My body starts to shiver. I can't shake this feeling. Who is this voice?

"Who are you?"

"I'm sorry Justin. I wasn't there for you."

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

"It's me Justin. It's me, Dad."

"Bullshit. My dad hasn't been here in the past eleven years. How can you be him?"

The voice didn't make any sense. How could he be my dad? My dad left us for dead. He didn't care. He only cared about himself. He didn't even call us to ask if we were okay or not. I can't believe him. He's lying.

"I'm not lying."

"What?"

"I'm not lying."

"I never said you were."

"You did, in your head."

"You can hear my thoughts?"

"Justin,this is going to be hard to explain but, I'm in your head."

"You're in my head? Great, and I'm the president."

"Justin, we don't have time. We need to find your Mom and Blake. I know you have no reason to trust me and I get it. Your mom didn't tell you the whole story. Your mom didn't tell you why I left did she?"

"Assuming you are my dad, No, she didn't."

"Let's find them. After that, I'll explain everything to you."

I can't explain it. This voice..it sounds..trusting. I know that I shouldn't trust it but something about it just makes me want to. I know that I might get myself killed if I go in this alone. But..

"Justin. You're thinking too much. You're wasting time."

"Why can't we call the police?"

"The police won't believe you. This is way beyond them."

"What do you mean way beyond them?"

"Justin, you are special. The people who took your mother and sister are extremely dangerous. They are looking for me and I'm guessing they thought they could use them to find me."

"Special? Yeah, I am. I'm an 18-year-old who has to take care of his mother and sister all because you, an ass hat, left us. So yeah, call me special."

"Justin, I know what I did, we don't have the time to be arguing. They are in danger. If I have learned anything it is that family is important, protecting them even more so."

"Yeah, wow. 'Protecting them even more so', you know how to talk a load of shit you know that? If you really cared you would have been here, with me. With us."

"But Justin, I am here. In you. I'm really sorry for everything I have done but I promise you that I'll solve all of this later. Let's go."

Listening to this voice reminded me of a day that my dad took me for ice-cream. The voice sounded the same. Could it be my dad? I really don't know. I guess I'll have to trust him for now, then I can get to the bottom of this.

"Fine, let's go 'Dad'. I'll believe you for now."

"Thank you, Justin. Now I need you to focus on your most traumatic experience. Your most hurtful moment."

"Why should I do that?"

"It will activate your powers."

"Powers?"

"Remember when I told you, you were special? You can control shadows. Our family comes from a long line of mages. These mages were masters in the art of shadow manipulation. The shadows are your servants, your children. They live to serve you."

"What? So I'm some sort of demon magician?"

"No Justin, you are a mage."

"Fine. I don't believe you but I'll try."

I concentrate on my most hurtful memory, the day my dad left. The memory's started surging in. The tears on my mother's face. Mom was still pregnant with Blake at the time. How could he leave us like that? Didn't he care? Then, it hit me. My hands felt heavy. I looked down at my arms and there were..things crawling all over me. It looked as if my hands were on fire but instead of the normal red-orange flames, mine was...black.

"Well done Justin. Now concentrate on the darkness. Concentrate on hurting those that hurt the people you love."

My heart just felt heavy. I just had a surge of anger inside me that was uncontrollable. All I could feel was anger. NO love, remorse, compassion, just hate.

"Good, now look at the car in front of you and just tell your shadows to attack."

"Tell my shadows? But how?"

"Just talk to them like you would anyone."

I focus hard than I look at the car. It felt like my vision was clearer at night. It felt as if someone had washed my eyelids. Dad told me to just tell my shadows. Tell them to destroy the car? I guess I'll try that. I say, with a voice filled with anger:

"Go!"

All of a sudden the black flames on my hands leaped away and attacked the car. The ripped it piece by piece and it looked like they had no mercy for the car. After destroying the car, they returned to my arms, ready for the next command.

"Good Justin. Now that you have a small handle on your powers, ask your shadows to find your sister."

"Why her?"

"Your magic is linked to hers. Therefore they can track your sister using your magic."

"Okay. I'll tell them."

I look at my hands and focus once more. I tell them, inside my head, to find my sister. Nothing happens.

"Nothing is happening."

"You have to say it, Justin. You have to say it with your mouth. Command them!"

"Okay 'General', I'll 'Command' them."

I take a deep breath. And I whisper:

"Find my sister"

The shadows go rushing out.

"Follow them, Justin."

I follow the slowest shadow. I could only see the one. Everything is just so, engulfing. I was just a normal teenager hours ago, now I'm a shadow using, sister finding, car destroying teenager. Why does my life have to be so hard? Why can't I just die already? I never asked for any of this. I never asked to be born. I never told my dad to have drunken, unprotected sex with my mother. Heck, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm a mistake. They never wanted me. I was just the product of a Heineken and a naked penis. Now my "Dad" comes back and he's in my head? Oh, let me not forget that I have powers now. This is too much. I don't think any teenager should be worrying about this. I should be busy with my school work, going to parties, having sex for the first time, watching porn, and pranking my sister but no. I have to deal with 'shadows' and 'mages'. Why can't I just have a normal life?

This guy claims to be my father, heck, I believe him. I don't know what to do anymore. The only thing running through my mind right now is Blake and mom. I have to save them, no matter what.