There was an office on the left side of the entrance. They were about to enter when a light lit from the collar of Cher’s armor. She paused and reached to press where the light emanated from. Scarlett observed in confusion and was about to ask what it was when she saw her mother’s expression stone. Eyebrows furrowed, her mother looked ahead as if she were paying attention to another. Yet, no one else was around.
The light dimmed and Cher stayed still.
“Mom?” Scarlett lightly called as she reached for her mother’s arm. Her mother shook her head and gave Scarlett a small smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. Scarlett immediately knew that something was bugging her.
“Is everything okay?”
“Something’s come up and I’m needed at the headquarters,” Cher announced as they continued towards the office. “I’m not going to be able to stay and give you a tour of the school. It’ll have to be with someone else.”
Scarlett nodded and understood when a word popped up flashing in her mind.
‘SCHOOL?’
Of course, she’d have to do that. How else would she learn the ways of the Dreamers and Ever Realm?
Scarlett swallowed down the urge to turn around and continued with her mother. The office looked the same as the hall outside and had the same art on its walls. A male was behind the front desk and only the top of his head could be seen. At the sound of their footsteps, the man snapped his head up and familiar sky blue eyes met Scarlett’s. She stopped mid-step as her mother continued forward.
“Chad, what are you doing working the front desk?” asked Cher. He stood from his seat and the top of his dark green armor was visible above the desk.
“Emi had to take a break so I offered to cover a bit,” he said sheepishly. He gave a lopsided grin and looked at Scarlett. “Nice to see you again. Starting your first day of school today?”
The way he spoke made Scarlett want to barf. She stepped up from behind her mother and gave a small nod. Chad caught the hint that Scarlett was not fond of him.
“I won’t be able to administer her tour today. I would like you to carry it on for me. Don’t worry about the front desk duties. No one else will be coming in today aside from the ones already here.”
Scarlett noticed something: she hadn’t seen this side of her mother before. The only other time she saw it was when she was in charge of a project. This was different. Her mother’s voice dripped with authority and gave no room for opposition. Chad didn’t refuse either. He even lowered his head before making his way around the desk. Scarlett wouldn’t have noticed it if she weren’t paying attention.
“I’ll be here to get you once school lets out.” Scarlett got a short and sweet hug from her mother as she spoke.
“I love you,” Cher whispered in her ear and pulled back to give a small smile. Scarlett returned it and watched her exit the building.
She laser beamed the spot her mother occupied seconds ago, already dreading what she knew was to come. She closed her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek when a throat cleared. Scarlett opened them and stared at Chad who gestured for her to follow him out of the office.
“We’ll begin right through here.”
Seven
He watched the way she glanced around only to find nothing. He knew that deep down, she knew exactly what she was looking for but couldn’t find it.
He didn’t blame her, he hid well. He knew how to. Maybe it wasn’t advisable for him to continue sneaking around Ever Realm or Earth but how could he not? His main piece was only a few yards away.
The plan he’d been working hard for was finally in motion. He just needed to wait for the final touches to fall in place.
Time.
The girl shook her head and ran to catch up to her mommy dearest like a little duckling.
‘She’s a child.’
He dryly laughed at her naïve display. The minute any other Dreamer felt him, they would’ve alerted everyone in the quarter and been scared for their lives. But her… she didn’t know what she felt. Just like she didn’t know what caressed her on the hill. He made sure of that, as he kept it barely within her mind’s grasp.
The perfect candidate for what needed to get done. They’d officially meet soon enough and as difficult as it would for him to not interfere anymore, his goal would make sure to keep him in line. He needed to allow everything to flow smoothly.
Nothing would screw this up, because in the end, what would result from her death would be a change none of them saw coming.
Eight
Scarlett was not looking forward to any of it and yet, she found herself interested in all that Chad was informing her of.
They walked through grey and white halls before coming to an enormous gym. A ring sat in the middle of a track that ran through the edge of the room. On the edge of the track, punching bags and workout equipment dotted the space between the walls and the track. Not much equipment surrounded the ring, giving the area the space it needed. To the far left end of the gym, weapons decorated a wall from the ceiling to the floor. Scarlett’s jaw dropped and excitement filled her veins.
‘Holy shit. There's so many!’
Chad started as he walked in and stepped on the track. “This is the Dreamers training room, aka, the Activities Room. Yes, it does take up most of this school, and for good reason. It’s one of the most important things a Dreamer must go through. You’ll learn how to fight, defend yourself, and to build endurance, flexibility, and strength.”
Scarlett stared in awe at all of the equipment, her fingers itched to touch the weapons lining the wall to the far left wall. Chad turned over his shoulder and caught Scarlett’s line of sight. “This is the most loved and hated room, where you’ll be spending most of your time. Due to your arm still being injured, you’ll be taking it slow.”
Scarlett opened her mouth to oppose but Chad beat her to the chase. “Your mother’s orders.”
‘Of course.’ She thought.
Chad took Scarlett through the gym and showed her the equipment. They exited through the opposite end and entered another set of halls. These were much easier to navigate. Doors lined the walls, each leading to empty classrooms. Scarlett furrowed her brows as she realized there was no other students' insight.
“Where are all the other kids? Was there no school today?” she asked as they continued down the empty hall.
Chad slowed his stride and Scarlett could tell he was hesitating. He gave a small sigh before answering. “We have a few students left. They stay together and use one big room.”
“What do you mean by ‘left’? What happened to the others?”
Scarlett caught the slight drop in Chad’s shoulders and knew he didn’t want to explain. But if she was going to be there, she wanted to know what was going on.
“They didn’t make it. After the curse was placed on our rite of passage, the number of young Dreamers transitioning rapidly decreased. This school used to be filled with us.” He gestured to the surrounding rooms. “When the war began, many got thrust to the front lines, including the ones in school. All bodies were needed in that battle and most of us didn’t make it. The ones you see outside are some of the survivors. In a way, it was a messed up kind of graduation.”