The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow Read Free Book Online Page B

screamed, a boom of thunder drowning out his words.
    My boots squished in the mud as I hurried across the yard, and I tried not to slip on the layer of ice forming on the ground. Finally, I made it inside the house. I removed my boots, adding them to the pile of dirty shoes next to the door, and placed my hands on my cheeks to warm them up.
    Everyone packed into the living room as quickly as possible. Students had already squeezed onto the couches and armchairs surrounding the coffee table, so I plopped down on the rug with Chris and Kate. Blake and Danielle stood to the side, near the staircase. They were so involved in conversation that their heads nearly touched. Blake had his back to me, but I could see the irritation on Danielle’s face. I wondered what they were fighting about—and if fighting was something they did often.
    Once everyone was inside, Darius shut the porch doors and looked around the room. “I would have liked to stay outside and watch the comet for the entire hour, but obviously that isn’t going to be possible,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him. “So we’re going to move on and discuss what occurred during the meditation. Did any of you notice a change in energy underneath the power of the comet?”
    About half of the room nodded, and a senior guy with shaggy, light brown hair whose name I remembered was Patrick spoke up. “It felt like there was a lot more energy,” he said with a shrug. “I can’t explain it, but there was a difference. Like it was easier to access.”
    “Good.” Darius nodded and looked around again. “Anyone else?”
    “I finally felt some of the energy,” a freshman girl said from one of the couches. “It wasn’t much, but it was definitely more than normal.”
    “That’s wonderful.” Darius smiled at her, and she sat up a bit straighter. “Hopefully you’ll be able to take what you learned tonight and apply it to future lessons,” he said. “Would anyone else like to volunteer what they experienced?”
    I looked over at Kate. I’d assumed she would relish the opportunity to share our experience with the class, but she studied the rug, combing through the tassels. Danielle and Blake both leaned against the wall, not appearing like they were going to say anything, either.
    Chris finally spoke up. “We got an electric jolt,” he said, bringing his fingers together and pushing them apart to imitate a jolt of energy. “Everything was normal, then all these colors connected us together, and then BOOM—electric shock. It was pretty cool.”
    Darius furrowed his eyebrows. “What did the rest of you feel?” he asked, looking at Kate and me and then back to Blake and Danielle. “Was it like Chris said? A jolt of energy?”
    “Yeah,” Danielle said. “He pretty much covered it.”
    Darius looked back at me, and I nodded, as did Kate and Blake.
    “Interesting,” he mused, bringing his fingers to his chin and gazing out the window.
    “Was that … normal?” I finally asked.
    “The Olympian Comet hasn’t come around for three thousand years,” he said. “There’s no knowing what’s ‘normal.’”
    I pulled my legs to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Wasn’t Darius supposed to understand this stuff? The Elders were in charge, and if Darius—who was an Elder himself—didn’t know what to expect, then we might never understand what had happened tonight in our circle.
    I’d thought that coming here tonight would give me answers.
    Instead, I was left with more questions than ever.

CHAPTER NINE
     
    We talked for about an hour longer, then Darius ended the discussion and dismissed the class. Danielle didn’t waste any time before marching over to Kate, Chris, and me, fire blazing in her eyes.
    “Way to bring up what happened in front of everyone,” she said to Chris, crossing her arms over her chest.
    Chris stepped toward her, sticking his chin out. “What’s the big deal?” he asked. “Darius asked us to talk about what