Nightmare Academy

by Dean Lorey

  “Because he knew that something so traumatic would cause you to panic,” Tabitha said gently, “and open a portal.”

  Charlie was stunned. “So, it was all about getting Barrakas to Earth?”

  The Headmaster nodded. “We were deceived from the beginning. It was a trap, designed to force you into a position where you couldn’t help but allow him to cross over. Verminion needs Barakkas for a reason we have yet to discover, and this was the only way he could be sure to get Barakkas to Earth unharmed.”

  “But what about the bracer?” Charlie asked. “Do they still want it?”

  “Oh, most certainly,” the Headmaster replied, walking toward the bed. “And I imagine they’ll do anything to retrieve it. It figures into their plan in some way we don’t yet fully understand.” She shook her head gravely. “I won’t lie to you, Mr. Benjamin. Things have gone from bad to worse. Your parents are still in terrible danger and we now face a threat from both Verminion and Barakkas. The Nightmare Division will not look kindly upon this.”

  “I guess not,” Charlie said.

  “There is, however, a silver lining. Though they are in danger, at least your parents are still alive. Also, Verminion has exposed the location of his lair and we now know much more about the extent of his preparations.”

  “Preparations for what?”

  “War,” Rex said, hitching his thumbs in his belt loops. “War between the Nethercritters and the human race. Verminion’s been assembling an army…and he means to attack.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he hates us,” Rex replied. “All the Named do. See, kid, they don’t want to live in the Nether. They want to be here, tearing apart shopping malls, ripping up homes. Earth is a playground to them and they know they’ll be the biggest kids in the sandbox. But to get here, they need us and our nightmares to do it, and they hate us for it.”

  “But if they need us, why do they want to kill us?” Charlie asked.

  “Once the Nethercreatures attack,” the Headmaster replied, “the terror that they cause worldwide will, in turn, cause more nightmares—”

  “And more nightmares,” said Charlie, realization dawning, “will cause more portals, and then more of them can come through to attack us.”

  “Precisely,” the Headmaster said. “We call it ‘the snowball effect.’”

  “So what do we do?” Charlie asked softly.

  “Nothing,” Tabitha replied, brushing hair from his forehead. “At least not right this minute. War’s not going to happen today or tomorrow. We have a little time.”

  “We do,” Charlie said, “but my parents don’t. We have to go back and rescue them.”

  “This may be difficult for you to hear,” the Headmaster said gently, “but we have much to consider before we go blindly stumbling in after them again. For all we know, they may have already been moved elsewhere.”

  “You can’t mean we’re going to just leave them?”

  “For the time being, yes.”

  “But we can’t do that!” Charlie shouted, leaping out of bed. “What if they die in there?”

  “As I said earlier, we are at war, and in a war, there are casualties. Now I hope very much that we are able to rescue your parents, but you must prepare yourself for the possibility that we may not succeed.”

  “We have to try!”

  “We will when we can,” the Headmaster continued, more sternly this time. “You are not the only one here who has suffered, Mr. Benjamin. Others in this room have given up a great deal to give your parents a chance.”

  She nodded toward Rex.

  “I never meant for him to give up so much,” Charlie said softly. “I never asked for that.”

  “Don’t worry about it, kid,” Rex said. “Heck, I can’t even remember what it is I don’t have anymore.” Even though they were meant to comfort, Rex’s words were like a knife to Charlie’s heart.

  “We will do for your parents what we can, when we can,” the Headmaster continued. “For now, just rest and regain your strength. Oh, and there’re a couple of people who wish to see you.”

  She opened the infirmary door. Theodore and Violet bounded in.

  “Is he okay?” Violet asked.

  “Ask him yourself,” Rex replied as he, Tabitha, and the Headmaster walked out, leaving the three kids alone.

  “We heard all about it!” Theodore said, rushing over. “Verminion’s lair! Nethercreatures everywhere! Outrageous! How cool is that!”

  “It is not cool,” Violet scolded. “We were worried sick.”

  “I’m okay,” Charlie said, “but I really screwed everything up.”

  “Yeah, that’s what everybody’s saying,” Theodore agreed.

  Violet kicked him hard in the shins.

  “Ow! I mean…that’s just what some people are saying. Not us, of course. I’m sure it’s not really your fault.”

  “It is,” Charlie said. “It’s all my fault…and I have to fix it.”

  “You?” Violet asked incredulously. “How can you possibly fix something this major on your own?”

  “I wasn’t thinking about doing it on my own,” Charlie said, turning to them. “I was thinking that maybe you guys would want to help me.”

  Theodore and Violet glanced at each other.

  “Help you with what?” Theodore asked.

  “Getting my parents back.”

  “But aren’t they in Verminion’s lair?”

  “Yeah,” Charlie said, nodding. “Although, technically, it’s Verminion’s and Barakkas’s lair now.”

  “Let me understand,” Violet said. “You want us three Noobs to head into the lair of the two most wanted creatures from the Nether and rescue your parents, something that you and the Headmaster tried and failed to do—and that was against only one of the Named?”

  “Exactly,” Charlie said. “Well, that is, after we steal Barakkas’s bracer from the Nightmare Division.”

  “I’m sorry,” Violet said, leaning in. “Did you just say you want us to rob the Nightmare Division?”

  “Well, we’d have to if we’re gonna pull off what I’m thinking.”

  “You’re mental,” she snapped.

  “Look,” Charlie said, “I know we agreed before that we’d always watch each other’s backs, and this…well, this is sort of above and beyond the call.”

  “You’re right about that,” Violet said.

  “And if you don’t want to do it, I totally understand. But if you do want to help…I sure could use it.”

  They stared at him incredulously.

  “Outrageous,” Theodore said finally. “Total doom, no hope of survival, guaranteed destruction.” He smiled broadly. “I’m in. Definitely.”

  “You’re both mental!” Violet cried out.

  “Come on,” Theodore taunted. “Could be fun.”

  “No, it will not be fun. It will be a ridiculous failure. There’s not even a plan.”

  “Actually,” Charlie said, “I do kind of have a plan.”

  “You kind of have a plan?”

  “Well…yeah. I mean, I don’t have every little piece of it worked out yet, of course.”

  Violet shook her head in disbelief. “Why not just ask the Headmaster to help you?”

  “I did,” Charlie said quietly. “She won’t.”

  “Because she knows it’s crazy! This is impossible. We have absolutely no idea what we’re doing. We’re just students.”

  “That’s exactly why I need you guys. For my plan to work, Barakkas and Verminion have to believe we’re acting on our own—that we’re just dumb kids in over our heads.”

  “But that’s what we are!” Violet yelled. “At least that’s what we will be if we try to do whatever it is you want us to do. Stealing something from the Nightmare Division? Do you realize if we’re caught, we’ll be Reduced for sure?”

  Charlie nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably true. The risks are…huge. In fact, if you asked me to help you do the exact same thing for you…well, I honestly don
’t think I’d have the guts.”

  He tried to find the right words to continue, something to say that would make Violet agree to join him, but he came up empty, so he just settled for the truth.

  “It’s like this,” he said. “All my life, my folks protected me from the people who thought I was some kind of horrible weirdo—and there were a ton of them, believe me. And now my folks are the ones who need to be protected. I just…I have to do what I can, that’s all. I’ll understand if you don’t understand.”

  Theodore turned to Violet. “So, you in?” he asked.

  She shook her head in disbelief. “This whole thing is ridiculous. It’s just…preposterous. I can’t even begin to…”

  “Are you in?” Theodore pressed.

  “Oh, God, yes—I’m in!”

  Charlie smiled, basking in the camaraderie of his first true friends.

  “Let’s get started,” he said.

  PART III

  THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ASSAULT ON THE NIGHTMARE DIVISION

  A warm nighttime breeze rustled the leaves of the giant banyan tree that held the Nightmare Academy in its mighty branches. Its gently swaying limbs allowed hints of moonlight to peek through, dimly illuminating Charlie, Violet, and Theodore as they crossed the rope bridge that connected the infirmary to the broken British warship where the Facilitators slept.

  “I definitely saw Brooke playing with a Gameboy yesterday,” Theodore said. “How weird is that?”

  “Why is that weird?” Violet replied. “Maybe she just likes video games.”

  Theodore made a buzzing sound. “Ennh! No sale. Does not compute. If Gameboys were something that chicks were into, wouldn’t they be called Game girls?” He smiled triumphantly.

  “You’re seriously mentally deficient, do you realize that?” Violet shot back. “Girls like video games just as much as guys. What I don’t get is why we need to steal it in the first place.”

  “Bait,” Charlie said without elaborating any further. “Come on—and be quiet. We’re almost there.”

  They finished crossing the bridge and arrived at the bunkhouse of the Facilitators. Charlie looked in through the small round window in the door. It was dark in there. No one stirred.

  “Looks like everyone’s asleep,” he said. “I’ll go in and see if I can find it. You guys keep watch out here.”

  “I’m coming in with you,” Theodore whispered. “If things go bad and a fight breaks out, you’ll definitely need me.”

  “If a fight breaks out, wouldn’t he be better off with a Banisher?” Violet said.

  “This isn’t a fight against Nethercreatures,” Theodore replied. “This is human against human, mano a mano, and for that, he needs a lean machine of doom—i.e., me.”

  “No fights are gonna break out,” Charlie said. “I’m just gonna sneak in, steal the thing, and sneak back out. Piece of cake. Both of you stay here and keep watch.”

  The floorboards creaked ominously as Charlie walked through the Facilitators’ bunkhouse, peeking into the cabins one by one. Finally, on the second floor, he found Brooke Brighton’s cabin. He crept inside and found her sleeping in a hammock, which swayed gently in the breeze from the open windows. Even asleep, she was so pretty that he found it hard to believe she was the same person who had so recently tormented him.

  He began searching through her belongings, looking for the Gameboy. It wasn’t in the pockets of her pants, which were thrown carelessly on the floor. Next, Charlie turned to the dresser and opened the top door. It squealed as it slid down its track.

  Brooke stirred in her sleep. Charlie froze.

  “…can’t help it,” she mumbled restlessly. “Stop or I’ll fall….”

  Charlie suddenly realized that she was having a nightmare. Moving more quickly now, he rifled through the top drawer of her dresser and, finding nothing, checked each of the other drawers.

  Nothing there, either.

  “…Don’t push me…,” Brooke muttered, getting more agitated now. “…nothing to grab…”

  Charlie was running out of places to check in the small cabin. Where could she have hidden the thing? Then he noticed a square bulge in the pillow under her head—it was clearly outlined through the hammock below her. Charlie steadied himself, then slipped his hand into the pillowcase. Brooke twisted and turned as her nightmare grew more violent.

  “…gonna hit the rocks…,” she said, breathing hard now. “Help me! Don’t let them!”

  “Relax,” Charlie whispered, trying to calm her. “You’re okay. Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

  “No!” Brooke yelled in her sleep. “Help, I’m dying!”

  It’s a good thing she lost the Gift, Charlie thought. Otherwise she would be opening a portal into the Nether right about—

  And that’s when a portal snapped open inside the cabin.

  Oh no, Charlie suddenly realized. She still has a trace of the Gift and she doesn’t even know it!

  But before Charlie could shut the freshly opened portal, a creature from the Nether flew through. Charlie had seen one of them before. He didn’t know its name, but it was one of the mosquito-like things that had soared above the lava lake in Verminion’s lair. Luckily, this one was nowhere near as big as those—[ ]probably just a Class 1 or 2—but its long needlelike snout still made it a formidable threat.

  Spinning in midair, it immediately arrowed back toward the still-open portal, seemingly desperate to return to the Nether.

  It’s in pain, Charlie realized, remembering how the Nightmare Academy had temporarily crippled Barakkas. This little beast wasn’t crippled, however, which made Charlie think that he’d been right earlier when he’d said that the Academy affected stronger Nethercreatures more than weaker ones, but it was clearly hurting in some way.

  Suddenly, just as quickly as the fiery-rimmed portal had appeared, it snapped shut, stranding the flying beast in the tiny cabin. It buzzed and swooped angrily, slamming into the walls on its long veiny wings, trying frantically to find a way out.

  “Quiet,” Charlie hissed. Just as his hand closed around the Gameboy inside Brooke’s pillowcase, the desperate flying creature dive-bombed him. With one deft move, Charlie drew his rapier and used it to parry the creature’s stingerlike snout with a metallic clang. The creature buzzed loudly in annoyance, then flew back up to try again.

  “Wh…what’s going on?” Brooke asked, opening her eyes.

  “You had a nightmare and this thing portaled through,” Charlie answered, raising his rapier again.

  The creature flapped frantically against the cabin ceiling, like a fly trapped against a windowpane, then arrowed back down. Charlie ducked and spun, striking at it from behind. The glowing blue rapier managed to clip off the tip of its right wing.

  “Hey!” Brooke said, leaping from her hammock, fully awake now. “What are you doing here? You’re not a Facilitator!”

  “Never mind that. Just help me.”

  And that’s when Brooke saw her Gameboy in Charlie’s hand. “You thief!” she yelled. “Give it back!”

  The creature dive-bombed once more, and, missing Charlie, it pierced Brooke through the shoulder with its needlelike snout.

  “Oww!” she shrieked as it clung to her back with its sticky fly legs and began siphoning her blood with alarming speed. She spun and crashed around the room, shouting wildly, as Theodore and Violet rushed in, followed by several Facilitators who had been awakened by the noise.

  “What’s going on?” Violet said.

  “What does it look like?” Charlie snapped, taking another swing at the filthy thing from the Nether. “Brooke, stop moving! I can’t hit it with you crashing around like that!”

  “It hurts!” she wailed. “Somebody do something!”

  “I’ll hold her down,” Theodore said, then tackled Brooke, pinning her to the ground. The creature’s wings vibrated frantically against his face. “Kill it now!” he yelled.

  “Let me,” Viol
et said, pulling her dagger from her belt. But before she could strike, a glowing blue lasso lashed in from the open doorway and looped around the flying creature, killing it instantly as it was pulled taut.

  Everyone turned to see Rex standing there.

  “What the heck’s going on?” he said.

  “Um—,” Charlie stammered. “We were just—”

  “Stealing from me!” Brooke shouted as she pried the dead creature’s snout from her shoulder. “And, for all I know, he portaled this thing in to kill me!”

  “I did not!” Charlie shouted back. “You portaled it in yourself. I was trying to help you.”

  “Thief! Liar! I can’t open portals anymore, or are you too stupid to realize that, Noob?”

  “Knock it off,” Rex said. “You’d both better come with me.”

  “I…I can’t,” Charlie said, backing away.

  “You can’t?”

  Charlie closed his eyes and, focusing fiercely, tried to access his core fear—the feeling of being alone in the world. This time, it came to him shockingly fast. In his mind’s eye, he saw all the places he had previously portaled into or out of—they hovered in front of him like glowing balls of light, some of the destinations brighter than others.

  He focused on one of them. Purple flame arced across him.

  “What are you doing, kid?” Rex asked with growing alarm.

  “I’m sorry,” Charlie said. “I really am.”

  A portal snapped open in front of him.

  He turned to Theodore and Violet. “Let’s go,” he said, and ran through. After a moment’s hesitation, they followed.

  “Hey!” Brooke shrieked. “Come back here, thief! Give me back my Gameboy.” Furious, she leaped through the portal after them.

  “Ah, no…,” Rex said, racing for the open gateway as well—but by the time he got there, the portal was gone.

  Charlie, Theodore, Violet, and Brooke found themselves standing on the barren, rocky plains of the outer ring of the Nether.

  “Give that back, you little idiot,” Brooke snarled, snatching the Gameboy from Charlie’s hands. And that was when she noticed that they were surrounded by a crowd of thin, chirping creatures. “Ugh, Gremlins,” she groaned, grimacing.