"There are those in all the houses that believe they are superior to the sevenths." She pauses for a moment, as if she’s trying to find the right words. "But there are also many of us who don't. Both of my parents are Dissidents. Because they had me, I'm a born Nightmare, but I still come from them. It's a messed up, broken system."
"I agree with that." I meet her eyes.
I never considered we could have allies in the other houses just because of their lineage. How messed up is a system which scrutinizes a group of people, then accepts their children with open arms. We need to find out who in the other houses could be potential allies somehow. I’ll ask Ryland if he can find out. He seems to get along with just about everyone.
We run out of time and teleport back to the school. When I reach my room, Alfred is waiting with my lunch. I thank him as I take the tray, then sit at my desk and eat alone. When I finish eating, Alfred comes back with a message as he collects my tray.
"They have cancelled your classes for the rest of the day Miss Lawrence." Then he turns and walks to the door.
"Do you know why?" I tilt my head, trying to figure out why I’m not being taught anymore today.
"I'm sorry. I'm just the messenger. They don't tell me much." He grimaces before scurrying out of the room.
I flop back on my bed in frustration after he leaves. If I can't attend classes, that means even less human interaction, not that they are human in the first place. On the bright side, I don’t have to see Mr. Tesla. He's a jerk even on his friendliest days. I think back to the powers I learned about from the moonstone memories. Maybe I can contact one of my guys, since it said he could share thoughts.
I focus on Finn, wondering what he's doing now. I open my mind and a clear tendril shoots out of my chest and through the door. I ride along with it, even though my body stays in my bed. I grow dizzy as it darts down hallways, then passes through walls. I flinch every time I travel through something solid, as if it could hurt me. A few seconds later Finn comes into view, and I slam right into his forehead.
"What the hell was that?" I hear Finn think.
"Finn? Can you hear me?" My voice rising in pitch.
"Whisper? Where are you?" I watch through his eyes as he turns his head, searching for me.
"My body is in my room, but I figured out thought sharing. This is super freaky!" I try not to panic. "I can hear what you're hearing and see what you're seeing too."
"That's incredibly useful. It was strange when you entered my mind, though. It was a bright flash of white. I assumed I was developing a migraine. Not that I've ever had one before," He shrugs his shoulders.
The classroom door opens as the intercom comes to life.
“All Caballine students please report to your commons room for your new class schedule.”
"This is bullshit!" Korbin stands and shouts.
"You can't do this to us, we are born," another girl protests.
"Either exit the classroom in an orderly fashion or you will be removed forcefully with repercussions," The announcement comes from a slimy man standing near the doorway.
"Who is that?" I nod in the man’s direction.
"One of Coventry's advisers," Finn’s eyes dart to the man. "I don't know his name, but he's been around for a few days."
Suddenly, I'm pulled back into my own body, as if someone tied a rope around my waist and yanked hard. My head spins as I open my eyes, my lungs burning as I gasp for breath.
"What is wrong with you?" Alexis hisses. "You weren't breathing."
"No clue," I wheeze as I catch my breath. "Why are you here?"
Her eyes grow dark. "Daddy dearest insisted I spend more time with you," she growls. “Have you figured out why he’s interested in you?"
"I don't know, but I wish he wasn't," I shake my head.
"I don't blame you." There’s a warmth to the way her brow furrows and her eyes narrow as she examines me. "You need to go to the nurse’s office. I seriously thought you were dead."
"Fine. I'll go get checked out." I try to stand, my hackles raising. I don’t need anyone’s pity, especially not hers.
My legs wobble and give out on me, and I crash to the ground.
"Ugh, let me help you," Alexis grits her teeth.
She grabs my arm roughly and teleports us to the nurse's office. As soon as I'm on a cot, Alexis takes off, leaving me alone with the nurse. At least she didn't let me die. What would have happened if I stayed in Finn's head any longer?
The nurse checks me over and tells me to rest for a while. I close my eyes and drift off to a restless nap full of monsters wanting to eat my soul.
Chapter 5
I’m woken up by the heaviness of a hand gently shaking my shoulder. “Whisper, Whisper dear, it’s time to wake up.”
I sit up scanning her office. “How long was I out?” I yawn and rub the sleep from my eyes.
“A few hours.” She calls over her shoulder as she walks over to her desk and picks up a yellow piece of paper. “This will excuse you from the classes you missed today. I hope you aren’t coming down with something.” She hands me the paper then turns away, shaking her head.
Why didn’t she know classes were canceled for the rest of the day? Maybe it was just my mentoring sessions. It makes sense they were, given they separated out another house today...
I stand up, my legs are a little shaky but at least I can stand. I give the nurse a small wave and then step out the door. Taking a few steps down the hallway, I start to pull the inky black tendrils around myself to teleport back to my room when it dawns on me, I’m free and no one knows I’m not there.
I let the tendrils recede then stroll down the hallway like I belong here. What can I do with this new found freedom? I don’t have a set destination as I try to figure out how I should spend my time. Part of me wants to go to one of my guys or Lydia, but something tells me now would be a good time to try and find answers.
I slink down the halls, making my way to the front office. Hopefully, the headmaster is out, or there’s something in his assistant's office. This is a crazy idea, but I don’t know what else to do. I stick close to the wall, trying to find shadows to hide in, terrified I’m going to get caught. As I turn the corner to the main foyer, the slimy guy I saw from inside Finn’s head steps out of a doorway. I jump back and flatten myself against the wall, afraid he saw me.
“All is going as planned, Mr. Praesidium. Caballine has been separated and will be incorporated into the training program by next week.” His gruff voice makes my skin crawl as he walks past the mouth of the hallway.
Does this mean Coventry wants all of the houses other than Empyrean in his military by the end of this? The slimy man’s voice grows quieter until I can barely hear it. I slowly slide forward against the wall to the end of the hallway and peek around the corner. He’s stationed himself in front of the stairway to the office. Well, crap. I guess the library it is.
I glance back and forth down the hallway then wrap myself in tendrils and teleport to the library. As soon as I can move, I open the doors and slip inside, sticking close to the outside walls, not wanting to run into anyone.
As I make my way deeper into the rows of shelves, I peruse the titles, hoping to find something on the pocket universes that could help me figure out what Coventry is up to. Considering everything he has is in ancient books that people don’t know exist, I’m not confident that I’ll find anything here.
I hear a strange noise and panic, flattening myself next to a bookshelf. It seemed like a good idea, until I find myself falling backwards. The bookcase is a hidden door! I quickly stand up and watch as the door closes itself, barely leaving a seam to show where the doorway is. I sneeze as the dust I stirred up when falling, hits my nose.
Spinning around, I take in the secret room. The long stone walls seem to stretch on forever. A thick layer of dust coats everything, but I can make out a solid wood desk with a leather chair. The walls are partitioned into smaller archways each one lined in bookshelves f
ull of leather-bound books. As I take everything in, I notice a second floor, but no stairs to access it. I wonder what is in there. This room appears to have been forgotten in time. I wonder when the last time someone was actually in here.
A small stained-glass window filters in dim lighting. I wish there was a lamp so I could see better. There is no electricity in this room that I can find, but there is an oil lamp on the desk. I brush the dust off of it but have no way of lighting it. Guess I’ll have to make do with the window for now.
There’s an open book on the desk. I lean forward and blow the dust off the pages and squint as I try to make out the writing.
Cataloging the ancient books is taking longer than I had anticipated. After learning of the prophecy, I found it imperative to save our history for the one who will usher in the new era. This information cannot be trusted in the hands of our government. They have hidden enough from our people.
If you find this room, I hope you leave it undisturbed. The future of our species depends on it. If you are the person prophesied, I’m sorry I was unable to finish my work as my death is imminent.
Wow! That’s kind of heavy. Someone spent their dying days trying to catalog all of the books is this library for someone they couldn’t prove existed. I might not be the person he was doing this for, but I need to learn everything I can, without Coventry peering over my shoulder.
I flip to the beginning of the journal.
As the houses fall into disrepair, a champion will come from the outside world. Strife will seem to follow her at every turn, but alone she will unite our worlds and bring a new era of peace.
The government will fall as the old ways re-alight. Against the odds she will stand and bring back all that has been lost.
Is this the prophecy he spoke of? I turn the page and continue reading.
I wish I could deduce when this event will happen, but there are no indicators. The houses seem stable for now, other than the apparent disgust at Dissident house. Though as a scholar I cannot understand this mindset. Based on everything I read, we all originated from humans at some point in our lineages.
I am putting together a list of books I’ve found in the ancient tongue, in hopes of having resources available for this person if they actually exist in the future, as well as a guide to teach the language. We cannot know for sure that the government won’t keep this information hidden from those who would need it most, so I have chosen to keep the works hidden here at the academy. Logic dictates the person coming from the outside world would be a Dissident, so they would have to start their studies here. If I only knew how to inform them of the resources. That will be something I need to work on.
I flip through several more pages and find it’s more entries of this person keeping records of their progress. From what I’ve read, it doesn’t appear they ever found a way to alert the person of this room.
What I really want to do is find cleaning supplies and a light source. I could use this as my personal library. Maybe the others could even help me. A smile grows across my lips as I think about seeing them in person. Finn would be best for this task. His brain works in such different ways…
I close my eyes and picture him, hoping it’s enough to find him and wrap the tendrils around myself, not even worried about where he might be in my excitement.
“Whisper?” Finn's shocked voice makes me open my eyes.
I glance around and see we are in his dorm room, though there’s only one bed. Interesting, I thought everyone had roommates.
“Finn! I need to show you something. Do you have a flashlight or portable lamp?” I grin, trying not to jump up and down.
“I have a lantern I use for reading in bed sometimes.” He tilts his head, his brow furrowed in concern.
“Grab it.” I wave my hands at him to hurry.
He shakes his head as he walks over to the bed then kneels and pulls the lantern out from beneath it. I skip forward and grab his hand without saying anything, wrap my tendrils around us, and teleport us back to the secret library I found.
“What is this?” Finn’s eyes grow wide as he gazes around the room.
“It’s the answers to everything.” I whisper, afraid someone will overhear us. “I snuck into the library and accidently fell in.”
He switches on the lantern and sets it on the desk then walks over and studies the journal I read before collecting him.
“This is extraordinary.” He gasps. “We need to learn everything we can. I believe you are the savior.”
“What?” My jaw drops open. “I am different, but that doesn’t mean…”
My mind is whirling. Did someone in the past really see me coming? I mean… the stone seemed to know me, and they seemed to think that someone would need the information they had. I guess it’s not too farfetched that they were operating under the same information as this man.
“It’s only logical. We need to clean this place up and learn to read this language.” Finn taps his chin. “I wonder if your tutor would share his knowledge with me?”
“That’s brilliant! We could ask him in the dreamworld.” A smile spreads across my face. “Then we could both study the books for answers.”
“It’s as good of a plan as any.” He nods. “I’ll start searching for the guide this man wrote and see if I can start learning from it.”
“How do you know it was a man?” I ask.
“I’m assuming. It could have been a woman, but the handwriting appears more masculine to me.” He shrugs. “We should get cleaning supplies and make this room more habitable before continuing.”
“I agree.” I step closer to Finn and he grabs my hand.
We are teleported to a supply closet. Finn starts grabbing cleaning supplies and piling them in my arms. When he’s finished, he grabs a broom and mop then teleports us back to the library.
“This would go faster with help.” He tilts his head to the side. “Though given the time, I don’t know that anyone but Max is available.”
“I can’t see him cleaning.” I laugh at the thought.
“He might surprise you. If you want to get started, I’ll go get him. It’s safer for me to travel around than it is for you.” Finn smiles as he wraps himself in his tendrils and disappears.
I grab a rag and some dusting spray before starting on the desk. I carefully remove everything and place it on the floor then get to work. By the time Finn returns with Max, the desk is shining a beautiful red cherry color.
“You weren’t kidding.” Max whistles as his eyes sweep across the room.
“Shhh.” Finn and I both hush him.
“We don’t want anyone to find out about this place. We need to be quiet.” I scowl at him.
“Sorry. Where do you want me to start?” Max nods.
“Why don’t you start on the bookshelves on the left.” I point to the rags on the floor.
“I’ll finish the desk and chair if you want to check out the books.” Finn offers.
I give him a smile and head to the shelves on the right. I grab the first book and carefully pull it out and run the rag across it, freeing the dust encasing the old book. I run my finger down the buttery leather spine as the letters glow and spin into life, forming the words Astral Projection. Placing the book carefully on the desk, I move onto the next one.
We methodically move through the library shelf by shelf, removing the buildup of time until Finn glances at his watch.
“We should replace the books and call it a day. It is nearly dinner time.” He gazes at me, his eyes full of worry.
“Crap! I hope I beat Alfred.” My eyes widened, worried that he will discover I was missing.
“Go ahead and head back. Finn and I can take care of this.” Max walks over and wraps his arms around me in a brief hug.
“Thank you.” I smile up at him. “And thank you Finn, you both rock.”
When Max releases me, I rush over and give Finn a quick hug before teleporting back to my room.
Chapter 6
&nbs
p; As the tendrils drop away, I stare at Alfred sitting at my table by the window.
“I…” My mouth moves but I can’t get the words to come out. Crap! I’m caught.
“Good evening, Miss Lawrence. Did you have a good day?” Alfred stands up and begins placing my dinner and silverware from the tray to the table.
“This day has been… odd and I’m exhausted.” I flop down in a chair.
Why isn’t he saying anything?
“I trust you have a good reason for being out of your room?” He cocks his head as he waits for an answer.
“Oh… um…” I stutter then remember the note the nurse gave.
I dig in my pocket and hand it to him.
“This would excuse your absence had you come back when you left the nurse’s office.” He chuckles. “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me. It’s probably better if you don’t. Then I can’t report it. All I know is you went to the nurse’s office and came back here.”
“Thank you.” I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“In the future, maybe leave this on your table if you aren’t going to make it back before I arrive. I’ll leave your food and leave knowing you are tucked away safe in your lessons somewhere.” He winks as he hands me a flat red stone.
“Thank you.” I smile up at him. Maybe Alfred will be a powerful ally to have while trapped in this room.
I turn to my food, and my mind is spinning. I can’t focus as I keep running today’s events through my head.
So, when I borrowed Flynn's mind... I stopped breathing. Note to self, it's not wise to borrow someone’s mind when you have no idea the repercussions of doing so. But there has to be a way to use this power safely.
The library and all the potential to be found there, and now Alfred helping me gain a small bit of freedom. It’s just been crazy.
I’m so lost in thought I don't even notice Alfred leaving until I hear the door closing behind him. Sighing, I stand up and change into more comfortable clothing before eating dinner. My eyelids are heavy and won't stay open, even as I try to finish my meal. Using the mind traveling ability definitely takes more out of me than the other abilities I’ve learned.
Obstruction By Nightmare (Academy of Broken Dreams Book 3) Page 4