I shoot Ryland a short text.
Me: Sorry I slept late, message you when I get out of the shower.
Ryland: Can’t wait!
I throw the covers back and swing my legs over the side of the bed. Standing, I stretch my arms above my head before rushing to the bathroom to shower and get ready for what’s left of the day. When I finish with my morning routine, I grab my phone and shoot Ryland another text.
Me: All done. What’s up?
Ryland: Just wanted to see what you were doing tonight.
Me: Nothing that I know of.
Ryland: Awesome. Would you like to go out with me?
Me: I’d love too! What are we going to do?
Ryland: It’s a surprise. I’ll see you at six.
I can’t help the smile on my face as I make my way downstairs. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the smell of bacon lures me into the kitchen.
I take a deep breath. “Mmm, that smells amazing Gordon,” I say taking a seat at the bar.
“Why thank you, Miss Whisper. They are called crepes. It’s an old family recipe. They are like pancakes but a lot thinner,” Gordon says as he continues to swirl the batter in the pan.
I walk over grabbing a cup and filling it, adding my cream and sugar, and return to my seat. I sit there, enjoying the feel of the warm cup between my hands when Aunt Nellie walks in.
“I thought I heard voices,” she says walking over and giving me a small hug before grabbing a cup for herself.
She sits beside me with her coffee and takes a sip, relishing the flavor.
“Mmmm Gordon, is this a new blend?” she asks.
“Yes, Madam; it just arrived yesterday,” he says flipping the crepe in the pan.
“Whisper, I have to go into town today to do some Christmas shopping. Maybe call Lydia and we can have a girls’ day out. What do you think?” she asks, excitement in her words.
“Oh that would be fun! I could pick up a few gifts as well. Let me text Lydia,” I respond giddily.
Me: Hey want to go Christmas shopping with Aunt Nellie and I? We can catch up on all the new Korbin gossip.
Lydia: Yes! I can’t wait to tell you all the juicy details! I’ll leave now, see you soon.
“Lydia is on her way,” I say to Aunt Nellie.
Gordon walks over and sets two plates down in front of us filled with fruit and crepes and a bottle of real maple syrup.
“This looks wonderful, thanks Gordon,” I say picking up my fork.
I finish my breakfast just as there is a knock at the door. I open the door and come face to face with a bouncing Lydia.
She rushes forward and throws her arms around me. “I have so much to tell you,” she says, releasing me.
“Good you’re here,” Aunt Nellie says, clasping her hands together. “I hope you’re wearing comfy shoes cause we are going to shop till we drop.”
“We’re so ready,” Lydia bounces on the balls of her feet.
Aunt Nellie grabs her purse from the hall table and out the door we go. Once outside the house, we teleport to the main entry point of Graymire before continuing on to Stonehenge, the entry point to the capital city Crowfall.
Once we step through the entry point, Aunt Nellie grabs our hands and teleports us to the biggest mall I have ever seen.
“Whoa, where are we?” I ask, looking up at the three story, black glass building.
“This is the Crowfall Emporium. It has tons of stores and an amazing food court,” she says.
Aunt Nellie digs through her purse and pulls out a pouch of money. “Here, you girls go have fun. I’ll catch up with you later. I have a few items to pick up for my guys.”
We enter the mall and go our separate ways. Lydia and I wander from store to store picking out gifts and enjoying the girl time.
We were standing at the register in one of the last stores we planned to visit and my stomach chooses that moment to growl.
Lydia’s eyes grow big as she glances over at me. “Don’t you ever feed that thing?” she asks, giggling.
“Well it has been around four hours since I ate breakfast,” I reply shrugging my shoulders and rubbing my stomach.
“Let’s check out the food court. I could really go for some Chinese food,” she says as we walk out of the shop.
We could tell we were getting near the food court when the smell of fresh pizza hits me in the face, causing my stomach to growl again; this time it sounds more angry than before.
“That pizza smells amazing,” I say, hooking my arm through Lydia’s.
We get our food and sit down to eat.
“So I have something exciting to tell you,” Lydia says. “It’s official; we are dating!”
“Oh my gosh, that is great! I am so excited for you,” I say. “But now I need to know all the deets. Did you kiss him? Is he a good kisser? He isn’t sloppy is he?” I ask, peppering her with questions.
“Whisper slow down. He took me to dinner and a movie. Then when he took me home, he walked me to the door and kissed me. It was a really soft and sweet kiss, and it was wonderful,” Lydia replies with a dreamy far away look in her eyes.
I reach over and stab a piece of steamed broccoli off her plate, which brings her back to reality.
“I saw that,” she says laughing. “I can’t help but think about him, we have another date tonight. When are you going to go on a date?”
Just as I am about to answer her question, my phone goes off. I swipe my phone; it’s a text from Ryland.
Ryland: I can’t wait to see you tonight.
Me: Me too!
I feel my cheeks redden as I tuck my phone back in my pocket.
“I was actually about to tell you that I have a date with Ryland tonight!”
“What? Well it’s about time!” Lydia exclaims.
“Shhh, people are staring at us. Yes, I’m serious, that was who just texted me. He is picking me up tonight at six,” I reply, showing her the message from Ryland.
Lydia reads the message and hands the phone back to me. “I’m so excited for you.”
“Excited for her about what?” Aunt Nellie asks as she walks up to the table and takes a seat with us.
“Umm, Ryland asked me out,” I say nervously not sure what Aunt Nellie is going to say.
“Well that’s fantastic!” she exclaims.
“It is?” I ask, a dumbfounded look on my face.
“I’ve seen the way he watches you, and the way he acts around you,” she says smiling at me before checking her makeup in her mirror then returning it to her purse. “I knew it wouldn’t be long before he caved to your irresistible beauty and personality.”
My eyes widen and I can feel my cheeks heat up as I look at Lydia. This is not what I expected Aunt Nellie to say. Lydia grins from ear to ear excitedly bouncing her knee.
“So you don’t mind him picking me up at six?” I ask just to be sure I heard her correctly.
“Heavens no. You are growing up and I trust you to make good choices,” she says picking a small piece of lint off her skirt and then checking her watch. “Lydia, are you coming home with us?”
“No. I have a date tonight with Korbin,” Lydia responds shyly.
“Then we must get going; you girls only have a few hours to get ready,” she says, smiling as she stands up and straightens her skirt.
We return our trays and grab our things. After dropping Lydia off, we return home. I drop my bags off in my room and search out Ezra.
I find him in his office sitting in front of an unfinished portrait of Aunt Nellie with a paint pallet in one hand and a paintbrush in another. I stand at the door and watch the way he manipulates the paint, causing just the right splash of color on her lips.
Ezra must have felt me watching him because he slowly turns around and smiles at me. “Enjoying the show?” he asks.
“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, but I couldn’t stop watching you paint. It’s so beautiful,” I reply, ashamed that I got caught spying.
&nbs
p; “It’s fine Whisper. I don’t mind people watching me paint. I actually like being watched,” he says, giving me a wink. “What can I help you with?”
“I went shopping with Aunt Nellie today and came up with an idea. Do you think you could design a few t-shirts for me?” I ask.
“I would love to help. What are you thinking?” he asks, picking up his sketchpad and pencil.
After giving Ezra all the details on my new idea. I head off to get ready for my date with Ryland when I run into Sam at the top of the stairs.
“Hey! What have you been up to all day?” I ask.
“Nothing much just hanging out with Rodrick playing a little Call of Duty Black Ops. What about you? Where did you run off to?” he asks, sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall.
“Lydia and I went shopping with Aunt Nellie. Now I’m going to get ready to go out with Ryland. He said it was a surprise,” I reply, hoping it doesn’t hurt his feelings. Especially after overhearing the conversation the other night.
There is a brief expression of disappointment on Sam’s face before he schools his emotions with a smile.
“Just remember to keep your options open,” he says, winking at me as he pushes himself off the wall. “You never know when opportunity will knock.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure to call Max,” I say, throwing my head back and laughing as I walk into my room.
Chapter 6
I shut the door behind me and walk over to my closet, wishing I would have looked for a new outfit today. I rummage through my clothes deciding on black skinny jeans, an emerald green, three-quarter sleeved blouse, and black ballet flats.
I pin my hair into an updo and then pull out small strand to create the ringlets around my face. I apply a small amount of gloss to my lips and add eyeshadow and eyeliner to my eyes.
Glancing at the clock, I realize the time. Ryland should be here any moment. I grab my purse and head downstairs. Just as I reach the bottom of the steps, there's a knock on the door.
I walk over and open it to reveal Ryland standing there with that same ‘make Whisper melt’ grin he gives me at school. He is wearing jeans and a nice button up shirt.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi. You look beautiful. Are you ready?” he asks, holding his hand out for me to take.
I take his hand, and the same familiar warmth I’ve felt many times before envelopes my hand and releases the butterflies in my stomach.
“Where are we going?” I ask as we walk down Aunt Nellie’s front walk.
“I want to take you somewhere special, but first let’s grab something to eat,” he says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and teleporting.
When we reappear we are standing in front of a small white house that looks like it has been turned into a restaurant. The candles in the windows give it an intimate and romantic feeling.
“This is Bella Vita, it means ‘the beautiful life’ and they have really good food,” he says, opening the door for me.
I step through the doorway onto the plush red carpet. The aroma of fresh chopped herbs and baking bread reach my nose, causing me to smile. I have to admit the boy has style.
“Welcome to Bella Vita,” the young brown-haired hostess says. I glance at her name tag and it reads Rebecca. Ryland speaks to the hostess while I take in the atmosphere.
There are small wooden tables with white linen tablecloths spread out across the open floor plan. In the center of each table sits a single candle casting shadows on cloth napkins folded in abstract forms.
Rebecca shows us to a corner table and Ryland pulls my chair out for me.
“Thank you,” I say, scooting my chair under the table.
“You’re welcome,” Ryland grins, sitting down across from me.
The hostess places our menus in front of us. “Your waitress will be with you shortly,” she says, smiling sweetly before returning to her position at the front door.
I open my menu and skim through it quickly before looking up at Ryland.
“What’s good here?” I ask, shifting in my seat before crossing my legs.
Ryland looks up over the top of his menu. “Well I know the pizza is good,” he says grinning.
“Then pizza it is,” I reply.
The waitress takes our order then brings our drinks and a basket of fresh garlic bread with a side of homemade marinara sauce for dipping. My mouth waters as I place one on my plate.
“Are you excited for Christmas?” Ryland asks, between bites of his own garlic bread.
I dab the corners of my mouth before answering. “Yes, I am. I was wondering if you would like to come over on Christmas? You know after you have finished with your family?” I ask, taking another bite.
About that time our waitress brings our pizza and sets it in the center of our table then places a spatula under one of the slices. Ryland nods at her, she smiles and walks away with her cheeks a bit pinker than when she walked up. As we eat, we continue the conversation we were having before the waitress delivered our food.
“I’d like to come over. I have something special for you,” he says, mischief dancing in his eyes.
“I still need to ask the others as well. You’re the first,” I say blushing.
I smile at him and then turn my attention back to finishing my food.
“Oh! Did you hear about Korbin and Lydia?” I ask.
Ryland looks at me with a confused look before shaking his head. “No, what about them?” he asks, taking the last bite of his pizza.
“They are officially dating. Isn’t that awesome?” I say excitedly. “I’m so happy for her.”
His brows shoot up. “That’s the first I’ve heard about it, but Korbin deserves someone sweet and caring in his life,” he says, smiling sweetly.
“I agree. I think the two of them are perfect for each other,” I reply, standing up and slipping my purse over my left shoulder.
Ryland leaves the money on the ticket tray and stands, pushing his chair under and then holding his hand out to me. “Are you ready to see the next part of our date?” he asks.
I nod my head then reach out and take his hand.
As soon as we touch, the butterflies in my stomach burst into a flurry of movement that takes my breath away.
Ryland leads us out the door, making sure to hold it open for me.
“What’s the big surprise?” I ask, the light scent of limes and coconut drifting over me as I walk beside him.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he chuckles.
“Yes, just don’t drop me in an ocean or in a den of lions,” I reply, trying hard to keep a straight face.
I can’t hold it any longer, before I throw my head back and laugh. Ryland nudges me with his shoulder and begins to laugh with me.
I look down at our intertwined fingers and a small shiver runs through me as he teleports us to the main entry point of Graymire.
As I start to walk toward the entry point, Ryland pulls me back. I gasp and then stumble into his waiting arms.
“Ryland!” I exclaim. “Why did you pull me back?”
He pulls me closer, letting his lips skim my ear as he steadies me on my feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says looking a little wounded. “I just thought I would go through first… you know… in case something’s out there.”
Stepping back, I give him a sweet smile. “Lead the way, my protector,” I giggle, giving him a low curtsy.
I watch as he walks through the entry point and disappears. It’s only a few seconds before he pokes his head back through and motions me forward.
“Coast is clear,” he says, winking at me.
I walk through the entry point like I’ve done many times before. Once on the other side, I shiver, pulling my coat tighter around myself as the cold winter wind whips around my body.
Ryland takes my hand and teleports us again. What greets me when we reappear is something I’ve never seen before.
All the plants are glowing!
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“Ryland! It’s beautiful, where are we? And what is this?” I ask, trying to restrain all the questions I have for him.
“This is Rotorua, New Zealand. To humans, it looks normal but to Nightmares, it looks like a whole other world,” he says, taking my hand and guiding me forward.
We walk towards the edge of the big flat rock we are standing on. Leaning forward and looking into the water is breathtaking.
All the plant life below the surface of the crystal clear water is illuminated in a bright variety of colors. The sun is going down and a thick layer of swirling fog has rolled in, covering half of the large pool.
As my eyes travel upward, looming before me is the tallest waterfall I’ve ever seen. The plant life has taken up home along the cliff face behind it, causing the water to look like it’s glowing in a vast array of colors. The trees lining the banks look similar to willows but with purple flowing limbs that sway with the gentle breeze coming off the falls.
“How are we able to see this?” I ask, still staring in awe of the picturesque scene lying before me.
“During the day we can’t see the bioluminescent plants, but at night this cove turns into something you would see in a sci-fi movie,” he replies, “We see this way because it helps us feed.”
Ryland clears his throat, catching my attention. When I turn around, he’s sitting on an oversized blanket on the ground with a small basket in the middle.
“Have a seat,” he says, tossing a grape into his mouth. “The show is about to start.”
“What show?” I ask, looking back over my shoulder. “I don't see anyone but us.”
“Up there,” he says, now lying on his back with his arm behind his head. “Tonight’s meteor shower is about to begin. We have the best seats in the house and I brought snacks.”
I look up as the first meteor shoots brightly across the sky. They seem so close out here away from all the noise and lights of the city.
“It’s very peaceful here,” I whisper, taking a deep breath and letting is out slowly.
“I found this place not long after my seventeenth birthday,” Ryland says, a hint of sadness in his voice. “I needed a place to get away and think. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate everything my Nightmare family is doing for me…” he trails off.
Trial By Nightmare (Academy of Broken Dreams Book 2) Page 4