Beyond the Fairy Gate

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nyline

A heavy pressure started at the base of Nyline's neck as she sat in class, her head turned towards the football field. Quickly the pressure built until it felt like her neck was about to snap. Then in a rush, the pressure shot up into her mind flooding it with energy; her elbow slipped from under her chin; her head slammed down onto the desk with a loud crack that reverberated through her entire body. Silence filled the room after the loud noise until Mrs. Jones' sharp tone ran out.

"Nyline, are you alright?" Her voice was filled with concern as she took a couple of steps towards her desk. Nyline pulled her head up, pushing the mass of bushy black hair from her face, and looked around the room. Her eyes landed on Mrs. Jones first, and she was a little shocked to see that the woman's face was sheet white. A quick scan of the room told her that Jake had vanished, and everyone else was staring open-mouthed in her direction. Liquid dripped down from my nose and onto the table.

"Excuse me," Was all she could say as she bolted from the room and shot into the nearest bathroom. Her blood was almost as dark as her skin as it dripped down her face and onto the countertop. Gritting her teeth, she ripped some paper towels from the holder and smudged the blood from her mouth and lips as more fell from her nose. With a groan, she pulled more towels out and pressed them to her nose as she looked upwards.

The phone in her pocket buzzed. Rolling her eyes, she took the phone from her pocket and held it up to her eyes. She groaned as she saw Uncle John across the screen. Without a second thought, she hit the answer button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" The paper towels muffled her voice as she answered.

"Nyline? What's wrong?"

"I slammed my head against my desk and got a bloody nose," she growled as she pulled more paper towels from the holder and shoved them against her face, chucking the old ones into the bin. "What's going on?" She chose to feign innocents instead of telling him what was going on. She knew exactly what was going on.

"Someone crossed the fairy gate. I'm calling the school. You're coming home. That boy you saw earlier might be connected." Nyline gritted her teeth.

"Why do you think that?" Nyline asked, wishing for the first time in her life that her uncle wasn't as sharp as he was.

"You said everyone knew him at the school, but you didn't?" She made an 'mhmm" noise. "If he's a scout, then he used meld." Nyline paused, wishing that she hadn't sent that text.

"The skill that makes them blend into their surroundings, right?" She knew the skill, but he didn't know that.

"Yeah," John paused as if he was distracted by something. "Get home safely."

"Yes, sir," She mumbled before she ended the call and placed it on the counter, her anger boiling just under her skin.

Nyline looked into the mirror at her blood-stricken face. She could barely see the blood over her light brown skin. Unhappily she noticed that some of her fizzy black hair had clumped together blood must have somehow gotten into it. She shook her head as the bleeding slowed and finally stopped. Then tilted her head forward and cautiously removed the paper towels from her nose. Seeing that the blood had stopped, she tossed them into the trash.

"Nyline?" A timid voice spoke from the door.

"In here," She responded, and a girl from her class walked in, her face pale. "I was sent to make sure you're okay." Nyline threw her long black wavy hair over her shoulder as she shoved her face into the sink and started to wash the blood off.

"Yeah, I'm good; it's already stopped." Nyline looked at her reflection, her brown eyes stared back, and she quickly looked away. The sight of her features had always bothered her down to her core. It's not as if she thought that she wasn't attractive, but there was something inside of her that screamed that it was wrong.

"I brought your bag. Your uncle called; there's a family emergency and that you need to head home." She looked a little timid as she hurried in and set the bag down softly. Nyline looked at her; the inner voice entered her mind. The sight of blood scared her a lot, but no one else wanted to go, so she volunteered.

"Thanks, you can head back, I'm okay, and I'll just head home from here.

"Alright, feel better," The girl ducked out of the bathroom as quickly as she could. Nyline looked at herself for another moment as she shook her head and refocusing her attention on her phone. It had gotten some blood on it during the conversation, and she took a couple of minutes to wipe it down.

Nyline walked as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself down the hallway and out into the school entrance. She wasn't sure why she looked, but she was happy and unhappy at the same time. Her eyes trailed out the large windows out onto the football field. Making her breath catch in her throat as she slowed before she stopped, her mind going completely blank.

The giant wolf that looked as if it had been dripped into shadows was currently sitting on the football field. Its skin rippled as the shadows seemed to flicker off of its back and massive paws. The body was absolutely still as if it were poised to move at any moment.

That shape, she knew it instantly that it was a darkling. The size and shape alone made that overly obvious. Her ears pricked, it didn't know where she was yet, and as long as she was in the school, it wouldn't. Her Uncle had ensured long ago that her place of learning was protected.

In a trance, she pulled her phone out and quickly typed out the message. It was as if someone else were in her body, moving for her, typing for her.

There's a darkling on the football field.

Scout Skill Guide

Lesson two

The Meld Skill

The meld skill is one of the more advanced skills taught to scouts later in their life, around the age of ten to thirteen, dependent on the scout's maturity and skill. This is due to the complexity of controlling it and because young scouts could cause a great deal of mischief with it. The skill allows you to become one with your environment and make it seem like you've always been there.

During missions, scouts may need to acquire information from people, making it easier if the person they are speaking to is under the assumption that they are acquainted. This skill can be projected on a single person or over a larger scaled area. While under the meld skill, the scout or scouts will simply be a part of everyday life and know certain people. When the skill is released, the people the skill was used on will not remember the scout ever being there.

There are some people that the meld skill does not work on, and therefore the scout must be careful when using this on larger scales because this can cause panic and unrest. If the meld skill is used on a person that it does not work on, they will remember the scout being present and any conversations held in their company.