Trial By Nightmare (Academy of Broken Dreams Book 2)

by Rose Alexander

  I look up and smile at him. “That’s what I’m here for silly,” I say.

  Aunt Nellie walks up. “Alright now that that’s taken care of let’s get you guys home so you can put those bags down. I’m very sorry about the extra stop, but it was imperative I gave the manager a reply,” she says.

  We follow her out the door of the shop. She places a hand on each of our shoulders and we appear in front of her Victorian home.

  I look over at Sam, his eyes are wide and his mouth is open.

  “You’re going to catch flies with your mouth open like that,” I say, laughing and nudge his arm.

  “This place is huge, Whisper,” he says sounding amazed.

  “Yup, that’s the same reaction I had the first time, and I only got to see the dining room. There is no telling what other rooms she has in this house,” I whisper excitedly, walking through the front door.

  “Set your stuff down there; Gordon will take it to your rooms,” Aunt Nellie says, setting her purse on the table. “Are you guys hungry? I can have some sandwiches whipped up for lunch.”

  “Sure sandwiches sound great right about now,” Sam says, his eyes lighting up.

  He’s such a guy. I think to myself. The mere mention of food and he is putty in your hands.

  We follow her into the large kitchen where there is granite countertops, top of the line stainless steel appliances, marble flooring and in the center sits a granite breakfast island. Along one side are four, tall, high back wrought iron chairs with red cushions.

  “This is your home now, make yourself comfortable,” Aunt Nellie says, waving her arms towards the chairs.

  We take our seats.

  “Aunt Nellie, how do they decide who is going to enter the trials?” I ask.

  “Each House elects two representatives to represent them in the trials. The representatives volunteer if they have enough ambition to try and become the leader,” she says, taking glasses from the cabinet.

  “Is Ben volunteering?” Sam asks.

  “No, he likes where he’s at. He would rather try to change policy than lead,” Aunt Nellie replies, setting our sandwiches in front of us.

  We make small talk as we finish our lunch.

  “Now, let me show you the rest of the house. Gordon is in the process of getting all the Christmas decorations put up,” Aunt Nellie says, standing up and walking around the island. “We can’t have you feeling like you’re lost.”

  We follow Aunt Nellie as she takes us from room to room.

  “This house has a complete home theater with all of the latest technology and gaming systems,” she says showing us into the room.

  The room is painted black with red leather seating, a huge projection screen, and multiple gaming systems. Over in the right corner of the room is a small kitchen area. I walk over and open the cabinet to find them fully stocked with sweet and salty snacks. Next to the counter is a full-size fridge. Upon opening it, I find bottles of water, soda, and beer; though I doubt Aunt Nellie would be pleased if I tried the last one.

  “Wow, this is amazing,” I reply, my eyes wide.

  Smiling at me, Aunt Nellie turns on her heel and leads us back out of the room.

  “You’re home is amazing, Ms Jackson,” Sam says, as we follow her up the stairs to the second floor.

  “This is your home too, Sam, and I want you to feel like you belong here. You’re family now,” she responds, giving him a wink. “And please call me Aunt Nellie.”

  We reach the top of the stairs, then follow a short hallway to the back of the house. “Whisper this is your room,” she says with a warm smile. “Go on open the door.”

  I open the door and find the room is huge and has floor to ceiling windows, a desk, vanity and even a personal bathroom suite, but what catches my attention the most is the personal reading nook complete with a floor to ceiling bookshelf full of various books.

  I turn to Aunt Nellie with tears in my eyes, “Thank you so much! It’s amazing,” I say, walking over and wrapping her in a tight hug.

  Sam stands there with a goofy smile on his face. “Let’s go see what your room looks like,” I say excitedly.

  Aunt Nellie leads us to the other side of the house. “You will be in here,” she says, motioning to a dark oak door.

  Sam opens the door and we walk in, his room is decorated in dark woods and blue hues and set up much the same way as mine.

  “Wow, this is awesome,” Sam says, as he gazes around the room. “Thank you again, Aunt Nellie.”

  “You are both very welcome. I’m going to leave you both to get unpacked and settled in. We will have dinner at six and maybe watch a movie if you are not exhausted. If you need anything, I will be downstairs in my office,” she says before turning and walking down the hall.

  I look at Sam and giggle. “I’m going to go unpack. I’ll see you at dinner,” I say waving over my shoulder.

  After dinner, we skip the movie and head off to bed.

  The week flies by and before I know it, it’s the day before the trials.

  “Why don’t you invite your friends over for a movie night tonight?” Aunt Nellie suggests.

  “That sounds fun. I’ll text Lydia. Sam can you text the guys,” I ask, looking at him, but his fingers are already typing away.

  Me: Hey you wanna come over for movie night? We are inviting the guys too.

  Pixie: Yes! I’m going crazy and I need some Whisper and me time.

  Me: Sweet! See you when you get here! So excited!

  “Did the guys respond?” I ask Sam.

  “Yup, they are all coming,” he replies with a grin.

  “The kitchen in the theater room is well stocked. You kids have fun,” Aunt Nellie says.

  “We will, thank you!” I say bouncing over to give her a hug.

  Everyone arrives, we all settle down with our snacks and drinks. We let the guys pick the movie, so we are watching US.

  About midway through the movie, I notice Ryland and Sam are missing, so I step out to go to the bathroom. My bladder can’t take another jump scare.

  Coming out of the bathroom, I hear voices down the hall. Following the sound to Ben's office, Ryland and Sam are in a deep discussion with Ben, Ezra, and Rodrick.

  "So with all three of you sharing one wife, do you fight?" Ryland asks, his voice slightly muffled by the door.

  "In the beginning it took a while to work out our system, but she was worth it," Ezra replies.

  "Were you friends before you met Nellie?" Sam asks.

  "Not really, no. We knew of each other but we ran around with our own houses. Funny how things work out," Rodrick chuckles.

  "Does anyone need something to drink?" Ben asks.

  Oh crap, that's my cue to leave. I can't get caught eavesdropping.

  I walk back to the theater and take my seat. Throughout the rest of the movie all I could think about is the conversation I overheard.

  Why would they be talking about relationships with Nellie’s guys, unless they both felt the same way about someone. I think. Then it dawns on me Oh! Shit, Sam feels the same way as Ryland does about me! Could that work for me? Do I want more than one? Is it possible to love more than one? What about jealousy? I need to talk to Aunt Nellie once everyone leaves.

  The movie finishes and we all agree to meet up at the trials tomorrow. We say our goodbyes and I close the door behind them.

  Searching out Aunt Nellie, I find her in her office. I tap on the door.

  “Whisper come in. Have a seat,” she says in a light happy voice.

  I take a seat on the dark leather couch.

  “Aunt Nellie, can I ask you something that might sound a little personal?”

  “Sure,” she replies, a serious look replacing the happier one. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I overheard Sam and Ryland talking to your guys about how your relationship works, and I think they both have the same feelings for me. What do I do?”

  “What do you want?” Aunt Nellie asks.

&n
bsp; “I don’t know what I want,” I reply.

  “Then just keep an open mind and heart. See where it goes,” she says reaching over and patting my leg. “It will all work out.”

  “Maybe you are right. Maybe I will just let this play out and see where it goes.” I nod. “Thanks Aunt Nellie. I will see you in the morning.”

  I climb into my bed and try to fall asleep but the conversation is still playing out in my mind.

  I really like Ryland, he makes my stomach explode with butterflies, he’s really sweet and caring. Finn has grown on me since we first met. He is different, smart, and logical. He makes me feel like I’m the only girl in the room when he looks at me. Max, well… Max is cocky, confident, and out to conquer me, and I’m still trying to decide if I want to let him. Then there’s Sam. My Sammy boy, we’ve been friends for so long. Do I risk our friendship for something more?

  Sleep won’t come easy for me tonight.

  Chapter 3

  “Whisper,” Aunt Nellie says from the doorway. “You have to get out of bed now. We can’t be late.”

  “But sleep sounds better,” I groan.

  “Whisper! Get up,” Aunt Nellie says, irritation on her face.

  “Yes Mom,” I push the covers off.

  “Please don’t call me that unless you mean it,” Aunt Nellie says, tears welling in her eyes.

  I jump out of bed and wrap my arms around her.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…” I murmur, still not sure what I don’t know.

  “It’s fine, Whisper. I’ve wanted children of my own, but so far it hasn’t happened,” she says, wiping her eyes.

  “I know I’m not your child, but I’m here,” I say hugging her tighter.

  “You’re too kind, Whisper. Don’t let this world change you,” she whispers then clears her throat and swats my butt. “Now get dressed. We need to get moving.”

  I rush through my morning routine and get dressed before running down the stairs. Sam throws me a granola bar, which I barely catch when I enter the kitchen.

  “I’ve got a bottle of water for you too. We have to go now,” he says, the corner of his mouth raising in a lopsided grin.

  “Aunt Nellie said. I hate mornings. Why can’t everything take place at a decent hour, like after one in the afternoon?” I grumble.

  I scarf down the breakfast bar then drink the water Sam hands me as we walk out the front door. Aunt Nellie grabs my hand then takes Sam’s in her other and teleports us to the entry point, with Ben, Rodrick, and Ezra following on their own. We walk through, then she immediately teleports us again.

  We are underground, in what appears to be a cave full of crystals. There’s a long line of people ahead of us, shuffling slowly forward.

  “Where are we?” I whisper.

  “The entry point to the arena. It’s in the Crystal Caves of Bermuda,” Ben answers.

  “It’s beautiful,” I say, looking around in wonder.

  “We all have to be through the entry point before they open it up to human tours. It was easier when it was undiscovered,” Ezra explains. “That’s why we had to hurry this morning.”

  “Oh, that makes sense,” I nod.

  We finally make it to the front of the line. Aunt Nellie gives them our names and is handed tickets before we walk through the entry point. We arrive at the top of a large stone arena. The smells of popcorn and hot dogs drift through the air. I follow behind as we descend the stairs in front of us until we reach a large boxed off section with twelve seats in it.

  “You have box seats in the front?” Sam asks, his eyes wide with awe.

  “I am a fairly important business woman,” Aunt Nellie laughs.

  “And she’s loaded,” Ezra pokes her in the ribs.

  I take in my surroundings as I make my way to my seat. As we walked down, most of the seating was just stone benches, but here there are cushioned chairs making me thankful for my aunt. The arena grounds in front of us are packed dirt.

  “Whisper!” Lydia squeals as she comes running into the box. “I can’t believe we have such awesome seats. Thank you, Nellie.”

  “My pleasure,” Aunt Nellie smiles at her.

  Before long the rest of the guys show up, and we all settle in, waiting for the trials to begin. Aunt Nellie and her men take the back row with Lydia and Korbin sitting on the end. I end up in the middle of the front row between Ryland and Max. Finn is to the left of Max with Sam to the right of Ryland.

  “Thank you for attending the trials. Eight will enter but only one will walk away the victor and our new leader,” a blaring voice announces across the arena and the crowd hushes. “Let’s meet the competitors. From Empyrean we have Tadeus Crumble and Alistair Coventry.”

  Part of the audience, including Max, starts cheering wildly as the two men dressed in purple robes step out into the arena. I get how this works. We all root for the home team.

  “From Fury we have James Glump and Charles Ray,” the announcer continues once it quiets down.

  Another round of cheers erupt, Finn joining in this time as the men in red robes enter.

  “From Caballine we have Booker Knightly and Gabriel Bock,” the announcer says once it’s quiet again.

  No one in the box joins in the cheering this time as the men in blue robes step into the center of the arena. I turn to look at Korbin and he just shrugs. I wonder why he didn’t cheer.

  “And finally from Dissident we have Rob Allen and Jeff Michaels,” the announcer says.

  The box remains quiet during this cheering session as well when the men dressed in black robes join the rest of the competitors. I feel strange cheering for complete strangers. I wonder why Aunt Nellie and my uncles don’t cheer, but I’m too wrapped up in what’s going on to ask.

  The men step forward as a giant cage rises from the ground in the center of the arena. A small table full of weapons is brought out.

  “Trial number one is about to commence. The competitors must use any means necessary to keep each other alive. A good Praesidium will look out for all of his people. Let’s see these men in action,” the announcer says.

  One wall of the cage opens wide, and a horde of angry minotaurs comes flooding out.

  “This is so exciting,” Max says, sitting on the edge of his seat, eyes glued to the arena.

  “It’s something,” I say.

  The competitors huddle together, each brandishing weapons. They form a circle, placing their backs to the middle, and cut down any minotaurs that come within reach. This goes on until a loud buzzer goes off.

  A large group of guards enter the arena with cattle prods and round up the minotaurs, placing them back in the cage. As soon as the door slams closed, it’s lowered back into the ground and the weapons are collected.

  “Very good! Let’s hear it for the competitors who all managed to survive the first trial,” the announcer works the crowd. “There will be a fifteen minute intermission while we prepare for the next trial.”

  The crowd explodes into a cacophony of chatter about what just happened and Ben leans forward.

  “I don’t really care who wins as long as it isn’t Alistair Coventry. Something isn’t right about that guy,” he says.

  “He’s an arrogant bastard even by Empyrean standards,” Ezra chimes in.

  “Why didn’t you cheer for your houses?” I ask them.

  “It seems wrong to cheer for people's deaths,” Ben explains.

  “But they might win, so wouldn’t it help to give them support?” Max asks.

  “It might. It’s just our personal beliefs. Nothing wrong with supporting your team,” Rodrick says quietly.

  We chat until the announcer comes back on.

  “Trial two is a teamwork challenge. We need to know the new Praesidium will be able to work with our representatives for the good of all Nightmares. They will be split into two teams. Each team will elect one member to take a deadly poison, while the other three find and make the antidote,” the announcer says. “The teams are as follo
ws: Coventry, Bock, Ray, and Michaels versus Crumble, Knightly, Glump, and Allen.”

  “This is unusual. They are making the houses work together in a unique way,” Ben says. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. My money is on the fact both teams poison the Dissident members.”

  “I bet you’re right,” I sigh.

  The men seperate in their teams and huddle together as if discussing the challenge ahead. A lone guard approaches each team and asks them something we can’t hear then exits the arena.

  “Michaels and Allen will be consuming the poison for each team,” the announcer says. “The have approximately forty-five minutes to create the antidote before their teammate dies. Good luck contestants.”

  Two tables rise up in the center of the arena. Each team takes their place behind a table. When a loud buzzer goes off, each Dissident member takes the poison, completely at the mercy of their teammates.

  “Will they actually work to save their team members?” I ask.

  “It’s hard telling. Since it’s a teammate challenge it would be dumb not to, but they might think it’s an easy way to thin out the competition,” Ben says.

  The team to my left which has Coventry, Bock, Ray and the poisoned Michaels are working quickly together, sifting through the books and gathering ingredients while Michaels is flopping around on the ground behind them.

  When I turn to look at the team on my right, they are slowly working towards finding the antidote, but each member is doing their own thing. They lack the teamwork of the other team. The Dissident Allen is flopping around on the floor behind them, and no one has glanced at him even once.

  A huge time is projected into the sky above the contestants, counting down their fates a second at a time. When the time reaches ten minutes, the Fury, Ray, on the left team rushes something back and shoves it in Michaels mouth. The man coughs and sputters, then relaxes for the first time.

  I turn my attention back to the team on the right. They are frantically mixing the ingredients together. Their actions becoming more frenzied with each passing second.

  The clock ticks down at a painfully slow rate before the buzzer goes off. The three men slump their heads in defeat as their teammate dies.