Dreamcastor | The Girl Without Words

Chapter 8: Conflicted

Chapter 8

The classroom Wren was led to was the one that was used for the younger children. Wren hadn't been in here herself for several years. It brought back a wave of nostalgia. Back then, she hadn't even had the twins with her and Emerys had yet to speak.

"Wren!" Merric cried as she entered the room, his scruffy brown hair falling into his eyes. "You've made it, too!" 

She replied by rubbing the end of his nose with her thumb, trying to get a speck of dirt off. Wren wondered if he rolled around in dirt or something. She looked around, her eyes catching on Serin, who was sitting crosslegged on the ground. He gave her a toothy smile and patted the chair next to him, motioning to her to take a seat. When she sank herself into the chair, Wren felt the muscles in her legs relax for the first time. The day had been stressful on her body, and she hadn't even been aware of it. 

Wren took notice of the other people in the classroom. Though Serin had greeted her with enthusiasm, Sirenna's spiteful stare made the room feel as if it were made of ice.

"What's she doing here?" Sirenna sneered as she set her cane against a desk, an ugly scowl forming on her face.  

Both Merric and Serin seemed ready to jump to Wren's defense, but a softer, but still audible, voice spoke first. "For the same reason as you. As all of us." Wren looked over in surprise. It was Winslow, a shy girl of six years. She didn't know her personally but Wren knew she was weak and got ill a lot. Wren couldn't recall if she had ever heard her speak before. She gave the younger girl a tentative smile, which Winslow returned.

"Enough," said Kais, who had just come into the room, his cloak fluttering about him like a cape of shadows. "You've all got some Dreammaker blood in you. That's all that matters right now." He gave Sirenna a glowering look. "Though some have less than others." Merric snorted in response. "In a moment, Farrow will come in to test just how potent the Dreammaker blood you have is." His ice-blue eyes fixated on Wren again. "I'm looking forward to how you all do."

The room was silent until Kais had left. "Another test?" Merric grumbled. 

"Who was that?" Sirenna asked, her eyes alight with interest for the first time. "Is he a Dreammaker? He's awfully young, isn't he?"

"Wren, where were you?" Serin asked, ignoring Sirenna's question. His smile had faded, replaced with a look of concern and puzzlement.  "One second you were right there, and then you were gone!"

She gave him an apologetic look but didn't know how to tell him what had happened. It was too dark to write with her cane. But Serin's question did remind her of her mother's strange behavior that afternoon. Wren reached into her pocket and drew out a small vial full of crimson liquid, taking the time to properly look it over. In the dim candlelight she could see that it was translucent, to a certain degree. And the red looked more like black than anything else. 

The color momentarily reminded her of... something.

Wren struggled to keep a hold on what had just surfaced in her mind, but it was too late. Whatever it had been, it was gone now. Fleeting and ephemeral, just like her dreams. 

"Wren, are you listening?" Serin's worried voice broke into her thoughts.

She looked up, startled. Wren squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him she was listening, though her mind was elsewhere. While she couldn't place the memory that had surfaced, Wren did have a good idea of what was inside the tiny vial.

Crimson to the point where it seemed black.

Almost translucent, but carrying with it a tint of red that refused to fade completely.