Shadow Stealers

Title: Shadow less
Chapter 1
It was mindlessly hot, too hot to even move or think. The countryside, the village, the wood that lay at the back of my garden- all sat defeated. The sun was infernal; it was a blazing glare so thorough and remorseless, that even in my bedroom, with the curtains drawn you could not just shut it out.  I lay there on my bed for a moment, motionless and decided to stroll in the garden.  I opened the French doors and breathed in the musky scent of the woods. They looked unearthly and dim. I have always dreamed of the woods in a different way. In my dreams the woods were golden and enticing, filled with a bright glowing light. It may seem weird but I usually call the woods ‘my golden woods’ partly because of my dreams and also because just the sound of it made it seem magical, unforgettable and everlasting.
I stepped outside into the July summer and sat on the swinging bench my father had brought me. I lift my head up to find that thick fluffy grey clouds blanketed the sky. I felt three ice drops of rain on my ear. There were three black ravens staring at me with a gaze so powerful and hard that it made my head ache. My dad and I hardly talk, but he seems to know what I want and when I want things. I think it is because he doesn’t have a son, I’m his only child. He doesn’t let me out after curfew. My mum on the other hand is the total opposite. She is always asking me how my day was and makes more of an effort to understand me. Also I have realised that my mum and dad do not sleep in the same room or bed. It is quite confusing and I prefer not to ask them why.  Anyway, I look up at the woods, which looked so lifeless and serene, replaying the scene in my head of almost 3 months ago. Several pictures run through my mind. The memory made me shiver.
I was 16 ⅟2 years old and the morning was heavy, already hot and breathless. The wood smelled agreeably damp and was cooler. I sat on the thickest root of the old twisted oak tree and started...