Kiden ambled along the winding sidewalk, walking a good fifteen feet behind the girl. He could hear the sniggers of the other Shades as they hovered a little ways behind him and rolled his eyes. This joke wasn’t even a funny one, so he wasn’t really sure why they were so excited about it. Then again, most of his pranks weren’t very good anymore; not since Amy. He shook his head, pushing her out of his mind. Up ahead, the girl he was tailing stood at a stoplight.

Kiden saw his chance.

The other Shades did too, because they all swooped behind a building and put on their façades. They walked back out, completely visible to the human girl, and stood near her at the stoplight. Kiden could tell she was flustered to be suddenly surrounded by five attractive young men. She kept looking down at her feet and picking at her clothes self-consciously. The Shades began to flirt with her, and one of them signaled to Kiden with a brief glance.

Kiden stretched out his long ebony wings and approached the girl from behind. When he felt he was positioned just right, he began rapidly beating his wings at an angle, causing a strong gust of wind. With a little help from his air magic, the wind pushed the girl’s skirt up before she could catch it. The other Shades laughed cruelly as the girl ran off with tears in her eyes, completely humiliated. They dropped their façades and surrounded Kiden, slapping him on the back in a congratulatory manner.

However, Kiden didn’t share their enthusiasm for the prank. His bright green eyes followed the girl as she disappeared around the corner. He couldn’t help the memories of Amy flitting through his mind. He winced and brushed off the other Shades’ attention, spreading out his wings to force them away. He pushed down strongly, generating lift, and took off. He wanted to be alone for a while.

Kiden made his way to one of his preferred spots in the city: the top of a skyscraper. He enjoyed the spectacular view and the feel of the wind blowing through his hair. Above all, he loved how isolated it was. He grew tired of always putting on a happy face in front of the other Shades. He wasn’t depressed or antisocial or anything, he just needed time to himself occasionally. Time to think.

Kiden swooped down on the skyscraper and folded his wings. His feet were near the edge of the roof, so he felt a wave of vertigo when he looked down. The wind buffeted him this way and that, causing him to sway slightly. It was glorious. He spread his arms and took a deep breath.

You know what; what the Hell.

He leaned forward and dropped off the edge. His stomach flipped and the wind ripped through his clothes and silver hair. Kiden plummeted downward and let out a holler of pure elation, snapping his wings open at the last possible second and gliding back upward off of his built up momentum. He weaved between the tall city buildings, laughing ecstatically at the confused humans who felt the surge of air as he flew past them.

When he reached the beach, Kiden tilted his wings and turned back to the city. He planned to fly back to the skyscraper and repeat the dive. He was ducking between buildings again when suddenly, a cloud blocked out the sun and a shadow was cast over him. At first he thought nothing of it, but then he remembered that it was a clear sky today.

Kiden peered over his shoulder to see a large shadow rapidly descending on him. He couldn’t make out its features because of how it was positioned against the sun. Panicking, Kiden drifted lower to the ground and flew into a neighborhood, dodging between houses in the hopes of losing his tail. He flapped his wings quickly and caused a couple of black feathers to come loose and float to the ground. Risking a brief glance back, he saw that his stalker had vanished.

He dropped to the ground, heart racing from the adrenaline burst, and examined the houses around him for any sign of the shadow. Nothing.

"What’cha doin’, Kide?"

Kiden startled at the unexpected voice. He whipped around to face a small male Shade who was looking up at him with wide eyes. He was about 5'3" with golden hair and wings. He had red eyes and honey brown skin that was peppered with dark spots. Two antlers poked out from the top of his head. Kiden rolled his eyes. It was Lucius, one of the more annoying Shades that followed him around. He eyed the small Shade skeptically.

"Were you chasing me?" Kiden asked.

"What do you mean?" Lucius cocked his head in that irritatingly clueless manner he had. "I just saw you flying and thought you were up to something fun."

Kiden snorted. So it was him. He was frustrated with himself for getting so worried before over nothing. He turned away from the Shade and walked off, ignoring Lucius’s further questions. The kid would probably follow him anyway. He sighed.

So much for getting some alone time…

Having only one record store in the area for miles around had its perks. For one, the store essentially became a closely knit community; the staff knew all of their frequenters, and everybody was on pretty good terms with everyone else. You were pretty much guaranteed a friendly environment could easily spend hours talking the day away with the staff or another customer. Of course, there were downsides as well. The biggest one being that if you couldn't find something that you were looking for here, you were shit out of luck. Sure, the advent of the internet had completely eliminated the need for records and physical copies of music, but for a music nerd like Alysia, records were an absolute must. Nothing sounded better than a vinyl.

Alysia flipped through the records, looking for a name that struck her fancy. It was one of those days where she didn't know what she wanted, and as such she found herself looking for something new. Her search had brought her to the mysterious section that was mysteriously labeled "Because We Feel Like It." Everything had been released in the past few years, but the genres were all over the place; everything from Kanye to Sara Bareilles, from Magic Man to Chet Faker. Big names, small names, it didn't matter. There was a little bit of everything, and if she had to be honest, Alysia wanted it all.

She decided to play it safe with the new Say Anything album. Alysia had heard that Hebrews was a stretch for the typically punk pop band, but a change in musical direction wasn't always a bad thing. Alysia took the record to the counter. As always, the cashier pulled a flash drive from the drawer and handed it to Alysia along with her receipt. The flash drive contained a digital copy of the album; an uncommon practice for most record stores, but Alysia wasn't about to complain. She smiled, stuffing the drive in her pocket and leaving the record store.

She dumped the record into her black backpack, which contained only her laptop, a pair of headphones, and a pack of cigarettes. A bad habit, but immortality had its benefits for a reason, right? Alysia quickly checked to make sure nobody was watching, and ducked into an alleyway. From there, she dropped her façade, spread her wings, and took off. Her butterfly wings weren't built for speed and agility like those Shades with bird wings, but they were faster than walking.

Alysia touched down behind her favorite coffee shop. She put her façade back on and walked back out towards the street. She sat down at an empty table in front of the store, removing the record and her laptop from her backpack. Setting the laptop on top of the record, she pulled the flash drive out of her pocket and inserted it into her laptop. Next, Alysia pulled out the headphones and a cigarette, followed by her lighter in her other pocket. She started up the album and lit a cigarette, leaning back in her chair. She smiled, Max Bemis' always energetic voice and the cigarette bringing her to a place that she could only describe as her happy place.

--

"That looks great. Give me another pose, but with a little more attitude. Attitude looks good on you. Beautiful, I'm loving it, keep it coming, honey. Absolutely beautiful."

The snaps of the shutter and the explosions of light from the flash bulbs dragged on and on as Markus reveled in the perfection of the photoshoot. The model he was working with, a young college student looking to make it in the modeling business, had a natural glow to her that Markus almost felt blessed to capture. Just as he took the last shot he needed, Markus' phone went off. He checked the caller ID; Jessica, his boss. Perfect timing.

"Sup, Jess? Just finished working with that girl you sent my way, Sabrina," Markus set his camera on the small table behind him, waving Sabrina off to the side for a moment. "This'll just be a second," he mouthed to her.

"Really? That sounds wonderful," Jess responded. God, she had such a hot voice. Markus absolutely loved talking to her. "So I'm guessing we're all good for this month's fashion spot?"

"You got it. Just gotta send these pics and a final edit of the article to Alex for formatting and shit. I'll be all done by tomorrow morning."

"Perfect. That's it, Markus, just checking in. Come by the office in a week or so for a print, if you want." Click. Markus smiled. Another job well done, just the way Markus liked it. He turned to the woman waiting behind him.

"Sabrina, baby," Markus spread his arms wide; she took the hint, meeting the hug. They pulled away from each other. "You're absolutely wonderful. I'll definitely call you again if I ever need you for another spot, okay?" Sabrina only smiled in response; she didn't talk much, which Markus regretted. The girl was smarter than she looked, and Markus loved talking to her. "I gotta finish up the article for tomorrow, so I've got to lock up. I'll call you," Markus headed for the door, Sabrina following closely behind. The two stepped out of Markus' studio, Markus locking up behind him. "Thanks for everything, Markus," Sabrina waved, heading off down the street. Markus jumped in his car, a new Honda Civic, heading towards the beach; writing on the beach was so much easier than writing up in his clammy apartment.

When he arrived, he grabbed a blanket, his camera, and his laptop from the backseat. He walked down towards the water, settling down about forty yards from the shoreline. He spread the blanket out wide and sat down cross-legged upon it. He took the SD card from his camera and inserted it into the laptop, pulling up the article for the magazine as he loaded the pictures from the shoot onto his laptop. Nothing like a pleasant afternoon at the beach, Markus thought, smiling.

All morning long, young Shades flitted about like hungry chicks, craving explanations to things Dianus had discovered for herself hundreds of years before. A small flock of them bustled around her perch at the top of an old church; their questions centred on the denominations of Christianity. She led them to the church in the hopes they would seek their own answers and leave her time to explore the city. Instead, they pestered her and the poor Catholics until the afternoon, when they grew predictably tired of learning.

She would never understand that.

Dianus let her wings carry her over the city for a good while, delighting in the refreshing air. A new adventure began today. New to the city by less than a week, she had yet to decide where to start. Accents came easy with years of practice, she could be a businesswoman, or an immigrant, or a holidaymaker. Perhaps the easiest option was to play a local. She landed softly behind a closed deli and donned her façade.

She strolled into the high street as a gorgeous brunette, and like all other Shades, drew plenty of attention. Dianus cared little for the wolf-whistles and appreciative stares. They had no depth, and were therefore uninteresting. Still, she smiled at all who looked, for at least when they tripped over their own feet, it was amusing.

Around her shoulders hung a small satchel, carried by both her façade and her Shade form, which usually contained the latest in hundreds of journals detailing her research. She kept the rest stashed in hiding places around the world. Today, she needed a new journal. So upon clocking the nearest chain book store, she slipped inside.

A shiver trickled down her back as she swept past the air conditioning and caught that distinctive scent of new books. Briefly eyeing the non-fiction, Dianus found her way to the notebook section. She liked to have an entirely different journal every time she started a new project, and fortunately, the humans kept supplying her with new styles. She plucked from the collection the very first that caught her eye; leather bound and shaped to depict a brick wall, complemented by an antique key.

“Hello,” she greeted the cashier with a smile. The young man behind the desk openly stared. “I just moved here from out of town, and I was wondering where the best place to get a coffee might be?” Regaining his composure, the young man babbled out a list, from which Dianus caught but one name, and fumbled through her checkout. She delivered more than the required payment, winked and breezed out of the store. With currency being so easy to come by for a Shade, she used to wonder why they weren't all filthy rich. Humans seemed to like that idea, especially in the United States of America. They called it “the American Dream”. Immortality had to have something to do with Shades' indifference towards money, she decided.

Doffing her façade as soon as she travelled beyond the high street, she flew into the clouds, allowing the wind to turn the pages of her newest journal.

Bisera walked…well, more like pranced down the sidewalk. She had no real destination, but was having fun brushing her hand along the fences she past, making a soft ‘tap tap tap’ sound. She had just left the beach, and her purse was full of sea glass that clinked together as she went on her way down the boardwalk. Her hair was damp, it smelled of the ocean, and the bottom of her dress was wet from the waves that had splashed her feet.

She loved the beach in the early morning, with only a handful of joggers on it, and no one else. The sound of the waves, far off seagull cries, and the sea breeze, along with the warm rising sun, was just like a mini heaven. She had gone for a swim, and spent a few hours hunting for sea glass, thought once more people came onto the beach bring their coolers, umbrellas, towels, metal detectors, shovels, and kites. In no time people would come with their dogs…that would not stop there barking at the sight of invisible Bisera. So she put her sandals back on and headed for somewhere else.

Turning the corner she, she walked down the street a bit more, and then headed into an alley, that was relatively hidden behind the huge brick building’s open front gates, and the flower shop stands to the side. It was a pretty alley, forgotten to most except for the older humans who lived around it. It had with cobblestone steps, hanging laundry above, blooming flower boxes in the windows on each side, ivy growing up the walls, and a was home to an alley cat Bisera had come to call “Bowie”.

This alley led its way to an abandoned looking building, thought it only looked that way to humans. It was actually a hotel of sorts for Shades, there was two or three in almost every city. This particular one was run by a Shade man named Cecil, who had a metallic green afro, one completely white eye, and two large ram like horns on his head, he considered it annoying to put on a human façade, and was not a big fan of humans in general so he bought the building about two hundred years ago and has not left the place since. Walking into the place was like a trip back to the 1800s, and the hotel was also know as to be 'The Plaza' of the shade world.

Bisera had been staying at the hotel for the last two weeks, in room number fifteen, that had an overwhelmingly amount of gold used in the décor. Previously she had been in Oregon, living with her friend Olanna. Olanna had been living as a human for the last three years in Portland, she who ran her own art gallery under her human façade, lived with her human boyfriend James, and had a bet bird named Louise, was completely in love with being human. Bisera had only lived with her for about seven months, and the whole time under her façade as per house rules. But it had been a wonderful time. Oregon had been beautiful, and fun. Now she was here in California.

She entered the hotel lobby, greeting Tita, one of the bodyguards who was there to scare off the odd lost human, who came upon the place. She headed into the champagne room, which was just a fancy name for the bar area. By night, you could have some of the world’s finest champagne, caviar and wines. By day, Shades could indulge in freshly baked pastries, light gourmet fare, and specialty coffees/teas. Sitting at the edge of the counter she ordered a ‘Golden Opulence Sundae’. Being a Shade, there was nothing like money, which the humans had, when a shade wanted something they would just get it, but in Shade only businesses giving something in return for service was polite, so she handed the bartender the dainty ruby ring she had found in 1912 in Spain. Rings were small and her go to form of payment for shade service. She had put the ring along with a dozen others in her purse this morning, knowing she would most likely be going about the city with shade destinations in mind.

She ate her sundae, at the counter as the bartender mixed up cocktail for the lady that had just come in.

---

Tony woke up hung over from last night’s pity party he had thrown for himself, lots of beer, and channel surfing, a few horror movies, and like six episodes of ‘scrubs’. Nicole had broken up with him…they had only been going out for a month, but it still sucked. Getting out of bed he stumbled groggily into his mess of a bathroom to pee, and find some Aspin in the medicine cabinet. It was a good thing he had no work today, his head was pounding.

Walking over to his dresser he grabbed his last pair of clean jeans out and put them on clumsily, hitting his foot into the table. Tony never bothered folding his clothes so wrinkles was a given, he took off his shirt and tossed it in the overflowing dirty laundry basket, picking up a bunched up shirt off the ground he sniffed it, and decided it didn’t smell much, deodorant and some cologne would cover up the musty smell.

Going into the kitchen, he opened up the fridge and drank the rest of the OJ from the carton, as he grabbed the leftover pizza from two nights ago and popped it into the microwave. Two day old pizza, expired milk, some beer, a half-eaten bag of Cheetos, leftover egg rolls, a box of pop tarts, and a tub of chunky money ice cream was all there was food wise in his house. Finishing his pizza, he ran his hand through his bedhead, and headed out the door grabbing his keys. His buddy Zane was a barista at the coffee place at the end of his block, and the ‘friend discount’ was a necessity for the amount of coffee Tony drank.

.

Kiden kept walking, trying as hard as he could to ignore Lucius's irritating banter. He kept hoping the Shade would get bored of being ignored and leave on his own, but Lucius was as persistent as ever. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Look," Kiden whirled around and glared at the kid. "I'm kind of busy right now, so could you kindly scram?"

"You don't look busy to me," Lucius responded, frowning. The boy was hopelessly clueless.

"Well, I am," Kiden snapped, unfolding his long black wings behind him. "I have... stuff to do. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Lucius opened his mouth like he had more to say, but Kiden quickly turned and flew away before he had a chance to speak. He let out a sigh, glad to finally be rid of the little pest, and let himself relax and enjoy the solitude of his flight. That shadow from earlier still bothered him, though. Could Lucius really have kept up with him like that? Kiden was the fastest flier he knew. He would have left the smaller Shade in the dust. Come to think of it, what was it the kid had said?

"I just saw you flying and thought you were up to something fun."

True, he had been flying when the shadow fell upon him, but Lucius could just have easily pursued him after he saw the thing. But if that was the case, what was chasing him earlier? Kiden felt a chill run down his back and shook his head. It was probably just another Shade trying to talk to him. He probably just panicked for no reason. Yes, he was sure of it now. Of course that's all it was.

Below him, the Shade hotel came into view. Kiden figured his may as well step inside and gather his bearings. He dropped onto the sidewalk and stretched his weary wings. He had done a lot of intensive flying today, and now his shoulders were sore. He walked down the alley leading up to the hotel doors and stepped inside. The interior design was always interesting to look at. The manager was stuck in the past and his hotel reflected it. Kiden ambled over to the front desk, taking in the intriguing style of the lobby. It would make a fine place to crash for the night. He asked for a key and received one for room 21.

A soft rumble of his stomach made Kiden realize just how hungry he was. He looked around for somewhere to grab a bite to eat and caught a whiff of freshly baked pastries coming from a room off to the side. A sign above it read 'Champagne Room'. He wasn't in the mood for any liquor, but those pastries smelled delicious, so he wandered inside.

"What're you listening to this time?" a familiar voice asked Alysia. With a loud thud, a woman sat down in the chair across the table. Without even looking, Alysia knew exactly who it was. Nobody else had the gall for so dramatic an arrival. Alysia smirked, taking her headphones off and setting them on the table. She didn't bother pausing the music.

"Say Anything. Nice to see you too, Sarah," Alysia almost whispered, referring to her friend by her "human" name, of sorts. Her real name was Ciaris, but it was generally agreed that they don't use their real names while wearing their façades. Leading two separate lives like Shades did made things complicated like that. "What're you up to today? Not causing too much trouble, I hope," Alysia grinned, tossing her cigarette butt aside. She shifted in her chair slightly as she lit a new one.

Sarah grimaced at the cigarette. "I thought I told you to kick that habit. It's gross and people don't like that," Sarah scoffed. Alysia simply shrugged in response. "Your call. I'm not actually doing anything too important. I was just passing by and thought I'd say hello."

Alysia tilted her head accusingly. "You knew I'd be here?"

"Alissa, honey, at this time of the day, you're either here or you're at home. And I already checked your apartment," Sarah laughed. "I was actually on my way to meet somebody."

Alysia rolled her eyes. Ciaris was always on her way to meet somebody. "Really now. Name?" Alysia grinned. The interrogation begins. The only question was how long it would take Ciaris to turn the interrogation back on Alysia.

"His name is Jason."

"Age?"

"Irrelevant."

"When'd you meet him?"

"Four days ago. When are you going to meet someone?"

Alysia sighed. There it was. Exactly on cue. "You know I'm picky when it comes to these things, Sarah. Why are you always trying to rush me into things with people?" Alysia had a brief flashback to the last two dates Ciaris had tried to set up for her. The first was a college student, male, who was so full of himself he actually tried to kiss Alysia on first sight, and the second was a woman in her thirties who still acted like a fifteen year old. Alysia shuddered.

"Alissa. When was the last time you actually dated somebody?" Sarah leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. Alysia leaned back, as if trying to run away from the question.

"Probably about a year ago," Alysia sighed. "I'm just not interested in anybody, right now."

Sarah chuckled. "If I know you, and I do, I think it's safe to say that you haven't even been looking, dear. Did you call back that guy that gave you his number last time I met you here?"

Alysia didn't answer her question. To tell the truth, she had tried to call him, but hung up the phone as soon as he answered.

Now it was Ciaris' turn to sigh. She stood up from the table, moving to give Alysia a hug. "Well, I need to get going. Please meet somebody, okay? You're a lot more fun when you have someone in your life." At that, Ciaris walked off, leaving Alysia alone at the table again.

Alysia closed her laptop, letting Ciaris' words sink in as she took another breath of the cigarette.

--

Markus unlocked the door to his apartment, dropping his things next to the doorway as he stepped inside. His apartment was messy and unorganized, but it wasn't like he had a roommate to worry about. He maneuvered his way through the apartment to his refrigerator, taking a can of soda from within. It was too early in the day for alcohol, but Markus needed the refreshment.

Markus popped open the soda, maneuvering his way to the patio overlooking the streets below. His apartment was only on the third floor of a five story building, but the patio had a nice enough view. It gave Markus a nice place to get a breath of fresh air without having to leave his apartment. He took off his shirt, setting it on the railing of the patio, leaving Markus in his jeans and a white tank. He'd be absolutely embarrassed to be spotted wearing a tank, but in the privacy of his apartment, Markus didn't really care. He sat down on the lone chair on the patio, taking a sip of his soda.

Elijah walked up and down the edge of the soccer pitch, shouting encouragement to the kids on the field. The season begun a few weeks before, but their full-time coach already injured himself trying to show off. Still, Elijah happily stepped in to coach on his own. The team consisted of fourteen boys and girls, now in brand new red and blue uniforms. An anonymous donor sponsored them after their win last season, paying for a range of new kit. The kids loved it, of course, but Elijah was intent on finding out who the sponsor was.

One of the kids sent the ball soaring into the net and immediately began showboating. “Keep focused, Danny!” he called out amidst a round of groans from the rest of the team. Typical behaviour for the star player, and they all knew it. Elijah raised his voice to be heard over the cheering of the soccer moms edging the field. “The game doesn't pause because you scored a goal, get back in there!”

The boy jolted out of his ridiculous act and raced back down the field after the ball. After ten minutes more, during which time the score was evened by one of the girls, Elijah blew the whistle for half time. The kids poured into the crowd of parents to accept juice boxes and snacks, all except one. At ten years old, Steven was the smallest kid on the team, but not the youngest, and he struggled to make friends. Given the chance, he could be an excellent player. Elijah picked up a juice box and an apple and made his way onto the field.

“Hey kid, you hungry?” Steven nodded and put out his hand, saying nothing. Elijah handed him the apple and popped the straw in the juice for him. “Don't you want to come say hi to your fans?” Elijah offered, nodding his head to indicate the parents on the sidelines. No one ever came to watch the game or wait for Steven, he walked to and from the field every week by himself, and his father was a single parent who worked double shifts.

Still silent, Steven gave a tiny, hesitant nod. “Great, I'll introduce you to Hope's parents, they're really nice.” Elijah smiled and led the boy from the field. Hope's parents were his favourites, they cared about the whole team, rather than just their own kid. If anyone would help bring Steven out of his shell, it would be them. He found them talking to their daughter and two of her friends. “Mr and Mrs Solo, this is Steven.”

---

Flying soothed Dianus the way rocking soothed a human infant, or floating in a pool soothed the aquatic types. She often questioned how humans could be so happy not having wings. Of course, they had those enormous, metal flying machines, but sitting in one of those was nothing like real flying. She swirled around skyscrapers, swan dived from the clouds, and flew low to the sea, dipping her hand in the water. When she arrived at the coffee shop in her façade, she felt refreshed.

She flashed her trademark smile at the barista and ordered a summer berry slushie. Taking her drink to the back of the shop, where she would have the best view of its customers, she settled into a booth seat and opened her new journal. As she looked up, pencil held delicately in her hand, she spied quite an interesting sight: another Shade, at the front of the store with a laptop. Though dressed in her façade, Dianus could see what she really was. She leaned back in her seat to watch the Shade, idly sketching the interior of the coffee shop between looks.

Sitting on a branch of a tall tree was Leis' hobby. She's always the kind who would find ways to isolate herself from people if school stuff won't get in the way. Leis was humming a song while looking at the forest. A shade who isn't really into pranks or should I say she's just one of the lazy shades. She doesn’t really know how to act as a shade since she was raised as a human. She was still adjusting with her real form. Her hands were itching to try her powers but she’s too scared of what might happen. Leis ignored her curiosity for the meantime and wait for the day she finds a good shade to teach her how to use her powers properly.
The sun was setting and it was time for her to go back to her foster parents. After making a swift jump from the branch to the ground, she felt a presence behind a tree 5 meters away from her. She stood still, waiting for something to come out.

Don’t tell me another shade like before?

Her eyes turned into fox eyes. She was slowly turning back into her real form. Fight or flight? ”FLIGHT! You’re not yet ready for this.” She told herself and dashed away. While running, she could feel something following her. It was a dark creature, something bigger than her. If Leis decided to fight, there was no doubt she would easily be defeated.

So she continued running as fast as her feet could take her, but despite how fast she tried to run, the thing always managed to follow. Good thing she's almost back to the city. Leis could hear cars passing by and some people talking around the city. She could feel them backing away. She quickly went back to her human form and crossed the street. The forest was now meters away from her. She could feel her heart bumping to her chest. Her mind kept asking why it followed her? What did they want from her? Or could be that shades were making a prank on her....