Obstruction By Nightmare (Academy of Broken Dreams Book 3)

by Rose Alexander

  Chapter 7

  I wrap a towel around my hair and pull on my clothes for the day. I leave the bathroom to a knock at the door. Assuming it’s Alfred, I call out, “Come in.”

  The door opens and to my surprise, Max walks in carrying a large picnic basket with a small towel over the top. The smell of fresh-cooked waffles wafts out and hits my nose.

  “Max!” I squeal and rush over to him, the food quickly forgotten.

  “Let me set this down before I drop it.” He chuckles.

  He sets the basket down on my small table and wraps his arms around me and I melt into them. I take a deep breath and let his woodsy scent wash over me. The separation from myself and all the others has made me realize how much I should cherish these moments. The small moments when I can hug and connect to a person, I care about who also cares about me. It's almost so surreal that I can hardly believe he's here.

  “I don’t know what you did, but Coventry insisted you needed a friendly face, so here I am.” He shoots me a half-cocked smile as he releases me from the embrace.

  “I’m not going to complain.” The corners of my mouth rise into my own smile.

  “Let’s eat and catch up.” He suggests, pointing to the table.

  We walk over and sit across from each other while he unpacks the food. Heaps of fresh strawberries, raspberries, bananas, and blueberries make their way to the table, followed by a large stack of waffles, complete with syrup, whipped cream, and butter.

  “You went all out, didn’t you?” My eyes widen as I take in the spread of food in front of me.

  “Only the best for you.” His eyes meet mine with an intensity that makes me squirm in my seat. Where is my cocky player boy I’ve come to know?

  “How are things going with the… you know?” He asks as he loads up a plate.

  “About the same. It will take time to know what’s going to happen. I don’t think we should talk here though. The walls have eyes and ears.” I put my finger up to my lips.

  He nods and starts eating his food. I smile at him as I load up my own plate and dig in.

  “How are classes?” I try to make small talk.

  “Same shit, different day. Although, it is strange to not see any Dissidents or Caballine around anymore. I never realized how used to the integration I was until they separated everyone.” He replies, a muscle in his jaw ticks. “I know as an Empyrean I’m supposed to be happy about this. Hell… before I met you, I would have been. But now… it just seems wrong. Because of you, I’ve made friends in other houses and they really aren’t any different than I am. Finn, Ryland, Sam, and even Korbin have become important. It kills me that I can’t help. My parents would be so disappointed in me if they heard me talking like this and knew I was helping you with the... well, you know.”

  I reach out and place a hand on his forearm. “I’m so proud of you, Max. It shows real personal growth that you are thinking for yourself instead of doing what they expect of you.”

  “Thanks, Whisper. I hope I can become a man who will make you proud.” His hazel eyes meet mine again, reflecting his tortured thoughts.

  “You already are.” I return his gaze, willing him to believe my words.

  “Then I’m doing the right thing.” He nods his head and returns to his plate.

  We continue to eat and make small talk until it’s time to go to class. I’m enjoying my small time with him so much that I hate for it to end, but life doesn’t always give you what you want. I walk him to the door, then we both teleport away to our respective classes.

  I arrive outside of Mrs. King’s office and knock on her door.

  “Come on in, Whisper,” she calls out from the other side.

  “Good morning,” I say as I enter and close the door behind me.

  I perch on the seat across from her and she smiles at me.

  “Shall we get started then?” She raises an eyebrow at me.

  I nod and open the book laying in front of me.

  The rest of the day flies by as I attend my classes, then work on the assigned homework. When the school day ends, I teleport back to my room and am surprised to see Max waiting for me there.

  “Two visits in one day? What have I done to deserve this?” I grin like a schoolgirl with her first crush.

  I open the door to my room, and he follows me inside. We perch on the side of the bed in an awkward silence for a few minutes. My mind is racing so fast I can’t grab a hold of a single thought. What are we doing here? Are we going to take things further? We’re alone in my room again without food as a barrier. My hormones wouldn’t mind going further, but I don’t think I’m ready for that. Besides, with four guys, how do I pick who would be my first?

  “I just realized something.” Max pulls me from my thoughts.

  “What’s that?” I ask, staring into his hazel eyes.

  “We don’t really know each other that well. I think it’s time to change that.” He wrings his hands together, the only sign he’s feeling as uncomfortable as I am.

  I relax at his words. Talking I can do.

  “Let’s see… My name is Whisper. I’m a red-headed youngest child with six older sisters.” I grin mischievously at him.

  He groans and rolls his eyes. “Well, I obviously know that much.”

  “I have to poke fun when I can.” I giggle. “I was really into conspiracy theories when I lived in the human world. There was so much that I could see that others didn’t seem to notice. I wanted explanations. I had a blog devoted to it and everything. Everything turned upside down when I came here, and I haven’t really thought about it since. It all seems kind of silly now. I don’t know what I want my hobbies to be now, but it would be nice to have something to do outside of classes and the supposed powers I have. How about you? What do you like to do?”

  “I enjoy playing football. I’m the quarterback of the Empyrean team, although they canceled our season this year when they started segregating students.” He clenches his fist, his knuckles turning white. “Other than that, I enjoy listening to music. The Italics are my favorite band.”

  “They put on an awesome concert!” I agree, remembering the concert we all went to. It was the last good thing that happened before Coventry turned our worlds upside down. “So, what was growing up for you like? Our worlds are so different.”

  “I live in Onyxmoor with my parents. I’m an only child who is expected to follow in my father's footsteps. They hobnob with the elite of the Empyrean house. I guess you could have gathered that by that dinner at Coventry’s house. My father owns a little bit of everything. He built an empire by acquiring businesses and growing them and buying up all the land he could.” Max explains. “It is rather tiresome trying to live up to their expectations. I wish they would have had another child so everything didn’t fall on me.”

  “That’s tough. I was really lucky. My parents had so many kids they were happy if we stayed out of jail.” I laugh, and a pang of sadness hits my chest thinking about them. “Being the baby of the family, my sisters had already done everything, so they weren’t phased by anything I did.”

  “Must have been nice. I can’t imagine having that many people in one family.” He shakes his head.

  “I couldn’t picture being an only child.” I shrug.

  “What are humans like? The only experience I’ve had with them is feeding on them.” His cheeks start to turn pink.

  “Not much different from Nightmares, really. They have the same thoughts, fears, and desires we do. They just don’t have to feed on people's bad dreams.” I try to explain.

  “I never thought about it like that.” He tilts his head, his curly brown hair falling into his eyes.

  “What do you think is going to happen when this is all over? Will Coventry go to jail?” I play with my hands on my lap.

  “He’s too dangerous to keep alive. He will either be killed in the uprising or he will be executed when it’s over.” Max stretches before leaning back on his elbows. “I wonder what the academy wil
l be like. It’s hard to think that you’ll need to be here. You already know more than any other Nightmare.”

  “I have other people’s memories, but I still need the academy. Learning about history, and society are important.” I shake my head.

  We continue to chat until dinner time, then Max has to leave. I walk him to the door, and we stand in the opening, neither one wanting us to part.

  “I’ll be back soon.” Max wraps his arms around my waist.

  “Not soon enough.” I cuddle into his chest, breathing in his rich, amber scent.

  I hear someone clear their throat and glance up to find Alfred standing in the hallway holding my dinner tray. Max reluctantly let's go of me and steps into the hallway and teleports away.

  I eat dinner before diving into my homework. I work until I can barely hold my eyes open, then change into my pajamas and crawl under the sheets.

  I drift off and focus on Midnight Rising. A nervous excitement is building in my chest. I can feel the energy buzzing around me. I get to test my theory tonight, and hopefully teach the others how to move things with their tendrils. I hope I’m up to the challenge.

  As I appear in the meadow, a warm wind rushes up and surrounds me with the sweet fragrant scent of lilacs. I take a deep breath in and smile. Everything feels right in my world for this one brief moment in time.

  Closing my eyes, I find the threads of my group and pull them to me. When I open them, Lydia is inches in front of me bouncing up and down.

  “It’s tomorrow night! You said you’d teach me.” She squeals excitedly.

  “I did.” I grin back at her. “Everyone sit down and let's see if we can make this happen.”

  Finn conjures a notepad and pen before sitting, while everyone else plops straight down.

  “In any scientific study, you have to keep meticulous records.” He shrugs.

  “Ok, so you already know how to bring your tendrils out to teleport. It works in the same manner, but you have to focus on the item you want to pick up. It’s easy really.” I try to explain.

  I will one tendril to come out of my chest. I picture it moving forward then tapping Lydia on the shoulder. A smile creeps across my face as I watch the tendril do exactly as I pictured.

  Lydia squeaks when it touches her then falls over in a fit of giggles. “My turn!”

  I watch as she scrunches her eyes closed. Nothing happens at first, but after a few minutes a small tendril snakes out of her chest and wraps itself in Korbin’s hair. She opens her eyes and the tendril disappears.

  “I did it! You were right Whisper.” Her eyes shine with pride.

  “The rest of you should try now.” I coax, smiling ear to ear. My theory was right!

  One by one the others close their eyes, except for Finn; he’s busy watching and writing down his observations. I shake my head, but there’s no use arguing with him. I’ll get him to try when he’s finished.

  Tendrils start snaking out of each of their chests. Ryland uses his to mess with Finn, gently bumping the clipboard. I cover my mouth to hide the giggle that bubbles up at the site. Korbin picks a flower and places it delicately in Lydia’s hair. He has great control for his first time. Max and Sam are staring at each other, their tendrils wrapped around the others tugging back and forth.

  “We can totally use this in a fight.” Max grins, losing his concentration and his tendril disappearing.

  Sam takes the advantage and wraps Max up, pinning his arms to his side.

  “Is there any way to keep him incapacitated without you needing to actively concentrate?” I ask, intrigued by the possibility.

  “Let me try.” Sam wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead.

  The tendril disappears freeing Max from his hold.

  “Limited capability, but a valuable asset nonetheless.” Finn chews on the end of his pen. “If we could somehow harness its power in a longer lasting form…”

  “We will have to work on that, but it’s your turn.” I reach over and grab the clipboard from Finn.

  “Very well.” He shrugs.

  He closes his eyes, his face taunt with concentration. We wait and watch, silence hanging heavily over the meadow. After a few minutes Finn opens his eyes and glances down.

  “I don’t believe I have the ability at this time. I’ll stick to observing.” He holds out his hand for the clipboard.

  I bite my lip as I hand it back. I didn’t factor in that one of us wouldn’t be able to use the gift.

  “Don’t give up.” Lydia encourages. “I couldn't teleport at first but now I can. Maybe you just need to practice.”

  “We’ll see.” Finn gives her a sad smile. “I’m not used to being bad at things. It’s very disconcerting.”

  I stand up and brush off my butt then clap my hands.

  “I think it’s time to move forward. We need to meet with the adults and plan what’s to come. We could test them on this ability to see if it started sooner.” I stretch to get rid of the stiffness from sitting.

  I close my eyes and find the cords for Aunt Nellie, her husbands, Mrs. King, and Gandore. When I open them again, they are all standing in front of me.

  “We have a little bit of a plan.” I smile.

  “Let me grab Mrs. Bradbury before you get started.” Mrs. King winks at me.

  She closes her eyes and I watch as Mrs. Bradbury materializes in front of us.

  “Now that we’re all here we have a few topics to discuss.” I pace back and forth under the weeping willow. “First, we need to figure out recruitment. There has to be people in the other houses that would be willing to take up our cause. Mrs. King said something to me the other day that got me thinking. There will be other students that belong in all three houses that came from parents who are Dissidents. That alone should make them want to help us. Even some who are Empyrean.”

  “We can’t trust Empyreans.” Lydia jumps to her feet as her eyes widen.

  “That’s not a good idea.” Max shakes his head.

  “You guys,” I start to say.

  “Quiet everyone!” Gandore booms as he steps forward. The group immediately silences as they wait for him to speak. “Miss Lawrence makes an incredibly good point. We need to include anyone who would share in our cause, regardless of house. I have a solution on how to vet out those who could be trustworthy and those who would not be.”

  Chapter 8

  He pulls a small, black, shiny stone from his pocket.

  “What’s that?” Ryland asks as we all struggle to see what he’s holding.

  “This is a truth stone. The ancients used to make them. You place it in the person's palm you’re speaking to and ask your questions. If it lights up red, they are lying. If it turns purple, however, they are telling the truth. The trickiest one is if it turns grey; that would mean they are telling half-truths or hiding something.” Gandore holds out his hand, the stone glowing a brilliant bright purple. “Headmaster Gandore, is there any way we can make more of those stones? One won’t be enough.” I ask, biting on my bottom lip, worrying about how we will vet everyone.

  “I’m glad you ask.” He smiles, the skin wrinkling up next to his icy blue eyes. “I have a book I’ve already sent to Mrs. King that explains the theory behind it. The information may be in those memories you acquired as well.”

  I smack my forehead. I’ve been so preoccupied with what’s going on with my life and the resistance I didn’t even think to check. I close my eyes and go to the filing cabinet in my head and search until the memory hits me.

  I’m standing next to a young man who has a black stone in his hand, then I’m sucked inside his head, seeing things from his perspective.

  “With this magic I do bind, the truth I seek it will be mine. Radiant reds will tell me their lies, but plumes of purple reveal the truth inside. Only those that belie will have gradations of grey to reveal their disguise.” He chants and a thin wisp of black tendrils slinking through his hand and into the stone.

  I feel the stone heat up until it ne
arly burns my… I mean his hand, then it glows, first purple, then red, before finally turning grey. As the color fades away, the stone turns black and ordinary again.

  “That will do.” His voice rings loudly through the empty room and the stone lights up purple. I feel his cheeks raise in a smile.

  The room swirls around me, then I’m back to standing in the hollow with everyone again.

  “Did you have another memory?” Finn asks, inspecting me carefully to make sure I’m ok.

  “I did. I know how to make the stones.” I grin then turn to Gandore. “Can I borrow that one now?”

  “Of course. It is a dream world after all.” He winks.

  That’s right. I can picture it and it will appear when I need it here.

  “I’ll need some of those once you make them.” Aunt Nellie smiles proudly. “You amaze me every day, Whisper.”

  “Can we get them out of the academy?” I twist and stare at Mrs. King.

  “We can, now what else have you determined?” She waits patiently for me to answer.

  “Is this what we learned earlier?” Lydia jumps up and down, unable to contain her excitement.

  “Do you want to demonstrate?” I chuckle.

  Her eyes widen and she nods her head. I lift my arm and gesture for her to proceed. She smiles then closes her eyes and the adults watch in rapt fascination as a single tendril comes out of her chest and snakes across the grass until it grabs the clipboard out of Finn's hand.

  “That is astounding,” Gandore says breathlessly.

  “I want to see if any of you can do it. I theorized since the powers went away slowly over time, maybe they came back that way too. Since no one remembers them, why would anyone try?” I smile.

  “Ok,” Aunt Nellie rubs her hands together. “Tell us what to do.”

  “Let’s sit down, and I’ll walk you through it. Not everyone was able to before, so if it doesn’t work don’t feel bad.” I warn them as we all sit down on the soft grass.