A Shadowlander’s Dream: Book Three - Rules of the Flesh
Written by Kathryn K Williams
Chapter Thirty-Eight
As Kris ventured through the crowd of girls the front doors opened and Jessica entered with several girls in tow, duffle bags slung over each shoulder.
“Your Dorm Head has returned.” Jessica announced as she dropped the bags at the door.
“Lords, am I glad to see you.” Kris announced as she gave the girl a big hug and noticed the stares from the curly redhead standing at the door.
Jessica studied the many faces around her, mentally taking an account of them, “Where are the rest of the girls?” She asked as she quickly rubbed her hands through her hair causing water to splash everyone around her.
“HEY!” The redhead put up her hands in protest. “Stop it.” She turned her head towards Jessica and shook it sending large droplets about. Several girls laughed and squealed as they ran off to saver grounds.
Melissa helped Alyson through the door, “Could someone help me here? She is not light you know.”
“Let me help you.” Natalie offered as she handed the ledger to Kris, “Here you forgot this.”
Kris took the book and opened it, “Thanks.”
“Come on Alyson.” Natalie urged as Alyson switched to Natalie’s shoulder.
“I wish you would all stop treating me like this.” Alyson protested, “I can walk just fine.”
Natalie lead the girl towards the couches, “Tough, we care about you so you are going to have to live with us pampering you so stop complaining.”
Alyson fell silent as Natalie brought her around the couch and requested the girl’s sitting there to relinquish their seats, which they did politely and without hesitation.
Melissa surveyed the situation quickly, “You seem to have things under control here.” She stated with a pleased smile.
Kris shrugged and glanced down at the ledger, “About ninety percent of the girls are accounted for. Most are in the cafeteria right now because I could not think of anywhere else to put them.”
“I’ll go check on them.” Melissa offered as she crossed the room to the cafeteria doors.
Kris glanced between the two new girls, noticing that the redhead was still staring at her, “Who are they?” She inquired.
Jessica stepped back and smiled, “You won’t believe it. She’s here.” She said excitedly.
“Who?” Kris asked perplex.
Jessica stepped between the two girls and wrapped an arm around each of their waists, hugging them slightly, “I’d like you to meet my foster sisters, Sarah and Amber.”
A twitchy awkward smile worked its way across Kris’s face; “You mean the girls from your foster home?” She inquired curiously recalling the stories Jessica had just told her that day.
Jessica nodded, “Can you believe it? They are actually here.”
Kris extended a hand towards girls, “Well, I’m glad to finally get a chance to meet the two of you. I’m Kris, the second Dorm Head here.” She glanced around at the chaos around her, “Sorry we don’t have a room for you at the moment, and things are a little insane right now.”
“I’m Sarah.” Sarah took Kris’s hand and shook it, wiping her damp bangs out of her eyes, her make up running down her face causing black mascara to run over her cheeks, she looked at the make up that now coated her hand and gave a nervous smile, “Is there anywhere I can get cleaned up? The rain made a mess of my make up.”
Kris nodded, “There is a washroom in the cafeteria and showers upstairs, but I would not suggest going up there just yet.” Kris looked over the girl at the redhead, “So you must be Amber, am I right?”
Amber squinted at Kris, her gaze slightly over Kris’s head.
“What is it Amber?” Jessica asked, curiously looking in the direction of the girl’s gaze.
“Wings…” Amber breathed.
Kris glanced above her expected to see her wings hovering overhead. “Where?” she said nervously.
Amber pointed over Kris’s head, “Pale blue light in the shape of wings.” She said in awe, “Are you an angel?”
Kris rubbed the back of her neck nervously, “Not exactly.”
“A… amber…?” A small, timid, curious voice said from behind Kris, “Amber… is that really you?” A teary eyed Penny asked as she crossed the room from the cafeteria where she had just been placing more candles. The empty box she held fell from her hands to the ground.
Amber put a hand to her mouth in shock, “Penny? Oh my god is that really you?”
Penny abruptly broke into tears and rushed into the girl’s arms, “Ammmbeeerrr….” She wailed, clinging to Amber’s chest, touching her everywhere, “I… I’m not d… dreaming… am… am I?” She said in a shaky voice.
Amber held the girl close as her own tears streak her already wet face, “I can’t believe it is really you.” She turned to find Sarah frozen as she stared at the little girl, “Sarah, aren’t you going to greet our sister?”
Sarah shook her head in disbelief, “B… but… look at her…” She gestured bewilderedly, “Doesn’t something seem off with her?”
Amber studied Penny more closely, “Penny? You look so young…” She stated confusedly.
Penny blushed and looked at the ground, “Yeah… people keep telling me that…”
“Penny?” Kim moved around the couch, her hand on the arm for support, her other arm wrapped around her stomach and a grimace of pain upon her face, “A… are those girls bothering you?”
Jenn quickly moved to Kim’s side to steady the girl, “Kim you really shouldn’t move.”
“Kim?” Amber stepped closer to the girl only to have her step away. “Is that really you? It’s us, Sarah and Amber. Don’t you remember?”
Kim’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the girls and she shook her head, “You are not really.” She insisted fearfully, “You are just a dream, all of it was just a dream.”
Amber moved closer to the girl, “So that really was you in our dreams. I can’t believe I finally get to met you in person.”
Jessica shook her head in confusion, “How do you know Kim?”
Amber reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a crumpled and slightly damp envelope, “We saw her in our dreams.”
Sarah nodded, “Just last night, but it was more like a memory then a dream.”
Amber shakily pulled the photo out of the envelope and looked at it, recognizing many other faces in the photo now that she saw them in person “We received this along with the train ticket.” She held it out to Jessica, “I think it was supposed to show us Jessica but it showed so much more.”
Jessica retrieved the photo and stared at it, “Who took this and who sent you those tickets?”
“What is it?” Natalie inquired as she approached, curious of what the commotion was about and glanced down at the photo, suddenly snatching it from Jessica’s hand, “Kima and Kim…” She breathed in disbelief. She looked up at Amber, “How did you get this?” She demanded, shaking the photo at the girl.
Sarah stepped in front of Amber protectively, “Someone sent it to us. We don’t know where it came from so don’t get angry with us.”
Kris placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder, “She did not mean to accuse you. You see one of the girl’s in that photo vanished recently.” She nodded to Kim, “Her twin.”
Sarah stared at Kim jaw slacked, “So there really was two of them?”
Jenn nodded sadly, “Kima spent too much time inside of your dream and because of that her twin vanished.”
Amber shook her head in disbelief, “How can someone simply vanish?”
“Because she was only a part of Kim’s soul.” Natalie explained with a heavy sigh, “Somehow her being inside of your dream affected her in ways that we can’t understand.”
Amber recalled the change in Kim as she emerged from the blackness in the tub, “So that is what happened to her.” She cautiously approached Kim, “You risked your other half just to rescue Penny, didn’t you?”
Kim slowly shook her head, “I… I can’t remember…” She clenched at her shoulder and winced.
“Are you alright?” Jenn asked worriedly.
“It… burns…” Kim said through clenched teeth, clawing at her shirt.
Amber dropped beside the girl, “What is wrong?” She asked in distress, “Is she going to be alright?”
Jenn shook her head, “Ever since she returned she has been like this. It is like her past and yours are conflicting inside of her head.”
Kim let out a cry as she pulled on the collar of her nightgown, revealing the deep claw scar that crossed her shoulder.
“What did that to her?” Amber asked, staring at the marks, “Who would do something like that to you?”
“She did a lot of that herself.” Jenn said sadly, “But those are something else.”
Amber gathered the shaking girl into her arms, “Oh, Kim… I never realized…”
Kim began thrashing about in Amber’s arms, “N…. no…”
“Kim calm down.” Amber soothed, “I’m not going to hurt you.” She stroked the girl’s forehead, refusing to release the girl.
“No no no!” Kim shook her head wildly about, “It’s not real, It’s not REEAAAALLLL!!!”
Amber pulled back a bit, but kept her hands on the girl’s shoulders. Suddenly Kim looked up at Amber the two girls locked gazes. For an instant Amber gained a fleeting glimpse of something on the girl’s face. The left side of her face was coated in a slick black substance that appeared to be seeping from the girl’s left eyes, an eye that now glowing blue and glancing around independently of her other eye. As soon as it was there the image was suddenly replaced by a series of flashes of Kim’s life through her eyes. So many emotions and sensations that Amber suddenly released the girl and dropped to her side, along with Kim who proceeded to vomit upon the floor in front of her before crumpling into a ball and shaking uncontrollably.
“Kim…” Amber reached for the girl weakly; she could see a blue aura surrounding Kim as a form began to appear next to her.
Sarah dropped beside Amber as a howling wind began to circle around the two girls, “What the hell is going on?” She asked, shielding her eyes from the harsh wind.
Melissa quickly rushed into the room to see Amber’s fingers nearly touching Kim, “No, don’t!” At that moment there was a large flash.
“STAY AWAY FROM HER!!” An echoing voice demanded.
As the lights subsided a form slowly took shape crouched next to Kim, solidifying into the shape of a very androgynous teenager. Solid black eyes like strange black glass orbs started out from behind strains of ivory hair that parted around a long pale face. The teen was dressed in a light grey uniform jacket of some unknown origin and formed snugly to their body and was clasped tightly around the neck and was secured around the waist with a thick belt. A pained expression could be seen upon the teen’s face as they leaned over Kim’s shaking form and stroked the girl’s hair with her long fingers.
“Lauren!!” Jenn snarled at the figure before and rushed at her, fists clenched.
Lauren glanced up at Jenn and her eyes flickered with blue light, “I said stay AWAY!” A force of energy struck Jenn and sent her flying into the air. Kris quickly moved into the line of the girl’s flight and caught her mind air, both girls crashing through the cafeteria doors, sliding across the linoleum floor amongst a group of startled girls.
Jenn quickly pushed through the double doors of the cafeteria and stormed into the room. A kitchen knife in hand. “NO, YOU GET AWAY FROM HERE!!!” Jenn hurled herself at the ghost image again, the point of the knife poised to strike when Natalie grabbed Jenn by the arm.
“Jenn, calm down.” Natalie calmly suggested, “You don’t know what you are dealing with here.”
“I don’t care.” Jenn kicked her legs as Natalie wrapped her arms around the girl and lifted her off the ground, “You don’t get it. She is a demon. Kim still carries the scars she left on her body. That girl must die!”
Kris re-entered the lobby, wiping a drop of blood from her lip, “Natalie is right.” She turned to her aunt, “Missy? What do you think this is?”
“A dream ghost.” Melissa stated calmly and glanced up at Kris, “I think she was sent by your brother.”
*****
To be Continued . . .
*****
Note: The world of the Shadowlands, Its stories, Characters and ideas are a copyright of Kathryn K Williams.
This story is based upon my manga of the same name. If you wish to view art from this series please visit my deviant arts site at: http://shinigami-shimai.deviantart.com/
For more of my stories visit my deviant hearts site at: http://www.devianthearts.com/viewuser.php?uid=159
Also if you spot any typos or other errors please contact me at katwilliams @ rogers.com
Deviant Hearts Archive | Back to main index