Ch 2: Dreams, Scares and Night Terrors
VESPER
I hate having dreams... Especially the ones that never seem to end. I've always had weirdly vivid dreams. This one was no different.
I was standing behind a pillar. Voices could be heard from a short distance away. "You have failed me, you wretch." a male voice boomed.
"I'm sorry, O Greatest One." a familiar voice replied back. Mx. Sandjra? I thought. There is no way? Right? They couldn't've escaped.
"You allowed that demigod get away.. and get across the border no less." the booming voice solemnly said.
"I almost had him, sir. If I could-"
"SILENCE!" a wave crashed into me. "You shall be tossed back into the Abyss. You are of no need to me. I have other ways to get what I want." I peered out from behind the pillar. Mx. Sandjra was kneeling before a throne. The throne was shrouded in darkness. Mx. Sandjra scrambled away from the throne. With a snap of his fingers, the being shrouded in darkness opened a portal and Mx. Sandjra was swallowed with a shriek.
"Sir? Was that truly necessary? She could have been useful." Another, more calm voice requested.
"You are all I need now. Bring the Son of Fabius to me. He will be mine to consume." I wanted to pipe in and say, No thanks! No, don't eat me! But my voice didn't seem to work.
Then the dream shifted. This time I was sitting in one of the trees in the Capital. The leaves were in full bloom. Purple, pink and red leaves covering the tops of the trees. I touched the rough blue bark and smiled. This was one of my favorite places. "Beautiful, isn't it?" a small voice asked from beside me. I almost fell out of the tree.
"Who? What??" I asked, surprised that my voice actually worked. Next to me, sat a young girl. A crown of lilies and skulls adorned her head.
"I am Asphodel, goddess of death." she answered. Her silver hair fell into her palms as she stared off into the city.
"Um? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I love this scene. It is one of my favorite's in Stargate 12. I visit here often." She turned to look at me. Her eyes were hollow and black. "Oh, you meant in your dream." She giggled. It was more of a crow caw than a giggle. "Don't worry, hero, I do not mean to cause you harm. I am here to warn you." She clasped her hands in her lap again. I waited patiently, watching the scene below and around us. "They are arising again." she said quietly.
"Who is arising?" She looked at me. Despair and sorrow on her face. Silence fell over us. I stared at her, waiting for her to say anything. "Who is arising, Asphodel?" I asked again. I didn't really want an answer. She pressed a lily into my hand.
"I must go, hero. I hope that I won't be meeting you again. Be careful and heed these words: Do not trust the Red." Before I could ask her what she meant, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. This lily was warm against my skin. I stared out into the city. The sound of sirens and alarms blared.
I jumped awake, banging my head on someone else's. "Ow! Frick, what the?" a sultry voice asked. I rubbed my head and eyes. It was too bright. A shadow casts over my face.
"Is he awake?" Another, more familiar, voice asked. When I opened my eyes again, I could see clearly. To my right sat Zadia. To my left sat a guy I didn't know.
"Yeah, Zayd. He's awake." the guy on my left replied as he got up and walked out of the room. Zayd? Who? It clicked then, must be Zadia's nickname.
"Hi." he said.
"Hey." I answered, parched. As if on cue, Zayd handed me some water. He was wearing a yellow veil today with sparkly eye shadow to match. I smirked. He looked great.
"I'm glad you're finally awake." he said, a sad look on his face. The other guy came in just then. Zayd's face flashed a look of concern, but it disappeared. "This is Eclipse. He is our medic. He nursed you back to health." I turned back to look at the guy. His two-toned hair was tied back into a pony tail.
"Hey." He said and raised his hand in a wave. I nodded at him. "Oh, by the way, Lystar will be here in a little bit. I told him you were awake." Lystar? Why did that name sound familiar? Just then the door opened and a huge mass ducked inside.
"Hello. I hope I am not intruding." a soft voice said.
"No. Not at all, Lystar. He just woke up." Eclipse said and turned to lean over a table covered in books and jars. My mouth dropped open. Before me stood a hulking man. he stood at least 7 or so feet tall. He smiled down at me. "Please sit, sir." Eclipse said and pointed to the chair that was on the left. Lystar gave Eclipse a grumpy look, but sat down none the less. An earthy smell wafted into my face as he sat. Zayd sat up in his chair, nervously looking from Lystar to me. He shot me a don't-ask-questions-you-don't-want-the-answers-to kind of look. I shrugged.
"I am Lystargant, trainer of mortals and heroes alike." he paused as if to let that sink in. "It has come to my attention that a Mellaliontjzek attacked you and Zadia. Not an easy fight, but I have been told that you did well." Lystar shot a look at Zadia. Zadia was looking at his hands. He breathed a sigh and continued, "These are dark times, son... I need to know everything." I looked up at him. His green eyes looked tired, yet calm. For some reason, the entire story flooded out of me. I even told him of the dreams that I had had. He listened intently. Only pausing to ask for clarification or to question me. When I was done, he sighed. "It seems that the plot thickens..." The silence thickened.
"So, what do you think Asphodel meant by don't trust the red?" Eclipse asked. I shook my head.
"Honestly, I have no idea." I answered. I wish I was given more of a clue. 'The Red' could mean anything... It could mean a person, a place, or thing. It could literally be anything in this entire universe... "Oh! This was in my hand when I woke up." I said. I held out my hand to show Lystar the lily that magically was in my hand after Asphodel had given it to me.
"Hmmm. Interesting." Lystar said as he stared at it. A name popped into my head.
"It's a Crestdoon Lily. These lilies are said to mark the entrance of the Ether. My father studied one once... He almost lost his job. 'Chasing Fairy tales' is what the government said." I held the lily closer to me. It was red with specks of yellow and orange. Lystar and Zadia stared at me. "One of my dad's is a botanist." I explained.
"Does this mean...?" Lystar trailed off. An alarm went off. I jumped. Lystar looked at his watch. "That would mean that it is first rotation. Zadia, Eclipse, Vesper I bid you farewell for now. I have to go make sure my wife hasn't burned the kitchen down." And with that Lystar was gone. Silence coated the room like a heavy paste.
"Can you walk?" Eclipse asked from his corner. I looked over at him. He was staring at me.
"I think so?" There was a lump in my throat as I swung my legs out from the covers. "Uhhhh.. Eclipse?" I asked.
"Hmm?"
"Where are my clothes?" I asked. He turned around a sparkle in his eye. I covered myself with the sheets. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. Beside me, Zadia bristled. Anger flashed on his face, but when he looked at me, the look was gone. Replaced by pity.
"Oh shit! I forgot about them in the wash. I will go grab them now. Sorry!" Eclipse seemed flustered and he dashed out of the room. We waited for no more than five minutes and Eclipse was back. He handed a neatly stack of clothes at the foot of the bed. "I had to borrow a shirt from the camp store. There is also a light jacket and different socks. All of the clothes, except for your jeans and underwear could be salvaged." I nodded. Eclipse stared at me, as if waiting for me to get dressed. A creepy look on his face.
"Um... privacy?" I asked him. Zadia was already gathering his bag into his arms. He grabbed Eclipse's arm roughly and pulled him out the door. I sighed in relief. I pulled myself out of bed. Zadia pulled back the curtain.
"I'll be out here if you need me, Vesper." he said. A hard look was plastered on his face. I nodded. Something isn't right. I thought. I heard quiet angry voices from the other side of the curtain. I pulled my underwear to my knees. When I looked down, there was an odd stain. It looked new. As if it had happened not to long ago. An uneasy feeling churned in my stomach. I quickly shucked off the underwear and threw them across the room. They hit the curtain that was opposite from where Eclipse and Zadia went out of. I quickly pulled my pants, new shirt, jacket, socks and shoes on. The voices quieted down. I came out from the cot area. Tears threatened to fall down my cheeks. When I opened the curtain, Eclipse was gone. An immediate feeling of relief washed over me. I looked up at Zadia, tears in my eyes. He pulled me into an embrace. "I know... I know. Let it out." he said, rubbing my back.
"I don't know why I'm crying.." I whispered. "What happened while I was asleep..?" Thoughts ran through my head. Something happened. Something bad happened to me? Something had to. Otherwise, I wouldn't be crying. I would be fine. What was that stain from?
"Hey. Look at me. You are going to be fine. Its going to be okay." I looked at him and the tears fell down freely. "Let's take you to your cabin. We can decorate it together." I nodded and followed him out of the clinic and into the fresh air. "Welcome to Camp Interstellar." Zadia said with his arms out. He took on a tour guide's voice. "You were just in the Kenzi cabin. Kenzi is the majesty of medicine." I looked behind me. The majesty's cabin is oddly shaped like a circle with its bottom cut off. It was made of tempered glass. You can kind of see into the dome at the starch cream curtains, but kind of not. Most cots were empty, but a few of them had some campers in them.
"Why is it made out of glass?" I asked, sniffling. I was messing with the zipper of the jacket that I was wearing. It was chilly out today. A low cloud was hanging in the air. How there was a cloud here under the city, I had no idea. Zadia looked back to the building.
"It didn't use to be. It used to be a dark building. A lot of the campers started to get depressed and a few..." He trailed off. I got the gist. "Anyway, we rebuilt it and made it out of glass so that the campers wouldn't be as depressed." I nodded.
"That's pretty cool. You can see the rest of the camp." I replied. Zadia took my hand. A warmth spread from my palm to my shoulder. I was blushing. He didn't seem to mind and pulled me deeper into the camp.
"This is the Syzak cabin. Syzak is the majesty of the arts. Most of their kids work in the sculpture field, but some work in other areas." Zadia pointed to a bunker that was above the ground. Rusty, old metal covered the roof. The front door was a deep red with golden-yellow trim. A small porch with several small metal sculptures welcomed you to said door. I stared in awe at some of the creations on the porch. There were a few whales and flowers. Some of them looked like they could move if they had mechanics in them.
"Whoa. That's super cool. I love this one." I said pointing to a black metal cat with wings. It reminded me of my childhood cat, Jello.
"You can have it if you want it." a new voice said. I turned around. Beside Zadia was a girl.
"Hi! I'm Cassy! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you all!" She cheerfully said, a smile on her face.
"Jesus Christ... Don't sneak up on me like that." Zadia said, a hand over his heart. She turned back to me and the winged cat.
"I made it. You can have it. Its not my best work, but it will suffice." Cassy declared.
"Wow. Thanks! You don't have to though..." I answered. She smiled at me.
"I think it likes you." she cooed. I was about to ask her what she meant, but the cat's eyes lit up and looked straight at me.
"What the-" I jumped back from the porch and the cat followed me. It mechanically purred. "So, they are animatronics. That's so freaking cool!" Cassy and Zadia smiled. Cassy pushed her dusty red hair out of her eyes.
"I'm glad you like it." A huge bang from inside the building made us all look at the door. Cassy rolled her eyes. "I guess I have to go see what the hell that was. It was glad to see you Zadia and meet you. What was your name?" Cassy asked.
"Me? I'm Vesper Crowe. New recruit." I said, petting the metal cat. "Have you named the cat yet?" I asked. Cassy shook her head.
"You should name it and give it a gender and all that. Come back by so I can give you the software program and charging station." She responded as she opened the door. She waved and then she was gone. Zadia started to walking again. I got up and followed him. My little buddy following behind us. The next cabins were close together.
"These cabins are Pau and Pat. Pau is the goddess of justice and power and Pat is the god of balance and choices. They are twins. The second twins of the gods Typhus and Sen." Zadia noted. The Pau cabin is a white marble building in the shape of a modern building. It was two stories. A statue stood in front of the cabin. The goddess was perched in an action pose, an arrow in one hand pointing down at us and scales in the other. Her eyes pierced into the audience's soul. The Pat building was a mirror image of Pau's building except in black. A statue of Pat also stood in front of the cabin. This statue was more calm in nature. Pat was meditating with koi fish floating in a circle above his head.
"These statues are expertly done." I marveled. Zadia smiled and nodded.
"One of the campers made them. Pat and Pau are a new edition to the camp. There are not a lot of children between the two of them. Right now, the cabins are empty. There are a few kids that stay here, but they are not year-rounders. I think one of them is going to law school right now." Zadia replied.
I gestured to the cabins and asked, "What does those symbols above the doors mean?" I could barely see them. Pau's symbol was a black upside down "U" and Pat's symbol was a "U."
"Oh, they mean opposite in an old ancient language. I'm not sure which one. I'd have to ask Lystar about it." Zadia clarified. We stood there for a while admiring the craftmanship of the buildings and statues. While we were standing there, a few campers past us.
"Hey, Zadia!" A younger camper hollered and ran up to Zadia. The boy had a mop of blond hair and clear purple eyes. He ran up to Zadia and threw his arms around his legs. He had to be 7 at least.
"Well, hello to yourself, Dawn!" Zadia replied, ruffling the little boy's hair.
"Who that?" He asked, pointing at me. "Is he your new boyfriend?" Zadia Chuckled.
"No. He's not my new boyfriend, Dawn. He's a new camper. I'm showing him the cabins." Zadia explained, a goofy grin plastered on his face. I blushed and stared, awkwardly, at the ground.
"Awww..." Dawn groaned. "I like the look of him better than that other guy." Zadia pretended not to hear him and grabbed his hand.
"Shall we show Vesper to our cabin?" he asked Dawn. The little boy smiled again and nodded vigorously. He jerked his head at me in the direction of the cabin. I followed. "This is the Kolvax cabin. Kolvax is my parent. They are the majesty of love." Zadia sighed heavily. Like he was ashamed of that fact. Dawn let go of his hand and ran into the building, giggling. The majesty's of love's cabin is oddly shaped like a heart cut in half, and the tip cut off. It had shiplap siding on the top of the building, acting as a roof. It was pristine and white. The building itself was painted pink with red trim. There was a wrap around porch with the same pristine white wood as the roof. Three stained glass windows were in the front. Pictures shifted in and out every few minutes. I approached to get a better look. Scenes from the past, I'm going to guess. The front door was next to these windows. Inside, I could see a kitchenette area and a living space. Mostly decked out in pinks, reds, and purples. "Let's not go in there, right now. There is only so much pink I can handle." Zadia bristled. I smiled. We continued. The next cabin was really close to the Kolvax cabin. This cabin looked like an actual volcano.
"Um... Why is this one on fire?" I asked. Zadia looked at the cabin longingly.
"That is Ariel's cabin. He is the god of war and this cabin is home to some of our most fierce warriors." Upon closer inspection, there was a red door hidden by the rocks that are piled up in front. I stared at it, watching the lava fall into a pool at the edge of the cabin.
"Is it hot inside?" Zadia shook his head.
"No. Surprisingly the lava is cool to the touch. I still wouldn't suggest you touch it though. We don't need another hospital visit." I nodded, a sickening feeling rising in my stomach. A glimpse of Eclipse crossed my in my mind and I almost threw up. I wonder what they were arguing about before I came out from the curtain. I decided I would ask Zadia about it later. We crested a small hill and before us stood two buildings that looked like they actually glowed. One was a light yellow, like the sun. And the next was a bitter grey, like the moon. "Those are Yarin's and Furion's cabins. Let's skirt around them, the campers and I are not on good terms. I beat them in Capture the flag." I smiled at the thought. The goddess of the sun's cabin was tall mini-castle. The building itself looked like it made of gold. The god's of the moon, however, was pale in comparison to his sister's castle. It was a simple building made of silver.
"What is that over there?" Zadia looked to where I was pointing. A huge greenhouse was a few yards away. A huge tree was at the center of it.
"That is the Botanical Gardens. You will learn more about that later." Zadia replied with a slight mischievous smile. "You're in luck. The next cabin is yours." I stared past Zadia.
"Whoa." The majesty of treasure, fire and space faring cabin is a simple low building that is painted an emerald green. A large porch was on the right and wrapped around to the side of the building. Hanging from the rafters of the front porch, were serval various types of crystals and gems. Two torches on either side of the door. The door itself was rectangular with a curtain of crystals, shells, and gems. There wasn't an actual door, just flaps of colorful fabric with a repeating circular pattern. The beginning of the end. The end of a beginning. I thought. As an extra layer, sewed on top of the fabric was pastel lace. I stepped inside.
It was dusty. No one had been there in years. Three bunks were pushed against one of the walls. "You can choose which one you want and we can move the others to a different cabin." Zadia's voice echoed in the empty room. I nodded. To the left, next to the door, there was a few books, models, maps, and other random supplies sat covered in dust. Beyond the book case was a place to put your armor. A sleek black mannequin. To was a window covered in dust. A shaggy purple curtain covered it. I pulled it back and looked back at the cabins that I had seen. "Well, the other bunks are broken, so I guess this is the one you are going to get." Zadia pointed to the bunk that he had pulled out. I walked over to it. It was simple bed without sheets or pillows. Its a good thing I brought my Ether bag. I thought. Zadia walked to the side porch and opened the door. "Okay.. Shall we get started?" He asked. I nodded. He handed me a cleaning kit. I took it and put it on the floor. Within a few minutes, the floor had been cleaned.
"I've never seen one of these in action." I said, breaking the silence. Zadia didn't seem to hear me. I looked over at him. He was fixing the books on the book case, straightening them and putting them in order. I walked over to him and placed a hand on his back. He looked over at me, seemingly like he was in a trance.
"Hmm?" he asked. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you. I was thinking." Silence fell over us again. Zadia started messing with the book in his hand. He stared off in no where in particular.
"Zadia..." I grabbed his hand. He looked at me again. I gritted my teeth, the silence deafening.
"Do you remember anything?" his voice was small. Like a terrified kid. I shook my head. Tears were in his eyes. He held them back. "Are you sure?" I shook my head again. "I uh..." he cleared his throat. "I caught Eclipse... doing terrible things..." he broke down. Unable to keep it up anymore.
"What do you mean?" A sickening feeling overcame me. Zadia looked away from me again, back to the book shelf. Dread filled my veins. "What happened?... I need to know-" I trailed off. When Zadia turned back around, he put his hand on my face. My face flushed. His hand felt like static electricity. I nudged it. He pulled me closer and whispered in my ear. Tears poured down my face. "Bathroom?" I asked. Zadia pointed to the corner of the cabin. I ran for it and emptied the contents of my stomach. "Should we tell someone?" I asked with my knees to my chest after awhile. Zadia shook his head.
"I already did. Lystar knows and an investigation has already been opened." I nodded, numbly. A bell rang. "Its dinner time. Do you want anything? If not, I can bring some later?" Zadia asked. I nodded.
"I'll eat later. I don't want to be alone though." As if on cue, the metal cat sat by my feet and mechanically purred.
"I won't be gone long. Lystar will want to know what happened." Zadia said quietly. "I will be back. Try to get settled in and we can talk about it later." I nodded. Just like that, I was left alone again. I stared at the point where Zadia had stood. I don't know how long I sat on the bunk with my knees to my chest. Emotions came out in waves. How dare he? He doesn't even know me? How long has he been doing this to other people? Hot tears flew done my cheeks. Eventually, I felt okay enough to move. I sighed. While I had been zoned out, a camper dropped off the stuff that was in my car to the cabin. I grabbed my Ether bag and reached into it. The first thing that came out was my Dinky. Or, well, not mine, but my baby sister's. A "dinky" is a plush toy that can be made for a child. I made this one for my baby sister when she was born. Fittingly, she had named the little lion Rainbow Star. Mix-n-matched patch work in rainbow limbs is how it got its name. I smiled at the memories and placed it on the nightstand. I reached in again. A comforter was next. It was a dark emerald green on one side and purple with vibrantly colored alien cats, ships, stars, and planets on the other side. My dad got this for me when I turned 13. I remember that I had wanted a hover bike, but got this instead. Of course, back then, I was annoyed. Now, there is no way I would sleep without it. The next two things that came out of my Ether bag were green sheets and a yellow throw blanket. The sheets were nothing special, but the throw blanket was my moms. One of the only things that I have left of her. I hugged the blanket and then folded it. The last thing I pulled out of the bag was two pillows. I threw them at the head of the bunk. I looked at the bunk. It was a start. Thoughts came rushing back and a wave of nauseous threw me back into the bathroom. There was a knock on the wooden frame of the door. I sat at the toilet.
"Anyone home?" The sing song voice of Eclipse ripped through the silence. I almost threw up right there again. Where was Zadia or Lystar? I asked the gods. "I know you are in here, you fucker! Come out!!" He bellowed. I crept out of the bathroom.
"What... What do you want?" I breathed out. It was barely a whisper. Eclipse smiled deviously. He tossed his two-toned hair over his shoulder. He lurched towards me. I ducked from his arms. He dove for me. I ran for the door. He grabbed me from behind. "No! Please no!" I cried, softly. Eclipse pinned me to the wall beside the door.
"You caused me a great deal of trouble." he growled. "I could lose my job as head healer because of you and that snake." Fear rose to my throat. I couldn't speak. He leaned in close to my face. There was something sweet on his breath. Something I couldn't quite place. I whimpered and turned away. "You look so pretty when you're scared." he whispered in my ear. He grabbed a fistful of hair, forcing me to look at him. He clenched and unclenched his jaw. Something sparkled in his eyes, for a split second. It was red. He leaned closer, pulling my head back, exposing my neck. He bit. I quietly wailed. I tried to push him away. I struggled. I pushed him back a little bit. "Why you little. I wasn't done yet." his demeanor went from lethargic to quick in two second flat as he grabbed me again. He pinned my hands above my head and forcefully kissed me. I cried.
"No.. No please. I don't want it." I pleaded. He didn't stop. He pressed his body against mine. I shuddered in fear. I struggled again, but his grip was too tight. He put his hand under my shirt. He stood on my toes. He kissed me again and again and again. Then, it happened. He unzipped my pants. I wailed louder this time. Praying for someone to hear me. Anyone to hear me. I zoned out at that moment. Slumping against the wall.
"Let him go, now." a voice commanded, pulling me back to reality. Eclipse was roughly pulled off me and thrown across the room. I crumbled to the floor. Lystar, Zadia and a few burly men stood in the room now. Lystar had a spear and shield in hand. Zadia had his arms crossed over his chest. When he saw me on the ground, he ran to me. The burly men grabbed Eclipse off the floor. "There is no room in this camp for scum like you. You are dismissed, Eclipse Grizham. You are now banished from the premises." Lystar spit on the floor. Eclipse was escorted out of the cabin, but I had a feeling that this would not be last time I would see him.
