White Shade
 

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]] The vast city of Lithe sprawls across most of the region, concrete covering the area. It is a city that never stops growing, never stops moving. It spreads further and further, eating up precious forests and natural resources. Each inch it spreads, though, an inch of itself it leaves behind. The part of the city in the direction opposite of where it is spreading dies- little by little each time. Some buildings and homes are covered in moss, vines, and trees that strive to break the cement and reestablish themselves. The city is split in two. Some hate the change and want to focus more on helping the land around them, while others want to just abandon it, leaving the forest to fend for itself.

The natural land soon grows tired of this, and out of it sprout dark shadowy beings... They infiltrate the city throughout, learning to disguise themselves as fellow citizens and quietly carry the members one by one into their dark forest to compensate for their loss. The humans fight for their city but in a short time, some begin to join the shadows, whom they dub 'shades' and fight for the cause of the forest and for the shades. Each side spies on the other, plots, attacks- all in a never-ending war, as the the city keeps expanding and leaving others behind. [[

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Saiya jumped at the sound of the school bell ringing. All of the students except her immediately shot from their seats and hurried out the door, eager to get out of what they viewed as educational prison. She didn't bother to rush as she leaned over to pick her bookbag up and situate her papers into her notebook before sliding it in and zipping it up. She looked up at her teacher, who sat quietly at his desk grading papers and going over tomorrow's lesson plans. Sighing, she made her way toward the door, stifling a yawn.
"Saiya?" She turned to face her teacher. He looked up at her over his glasses. "I've noticed you seem a bit preoccupied as of late", he said. "Is everything alright at home?" Saiya smiled briefly and nodded. "Thank you Mr. Neer, I'm alright. I just haven't been sleeping like I should. I've been pretty busy." The teacher's eyes softened. "Aren't we all. I want to assure you Saiya, that you are one of my best students. Finals are just around the corner, and if you keep it up, you'll have a great path carved out for you." She stood still through the commendation, not showing any sign of gratitude or pride. No emotion at all. "I know it's tough, but keep up the good work." She looked down slightly. "Thank you. I appreciate it." He waved after her as she began down the hallway.

The sidewalks were filled with students lining up for the buses, others going to their cars. She walked past them toward a patch of forest that had sprouted up amidst the city, a patch of growth that didn't seem to quite fit in this area. Within, she came to a small white house, a car in the driveway covered in a tangle of vines. The house was grown over with lush moss, but inside was simply dark, yet clean. She sat her books down and seated herself at the table, where miscellaneous items sat, strewn this way and that. There was no sign of there having been a responsible adult that lived there once. Saiya stared at two photographs on the table-pictures of her mother and father. She didn't know how long it had been once her eyes filled with tears and she began to cry.

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Pepper Drake yawned as she walked home from school with her friends. She had been bored the entire day. Nothing exciting or challenging happened in any of her classes at all. Her life had become a bit monotonous.

Excepting that, Pepper Drake was perfect. And her life was perfect, too. Pepper had perfect parents, perfect looks, perfect grades, perfect attendance. She was even a perfect member of the swim team. Pepper felt like there was nothing that she couldn't do. The world was at her fingertips. And she lived in the great city of Lithe where she could easily go to any number of the best schools. Life was going great.

However, Pepper was so wrapped up in her perfect life, as her parents were so wrapped up in their own lives, that she was ignorant of the struggle in her very own city. She was more concerned about catching the eye of the guy she liked than even realizing there was a war going on.