by K N Thompson
While we eat, conversation flows easily. It’s not how I expected today to go.
“So did anyone sign up for clubs or sports?” I ask.
“I’m on the debate team,” Finn says smiling at me.
“You must know a ton of facts to do that. I’m lucky to remember my shoes most days,” I giggle.
“Max, Korbin, and I are on the football team.” Ryland pipes up from beside me, his knee brushing against mine as he shifts in his chair. “Sam, you should try out.”
“I’ll look into that,” Sam says, winking at me as he looks over Lydia’s head.
Once everyone is done, we make our way back to Stonehenge then teleport back to the Flint Hills of Kansas. Walking through the entry point feels almost normal now. We walk into the main foyer and the guys each take turns thanking Aunt Nellie before returning to their rooms.
Sam and I are the last two to tell her goodbye.
“Thank you for taking us shopping today,” I say, giving her a hug.
Sam steps forward to give her a hug.“Thank you for helping me,” he says, his cheeks turning a light pink.
“It was my pleasure. You kids keep me young,” she replies, waving as she turns and walks out the front door.
I look at Sam shaking my head, “Sometime she can be so extra.”
Sam chuckles as we walk up the stairs to our rooms.
22
As the weeks go by, I settle into my routine here. Every day I hang out with the guys and Lydia. We’ve started bonding since that shopping trip. I never pictured wanting Max and Finn in my life, but now I think I would be lost without them.
Max is still a cocky asshole and Finn is clueless when it comes to social skills, but there is something oddly comforting in their presence. Lydia is the only one I’ve told about the memories I gained from the stone, but I think the guys are getting suspicious, especially Sam.
“You ready for mentoring class?” Ryland asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I grin. “Sam, grab my hand. I want to try to teleport us both.”
“Whisper, we ended up in the fountain yesterday when you tried,” he gives me an apprehensive look.
“I know, but I think I can get it right this time,” I reply, sticking my bottom lip out.
“It’s not fair when she does that shit,” he groans.
“Yay,” I squeal and grab his hand before he can respond.
I hear Ryland chuckle as the black tendrils wrap around Sam and I. We fold in half and I concentrate on us landing in front of the mentoring classroom. I’ve mastered teleporting on my own, but I’m impatient in wanting to learn more.
“Wow! You actually did it!” Sam exclaims, a shocked expression on his face.
“See, you should have more faith in your bestie,” I bump my shoulder with his.
“I always have faith in you, Whisper,” he replies, his eyes boring into mine.
The butterflies go crazy in my stomach. Does he like, like me? Ugh, I wish I had the guts to ask him.
“Wow, I didn’t expect you guys to actually be here,” Ryland says loudly, interrupting the moment by slinging an arm over my shoulder.
A muscle in Sam’s jaw ticks, but otherwise, he seems unaffected by the interruption. I can’t read these mixed signals. We all walk into the classroom together where Max, Finn, and Korbin are waiting.
“Hey Whisper, can I talk to you for a minute?” Korbin asks, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.
“Sure,” I reply walking over to where he’s standing. What’s going on with him?
“Um… Can you tell me if…” he stutters.
“Tell you if what?” I ask.
“Well… Does Lydia maybe like me?” he asks, his cheeks flushing.
“You like Lydia?” I grin.
He nods.
“You should totally ask her out! She would one hundred percent say yes,” I smile at him.
“Thanks, Whisper,” he lets out a sigh of relief.
“We should make it a double date,” Max walks up and throws his arm over my shoulder. I roll my eyes at him, but if I’m being honest, I like it. Damn it, why do I have the feels for all the boys?
“You shouldn’t be eaves-dropping,” I elbow his side.
“I can’t help that I happened to be standing here when he talked to you,” Max shrugs.
“You could help it if you wanted to,” Finn rolls his eyes. “But I heard the conversation too so I guess maybe not.”
My vision blurs away as I’m dragged into another memory.
“Maybe not, but it’s their safest option,” the white-haired man says.
“How are they going to feed if they are stuck in these small universes?” the dark-haired man asks.
“They don’t need to feed until their powers kick in. After that we could breed the humans in these places. That way they never have to come out,” the bearded man says.
“Maybe at school, but it’s unethical. They are sentient beings,” the white-haired man shakes his head.
I’m pulled from the memory by a blaring alarm. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
“All teachers report to the front gate,” a voice says over the intercom.
“Please report to your dormitories immediately and wait for further instructions,” Mr. Wells orders briskly. When did he get here?
I look around and spot Ryland and Sam coming my way.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“I don’t know but let’s find out,” Ryland says, mischief gleaming in his eyes as we step into the hallway.
“Let’s get Lydia first,” I reply.
Most of the first years are running down the halls, rushing to get outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of what is going on. Instead of fighting our way through the crowds, Ryland grabs Sam’s hand and then slips his warm hand into mine teleporting us to the front gate before the rush of students.
“I’ll go get Lydia,” he whispers then disappears.
We appear toward the front of a crowd. I turn my head to look in the direction that the students are gawking. Max, Korbin, and Finn join us.
I gasp, throwing my hand over my mouth. I can’t believe what I am seeing. On the ground, just inside the gate lays a girl, crumpled in a heap. Her hair is so matted with blood I can’t make out the color. Her clothes are draped across her body in shreds, barely keeping her decent and her leg is marred by a deep, jagged claw mark. She’s lying face down so I can’t tell who it is. Is it someone I’ve passed in the hallway? Could I have met this poor girl? And what could have done this?
A boy sits on the ground beside her hugging his knees, crying and rocking back-and-forth, muttering to himself.
“It came out of nowhere. We never even saw it. I tried to pull her through, but it kept pulling her back,” he sobs.
We hear a scuffle coming from the back of the crowd; I turn around to see Alexis charging through the crowd.
“Move get out of my way!” Alexis shouts, shoving students to the side. When she breaks through the front line of students, she shrieks.
“Is that Kelly? Oh my God, it is!” she rushes forward only to be stopped by a tall, broad-shouldered teacher. Alexis fights to get closer, but she’s not able to get around the man. Exhausted and heartbroken, she crumples at the teacher's feet.
I feel someone step up behind me. “And this is why we have a breeding program,” Mrs. King says right next to my ear. I bristle but hold my tongue.
It's all I can do to stay on my feet, the copper smell of blood floating in the air makes my stomach flip. Max notices and pulls me into his chest. I let myself enjoy this for a moment. I lift my head from Max’s chest as Headmaster Gandore walks over and picks up a large, black claw off the ground. His face blanches as he examines it.
He looks over his shoulder at Mrs. King, “It appears we have a problem, we are on lock down until further notice. We need to get these students back indoors.”
Mrs. King turns around and says, “Students
return to your dormitories.”
She waves her arms at us in a shooing motion, and the crowd begins to disperse. I turn to leave with the guys and Lydia, but a firm hand on my shoulder stops me.
“Not you Miss Lawrence,” Gandore says as I turn around. “I need you to come with me.”
He holds out his hand, and as soon as I grab it, we are transported to his office.
“Please have a seat Miss Lawrence,” he says, waving his arm out to the chair.
I sit down and wonder what’s going on. Why does he want to talk to me?
“Am I in trouble?” I ask quietly.
“Not at all Miss Lawrence, but this is very important, so answer carefully. What memories of the Baku has the stone shown you?” he asks.
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen them yet. Usually something triggers the memory,” I answer, feeling bad I can’t help. “Do you think that’s what attacked Kelly?”
“Don’t worry about that right now. I will need to ask you to sit in on the interview. Maybe something will jog your memory. Stay there please,” he says then stands up and teleports away.
It’s strange how much my life has changed in just a matter of weeks. I was just a normal kid, living a normal life then I turned seventeen and poof… Now I’m a Nightmare living in a new world, learning new things.
Gandore returns with the kid who was crying over Kelly’s body. His eyes are red rimmed and he’s visibly shaken.
“I know we aren’t supposed to leave the grounds but Kelly wanted to go out, and we didn’t think it would be a big deal,” he explains.
“The rules are in place for a reason, but that’s not what we are here to talk about Mr. Roberts. Tell me exactly what happened,” Gandore urges, not even asking him to sit first.
“Well, we went through the entry point and we were… um…” he stutters.
“Yes, I know what teenagers do when they are alone. Believe it or not I was one in the past,” Gandore replies.
“Anyways, something lashed out from the dark and wound around Kelly’s leg. I panicked and tried to drag her through the entry point. She screamed bloody murder, and I didn’t realize it was cutting her up until we were on the other side. As I was pulling her through, it let out a horrific shriek like something hurt it. Whatever it was,” he explains.
“Thank you…” Gandore’s voice disappears as a memory over takes me.
An older man stands in a classroom in front of young children with a picture of a strange creature on the wall.
“What is this?” he asks the class.
“A Baku!” an excited child cries out.
“Correct,” the man smiles. “Pay attention to their weapons. They have a head of an elephant, with a large, black claw attached at the end of their trunk. This way they can wrap it around you and cut you at the same time. Their feet are like the feet of tigers with retractable claws that can scratch you if you get within range. They have a mouth of super sharp teeth that can chew through bones. Their biggest weakness, though, is if you remove the claw from their trunk; they are helpless while a new one grows back. If you ever encounter a Baku cut off it’s trunk claw then it can be killed,” he lectures.
“Now’s the time to kill it!” I blurt out as soon as the vision leaves.
Note from the authors
Thank you so much for reading our book. Whisper’s story was so much fun to write! Book 2 is already in the works. If you enjoyed our Nightmares please consider leaving a review. They are so helpful for indie authors. For the latest information on releases in this series we created a facebook group. Join us here.
Academy of Broken Dreams - Readers Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/502793530270059/
Thank you again,
Rose and K.N.
About the Authors
K.N. Thompson is a paranormal and fantasy YA RH romance author who lives in the great state of Mississippi with her husband and kids. As a serial entrepreneur, K.N. also dabbles in graphic design. She loves coffee, cooking, taking care of her farm, reading, and watching college football!
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Rose Alexander lives in the Midwest with her husband, kids and three cats. She enjoys crafting in her free time and watching movies with her family.
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