» The Shadow
| SPITTING IMAGE |
| THE SHADOW |
n. a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light.
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The first time Nicolette saw the shadow was when her Quirk manifested when she was four years old.
When her eyelids fluttered open on a snowy day in January, the first thing her young mind registered was that everything around her had a clearer, sharper edge. Her reddish-orange eyes picked up the minuscule particles of dust that floated freely in her room. The sunlight peeking through the thin lavender curtains hurt her eyes from the amount of light seeping into her bedroom. She could even see the tiny pieces of lint clinging to her sleeves.
Her ears- wait, no... She no longer had human ears but two triangles with fluffy white and red fur that protruded from the top of her head. Breathing in deeply, her small hands rushed to her nose from the massive amount of different scents that overloaded her nostrils.
Confused by the new things that were happening in her body, Nicolette sat up in an instant. The soft and fuzzy blanket that was draped over her body fell onto the wooden floor with a soft thud. Flaring around her body, nine fox tails painted white with crimson streaks that faded from the tips sprouted from her behind. She blinked in bewilderment for a second, her child brain trying to figure out what was going on.
"You've gotten your Quirk." The voice that entered her ears sounded very strange. It was laced over with echoes as if two people were talking at the same time.
Nicolette picked up her head in fright because she was supposed to be the only one in her room. Her heart rate sped up in an instant. Standing near her dresser was a shadow that had taken on an appearance that looked almost like herself. Instead of an olive complexion, the shadow had a dark greyish skin tone. Almost like she was smothered with ash and it was coating the entirety of the shadow's body. She did not have any eyes, nose, or mouth. Nicolette wondered if the shadow had any senses at all.
Midnight ringlets with vibrant blue tips cascaded down the shadow's back in a similar fashion to her own. The animal features adorned the shadow but the white was charcoal and the red tips were a bright cerulean. A white nightgown was draped over her small figure.
The young girl instantly scrambled against the wall in fear. Who was this girl and how did she get into her room? "Papa! Mama!"
She cried out for her parents a few times before her heightened hearing picked up the sound of hurried footsteps slamming harshly against the staircase. The rapid pounding sound was hurting her eardrums. Not a second later did her bedroom door swing open to reveal her parents.
Her Papa and Mama stared at her in blatant shock for a moment before her Mama stepped forward first. She reached toward her daughter, spring-like black curls bouncing from the movement. An excited smile had slipped on her lips as her hand delicately brushed against one of her ears. "Nico, you got your Quirk! She's a kitsune like you, Ren! Look, look!"
If Nicolette looked like a mini Ren before, she now looked like a carbon copy with her newly acquired Quirk. They shared the same chestnut with red-tipped hair, the same reddish-orange eyes, and now even the same Quirk! Ren blinked twice before he moved to ruffle Nicolette's hair. Her ears twitched in response.
"Yes, she's a kitsune as well! But, she already has nine tails...?" Ren's words slipped off in a questionable tone as his brows furrowed. "With a kitsune Quirk, you receive all nine in due time. It's strange, Alice."
The young child tilted her head. She could still see the shadow out of the corner of her eye but it seemed like her parents could not. A sense of unease slipped into her stomach as she forced her attention onto her Papa. She remembered that Papa told her that he had gotten his first tail at four, his second at ten, third at twenty, and fourth at thirty. Nicolette, on the other hand, already had nine tails and her Quirk barely manifested.
"Strange indeed. Maybe we should schedule an appointment with a Quirk specialist." Alice stated as she narrowed her bright green eyes. She cupped her child's chubby cheeks in her hands and sent her a reassuring smile.
"Mama, mama, mama," Nicolette tugged at Alice's sweater with impatience as she pulled her Mama's hands off her face. She jabbed her finger at her dresser where the shadow stood. "There's something right there! A shadow!"
Both of her parents' eyes followed her finger only to gaze questionably at the wooden dresser. Nothing was there besides her desk and the box of toys right next to it. Ren was the first to react. "Nico, did you have a nightmare? There's nothing there besides your furniture."
Nicolette pressed her lips together as her eyebrows furrowed. She thrust her finger in the same direction as she tugged harsher at her Mama's sleeve. The shadow was right there next to the dresser! She was there! She was right there! Why can't they see her?! "Yes, there is! There's a girl right there! She's there!"
Unfortunately, her parents dismissed the notion of the shadow or girl. It was nothing but a figment of her imagination. But how can it be a figment of her imagination when the shadow was standing right there! She talked to Nicolette! She sounded really weird but she spoke to her nonetheless. Why won't they believe her?
Not too long after, Alice and Ren left to make the appointment and breakfast. Left to her own devices, Nicolette slipped off her bed. Light thuds were heard from her feet hitting the panels. She glanced at the shadow who moved to sit on the floor.
Nicolette decided to muster as much courage as a four-year-old could when it came to having a conversation with a shadow that apparently no one else but her could see. She plopped herself down on the wooden panels right next to the shadow that looked almost like her. Curling her small fingers into fists, she took a deep breath. "Who are you?"
"I don't know." The shadow replied. Her voice echoed and overlapped with two voices once more. "I appeared when your Quirk manifested. I watched you sleep for a couple of hours."
The young girl puffed out her cheeks and tried to hide the fear laced into her vermillion irises. "Why are you here?"
"I don't know. I can't leave too far from you. Something stops me."
"What's your name?"
"I don't know."
"Do you only know how to say 'I don't know?'" Nicolette cocked her head, her curly chestnut and red hair slipping off of her shoulders. Clearly, she was not getting any answers to any questions she was asking.
"I told you. I manifested when your Quirk manifested. I exist out of you." the shadow said while pulling at her vibrant blue tips.
"Why do you look like me?"
"I don't know who else to look like. I don't know what to look like."
Nicolette crossed her arms across her chest and flopped onto her back. She released a puff of air. "Fine, why don't I give you a name? I can't keep calling you shadow."
"A name?" the shadow echoed in surprise.
"Yup! Now, what should I name you...?" Nicolette pressed her small hands together and rubbed them. She glared harshly at the ceiling in deep thought. Suddenly her eyes widened and she forced herself upright into a sitting position. "I'll call you Venitia!"
"Venitia?" The shadow's shoulders scrunched up in surprise.
The red-orange-eyed girl nodded fervently. "Uh-huh! It's Italian like my name. You can call me Nico though and I can call you Veni. But your name is Venitia."
Venitia stilled for a few seconds before she released a sound that sounded like a sigh. With a heavy nod, the shadow relented and placed her hand on Nicolette's knee. "Very well, Nico."
Nicolette smiled brightly and grasped Venitia's hand tightly. The hand was cold but not unwelcoming. In response, the black-and-blue-haired girl bristled in surprise but relaxed soon after. "Yay!"
However, this is when strange things began to occur. A tingling sensation ran up her arms and she briefly closed her eyes. When Nicolette opened them, she felt a chill run up her spine. She lifted her small hands and she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Venitia wasn't in the room anymore.
Nicolette glanced around the room in confusion. "Venitia?"
Her hands flew to grasp her throat lightly as her voice filtered out in an echo. No, that wasn't her voice. It was Venitia's. Standing up in haste, the small kitsune called out for the shadow once more. This time she received a response.
'Yes?'
"Where are you?"
'I... don't know.'
All Nicolette did was get back onto her feet without searching for an answer. She wasn't going to get one anyway. Shifting over to her dresser, she lightly pulled the door open. Raising a hand, she delicately tugged a beige coat from the hanger. The hanger swung back and forth from the force she yanked it with. Before she shut the dresser door, the mirror on the inside caught her attention.
Her breath left her lips as she saw her reflection. Her eyes were no longer two colors faded into each other but a vibrant cerulean. The tips of her hair had faded into a striking blue while the roots were obsidian. Her tails and ears had become onyx and lapis colored. She looked like Venitia now! But with facial features!
"What?! How?!" Nicolette exclaimed as she combed through her hair furiously. She was trying and failing to remove the blue and black from her hair. Suddenly she stopped as her eyes widened.
Breaking out into a sprint, she threw the door open. Nearly falling down the stairs, she practically skidded herself into a halt as she regained her balance shakily. She screeched, "I told you there was a shadow!"
The first response she received was Alice dropping a bowl of cereal and it shattering against the white tiles. Flakes, glass, and milk splattered against the floor and dark navy flats. The second was Ren choking on his coffee from the fright.
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The very next day, her parents had taken her to a Quirk Specialist to discuss her Quirk. Or more specifically, her nine tails and Venitia. Apparently scaring your parents about something you were right about is not the way to go. Nicolette was placed on one of the swivel seats as she waited with her parents for the specialist to arrive.
The wallpaper was a pretty shade of blue which matched perfectly with the white tiles and grey tables and cabinets. Cotton balls, cotton swabs, and tongue depressors stuffed into jars were placed symmetrically on top of one of the tables. Her parents sat on the two leather chairs near the entrance. Placed against the farthest wall was a small wooden desk with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
She swung her legs back and forth, feet nowhere near touching the floor due to her short stature. She stuck her bottom lip out slightly as the nine tails flared out behind her in irritation. Why was she so short?! She wanted her toes to touch the ground!
In her peripheral vision, she could see the black-and-blue-haired girl next to her. Ever since she was placed on the swivel seat, Venitia had followed her and sat beside her on the ground. Her lips parted open but she clamped them shut and instead focused on the minuscule specs of dust floating around.
Venitia was quiet and just trailed behind her like a lost puppy. She was never too far away from Nicolette. Even when her parents gave her the birthday cake yesterday, Venitia happily sang along with her parents as she sat on the edge of the dining table. The sight made her sad because technically it was Venitia's birthday too.
Being a curious child, the young girl began to spin around in the chair because it was fun and because she was bored. Around her, the world began to blur and all the colors mashed together to reveal a disastrous combination of hues.
"Nico, you're going to make yourself dizzy." Alice chuckled as she used her foot to slow the swivel seat to a slow stop. "Especially with your newly heightened senses."
True to her Mama's words, the area that created Nicolette's world was still revolving despite the seat no longer spinning. Her head felt light as she clung to the edge of the seat so she would not fall. Oh, she felt so disoriented from the spin.
A squeaky, multi-voiced laugh left Venitia's lips. Her chest was rumbling with each chuckle that fell. "You were warned, Nico."
Nicolette's cheeks puffed out in annoyance. "Shut up, Veni!"
They missed the worried exchanges between the two adults.
Soon enough, the specialist came into the room. He was holding a clipboard with a few papers clipped onto it. "Good morning, I'm Dr. Sakai. It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Takatsuki. I assume this is Nicolette?"
"Good morning, Dr. Sakai. Yes, this is our daughter Nicolette. Nico, please greet the doctor." Alice motioned for Nicolette to move.
Even though the small kitsune was still a bit dizzy, she still managed to get off the swivel seat and say a friendly 'hello' to the doctor. Venitia followed Nicolette's lead but she wasn't heard of course. In response, Sakai waved and a friendly smile slipped onto his lips. He turned to Alice and Ren. "What seems to be the reason you're here today?"
"Well you see," Ren started as his ears twitched. "My daughter manifested her Quirk yesterday- it's just like mine- but she already has nine tails rather than one. When my Quirk appeared, I had one and the others revealed themselves over time. I find it a bit strange that Nico already has all of them."
Sakai hummed, flipping through the sheets attached to his clipboard. "Odd. All of the Quirks labeled Kitsune say that the greater number of tails indicate the older and more powerful. Some of these files show that some kitsunes will only grow additional tails after living for a hundred years. A greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful Kitsune. In fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived a hundred years. Has Nicolette shown any signs of anything strange?" Sakai tapped his clipboard with his
"Venitia!" Nicolette instantly shoved her hands over her mouth the moment she blurted out those words.
"Venitia?" Sakai raised a brow. He leaned onto the edge of the desk. "What do you mean?"
"She's right here!" the girl pointed at the shadow sitting next to her chair. In response, the shadow tilted her head up to see the doctor. "She follows me! She talked to me once when I woke up but she's there!"
"Right, Nico keeps talking about a shadow she named Venitia but we can't see it. She keeps looking at the blank space. Another thing was that she came down the stairs looking completely different and with an odd voice. Like an echo of sorts." Alice placed her hands in her lap as a worried expression was painted over her face.
"Neither of you can see it?" Sakai ran a hand through his black hair. His blue eyes scanned through the papers once more before he halted. "Mr. Takatsuki, do you know the mythical names for kitsunes?"
Ren nodded as he combed through the fur of one of his tails. "There are zenko and yako. Zenko are regarded as good foxes who are benevolent and are foxes who are associated with the Inari. Meanwhile, the yako are regarded as field foxes or nogitsune and they tend to be mischievous or malicious."
"Yes, but do you know what a ninko is?"
"A what? What is that?" Alice asked as she leaned forward in curiosity.
"One of these old files says that someone with a kitsune Quirk saw a person. I believe this is related to the shadow that your daughter sees. Ninko are invisible fox spirits that human beings cannot perceive unless they are possessed by them. But this file says that the person who saw it was not possessed by them unless needed be." Sakai explained briefly.
"So the shadow that Nicolette sees is a Ninko?" Ren inquired.
"I believe so."
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Author's Note:
This chapter is actually my scrapped prologue of Spitting Image. However, I still liked the way I wrote it in the aspect of how Nicolette's Quirk appeared. It actually is the way of how that Quirk appeared at least.
If you want to read the actual prologue, it is published and called Cacophony of Voices on Spitting Image if you want to read it and see the various obvious difference.
This is the cover:
And this is what Nicolette and Venitia look like but in this picture they are twelve and not four.
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