Dream Academy

Chapter 6 :- Serenity

CHAPTER 6

Serenity

Sinjana answers the door with a smile that spoke of her relief to see us. "Thank you for coming. Hello Raphaella, I am Sinjana. And this is Mikael behind you I believe?"

The handsome man who I had only just met at lunch replies with a german accent and a tone of genuine happiness. "Hello Sinjana. I am very pleased to meet you."

We are all quickly ushered inside and were soon greeting her grandmother with cordial politeness and excitement that reflected our supreme respect for her. When I told Raphaella and Mikael that Sinjana was saved in her nightmares by her grandmother, they realised that she could hold the secret to this Dream Academy, and could help us decipher the mystery behind the DreamTeacher.

The frail lady says her name but points out she preferred to be called Serenity, which brings a grin to Sinjana's face.

"My grandma always makes my nightmares serene."

We laugh at that but hesitate to continue with the subject lest our youthful exuberance to know became too apparent, but luckily Serenity continues, and what she says makes our hearts skip a beat momentarily.

"I was the DreamTeacher's Apprentice."

Sinjana's face became serious as the air became electrified with anticipation, all of us waiting on this frail old ladies next words with bated breaths.

"It was many years ago when I was your age that I went through what you are going through now. I was the only student that passed the whole of the course. I was meant to take his place as the next DreamTeacher, but I declined, and this made him angry. Since then he has infected my nightmares and tried to make me insane. But I have resisted him. And now he is back to train a new apprentice. One of you four."

To be told this so matter of factly as though it was a normal conversation makes us all silently reflect; the mood had changed from jovial to sombre.

"And how can we believe you?"

It was Mikael, and his rude interjection seems to shock even himself.

Sinjana gazes at the young man with disappoinment and would have struck back at him for not believing her grandmother had Serenity not raised her hand in the universal sign of silence.

"Those are the words of the DreamTeacher, not your words Mikael. He has penetrated your subconscious with the seeds of doubt. I was there lastnight. I saw what he did to you. I saw what he did to all of you. Somnambulism means sleepwalking. He made Jaycee wake up in front of an open fridge door, and, I am sorry Mikael, made you wake up on the toilet. He can do these things. It is a mark of a very powerful dreamweaver to do such things."

Mikael blushes at that, and Raphaella looks down as though she is embarassed.

"Raphaella and Sinjana were both reminded of sad memories of their past, which I will not speak of to preserve their privacy, but it proves he can affect your subconscious and control your physical bodies while you sleep, so constituting a danger for you in the real world as well as the dream one."

"How do we beat him?" My voice seems weak but I have to know. It is all I really want to know. This man has invaded me, and I was overwhelmed with a desire for revenge.

"He does not exist in the real world. He gave up his mortal soul many decades ago in pursuit of an immortal one in the DreamWorld. But as is always the case with immortality, he has found it to be a curse, and no longer wants it. He wants to die, and the only way to do that, is to curse one of you four with immortality, as he wanted to do to me so many years ago."

"Immortal in the world of dreams? What is wrong with that?" Raphaella questions.

It was Sinjana who answered. "He can live in whatever world he wants to. But its all not real. Its like living in a TV show where everything is fake and only when you realise it do you want to be freed from it."

I am reminded of a Jim Carrey movie when I hear Sinjana's explanation, and can understand.

"He accepted immortality from another DreamTeacher before him, and before that there was another DreamTeacher who wanted to escape the illusion of life. It is a curse to be a DreamTeacher, and as a result we must vow to stick together. To not accept his deceit."

Serenity spoke again.

"But you have yet to finish your training, and so are still weak and cannot resist him. That is, unless I train you to do so......"

Sinjana, Raphaella, Mikael, and I all glance at each other and mentally agree. Raphaella let her voice be heard.

"Out of one DreamAcademy and into another one."

"A better one...." Sinjana replies.

We all smile and I ask Serenity when the first lesson begins.

"Actually right now if you want......"