by K. R. Bowman
I knelt and squeezed her hand, “Mom, if I have the power to find him or the truth of what happened to him, then I’m going to do it.”
She only nodded.
I stood and trudged back to my room, laying the box on my bed. I ambled over to the cake, grabbed a fork, and started eating again. I’m an emotional eater that loves food who can’t gain weight, so not the worst combination.
Thoughts of last night’s actions swirled through my head. It was all real... Brand, Ashlen, the dragons, and that insufferable soldier… they were all real. Shit. Was the Night Realm the place I've been dreaming about for years?
Mom shuffled in and started eating a piece of the cake too. Emotional eating runs in our family. We simply sat on the bed, staring off into space, putting food in our mouths, a robotic yet glorious cycle.
“Is that the time?!” Mom jumped up and raced out of the room. I could hear her bumping around in her room and turning on the water in the bathroom.
I still had a couple of hours before my class, so I gobbled down some more cake. Mom yelled bye as she ran out the door.
I sat curled up on my bed, eating the delicious birthday cake and thinking.
4
Mariah pulled into the drive on two wheels. The passenger side window rolled down, and some pop diva was belting out a tune on the radio, “Yo, bitch! Happy birthday!”
I laughed. Opening the door, I slid into the seat.
She took off down the road toward school, singing away at the top of her lungs. I leaned my head against the headrest, letting the sounds reverberate through me. I closed my eyes. The bright sunlight warmed me up. Soon, I drifted away in a cloud.
A flash of gold hair filled my mind. Golden eyes faced me. Coolness settled over me, then another flash of black leathery skin and hollowed eyes pierced through me.
I jolted awake. My breath was shallow and rattled my chest. Gooseflesh prickled across my skin.
Mariah parked the car.
“Come on, birthday girl!” Mariah yelled.
Ugh. I grabbed my bag and grudgingly got out.
Mariah looped her arm through mine and pulled me down the sidewalk.
“We’re going to be late on the second day!” She pulled me up the stairs. The air in my chest burned. My thighs worked in overdrive. I have to get in shape, especially if I am going to be running for my life and fighting dragons.
Sweating sucks.
The teacher immediately began reciting the Gettysburg Address. My mind quickly drifted off into another world full of night creatures, with daring heroines, and most of all - magic. My imagination ran unencumbered.
The hour passed by without me taking notice. People packing up their things, and walking by me brought my consciousness back into the real world. I had subconsciously pulled the chain of the necklace out and was winding it around my fingers.
“So, are we having a party tonight?” Mariah asked as we made our way down the sidewalk toward the biology building.
“Um… no, not tonight. I can’t. My mom decided to cook dinner.” I made sure to give her my sad yet, exasperated face as I looked at her except I had last night’s events pushing to the forefront of my mind, so it was kind of hard to look truly distraught.
“Well… okay, maybe this weekend would be better?”
“Yes, absolutely. I can do something this weekend.” Maybe. But probably not. “I’ll call and let you know.”
She smiled, “Alright, good.”
Sitting through Biology class was kind of like torture. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night. My fear transformed into excitement. My body practically called out for the other world. Is this why I never seemed to belong? Mariah was my only friend, and she had been great, but she didn’t even know me all the years we went to school together. I wanted to get back to the Night Realm as soon as possible. By the time we left, I was the one pulling Mariah down the sidewalk to the car. I’m always a sucker for a good mystery.
“Gosh, girl, what’s gotten into you?”
“I’m ready to get home is all.”
She laughed. “Girl, you are a conundrum, even if it is your birthday.”
We drove home, singing away to Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. When Mariah pulled into the drive, my mom was already home. I turned to get out of the car. When would I see her again? I leaned over, hugging her. I squeezed her tight. “Thank you for being my friend.”
“Since when did you go all soft on me?” She pulled back so she could look me in the eyes.
“I’ve never told you, so I thought ‘Hey, why not now?’” I aimed a goofy smile at her and heaved myself out of the car.
“Thanks for being my bitch too!” She yelled. Lord, she was a crazy person.
I waved to her and walked inside. The smell of food wafted from the kitchen, warning me that mom had started cooking. I dropped my bags by the door and kicked off my shoes. Mom peeked around the corner of the kitchen and smiled softly.
“Hi.”
“Hello.”
She turned back into the kitchen. I sat at our small breakfast table and waited. She dropped a plate, full of every kind of food imaginable, in front of me. I jerked my head up to look at her.
“I thought since this is probably your last night here for a while, I would make your favorites.” Her voice was steady, but only I could hear the slight shake in it. She was putting on her brave face for me. I didn’t want to make my mom go through being left behind again, but we both knew I had to do this. At least this time, she knew I was leaving. She knew why. She knew where. I tried not to let the guilt eat my insides.
My plate had waffles, grilled chicken, spaghetti covered with sauce and cheese, blueberries, watermelon, corn, sweet potatoes, and black-eyed peas. Oh. My. Gosh. My eyes were huge as saucers, and my mouth had gone slack.
“Whoa.”
“Yep. You need to be good and healthy, where you’re going.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to eat all of this.”
“Just try.” She smiled and sat her plate down, which wasn’t much different from mine.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.”
“Then why is your plate the same as mine?”
“Well, it all seemed great to me.” She winked and began eating. We talked about the day like it was any other. We even contemplated future trips we had planned.
Around nine o’clock, I padded into my bedroom, tossing my bag onto the floor. The necklace around my neck felt heavy on its chain. I tugged the knife out of the box. It was as long as my forearm, with intricate designs along the handle and sheath. I pulled the knife out of the sheath, the metal gleamed brightly under the lights, and what looked like some kind of ancient writing was written along the middle of the blade. Mom walked in and sat on the bed beside me.
“Not a day will pass that I won’t think about you.” She wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pressing my face against her. “Are you sure you’ll be going back tonight?”
I sighed, “I’m not completely sure. Half of me still thinks it was a dream. But with this around my neck and this in my hand, it feels too real. That place pulls me.”
She nodded slowly, her head brushing against the top of mine. She pushed my hair back.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to cry, knowing it was inevitable, “You know I’ll miss you a lot, even though you drive me crazy.” She tightened her arms around me and kissed the top of my head.
“Please, be safe. When you come back, I want you to have all your appendages and limbs in working order.”
“Great, mom, thanks for reminding me.”
“I love you and happy birthday. I have always prepared myself for the day you would leave for a big university, but nothing like traveling to another realm.” She half-heartedly chuckled. “At least, when I knew you were going to leave me one day, I could call you every minute of every day, but now I won’t even get a postcard.”
“I love you, mom. Mariah will wonder what happene
d. Will you tell her?”
She nodded, “You bet, don’t worry.” She took my hand in hers.
The clock down the hall began to chime. A tingling sensation traveled from my toes and up to my head. “I think it’s happening.” Mom squeezed my hand with desperation, and her eyes shimmered with tears.
“Be safe.”
My vision blurred. The walls shivered, becoming thin. The drywall became tree limbs and branches. The carpet turned into dirt and leaves. Slowly, the bed and my mom dissolved away in pieces. Tears tumbled down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut, making the corners of her eyes crinkle. She grew more transparent with each passing second. Her absent hand in mine left a cold mark as my world dissolved into the Night Realm.
5
The crisp, night air filled my lungs. I stood. This time I was smart enough to wear sneakers, jeans, and a jacket over my t-shirt. I slipped the knife into my back pocket, pushing it through the bottom seam of the pocket. My hair blew across my face. The breeze dried my tears cool on my cheeks. The stark white moon shone brightly, giving light to the dark forest floor to guide my journey to camp.
It didn’t take me long to find the camp again. Apparently, when I came back, it transported me closer, which was kind of whoever is over that sort of thing. The campfires glinted through the trees, and people flitted from one fire to another.
I made my way toward the camp when something knocked me flat to the ground. My adrenaline pumped, and I panicked. I tried to shove off the ground, but someone or something kept me pressed into the ground. A warm breath brushed my neck.
“Be still. They’re coming,” said a low, protective voice.
“What?” Shit, it was the man from the night before.
“Be quiet.” He stayed on top of me, covering my head with his arms. He smelled like dirt and trees; he surprisingly smelled wonderful, or maybe it was because my face was smashed into the ground.
A horn sounded throughout the camp. People immediately stopped what they were doing and moved into action.
“Would you get the fuck off of…” A loud, screeching noise erupted through the night, making my ears ring. The flapping of wings beat in the air. People screamed. Fires were extinguished. Utter chaos ensued. People set up barricades and drew their weapons. More screeching and sparks erupted from the flying creatures above. They flew over us, down the hill to dive toward the people around the tents. The man yanked me up and jerked me up the hill.
“Would you move it, so we won’t get killed?” he bellowed at me.
I picked up my pace and sprinted after him, only staggering a few times. My heart hammered against my ribs, and my body was sore from being squashed into the ground. He led me to a small hole, where five other guys sat crouched against the dirt walls.
“Who’s that?” A scruffy guy, with shoulder-length hair, turned angry black eyes to glare at me.
I gasped. My mouth fell open, and I pushed my back against the dirt wall, trying to get away from him. His eyes were solid black, making his eyes look like twin holes in his face. I just stared at him. What hell had I dropped into?
“Some girl, who keeps getting in the way. Why haven’t you taken off yet?” My captor asked them.
“We were waiting for you.” A scrawny guy, with hands too big to be on his body, began pulling weapons from his back and tossed a couple onto the dirt floor. He held out a small sword to me. For some reason, I took it from him. His eyes were completely black too. He looked like a demon. My mouth hung open in horror.
My captor gaped at me incredulously, reached over, and snatched the weapon back. “Don’t give her any weapons. She’s a groundling; she doesn’t know how to use it.” He put the sword through a slip of leather tied around his hips. “Guys, just go. I’ll babysit her.” He turned toward me, and I wanted to scream. His eyes slowly changed to black. The whites of his eyes disappeared in seconds.
The black holes, where his eyes were supposed to be, were more menacing when he was annoyed and angry. Part of me wanted to run from him, while another part wanted to cling to him for protection. I shook my head, trying to clear it.
The guys looked at me, then climbed out of the hole. The darkness swallowed them whole. One moment they were there, the next, gone. I stood in the pit, staring up with my mouth hanging wide.
“Where did they go? What’s wrong with your eyes?” I blurted. I turned to the guy. He was watching the camp, and the sight caught my breath. How was this possible? Winged creatures swooped down and grabbed people, taking them up into the air and dropping them. I sank next to him and watched the scene unfold; it was utterly surreal. Unchecked tears spilled down my cheeks.
A loud, whistling noise sounded over our heads. The wind whipped my hair across my eyes. Another creature slammed into the other darker ones. The screeching grew louder and louder. I had to cover my ears with my hands. The creature that had attacked the others tore them apart and ate them. Black liquid sprayed from the creatures and dripped from the dragon’s pointed snout. It was a light brown color with gold streaks flecked throughout its feathers, a cross between a large eagle and maybe a dragon. It looked somehow ethereal and strangely translucent. The dark creatures took off as fast as they could, quickly disappearing into the night.
The guy beside me watched everything intently and silently. I think he had forgotten I was there because when my arm brushed his, he nearly jumped on me. Instead, he grabbed my arm, yanking me up and over the lip of the hole. He dragged me toward camp.
“Wait! Wait! Where are you taking me?” My heels dragged through the dirt, my body leaning backward, trying to pull my arm from his grip.
Anger etched his face. I blanched when he turned those black eyes on me. I shrank back. Again, I tried pulling my arm from his grip. He let go, and I stumbled. He kept walking. I stood out in the open, watching him. He stooped and picked up someone injured and kept striding through camp. Who was this guy? I slowly ambled toward the camp. I had no clue where I needed to be or what I had gotten myself into.
People wandered aimlessly around, with the same black eyes as my irritating protector. Some stopped to help others, and some seemed to be in shock. The ones in shock were younger, and some I recognized from the tent where I had stayed last night.
As people rushed or pushed past me, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. A man with long blond hair that fell past his shoulders strode toward the forest away from all of the commotion. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so I could see scars of all kinds etched across his shoulders and back. He had three thick black tattooed rings encircling his bicep. He seemed to know someone was looking at him because he stopped in mid-stride at the edge of the forest and turned back.
His eyes found mine; I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. His eyes were the same black as everyone else, but as he stared at me, they changed to a bright amber. His long hair was filled with different shades of gold that somehow reminded me of my dreams. The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, his gaze turning from mine, as he stepped into the shadows of the trees and disappeared.
No fucking way... Was he the guy from my dreams?
I tried to find Ashlen among the people rushing past. I spotted Brand. He was having the injured gathered into one of the tents located in the middle of the camp.
“Sloane!” Brand pushed through the crowd of people, making his way toward me. “Where have you been?” Brand’s face was full of concern and looked as if he had aged since the last time I saw him. With the added stress, his Scottish accent became thicker. His eyes were also the jet-black color that made me think twice before talking to him.
“I, uh, went home.” I swallowed hard, trying not to notice the black eyes.
“Home?” His face changed to puzzlement. He ran a hand across his eyes. The black slowly receded from the whites of his eyes and pushed back into the containment of his pupil. “Could ye help us with the injured? I need to go check on more.”
I blinked, then nodded, “Sure. What do I need to do?�
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“Just go ‘round and ask each of ‘em what’s wrong and give ‘em either a red tag or yellow tag. Red is an emergency. Yellow is they need regular ‘elp.” He shoved the stack of cards into my hands. I scrambled to keep them from falling onto the ground. He patted my shoulder and turned out the doorway of the tent.
I rotated in a circle looking at nearly twenty people who laid on makeshift beds. I shuffled through the tags and started working. There weren’t as many emergencies as I thought there would be; most were in shock and needed to have a conversation with a sane person. I told them they would be fine, and we were going to get them help. Honestly, I barely remember anything I said to anyone. Whatever I said, seemed to calm them some.
But there were casualties and even more with extensive injuries. The people, who seemed qualified to handle those types of injuries, immediately took over the situation from me, which I was thankful. Everything was a mess. People rushed around. The air was full of tension. It was complete chaos. I tried my best to stay out of the way.
Several hours passed as I checked on each patient. More were carried in, and I had to make room. Gradually, people were checked by a more qualified person. Brand came in and sat on a stool in a corner. His shoulders were drooping; he laid his elbows on his legs and put his head in his hands. I maneuvered around the patients and sat on the floor beside him. I kept quiet, waiting.
“Sloane, you did really well tonight. Thank you, lass, for helping.”
“Absolutely, I’m glad to help.” I was exhausted but grateful that I was able to do something to help these people.
Brand sat quietly on the stool for a few minutes. His face contorted into concentration. The lines on his face appeared deeper. I rose slowly and as quietly as I could. I left him sitting by himself. I didn’t want to intrude on his thoughts.