A Place Where the Sun Shines

"She looks so sick..."

All of her body aches. Her head burns with fever and her eyes feel heavy. The world around her feels unnaturally cold. And yet she's in the midst of a green field in rays of light.

She is sick.

The Shadows hadn't expected this. They thought that it would be OK- Red himself promised that it would- and so they hadn't worried.

But throughout the time that'd passed, throughout all the weeks and months had gone by, she'd become pale. She'd become sick. And now, she lays on the ground, shivering in her own illness, lungs heaving for air.

They ask of her name, ask if she's awake, ask how horrible she feels. What they receive in return is a tired mumble that they cannot interpret.

Red stands. Under his breath, he murmurs curses. "I should not have let this happen."

He cares for her. Both his brothers know that by now. He had, after all, leapt to protect her when the dragon hurtled into the mountain (both of which are overrun by now with moss and grime), and he had, after all, jumped to her defense when her and Rosy were arguing.

And he had made the deal with her. Or the promise, as she had called it.

Now, he worries. He worries and worries and worries.

She isn't asleep, and yet she isn't awake. She hardly responds to anything they say. As Shadows, they have the ability to heal, but they do not have the ability to heal such a thing as sickness. And they do not know what caused the sickness.

And they do not know if she will survive this sickness.

For the next few days, all they can do is lie in wait, hoping she will push through. Though now, she's only becoming weaker and weaker, and there is nothing they can do but tell her to stay with them.

Sometimes they wish they had kept the sun. It was an impulsive action to rid of it, anyway; it was something they had done because of their sensitivity to light. The newer Shadows especially wished for the sun to be gone. It burned their skin.

Now, they realize that humans cannot live without the sun. She will not live if they do not take her to a place that has sun.

Is there a place that has sun?

Christopher considers this as he watches his brother hold the hand of the dying human. Is there a place on Earth where the sun can still reach?

...Yes.

Yes, there is.

Back at Researchers' Mount. Since the day the dragon crashed into it, nothing has been moved. It has stayed the way it was for years and years at a time. And since it has stayed, it has been overgrown by trees and wildlife and nature... and flourished in the sun. The Shadows call this place Remnants.

The moment he remembers the Mountain, he grasps his little brother's shoulder and tells him of it. "The only way to keep the human alive is to- is to bring her to the Remnants!"

Red mourns a death that has not yet happened. Blake, the smallest of the Shadow brothers, runs over to him and tells him the news, hoping that his older sibling will not be locked in his state of fear and dread forever.

They realize that they must take her there. And they lift her off the ground and make their way toward the Remnants. The only place left that has the sun.

Rarely does anyone ever trespass the Remnants. The vegetation is so thick and so brightly-colored that no one dares. It is an abandoned place. But it is the most peaceful of them all because it is abandoned.

They all know that she has no chance of returning to who she was. They all know that she has no chance of springing into action with the other playful Shadows. Perhaps she will live a few days longer if they do not leave her side, if they do not let this world take her life.

This world that is supposed to be perfect... still seeks to take her life.

They cannot ponder on how their "reset world" still is not perfect and instead set the child down on a patch of soft moss. The sun beams down from its spot in the sky. And they wait for her to respond.

"Kloey," says Red, "Do you feel that?"

They all do. Their shadowy counterparts burn and hiss with uncertainty, disliking the pain that comes with standing in direct sunlight. But if it means saving the human that saved all their lives, so be it.

She starts to shift, and they feel the hope returning to their eyes. Kloey squints into the brightness above her, colors flooding her vision. The most present thing of all, however, are the eyes of the Shadows that she loves: Red, Christopher, and Blake.

Does she live?

Does she survive the sickness that suddenly came over her? It is up to you. These endings are only guesses at what could happen, interpretations of the words I've placed before "THE END." If she lives or does not live, it is your choice.

*One last interpretation coming soon...*