I Hold Your Nightmares and Dreams [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 1

Knowing what people feared the most was a dangerous gift; to the holder, it was as much a curse as a blessing. It was a gift, knowing what people feared the most in the world, and having the ability to inflict that fear on people as they slept. It was a curse, being entirely dependent on nightmares for sustenance. 

Y/N sat on the seat before her window, staring at the world surrounding her father's large manor. Though her world inside was dark and grey, the world beyond was awash with colour. Red, crimson, and burgundy. Orange, tangerine, and honey. Yellow, golden, and lemon. Green, chartreuse, and pine. Blue, cerulean, and peacock. Indigo, navy, and azure. Purple, violet, and plum. 

Y/N could never be thankful enough for Miss Peoney's class. It was the only way she was able to learn the different colours as a child, and since then, she had become obsessed with remembering each and every one. Her father would not be pleased if he discovered her notebook with small bits of colour, so she kept it underneath a loose floorboard underneath her bed. Not that her father ever came into her room. He was much too busy making sure that his legion of employees worked like termites in the lower levels of their manor. 

There was a loud bump in the hall and Y/N lowered her hand from the graphite curtains, allowing the sheer fabric to flutter back into place. She turned toward the door and waited for it to open. A second later, it did, creaking on hinges that had needed a good oiling for the past fifteen years. She, and everyone else in the house, had gotten used to it. 

Standing at the door was her mother, her dark gunmetal lips curving into her usual smile. But as she stepped into her daughter's room, the smile fell. She clamped her hands tight and stepped back out again, the smile returning. Y/N sighed and turned back to the window. Nearly eighteen years since she had taken her father's curse, and nearly eighteen years since she had been locked up in her room, by her own choice, to keep her curse from the world.

"Darling," her mother called from the doorway. Her usual light and airy tone fluttered through the threshold and embraced Y/N like the hand of a phantom. "How are you today?"

Y/N said nothing and pushed the curtains to the side. Once again, she wished that she hadn't inherited her father's curse. At least he could now sleep beside his wife without giving her constant nightmares. How he ever managed to find someone who loved him was beyond Y/N, and she knew that it was too much to hope that she would ever find a love like that. Her mother was truly one of a kind. She had given up her life in the world of jade and cobalt, for a life of slate and iron. The life that Y/N was cursed to endure. 

"Y/N?"

No matter how much her father said that it was useless for her mother to try, the woman tried day and night to connect to her daughter. She would often come to her, sometimes even braving the enchanted room where her daughter sat, isolated from the world. She would give her nightmares to her daughter, allowing her to consume them and rip them from her skin. She would endure her worst fears so that her daughter could live. No. Not live. Survive. She would endure her worst fears so that her daughter could survive. This was not living. 

"I have some news for you, darling," her mother said, stepping into the room once more, inhaling sharply as she did. 

Y/N turned to her. That's when she noticed the crinkled paper in her mother's hands. Her mother set it on the table next to the window seat and Y/N reached out to pick it up. She cracked the wax seal and started to read through the elegant scrawl.

Dear Miss Y/N Somnum-Exterreri

It has been brought to my attention that you have an exceptional aptitude for magic, but have not had the opportunity to have a formal education. Your mother wrote to me a few months ago and she has informed me of your situation. I am pleased to say that I might have found a solution for you.

Y/N glanced towards her mother. The woman had left the room again and was smiling happily in the door, motioning for her daughter to continue reading.

Should you choose to accept, you shall be admitted, on a trial basis, to Night Raven College on Sage Island. You will be given an enchanted amulet, enchanted by one of the best wizards in all of Twisted Wonderland, which will help you to minimize the effects of your unique magic. I must admit that these counter enchantments were incredibly hard to track down and even harder to complete, but we have successfully managed to find a combination of spells that should help to curb your unique magic. You shall also be given a scholarship to the school, and shall study alongside other students your age.

If you are worrying about being behind in lessons, as you shall be joining the second-years, I have requested a tutor. Mister Riddle Rosehearts has said that he is more than willing to be your tutor, and upon occasion, Mister Azul Ashengrotto shall join you in your tutoring sessions. 

If you wish to accept the scholarship, please inform your mother and she shall respond to me. A carriage will be by to pick you up on the first of September, so please make sure that you are packed and ready for the term. 

Sincerely

Headmage Crowley

Y/N shut the letter and leaned back against the window frame behind her. She turned her gaze to the children playing in the gardens below. They were the children of her father's employees. They, like her, lived in the grand mansion, abiding by the rules of no colour, no shouting, and no running within the walls of granite. Y/N never understood these rules. Even her hair had been bleached and dyed to try and remove any of the natural colours. How long had she longed to have an experience like those children? An experience where she could be who she wanted to be, no matter how many colours she was mixed up in? How long had she wanted to interact with people besides her mother, who always grimaced whenever she was around her daughter?

"Well," her mother asked expectantly. 

Y/N turned toward her mother. She slowly nodded, still somewhat unsure if this was the right choice for her. But her mother didn't waste a second before running off down the hall, ignoring the warnings of her husband, to write to the Headmage. Her daughter would be getting out of the gloomy manor and into the real world. And better yet, she might be able to have a chance at a normal life. A life that her father was never given.

A/N: Just something short to start us off :)