Jordan's Shadow

The alarm blared, waking up Jordan with a jolt. She groggily fumbled around in the darkness, finding her phone and turning off the alarm. She squinted at the screen’s bright light. 6:30 a.m. Maybe I could miss one more day of school? She thought, but, no. She knew she couldn’t. She had already missed a week, and had spent that entire week lying in bed. It was time to move on.

Jordan sighed, got out of her bed, and stumbled to the bathroom. She flipped the light switch and winced when the harsh light hit her eyes. She grabbed her toothbrush, squirted on some toothpaste, and began brushing her teeth. She studied herself in the mirror. Gosh I look horrible, almost like a corpse, like I’m the one who died. 

Suddenly some movement in the mirror caught her eye. She saw her shower curtain sway, as if someone had bumped it while walking past. She quickly turned around, but no one was there. She rolled her eyes at herself, then looked back at the mirror. Her toothbrush fell from her grasp and she let out a gasp as she saw a shadowy figure standing behind her. She whipped around again, holding up her hands in defense, but no one was there.

She put her hands over her face. I’m a disaster, jumping at my own shadows. She slowly turned back towards the mirror and resumed getting ready for the day.

Her mom drove her to school. She tried to start a conversation with Jordan, but Jordan wouldn’t say a word. So they drove in silence until they pulled up at the front of the high school.

“Jordan, wait,” her mom said. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? It all happened so recently.”

“I’m fine, Mom, I promise. I’ve already missed a week, so now I’m behind.” Jordan replied without making eye contact. She tried to leave the car and end the conversation, but her mom grabbed her shoulder.

“I know sweetie, but your teachers said they would go easy on you. It’s okay to take the time you need to heal.”

Jordan sighed, and finally looked towards her mom. “Okay. If things get too hard, I’ll call you and let you know I want to go home.” She gave a weak smile, and her mom pulled her into an awkward hug. Jordan’s eyes wandered to the side mirror, where once again she saw the shadow figure.

Jordan gasped and jumped away from her mother’s embrace.

“Jordan!? Are you alright?” Her mom grabbed Jordan’s shoulders and looked at her with worried eyes.

Jordan blinked and the shadow figure was gone. “Ye-yeah. I’m okay! I just thought I saw something, but it’s nothing. Love you, bye!” Jordan quickly grabbed her backpack and got out of the car before her mom could say another word. She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on her backpack straps, and walked into the school.

The main foyer was bustling, loud, and chaotic; it made Jordan tense. She watched as kids talked, laughed, shouted, and babbled with their friends. She wished she could do the same. 

Jordan was pulling out her AirPods to help herself drown out the noise and enter her own world, when she heard her name get shouted. She looked up to see Rachel and Jessica running towards her.

“You’re back!” Rachel said, and pulled Jordan into a hug.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Jordan said, caught off guard by the embrace.

“We missed you!” Jessica smiled, and joined the hug.

“I missed you guys too.” Jordan lied. She hadn’t missed anyone while she’d been gone. She just wanted to be alone. Plus, she never talked with Rachel and Jessica anymore. They were just being nice out of pity.

“Are you doing okay?” Rachel asked.

“Sure.” Jordan shrugged. “If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be at school.”

“Are you sure? You don’t sound very confident.” Jessica remarked.

“Well I-”

“It’s really hard to lose someone,” Rachel interrupted, “especially someone you were so close with.”

“We don’t need to talk about that, it’s nothing. I just-”

“It’s nothing!?” Jessica stepped back, appalled. “Lila was your best friend!”

“No I didn’t mean that! I just don’t want to-”

“Don’t worry Jordan, we’re here for you. Maybe we’re not like Lila, but we can be your friends!” Rachel smiled.

“You really don’t have to-”

“Yeah! We’ll be right here for you!” Jessica said. “Where’s your first class? We can walk with you there!”

“No!” Jordan yelled, making Rachel and Jessica jump. “Sorry, I mean, no thanks. No offense, but I just need some time alone.” She looked down at her shoes, avoiding their gaze, hoping they would just leave her alone.

“No, we’re sorry Jordan,” Jessica said.

“Yeah,” Rachel added, “we didn’t mean to overwhelm you.”

“No it’s okay, you were just-” Jordan gasped and fell to the floor in fear. The shadow was now standing behind Rachel and Jessica, peering down at Jordan.

“Woah! Are you okay?” Rachel said, and she and Jessica reached down to help Jordan up.

“Get away!” Jordan pushed their hands back, scrambled to her feet, and ran down the hall to the nearest bathroom. The bell rang and all the other kids headed towards their classes. Jordan remained in a bathroom stall, crying to herself while sitting on the toilet.

She sobbed for at least ten minutes. What is happening to me? Am I going insane?

She got out her phone and pulled up her mom’s contact. Did she really want to give up so easily? She hadn’t even been at the school for half an hour and she was crying in the bathroom, missing class again. I’m weak. I have to be strong and get over it. 

Jordan put her phone back in her pocket and opened up the stall door. Her eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened as she looked around. She was no longer in the school bathroom, she was by the cliff where it all happened. She whipped around but the stall and toilet weren’t there anymore, instead there stood the shadow figure, towering over her. Jordan backed away, panicked and breathing heavily. The shadow figure reached out and grabbed her wrist with an ice cold hand. It pulled Jordan away from the cliff, and tossed her to the ground.

“What are you? What do you want from me!?” Jordan cried as she started backing away from the figure.

“You know exactly who I am,” said the figure. Its voice was a sound Jordan knew all too well. She watched in fear as the shadow figure slowly morphed into Lila, wearing the same outfit she wore that dreaded night. Expect this time her skin was gray and her eyes were lifeless.

“Lila! I- I’m sorry-”

“For what?” Lila leaned down and grabbed Jordan’s shirt, so that she couldn’t back away anymore. “Are you sorry for living a lie, or sorry that you murdered me?”

“It was an accident! I swear!” Jordan said through heaving sobs.

Lila smiled, “Of course, because people accidentally push their friends off cliffs all the time.”

“You know it wasn’t like that! We were fighting, and it was stupid, but we were! And- and I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I pushed you, not meaning any harm, I swear! But you tripped!”

“Yeah, it’s my fault I tripped on a rock and fell down a cliff after you pushed me.”

“Please Lila! I didn’t mean it!”

“No? Then why did you cover it up?”

“I didn’t mean to! I just got scared and ran away. I didn’t know what to do, I was terrified. I ran home and cried all night, then the next day the police showed up at my door and told me you died of suicide.”

“And you just went along with it. Maybe it wasn’t the heat of the moment. Maybe you really did want me to die.”

“I didn’t! I swear! I’ve missed you so much.”

“You sure seem scared for someone who misses me. You’ve been in bed ridden with guilt. But what have you done about it? Nothing.”

“I’m sorry! I am! I’ll come clean! I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you!”

“It’s too late Jordan. You took my entire life away from me, and I want it back.” Lila turned her hand back into a shadow, and reached into Jordan’s chest, phasing through her skin. Jordan let out one final breath as Lila pulled out her soul, and cast it over the cliff. She smiled, turned the rest of herself into shadow, and entered Jordan’s body.

“Jordan?” Said a hesitant voice.

Lila opened her eyes. She was in Jordan’s body, lying on the floor. She stood up and turned towards the person who called her name. “Hey Jessica!” She smiled.

“Um. . . hi,” Jessica said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah!” Lila said, “I just tripped.”

“Oh, okay. Well, would you like to join me and Rachel for lunch?”

“Of course!” Lila smiled, she turned toward the mirror and gasped. Peering back at her was her old body, like a living corpse.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asked.

“You don’t- you don’t see that?” Lila asked.

“Your reflection? Oooo so scary!” Jessica laughed. “It’s just you, Jordan, you look great.”

Lila smiled. “Thank you.” She looked back towards the mirror. She saw Jordan’s ghost frowning and crying in the corner.

She laughed at the spirit. “Let’s head out, Jess.” She walked out of the room, Jessica following behind, leaving Jordan’s ghost trapped in the bathroom forever.