Dysnomia Academy [ONC 2021]

Chapter Seven

My teacher straightened out her tailcoat before taking a wooden stick from her pocket. The words she wrote on the wall illuminated with a fluorescent pink. The wall read:

Nightmare

I sat up right at my desk. So it really is Nightmare. Her sophisticated appearance was the complete opposite of her true nature. Her special ability was to send people into godawful nightmares created from their own imagination. The sadistic woman loved to watch people writhe in pain from their illusions. Nightmare's body count is unknown due to the nature of her ability, which leaves no physical trace behind.

The teacher turned to face the classroom.

"For those of you who don't know me, my name is Nightmare. I won't go much into detail about myself but hope that you don't get on my bad side. Respect me in the classroom by paying attention in class and keeping your mouths shut when I'm talking. Any questions?"

I saw only one hand shoot into the air. Everyone's heads turned to face the idiot. Harlow either didn't notice or care about the attention she drew to herself.

"What do you want us to call you?"

"Just Nightmare's fine. Any other questions?"

No one else dared to raise their hand. Nightmare smiled and clapped her hands twice.

"Moving on. Break into groups of three and talk about your entrance exam. This is your chance to get it out of your system."

Everyone grouped up. It was easy for me since Fritz and Zach were right there. Fritz went first.

"I saw a turtle, cat, and my mom. She's not my favorite person, but I feel like she cares about me...just a little bit. I didn't want to kill her. She wouldn't stop talking. And my hand...it moved on its own."

His wide eyes and pale face made me wonder how he was going to become a villain. Zach gave him a pat on the back.

"It's alright. It wasn't real in the end, so there's nothing to worry about."

"But...it was so warm...the blood..."

He looked down at his hands. I started to actually feel bad for him. But there was no room for pity in the real world. 

"You still killed her. Even if she's a fake, you still did it. Just get over it already. Think about it like a bad dream if you have too."

Zach coughed and moved the attention away from Fritz.

"I saw my grandma. I thought it was weird cuz I knew she'd put up a fight if someone tried to kidnap her... but it was all fake in the end so whatever."

They turned their heads, asking me who I saw with their curious eyes. I don't really want to talk about it. This is the perfect opportunity for people to collect weaknesses. I was about to tell them a lie when Nightmare clapped twice. Everyone in the class stopped talking. She wrote a list of today's schedule on the wall.

"This is what we're going to go over today. Pull out something to write with. I'll be handing out the syllabus and some notebooks."

It was almost like normal school, except there wasn't pointless stuff like analyzing Shakespeare. The classes for every year were divided by entrance exam scores. Those who did better were put in class A. Those who didn't do as good were put in class B. Dysnomia Academy only accepted one percent of applicants, so it wasn't like class B was full of losers. The system had one little catch that I didn't like. The place a student has in their class wasn't guaranteed. Students from class B could submit a formal challenge once a month for a chance to take the place of a class A student.  

The lunch bell rang, and the halls were suddenly filled with noise. Zach stood up.

"Want me to grab something for you, chief?"

"I'll just go with you. Fritz, are you coming?"

Fritz finished writing the last of his notes before standing up.

"I'm coming."

We walked through the crowded halls with my electron cloud. Sweat crawled down the side of my face. I was running low on energy, but the food should help restore it. It was better than leaving us open for attacks. 

When we got to the assembly hall, the three of us found a spot in the corner. I deactivated the shield and ate all the food I could. I didn't pay much attention to what I was eating. After a little while, Zach handed me a pitcher full of juice.

"Use this to wash everything down. Didn't you eat breakfast this morning?"

I swallowed my food before replying.

"I did. But I'm hungry."

Fritz and Zach looked at each other, talking with their facial expressions. I wiped my hands on a napkin and poured myself a glass of juice. In the middle of drinking, someone slammed their hands on my spot of the table. I glared at them with one eye until I put my cup down. How many idiots are going to approach me today? I sighed.

"What do you want?"