Garth tasted blood. At first he had thought he had eaten something bad, but he realized he was having the dream. The Nemesis Dream. He had read about it, people tasting blood then seeing their true nemesis. Lady Lesso from Curses and Death Traps had him take a test on it. Which he aced. Now he was living it.
He stood in darkness, wandering around in the grey fog. No trees, no shrubs. Just flat ground and fog. He kept walking and heard footsteps. He raced toward them and saw Lilac dancing with a prince. She wore a long pink dress and a tall silver tiara. Her smile was huge, filled to the max with joy and happiness. She was with her prince.
At the angle they were dancing, Garth couldn't see the prince's face. But he knew who it was. The pretty boy of all pretty boys. King of everything prideful and rude. Prince of all irritating and girl snatching. Garth watched as they danced, the couple turning.
"Garth!" Garth shot up, looking around at the room. Jerald was by his bed and had screamed his name. Kergy was gone. Garth stood up and glared at the pig.
"I was in the middle of my first Nemesis dream, Jerald!" he shouted. Jerald crossed his arms.
"Well, we're late for class," he shot back. Garth's face fell.
"Why didn't you wake me earlier!" he shouted, grabbing his books and racing out the door. He went through class as fast as possible, scoring in the high ranks. He went through lunch in a fit, unable to fall asleep with all the noise. He needed to know who his nemesis was or it was going to kill him. He couldn't just assume it was Stephan. He had to be one hundred percent confident.
When he finished dinner, he ran to his room in a frenzy. He lay down on his bed and tried to go to sleep. He tossed and turned, but nothing happened. Now he couldn't sleep. He groaned and banged his head against the wall.
"Fall...a...sleep," he moaned in unison to his hits against the wall. Still nothing. He fell back onto his bed, just waiting. Boredom would take over. He just had to wait. Kergy and Jerald came in half an hour later to find Garth still lying there, staring at the ceiling.
"What are you doing?" Kergy asked. Garth didn't move, barely even blinked.
"First Nemesis Dream. Didn't see face of prince. Need to sleep. Need to know." Kergy laughed and slapped his leg.
"You got a Nemesis Dream! No wonder you slept in! You were like a rock, I couldn't get you up!" Garth just stared uselessly at the ceiling, waiting. "Well, don't leave me hanging! What did you see?" Kergy asked, sitting at the foot of his bed. Garth still stared at the ceiling.
"I saw Lilac dancing with a prince." Kergy waited, but he said nothing more. He frowned.
"That's it? No knives or, or something else?" Garth nodded still staring at the ceiling. "Sorry to say this, but I think your nemesis is Lilac." Now Garth sat up and turned to look at his roommate.
"I still don't know who the prince is. I think they would leave me hanging on whoever my nemesis is," Garth explained. Kergy scratched his chin.
"Yeah, sure. But I think you might have to face facts. Lilac was in the dream, so she must be your nemesis too." Garth shook his head.
"No. She isn't. She can't be." Garth lay back down and stared at the ceiling, waiting to prove Kergy wrong. The vampire stood up and sat on his bed.
"Well, good luck," he replied and lay down. Jerald was already snoring. Garth listened and stared, but sleep never came. He waited and watched the stars, but sleep never came. Nothing worked, from reading the boringest book to exercise. He tried everything, but he ended up staying awake all night.
When his friends woke up, they saw a man from the grave walking. Garth went through classes with a pale face, dark bags, and sickly blue eyes. He was scary to look at, which gave him a "1" ranking in Uglification. He tramped around the school of Evil with a circle of death around him. Nevers and Evers shied away from him as he walked through the Clearing at lunch. He settled under a tree, watching everyone with groggy, but attentive, eyes.
"Garth, you look awful," Lilac commented as she walked up to him. He nodded slowly as he watched an Ever walk away from his position. "Didn't you get any sleep? Garth." He turned to look in front of him, but Lilac was now sitting beside him. He turned to Lilac, blinking once.
"No," he answered groggily. Lilac gently pushed his shoulder so he was lying down in the grass.
"You need sleep, Garth," she said, placing something somewhat soft under his head. She stroked his forehead, but he still couldn't sleep.
"Nemesis Dream," he muttered. Lilac stared at him.
"What?"
"Had a Nemesis Dream. Reveals true nemesis. Means I'm Evil." He said the last part just so she understood completely. She shook her head.
"You're not Evil, Garth. Stop saying that." He shook his head slowly.
"Shouldn't be with me. Saw you in dream. Dancing with prince. Didn't get to see prince. You and he my nemesi." He stared up at her with difficulty, his eyes slowly closing. She didn't leave, making it clear she was staying. Her warm hand touched his cheek and he tried to move away. "Don't wanna-"
"You'd never hurt me," she interrupted, reading his mind. She ran her fingers through his hair. Her hand rested on his cheek. He tried to stay awake, but there was so much warmth and comfort. His head lolled into her hand, his eyes slowly closing. With her other hand, Lilac stroked his face. His breath steadied and he fell asleep in her gentle grip. It felt like only minutes before Lilac shook him awake.
"Garth. It's time to go," she whispered. He opened his eyes and looked into her smiling face. She helped him up and he stood straight, not fully rested, but rested enough to not look like a zombie.
"Thanks," he yawned as he hobbled over to the school for Evil. Lilac smiled and ran for Good. He was able to make it through classes, a smile from Lilac during Surviving Fairytales reviving him for mere moments. He lagged through dinner and trudged up the stairs to his room. He lay down and pictured his pillow as Lilac's comforting hand. His blanket was her warmth and he fell asleep instantly.
He looked around in the fog. The snap of a twig diverted his attention. He saw Lilac, standing proudly in her pink dress with a smile on her face. "You'd never hurt me," she recited and ran. Garth chased after her and found the prince instead. His back was turned to Garth, his silver suit and tan boots glistening in the dark. Garth stood patiently, ready to face the prince. Romeo turned around.
Garth's eyes widened in horror as he stared at himself. Same scars, same face. He was smiling proudly. He stood straight like a prince with his chin high. He had his hand on the golden hilt of the sword on his belt. Out of nowhere, a crown appeared on his head, shining gold and silver. Lilac appeared by his side, holding his hand. As he watched, Prince Garth put his arm around her hip and pulled her close. They kissed, Garth the Never watching every moment. He ran.
"What is this?" he called out. A vine whipped around and grabbed his wrist. He tried to break away, but another shot out and grabbed his other arm. More vines wrapped around his body, immobilizing him. He looked up and saw the couple, a sick fantasy in his mind. Something pulled them apart, Lilac screaming his name. A sword stabbed Prince Garth and he fell to the ground, dead. Garth tried to look away, but he couldn't. The attacker was nowhere, but he had Lilac. Thorns dug into Garth's skin and he screamed in pain.
"Garth! Garth, wake up!" He shot out of his bed, breathing heavily. He glanced around the room only to see a pale Jerald and a worried Kergy. Garth hugged his knees tightly, biting his lip.
"You ok?" Jerald asked cautiously. Garth nodded, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders like a shield. It was decided he would stay in the room for the day, his eyes wild and mind unfocused. Lilac wanted to see him, but she couldn't get into the school for Evil. So after Surviving Fairytales, she wandered a bit in the Blue Forest.
Scar, she called in wolf. After meeting Scar, she had decided to study that next, off hand from dove calls in class. The wolf jumped out of a thicket with surprise, his red eyes questioning.
That wasn't bad, Lilac, he replied. He noticed her face and asked, What's wrong?
Garth stayed in his room today. I was hoping you could give him this. She held out a letter, sealed with a glob of wax. Scar nodded and took the note into his mouth. He ran for the school for Evil while Lilac made her way to the gates.
Garth lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. His nemesis was himself as a prince. But he didn't kill himself. Someone else did. Was he seeing someone else's Nemesis Dream? Was that even possible?
The patter of soft footsteps caught his ear and he turned to look at the door. A low scraping sound emanated from behind it. Garth got up and opened the door. Scar walked in, something in his mouth.
"Hey bud," Garth greeted as he closed the door. He scratched behind the wolf's ears and took the paper out of his mouth. He opened it and saw a finely written letter in pink ink.
"Dear Garth, I hope you feel better. Stephan wasn't feeling well either, so hopefully that will cheer you up. Since you don't like him much. I do notice these things, even though you think I'm clueless. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow. If you feel well enough, could you write back why you're ill. If it has to do with lack of sleep or that Nemesis Dream you spoke of, perhaps I could help. Sincerely, Lilac."
Garth read over the letter again, stroking Scar's fur. He was well enough to write back, but there was no chance he would tell her about that dream. She would make it out as he was a prince and was in the wrong school. He couldn't tell anyone about his Nemesis Dream, or whatever that was. He swore to be as Evil as he possibly could. Maybe the dream would change.
Scar nuzzled his cheek and he turned to the wolf. Scar seemed to know what he was thinking, looking at him with understanding and total defiance. Garth didn't need to speak wolf in order to get the message. Scar was totally against the idea and knew it wasn't going to work.
"Can't do anything else," Garth thought aloud, staring at the letter. "You weren't the one who saw yourself kissing a princess and dying by the hand of a mystery man." Scar nosed the letter and looked at Garth. "I can't tell her. She'll make me out as Good again. It took forever for her to just accept we were in different schools." Scar circled him like a vulture did to dead animals, trying to tell him something.
"Look," Garth spelled out for the wolf, "I'm not telling her. I won't be super Evil, at your request, but I draw the line when it comes to telling her." Garth put the letter in his satchel and lay down, ready to go to sleep. Scar walked over and stared into his eyes. Garth stroked his head, flattening his ears against his neck.
"Did you do what I said?" he asked. The wolf looked away, giving Garth a clear view of a piece of briar stuck in his fur. He pulled it out. "She lives around briars?" Scar growled at him and walked toward the door, Garth's smile slowly returning. "I'll take that as a yes." He got up and opened the door, and Scar slinked down the stairs and back into the Blue Forest.
Garth lay down and stared at the ceiling, still wondering what the meaning behind the dream was.
* * *
"Ok," Isabella stormed, "the whole silent treatment thing is getting annoying." Amanda had stayed in their room ever since she had found out everything with Jeremy was a lie. She wouldn't say a word, just cried, slept, and repeated. She looked up from her drenched pillow, mascara smeared all over it and her face.
"Oh, Amanda," Lilac breathed, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to the girl. Amanda took it and blew her nose. "Talk to us. Please." Amanda looked at them sadly as they sat beside her.
"I-I thought he...was my, pr-prince," she sniffled. Fresh tears poured down her cheeks. "No o-one likes, me!" she choked between tears. Lilac and Isabella each put an arm around the shaking girl's shoulders.
"Sure there's a prince who likes you," Isabella cooed. "What about Edward? Don't you still like Edward?" Amanda started to hiccup, more tears trailing black mascara onto the handkerchief.
"H-h-he has-n't ta-talked to m-me EVER!" She cried into the handkerchief, her screams unmuffled. Lilac and Isabella covered their ears as her shrill scream of sadness echoed through the room. Amanda stopped crying, sniffled a little, and regained her composure. At least, a fraction of it. A very small fraction, since her lip still quivered and a tear ran down her cheek.
"Amanda, I'm sure he'll-"
"No," she said simply. "I'll need to accept that...that I'm not meant to be a princess." She stood up and walked to the door, muttering, "Maybe I'll become a fire bird. Like the one Edward had. He seemed to like those." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Lilac and Isabella looked at each other.
"We have to get Edward to notice her," Isabella said.
"At least talk to her," Lilac agreed. The girls nodded, ready to start on a new quest.
As was Garth, which was to figure out what his secret dream meant. So far, a closer look at Nemesis Dreams didn't help. He couldn't ask anyone for help, so he kept to himself. Because of this, an imaginary barrier seemed to form around Garth. His frustrations grew, and he started to snap more often when people tried to talk to him. He stuck to himself, he visited the library, he had more disturbing dreams. He knew something was missing, but he couldn't grasp it.
On the day of the Unlocking, when students were then on allowed to do spells, Yuba had the Evers and Nevers split up accordingly. The Nevers nearest Garth stepped as far away as they possibly could get. Lilac had moved herself so she was across from him, but he didn't look at her.
"With the first Trial by Tale coming up in three weeks," Yuba announced, "you must realize who your enemies are. Now, for the Trial, you will need a few spells. There is no one right way to perform a spell. Some require visualization, incantations, hand flicks, foot taps, magic wands, numeric codes, or partners. One rule, however, is common to all of these." He pulled a silver key with a swan bit out of his pocket. "Evers, I require your right hands." Everyone glanced at him curiously as they put out their right hands. The Nevers looked on with the same curiosity.
"Um, what do you plan on doing?" Edward, first in the Ever line, asked as Yuba walked over to him.
"Why, this, your highness." Yuba took his hand, grabbing his second finger. His key plunged into Edward's finger, the skin becoming transparent as the key went through veins and attached to the bone of his finger. Everyone gasped as Yuba turned the key and, in turn, the bone rotated a full circle. Edward watched as his fingertip glowed sky blue until Yuba pulled out his key. Yuba repeated the process for the other Evers, Lilac turning away as the bone spun around. Hers glowed a brilliant white.
"The single rule for magic," Yuba stated as he moved on to the Nevers, "is that magic follows feeling. When you have enough emotion, your finger will glow and you will be able to perform a spell." Jerald tried to hide his hand from the gnome, but Yuba snatched it and inserted the key. "Fingerglow however, like a magic wand, is a training wheel. We will relock your glow once you show control so you don't look like a doofus every time you perform a spell in the Woods."
Yuba inserted his key into Garth's finger and it glowed black. When Yuba pulled out his key, Garth's finger still had a small black glow going. He scratched his chin and looked at Garth. The Never crossed his arms. Yuba continued on, but kept an eye on Garth's dim finger. When everyone was done, he looked at the group.
"We will learn three simple types of spells: Water Control, Weather Manipulation, and Mogrification, for animals and plants. Today, we will start with Mogrification. Very simple visualization spell, but a good way to escape trouble." Everyone was happy to give it a shot. Garth could care less.
"Now," Yuba continued, "your clothes won't fit after you mogrify, so the best way to proceed is to not wear anything when you start." Everyone's smiles vanished as they stared at the gnome. Even Garth stared at him incredulously, his finger's glow dwindling to nothing. "Or we don't. Who wants to go first?" Everyone shot a hand into the air.
"Well then, get started. Garth, you seemed to have a good start," Yuba singled out. Garth stepped forward and glared at his finger. "Use emotion, Garth. Specifically rage for Nevers." Garth closed his eyes, but his frustrations on not finding an answer had been wiped. So he ran through his memories, knowing there was something he could use. He was a boy, running through the streets of Gavaldon. His father caught him, a whip to the back. He reminded himself of those days, his finger burning darker than the night itself. Everyone backed up.
"Think of an animal and transform, Garth," Yuba instructed.
Garth couldn't hear him. He could only see his father, his hiding places. He heard his sister's screams. He was heaving for breath, his finger growing darker.
"Garth, get control," Yuba shouted. Garth's hand started to quiver, his scars burning like they were fresh. The ground around him started to shake.
"Garth!" Lilac shrieked, running to him. Edward couldn't stop her, falling to the ground. She tackled him, the teens falling to the earth. She wrapped her arms around him, her finger glowing bright white. Garth gasped for air, his eyes flying open. He saw Lilac holding him, her body shivering. The ground stopped shaking as his fingerglow died.
Lilac smiled as her body relaxed. He sat up and held her in his arms, her breath steady, but her eyes closed. He looked around the clearing, seeing Evers and Nevers alike staring at him with shock and fear.
He turned to Yuba, saying, "I didn't mean to. Will she be ok? I-" A vine wrapped itself around his ankles. He was dragged upward, now hanging upside down from a tree. He tried to reach his ankles to untie it, but he couldn't do it. "What's-"
"Fairy-tale punishment. I would expect to be hanging their for a while, since you harmed a student." Garth stared down at Lilac, Edward lifting her up. She mumbled something, but he couldn't hear.
"Is she ok? I didn't mean to." Edward walked away, glancing at Garth over his shoulder. Everyone else left as the end of class was announced throughout the Blue Forest. Garth hung there, wishing someone would just come and give him a good slap.