User blog:SibunaSeason34/Artemis Academic Boarding School: Chapter 3 - Midnight Search





Rated T for Teens

Chapter Three - Midnight Search

Everything was dark. There wasn’t a single light source in sight. I could barely even see my own hands, as cliche as that was. Yet somehow, the darkness...the emptiness ...felt almost comfortable. There was something calling me, but I didn’t know what.

 “You’re here,” A man said. Somehow I felt like I knew the voice, but I wasn’t sure how. I’d never heard it before. “Come closer.”

 I did as he said.

 Suddenly, there was a glowing ball of purple light. I shielded my eyes on instinct, until the man said,

 “Kelly Strong! Do as I say, and look into the light.”

 Upon hearing my name being spoken, I figured I might as well pay attention. I looked back at the light, which had become less blinding and more calming, like a warm ball of fire on a cold, winter’s day.

 “What do you see?”

 At first, I saw nothing except the color purple. But then an image started to form. The image of a ring.

 “I...I see a ring.”

 “Excellent. Now you must find it. Go on, and look.”

 --

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> After that, Kelly woke up and after only a moment of hesitation, she climbed out of the bed and grabbed her cellphone to use for a light source. She was going to do as the dream told her. She didn’t know why, exactly, just that she really, really had to. Kelly made her way towards the door, assuming her ring wasn’t in her bedroom.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Kelly? What are you doin’?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> She jumped and turned around.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: I’m...getting a midnight snack.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Her room-mate started to get out of her bed.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Then why do ya look so spooked?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Because it’s dark and you scared me!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle seemed like she was about to reply, when Royle began to stir. Kelly thought she had managed to keep her voice down, and was rather confused. Royle was such a heavy sleeper that not even her alarm clock woke her up. How did the two of them talking achieve that?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: Why are you both awake?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Why are you awake? It’s not noon yet.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: Hilarious. If you must know, I had a weird dream and now I’m awake. Okay?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: You too?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> There was suddenly an awkward silence between the three girls, until Kelly decided to speak.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Okay, what? You two both had a weird dream? I thought I was the only one!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> More silence.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Well this is weird.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: Oh, and let me guess. You two also had strange voices telling you to find some stupid ring without any actual explanation and now you’re going to search for it?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: That’s exactly what I was doing.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Yep, me too. Strange night, huh?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: Definitely.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle got out of her bed, and Royle did the same. Both of them walked over to where Kelly was, and Kelly let out an internal groan. I really just wanted to do this on my own. Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. She just wasn’t that good with other people, and simply preferred to work alone. On the other hand, neither Michelle nor Royle were really social creatures either. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly sighed.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: So what? Are we going to go look together?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Why not? Could be fun.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle gave Kelly a look, following a second sigh.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: Don’t worry. I also want to be searching alone, you know? The last thing I want is to be given pointless help I don’t need.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Following that statement, their room-mate left the room and Kelly heard her going downstairs.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Well that was rude…

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: She’s probably just cranky ‘cause she got less than fifteen hours of sleep!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> The joke managed to make her crack a smile.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: So, you comin’ with me, or what?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly took a minute to think about it. Michelle wasn’t really that bad, and she still felt just a small bit of debt needed to be repaid for Michelle being the lone person to stand up for her on Monday morning. So she finally agreed.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Alright..let’s go.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> As they were heading down the stairs, she felt the need to ask her friend,

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Where exactly should we be looking?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Everywhere, I guess.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> She sighed yet again. Oh, this won’t be very fun…

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> --

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton was already downstairs, searching everywhere for the ring the lady in his dream had told him to go and find. Currently, he was looking through the cases of the pillows on the couch. When he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, he turned with a big smile.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton: Hello!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> But Royle was not as receptive to his happiness and simply gave him an annoyed look.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: I assume you’re not looking for a midnight snack in those pillows?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton: Nope! Did you have a dream too?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: What gave it away?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton shrugged and let out a laugh that just made her groan again.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton: Nothing! I was just guessing!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> She shook her head at him.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: I’m glad that excites you so much. Now if you excuse me, I have some searching to do.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton just smiled at her as she walked away, making her roll her eyes at him. Yeah, maybe he was a little too nice sometimes, but how could he help it? He was naturally energetic and naturally friendly. Being mean was no fun, so he would much rather make friends with everyone...even if they weren’t as interested in the friendship as he was.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> It wasn’t long before Kelly and Michelle also showed up. He greeted them with the same cheer he greeted Royle, and they simply nodded at him and moved on their way.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> He heard Michelle asking,

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Jeez, is everyone in this house doing a search?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton heard more footsteps and laughed.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton: I guess so!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> The three girls walked back over as the final two students in the boarding house made their way down the stairs.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Neither of them seemed to notice the others at first. They were too busy bickering. Dalton frowned when he heard it. He hated hearing people fighting, especially not when they should have been making up instead.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Jake: Will ya quit following me?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance: Who said I’m following you?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Jake: Well you didn’t have a dream, so obviously-

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: Sorry to interrupt your lovely chat, but please don’t start pummeling each other again? This is kind of important.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> The two boys turned away from each other in surprise and faced the group.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance: Oh, hello.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton: Hi!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Jake ignored him and said,

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Jake: Don’t tell me you all had a dream?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Everyone nodded.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s all find our rings!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> The entire group started to search, but then Chance called them all back.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance: I can’t exactly do that. I already have mine.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> He pulled a golden ring out of his pocket and held it up. In curiosity, Dalton took it and looked at it. It was just a normal ring, at least at a first look.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance grabbed it back from him.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Wait, how’d you already find it?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance: I don’t know, it was weird. I felt sick, and dizzy, and then I opened my locker, and poof! I had a ring.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Jake gave his room-mate a look that seemed to be a mix of jealousy and frustration.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Jake: Then why are you even here if you didn’t even have a dream?!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance returned the favor with a stare of his own.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance: I was already awake, thank you very much. And if both of my room-mates were leaving, I was going to find out why.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> He looked over at Dalton, who gave him a grin and a tiny wave. The others looked at him like was the strangest specimen of man ever, but it didn’t matter. He knew he’d get through to them eventually.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Chance: And for the record, I did have a dream. Not...not one of the weird ones like you guys have, although I do have those. It was just... a dream.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> And his friend left it at that.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: Ooookay… so does this mean we’re all...special somehow?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly laughed.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Kelly: Me? Special? Sure.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Dalton: I think we are! And I think this is cool! Come on, it is, isn’t it?

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> I can’t wait to find my ring! And all of us are going to be special and unlock our destiny and it’s going to be awesome! I can’t wait!

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> He couldn’t help but get energetic just thinking about it, and began to squirm around a bit as everyone was watching him.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Jake: ...Anyways, I’m not going to say that we’re all “special”, but...there is something interesting going on here. And I think the rest of us should all find our rings.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Royle: And what about our dreams, genius? There’s got to be something special about them outside of just telling us to find stuff.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Michelle: I guess that, from now on, whenever we have dreams like this, we’ll discuss them, okay? And I guess that means...we should discuss this one as well.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> Everyone sort of shared glances, and then after a few seconds, the group of six sat down together at the dining room table.

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:1.5;text-align:center;"> It was a really unique view. All of the students who have never interacted with each other before, were now sitting in the dining room and speaking. Apart from Royle, who didn't feel like talking with anyone at all, scratching her eyes and going back to sleep.