by K N Thompson
“Benedict,” the final man waves with a grin on his face. Blue and gold streak through his jet black hair.
“Nice to meet you all,” I reply, feeling a bit dumbfounded. I’ve never met someone with more than one husband before. How does that even work?
“So…. Is that normal in Nightmare society? Multiple husbands?” Lydia asks bluntly.
“Not exactly,” Ezra says. “We met in school and hit it off and well… one thing lead to another.”
“Typically, people date and marry within their own houses. We also broke that,” Rodrick grins. “I’m a Fury, Ben is Caballine, and Ezra is Empyrean. My family lost their heads when I married Nellie.”
“Mine got over it when they learned she was loaded,” Ezra shoots her a cheeky grin.
“Dinner is almost ready. Why don’t we continue this conversation at the table? My feet are killing me,” Aunt Nellie announces then rolls her eyes at Ezra.
We follow her down the hallway and into a large, formal dining room. The table is large enough to seat twelve people. Aunt Nellie sits at the head of the table then pats the seat to her right. I sit down next to her, Lydia sitting to my left. The men seat themselves across from us and we continue chatting and learning about each other while we wait for dinner to be served.
“So, what do you all do for a living?” I ask, looking at the men across from me.
“I’m a clothing designer. I own several chains. Human Trends is the most popular one, followed by Dreamscapes,” Ezra winks. Man that guy is a silver fox!
“We went shopping there today, but I’m afraid design is lost on me. I’m a basic jeans and t-shirt kinda girl,” I reply, shrugging my shoulders.
“That’s ok. I’ll get you into Dreamscapes one day,” he shoots me a cheeky grin. “It’s Nightmare fashion and way different than you find in the human world.”
“Oh, that would be so cool!” Lydia exclaims, clapping her hands together and reminding me of Shadow. A sudden pang of homesickness washes over me but I try to shake it off.
“What about the rest of you?” I ask as Gordon brings out bowls of salad and sets them in front of each of us.
“I’m a doctor, specifically a pediatrician,” Rodrick flashes a killer smile.
“And I am on the Caballine council, I know, politics aren’t nearly as exciting as these two,” Benedict says with an exaggerated eye roll.
The men and Aunt Nellie regale us with stories from their time at the academy as we eat our salads and move on to the main course. We quickly demolish the roast and veggies. I’m stuffed by the time dessert comes out. It’s a pie looking dessert with cherries in it. Aunt Nellie catches me inspecting it.
“It’s Cherry Clafoutis,” she explains. “A French dessert. Mind the cherries, they still have pits.”
I take a bite and am amazed by the explosion of flavor on my tongue. The pie is heavy and sweet, coupled with the tart cherries. I somehow find room to finish the entire thing.
Once everyone has finished eating Aunt Nellie looks at the clock. “We need to get you girls back to the academy. It’s getting late,” she says, her face dropping.
“It’s been an amazing day. Thank you for everything,” I stand up and wrap my arms around her.
“My pleasure, Whisper. I’m looking forward to getting to know each other better,” she smiles at me.
She holds out her hands for Lydia and I to grab. The second we have ahold of her the black tendrils wrap around us and we find ourselves at the edge of town.
“Sorry we can’t just teleport straight there. These pocket universes just don’t allow teleporting between them. Wouldn’t it be nice though?” Aunt Nellie says before walking through the portal.
We quickly follow her through and she grabs our hands as soon as we are on the other side. This time the teleporting stretches us further than I thought possible as we travel halfway across the world, landing in the field in Kansas. We cross through the portal and the large castle of a school comes into view.
“What’s your room number?” Aunt Nellie asks before taking our hands again.
“One thirteen,” I reply then black tendrils wrap around us and we are in our room when they disappear.
“I wish I could stay longer, but I need to get back home.” Aunt Nellie says, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. “All of your things should be here, and I programmed my number into your cell phone so call if you need anything.”
“Thank you for everything,” I reply, realizing I’m sad she has to leave already.
“You’ll come stay Christmas with me, right?” she asks, a hopeful look in her eyes.
“Of course,” I nod.
“Talk to you soon,” she smiles before wrapping herself in the black tendrils and disappearing.
“I really need to learn to do that,” I tell Lydia as I move to my side of the room and examine the mountain of packages on my bed.
We put our stuff away, and when Lydia finishes with her comforter and towels, she comes over and helps me hang up my clothes. Finally, everything's in its place and my side of the room feels more homey. I grab my shower stuff and take off down the hall to the communal bathroom.
Thankfully, it’s empty, so I take a quick shower, put on my pj’s, brush my teeth, and hurry back to my room. I lie down, intending to chat to Lydia for a little while about our busy day, but I fall asleep before I can open my mouth.
12
My alarm goes off at nine, I roll over on my back rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Class doesn’t start until ten but I want to make sure I am properly dressed and everything is in place. I turn off the alarm and sit up on the side of the bed and look over at Lydia, and she is sitting up in bed with her hair sticking up in every which direction. I can’t say much, my hair is a big frizzy mess and I have to figure out how to tame it. I stand up and stretch.
“Good morning,” I mumble to Lydia as I walk over to my closet and pull out the long Victorian black dress holding it up. I am not sure why the Victorian era was chosen but I really think the dress and era are beautiful. Laying the dress across my bed, I turn and grab the pair of black leather lace-up boots and place them by the bed. They come to just below my calf and have a short, wide square heel. I gather my bathroom items and notice Lydia has fallen back to sleep. I walk over shaking her shoulder lightly.
“Lydia, it’s time to get up; we will be late to breakfast, and they will be all out of the good items you love,” I coax her. “Plus, I'm going to need a good dose of caffeine if I'm going to make it through this day.”
“Ok, I’m up, Mother,” she says, sitting up on the edge of her bed and waving her hand at me.
I head down the hall to the bathroom; luckily there is a sink open, so I can get in, brush my teeth, wash my face, and then I head back to my room. I walk over to my dresser and apply my eyeshadow, blush, and just a touch of lip gloss, before turning my attention to my frizzy hair. I tried a few different styles and settle on a French twist. I slip into the long, black velvet dress. Adjusting the shoulders just right so the v-cut in the front doesn’t show too much. I sit down on the edge of the bed and lace up my boots. I stand up and look at myself in the full-length mirror, a few stray locks of hair have fallen and frame my face. I can say I have never looked so pretty, but now I have to add my focus jewelry. It’s not like I don’t already stand out but the jewelry will make everyone look at me. Sighing, I hear the door open and glance at the clock. If Lydia doesn’t hurry, we will have to skip breakfast altogether and I need my coffee.
“Lydia, is there anything I can do to help you get ready?” I ask her patiently.
“No, I am up and going now; it won’t take me long. Don’t worry, we will get you your coffee,” she says, giggling while brushing her hair and adding her makeup.
We hit the door running, already knowing it will be a busy day. The breakfast line isn’t that long so we can grab our food and sit quickly. I pick up my coffee and let the aroma wash over me then take a small sip.
“M
mm, this is so good, just what I needed to finish waking me up,” I tell Lydia, while she stuffs pancakes in her mouth.
We finish eating, put our trash away, and head to the assembly hall; it's a welcome back to school type of thing. It is strange starting school so late, but Nightmare’s do things differently than humans do. As we make our way to the section for the sevenths, I notice students stop and stare then whisper among themselves.
Damn, I knew it. I knew everyone would stare at me.
“Lydia, why are they staring and whispering?” I ask her, looping my arm through hers for assurance.
“Pay them no attention, none of them have any business of their own, so they need to gawk,” she says, squeezing my arm letting me know it will be ok.
I straighten my back and hold my head high and continue on.
Come on Whisper, you can do this; they’re staring at your jewelry. Just like people did the day you walked out of the store. I remember what my Aunt Nellie said, “The bigger the jewelry the more powerful and higher their rank.” I can hear her voice as clear as if she is standing right beside me.
We take our seats with the rest of our house. I thought the whispers would stop once I was seated, but even students in my house are having quiet conversations. Determined to block out the surrounding noise, I turn to Lydia and make small talk.
“How long do you think these assemblies last?” I ask her, nudging her arm.
“Oh, I’m not sure, but I hope they explain the houses and how the sports and clubs work. I would love to be on the debate team or in the book club. What about you?” she asks, bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Oh! I haven’t thought about it,” I tell her, letting her excitement consume me and lightening the load I’m carrying.
“Yes, there are so many things to do here. I’m sure Headmaster Gandore will go over it all this morning,” she tells me as the lights begin to dim, causing a hush to fall over the hall.
A spotlight comes on and lights up the podium on stage, Headmaster Gandore steps up and taps the microphone.
“Ahem, I would like to first welcome back our returning students, and I hope you have a great year with us. To the new first-year students, there are a few very important and mandatory rules here at the Academy.
“First, The teachers wing on the east side of the building is strictly off limits. If you are caught in the east wing, you will be banned from extra-curricular activities for a month.
“All nightmares will feed only on assigned nights and with your assigned group. Any students caught wandering away from their group will report to me, and I will hand out punishment accordingly.
“Any students that have not mastered the ability to teleport must be accompanied by someone who can, when leaving the grounds.
“There is to be no one of the opposite sex in your dorm rooms after nine p.m. If you are caught in the non sex appropriate dorm rooms after the stated hours, you will receive detention for a week.
“If you do not have a permission slip on file, you will not be allowed to visit neighboring towns during your downtime and special events.
“Last but not least, and this rule may be the most important one yet, no loitering outside the entry point. If you are caught, you will be grounded to the academy and your house disqualified for the house cup at the end of the year,” he pauses and shuffles his notes around.
“Now this year we have added a few new clubs, all houses will compete against each other in all clubs and sports. If you find yourself interested in any of the clubs announced, please visit the table set up in the hall on your way out.
“This year we have the opportunity for one special student of each house to become student body president. So start your campaign soon, we will hold elections right before the Thanksgiving holiday. Our football and cheerleading teams are seeking new faces to support the Blazing Stallions, Furious Furies, Lucky Sevenths, and Astral Empyreans on their way to the championship. Our debate team is gearing up for the first tournament of the year and would like your help to build their teams. If you are interested in Book Club or Glee Club see Mrs.Knight between classes or during your off time. New this year are Archery and STEM Club both clubs offer something new and a chance to stretch your abilities,” he says, reaching for a small glass of water on the corner of the podium.
“Now, the house you have been placed in, is the house that best fits your abilities. There are four houses in our school Caballine, Fury, Empyrean, Dissidents or as most know them the sevenths. Your head of house will have more exclusive rules for each house. There should be a meeting in your common rooms tonight. Thank you all for attending, make your way to your classes, and I look forward to seeing you all throughout the year. Miss Whisper Lawrence please come to my office. Everyone else have a great day!” he says as he walks away.
I look over at Lydia with wide eyes. “What did I do?” I ask her, my breathing picking up slightly.
“Nothing silly; it’s probably just your placement testing, everyone has to go through it so they know what classes to put you in. You know the way right? I have to get to my class,” she says, giggling as she stands up.
“Yep, it seems like I have been there enough lately,” I tell her and join her laughter.
We go our separate ways outside the assembly hall. Once again I step up on the bottom step of the stairway that leads to the headmaster's office, the familiar feeling of folding in half or what I now know is teleporting. Popping out in front of the headmaster's door, I knock confidently, three quick raps and wait.
“Come in,” Headmaster Gandore replies.
I open the door, not sure what to expect this time around and with no one to back me up or hold my hand.
“It’s time to step up, Whisper,” I tell myself, taking a deep breath.
I walk into the office and headmaster motions for me to take a seat in front of his desk across from him.
“Whisper, thank you for coming. I called you to my office so we can place you in your classes,” he says nonchalantly, which allows me to relax.
13
“How do you know which class to place me in?” I ask.
“That is the million chrysos question, now isn’t it?” he turns and looks at me. “We’ve decided to set up a special mentoring class for you with other students who are excelling in their own.”
“Ok…” I say, at a loss for words.
“I’ve notified everyone to keep your status a secret for now. Until I know more, I’d rather the general public not know,” he explains. “Alfred will have your updated schedule for you. When I learn something, I will call for you.”
He turns back to his bookcase, pulling off various volumes and setting them on his desk. Since it appears he has dismissed me, I exit the office and am teleported to the base of the stairs where Alfred holds out a new schedule for me.
“Mr. Warren has offered to show you to your classes, Miss Lawrence,” he says then walks off.
Looking around, I notice Ryland is leaning against the wall. He flashes me a killer smile when our eyes meet.
“Which house does your powers lie in?” he asks when I walk over to him.
“Well…” I start, unsure of how to explain what happened.
“Show me,” he holds his hand out for my schedule just as Alfred returns from around the corner.
“Mr. Warren, Headmaster Gandore has requested a schedule change,” Alfred hands him a piece of paper.
He takes the paper and scrunches up his forehead as he reads.
“Well, I see why you didn’t answer right away,” he says when he finishes, holding up the paper to show me.
In big letters under the Tuesday and Thursday specialized classes it says, Mentor for Whisper Lawrence who is placed in all power houses.
“Yeah, so that happened,” I drawl out.
“I didn’t know that was possible,” Ryland says, giving me a strange look.
“Welcome to the club. Can we not make a big deal out of it?” I ask, feeling uncomforta
ble with the extra attention.
“So, can I see your schedule now?” he asks. “I need to know where you’re first class is.”
I hand the schedule over and watch as he reads over it. He hands it back with a grin. “Follow me.”
He leads me through the main hallway, taking a left turn just before the dining room then up a flight of stairs. I’m almost out of breath by the time we arrive at my classroom. I can’t wait to learn to teleport!
“I’ll meet you here after class,” he winks at me before wrapping himself in tendrils and popping off.
I open the door and walk in. Lydia is sitting near the back of the room, waving her hand in the air for me to join her. I shoot her a big smile as I walk to join her, ignoring the whispers that are surrounding me. At least I can’t read their minds. Wait, I may actually learn something in this school!
“I grabbed your books,” Lydia whispers to me, handing over the textbooks as I sit down.
“Thank you! I didn’t even think about them,” I reply, relieved she saved me the embarrassment of being unprepared.
Looking at the cover, I realize I didn’t bother even checking over my books last night because I was so tired. Moving Through Space - A Guide to Teleportation is in big black letters. The class is full of people wearing colors from all the houses. I wasn’t sure if we would be segregated or mixed, with the way people have been talking about the houses up to this point.
The door opens and in walks an older-looking gentleman wearing a suit similar to the uniform of the boys in school. His vest is purple and silver so he must be in house Empyrean.
“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives. In this class you will learn to move effortlessly from one location to the next. My name is Orion Tesla, Mr. Tesla to you,” he informs us, his face stern. He claps his hands together, “Who here has not obtained their jewelry?”
Six hands raise, most of them are dressed in all black. Figures the system would be rigged against the sevenths, I think bitterly. Mr. Tesla moves over to his desk and starts writing on slips of paper.