by K N Thompson
Walking deeper into the library, I notice that each section is divided by elaborate archways with the section name listed on a golden plates. We turn down a long row of romance books on our way to the next artifact.
As we approach the next glass display case, I begin to hear a low humming sound.
“Do you hear that?” I ask, stopping in my tracks.
“Hear what?”she responds.
We are suddenly stopped by the nice old guy named Alfred; I remember him from last night. He was the one that opened the main door and let us in. I wonder if he is the school welcomer or janitor, maybe he is just the gopher guy. You know the one person who always gets sent to deliver a message or grab the tools.
“Ms. Lawrence the headmaster would like to see you. If you do not know the way, your roommate is welcome to show you. Please hurry along; you don’t want to keep headmaster waiting.” He finishes in a sharp tone and a nod of his head.
“Yes sir. I will go see him right away,” I tug on Lydia's arm and she leads the way.
“He was a little snippy this morning. The last time I saw him he was so nice.” I tell her, making small talk on the way to the headmaster's office.
“Yeah, he’s an odd one but always helpful.”
We reach the stairs, step up, and appear in front of the headmaster's door.
“You know, I don’t think I will ever get used to the feeling of teleporting,” I tell Lydia with a chuckle.
“I promise once you learn to do it on your own, you will come to love it,” she laughs and knocks on the door.
“Come in,” Headmaster Gandore responds from the other side.
When we enter the room, the headmaster is not alone; a woman with hair as red as mine, but with purple and silver streaks, sits in the chair in front of his desk.
“Ms. Lawrence please have a seat. I hope you have been enjoying your time here so far?” he smiles before sitting back down behind his desk.
“Yes, everything has been fine except, I think I should apply for the scholarship for students with no living nightmare relatives,” I say looking at my hands.
“Well, I am glad you brought that up. I would like to introduce you to someone. This is your several times Great Aunt Nellie,” he says motioning to the lady across from him.
I look at her in astonishment, how can she be my several times great aunt and look as young as she does? This has got to be a joke… right?
“Hello Whisper, what the headmaster is telling you is true. I’m a seventh daughter just like you are. Now I know there are so many questions you want to ask me and I promise we’ll have plenty of time for that, but first listen to what I have to say and I’m sure it will all make more sense,” she explains, her voice soft, soothing, and elegant.
She’s right about one thing. I have so many questions going through my head right now that even if she was taking questions, I’m not sure where I’d begin. So I just nod and glance over at Lydia. She’s no help at all, just sitting on the edge of the seat, bouncing her knees like she’s watching the best movie ever. When she sees me looking at her, she gives me a thumbs up and a cheesy ass grin. Can you believe the friends I find myself with? Turning my attention back to my newly discovered aunt, I smile at her and she continues speaking.
“Now, I’m sure you have probably figured out why you have never heard of me, and I’m sorry that you can’t go back home to your family and friends you once knew,” she pauses for a second. I guess she’s giving me a chance to process what she just said.
“Why? Why can’t I ever go back home?” I ask, tears threatening to fill my eyes.
“Sweetie, once you are in the Nightmare world you can’t return to the human world, it’s not safe. If you went back home, you would be in danger and you would put the surrounding people in danger. This school was built especially for Nightmares. It’s where you can learn, grow, and develop your special powers,” she says as she watches carefully for my reaction.
"You mean that I wouldn't be safe from the Baku?" I see her eyes widen slightly at the mention of the name as the headmaster coughs and clears his throat.
"Yes, dear," the headmaster replies. "That is a concern, which we can discuss later. It's safer for you here, where you belong."
"I guess I have nowhere else to go," I reply as the reality of the situation dawns on me.
“If you’re worried about a home, I would love to have you come live with me when school is not in session,” Aunt Nellie explains. “I will cover all your tuition and school supplies. Better yet, let's go on a shopping spree, and you can even bring your roommate along. What do you say? Will you give me a chance?” she asks, hope filling her eyes.
“That would be great; although, it will take some time for me to get used to never seeing my family or best friend Sam again,” I tell her as my chin trembles.
“I would never try to replace your family sweetie. I just want you to know you have family in this world too, and you can come to me for anything and I will be there,” she smiles and leans over and places her hand on mine.
“Thank you Aunt Nellie. Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Ask away,” she laughs.
“How are you my several times great aunt but look like you are thirty?” I grit my teeth, hoping she is not offended by my question.
“Well, Nightmares age differently, we look twenty until our two-hundredth birthday, then we age ten years for every one-hundred years that we live,” she smiles as she sees the look on my face.
“Wow, now that’s an idea I can definitely get behind,” I tell her, picking my jaw up off the floor and laughing along with her.
“So are you ready to go shopping? You’ll need all of your school items and uniforms for class tomorrow,” she asks.
“Right now? You want to take me shopping today?” I ask dumbfounded by this woman’s offer. I look over to Lydia, and she’s nodding her head up and down so fast she looked like the Holy Ghost has gotten ahold of her.
“Looks like we are going shopping!” I say aloud to the room.
The headmaster stands up and shakes my aunt's hand.
“Thank you for coming. I knew you would want to meet her in person, and I hope you can help her understand her real history,” he says, a gleaming smile spreads across his face. He turns to me, “And Whisper, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
We all stand, thank the headmaster, and walk out the door, that now familiar feeling of folding in on myself hits me like a ton of bricks. All three of us reappear at the bottom of the stairs.
My aunt looks at us with a sly smile on her face and asks, “Ready?”
9
“So, where are we going?” I ask as we walk towards the gate.
“Has anyone explained to you how we live yet?” Aunt Nellie asks.
I shake my head and wait for her to respond.
"So, you asked earlier about the Baku. It is the reason it's not safe for Nightmares in the human world," she explains.
"Last night, when those guys came and got me, there was a girl who called out that name when she woke up and my house started to shake. I thought it was an earthquake but no one else in the house seemed fazed by it."
Suddenly, last night seemed like weeks ago. I'd been shoveled so much information in the last twelve hours it was a surprise I could still remember my name.
Aunt Nellie’s eyes grow wide. “Did you tell the headmaster about this?” she asks, her voice full of worry.
“No. After I was taken, everything just became a blur...until you mentioned it not being safe earlier and I remembered what happened,” I reply looking down at my shoes.
“It’s ok, but we need to make sure he’s aware when we get back. Now, where was I… Oh yes! So the Baku are a legend that eat Nightmares. All of our towns are located in pocket universes to hide from them. Once they get your scent, they are relentless,” Aunt Nellie shudders. “Enough about depressing matters. So we are going to the shopping district in Crowfall. It’s also where the Nightmare Council is lo
cated.”
“I’m so excited!” Lydia squeals. “My Nightmare family took me shopping in Reaper Ridge, where they live, but it’s tiny. I’ve always wanted to go to the capital!”
We reach the gate and step through. This time I’m prepared for the resistance as I push my way through the thick viscous jello. The pressure changes as I pop out the other side.
“Ok girls, hold my hands so we can be off,” Aunt Nellie says holding out her hands with a huge grin on her face.
I grab one hand and Lydia takes the other. Black tendrils creep out of Aunt Nellie, wrapping themselves around us until all light disappears. It feels like I’m folding in half then being stretched thin before solid ground appears under my feet again.
Aunt Nellie releases our hands and I look around as the tendrils fall away. Oh my God, is that Stonehenge? Are we in freaking England? I spin around, my jaw dropping open. These tendrils are real… What came out of my chest in those dreams are the same thing… I really am a Nightmare! If that’s the case I need to learn how to teleport ASAP!
“Yes, that is Stonehenge and we are in freaking England,” Aunt Nellie laughs as I look at her with dumbfounded curiosity. “And yes, you said that out loud. Nightmares can’t read each other’s minds.”
“Oh, good to know. But this is awesome. One question, where is the town?” I ask looking around the open field and busy highway.
Aunt Nellie chuckles. “Over here. Come on,” she says.
Lydia and I follow her as she walks up to the large stone structure then steps inside one of the archways and disappears. We run behind her, and as soon as I step between the giant stones, the now familiar feeling of pushing through jello hits me. How do they keep humans from stumbling into their towns with a location like this? As soon as we are on the other side, we are on the edge of a large town shopping district, the streets full of people walking around and occasionally wrapping themselves in black tendrils then disappearing.
“We need to get your uniforms, school supplies, and some clothes,” Aunt Nellie ticks off.
I look down at my feet, feeling guilty this strange relative has to pay my way.
“Whisper, look at me,” she says kindly. “I see that look and remember it well. I was in your place once. We have plenty of money, it’s not an inconvenience, and I want to do this. I really hope that we can become close. I miss having a family.”
Her voice is so genuine; it brings tears to my eyes that I quickly blink away. “Thank you,” I say.
“It really is my pleasure. I’ve been hoping our family would have another seventh so I could spoil them,” she winks at me, a huge smile on her face.
“Which side of my family are we related on?” I ask.
“That would be your mother’s side,” she responds.
I smile back and we walk down the busy road. The stores line either side of the cobblestone street with bright-colored awnings depicting their names. We stop in front of a storefront with a bright purple awning with the name Rift Jewelers on it.
“Let’s get your focus jewelry first. It will help you with your powers,” Aunt Nellie suggests, her eyes dancing with excitement.
“We need jewelry to use our powers?” Lydia asks, her face dropping.
“Yes, and no. It’s used as a focus to make the learning process easier and faster. We can do it without one though. Did you not receive yours?” Aunt Nellie questions, her face full of concern.
Lydia shakes her head, looking down at her feet.
“I guess we will have to change that,” Aunt Nellie says firmly. “Come on.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Lydia shakes her head, taking a step back.
“It’s my money, and I can spend it however I choose. Now get your tiny butts in this store,” Aunt Nellie replies, herding us through the door.
It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the dimmer lighting inside, but once they do I’m overwhelmed by the sheer size of this store. There are counters placed along the walls and in the middle, full of many jewelry items. Everything from rings and necklaces to brooches and pocket watches line every available surface.
“Ms Jackson, I’m sorry, we weren’t aware you were coming today or Mr. Black would have been here,” a petite black-haired woman rushes forward.
“That’s all right, Hilda. We’re here to shop, not talk business,” my aunt smiles at the woman. She then turns to us and grins, “I might have forgotten to mention I own all the Rift Jewelry stores.”
“Are you shopping for decoration or teleportation jewelry today?” Hilda asks.
“Both of these young ladies need their focus jewelry,” Aunt Nellie smiles proudly.
“Wonderful! Follow me,” Hilda says, leading us to a device at the back of the store. She points to it and says, “This device will read your energy and tell us what type of jewelry will be most compatible with you.”
“You go first,” I urge Lydia, not wanting to go first.
I’m terrified that it won’t work on me.The headmaster stated that most Nightmares, well...all Nightmares are classified in one house - not all of them. All of them except for me. What happens if the machine doesn't work for me? What if there isn't jewelry that will help me focus my power? What happens if it does work and everyone learns my secret? I'll be a freak here just like I was at home. Lydia shoots me a dirty look but sits in the chair in front of the device and waits for instructions.
“Now, place your palm on the metal plate and it will do the rest,” Hilda smiles at her.
The machine makes a buzzing noise as the plate where Lydia’s palm is, lights up. It runs for a few seconds before making a dinging noise and growing silent. Hilda stands behind it and looks at something then smiles at Lydia.
“Wonderful. Ruby, would work best for you. We’ll try a few to see which feels best to you,” Hilda explains before turning to me. “Your turn.”
Lydia jumps up smiling as I step forward, take a deep breath, and sit in the chair.
“How does it know what stone to match us with?” I ask, curious of how this process works.
“It reads your energy and matches you with the stone, or stones that best suit your personality,” Aunt Nellie explains.
“So, what does your focus jewelry look like?” I ask, seeing the hint of black lace peeking out above the collar of her shirt, stalling for time before taking my own reading.
She adjusts the necklace and shirt revealing a beautiful black lace choker with a giant oval sapphire hanging from it.
“That’s gorgeous, what does it mean?” I ask, staring at the gorgeous blue stone.
“Sapphires are a symbol of kindness, wise judgment, strength and power,” she smiles as she absently rubs the stone.
I place my hand on the metal plate and watch as it lights up. I feel a strange tingling sensation as the machine continues to buzz for a much longer time than it did for Lydia. Finally, it dings and the tingling stops.
Hilda has a shocked expression on her face. “Ms Jackson, could you look at this, please?” she asks, her voice straining to sound normal.
I bite my lip. Is there something wrong with my results? Am I not going to be matched with focus jewelry? What will that mean for me?
Aunt Nellie steps behind the machine and a large smile grows on her face.
“Whisper, I think you will be full of surprises!” she exclaims.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, the knot in my stomach lessening after seeing her smile.
“Nothing is wrong. The device has assigned you a very specific type of jewelry. I don’t know if that's ever happened before,” she explains tilting her head thoughtfully.
“Why me?” I ask. “What does that even mean?”
“You are special and the device reads what jewelry would be drawn to you. It’s not an exact science, but it is normally right,” Hilda shrugs.
“Oh, ok,” I reply. Terrified that this revelation means I will never outgrow the weird girl image I've had all my life. “Let’s pick out Lydia’s first then.”
Hilda leads us over to a display case full of red stone jewelry. She pulls out several rings, necklaces, and a couple of bracelets, laying them on a black velvet mat.
“Pick them up one at a time and see if you feel anything,” she tells Lydia.
Starting with the rings, she picks up one at a time and sets them back down, her face dropping each time. She goes through each piece laid out, and none of them seem to give her whatever feeling Hilda told her to look for.
“Are you sure it’s a ruby? Why would it choose that stone for me?” Lydia asks.
“Well, rubies are for people who are full of love, energy, and a zest for life. I would imagine those are traits that you possess,” Aunt Nellie smiles at her.
“Don’t get discouraged. We have lots of pieces,” Hilda smiles at her as she puts back the jewelry and pulls out more.
A ruby necklace on a black gold chain is laid in the middle and Lydia keeps eyeing it.
“Pick it up already,” I tease her.
She grabs the necklace, and a smile grows across her face immediately. “It’s this one!” she exclaims, clutching the necklace to her chest as if it’s something precious.
“Wonderful! Would you like me to help you put it on?” Aunt Nellie asks her.
“Is that all right?” Lydia asks, looking unsure of herself as she hands the necklace to Aunt Nellie.
“Of course. It’s yours now,” Aunt Nellie chuckles as she moves behind Lydia and places the necklace around her neck. She turns to me when she’s finished. “Now it’s your turn.”
After seeing the look of joy on Lydia’s face, I’m excited to see what I get. I’ve never been much for wearing jewelry, but a small necklace or ring would be perfect.
Hilda leads us to the back of the store, the jewelry in the display cases looking older as we pass by. I’m bouncing with anticipation as she stops in front of a case holding a matching set.
The necklace is a large, orange cameo fixed on a leather choker with lace accents. There are aged gold chains hanging down across the front with chocolate brown and white pearls attached to them. Flower shaped gold plates are fixed to either side of the cameo, with a white pearl in the middle and a cream-colored pearl on the outer side. Underneath the cameo is an orange lace flower with a cream-colored pearl on it. It’s stunning, but so much!