The Prophecy of Shadows Read Free Page A

mind, become more aware of options, and choose a good path. Those were all things I needed right now.
    I opened my palms towards the ceiling and closed my eyes. Once comfortable, I steadied my breathing and tried clearing my mind.
    Then there was the question of how to “channel” a color. Picturing it seemed like a good start, so I imagined myself pulling green out of the air, the color glowing with life. A soft hum filled my ears as it expanded and pushed against me, like waves crashing over my skin. The palms of my hands tingled, and the energy flowed through my body, joining with my blood as it pumped through my veins. It streamed up my arms, moved down to my stomach, and poured down to my toes. Green glowed behind my eyelids, and I kept gathering it and gathering it until it grew so much that it had nowhere else to go.
    Then it pushed its way out of my palms with such force that it must have lit up the entire room.

CHAPTER THREE
     
    The bell rang, and my eyes snapped open, the classroom coming into focus. I looked around, taking in the scuffed tiled floor, the chalkboard covered with writing, the white plaster walls, and the lack of windows. Everything looked normal. Unchanged. There was no proof that anything I’d just felt had been more than a figment of my imagination.
    But that energy flowing through my body had been so real . I tightened my hands into fists and opened them back up, but only a soft tingle remained. Then it disappeared completely.
    Kate stood up, dropped her backpack on her chair, and studied me. “I’m guessing from the look on your face that it worked,” she said.
    “I don’t know.” I shrugged and picked up my bag. “I’m not sure what was supposed to happen.” I met her eyes and managed a small smile, since it wasn’t exactly a lie.
    But the energy I’d felt around me was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Which meant my imagination was running out of control. Because there was no proof that I’d done anything. What I’d “experienced” had existed only in my head. Right?
    Kate glanced at her watch. “What class do you have first?”
    I pulled out my schedule. “Honors Biology.” I scrunched my nose at the prospect. “They put me in all honors classes, and I have no idea why. I was in regular classes at my old school.”
    “I’ve got Honors Bio, too,” she said. “Come on. I’ll explain the whole honors thing on the way there.”
    I followed Kate down the hallway, although I kept bumping into people, since my mind was spinning after what had happened in homeroom. I’d felt something during that meditation session. Maybe it was the energy that Darius was talking about. And if this energy stuff was the reason behind the miraculous recovery of my torn tendon and the healed scar …
    I pushed the thought away. There had to be another explanation. One that made sense .
    Kate edged closer to the wall to give me space to walk next to her. “So, about the honors classes,” she said, lowering her voice. “You saw what was written on the board. Each color has a different meaning. Once we learn how to harness energy properly, we can use the different colors to help us … do things.”
    “What kind of things?” I asked.
    “Let’s take yellow—my personal favorite—as an example,” she said. “Yellow increases focus and helps us remember information. If you channel yellow energy before studying for a test, it won’t take as long to review everything, and you’ll remember more. It’ll make your memory almost photographic. Pretty cool, right?”
    “It does sound useful,” I agreed. “Although I’m still not buying all this colors and energy stuff.”
    “Give it time.” Kate smiled, as if she knew something I didn’t, and stopped in front of a classroom door. “We’re here. Want to sit with me?” She led the way to a table in the front, and I followed, even though front and center wasn’t my thing. “I’ll help you with the basics after school,” she