“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?”
“W-who are you?”
The woman tilted her head slowly to the side, assessing his question. Another giggle erupted behind him and she locked her gaze there. After a beat, she whispered silkily, “Your future, if you choose.”
Adair had slowly trod backward, his back now flush against the wet bark. The woman sauntered up to him, her features contorting between human and something else as she alluringly breathed.
“Don’t you want to be powerful, Adair Stratton? Accepted? Loved? The son who is never enough, the student who is feared. Well, I see you, and I do not fear you.”
His heart raged against his ribcage, trying to break free as Adair whispered, “You’re wrong.” Giggles erupted all around him in the shadows, devouring his words.
The woman was now face to face with him. A pale hand against his cheek forced him to look at her. Her breath was hot against his skin. “You would be enough if you accepted the darkness within you instead of burying it.”
Looking down, the ground started to shift and churn, dissolving into a thick smoke, and the world exploded into whispered promises, that sank their sharp claws within his heart. The woman tilted her head, whispering, “Find us, Adair. Find us.” She stepped back, spreading her arms wide, and closing her eyes, fell into the smoke. It hissed and sparked, embers flying up toward the sky.
Shaking, he lurched forward but not before he realized he was soaked with blood. Crying, he shook his head, whispering, “Not real, this is not real.”
Blood smeared over his pale skin as he tried to wipe it away, but it piled on thicker and thicker. It ran down his face, and as he looked up through the iron and salt, he realized that the world around him was consumed in flames, devoured and lost to the smoke and ash. As he stood there transfixed, Adair realized that he was in the heart of the fire. And he was laughing.
He shot up, shivering in a cold sweat, his mouth opening and closing, and he shifted back into reality. Just a dream, it was just a dream. He ran a hand through his black hair, gulping down air and trying to steady his nerves. He closed his eyes and beneath his lids the woman waited for him, her sharp, angular features and beckoning calls. He muttered to himself, “It was not real. Not. Real.”
Shaking his head, he paced his small room, trying to stop the ice flowing through his veins, and the odd exhilaration that awakened his senses. It was just a nightmare. That felt exceedingly real. He was probably under too much stress, and this was him reacting to it. He wasn’t a monster. He didn’t want more.
Clutching his face, Adair breathed into his palms, each breath wiping away the darkened forest. Slowly he lowered his hands, taking in his room. It was the same as before, nothing changed. “It was just a bad dream,” he stated to the air blatantly. The quiet of the night pressed back to him, and he resigned himself that he was in no way getting any more sleep tonight. Numbly, he walked over to his dresser, pulling out his normal outfit of black pants, shirt, and a jacket and swiftly peeled his soaked clothes off him. Refreshed, he slipped out of his room, clicking the door softly shut. Through the bay windows, tinges of dawn peeked over the horizon, and he set off down the hallway, knowing exactly where he wanted to be. He passed the classrooms and suites, basically jogging now, the walls feeling too close, too small. Too much like a cage.
He passed the surveillance room, the different cameras capturing almost every ounce of the school. Dawn was his favorite time of day, the edges of the night chased away, the world still and silent, everyone lost in their dreams. He exploded through the front doors and breathlessly jogged to the edge of the hill, where a small escarpment overlooked the surrounding landscapes. Scaling it easily, he hung his feet and settled in as the sun greeted another day. The Draken Mountains to the east were bathed in gold hues with tinges of pink bleeding into the sky. Dew still clung to the blades of grass, and he watched the world reawaken. Ounce by ounce, the light overtook everything.
“Couldn’t sleep either, then?”
Startled, he jumped, nearly falling off the ledge. To his right, the teenage rover sat on the same ledge, his emerald green hair looking more vibrant in the light. He jutted out his chin, looking forward, as he stated, “I’m sorry about my dad.”
Appraising him, Adair narrowed his eyes, seeing if he was being sarcastic or not. Lifting a dark eyebrow, he said, “He’s not great at making the best first impressions.”
The boy’s face spilt into a lopsided smile, and his eyes lightened. “So you’re not afraid of us then? The whole sail here, my father prepared me for you bunch of sticklers.” His face twisted as he mimicked his father’s voice. “They aren’t like us, Marquis. Be prepared for the worst, Marquis.”
Adair barked out a laugh. “Afraid? Most people are afraid of me. But no, I’m not afraid of you.”
The boy faltered looking forward. “Only the change we bring.”
Adair rolled his shoulders, turning his attention back to the sunrise. “Change isn’t a bad thing if it’s met with good intentions.”
He chuckled. “Ah yes, good intentions. I was brought into this life taught to take what I want without a second glance, to always be moving. To dance with the edge of danger and above all do what’s best for me. I don’t think anyone from the Shattered Isles knows what that even means.” He shook his head, standing. “Anyways, I will leave you now to your brooding thoughts.” Swiftly, he hopped off but not before lifting the corners of his mouth
