by K N Thompson
“I would have you know it’s not like I teleported on purpose. If you…” I look over at him, “would have kept your mouth shut no one would be the wiser, and I wouldn’t have accidentally teleported. But now that you mention it, I will keep that in mind.” I roll my eyes at him.
“You misunderstand, I’m just saying that it's custom in our society to teleport in the hall, what happen to you yesterday was an accident and understandable,” Finn fires back.
“Sorry, I feel like an ass now. I’m still getting used to the Nightmare ways.” I say to the whole table.
“So does anyone know what the ancient relic in the library is?” I ask.
“Which ancient relic? There are a lot of the,” Finn says.
“She means the old wooden box,” Lydia speaks up when she sees my mouth is full and I’m not able to answer.
“Oh, that relic. There’s not much to tell really, no one knows how to open it, so no one knows what’s inside,” he says, as we take our trays to the drop off.
We all walk out of the dining hall together, “We’ll see you around, Whisper,” Finn says waving as he and Max both disappear in a cloud of tendrils.
Ryland turns to us and ask, “Ladies are you ready?” holding his hands out to us.
We take his hands and appear outside of our History class. “Thank you Ryland. Once we learn to teleport, you won’t have to babysit us anymore,” I say, looking him in the eye.
“It has been my pleasure to show you around; you girls know how to keep it interesting,” he says with a chuckle, absently running his thumb across my knuckles.
There is a fire in Ryland’s eyes that wasn’t there a few moments ago, one full of desire and passion. I slowly slide my hand from his and look over at Lydia. She is trying to make herself as small as she can against the wall.
“I will see you after class, ladies,” he says, his eyes never leaving my face.
We walk into the classroom and take our seats, “Wow, that was intense,” Lydia says.
My face feels like it could burst into flames. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I respond, letting heavy sarcasm coat my words.
Lydia pushes my shoulder playfully then leans over to whisper in my ear, “Whatever Whisper, you know he’s got it bad for you and you are falling for him too,” shaking her head she straightens back up in her desk and giggles.
Just then the teacher walks in, and I recognize him from my tutored class.
“Hello again Miss. Lawrence. I hope you’ve been enjoying your time here at the academy?” he asks.
“Yes, it's been a strange adventure so far, but I think once I get the kinks worked out the rest of the year should be smooth sailing,” I respond.
The rest of the students file in, finding their seats; the teacher takes his place at the front of the class.
“Welcome to The Excruciating History of Nightmares. I’m Nathan Wells and you may call me Mr. Wells. Let’s get right down to business, does anyone know anything about the creature known as Baku?” he asks, glancing around the classroom.
A tall skinny boy in the far back corner of the class raises his hand.
“Please tell us your name and then tell us what you know,” Mr. Wells says casually.
“My name is Zander. Nightmares are the only food source of the Baku,” he says nervously.
“It’s true,” Mr. Wells responds, pacing back and forth in front of his desk as he explains. “The Baku has fed on Nightmares for as long as our history is recorded. That’s why the pocket universes were created. We had to have a way of protecting our young. Since their powers and the need to feed do not manifest until the age of seventeen, the pocket universes were the perfect place to raise young Nightmares, such as yourselves. Anyone else?”
I sit up straighter in my seat leaning forward on my desk.
“Young man in the back,” he says, pointing over my shoulder to the back of the class.
“I have heard in a Japanese legend that if a human has a nightmare, all they need to do is call out Baku three times and the creature will come to eat the bad dream.” he says, slumping back into his seat.
Mr. Wells stands there for a minute before answering.
“I've read that legend. Other than that small piece of information it leaves the rest to the reader's imagination, which makes it subjective don't you think?”
The classroom goes silent; the air grows thicker and the people seem closer, as if everyone has scooted closer to the edge of their seats and are waiting for a response. I raise my hand and wait to be called on.
“Yes, Miss Lawrence?” he says
“I think it’s true. May I tell you what I experienced?” I ask, hoping he won’t think I’m insane.
He glances at the clock on the wall and then at the students listening intently, “Go ahead Miss Lawrence,”
“My sister had a Halloween slumber party, and she invited the new Japanese exchange student Akemi. After everyone was asleep in their beds, I accidentally astral projected out of my body and got sucked right into her dream. It turned into a nightmare as I fed. She woke up screaming Baku, Baku, Baku! Then the house began to shake, and the ground began to rumble. Akemi jumps up points at me screaming, “Baku is coming,” and runs out the door and down the sidewalk,” I finish my story and wait nervously for the laughter and pointing to begin. But instead of laughter questions bombarded me.
“You mean a Baku almost attacked you?” A girl on the left side of the room ask excitedly.
“What did it look like?” A small boy on my right asks which makes me whip my head around.
“Did your family survive?” another girl speaks up.
My chest tightens and my head is spinning as I look over at Lydia. A familiar pressure builds in my chest. I know what’s coming but I don’t know what to do to stop it.
Mr. Wells rushes towards me, just as a cloud of black tendrils burst from my chest and teleports me.
I straighten up and try to compose myself. The library again, this is becoming ridiculous. Once again, I find myself standing in front of the ancient wooden relic.
I look around to see if anyone noticed my entrance, there are students with their noses in books, a librarian sorting through paperwork and the face of the one person I would love to never see again.
Alexis Wentworth and her girl group are sitting at a table with their books open and their heads together quietly whispering. Her eyes narrow as they land on me and a slow menacing smile spreads across her lips. She nudges Kelly in the ribs. She whips her head around, giving Alexis a hateful look. Alexis nods her head in my direction. That’s just wonderful; now I am going to have to deal with both of them. They both stand and stalk over to where I am.
“MAX IS MINE! What the hell do you think you’re doing sitting with him at lunch?” Alexis says through gritted teeth, her hands balled into fists at her sides.
“First, I didn't sit with Max. He chose to sit with me. Max is his own person. second, who said I want him? And third, if he wanted you, he’d be with you. Instead of wasting your time talking to me, maybe you should go kiss his ass,” I say, standing my ground.
Alexis’s face turns red, and a vein pops out on her forehead as she steps forward and shoves me backwards into the glass display case holding the ancient relic. As the glass shatters beneath my weight, Alexis’s eyes widen in shock. Kelly reacts quickly grabbing her and teleporting them out of there before I hit the ground.
19
I hit the ground and my hand bounces off of the solid wood cube. Ouch, that stings! I immediately draw my attention back to the box as it glows. As the glowing intensifies, it floats in the air, the top of the cube sliding open to reveal a beautiful opalescent moonstone sitting on a bed of crushed black velvet. The humming intensifies until it’s nearly deafening.
“Miss Lawrence! Step away from the artifact,” Gandore booms from behind me, barely audible over the humming of the jewel.
I know I should listen, but I’m transfixed. I can’t pull my
eyes from the stone. It’s calling to me, every fiber of my being wants to touch it, to hold it, to claim it as mine. I reach my hand forward.
“Stop! Miss Lawrence, we don’t know what that is,” Gandore pleads, but I ignore him.
I grab the stone in my hand, a smile forming on my face. The stone grows warm in my hand, causing tingles to shoot up my arm. Suddenly, black tendrils shoot out of the stone into the center of my chest. My back violently arches back and I float off the ground. What have I done? What the ever-loving-fuck is happening?
My vision blurs away, replaced by flashing scenes. A group of men feeding tendrils into the stone, switching to what I can only describe as a group of monsters chasing a group of children. It quickly cuts away to the same group of men sealing the box I’ve been drawn too.
The flashes continue, so brief I can’t grasp them all, then they suddenly stop and my sight returns. I’m still suspended in the air, my skin glowing a bright silver as the tendrils feed into my chest. I turn to look at the headmaster, his face stuck in an expression of horror.
“Help...” I squeak out.
My head throbs as ideas and thoughts that aren’t my own begin filling my head. My eyes widen. This stone is teaching me about my powers, about the powers that were supposed to be lost to time. How is this even possible?
As suddenly as it started, the black tendrils dissipate and I fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. Every nerve in my body is on fire, and my head feels as if it will explode.
“Miss Lawrence, say something,” Gandore rushes to my side, kneeling next to me.
“I know things,” I croak out before the world turns black.
My eyes snap open and I gasp. It takes me a moment to catch my bearings. Looking around, I am lying on a cot in the nurse's office. The last thing I remember is being in the library. My head is pounding as I recall the events that just happened.
“Miss Lawrence, how are you feeling?” Headmaster Gandore says from the end of the bed.
“I’m ok, just a headache,” I reply.
I try to sit up but my head is swimming. I close my eyes and lay back until the room stops spinning.
“That was a very foolish thing you did. What possessed you to grab the stone?” he asks, studying me with an intense look on his face.
“It was humming and calling to me. I couldn’t help myself,” I admit.
“Very curious,” he says, rubbing his chin.
The nurse comes in and checks me over then gives me a tonic to drink.
“Don’t worry dear, just a little something to help with the dizziness,” she smiles.
I drink down the bitter liquid, trying not to gag. Almost immediately I feel better. The headache is even going away.
“How are you feeling?” she asks.
“Much better,” I say, shooting her a small smile.
“Good, good. Miss Lawrence since you’re doing better, we need to have a chat in my office,” Gandore says, holding his hand out to me.
I sit up on the edge of the bed and reach out for his hand. We are teleported into his office before I have the chance to stand up. Thankfully, I land sitting in a chair.
My heart pounds. This is it. He will kick me out of school for touching the artifact. I can’t explain to him how much I needed to, it compelled me to. My eyes sting with unshed tears as I try to come up with the words.
“Miss Lawrence, I have to tell you something important and I need you to listen until I finish speaking without interruption,” Gandore says, his face an unreadable mask.
I nod my head, too scared to speak.
“I told you about the vague prophecy last night. I will read it to you now,” he says then clears his throat. “When darkness falls upon our race, one will appear brighter than the rest. As powers converge all secrets will be revealed to the one who passes our test. When fear reigns, that which was lost will be found again.”
I wait quietly for him to continue speaking. He watches me for a reaction, but my head is still so full, I don’t know what to think. Does he think this is about me?
“After what I just witnessed, I believe this prophecy is about you, though I’m not sure what to make of it. Tell me exactly what you experienced when you touched that moonstone, Miss Lawrence,” he says, steepling his fingers together on the desk.
“Well, I think I should start from the first time I went to the library. As soon as we got close to the box, I could hear it humming, but Lydia and Ryland said they couldn’t hear anything. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I felt drawn to it. For some reason, both times I accidentally teleported, I went straight to it,” I explain, focusing on keeping my thoughts in order. Should I tell him about Alexis? I don’t want to tattle.
“Please, continue,” he urges me.
“This last time there was an altercation… I was pushed over and landed on the display case and it broke. My hand landed on the cube then it floated and well… you saw the rest,” I say, trying to keep the incident as vague as possible. “After it opened, the humming got louder, and I knew I shouldn’t grab the stone, but I couldn’t help myself. Those black tendrils showed me things and put information in my head. I can feel it, almost see it right there in the back of my mind, but I can’t quite grasp onto it right now.”
“Fascinating. I wonder if in time you will be able to access the information. I’ve never heard of anything quite like it,” his eyes light up.
“Maybe, right now it hurts my head to focus on any of it,” I admit, looking down at my hands.
“Oh, look at the time,” he says, glancing at the clock on the wall. “You’re due for your first feeding. Maybe after a good feed you’ll be able to focus better.”
“How long was I out for?” I ask my eyes widening.
“Several hours I’m afraid. Let’s get you to the commons room to meet with your feeding partner,” he says, standing and walking around the desk to me.
I grab his hand and we land in the commons room where Ryland and Lydia are waiting, both wearing worried expressions.
“Whisper! Oh my God I was so worried! Where have you been?” Lydia rushes up to me, enveloping me in a tight hug.
It makes me think of Sam. Oh my God! I haven’t even thought about home for a while with everything going on. Guilt sinks in, making me feel like a horrible friend and sister. How is Shadow doing? This sucks.
“I’m fine, but I’ll have to tell you about it later,” I assure her, trying to keep the pain out of voice.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, looking me over.
“Just a wave of homesickness,” I assure her.
“Are you ready, ladies?” Ryland asks hesitantly.
“Not really,” I reply, dreading this part.
I don’t understand why we raise our own food, as they put it. There are perfectly healthy people living their lives out there we could feed on. Why do we have to control someone's existence so completely? I understand the risk of the Baku, but can they find us if people don’t call for them? Knowing I have to feed, I give in and offer my hand to Ryland.
He grabs it and Lydia’s and teleports us to what appears to be a very large bedroom filled with dozens of single beds. Most of the beds already have sleeping humans in them, ranging from young children to the elderly.
I freeze, unable to move forward. Ryland gives me a concerned look. Lydia walks forward to a teacher holding a clipboard. Ryland reluctantly follows her, glancing at me over his shoulder as he walks away.
I take a deep breath. Whisper, you can do this! I tell myself. The teacher smiles at me as I walk forward.
“Name please,” she asks.
“Whisper Lawrence,” I say, trying not to let my nerves show in my voice.
“Very good. You have bed thirteen. Is this your first time?” she asks, looking up at me with kind eyes.
“Yes ma’am,” I reply, twirling my hair nervously.
She looks back down at the clipboard. “Ok we have you as Empyrean feeding. Just lay down on the bed next to your host
and your power should do the rest,” she smiles.
“Thank you,” I reply.
Looking around, I notice there are numbers hanging at the foot of every bed. I walk down the row; the numbers going up until I find bed thirteen. There is a middle-aged, dark-haired man lying in the bed. I let out a sigh of relief. It terrified me, thinking I would have to feed from a child, and I’m not sure I could let myself do that.
I know they say it doesn’t hurt them, but having nightmares suck. Then to have someone feed from them… It just seems wrong somehow to do it to kids.
I lie down on the bed next to the man and close my eyes. It only takes a minute before I feel myself lift from my body. Looking around, I can see others feeding off of their humans. Ryland and Lydia are on the far side of the room sitting on their human’s chests. The girl next to me is floating in the air. She gives me a small wave before diving into the woman next to her body. I glance down at the sleeping man and feel myself being sucked in.
We are standing in the middle of a large field. His face is pointed towards the sun with his eyes closed, smiling. Black tendrils creep out of my body, attaching themselves to the ground. They slither out and storm clouds move in. It quickly morphs into a violent storm, the man screams every time it thunders or lighting streaks across the sky. The tendrils latch on and I can feel his fear. It tastes good, like chocolate truffles and fresh raspberries.
After a few minutes, the tendrils recede, and I’m thrown out of his dream and sucked back into my own body. I open my eyes and my headache is completely gone. In fact, I feel better than I have since I arrived. I guess feeding like this is more important than I expected.
As soon as Ryland and Lydia finish their own feedings, Ryland teleports us back to our room. I sit on the edge of my bed, ready to tell Ryland and Lydia about the stone. I can feel the memories from the stone in the back of my mind. Focusing on one, I gasp as it comes forward, blocking out my vision.
“We’re becoming weaker with every generation. Most of the students only have one gift now,” the old man says to the group, standing around him.