Poseidon's Academy

Chapter 12. The Forest

Hailey choked back a scream as she woke up. She'd had the nightmare again. The same one she'd been having since her arrival at Poseidon's Academy ten weeks ago: she'd walk into the grounds to find Demi staring at the sea and saying something was coming, right before a sea-monster grabbed Hailey.

She rubbed at her leg, where she could still feel the sting of the barbed tentacle digging into her skin. It felt as though the nightmare was trying to tell her something. Maybe that going into the grounds at night is a bad idea...? Or maybe that I shouldn't do my Monsters and Creatures homework before bed?

She glanced at the window, where sunshine filtered into the dorm, making the frosted crystal walls glitter. No point in going back to sleep, Hailey thought, throwing off the covers and rolling out of bed. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before sneaking past her sleeping dorm mate. Well, if she couldn't enjoy a sleep-in, then she might as well pay her old hiding spot a visit and see how the horses were.

Silence greeted her in the hallway. Today was Saturday, which meant 9.30am was too early for three quarters of the palace to be awake. She was glad, because it meant there wouldn't be anyone to stop her from visiting the stable.

Hailey made her way through the common room and down the stairs. The stable had been her main hiding spot those first few weeks after Amathia had started raising the palace. But it'd been a couple of weeks since anyone had pestered her about her powers. Apparently, if you kept refusing to use your powers and snapping at people to leave you alone, they eventually stayed away. Of course, it also meant you got a reputation as a bit of a harpy, but Hailey could live with that.

Hailey continued down the third-floor staircase. She no longer needed the stable as a hiding place, but she still liked going there, especially after one of her nightmares. Something about being around animals calmed her. And she liked that they listened.

The stable's double doors were open when Hailey arrived. She paused outside them and frowned. They were always closed when she came down here. There's probably a teacher inside, she thought and turned to leave, not wanting a detention for being there without permission.

But then another thought occurred to her... What if it's a nereid? She hadn't seen any of them since finding Nemertes in Amathia's classroom in second week. While she'd started to believe Jayden's theory about Nemertes's threat being a bluff, Hailey wasn't one hundred per cent convinced by it. And if a nereid was inside the stable now, it could be a chance to find out what they were up to.

Sucking in a breath, Hailey slipped through the doors and hid in the corner. A few seconds later, someone crept out of a stall, leading a horse behind them. Hailey's eyes narrowed. 'Kendra?'

Kendra jumped, whirling around. 'Oh, it's just you, Hailey.'

Hailey glanced at the horse Kendra was sneaking out. 'Kendra, what are you doing?'

'Letting the horses stretch their legs.'

Something in her tone told Hailey she wasn't telling the whole truth. 'You're not planning to do something stupid like go for a ride, are you?'

Kendra bit her lip, hesitant. 'They're begging me to take them to the sea—the nereids hardly ride them.'

'Did you ask Amathia if you could?'

'Well... no.'

'Don't be stupid, Kendra. If you get caught, you could get expelled. I'll go with you to Amathia right now, and we can ask her together.'

Kendra shook her head. 'I can't risk her saying no. I need to get out of this palace. The horses feel trapped, and it makes me feel trapped.' She stared at Hailey with pleading eyes. 'We're right near an island. I'm going there so I can talk to some other animals. Please don't tell anyone.'