I shake my head reminding myself this is just a dream. “Well, that seems overly dramatic. I hope your Nightstalkers are up to the challenge.”
“As do we. And with you, we believe we have a much better chance of succeeding.”
“I’m sorry, why exactly do I matter?”
“You, Nadia, are a Nightstalker.” Laughter sputters out, but I choke it down when I notice the look on Gideon and Faerah’s faces.
“Ok, I’m a Nightstalker who stops the bad dreams. Do I have any superpowers?”
“This is not a time for jokes.” My face drops at Gideon’s harsh tone and I squirm under his gaze. He takes a moment to regain his calm demeanor before continuing. “We understand this may seem a bit overwhelming, but the fate of our world and the human world is at stake.”
“You actually want me to believe this is all real, and not an elaborate dream?”
“Unfortunately, this is not a dream. We do not have dreams like humans do.”
“Right.” The word slurs between my lips. I close my eyes and air fills my lungs before I slowly release it. When I open my eyes, I’m not back in my house as I expect. My stomach flips. I pinch my arm and cry out as the sting burns at my skin. I’m still here. My head joins my stomach. “This doesn’t make any sense. I’m only dreaming, and I need to wake up. I need to find a way to wake up. Is there any water nearby?” Jumping into the water always worked before.
“We understand how troubling this must be, but you cannot wake because you are not asleep. When you came here, you left your human shell behind, but that is all.”
“I’m sorry, I left my what?”
“I know we are asking a lot of you to try to understand, and I would have preferred to tell you this slowly, but we do not have the luxury of time.”
I ram the heel of my foot into the leg of the couch and muffle a scream. Tears prick at the back of my eyes. I still can’t wake myself. “If what you’re saying is true, and I am a Nightstalker, why was I in the human world?”
Gideon’s face tightens, and his eyes fill with pain. “To explain that we must first talk about the truth behind your mother’s death.”
CHAPTER 7
“MY MOTHER’S DEATH? YOU KNEW my mother?” My foot twists in circular motions, trying to ease the throbbing.
“Yes, we knew your mother. Sydney was one of our best Nightstalkers.”
“She was a wonderful person and a courageous fighter.” Faerah chimes in, adding to the praise.
My teeth gnash together and I take a deep breath, steadying my heart. These people knew my mother; they know more about her than I do. It isn’t fair. “How’d she actually die then?”
Gideon’s eyes linger on Faerah before returning to mine. “Your mother was murdered here, by a Nightmare.” No matter how much time has passed, finding out your mother was murdered is never an easy pill to swallow. “As we mentioned earlier, the Nightmares have been trying to find a way to Earth. We believed they had found it. We believed they had placed Nightmares on Earth in human shells. With these Nightmares in place, it would only be a matter of time before they were able to open a portal. With an open portal, they would quickly overrun Earth. It was imperative we stop this from happening. To do so, we sent some of our Nightstalkers to the human world with shells to hunt and ensnare the Nightmares. Your mother was one of the Nightstalkers placed on Earth.”
Gideon pauses to take a breath, and Faerah continues for him. “Each of the Nightstalkers placed on Earth was assigned a guardian. This guardian was responsible for the well-being of their human shell.”
Faerah looks to Gideon who, in turn, takes back control of the conversation. “Unfortunately, one of the Nightmares got the better of your mother while she was here reporting her findings.”
A Nightmare got the better of her? That’s all he has to say for my mother’s death?
“So, since she died in this world, her body wouldn’t wake up on Earth?” I ask trying to piece it all together.
“Precisely. Her human shell was vacant and would appear to be dead.”
That’s why they thought she died of natural causes at the age of 30. I press a hand to my aching head. The nauseating pull in my stomach making it hard to talk. “Then why didn’t her guardian help her?” The white of my knuckles press against the edge of the sofa as the fire in my stomach dulls the sick feeling. This person I’ve never even met failed my mother.
“Guardians are only human. With this limitation, they only have the ability to protect and repair the human shell.”
“A lot of good that does.” My foot taps the hard floor as I begin losing the battle to suppress my anger. “What’s the point of protecting a shell if the Nightstalker is left to die?”
“Human shells are connected to its owner. If one is destroyed, it weakens the Nightstalker. It is crucial to have them protected.”
My nails dig further into the couch. “What happened to the Nightmare who killed her?”
“Unfortunately, we have yet to locate him.” It has been 17 years, and they still haven’t been able to find the man who killed my mother. Are they even trying?
“Why wasn’t I raised here?”
Gideon bows his head in a silent request for Faerah to answer. “For your protection.”
“For my protection? If there are Nightmares in my world, why was I safer there than here?” I rock back and forth against the sofa as my foot continues it’s attack on the floor.
“That decision was not made lightly. Ultimately your safety was the deciding factor.”
“Stop evading my question. Explain to me why Earth was safer than Dream Haven.”
“We considered every aspect and weighed all of our options. The decision we came to, gave you a greater chance of survival.”
“This is absurd, you’re all crazy.” I force myself off of the couch and push through the unnecessarily large doors. Once I clear the room, I pick up my pace, running down the stairs, forcing my way through the crowd of people congregated in the main entrance, and right out of the front door.
The tiny hut and field are now gone. Sand crunches under my feet as I walk out onto a cloudy beach. The cool ocean breeze blows my hair against my face, and the orange sun barely breaks through the immensity of the clouds. I’m confused but need to keep running. My breath comes in gasps. I’m drowning, fighting for air. The unending beach spreads farther and farther the longer I run.
My feet slow to a stop as the sharp pain in my side becomes far more than I can bare. Doubling over, I lean my hands against my knees wheezing when a small drop of water hits my hand. I glance upward. That’s when I realize it’s coming from me. I don’t remember when the crying started, but I can’t stop it now. I slump to the ground and let the tears pour down. It’s not fair. It’s not fair these strangers knew my mother when she’s a stranger to me. It’s not fair my whole life is a lie.
There’s an odd comfort in the warm stream of tears, I feel bare when they finally stop. My fingers dig into the fresh sand as my back presses against it. It will be impossible to remove all of the sand from my hair, but that’s at the bottom of my list of worries. My chest rises as my breathing grows steady. My mind races to the last time I was at a beach. Aeryn, he was there. How long has he been following me? I need to talk to him, try to understand this all better, but where is he? Sand grinds behind me, and I quickly push myself to my feet. I don’t have to search far, he’s standing right behind me.
“Aeryn?” How long has he been there?
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.” He tucks his hands into his pockets. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”
I laugh, most likely from hysteria. I should have known he would be following me again. “This is so ridiculous. So, this, all this is real?” I ask waving my hands in the air hoping his answer isn’t what I’m expecting. He nods his head and takes a few steps towards me, the sand building at the sides of his shoes. “And you have been following me?”
“Yes.”
“At the party?”
“Yes.”
“And then twice at the park?”
He hesitates before responding. “Only once at the park. I believe the last time you thought you saw me, it was a Nightmare.”
I shift the sand around my feet. “Why would a Nightmare be following me?”
“Because it knows who you are.”
“A Nightstalker?”
He takes his hands out of his pockets and crosses them over his chest. “Not just a Nightstalker. Your mother was incredibly powerful, and the Elders presume you will be as well.”
Hmpf “Sure.”
He tilts his head. “Would you like to sit? You can ask me anything you like, and I promise I will do my best to answer.” He waits for me to plop back down, then takes a seat across from me, almost close enough for our knees to touch. “What would you like to know?”
“Why was this a field when I first arrived, but a beach when I left the castle?” I look behind me to the rushing waves that ripple the once still water.
“An interesting choice for a first question.” He says studying my face. “That is the beauty of this world. It changes to what we need it to be. When you left the castle, you needed it to be something relaxing for you, when we first entered, I needed it to be something warm and inviting.”
“Warm and inviting? You think cramped, decaying shacks are warm and inviting? For who, a serial killer?”
“It was cozy.”
“It was creepy.”
He laughs which makes me laugh until reality rears its ugly head, and my smile fades. “Why have you been in my dreams all these years?” The question I most want to ask. The question I’ve been asking for 15 years.
He leans his elbows against his knees. “Those weren’t exactly dreams. We don’t dream, nor do we sleep.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve slept every night for as long as I can remember.”
“It was actually your human shell that rested. Shells need the rest otherwise they would wear down. When your shell slept, you came back to Dream Haven.”
“I was in Dream Haven every night? Why was it always that dark alley and why were you always there?”
“Because of your situation, and since you didn’t know anything about Dream Haven or us, we had to do something a little different. Before we could tell you everything, we had to make sure you were ready. The Nightmare you were seeing was a portal. Once you were ready to fight it, you would be transported out of the arena. And as for why I was there each time, I am your mentor. I will be training you to capture the Nightmares.” I stare at him for a while. It’s a lot to wrap my head around. “I know it’s overwhelming, but I’ll be here for you the whole time.”
“What would have happened if I was ready to fight it the first time I had that non-dream?”
“Exactly what happened today. You would have transported out of the arena.”
“Which means if I weren’t such a coward, I would have been here for most of my life.”
“You were not a coward. You were a child.”
“Did anyone else take this long to be ready?”
“I can’t answer that. You’re the first person who’s been in this situation.”
“Oh, right.” I need to change the subject before the spinning in my head brings on a migraine. “Why haven’t you aged?”
He smiles, clearly aware of his good looks. “We don’t age the same way humans do. It’s a much slower process. Unless you are on Earth, then you age at the same rate they do.”
“That means I really am only 21 years old, how old are you?”
“I’m 1,135 years old by my calculations. But I don’t look a day over 308.”
I grin. “If you’re over one thousand years old, how old are the Elders?”
“That’s kind of the running joke, nobody knows for sure. They’ve been around the longest, that’s certain.”
“What about my dad? Was or is he a Nightstalker as well?”
“No.”
“What is he? Human?”
“You should talk to your father about this.”
“My dad and I haven’t been speaking.”
“I know.”
“You know? Is there anything about me you don’t know?”
“I only know what I needed to know to ensure your safety.”
“My safety was dependent on you knowing my father and I weren’t speaking?”
“I needed to know someone who should have been looking out for you wasn’t.” His jaw clenches, and a muscle ticks under his eye.
“Well, speaking of my father, how do I return to my world?”
“Do you want to?”
“Are you joking? My friends are there, my life is there, and I’m still not one hundred percent sure this isn’t all a crazy vivid dream I’m having.” I look around at the birds soaring and the white froth from the waves. This would definitely be the most elaborate dream I’ve ever had.
“Your friends? Like Will who ran off and left you to be attacked by that brute?”
“That wasn’t his fault, he went to find a towel,” I say defensively. Will would never intentionally put me in danger.
“You’re going to leave your destiny behind for two people?” Ouch, even he knows I only have two friends.
“My destiny? If it was my destiny to be here, maybe you shouldn’t have left me there after my mother died.”
“That wasn’t my choice to make. Nadia. We need you, we need your help. And this is where you are meant to be.”
“I can’t help anybody. I’m not powerful.”
“You can be, you just don’t know it yet, you need training and a chance to see it.”
“I don’t want to train, I just want to go home.”
“You are home.” My eyes narrow. “If you mean the human world, then you will have to speak to the Elders. They are the only ones who can grant you that.”
“Are you’re saying I’m stuck here?”
“I’m sure they’ll let you return, once you hear us out and understand what’s going on. They only want for you to be able to make an informed decision.”
“No, they want me trapped here so I can never leave.”
“I promise you that’s not what they want. It’s dangerous for you to be there uninformed and untrained, but they will let you leave.” I clench a bundle of sand in my fists listening to the soft crunch.
“But before you go, you should at least visit your house.” He regains my attention.
“I have a house?”
“Technically it belonged to your mother, but when she passed, it became yours.”
I’m still angry about being a prisoner in this Dream world, but I want to see my mother’s old house. Maybe there’s something there that can help me remember more about her. “Fine, I’ll go see her house, but then I want to go straight to the Elders and go home.”
“If that’s what you choose, I will take you to them.”
I follow Aeryn away from the beach into a clearing with a dirt path. I glance behind me, and the beach is gone. “How does it do that?”
“Magic!” He throws his hands in a big circle as if displaying something flashy.
“You expect me to believe in magic now too?”
“No, it’s just the easiest way to describe it. I don’t know how it does it, I just know it does.”
“Nobody questions anything around here?”
“You mean aside from you?” He pauses waiting for a laugh, but my face remains expressionless. He shrugs and continues. “Do you question ordinary things that happen in the human world? Why the sun rises, or why the stars shine?” I shake my head. “Didn’t think so, this is what we are used to, we don’t feel the need to question it.”
“Then why can’t we just poof over to the house?”
“Because there’s actually no such thing as magic. The scenery can change, but we can’t magically poof ourselves somewhere.”
“I guess that makes sense,” I say even though I’m still
confused. “Wait, if you can’t magically poof yourself somewhere, how did you disappear when I almost caught you in the park?”
He beams. “A trick of the eye. I’m fast and took advantage of the lightning.”
“You can’t be that fast,” I argue, and he smirks. “Is that it?” I point to a small house in the distance.
“Yes, your mother liked her spa—” I miss the end of his sentence, slowly picking up my pace until I’m running. I can’t get there fast enough. He runs after me, finding me panting when we stop in front of the house. I feel out of shape when I notice he didn’t even break a sweat. I grab the doorknob but can’t turn it. “What’s wrong? It shouldn’t be locked.”
“I just need a moment.” We stand there in silence for what feels like an eternity. My hand on the knob and Aeryn patiently watching from behind. What am I so afraid of? This is something I’ve wanted since she died. I want to know more about her, to remember something about her and this could give me that. But something turns in my stomach, and my nerves shake. Taking a deep breath, I finally open the door. The smell of lavender and coconut greet us. My mother’s house is beautiful. A large brown couch and recliner face a small fireplace. The kitchen fully stocked with pots and pans, and the main bedroom has all the furnishings in a purple color, my mother’s favorite. My father told me she was always wearing that color. The second bedroom has my name on it. I run my fingers over the gold letters. “She must have planned for us to come back here.”
“That was what she was supposed to do,” he admits quietly.
“Supposed to do?”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
“Please. I don’t know much about my mother, she died when I was so young, and my father wouldn’t talk about her.”
He rubs his chin with a sigh before speaking. “When your mother got pregnant, the Elders told her to come back here.” He lifts his eyes to mine. “At first your mother agreed, but she wouldn’t leave your father. Humans can’t come into Dream Haven.”
“My father is human?”
He let out another sigh. “You should ask him.”
The Other Side of Dreams (Nighstalker Novels Book 1) Page 7
