Welcome To My Nightmare (Academy of Broken Dreams Book 1) Page 4

  “No, Whisper. You’re a Nightmare like the rest of us. A legendary creature in the human world,” Ryland whispers from behind me.

  “I’m a skeleton horse?” I ask my eyes growing wide.

  “Oh dear. Let’s back up a little and take this slower,” Headmaster Gandore says, motioning for me to sit back down.

  I lower myself into the chair hesitantly. I’ve seen some crazy things in my short time on earth, but tonight has taken the cake.

  “First, no one turns into a skeleton horse, that’s purely human myth, although some nightmares can turn into black horses with fire red eyes. Nightmares come in four types. There are shapeshifters, that’s the horses I just mentioned, the astral projectors, the ones who can cause nightmares in humans, and the seventh sons and daughters,” he explains carefully watching me closely.

  “So I’m a nightmare because I’m a seventh daughter? How does that even work?” I ask, my head spinning with questions.

  “No one is sure; I guess we can call it magic,” the headmaster says with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

  “Ok, so I’m a Nightmare… Why now? Where are we exactly? I need to let my parents know what happened. Oh no, I bet they are worried sick,” I panic again.

  “Calm down, Miss Lawrence. A member of the staff will notify your parents about your special boarding school opportunity. They will accept it with no questions asked. Nightmares possess mind control abilities that will allow them to make your parents think you’ve been there for the entire human school year. We are in a pocket universe. The opening to the school is currently nestled in the Flint Hills of Kansas,” he answers my questions methodically. “As for why now, when you turned seventeen, your Nightmare powers activated. School is about to start so we needed to get you here where you could learn and be safe. Now, let’s get you tested and see where you fit in.”

  “Ok, what do I need to do?” I ask.

  “First, gentlemen, you may go,” Gandore says, waving them towards the door.

  The four guys exit, Ryland looking at me once more over his shoulder before walking out the door.

  “What does the placement test entail?” I ask him fidgeting with my fingers.

  “It will not hurt, Whisper; this allows us to see which class you will benefit from the most. The process is painless, you will see,” he chuckles and stands from his chair.

  The headmaster walks over to an enclave in his office. One I had not noticed before. He pushes something on the wall and a section of the wall rotates, revealing an old, black rosewood throne, intricately carved and stones carefully embedded.

  “This is the Throne of Erudition; it has the power of great knowledge and always correctly places each student within one of the three main houses here at Broken Dreams Academy. You see, because you are a seventh daughter, your powers or abilities can be any one of the three main houses, Callabine, which are the shapeshifters I spoke of earlier, Fury, or Empyrean, which are the group that are able to astral project. You will be a part of the Dissident house, or house of the sevenths, but this helps us to better determine which house skills you'll possess. No one knows exactly how it works; we have lost the knowledge over the decades and through the wars,” he says as sadness flashes across his face before he schools his expression.

  “So, I just sit in it and it will tell me what abilities I possess?” I ask, not really believing this would work, but if this is all real, my life would make so much more sense.

  “Yes, Miss Lawerence please have a seat,” he says in a tender voice.

  I take my seat and notice that the wood feels warm, like someone has just been sitting in it before me.

  “Why is the wood warm?” I ask, not sure if I need to get up or just stay as still as possible.

  “We have been told the wood holds ancient Nightmare magic; like I mentioned before, we lost decades of information,” he sighs, looking at the floor like he is remembering a sad memory.

  “What happens next, sir?” I question him, because this is freaking me out.

  “Ah! Yes, I am sorry Whisper. Now place your hands on the arms of the throne and lean your head back and relax. You may feel the wood cool or heat against your skin but it is nothing to be worried about. The stones around your head will glow, and then they will go off and the stones that stay on will indicate which house best suits you. It should only take a few minutes,” he says, smiling at me.

  I do as I am told and wait; I can see the glow of the stones from the corner of my eye; the wood grows warmer and warmer so much so I worry it would burn me. But just as fast as it becomes hot, it turns freezing cold. So cold it sends shivers down my spine. It doesn’t stay this way long, next it returns to a comfortable temperature and the stones go out. I start to get up but the headmaster holds his hand up for me to wait. Suddenly, all the stones light back up and stay on.

  “Um, is it supposed to do that?” I ask him, letting the worry creep into my voice.

  “How curious,” he says, rubbing his chin.

  “Is something wrong?” I ask, panic building in my chest. What if it can’t place me?

  “Nothing’s wrong child. This is one for the record books,” Gandore stares at me as if I’m a puzzle to solve. I guess, in a way, I am.

  “What does it mean?” I ask as I stand up.

  “It seems you carry every Nightmare power, my dear child. I need to do some research on this,” he says absently as he inspects a bookcase on the far wall. “We must make a class just for you to learn in, I suppose.”

  “How can I possibly carry all of them? I thought everyone was sorted into one type,” I ask, my eyes growing wide.

  “That I don’t know, but I will look into it. Here is a temporary schedule, I need to do some thinking on where to place you for your house specific classes. Go get some rest Miss Lawrence,” Gandore says handing me a welcome packet with a map and my schedule.

  “Thank you,” I say numbly as I stand up and stumble out of the office.

  As soon as I walk through the doorway, I feel like I’m folding in on myself again and land at the base of the stairs where I started. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this!

  “This way,” Ryland waves me over. “I’ll show you to your room.”

  “Thank you. I was worried about getting lost in here,” I smile back at him shyly.

  “So you’re in the house of Dissident with me,” Ryland says as we move down the hallway. “Each house is on a different floor. Dissident on the lowest, Caballine on the second, Fury on the third, and Empyrean on the fourth.”

  “Ok,” I nod for him to continue speaking.

  “Just stick to your own house and you’ll be fine,” Ryland motions for me to follow him down the hallway .

  He stops in front of a door with one hundred and thirteen in gold numbers on it. He knocks once then waves goodbye as he walks off down the hall. The door opens.

  “Oh my gosh! You must be my new roommate, and you’re little like me! I’ve been hoping to get one since I got here,” the pixie of a girl with short brown hair rambles as she pulls me through the door. “Oh, my name is Lydia!”

  “Whisper,” I reply, taking in the room in front of me. “So where are you from?”

  “I lived in the human world until last year when Mrs. Bradbury rescued me,” she responds, a far off look in her eyes.

  Looking around, there are twin beds pushed next to either wall with two desks on the far wall between them. Closet doors line the other side of the room at the foot of the bed on either side of the doorway I just came through. Guess there’s no private bathroom here either. A girl can wish!

  One side of the room is decorated with pictures and posters on the wall and the desk is covered with books and a laptop. A faded quilt is draped across the bed. It’s obvious which side is mine.

  “Rescued you from what?” I ask.

  “Oh, because I saw things other people couldn’t and heard people’s thoughts. My parents stuck me in a long-term mental hospital. The day I turned sevent
een I got to come live with my Nightmare relatives until school started,” she explains.

  “That’s horrible. I bet you missed all your sisters,” I reply.

  “Actually, I was an only child… Well, with my parents anyways. I was adopted,” she explains. “Anyways, my aunt and uncle are family now and way better to me.”

  She looks like she wants to change the subject so I move on.

  “So, Lydia, can you tell me more about this school?” I ask sitting on the bed on the bare side of the room.

  “So, they divide everyone into houses based on their abilities, except for us. They lump all the sevenths together in one house, Dissident, because the born Nightmares look down on us. You can tell what house someone is in by the colors they wear or streaks in their hair. In our house, our classes with the other houses are chosen by the abilities we have. We have to wear black though, while they get to wear pretty colors. Empyrean gets purple, Fury gets red, and Caballine’s get to wear blue,” she rambles off, and I do my best to absorb everything she says.

  “That makes sense I guess,” I agree. “How long have you been here?”

  “I got here at the school yesterday, but my birthday is in December. Since I missed the cut off for last year they let me stay with my Nightmare family this past year,” she explains.

  “Why do these people have streaks in their hair? It seems like an odd fashion trend,” I ask.

  “It shows your house power. Everyone has them. If you look closely at my hair, you can see I have red and black streaks. It means I would have been in Fury if I was born into this world,” she explains, her blue eyes bright with excitement.

  I get up and walk close to the mirror in our room to examine my hair. I can’t see a streak of anything other than my normal red. Maybe they are wrong and I’m not a nightmare.

  “I doubt you’ll see any streaks yet, mine didn’t start showing until about a month after my seventeenth birthday,” she shrugs.

  “Oh,” I reply stepping back from the mirror. “I still don’t understand how this is all real. I mean weird stuff has always happened to me, but this takes the cake…”

  “Right! It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Growing up in the residential treatment sucked. I was lucky if my parents visited me twice a year,” she replies.

  “That’s horrible. I remember hearing my parents think I was a strange child, so I figured it would be a bad idea to tell them I could hear their thoughts,” I tell her. I try to change the subject. “So, you said you would be a Fury, what does that mean?”

  “Oh, it means I can cause nightmares in humans to feed off of them. The others can only feed on existing nightmares. The Empyrean can astral project, so they technically leave their bodies to feed, and the Caballine can shift into horses,” she explains.

  “How do Caballine feed off of nightmares as horses?” I ask, my eyes widening.

  “They feed in their human forms. It’s just a power they possess,” she shrugs.

  “Why do they even have a separate house for us if we have the same abilities?” I ask, thoroughly confused.

  “Even legends are full of bigots,” she shrugs, her eyes turning dark.

  “Legends?” I ask.

  “That’s what we call ourselves and other creatures like us. Humans would call them mythological or supernatural, maybe even paranormal,” she tilts her head in thought as she comes up with the answer.

  “I feel like a fish out of water,” I yawn and stretch.

  “Welcome to my nightmare,” she mutters then smiles again. “Get some sleep you must be exhausted. We can talk more tomorrow.”

  “Ok,” I agree, crawling under the plain, white blanket and drifting off to sleep.

  8

  “Hey, wake up sleepy head!” My roommate says, shaking me gently.

  I roll over on my back, blinking and rubbing my eyes to clear away the blurriness.

  “Ugh, it’s morning already?” I grumble, throwing back the blankets and sitting up on the side of my bed.

  “Yep and if you want to eat a good breakfast we have to hurry, all the good stuff goes quickly!” she exclaims, way to cheery for me this morning.

  I look around the room and realize I have no clothing, toiletries, and no money. What am I supposed to do now?

  “Um… I hate to be a party pooper this morning but I have no clothes to wear other than my pjs.” I tell her nervously picking at my nails.

  “Oh! Well you look to be about the same size as me,” she says while rummaging through her closet.

  “Here! Try this on. I think it should fit you.” she says holding out a pair of stone-washed skinny jeans, off the shoulder black blouse, and a pair of black ballet flats.

  I put the clothes on and they fit me perfectly.

  “Would you mind if I borrow your hair brush? I need to try to tame my wild hair before we head down,” I ask her timidly.

  “Sure, I don’t mind. You know the school has a scholarship for those Nightmares that don’t have living Nightmare relatives, maybe you should look into it,” she tells me.

  I have never felt so ashamed in my life; I mean we didn't grow up the richest people in the world but I had clothes, basic needs, and a little spending money Mom and Dad gave me.

  “I’m sorry about the way the school collects the sevenths, but it’s better that way. Imagine all the explaining and half truths we would have to tell our families, all the secrets we would have to keep, and how hard it would be to keep all our lies straight,” she says with a sad tone in her voice, like she was remembering her own family.

  “It’s okay. I will talk to the headmaster at some point and see if there is a solution or maybe a job I can get and earn spending money.”

  “We’re not allowed to work in the human world, unfortunately; it’s too much of a risk. We will figure it out. Let’s get downstairs,” she tells me with a hopeful look on her face.

  We step into the hallway and the first thing I notice is the amount of black everywhere. Everything from the carpet to the drapes range in various shades of blacks.

  As we walk, Lydia talks about the small kitchenettes that are in every common room for those times you just have to have a midnight study snack, that all other meals are in the main dining area for the whole school. We enter the dining hall, and I slow down and take in my surroundings, The dining area is decorated with colors for each house, big round tables and cushy velvet chairs each with coordinating colors. Lydia nudges me to get my attention.

  “Oh, sorry, everything is new to me, and I am just trying to take it all in” I say to her as we finally make it through the breakfast line.

  Lydia was not kidding about the good stuff, this school offered breakfast with all the trimmings: pancakes, waffles, muffins of all assortments, any flavor coffee or juice you could think of. I go for pancakes, maple syrup, sausage, eggs, coffee, and water. I feel like I haven't eaten in a week with the way my stomach is growling. I follow Lydia to our house table and take our seats. As we eat, I listen to the gossip around the table, and apparently there is a girl named Alexis in the astral house that has a huge crush on Max who is a top student and captain of the football team. It sounds just like the lunchroom at school, someone always spreading rumors or talking about someone else's business.

  “So, how did you cope with being away from your family and friends?” I ask Lydia, because I’m missing Sam.

  “I only saw my parents at visitation once or twice a year, so letting them go wasn’t as hard. I didn’t really have friends to let go...” she explains. I watch as her eyes glaze over and she seems to be relieving a memory from her past, but it quickly passes and she turns to me, smiling. “What would you like to do today?”

  “I’d like to see more of the school so I at least know where I am going.” I smile at her.

  “That sounds great, where would you like to start? Oh! I know, what about the library? Do you like to read? There is a ton of information about Nightmares and other legends, maybe it will help an
swer some of your questions,” she tells me as we start out the door.

  “Oh, I love to read. Let’s check that out.” I respond excitedly.

  We stand up and return our trays. I follow Lydia out of the dining hall. After a few twists and turns and Lydia checking her map a couple times, we finally arrive in front of high arched double doors with intricate gold inlays.

  As we walk in, the fragrance of old pages wash over me. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, every muscle in my body relaxes.

  “Whisper,” Lydia tugs on my sleeve. “Come and look at this.”

  Walking over to Lydia, she's leaning over one of the many glass displays in the area staring at its contents. An old piece of parchment lays against red crushed velvet. The edges are torn and tattered, ink barely legible.

  “I wonder what it says?” my breath fogs up the glass as I lean closer.

  “Maybe it tells about an ancient prophecy of a race of Nightmares that had every house power,” Lydia snickers quietly

  “Oh stop it,” giggling along with her. “It’s probably nothing special.” I loop my arm through hers and we wander off to the next glass display case.

  Inside sits a statue of a horse wearing battle armor. The armor is a sturdy shiny metal with delicate filigree etched along the edges; it fits over the horse's head beginning at the tip of the nose, then it curves around the eyes. The metal surrounds the ears before running down the neck and attaching to a protective chest plate in the front, giving the Nightmare full coverage during battle.

  The brass plate attached to the base says it's war horse armor from the conflict of 1887.

  “I wonder if they will cover this in our History class?” I whisper to Lydia.

  “Oh, I’m sure they will bore us to death with so many conflicts we’ll tire of hearing about them,” she sighs, pulling me to the next case.

  “I take it History and Government are not your strong suits? That’s okay, I enjoy both subjects. I can help with those classes if you like,” nudging her in the ribs as we walk.