by J. Clarice
A brightness met Scarlett’s eyes as she caught sight of a wide purple circle that covered the floor which parted as she slid through. The wrap around her ankle disappeared and she stopped in front of the figure standing in the middle of the ring. Squinting her eyes, Scarlett blocked the light with her arm and glanced at the person before her.
“Jayden?”
Her purple armor and recognizable purple hair came into her line of sight. Scarlett’s eyes widened and she let out uneven breaths. Her body shook as she tried to hold herself together.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jayden snapped as she grabbed ahold of Scarlett’s arm and yanked her up from the ground. “You’re not supposed to be here. You’ve only been a Dreamer for a damn day! What were you thinking?”
Her grip tightened on Scarlett’s arm and snapped Scarlett out of her stutter. “I got lost! I was waiting for someone and wandered off.”
“You’ve got to be stupid as hell to wander off in here on your first day,” she spat.
Scarlett glared at Jayden and yanked her arm out from her tight grip.
“Well thank you for saving me, Your Bitchy Highness, but those remarks won’t be needed. I know I messed up and almost got myself killed. Now, if you could please just help me get back home and I’ll be out of your way.” Scarlett’s voice gave at the end and Jayden caught the crack. No quick jab was returned; instead, she stayed quiet. Scarlett held her head high and stared at Jayden. On the inside, she was a different story: her mind was in shambles and all she wanted to do was forget what happened.
The girls glared at each other before before Jayden gave in. She showed no expression and indicated with her head for Scarlett to follow. They walked in silence and didn’t bother to break it. Scarlett examined Jayden’s armor and found numerous scars indenting it. They hadn’t been noticeable during school. Why could she see them now?
“Where did all those scars on your armor come from? I didn’t see any during class.” Jayden glanced over her shoulder but stayed silent.
“Okay then.” Scarlett hugged herself as a chill swept through her armor. She dripped with the nightmare’s purple muck and her black hair stuck in ways it shouldn’t.
“So, do all Dreamers have powers like yours? I don’t recall anyone-” Jayden abruptly turned around causing Scarlett to bump into her chest.
“No one can know of this. No one.” Jayden got in Scarlett’s face and leaned down to get close. Her lips were pulled back in a sneer and her nose wrinkled in distaste. “There are things you don’t understand yet and saying the wrong thing could bring danger where it is not needed. Not a word to anyone.”
Scarlett placed her hands on Jayden’s shoulders and shoved her back. “Got the message loud and clear. Now get out of my space.”
Jayden scoffed and turned around while fisting her hands at her sides.
‘Weird.’ Scarlett sighed and followed a few steps behind Jayden. Slowly appearing, a grey light began to illuminate the area in front of them. Much like the purple circle that was surrounding Scarlett and Jayden as they walked, this one was grey and bigger. The power pulsing throughout it resonated within Scarlett but she couldn’t place her finger on it.
Jayden walked right over the circle and Scarlett followed suit, only to be amazed at what lay on the other side. It hadn’t been visible from the outside, appearing to be darkness. A massive building sat in the middle of the circle, while smaller buildings lined around it. It was a good few yards away from the edge of the thick grey circle.
The two girls walked towards the building and that’s when Scarlett took notice of the other armors that hid from sight. They stayed within buildings looking out as Scarlett and Jayden passed. Reaching the tall building, two darkly colored armors stood at the entrance. They stepped subtly in front of the doors and Scarlett scooted herself closer to Jayden, who walked on with her head high.
The two guys had thick armor and stood at around Jayden’s height. They were older and held weapons in their hands.
“Jayden.” The guard on the right with a blackened yellow armor stepped forward as he called her name.
“Suck it, Liam, I’m going straight to him. He’ll need to see her for himself.” She didn’t spare him a glance and he clamped his mouth shut while the guard next to him slipped a hint of an amused smile. Scarlett caught it as he corrected his face back to neutral. The one named Liam clenched his jaw and turned his head to the guard beside him.
Upon entering the building, everything, for the most part, was black, grey, and dark brown. What seemed to be the lounge, was dotted with grey and brown couches with glass tables spread throughout.
Jayden walked past the lounge and into a hall with elevators. Although… there were no elevators. Jayden was about to step in when she paused mid-step. “Do you know how to fly yet?”
She didn’t wait for any answer. “Of course you do, how else would you have gotten here? Follow me.” She shook her head and stepped into the elevator and surged upward. Scarlett scoffed at Jayden then peered into the elevator shaft and released a shaky breath.
Here she goes.
She stepped in and jumped, flying higher and higher. She passed about six floors before coming to a stop at the last one. Jayden was leaning against the elevator frame and rolled her eyes as Scarlett landed beside her.
“Sure, take your sweet time.” Jayden taunted.
Scarlett had walked past Jayden and whipped around at her words. “You know, maybe if you presented yourself as just a bit less of an ass, people might actually like you.”
Jayden sneered and opened her mouth to spit back when she abruptly dropped all expressions and locked her gaze over Scarlett’s shoulder. Scarlett turned to see what caught Jayden’s tongue and her heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened at who stood behind her.
Cain.
Ten
A curse left his lips as he stared out from the top floor balcony. It overlooked the small place his people called home.
Hidden in plain sight as he wanted it.
The rail beneath his white-knuckled hands began to bend. He let go and stepped away to enter his living room. Trevor, his most trusted friend sat at the bar with a drink in hand. Most likely water.
“He’s moving something, and I don’t fucking know for what.”
Trevor raised a brow at his friend's puzzling. In no way was he his equal; Cain was powerful in ways others couldn’t even compare, but he was his oldest friend. No one knew Cain better than Trevor and he knew that Cain would go to the ends to make sure they were safe.
“He needs something with her. His movements have been erratic and constantly changing. He’s making sure I don’t know what he’s planning,” Cain ground out as he paced the black hardwood floor. The number of times he’s run his hand through his hair was absurd. His jaw ticked as he tracked over everything he knew. “He could be playing me and we wouldn’t know to who. We wouldn't know the difference. This is bullshit.”
Trevor saw that his friend would not rest until this subsided and shook his head.
"Maybe taking a step back would allow you to see the piece you're missing."
"I couldn't do that. He'd be getting what he wants; me out of the picture."
Trevor couldn't argue with that one, the bastard king was smart. Cain shook his head and straightened.
"Until he makes another move, I'll be gathering what I can. I want everyone ready in case of anything. I’m increasing the training and patrol which I’ll announce to everyone later today. For now, I want you to do an inventory of everything we got.”
Trevor sharply nodded and agreed. As much as he didn’t want Cain to overwork himself, Trevor knew the safety of the people came first.
“On it.”
Cain watched as Trevor turned around and walked to the door. Before exiting, Trevor glanced back. “Take care of yourself, Cain. Be careful.”
His words struck but quickly floated to the bottom of Cain's mind. He was the least of his worries and Trevor knew that.
They needed to find a way to track his movements because the little shit was being sneaky. Cain walked towards his office and went through all of the information he had on the Dark Realm. He was going to find out what that king was up to.
Even if it killed him doing so.
∞
Cain left his office and readied himself for another expedition. He grabbed his daggers and hid them throughout his armor. The small little knives were as deadly and stealthy as they came. Perfect for what he needed.
Cain approached his door and heard a commotion on the other side. He opened it and stepped out with a neutral face. Jayden was arguing... with someone that seemed to match her fire.
"-people might actually like you."
He inwardly chuckled at the response as his eyes found who they came from.
At the sight of Scarlett, his mask went to shit.
‘What the fuck? What was she doing here?’
Cain locked eyes with Jayden who stood on the edge of the elevator and his blood boiled. She straightened and the sneer on her face disappeared. He returned his eyes to Scarlett who faced Jayden, unaware of his presence.
They traveled down her grey armor that hugged the waves of her body. It was speckled with purple muck and he knew exactly where it came from. Cain caught himself as she turned around and snapped his gaze up. They met her brown widened eyes that flashed with recognition.
She recognized him...
He clenched his jaw and turned to the person responsible, behind her.
“Jayden,” he growled. “What is she doing here?”
He took a threatening step and Jayden took a small one back. “She was about to be nightmare chow and I decided to bring her here.”
Jayden’s words barely registered in his ears before she indicated that he look at Scarlett again. Jayden mouthed a few words that had Cain pausing.
He observed Scarlett’s straightened shoulders and saw a small mark gracing the edge of her armor’s collar. Not noticeable to Dreamers, but if someone knew exactly where to look, she’d be dead before she knew it. He mentally cursed and remained blank as he stared Scarlett down.
Everything clicked in his mind at once.
‘She has the fucking mark.’
He knew exactly what they were planning.
Eleven
His grey eyes pierced Scarlett as chills crawled their way down her spine.
‘It’s him.’
Cain stood in front of a closed door and wore black armor that perfectly molded to his tall and lean body. His armor was not plain like the others, it had jagged edges and scars that ran deep through its surface. He was much older and experienced, yet didn’t look like it; his armor matched her mother’s.
Scarlett got pulled by her thoughts when she felt Jayden leave behind her. Scarlett turned her head. “Where’s she going?”
Disregarding her question, Cain simply kept his eyes on Scarlett before walking past her.
“Follow.”
Scarlett blinked at his clipped order. “What?”
‘What happened to the guy I first met?’
Cain stepped into the elevator shaft and dropped down. Scarlett sucked in a breath at the sight of him disappearing. She gulped and wiped her sweaty palms together. “Okay, it shouldn’t be that hard. I’ll drop much, much slower than he did.”
Scarlett stepped towards the elevator shaft and peered down. She stepped in and slowly lowered herself to where Cain waited with Jayden at his side. Upon seeing her land, Cain, without another glance, headed past the lounge and out of the building. Jayden followed behind and Scarlett fell in sync beside her. She peeked up at Jayden from the corner of her eye and she stared straight ahead with a passive face.
“Thank you,” Scarlett whispered. Jayden widened her eyes and slowed her pace as they neared the entrance. Scarlett offered Jayden a tip of her head as she left her behind and followed Cain. She wasn’t so bad after all, she did save her.
The two men at the entrance of the building stepped aside and straightened themselves as Cain passed. He led in silence, not offering a word as they walked through the buildings towards the edge of the grey circle. It parted for Cain as he stepped through into the darkness. Scarlett hesitated to follow and Cain glanced back. With a wave of his hand, a grey lighting sparked from his fingertips to create a small circle that surrounded him. Scarlett took the hint and gulped down her fear as she quickly made her way into the circle.
Outside, the buildings disappeared and Scarlett stared in wonder as they got swallowed by darkness. Cain walked in silence and Scarlett attempted to stay close behind but his long legs made that incredibly difficult. Scarlett bit her lip as she observed Cain’s back.
'At least the view was nice,' she snickered to herself.
He was handsome, no doubt about that. He had a strong jaw and well-portioned lips with a nose that sat perfectly on his face.
“What are you?” The words blurted from her lips as she anxiously wrung her hands at her sides.
Silence ensued and Cain didn’t so much spare her a glance. She stared at the side of his face, awaiting an answer.
“What I am is better left unknown and not my place to say.”
Scarlett furrowed her brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Cain glanced at Scarlett out of the corner of his eye.
“Why were you there in the hills? I’m genuinely curious as to why you, someone I don’t even know, was there.”
Cain ignored her question and kept at a steady pace but Scarlett didn’t miss his tensing shoulders.
“Are you going to ignore my question?”
“There are dangers out there that you have yet to even know. If you are going to make it in this realm, Scarlett, you’re going to have to be more responsible and serious than you currently are.”
Her cheeks burned as the whip end of his words landed. He spoke her name in a way that had her recoiling. She fisted her hands and felt an overwhelming urge to release. Release what? She didn’t know. Scarlett sped up and placed herself directly in Cain's path.
“You don’t know what I went through and I’m not apologizing for the way my mind is still trying to process all this crap.” She shoved a finger at his chest. “And next, you can stop following me. First, during my rite of passage, then back on Earth, and now, here on Ever Realm. You seriously need to stay the hell away from me, Cain.”
Cain’s chest hardly rose and he kept a cool composure while Scarlett steamed. Her nostrils flared as she clenched her jaw and didn’t notice Cain slowly reach up. He grabbed ahold of her wrist and yanked her closer until their noses were barely an inch apart.
“I don't have the time for these fucking antics.” Scarlett ground her teeth as she glared at Cain. Her wrist warmed at his touch and she tried yanking it back. “I do not need to explain myself to you, only a day old Dreamer, nor will I. If your childish mind still can’t comprehend it, then I suggest you speak to your parents."
She spat at him in her mind. ‘Dick.’
Scarlett couldn’t see the man she first met. It must've all been a façade because Cain was an ass.
He’d gotten closer as he spoke and his lips were near her ear making her heart pound while the rest of her flamed. She wanted to cringe at his words but an overwhelming heat blinded her mind. Cain had been pressing a needle to an overfilled balloon and he applied the final amount of pressure it could take. A black tendril emerged from Scarlett’s grasped hand and spread to thousands more. She bared her teeth as she pressed her palm against Cain’s body, sending him soaring backward. As if time slowed, Scarlett saw Cain’s expression get caught off guard before he got a grip of himself. He landed crouched on one knee with a fist to the ground.
Slowly rising, Cain’s grey tendrils swam from his fingertips until they surrounded him like wings. Scarlett’s jaw dropped as she realized what she’d done.
She loved it.
Throwing her hands out to her sides, her black tendrils merged and brightened like lightning. Th
ey smoothed and mimicked Cain’s. Both their powers illuminated the darkness and allowed them to see each other.
Cain sent a whip of lightning straight down the middle towards Scarlett. Seeing his movement, she did the same. They met with a powerful jolt that sent a shiver down Scarlett’s spine. It didn’t stop there; the shivers grew stronger and began to pulse inside her body. Bliss radiated throughout Scarlett but the blackening edges of her vision gave her unease.
“What’s happening to me?” Her question snapped Cain out of the trance he’d been in. His shoulders rolled as his grey lightning grew around him. Scarlett’s temperature rose and something at her center was building and bursting to break free. She couldn’t see it, but Cain saw that her skin was brightening. Much like a nightmares did before bursting from the foreign power in its body. The smirk that graced his face dropped and Cain reeled his powers back.
They disappeared as if they'd never been there and Cain faded into the darkness. Scarlett kept her power burning bright, relishing in the blanket of comfort it gave her. Cain’s grey lighting shot from in front of Scarlett and circled the ground around her feet. From the same direction, he entered the circle and stood a few feet away. While he was composed, Scarlett’s chest rose heavily as her mouth stayed parted with each breath. Her eyes crazed with bewilderment and excitement as her unruly black hair stood in all directions still matted with the purple muck.
“Scarlett, lower your hands,” Cain lightly ordered.
He stepped towards Scarlett and reached for her hands. They were raised out to her sides and flowing with her newfound power. Scarlett felt a longing to keep the euphoric feeling coursing through her. She didn't want it to stop. She'd kept her eyes closed until a soft touch covered her hands.
“Reel it in.” Cain’s voice washed over her like a command and her shoulders slowly sagged as her sparks retreated to the depths of her body. With every trace gone, Scarlett’s knees buckled and she leaned against Cain for support. He gripped her forearms and held her upright.
“What was that?” She breathlessly asked as she tried to stand on her own. Scarlett’s body was drained of all energy and wanted to collapse.