Obstruction By Nightmare (Academy of Broken Dreams Book 3)

by Rose Alexander

“Mr. Wells described it as teleporting but missing the step of actually teleporting. Close your eyes and allow one tendril to come out. Picture what you want it to do and put your will behind it.” I explain, watching as the adults close their eyes one by one.

  Finn steps up behind me and whispers. “I have a working hypothesis.”

  “What’s that?” I turn around and meet his eyes.

  “Dissidents are more likely to harness the new gifts than born Nightmares. I don’t have enough data to see if it's causation or correlation. It might just be our small sample size of born Nightmares at this point.” He points to the adults and we see at least half of them have managed to use the gift.

  “I think that it’s a coincidence. If your theory was accurate, more of these adults should be successful.” I sigh. “I have a working theory as well. I think that we will find there are several powers that are coming back, and those who can’t use this one will be able to use another one. Too bad we don’t have a way of testing them out like the throne does houses.”

  “That gives me an idea, but I’ll need time to research it.” Finn grins.

  I smile at him before turning back to the group. “Don’t worry if it doesn’t work for you. Not everyone will be able to harness every power we discover. In time, we are hoping to teach you new ones as they become available to us. For those of you who are able to use this new gift, please continue practicing until it’s as second nature as teleporting. I think this could give us an edge.”

  “We can meet at the Seventh Circle anytime you would like to practice. Adults and students alike.” Aunt Nellie announces. “We can use this place for new training, and the Circle when you have the skill down.”

  “That’s a good idea.” I nod. “You’re all dismissed. Students, if you know of people you think would want to join, please pass their names on to the person who recruited you. We don’t discriminate by house, but we need to make sure of their intentions before we allow them to know our secrets.”

  “If you want to come to the Circle and you haven’t been yet, gather to the right, the rest of you go ahead and head there.” Aunt Nellie claps her hands together then marches off to the right of the meadow.

  “Thank you for running the meeting today.” I meander across the meadow to where Ryland is standing. “It’s nice to know I can count on you.”

  He smiles down at me when Treyton comes running up.

  “I have news.” His eyes shine bright.

  “What’s that?” I smile excited to hear what he’s learned.

  “I’ve been given permission to tutor you at school when you aren’t at Coventry’s. That way I can work with Finn in person.” His grin spreads from ear to ear.

  “That’s great! You can help us in the secret library. As long as you can keep it a secret.” I grin back at him. “Can you add one more student to your roster? My friend Lydia would love to learn so she can help.”

  “In for a penny, in for a pound.” He chuckles. “Of course, she’s welcome to study too. Hopefully, I’m a good enough teacher.”

  “When will you arrive?” I ask.

  “Tomorrow morning I’m coming over. I’ll come and see you and we can meet up with the others.” He winks. “I’ll see you then.”

  “Looking forward to it.” I shake my head as he winks out of sight.

  Everything's coming together. Now if only we knew what Coventry was up to, it would make planning this much easier.

  I turn back to Ryland as the world disappears. I blink a few times, staring up at the ceiling. That went way too fast. I was hoping to have some alone time with my group all together.

  I crawl out of bed and hop in the shower. When I finish, I slide into a pair of yoga pants and an Italics t-shirt, courtesy of Aunt Nellie.

  I start brushing out my hair when there’s a knock at the door. My stomach growls as if it’s conditioned the sound with the arrival of food.

  “Come in, I call out, expecting Alfred to just walk in with my tray.

  When the door stays closed, I stare at it curiously. I wonder who it could be? I tiptoe over and open it a crack and peer out. When I see him standing on the other side, I swing the door open wide and smile.

  “Treyton, are you my new butler?” I tease when I see the tray of food he’s holding.

  “I was already coming this way, so I offered to bring your breakfast with me.” He smiles as the tips of his ears turn red. “Is it ok if I come in?”

  “Of course.” I take the tray from him and step aside and let him into the room.

  I make my way to the table and sit down, setting the tray in front of me. “Have a seat.” I point to the chair across from me as I remove the lid covering the plate.

  “So, how are we going to accomplish stuff today?” Treyton asks.

  I put a finger up to my mouth in a shushing motion and wink. “I thought we could study in the library today. I’ve been cooped up in the room alone for so long it would be nice for a change of scenery. We can find a quiet table away from other students.”

  He gives me a confused glance. “That works for me. We can start when you finish breakfast.”

  I quickly shovel the eggs, bacon, and toast into my mouth then wash it down with orange juice. When I finish, I jump to my feet and grab Treyton’s hand, smiling at the shocked expression on his face right before I teleport us to the secret library.

  “We can’t be sure they aren’t spying on us everywhere. If we mention this place out loud, then it could be compromised.” I explain as I watch him spin around with an expression of awe on his face.

  “There are more books here than even the government has access to. This place is huge.” His eyes dance with joy as he rushes forward to the closest shelf.

  He runs his finger across the spines, taking in all of the titles. Then moves to the next shelf up. His joy is contagious, and a lightness fills me that I haven’t felt in a long time.

  “Whisper, there is so much here to learn.” He turns with the biggest smile plastered on his face. “Can I help you go through them? In between teaching your friends, that is. I understand why you need help now.”

  “That would be appreciated. Let me go grab them.” I wink as I wrap the tendrils around me and head to Lydia’s room.

  “Wake up sleepy head.” I gently shake her shoulder when I see she’s still out cold.

  “Huh? Oh, Whisper.” She groans when she peaks an eye open. “Come back later, I was just getting ready to…” She drifts off to sleep again.

  “Lydia, wake up.” I shake her again. “I have a surprise for you, meet me there ok.”

  “Where?” She asks groggily.

  I put my hands on my hips and stare at her. Understanding passes across her face.

  “Today?” She sits up, now wide awake. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  “See you then.” I chuckle as I teleport away.

  When I arrive in Finn’s room, I find him with a nose stuck in a science book.

  “Hey, want to come with me for a while?” I ask and watch as he jumps. The book falls from his hands.

  “Do you enjoy sneaking up on people?” He chuckles.

  “Very much so. Let’s go.” I wink and hold out my hand.

  He stands up and stretches before placing his fingers through mine. Before I have the chance to call up my tendrils, he has teleported us to the secret library.

  “We have a small problem.” Finn frowns as he scans the room. “There’s plenty of space, but not enough seats. I’ll return shortly.”

  Treyton is sitting at the desk reading from the journal. He glances up and his cheeks flush. “Oh sorry. I was curious. I should have asked first.”

  “It’s fine. I was going to show it to you anyways. The other book is a catalog of some of the books in the library. He wasn’t able to finish before he passed away it seems.” My eyes scan over the tall shelves lining the walls. Will we be able to sort through all of this? Hopefully with four of us eventually working on it, it won’t take too long.
We don’t have any timeline for how long this old man was actually working.

  Lydia appears in front of us and squeals. “I’m so excited. Thank you, Treyton, for teaching me too. I love to read and I’m sure I’ll be an excellent student.”

  “Uh, you’re welcome. We’re just waiting for Finn to come back and we’ll get started.” He doesn’t seem to know how to react to her enthusiasm.

  “I’m sure you’ll all do great.” I wink at Lydia.

  Finn returns with two desks that have chairs built into them. I wonder if anyone will notice they are missing. As if Finn can read my mind, he answers my thoughts.

  “I took these out of storage. No one goes in there.” He grins at his find. “Now we can study effectively.”

  Lydia and Finn settle into two of the chairs while Treyton pulls out alphabet guides to get started. I turn my attention back to the books, determined to get some sorting done.

  We all get lost in our tasks over the next few hours. When I come up for air, I’ve finished another three shelves. I place the stack of catalogued books back on the first cleared shelf and leave the others to the side. I wonder why he didn’t work through a shelf at a time. Why are they disorganized? I wish I could go back and see his memories of this place, but he wasn’t one of the elders that put their memories into the stone. It has spoiled me a little bit.

  We spend the next several days going through the same routine. When we aren’t in classes, we are working with Treyton in the library. With him either teaching Finn and Lydia or helping me go through the bookshelves. We now have a system in place. We started clearing shelves on the opposite side of the room. When books are listed already, we reshelf them there. Now it will be easier to find them when we are ready to add to the list ourselves. At night we are spending our time teaching new students how to use their gift and coordinating with the adults. It’s all starting to come together. The students have taken up teaching the non-Dissident recruits how to fight. Coventry’s training has come in handy for one thing.

  Today, Max met me after class. We are walking through the trails behind the Caballine training grounds.

  “Are you happy with the progress in your secret room?” He asks after glancing around and making sure we are alone.

  “I am. It’s been a lot of work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I lace my fingers through his, enjoying the feel of his skin next to mine.

  The sun is starting to set in the west, putting our time to an end. I wish spring would hurry up. On the other hand, long winter nights are perfect for our dream meetings.

  We approach the front steps of the school, opting to walk back just to have the time together. Max stops shorts and pulls me into his arms, crashing his lips down to mine.

  “Thank you for believing in me.” He presses his forehead to mine as the kiss ends.

  Chapter 11

  “Ah Miss Lawrence, we were awaiting your arrival. It’s time to resume your extra studies.” A familiar, slimy voice hits my ears as we walk through the front door.

  I spin around and glare at Coventry as my heart sinks to my feet. I was hoping to have longer before he came back for me. His presence makes me want to run away screaming, but instead I plaster a fake smile on.

  “I thought Mr. Ashborn was training me here?” I ask sweetly.

  “I changed my mind. He can aid you in your studies here, but when I want you in the capital it’s non-negotiable.” Coventry glowers at me.

  “The items you left last time are still in your room so there’s no need to return to your dorm room. Shall we be off?” He smiles, his beady eyes fixed on me.

  It takes everything within my power not to shudder in revulsion. He holds out his arm and I slip my hand on his elbow, silently pleading Max for help, though I know there’s nothing he can do. Anger flashes across his eyes and he quickly stares at the ground.

  “Maxwell, send your parents my regards. We should have dinner again soon. Maybe you can keep Miss Lawrence company?” Coventry flashes a brilliant smile at him.

  “I’ll be sure to do that. And I’ll keep Whisper company anytime.” He grins back, but his eyes are menacing.

  Coventry nods once, then leads me out of the school, back to my second prison where I’ll be expected to do things I know I want no part of. When we arrive at Coventry’s home, I’m quickly ushered inside.

  “What’s the rush?” I snatch away from him and stop dead in my tracks.

  “The tutors are set up and waiting for you to continue your studies. We’re in a bit of a hurry to teach you as much as we can before the end of the school year, young lady.” Coventry gives me a hard stare. “Now follow me.”

  “Why such the rush? School doesn’t end until August. It’s only the beginning of February.”

  “Don’t question your leader. We just need you ready. I have a deadline I’ve promised my investors.” He growls.

  He turns on his heel and proceeds down the long familiar hallway towards the library. I follow him through the door, Brennus and Treyton are standing beside a table covered in old books.

  “Here she is. Now get to work. Make sure you only cover the topics we have discussed.” Coventry gives them a curt nod then turns on his heel with his nose in the air and leaves the room.

  “Looks like it’s going to be a long day fellas.” Sighing, I take a seat and wait for instruction.

  While Brennus is shuffling through the pages trying to settle on where he wants to start. I can feel Treyton watching me, so I decided to have a little fun with him.

  I turn my attention on him and give him a wink. “How are you today?”

  “To be honest, it’s a bit strange being back here. I was just getting in a routine of studying with you at school.” He smiles and his cheeks redden at being caught staring.

  I sit up straighter in my seat with full intentions of seeing just how red I could make him. I bat my eyelashes at him. “So… what are you doing this weekend?”

  “Probably tutoring you, Whisper.” He runs a hand through his red streaked jet-black hair as his cheeks turn a brighter shade of cherry red.

  “I know, I’m just trying to make conversation.” I wink at him then blow him a kiss for added measure. It’s funny to watch my friend squirm. Turning my attention to Brennus, I find him standing there with the biggest grin on his face. Some might say he appears to be the cat that caught the canary.

  “Miss Lawrence, if you are done torturing my grandson, we really should get on with your studies. Praesidium Coventry would like us to cover several topics today.” He lays the first of many textbooks in front of me.

  “Placing Stones of Remembrance.” I intentionally mess up the words just a little bit then glance back at Brennus.

  “We are going to start with learning how to place memories into a stone for preservation. This book will guide you through the basics.” He smiles gently and gives me a knowing nod. “Treyton, help her read this first chapter.”

  Treyton sits down next to me as I open the book to the first page. I read aloud as he corrects any mistranslations I might make. We both reach forward to turn the page and our hands brush. We freeze, as I gaze into his eyes. His cheeks flush and his breath hastens then we quickly pull our hands back. Butterflies erupt in my stomach and I whip my eyes back to the book. No, this can’t be happening. Treyton is my friend and I already have four other boyfriends. I glance back up and get lost in his shining emerald eyes. I can’t deny that they call me in the same way as my other men. Crap, this complicates things.

  We continue on with the chapter as if nothing had happened, but I can feel a shift in our relationship. I keep sneaking glances at him, hoping to catch him watching me. I don’t know where this is going, but I have a feeling it’s going somewhere. I need to talk to someone about this before it goes any further. Would my guys even be open to adding a fifth?

  We work through the next few chapters together before Brennus returns.

  “Miss Lawrence, now it’s time for you to try on your own.�
�� He takes a seat in the chair across from me.

  I take a deep breath and let it out as I open my mouth to read, a feeling of lightheadedness comes over me, causing me to slump over in my seat.

  “Whisper, are you feeling ok?” Treyton rushes over to my side and takes my hand and runs his thumb across my knuckles.

  “I don’t know what's wrong. I feel weak, lightheaded, and nauseous.” I focus on Treyton’s face; his full lips are pursed, and his brow is full of worry.

  How did I not notice this guy before and that he has a crush on me? I guess with all the commotion Coventry creates, it’s hard to focus on anything but that.

  “Miss Lawrence?” Brennus pats the side of my face. “Open your eyes Miss Lawrence. Treyton go get Praesidium Coventry and hurry.”

  I float in a haze, not really certain I’m anywhere. I catch glimpses of The Midnight Rising Hollow, my guys’ faces, Treyton, and Brennus. I’m so tired I just want to sleep. I wave off the hand touching my face.

  “Just let me sleep a few more minutes.” I murmur softly.

  “Miss Lawrence, I don’t think that’s a good idea. The Praesidium is on his way, he will know how to help.” Brennus’s voice holds an edge of concern I’m not used to hearing from him.

  Somewhere in the distance I hear the slamming of a door against a wall. Why are people slamming doors? My stomach takes this moment to lurch and empty its remaining contents onto the floor.

  I vaguely remember a set of arms scooping me up and carrying me. I remember the smell of old parchment and wood burning.

  “Where are we going? I have to do my studies.” Protesting groggily.

  “Shhh, Whisper you are going to be ok.” Treyton murmurs softly against the top of my head.

  “Here, lay her down here.” Coventry demands taking a seat beside me. “When was the last time you fed your Nightmare, Miss Lawrence?”

  “Hey Coventry…” I try to focus on his face, but it wavers in and out like a bad light bulb.

  The room is spinning, and I feel disorientated. Like the time Sam and I snuck a bottle of whiskey from my dad’s collection and drank too much. But I can’t be drunk. I haven’t touched the stuff since that night.