After he completed his work, Lucas returned home. He walked through the palace to his study. hoping to forget everything that happened. However, no matter how hard he tried, he just could not get the image of that girl’s smile out of his head. She plagued his thoughts so much that he doubled his work to forget about her. Checking on the shadows of his realm, signing off each new shadow, making sure the barrier between his world and the human world was stable…But, again, her radiant smile continued its conquest.

Lucas ordered one of his servants to get more information on the girl. When the report came back, it was just as he expected. There was nothing special about her—just an ordinary human girl. As he continued to read the report, he grew more interested in her.

She lived with her mother while her father was stationed in another country. She also had two siblings, a brother, and a sister. The brother lived a great distance away while the sister was something else entirely. She left when Raven was 8 years old and never came back. Lucas didn’t know why, but a small ache pierced his heart. The pain, however, wasn’t the same as before. This time was different.

“Raven,” he whispered. Her name made his heart feel light and the pain slowly faded. He felt compelled to see her…No, he wanted to see her.

“Tomi!” he shouted.

“Yes, Master,” Tomi answered with a bow.

“Tomi, my most loyal servant, I must go to the human world. Until I return, you are in charge. Can I count on you?”

“Of course, Master. Have a safe trip!”

“Thank you, I will not be long,” Lucas said with a smile.

With his final words, Lucas left the safety of his world for Raven’s. He thought it would be best to watch her from a safe distance, meaning dawning non-human form. With it, he can be invisible to the mortal eye. Comes in handy when you are on secret missions.

The time in the human world was close to noon, which meant Raven was still in school. Lucas followed her shadow’s trail and headed in that direction. It led him to Gregory High School, a private school that had been running since the 90’s. He should know. He watched it be built.

Her trail ended in the cafeteria. He watched as she got a napkin and walked out without a second glance. He wondered why she wasn’t sitting with her friends. Maybe she didn’t have any. He followed her to a big room with an upper balcony. The garish checkered ceiling design matched the flooring, and Lucas cringed at the sight. It was not the best of colors.

Lucas watched her as she sat at a table and took out a math book. He assumed she was doing homework but was baffled as to why she didn’t eat her lunch. He saw her eat a bag of chips and drink some water, but nothing else.

“That’s odd,” he cocked his head, “normally humans eat whenever they are hungry. So why does she not eat?”

She continued to do her homework without worry until the bell rang for her next class. Lucas continued to follow her, from class to class and even on the bus ride home. The same spot where they met was her drop off in the afternoon. She was quiet the whole walk home, but her shadow was different. A shadow reflects the heart of their owner. Raven’s heart was….screaming.