard in MAY?" he yelled out to nobody in particular, his voice being drowned out by the wind. "The world just hates you, Hakan," a voice came from behind. Looking up, Hakan saw that it was Yuki. She was wearing a yellow poncho that was wrapped tightly around her clothing. She sat down next to him, trying to keep her long black hair from whipping in her face. Snorting, Hakan replied, "At least you came prepared." "And that's why the world hates you, and not me." Yuki smiled. "Want to go to Florida next time we decide to go on a trip?" "Definitely."
Ms. Elsewhere Joined: 13 January 2008 Posts: 878 Location: In role play game of course!	Posted: Tuesday 15 December 2009 11 06 55 pm    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Jonathan Deis woke up with a start and looked at the clock on his bedside table. 630am. He groaned. He didn't have to get up for hours. He was so tired of waking up at the same time every morning. But this time, it wasn't just his mind that was knocking him out of his dreams. He noticed someone standing at the door. "Happy Birthday son." a tall, grey haired but very fit looking man in a business suit and tie said to him from his bedroom door. Jon sat up. His father was holding two packages. "Hey dad. Thanks." he said with a croak. He had not used his voice yet and the room was so dry. He dad entered the room. "I come bearing gifts!" he said jokingly. His father didn't joke usually, but it was nice that he was trying. He layed one on Jon's lap. "This one first." he said quietly. Jon opened it obidently. It was a long box, and inside it was a long, black jacket that buttoned to the neck, and probably hung right to the floor. Jon smiled. "it's perfect. I like this sort of thing. Oh ya, it's Guess too. Cool." Jon was a big fan of designer clothing. "And now.. this one." he said, and handed the other package to him. Jon opened it too, a smaller box, and heavier. "It's from your mom. She.. wanted you to have it on your 16th birthday." Jon paused when he heard this, looking at his father. His dad did not take his eyes off the box. Jon continued to open the box, and within it were assortments of keepsakes. A ring, diamond and ruby and safire; some shells, a little tube of perfume, a few oregami swans and other treasures. A little card was inside, addressed to 'my son, Jonathan'. Jon lifted it up, and opened it up. He read it. "What did she say?" his father asked Jon. Jon paused for a moment. He felt his eyes welling up, and then he said. "It says; these are for you, my dearest. Always remember me." Jon closed the box with the card inside. He looked up at his father. "I think I'll get dressed. Are you going to work?" His father searched Jon's face for a long moment. "your mother did love you very much. I'm sorry you couldnt' know her. I'll leave now, and see you tonight for your birthday party." he leaned in and kissed his son on the head. "have a good day at school." And he left the room. Jon waited until he was sure his father was gone, then he fumbled and opened the box again. He pulled out the card and stared at it. It didn't say what he had told his father, it said; "Keep what you have a secret, or he will destroy you." Jon's breathing was fast, and the bedside table started to shake. "No." he said to it, and it stopped. He kept breathing heavily, frightened, and reached out to the bathroom. The taps within turned and steam from the hot water in the shower billowed out the door. He brought his hand down and sighed. "Right." his mother was speaking of his father, a general for the organisation called THE LIGHT. And sure as he was 16 today, he would be killed if his father knew that his bloodline now had super human dirt in it. Jon realised that his mother was probably super human too, but he hoped that her death was a tragic accident. He hoped with all his heart. He jumped out of bed, hid the box, and got ready for school.
DucksRMagical Joined: 28 December 2006 Posts: 2495 Location: Going through LeakyCon withdrawal	Posted: Tuesday 15 December 2009 05 19 28 pm    Post subject: Bringing the Magic Back in topic:Bringing the Magic Back This was the first story I wrote for Fiction Workshop this semester. Thought I'd post it here! Let me know what you think. My dad named me after his favorite flower, the iris. Everyone I know was named by their mother, except me. My cousin, Alex, told me that his father wanted to name him Timothy but my aunt wanted Alexander and my aunt shouted “oh, the pain!” and my uncle gave in. That's the way it works in most families, but not mine. My mother did not care what I was named and did not even care that I was a girl. She wanted nothing to do with me, and when I was two she finally up and left, leaving Dad and me to fend for ourselves. The day my mother left was the day all the magic left Dad's life. He loved her, despite her faults, something I was never capable of doing. She did not take the magic out of my life, but instead left me with a father who I knew loved me, yet was distanced. How do I know he loved me? My name, Iris. He put thought into that name, something my mother never did. ****** I was only fifteen when the magic left me, ten years younger than Dad had been when the same happened to him. I was only fifteen when my father committed suicide. My Aunt Helen told me that the depression is what did it; that he just could not take being sad all the time anymore. Before he died I could never have imagined being sad all the time. Now, I don't know anything else. Aunt Helen and Uncle Tom told me not to blame Dad, not to be angry with him. They needn't have worried. Never once did it cross my mind to be angry with Dad. In my mind, it was my mother who did it. It was my mother who held that gun to Dad's head rather than Dad holding it to his own head. Life at Aunt Helen and Uncle Tom's couldn't have been more different than life with Dad. Uncle Tom was a lawyer and made more money in a month than Dad had made in a year at his job at the mechanic's. People whispered that I would be better off at my aunt and uncle's than I was with Dad. They were wrong. No house is big enough to replace the love of your father. Dad and I had lived close to my aunt and uncle's. We lived in the same town, Agloe, New York, and the same school district. Agloe is the sort of place where everyone knows everyone and you can't so much as get your ears pierced without half the town knowing about it. However, my aunt and uncle lived in the outskirts, where all the McMansions were. Dad and I lived near the center, in a house he had been able to afford. “Iris, long time, no see!” someone shouted. I looked up from the leather couch where I was playing Tetris on my iPod. Alex's best friend, Scott, towered over me, him being six feet tall and me only being about five feet five, and his sandy brown hair was mussed the way a surfer's would be. I didn't really understand why boys did that. The nearest body of water was a tiny lake a few miles away, hardly big enough to sail a canoe on, let alone surf. “You dyed your hair black and cut it,” Scott commented. “I liked it when it was long and blonde.” “My mother had blonde hair,” I muttered, switching the position of a tall Tetris piece so I was able to clear five rows at once. “I don't want to look like her.” “Right.” Scott shifted uneasily from foot to foot. “Well, Alex and I are going to play Rock Band downstairs. You can play, if you want. I'll even let you play the drums.” I ignored him. He was only offering me the drums because my dad had killed himself a few weeks ago. Usually Scott held the drum sticks above his head and said 'you can't reach them' in a singsong voice. That was not the kind of sympathy I wanted. Scott and I had known each other as long as I could remember. He and Alex had been in Kindergarten together, a year before I was old enough to go, and had spent their days teasing me ever since. ****** “Why do I have to be the prisoner?” I whined as I sat on the grass in the jungle gym in Alex's backyard. “Because you're six and we're seven,” Alex answered. He waved his green light saber at me. “Now, sit there and watch as I defeat Darth Vader!” “I want to play Barbies!” I shouted, crossing my arms over my chest. “Barbies are for babies,” Scott said. He smacked Alex with his red light saber. Long since accustomed to having to sit through Alex and Scott's light saber fights, I pulled my brand new Malibu Barbie out of my coat and set her on the ground in front of me. I smiled and looked at her perfect long blonde hair. Fingering my own hair, I wondered how long it would take me to grow it down to my waist. ****** Aunt Helen dragged me to a psychiatrist three weeks after Dad killed himself. The school had called and suggested it, since I had missed more days than I had attended. Aunt Helen had been shocked, claiming she saw me leave each and every day. Little did she know that I hid in the garage until she and Uncle Tom left for work, only to sneak back inside and spend the day watching bad daytime television. Aunt Helen's discomfort of being in a psychiatrist's office was obvious as she sat there fidgeting with a health magazine, glancing up at the other patients with a wrinkled nose every so often. Looking very out of place in her Gucci high heels and newly dyed red hair, she seemed relieved when a nurse came and got us for my appointment. The psychiatrist was a slightly overweight old man with glasses perched on his bald head. He was exactly as I imagined he would be. Poised with a clipboard in hand, he gestured for me to sit down on a comfortable-looking armchair. I did not talk at all during that session. Aunt Helen did all the talking, explaining the 'issues' from her perspective while Dr. Baldy scribbled it all down. No diagnosis was made during that session. It took Dr. Baldy a few weeks to diagnose me with Major Depressive Disorder. Apparently that cannot be diagnosed until the person has been depressed for at least two weeks. I left the office that day with a bottle of green pills I did not want to take, but had to, since I was only fifteen and under my aunt and uncle's roof. ****** “Why are you over here all the time?” Scott asked, not taking his eyes off the television screen. He was in the process of beating Alex at the newest Mario Kart, which Alex had received for his ninth birthday the week before. “Because my dad's sick,” I replied as I played Mario Kart on Alex's old Game Boy. I wished one of them would let me play the new game. Alex's old Game Boy wasn't nearly as fun. “What's he got?” Scott asked just as he crossed the finish line. “Yes, you lose!” “Depression,” I said quietly. “Can I please play?” “You mean he's just sad?” Scott asked as he reluctantly handed me the controller. “No, it's like his mind is sick and he can't be happy,” I answered as I took the controller from him, tossing the Game Boy carelessly onto the floor. ****** “Have you thought at all about going to college?” Dr. Baldy (I never got out of the habit of calling him that) asked one day when I was seventeen and a senior in high school, the time when all of my classmates were applying to college. They'd spent the past two years counting down the days until they could leave their parents and go away to college. I'd spent the last two years shut in my room playing video games, only leaving when Aunt Helen forced me to go to school, and going to Dr. Baldy's every week. “No,” I replied. The idea of college terrified me. High school was bad enough. Four more years of it? Never in a million years. Dad got along fine without college and I could as well. “How about community college?” Dr. Baldy suggested. “I'm not going to college,” I said, slightly louder. “I don't have to.” “That is true,” Dr. Baldy nodded, “but I wish you would consider it. You're quite smart; you could go far.” “I'm not going to college! I'm just not, ok?” “All right,” Dr. Baldy said quietly, “I think our time is up for today.” I stormed out of the building, squinting at the light. Nobody was there to pick me up. I looked around, trying to figure out what to do. The world seemed huge. Never before had I appreciated just how big the world was, or how many people were in it. People bustled past me, hurrying on their way, completely ignoring me. There were so many of them and their voices seemed to get louder and louder. Someone jostled me from the side, hitting me with her large bag of groceries. I shrank back and leaned against the building. My head was swimming. My heart was hammering. My hands were tingling. I bent over to steady myself. The dizziness lessened slightly, but it was still there. What was happening? What was wrong with me? Maybe I was crazy; maybe Aunt Helen was right. I couldn't think straight. My mind was filled with so many thoughts that I couldn't make any of them out. “Iris!” I heard a car in front of me. Looking up, I recognized Scott's red SUV. It seemed far away, blocked by the crowd of of people who seemed to all be morphed together. Trying not to think too hard, I ran for it, jumped in the passenger seat, and tried to steady my breathing. I felt like I was going to be sick. “Iris, are you ok?” Scott asked. “Sorry your aunt wasn't here to get you. She got held up in traffic and called me to get you.” He actually looked worried. I must have looked bad. “I think- I don't know.” I swallowed, forcing the tears not to leak out of my eyes. ****** The door to the stairway slammed behind me, echoing in the strange emptiness. Why was the stairwell empty? Why weren't any other students using it? I shrugged and smiled to myself as I ran up the stairs, excited that I had discovered a secret stairway in the high school as a freshman. I glanced at my watch as I reached the top. Two minutes until the bell rang. I was going to be on time for the first time that day. I leaned against the door and pushed. It didn't budge. One, two, three more times I tried to push the door open. Panic came over me as I realized that there was a reason nobody else used this set of stairs. Who locks an entire set of doors? Why would the school do that? Not sure of what else to do, I banged on the doors. My heart started racing and it felt like someone turned up the heat to ninety degrees. I tried to catch my breath, but it was no use. I was going to be late again. What if I couldn't get out? What if I was stuck in there forever? “Whoa, stop banging!” someone said as they pushed open the door. Scott was standing there, looking bemused. His head was cocked to the side and he was grinning. It made me want to punch him. He knew about this stupid staircase. “Found the Freshman staircase, did you?” Scott smirked. “Freshman staircase?” “Every year a bunch of Freshmen get stuck in here,” Scott said as I walked into the corridor. “And you didn't tell me?” “No, that would've ruined the fun.” I pushed past him without saying another word and stalked off to Global History, which I was now a good ten minutes late for. ****** Panic attack. That was what Dr. Baldy called what had happened after I left his office that day. Another disorder to add to my list. It wasn't just that one, either. They happened frequently after that. Twice in school, once at the grocery store, once in the car. Aunt Helen demanded that Dr. Baldy give me more medication, which he did. It made me tired all the time. I skipped more school. Aunt Helen yelled at me. Alex, who had left for college that fall, called me less. Alex was everything Aunt Helen could have wanted in a son. Star student, captain of the football team, acceptance letter to Notre Dame. In other words, he was normal. Aunt Helen had thrown him a huge graduation party the previous year. She got him a green SUV, just like Scott's. Aunt Helen didn't offer to throw me a graduation party and I didn't care. I didn't want one. She did show up to graduation, though, as did Alex and Scott. The only reason I showed up was because I knew it would make my dad proud. It scared me to go and I nearly had another panic attack, but I had to do it. I had to make Dad proud. My eighteenth birthday was a few weeks after graduation. I woke up bright and early, something I hadn't done in years. My first act of celebration was flushing every single pill down the toilet. I was eighteen. Aunt Helen couldn't force me to take anymore medication. Aunt Helen made me pancakes, something that rarely happened. She set them in front of me along with a large manilla envelope. Her face was hardened and it almost looked like she'd been crying. I'd never seen her cry. Not even when Dad died, and he had been her brother. “Your father's will,” she said quietly as she pushed the envelope closer to me. I choked on my juice. No one had ever mentioned my dad's will and I had always assumed he didn't have one. “He left me a note, telling me to give this to you on your eighteenth birthday,” Aunt Helen said quietly. I nearly knocked over my chair in my haste to get out of the kitchen. Grabbing the envelope, I ran back upstairs, shutting myself in my room. My hands were shaking as I ripped open the envelope. Why did he want me to be eighteen to open it? Why had he made me wait three years? I pulled a stack of papers out of the envelope. Most were official looking documents, but on the very top was a wrinkled sheet of notebook paper. The writing on it was slanted and messy; I recognized it instantly. Dad's handwriting. [i]My little Iris flower, By the time you read this you'll be eighteen, an adult, a young woman, a high school graduate. I am sorry that I did not get to see you graduate, or learn to drive, or go to Prom. I know it's difficult for you to understand, but I could not go on. Life was suffocating. All the magic was gone. I used to see the magic everywhere. In the wind, the flowers, the rain, the sun, the snow. Life was amazing, like magic. Not anymore. You have to understand that it wasn't you. You were the small bit of magic left. Try not to be sad, try not to let the magic leave you. I've left you everything. The house, the car, everything. I love you, Iris. Even though I'm physically gone, I'm still there, all around you. Love, Dad[/i] Tears were leaking out of my eyes onto the paper. It was too late, Dad, too late to tell me not to let the magic leave me. It's gone. It left the day you put that gun to your head. I didn't bother looking at the will. I knew what it said. Everything was mine. I didn't have to stay at my aunt and uncle's house anymore. Alex drove me to the house on his way to work. I hadn't talked to Aunt Helen since reading the letter, but I had a feeling she already knew what the will had contained. It didn't look like anyone had even stepped onto the property since Dad died. I hadn't been there since he died. I'd been too scared of what I would find, too scared of what it would do to me. The lawn was overgrown and covered in weeds. Patches of dirt and dead grass intermingled with the weeds. I peeked in the garage and saw that Dad's old Ford pick-up was still there. The inside of the house looked exactly the same, with the exception of a very large layer of dust covering everything. Dad's Carhartt jacket was slung over the coat rack and my old purple umbrella was still lying on the floor, half open. I walked slowly into the kitchen, my heart pounding fast in my chest. A pile of dirty dishes lay in the sink, as if they were waiting for Dad or me to come wash them. The small living room's floor was littered with old newspapers and homework assignments. I took a deep breath before opening my bedroom door. It was the only room that was empty. Aunt Helen or Uncle Tom had come and gotten all my stuff for me shortly after Dad died. Only my bed, desk, and dresser remained, along with a smattering of crumpled papers on the ground. I paused outside Dad's bedroom before shaking my head and turning away from it. I couldn't go in. I just couldn't do it. Even three years later, it was just too hard. Maybe Dad had a point in not giving me the will until I turned eighteen. The place was a mess, but it was my house, my home. It was more of a home than Aunt Helen and Uncle Tom's house had ever been. Three years of living in that place and I still felt like a guest. Three years away from my house and it still felt like home. I threw myself into cleaning the place up. Every room needed it and I worked all day. I threw out the old newspapers, vacuumed, mopped, dusted, and washed dishes. Nothing was left untouched, except Dad's room. Cleaning was calming. My heart returned to its regular pace, my breathing returned to normal. For the first time in three years, I felt all right. Not great, of course, but not awful either. ****** Cleaning only took me two days. Nobody came to the house while I cleaned. Not Alex, not Aunt Helen or Uncle Tom. After I finished, I sat on the couch and turned on the television, but didn't watch. It was just background noise. Nor did I think about how the power was actually on, in a house that had been abandoned for years. I suppose Aunt Helen must have been paying for it. I sat there doing absolutely nothing for hours. They felt like the longest hours I'd lived through and the shortest ones at the same time. Cleaning had taken my mind off everything. With the whole house (except Dad's room) now spotless, there was nothing to do but sit there and think. Everything was on my mind. It was like a huge rush of the past three years of my life all jumbled up. It was just too much; too overwhelming. I was sitting there shaking on the couch, tears running down my face. Dad was gone, never coming back. Owning the house seemed to just clinch that even more. I had no one. It had been Dad and me against the world for so long. Aunt Helen and Uncle Tom didn't really count. They were my guardians because they had to be. Neither of them had taken the time to truly understand. Instead they just shuttled me off to the psychiatrist and shoved pills down my throat. Dad wanted me to succeed. He wanted me to be happy, to keep the magic in my life. I had failed at that. Grudgingly finishing high school, staying cooped up in my room whenever possible, not even considering the possibility of college. Dad wouldn't have wanted that. He would have wanted me to be all I could be, no matter how cliched it sounded. There was a knock on the door, shaking me out of my thoughts. Hastily wiping the tears off my face, I walked to the door. I cautiously opened it and was quite surprised to see Scott standing on the front step. He had cut his hair and it looked nice. “Iris,” he said quietly, “Alex told me. About the will.” I nodded. “Yeah.” “Look, I know I used to tease you all the time, but, I just want to show you something.” “All right,” I said. What was going on? Scott turned around and cut across the front yard. I followed him. He led me to the lone tree in the front yard, the one that Dad had told me would eventually be large enough for me to climb, but was still small and scraggly. I gasped when I saw what was underneath. Iris flowers. Small, but grown enough to have the purple flowers, surrounding the tree in a perfect circle. “I know they're your favorite kind of flowers,” Scott said quietly. I nodded as tears began to form in my eyes. Only this time, they were tears of happiness. Someone cared. Someone actually knew me. I felt something on my shoulder and looked up. Scott had awkwardly placed his arm over me, looking slightly nervous about it. It was then that I knew the magic wasn't gone completely. It had disappeared for a while, buried itself deep inside me underneath the grief, so deep that I thought it was gone. But it was there and had been there the whole time. The problem was that I hadn't dug deep enough to find it. Now I had brought it back and it was there, blossoming like the Iris flowers that now lived in my front yard.
FortisUmbra Joined: 18 August 2009 Posts: 240	Posted: Monday 7 December 2009 03 10 11 pm    Post subject: Re: The Shadow in topic:The Shadow Mathew was sitting on a park bench under a tree. The rain had started as drizzle but was now coming down hard. He was glad that he had brought the thick black trench coat witch he was presently wearing. He looked around waiting. He was hoping that the man he was waiting for would arrive soon; to be honest he just hoped that he would arrive. This was Mathew’s first real assignment and he didn’t want to mess it up. He had just recently come to work for the shadow. He had been so excited that he had joined right after graduating high school. He missed the other planet, it rained less there. He could also use his powers whenever he wanted; here it attracted a lot of negative attention if not used tactfully. The negative attention had gotten a lot worse after Ursa Major had started going around killing all those innocent people. Mathew wasn’t too fond of the normal people but he didn’t think they deserved to die. Mathew suddenly stood up. He saw a small women walking across the park. He could barely make her out in the dense rain but he had a good feeling that it was his assignment. She would be very dangerous if Ursa Major found out about her but he was sure they didn’t know. From what he understood they still didn’t have a clairvoyant and that was good because the Shadow had five. As she approached Mathew stepped forward. He said in a quite slightly conspiratorial voice “So have you thought about my offer?” “Yes,” she said her face hidden by the hood of her rain jacket. “I think I’ll take your offer. I have been being followed closely for the last four days by the light and I’m quite frightened.” “That’s a very good decision.” He smiled to himself. This was easy. He held up his hand to his left and an elliptical bright blue ring appeared to his left. The ring was about the same height as he was and about half a foot wider on each side. In the middle of the ring was the image of a bright room. All that could be seen of the room was the fire place but it looked warm and inviting. A man was standing there and turned suddenly. “Oh good.” He said smiling broadly. He reached his hand out through the portal. The woman accepted it and walked through the portal herself followed closely by Mathew. This job is great Mathew thought to himself, but he had not heard the stories of the other agents. The horrible things they had witnessed. Mathew had also not been told what the clairvoyants where predicting. Something so terrible that it would have Mathew considering opening a portal and going straight back home.