Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) Read Online Free PDF Page A

said, shuddering.  “His eyes were on fire!  They were on fire !”
    The
girl had become irate, a look of horror in her eyes as she professed this
truth.  Before Wren could step away, Adele had gripped her arms, shaking her as
if to punish her lack of understanding.
    “ Burning !”
she screamed, her eyes like deep pools.  “ They were burning !”
    Wren
tried to push Adele away from her, but the girl’s grip was viselike, her jagged
nails scraping her flesh.  She did not find relief until a nurse and orderly
came forward, taking the girl by the arms, talking her down.  Their voices
managed to soothe her enough that Adele simply reverted to a state of
bewilderment, as if she’d not remembered her outburst.  Wren, however, wanted
no part of it.
    She
slipped away behind the cage, waiting for her heart to slow as Adele was led
back to her cell.  What the girl had said troubled Wren more than the violent
outburst.  Had she truly seen a shadow that was not attached to anything?  Was
it the truth, or could she cast it off as the ranting of a lunatic?  Sadly,
there was no way to know.  There never was here, but today Wren was left with a
feeling that she’d never been willing to accommodate before.
    Is
that what I sound like to them? she wondered.
    Everything
she thought she had known about her life came back to her now and settled in
her stomach, making her feel sick.  Around her, the birds continued to chirp,
their lives undisturbed by the incident.  They were without care or concern. 
Wren envied them.
     
    2
     
    The
hours passed, and another day had managed to age her.  Wren lay in the asylum
bed, eyes closed but not asleep, yet to anyone who might pass by, not awake. 
She was covered up to her chin with the thin, dingy blankets, but she was far
from restful.  This day had opened up a familiar door in her mind, and she had
foolishly stepped through it.  Her head was flooded with memories of the past –
of Nevermor.
    The
ocean and the beach; the way the forest had smelled in the morning; the dreams
that formed the land and the nightmares that threatened it.  She thought of
dances by firelight as the boys ran wild, drunk off their kills, their faces
painted with blood.  They had all seemed so happy with that life.  Wren had
been disapproving of some of their behaviors – the cursing and the blood
rituals – but she would give anything to have that back now.
    Rifter
realized that there was more to life than being young and reckless forever.  He
was ready to change.  But how much can I expect?  Will he think I’ve outgrown
him?  It’s been four years…
    “ Are
you awake ?”  The ghostly whisper slipped to her through the dark, clenching
her heart and making her shiver.  Wren came back to herself to see a deep
shadow treading over the stone floor, moving closer to her bed.
    Who’s
there?
    She
was startled, uncertain for a moment before she recognized the voice coming
from within the dark shape.
    “I
saw the fairy again.”
    Adele.   Wren could not
see the girl’s features in the darkness, but her height and outline revealed
her identity.  Even knowing who it was, Wren could think of a few things less
unsettling than waking up to another inmate standing over her bed.
    “How
did you get into my room?” she asked cautiously.
    “I
stole the nurse’s key,” Adele said happily, holding up the dangling piece of
metal on a chain.  “Come on!  It’ll get away!”
    Adele
darted back toward the hallway where the door was standing open, unlocked, and
by the time Wren was able to rise up after her, the girl had already slipped
out.
    “ Wait !”
Wren hissed, stepping into her slippers.  Though she had an opportunity to
leave her cell unrestricted, her fear of being caught was very real.  While
here, she had tried her best to stay in line, but she was not oblivious to the
punishments that might have awaited her.  She knew what happened to girls who
were unruly.
    But
the shadow.  I have