Cloudy Reality [Claude Standalone]

I wake to the shadows greeting me, Shade tells me the time as I stretch and yawn. Black waves at me, picking up the shadow of my pillow to hit my own shadow with it, even though it wasn't me that was hit I still feel the blow. I scowl at him, and he laughs, flickering as he does. They hold control over my other self, the one that walks along with me, my shadow. Shadows aren't the result of light angles like most people think, they're actually spirits that don't manifest into a full form. I used to think that they were trapped in another dimension, which is kind of true, but Shade corrected my knowledge.

The shadows hadn't always talked to me, it started only a few years ago and they told me that I was one of the few that could understand them. It made me sound important, but sometimes I wonder if I really am or whether I'm just trying to think better about myself than is reality. Gray finds that now is the time to tell me the day, taking glee in my expression as he lets me know that today is the Reaping. A flicker of emotions rush through me, the least of which not being irritation that Gray continues to make fun of my fear. He can't die like I can, so therefore he can't judge me. I reach up with my fist, drawing it back and releasing it forward to make my shadow's fist connect with Gray's temple. I felt the blow on my fingers as if my flesh had hit him instead of my shadow's hand. This was life for me, and this was why people called me crazy. I had to say, though, I never felt lonely.

Now that I had been woken fully by my incessant, constant guests, I got off of my bed. They followed me around a I gathered things, my nice shirt from the corner where it had been thrown at one of them - Gray most likely - , a fresh pair of boxers from the drawer, pants from the back of my chair. My room was a haphazard mess, though I blamed most of it on my shadow friends, but I lived with it. I waited to put on my Reaping clothes until it was closer to the time, content for the moment to wander aimlessly around my home while my companions traipsed ever behind me.

I went to the kitchen, grabbing some food as I moved to the table and settled myself down. Shade sits to my left, Black to my right and Gray across from me. My own shadow is on the floor, sitting on a shadow chair in front of a shadow table. He's a typical shadow, one of the few I ever come across that actually remains on their two-dimensional plain. Peoples shadows reveal a lot about themselves, the go behind you and do the actions you wish you had done. I learn so much from just watching their shadows. It's very rare that someone's shadow does do anything but mimic actions, and Shade told me that no one ever sees what their own shadow does because they don't need to. Even I, one of the few who really can see what is going on, don't get to see what shadow-me is doing. It's why he never moves unless I do.

I eat the food I had grabbed, listening to Shade and Black talk as Gray tries to make me choke. I only put up with Gray because he's Shade's younger brother, and because I truthfully don't know how to get rid of them. Shade at least does his best to keep Gray from driving me insane, though I know that anyone I ask would already call me that. I manage to avoid choking despite Gray's best efforts and I place the plate in the sink to be washed later. Shade tells me that I have time to go for a short walk before I have to get ready for the reaping but I don't want to have my morning filled with the stares of people who see me talking to a wall. They can't see Shade, Black or Gray, and it means that I look insane trying to uphold a conversation with them. Instead, I go into my bathroom and strip down so I might have a long bath and relax, however much relaxing I might get while Gray splashes and bothers me.

I managed to put up with it for a half-hour before having to climb out, being careful not to slip on the wet floor. Grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around my waist and pulled the plug in the tub so the water drained with a small spiral over the drain. I watched as it all swirled away, down the pipe and to the sewers. Sometimes the idea of being water sounded like fun, but other times I was glad I wasn't it. I pulled the towel from around my waist and dried myself off, replacing it there after I was dry. Making my way to my small wardrobe, I pulled it open and looked over the clothes I had. Nothing was particularly fancy, but my nicest shirt and pants belonged to my Reaping outfit.

I pulled them out, grabbing a pair of underwear from a drawer and putting them on first. I noticed I had forgotten socks, tossing my pants and shirt onto my bed while I grabbed them. On with my socks and then I pulled my pants, which were just a pair of nice jeans because my lack of money made it hard to get anything really nice. I had an old dress shirt of my father's, something that actually fit me and looked nice too. Black commented that I looked handsome, Gray just snickered, and Shade nodded his approval. They did this every year, Black and Shade trying to convince me that I looked good while Gray tried to tell me the exact opposite. Knowing Gray as well as I did, I knew better than to listen to him about things like this, let alone to take his opinion over that of Shade.

We all left shortly after, ambling down the streets with the crowd of people that were trying to get to the Reaping before the peacekeepers came and shoved everyone forward into the square. I did my best to pretend Shade, Black, and Gray didn't exist. Once again, Gray was trying to be a trouble maker and make me look insane. He was attempting to flick and pinch me, but he had thankfully forgotten how hard it was to cause me direct annoyance. Had he done the same things to my shadow I would have felt them, though not as strongly. Still, he wanted to make me jump and wince as much as he could. I grumbled under my breath so only Shade would hear and he told Gray to knock it off. There wasn't much to be done about Gray, and soon he was back at it again.

As an eighteen year old I was herded into the male pen and pushed far up to the front with the other boys my age. I hid myself as far back as I could, though, not wanting to be seen by the people on stage or the many cameras that circled around. I would have to stand here for a long time, waiting for all of the talking to end and the names to be drawn, before going home so I might punch Gray and finally have some quiet for a couple minutes. Even right now the pest was yammering away, talking about how much fun it would be if I got reaped because then he would be able to see the inside of an arena and meet a whole bunch of other shadows. I muttered as quietly as I could that if I were reaped I would kill him as my first victim but that just made him laugh.

On and on the talking went, and I pondered walking away and causing a commotion so maybe the names would be drawn sooner since they might finally realize we all were bored. Gray, as though he knew what I was thinking - and he very well might, told me I should do something crazy. Shade warned me against it, telling me that it was almost over and causing a disturbance would only slow down the proceedings. I listened to Shade, staying put as finally the escort announced it was time to draw the names. He reached into the girls' Reaping ball, drawing out a slip of paper that held the death wish for someone here. "Wendy Darling!"

Someone I didn't know from a sea of people I didn't know. I didn't need to know anyone because I had Shade and Black, but it didn't mean that I was just going to blow off the fact that she was being sent into the arena do die so the Capitolites might have entertainment. Silently, I dipped my head in a sign of respect for her sacrifice, about to lift my gaze again when the saving grace of the girl stepped out of the crowd. "I volunteer!" I blinked, surprised that anyone had bothered to step in for someone else. It was rare that someone wanted to save another, and usually the reason why anyone usually volunteered was to upstage the person but that only ever happened in the Career Districts. Or so I had thought. Gray was gleeful because something different had happened, but I simply bowed my head once more and hoped this new girl wouldn't regret her decision as she fought for her life.

Now it was time for the boys, when I would have to pay attention because it could be my name that was called. I listened as the escort unfolded the slip of paper to read the name. "Claude Aeger!" I straightened, shocked that my name had been picked and taking a hesitant step forward when another name reached my ears. "Andal Ferde!" Instantly I knew that it had been Gray that had called out my name and I had to hold myself back from glaring at him and punching him because in this crowd I would surely cause someone to think it was them I was trying to attack and the wave of tension that was settling over us would break into a large fight. It took so much effort to hold myself steady, but I managed long enough to notice no one coming to the aid of the boy whose name had truly been called.

Quickly the Reaping ended and everyone filed out of the roped off areas to disperse back home and have a small celebration to honor the fact that no one from their family had been reaped. As I lived by myself, or as much by myself as I could with three shadows, I didn't have anyone to celebrate with. Instead, I just had a small vendetta to pay out to Gray once I was out of sight of everyone else. The walk back was full of thoughts of revenge, and I still had to force myself to simply walk as Gray tried to lure me into an angry outburst in the middle of the street. I avoided the bait, barely, and scrambled to open the door and get inside before attempting to yank the line out of his hands. I spun, irritation and embarrassment bubbling up in me as Shade tried to console me somewhat.

As soon as I saw Gray I lunged for him, managing to catch him with my fist even if it was just a glancing blow. I never truly hit him with my own flesh, unless they manifest into an even more solid shape, but I use my own shadow as my weapon, making it perform the moves that strike him. I swung my other fist up, catching Gray under the jaw and knocking him over. I left him laying there, muttering swear words as I made my way to my room to get changed into real clothes before these were wrecked. Still cursing, I emerged from my room to see Gray was up and trying to laugh around a bruised jaw. Glaring, I swung my fist at him again and socked him in the right eye, hopefully leaving him with a shiner. Feeling a little better, I went into the kitchen to sit and think.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Shade shake his head at Gray as Black rolled his eyes and I smiled darkly. Sometimes, even when I hated having Gray around, it was worth having friends like Shade and Black.