Free The Oneiro Rangers: First Night by Erwin Blackthorn Page A

get up
off the ground under the watch of the robotic dogs, although Roland did
struggle with his cuffs a bit. They just kept their eye to the ground, watching
bugs and ants crawl in and out of the dirt. It didn’t take long until a
morpheus appeared, his bright flashlight filling the whole rocky clearing with
light and his red hair still damp.
    “So, this is where you went,” Clint stated. “I hope there’s a good
reason for all of you to be running around here at this time of night.”
    Everyone stood up defeatedly; Errol speaking for them. “No, no
good reason.”
    “Mmm-hmm. That’s what I thought.” He clapped his hands twice,
getting the dog drones’ attention. “Setz!”
    The dogs’ eyes all darked to a faint green and they ran back to
the academy, leaping off of branches and rocks. “Returning to the fueling
docks.”
    Snapping his fingers, Clint motioned them to line up in front of
him. “All of you are coming with me to detention. My guess is if you were so
intended on staying up all night in here, you won’t mind staying up all night
in there.”
    “Even me?” Malory asked pathetically.
    Clint’s tone changed when he looked at her, sounding more kind
than angry. “I hate do this to a visitor, but as long as you’re here under our
roof, you will have to abide to our rules. Count it as a good idea of what
happens to trouble-makers for when you begin your courses in the academy.” He
waved them away like they were a bunch of sheep. “Onward now, march!”
    The teens obeyed, heading back to the academy they tried to escape
from. They were getting off easy for what they did–not nearly as bad as being
sent to The Hole–and only because nobody was hurt and no property was
destroyed. Still, the walk felt like forever and their handcuffs wouldn’t be
taken off until they got back. The sight of the academy was nothing but a dark
silhouette, outlined within the moon. They had no idea what was happening
inside and it would all be over by the time they returned.

 
    Chapter 9
     
    The steel slab of a door squeaked open, clicking closed right
after. Small boots tapped with haste against the tile floor; the chance of
being caught expected at such a late hour. Glenda’s black messenger bag slapped
against her narrow hip, its strap across the middle of her chest holding down
her silver necklaces to stifle their jingling. She set the bag upon the long
sink and rummaged through it. The random trinkets dangling off the bag’s side
chimed softly as she felt around inside.
    Finding what she needed, Glenda pulled out the black-light lantern
and twisted the knob at its base. The girl’s bathroom was pitch black with the
door closed; the purple glow of the lantern being just enough for her to see
the outline of the counter and the shine of the mirror’s glass. Her reflection
was nothing but a floating face, her black clothes and hair hidden in the dark.
Leaving her bag behind, she lined herself up with the middle sink and laid the
lantern down beside it. Holding herself on the counter and simply looking at
the mirror, her breathing shuttered.
    She closed her eyes and dipped her head down, keeping her voice
low and steady. “Bloody Mary.”
    A face appeared in the mirror, shrouded within a cloud of smoke.
Its pure white eyes were encased in brittle bony sockets. Mummified skin was
broken off at the nose, only a triangular hole remaining. There was no sign of
a mouth of any kind, the entire jaw missing from the decayed skull. It floated
there, entranced in an endless stare.
    Glenda didn’t want to open her eyes, knowing what was on the other
side of the glass. “Bloody Mary.”
    The fog inside the mirror began to swim, revealing more of the
face. Its grey hair blew from an unknown wind, woolly and dead. Cobwebs were
tangled in the untamed knots between its long strands of hair, reaching down
past able sight. A long gown hid the figure's body, only thin skeletal hands
peeking from under the loose sleeves. Ribs