A brightness met Scarlett’s eyes as she caught sight of a wide purple circle that covered the floor which parted as she slid through. The wrap around her ankle disappeared and she stopped in front of the figure standing in the middle of the ring. Squinting her eyes, Scarlett blocked the light with her arm and glanced at the person before her.
“Jayden?”
Her purple armor and recognizable purple hair came into her line of sight. Scarlett’s eyes widened and she let out uneven breaths. Her body shook as she tried to hold herself together.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jayden snapped as she grabbed ahold of Scarlett’s arm and yanked her up from the ground. “You’re not supposed to be here. You’ve only been a Dreamer for a damn day! What were you thinking?”
Her grip tightened on Scarlett’s arm and snapped Scarlett out of her stutter. “I got lost! I was waiting for someone and wandered off.”
“You’ve got to be stupid as hell to wander off in here on your first day,” she spat.
Scarlett glared at Jayden and yanked her arm out from her tight grip.
“Well thank you for saving me, Your Bitchy Highness, but those remarks won’t be needed. I know I messed up and almost got myself killed. Now, if you could please just help me get back home and I’ll be out of your way.” Scarlett’s voice gave at the end and Jayden caught the crack. No quick jab was returned; instead, she stayed quiet. Scarlett held her head high and stared at Jayden. On the inside, she was a different story: her mind was in shambles and all she wanted to do was forget what happened.
The girls glared at each other before before Jayden gave in. She showed no expression and indicated with her head for Scarlett to follow. They walked in silence and didn’t bother to break it. Scarlett examined Jayden’s armor and found numerous scars indenting it. They hadn’t been noticeable during school. Why could she see them now?
“Where did all those scars on your armor come from? I didn’t see any during class.” Jayden glanced over her shoulder but stayed silent.
“Okay then.” Scarlett hugged herself as a chill swept through her armor. She dripped with the nightmare’s purple muck and her black hair stuck in ways it shouldn’t.
“So, do all Dreamers have powers like yours? I don’t recall anyone-” Jayden abruptly turned around causing Scarlett to bump into her chest.
“No one can know of this. No one.” Jayden got in Scarlett’s face and leaned down to get close. Her lips were pulled back in a sneer and her nose wrinkled in distaste. “There are things you don’t understand yet and saying the wrong thing could bring danger where it is not needed. Not a word to anyone.”
Scarlett placed her hands on Jayden’s shoulders and shoved her back. “Got the message loud and clear. Now get out of my space.”
Jayden scoffed and turned around while fisting her hands at her sides.
‘Weird.’ Scarlett sighed and followed a few steps behind Jayden. Slowly appearing, a grey light began to illuminate the area in front of them. Much like the purple circle that was surrounding Scarlett and Jayden as they walked, this one was grey and bigger. The power pulsing throughout it resonated within Scarlett but she couldn’t place her finger on it.
Jayden walked right over the circle and Scarlett followed suit, only to be amazed at what lay on the other side. It hadn’t been visible from the outside, appearing to be darkness. A massive building sat in the middle of the circle, while smaller buildings lined around it. It was a good few yards away from the edge of the thick grey circle.
The two girls walked towards the building and that’s when Scarlett took notice of the other armors that hid from sight. They stayed within buildings looking out as Scarlett and Jayden passed. Reaching the tall building, two darkly colored armors stood at the entrance. They stepped subtly in front of the doors and Scarlett scooted herself closer to Jayden, who walked on with her head high.
The two guys had thick armor and stood at around Jayden’s height. They were older and held weapons in their hands.
“Jayden.” The guard on the right with a blackened yellow armor stepped forward as he called her name.
“Suck it, Liam, I’m going straight to him. He’ll need to see her for himself.” She didn’t spare him a glance and he clamped his mouth shut while the guard next to him slipped a hint of an amused smile. Scarlett caught it as he corrected his face back to neutral. The one named Liam clenched his jaw and turned his head to the guard beside him.
Upon entering the building, everything, for the most part, was black, grey, and dark brown. What seemed to be the lounge, was dotted with grey and brown couches with glass tables spread throughout.
Jayden walked past the lounge and into a hall with elevators. Although… there were no elevators. Jayden was about to step in when she paused mid-step. “Do you know how to fly yet?”
She didn’t wait for any answer. “Of course you do, how else would you have gotten here? Follow me.” She shook her head and stepped into the elevator and surged upward. Scarlett scoffed at Jayden then peered into the elevator shaft and released a shaky breath.
Here she goes.
She stepped in and jumped, flying higher and higher. She passed about six floors before coming to a stop at the last one. Jayden was leaning against the elevator frame and rolled her eyes as Scarlett landed beside her.
“Sure, take your sweet time.” Jayden taunted.
Scarlett had walked past Jayden and whipped around at her words. “You know, maybe if you presented yourself as just a bit less of an ass, people might actually like you.”
Jayden sneered and opened her mouth to spit back when she abruptly dropped all expressions and locked her gaze over Scarlett’s shoulder. Scarlett turned to see what caught Jayden’s tongue and her heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened at who stood behind her.
Cain.
Ten
A curse left his lips as he stared out from the top floor balcony. It overlooked the small place his people called home.
Hidden in plain sight as he wanted it.
The rail beneath his white-knuckled hands began to bend. He let go and stepped away to enter his living room. Trevor, his most trusted friend sat at the bar with a drink in hand. Most likely water.
“He’s moving something, and I don’t fucking know for what.”
Trevor raised a brow at his friend's puzzling. In no way was he his equal; Cain was powerful in ways others couldn’t even compare, but he was his oldest friend. No one knew Cain better than Trevor and he knew that Cain would go to the ends to make sure they were safe.
“He needs something with her. His movements have been erratic and constantly changing. He’s making sure I don’t know what he’s planning,” Cain ground out as he paced the black hardwood floor. The number of times he’s run his hand through his hair was absurd. His jaw ticked as he tracked over everything he knew. “He could be playing me and we wouldn’t know to who. We wouldn't know the difference. This is bullshit.”
Trevor saw that his friend would not rest until this subsided and shook his head.
"Maybe taking a step back would allow you to see the piece you're missing."
"I couldn't do that. He'd be getting what he wants; me out of the picture."