by Ginna Moran
“Nadia,” a musical voice calls. It’s the last person I want to see.
I don’t turn or acknowledge Alyssa. I’m embarrassed by my actions and I wish I could crawl into a hole and hide—maybe a grave would be more suitable. A shadow blocks the sun and I stiffen. Alyssa isn’t going to leave me alone. She never has. Besides my father, she’s the only other person in the world I’d call family.
“Why are you ignoring me?” she asks.
I tilt my head up and stare at her upside down. “Oh, hey, Lys. I didn’t hear you. What’s up?”
She plops down next to me. “You’re a terrible liar.”
I blush. Nothing gets by a seer. “Why are you even asking me? You know why.”
She blows her blazing red hair out of her face. “Because you’re my best friend and I’m not all knowing. Things can be interpreted wrong.”
My eyes shift to the forest nymph. She kneels in the dirt and lowers her head until it’s an inch from the ground and whispers something. I press my lips together and try to gather my thoughts. I hate talking about this. I hate it.
“I—I’m sorry.” It’s the best I can do.
Alyssa arches her brows. Her green eyes shine in the sunlight, like two glittering gemstones, and she smiles. “Don’t ever apologize to me. I was worried about you.”
“Don’t be. I know what I’m doing.” It’s always like Alyssa to check in on me and see how I’m doing, especially when my father is out on business. She’s always been this way since she found my father and he brought her here over a year ago. She’s my age, seventeen, but you’d think she was going on thirty.
She rests her hand on my knee. “You were starving yourself.”
I meet her gaze. “I was not.” Please, let it go. “I’m fine, really. I was just experimenting.”
I reach out and rest my hand on hers. She twists her lips to the side, and I expect her to argue some more, but instead she just nods. She turns away and stares at the forest nymph for a few seconds before saying, “There are a lot worse things you could be.”
I crinkle my nose. “I live off terrorizing people in their sleep. How can I be any worse? You know it’s going to be hard for me to resist you now, right? Your dream was amazing.” I swallow, my mouth watering at the memory. My cheeks flush and I shift uncomfortably. Control yourself.
Alyssa smirks. “It really was terrifying. Maybe next time try not eating Lucas.”
I cringe. If I didn’t know her, I’d think she was unaffected by the situation, but the way she stiffened when I touched her assures me that she really is bothered by the nightmare I created for her. I don’t blame her though. If I continue, she’ll hate me for it. A person can only go so long, dreaming about the death of someone they care about, before it affects them in real life.
“You knew what to expect, Lys.” I push my blond hair from my eyes.
She stares at the sky. “I was kidding. It’s not that big of a deal. I see a lot more horrible things in my visions. Lighten up, Nadia. You’re not a monster.”
She’ll never understand. Now that I fed from her dreams, I won’t be able to stop unless I move on to someone else. Her dreams will call to me. They awakened the monster within me and its hunger will consume me until I let it have what it wants. It’s how nightmare inflictors choose their victims. It’s easiest to prey on the people closest to us; the people that allow us in.
“How can you say that after last night?” I ask. “Who did I appear as anyway?”
“My Uncle Drew.”
I don’t ask why her uncle would be her worst nightmare and she doesn’t explain either. Alyssa doesn’t talk about what her life was like before coming here. All I know is she ran away from home and convinced my father to bring her here. She knew everything—who the council was, what it did—everything. My father convinced the council to let her stay and the compound has been her sanctuary since.
I push to my feet and offer Alyssa my hand. I can’t sit here and pretend what we experienced together was okay. “Want to get out of here?” I ask after a minute. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to stand the sun. I need to take advantage of it while it lasts.
Alyssa beams a smile. “Are you serious? You never want to leave.”
I shrug. “I guess not being confined inside during the day does something to you. Think we can make it?”
She takes my hand. “Of course. You know I always see everything coming.”
HUNTER
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“None of your business. You’ll find out soon enough.”
Being stuck in Jacqueline’s head is pure torture. I miss doing simple things like blinking and glaring. I imagine I’m doing them, but it’s not the same. I never get over the disappointment when Jacqueline doesn’t move her arm when I imagine I’m moving mine.
“A little hint?”
“Somewhere far enough that I have to take a train. Now, be quiet. I’ll let you stay around if you behave.”
I’m surprised she’s not pushing me into the void. I’m relieved, too. For once I’ll get to see and hear real people instead of only being let out when we’re alone in the abandoned apartment.
“You have a deal. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“I doubt it.”
NADIA
We sneak out the back gate of the compound. It’s mostly used by the forest nymphs going back to the forest. A spelled talisman opens the gate, and since there’s always one available, we don’t have a problem getting out.
“I hid my car not far from here,” Alyssa says.
I scrunch my brows. “You drive?”
“I can teach you. Maybe your father will let you get your license since you’ll be eighteen in a few months.”
Nine months and two days to be exact.
I laugh. The thought of getting a license is ridiculous. The outside world isn’t safe for people like me. The council created the compound to keep us safe from the Human Preservation Agency. The HPA would do anything to destroy us. My father brought me to the compound because an agent from the HPA murdered my mother. Plus, I’d never choose to leave the compound alone even though I’d love to. I imagine I may be braver when I’m a legal adult. I hope I am.
When we reach the car, Alyssa removes a camouflaged car cover, revealing a silver Corolla. Its paint looks brand new and it’s well taken care of. Even the tires gleam like they’re coated in tire shine.
“Where did you get a car anyway?” I run my fingers along the smooth paint.
“I’ve had it. Your father suggested I hide it if I didn’t want to turn it in as communal property. It’s my most expensive possession.”
I knit my brows. This is the kind of thing best friends tell you about. “You know you can trust me with your secrets.”
Alyssa unlocks the doors. “You’re mad I didn’t tell you.”
I open the door and get in. “A little.”
“I’m sorry. It just never came up. You’ve never wanted to sneak out before. I didn’t think it mattered.”
I sigh. It doesn’t really matter. We don’t talk about a lot of things, especially things from our past, and I get it. I was just taken by surprise. “It doesn’t. I’m overreacting.”
Alyssa smiles and starts the engine. “I’ll make it up to you. I know this great little place in the city to go to. It’s safe. You’ll love it.”
3. A STRANGE FEELING
NADIA
My arm hairs rise when we pass a small cemetery. I’ve only ever seen them in movies because the council cremates the bodies that don’t take care of themselves. Any evidence of a creature’s existence can’t be left behind.
I almost ask Alyssa to stop, but bite my tongue because visiting a graveyard is a strange request. I stare out the window at the different shapes and sizes of the headstones and turn away when I meet the eyes of a woman standing at the fence with a bouquet of white lilies. I wonder if my mother is buried somewhere since she was human. It’d be nice to have a pla
ce to visit her.
Tears rim my eyes. It’s been too long since I’ve thought about my mother. It’s an unspoken rule between my father and I that we just don’t bring up the past. We can’t change it, so we just have to keep going forward.
“We can stop there on the way back if you like.” Alyssa messes with the dial on the radio until a rock band blasts through the speakers. She turns the volume down a notch and cracks her window to let in fresh air.
I smile gratefully at her, then turn away. “Will there be boys?” I tap my fingers on the arm rest.
Alyssa smiles. “Lots of them.”
My chest tightens from excitement and anxiety. I don’t have any other friends at the compound and I’ve never been on a date either—not that my father would allow me to go on one anyway. Now that I have some freedom, I don’t know how to feel. What if my nightmare inflicting side starts to show? How can anyone like a monster?
“Maybe we should go back,” I say after a minute. I don’t really want to, but meeting new people is scary, especially with how unsafe it is outside the compound. It’s dangerous not knowing people’s intentions and I’ll have to be even more guarded.
Alyssa changes lanes as we drive into the city. “You don’t really want to go back.”
“What if something bad happens?”
“It won’t. I can see things coming, remember?” Alyssa has a point. While her visions aren’t always concrete, they can show her how things play out. She can keep us safe.
I glance out the window. Alyssa slows down because of heavy traffic and then merges into the right lane and turns onto a narrow one way street.
I grip the dashboard, afraid of getting trapped on this street with nowhere to go, but then the street connects to a wide alley that turns into a small, private residential parking structure. A security guard hands Alyssa a permit and she tosses it on the dashboard, and then she maneuvers through the parking structure until we reach the middle level.
I follow Alyssa out of the car and she loops her arm through mine. An elevator is to our left, but Alyssa pulls me past it and to a stairwell in the corner. She pulls the door open and I step in behind her. Our footsteps echo off the concrete walls as we climb up two flights of stairs and through another door that leads into a large lobby.
Plush black couches are positioned around a coffee table that sits on a large red and gold area rug. Modern, black-framed portraits of people I don’t recognize line the walls and on the opposite side is a set of opaque double doors.
Alyssa guides me across the lobby and waves at the camera stationed in the corner of the ceiling. The door clicks and automatically swings open into a narrow hallway with dark wooden floors.
At the end of the corridor, a troll leans against the wall with a built in computer. His short, brown hair is styled to the side and blue-framed glasses sit low on his thin nose as he reads a magazine. The sleeves of his green dress shirt are rolled up to his elbows and his dark-washed jeans are a little too long on his short stature.
He looks up and tucks the magazine under his arm. His brown eyes reflect green in the dim lighting and he offers his hand out to Alyssa. “You’ve brought a friend, doll face,” the troll says, looking me up and down.
She kisses the man’s cheek. “This is Nadia, Cian. I’ve told you about her, remember?”
He studies my face for a moment. “You’re lovelier than I imagined.”
I offer my hand and he takes it. He kisses my knuckles, his lips lingering, and I gently tug my hand away. Trolls can be possessive if you give them the chance.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I step back to put distance between us. “This is my first time away from—”
Alyssa bumps my shoulder. “Home,” she says, finishing my sentence. “Nadia has never been to the city before.”
I was going to say that it was my first time away from the compound in a long time, but I’m glad Alyssa intervened. I almost blew our cover. No one needs to know where we came from. It’d get back to the council one way or another.
Cian raises his eyebrows. “You’re going to enjoy it here. All members are welcome.”
I nod and he opens the door.
Alyssa touches Cian’s arm before leading me into a large, dimly lit club. Without windows to allow in sunlight, the club is the perfect place for me. Music pulses through the air, making it hard to hear anything, and colorful lights dance across the walls. Black leather booths line the perimeter and a few tables are scattered around a small dance floor.
The air is thick with a million scents and a door behind a large bar swings open, revealing a brightly lit kitchen. The room is packed with patrons and it’s hard to tell what everyone is. People laugh and sway to the music, and some talk in small clusters, enjoying their time. No one even turns to stare at me. My ability makes a lot of people at the compound uncomfortable because it doesn’t discriminate. All dreams are the same to me so anyone is susceptible.
Alyssa leans into me. “I see an open booth in the corner,” she says, nearly pressing her lips to my ear.
I trail behind her to get through the throng of people dancing. Alyssa slides in before me and I scoot in on the other side. In the middle of the table is a candle in a blue crystal jar and it reflects a cool light over everything.
A woman in a tight black dress appears at our table. Her short, black hair shines blue in the candlelight. The woman’s amber eyes crinkle at the corners and her nose twitches when she beams a perfectly straight smile before setting two goblets filled with a red elixir on the table.
Alyssa raises her eyebrows. “I hope these are from Lucas, Maddie.”
I shift in my seat and peer around the large room to see if there’s a boy staring in our direction, but I don’t notice anyone. “The Lucas?” I ask, smiling at Alyssa.
Maddie rests her elbows on the table. “He’s near the door. Styled brown hair, brooding dark eyes, hot. He’s the one in the blue hoodie and jeans.” Lucas is identical to his dream persona and I blink a few times to hide my surprise. Maddie winks before sauntering away.
I reach out and grab Alyssa’s hand. “I think we should dance.”
Alyssa smirks and slides from the booth. She takes my hand and I laugh when she dances around me as we make our way onto the crowded dance floor. We sway to the upbeat tempo and I giggle when she twirls me around.
I peer toward the door to see if Alyssa’s dream boy is watching and notice a girl, with dark, curly hair and the most dazzling lavender eyes, staring at me. A chill runs up my spine and she turns away when my gaze meets hers.
Alyssa grabs my arm, startling me, and I meet her wide eyes. “We have to leave. Now.”
I don’t hesitate and take Alyssa’s hand. She pushes through the crowd and instead of guiding me to the front entrance, she pulls me behind the bar and toward the kitchen.
“Someone’s coming through the front,” she says. “This is a better way out.”
HUNTER
If I wasn’t trapped in Jacqueline’s head, I’d be terrified to be in this club. I don’t recognize half the supers and it freaks me out. The room is too dark and the music is too loud to even hear someone scream. I almost want to be in the void instead of watching everything through Jacqueline’s eyes, but I’d never tell her that.
We sit in a booth near the entrance with our back to the dark red painted wall. It gives me a view of the entire club. I watch through Jacqueline’s eyes as a pretty girl struts on to the dance floor. Her pale blond hair absorbs the colors shining around her and she sways her hips to the beat of the music.
Jacqueline doesn’t take her eyes off the girl. A flash of light from the kitchen shines over the girl and I notice her indigo eyes shift to a much paler blue, like the color drains from them. Her pale pink lips pout when she doesn’t smile and I can’t stop myself from wanting to talk to her. But, that’s impossible considering the Jacqueline situation and because she’s a super. For all I know, she could be a man-eater.
“Are you sure it won�
�t be any trouble?” Jacqueline asks.
A man I recognize as a leshy—a tree spirit embodied in human form—sits across from us. His thick, gray hair is tied with a tree branch and he hasn’t done a good job at hiding his bark-like skin. Only half of one of his arms looks like human flesh instead of the bark-like texture of his true form. While you’d think a tree spirit would be friendly, leshies are not, and after a few fatal incidents at the lab, the board made sure we all knew about these monsters.
“I can get you in right away if everything checks out. A member from the Creature Council will meet us here to fill out the paperwork.”
“What is that girl?” I ask, despite Jacqueline’s directions to stay quiet.
“Not now,” she thinks.
Jacqueline glances where the girl was dancing. Disappointment washes over me as I watch her run into the kitchen with a red-haired girl. It’s a strange feeling. I know better than to be attracted to a super, but I can’t stop myself. I hope she’ll come back and I can talk Jacqueline into talking to her, but I doubt it. It’s not like she’ll ever know I exist. I’m nobody inside Jacqueline’s body. I’ll probably never be somebody again.
NADIA
My heart races as I run after Alyssa. I’m starting to feel sluggish since I’m still recuperating from my hunger strike and exerting myself isn’t helping much. She thrusts her arm out near the exit and stops me in my tracks.
I clutch the wall and gasp. “What did you see?”
“A council member entering the club. If we get caught here, we’ll lose all privileges for a year,” she says.
I frown. I hate how the council runs things. They have pretty harsh punishments for stupid little things. They’re even harder on younger people. I’m guessing so we learn from the start to respect their authority, which I have no choice because my father works for the council. I’m stuck. I can’t really avoid punishment for breaking the rules, no matter how lame I think they are.
