by J. Clarice
Scarlett inched away. “Please, don’t.” She bit the inside of her cheeks and Roger sighed.
He’ll fix this and they’ll all be fine.
They always are.
Twenty-One
After her father left, Scarlett made her way to Jenna’s and went back to Earth. She didn’t spend much time there but when she did, she needed to make sure her body was still healthy and did extra practice. All ties had been cut off and she only looked forward to being in Ever Realm. She loved it but didn’t want to be in the same realm as her father. She was sure he’s going through with his order. It’s how he was.
She hadn’t seen her mother or Jenna but knew they were overseeing Ever Realm and keeping everything in check. She thanked Cain for telling her. Her father wanted to keep his lips sealed closed.
Lessons on Ever Realm were ending in a week and Scarlett was coming to her three-week mark in Ever Realm. Not even a month yet but to her, it felt like months. Training would continue as normal until graduation but the lessons wouldn’t be necessary.
Night fell over Earth as Scarlett laid on her bed and closed her eyes. She was determined to get something, no matter what her father said and there was only one person who could tell her the answers she wanted.
∞
Activities Gym ended and Scarlett quickly ran to the showers. She needed to be done before Jayden. Scarlett made a beeline for the entrance and leaned against the wall until a purple-haired Dreammare walked through.
“Jayden!”
“No.” Jayden walked ahead and turned down a hallway.
Scarlett wasn’t going to give up easily. “Please, it doesn’t have to be training, I need to see him.”
“I’m ordered, Scarlett.” She walked until they were alone in the hall.
“Orders from my father? Or orders from Cain?”
“You already know who.”
Scarlett shook her head. “Did Cain say anything?”
“So what if he didn’t?” Jayden threw her arms up and let them fall to her sides. “It doesn’t matter because your father said you are no longer allowed to go to the Refuge. Do you know what kind of trouble I could get in?”
“Who is your leader? Cain or my father?” Scarlett was reaching the end of her rope and Jayden didn’t respond.
“Exactly, Cain is. If he didn’t say anything, then I still have a window to go to the Refuge. I will deal with my father later.” She sighed and slumped her shoulders. “Please, I need answers and Cain’s the only one to give them to me. I want to know what’s going on. I know I’m not like the other Dreammares. I know I’m different and have something to do with the ongoing activity. I need and have a right to know.”
Jayden ground her jaw and ran her hand down her face. “I’m going to get in so much trouble for this.”
Scarlett sagged in relief as a smile spread across her face. “You won’t regret it.”
The girls exited the hall and rounded the corner to the entrance of the school. Jayden abruptly stopped in her path and stumbled backward.
“What the –.”
Scarlett steadied Jayden by gripping her arm and looked to see who bumped into her.
“Ren?”
The redhead stood with a gaping mouth. “I’m... I’m so sorry!”
Jayden inwardly cringed at the sugary voice and glanced Ren up and down.
“What are you doing here?” Scarlett asked as she let go of Jayden’s arm. Ren wasn’t normally seen at the Dreamer’s School.
Ren’s green eyes slightly widened and her face lit up. “Oh! Um, I needed to collect some files from the front desk.”
“Oh okay,” Scarlett trailed off as Jayden grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Well, we’ve got to get going. See you around, Ren.”
Ren waved as she glanced at their intertwined hands and her plastered smile flickered. Scarlett caught the glitch and gave a small smile while Jayden didn’t bother with one. Ren turned and continued into the office while Jayden hurriedly pulled them outside. She kept Scarlett facing forward when she tried to look back.
Scarlett knew Jayden noticed something. “What was that about?”
She stayed silent and looked straight ahead.
“Jayden?” Scarlett called and snapped Jayden out of her thoughts. “What’d you see?”
“She gave me a weird feeling. Something wasn’t right...” Jayden shook her head before fully facing Scarlett. “Did you feel it?”
Scarlett raised her brows. “No, I didn’t”
Jayden rolled her lips and looked around before shaking the thoughts off. “Let’s just get going.”
The Refuge came into sight and Scarlett rushed Jayden to walk faster. They immediately spotted Cain. He was alone in the field with his back to them.
He whipped his power around and his armor, despite the added on bulk, molded to his body and flexed to his every movement. Scarlett watched in awe; as frustrating as he could be, she admired him.
Cain’s power flung across the air before it vanished from sight. The show’s over; he knew they were there.
He turned around and found Scarlett’s gaze. A bubbly heat scorched through her veins.
“Jayden, go with the others.”
Jayden bowed her head at his order and hesitantly glanced at Scarlett before leaving.
Scarlett kept her arms loosely to her sides and lifted her chin as she stared Cain head-on. She held a tight rein over her expression and didn’t let a single twitch slip.
“You’ve been trained well.” Cain raised a brow as he strode towards her. With each step he took, Scarlett struggled to keep her breathing in check.
“Only by the best.” She threw back as she softly eyed him.
There was no denying there was something there. She knew without a doubt that he knew it too.
“Your father made it pretty clear you were not to return here.”
“My father has a way to make decisions that aren’t fully thought out.” Scarlett tilted her head. “Hence, the one where I’m to be kept in the dark about what I am and what is going on in the Realms.”
“Despite the logic, he has his reasons.”
“Reasons I don’t agree with, leading to me being here with you.”
Scarlett took a deep breath and looked at the ground. “I can’t be kept in the dark forever, Cain. I have a right to know.”
“That may be so, but it is ultimately your father’s decision,” Cain observed Scarlett and knew her hold on her emotions was thinning. As advanced as she was, the emotional battle that waged within a Dreammare was the most grueling aspect.
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“It is not my place too, he will come around soon enough. The truth always comes out.”
Scarlett rolled her lips and clenched her fist. The move didn’t go unnoticed.
Grey flowed from Cain’s palms and circled him as they rose to his back, forming grotesque wings. Scarlett’s eyes lit and were amazed as the first time she’d seen them.
“What are you doing?” She whispered as her chest rumbled with excitement and her fingers itched.
“Let it go.”
Scarlett didn’t hesitate and her black power flew from her hands like lightning. Warmth filled her palms and spread to her arms and chest. Her power moved like a storm before it settled into wings of her own. They matched Cain’s but Scarlett struggled to keep them high enough.
Without warning, Cain’s wings flapped inwards and shot out bolts of grey at Scarlett. She lifted her hands and managed to block his hits with ease. A smirk slipped across Cain’s lip and he threw more bolts. Scarlett smirked her own and swiped her hands across her body, creating a wall of blackness that his grey bolts disappeared into.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” She playfully threw.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
A tingle of warmth seated itself on Scarlett’s lower stomach as she let out a small laugh.
Cain shot webs at Scarlett and she ducked as they moved past. She
threw a blast of her own which Cain simply stepped away from. They created their dance, Scarlett would throw and he’d return it; a light sparring.
Scarlett’s black hair framed her face as loud laughs filled the air. Their blasts shortened with each hit as they neared.
A pull yanked at Scarlett’s chest as she found herself getting closer and closer to Cain. It nerved her…in a pleasant way.
With lit-up hands, Cain and Scarlett ended up a few inches from each other. Her breath caught as her desire flickered to life. The surroundings dulled to the background and Scarlett locked her eyes on Cain. She moved her gaze from his armored chest to where it revealed his strong neck and sharp jaw. Her eyes traveled past his parted lips and nose to his piercing smoky grey eyes.
She didn’t care that he knew because she saw him doing the same.
“I want to get to know you.”
Cain’s mask slipped at Scarlett’s blurted question. His eyebrows rose as he ticked his jaw.
“There is nothing to know.”
Scarlett wasn’t going to be nice, if he wasn’t going to tell her what she originally wanted to know, she would ask about something else. Memories from when she first discovered her powers filled her mind.
“There’s plenty to know.” Scarlett commenced as she inched closer. “What are you hiding under that mask?”
Another inch.
“What happened to us when I first used my powers? It was because of our partner bond, wasn’t it?”
Another inch.
“What was Cain like before becoming the Cain he is now?”
Another inch.
“Why do you hide things?”
They stood toe to toe. Scarlett’s heart pounded while the pull raged and twisted inside. Cain’s fists clenched and that was a sign enough that she’d gotten to him.
“So yes, there is plenty to know about you, Cain. It’s a matter of you opening up.”
Scarlett maintained eye contact as she cocked a brow. The energy that surged through Scarlett made her feel powerful and she wasn’t backing down.
Cain’s jaw twitched as Scarlett pushed. “You wouldn’t know what you’re asking for.” He smoothly said as he regained control of himself. Scarlett wasn’t letting him go easy.
“Then let me know.” She softly whispered.
She placed her powered hand on Cain’s chest and a jolt zapped at the contact. The pull that’d been restless inside her chest released a euphoric wave that radiated throughout her body and flowed into Cain’s. She filled with shivers and not from pain. Scarlett removed her hand from Cain’s armor and it weighed down as if it were a magnet to him. She hugged her hand to her chest while suppressing her power.
Cain hastily backed away and turned his back to Scarlett as his power retreated into his hands.
“What was –?”
“CAIN!” Scarlett got cut off by a shout and she spotted Jayden, Trevor, and Liam running towards them. They wore grim faces and weapons lined their bulked armor.
“They’re here, Cain.” Trevor gravely informed.
Cain went rigid and tensed his shoulders as grey light ignited from his palms.
Before Scarlett could ask who, shrieks and growls ripped through the air and pierced everyone’s ears.
She recognized them all too well.
Nightmares.
Twenty-Two
Fear twisted in Scarlett’s gut as the gray ring surrounding Dreammare Refuge rose into a solid wall. The noises, although viciously loud, were not near The Refuge.
“Cain, they’re not here for us.” Jayden paused. “They’re going for the front lines.”
Cain turned towards Scarlett as she registered the words. Her father worked the front lines.
“Dad.” She confirmed under her breath. Scarlett glanced at Cain as the realization dawned on them both.
He knew what she was going to do before she even had a chance. Cain shot his power at Scarlett and coiled her with his grey tendrils. Her arms were stuck to her sides and she couldn’t walk.
“CAIN! NO!” Scarlett struggled against his power and tried pushing out for it to release as he strode towards her.
The desperation filled her voice clear as day. “Please, please don’t do this.”
“You aren’t ready and you’d get yourself killed.” Cain’s jaw set as Scarlett’s eyes glossed over. Wave after wave of despair collided against the walls of her mind.
“This isn’t fair! Cain, let me go.” Scarlett yelled as frustration knotted in her chest. She tried to wriggle free but his power held her in place.
Cain ignored her and turned to face the rest. “Trevor and Liam with me. Jayden, watch her.”
His eyes bore into Jayden who didn’t confirm his order. She opened her mouth to argue but she faltered as Cain narrowed his eyes. She glanced at Scarlett with pained eyes and mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ before bowing her head to Cain.
“Cain! STOP!”
Trevor and Liam avoided Scarlett’s eyes as she shouted for them to help. They couldn’t disobey their leader. Cain walked away from a struggling Scarlett and they followed suit.
“CAIN!” Her shouts fell on unhearing ears as the three Dreammares jumped and flew towards the commencing battle.
Scarlett groaned in pain as Cain’s power tightened around her. ‘The bastard.’
“Jayden, please.” She pleaded and the pressure behind her eyes grew. “My dad is out there.”
Jayden stared at where the three left from and back to Scarlett. Her eyes shone with internal conflict as she fidgeted with her hands. “I can’t disobey him, Scarlett. He is my leader and doing so, would bring pain to myself.”
“Jayden, please. I’ll make sure that you’ll be okay, just get me out of this!”
Jayden shook her head as her eyes glossed over. “I wouldn’t be able to do anything! His power is the strongest of us all. Once you’re in that, there’s no getting out. Many have tried.”
Scarlett refused to believe that was it. She wasn’t going to be held back while her family fought in the battle. She grasped onto her anger towards Cain and every muscle tensed. Flames of rage rolled through her chest and she pulled on her strings. The power that unleashed from her hands grew like wildfire and wrapped on top of Cain’s. The ball in her chest rumbled with satisfaction.
Jayden’s eyes widened as Scarlett disappeared behind the wrap of blackness. “Scarlett, what are you –.”
Her words faded as a bright light erupted from Scarlett. Cain’s power no longer wrapped around her. Scarlett’s black hair floated and buzzed with energy as her eyes shone vividly. Her power surrounded her like a raging storm and Jayden stumbled back from the force that radiated from it.
Scarlett lifted off the ground and stared down at Jayden. “You won’t have to worry about Cain. I’ll deal with him myself. Lead me to them.”
Jayden snapped her jaw shut and quickly nodded. She jumped into the air and flew into the darkness with Scarlett following closely.
Time ticked by and Scarlett’s stomach twisted as the blasts and gruesome growling grew closer. She didn’t have time to think of what she did at the Refuge. Whatever it was, it was most likely part of the reason the battle occurred.
The Dark Realm gave way to glittering stars and the girls froze at the sight that came before them.
The border between Ever Realm and the Dark Realm was in chaos. Nightmares poured from the Dark Realm like a wave. They were trying to overtake the army of Dreamers that held them back. The wall that bordered Ever Realm from this area was no longer standing, it was crumpled beneath. Dreamers piled in from Ever Realm and fought back the nightmares as best they could. Scarlett was sure almost every Dreamer was there in the battle and their odds were not looking well.
Left and right, Nightmares exploded into bursts of light, either turning to dust or exploding with muck. Scarlett scanned the field for anyone recognizable and spotted Jasper near the front of the battle.
“Jayden, Jasper’s down there!” Scarlett pointed i
n his direction and Jayden’s head whipped to lay eyes on him.
She moved to leave but not before turning around and nodding a ‘thank you’ to Scarlett. “Go find your father, being our leader, he’ll most likely be at the front of it all.”
Scarlett kept an eye out for any Dreammare power and wasn’t surprised to not find any. Being one in a battle between Dreamers and Nightmares wasn’t ideal. Her power slid back into her hands and Scarlett flew herself to where the nightmares and Dreamers met, the middle of the battle. She observed the faces and her father was nowhere in sight. Dread coiled itself around her heart.
She restlessly looked around when she caught sight of a familiar tall figure in black armor fighting off a nightmare. He gracefully swung his power lightly enough that it wouldn’t be noticed by either side and kept to short bursts that exploded upon direct contact with a creature from the Dark Realm. She remembered the move; short distance bursts.
Distracted, Scarlett didn’t notice the nightmare that leaped out of the crowd and barreled straight towards her. Its wide-mouth latched onto the side of her torso and a scream tore from her as she fell to the battle below.
The nightmare’s jagged teeth pressed against her armor and bit down but couldn’t penetrate. Its force crushed her chest and Scarlett struggled to take breaths. She clawed at the creature when she felt something slither its way up her back. Scarlett twisted her head to see that the nightmare had a second mouth atop its head and its ghastly blackened tongue was sliding its way towards her head. Scarlett screeched and no longer cared if anyone saw. She let her power rip from her palms as she planted them on the nightmare’s body. It shrieked and withered as it filled and exploded. Scarlett became covered in black muck as it dripped down every inch of her body. Her armor had indents of the creature’s teeth and scratches from its claws.
Her first markings.
Scarlett’s power spilled from her palms and she quickly retracted it back inside. Something malicious already caught sight of it.
“It’s you.” The hollow voice filled her ears and Scarlett turned to see who it belonged to. It was unlike any Dark Realm creature she’d seen.