The Nightmare Inflictor Read Free Page B

and cup her face in my hands. Her mouth drops open in a silent scream and her eyes water. She explodes into dust in my hands and I finish off her nightmare.
    With a nightmare this intense, I’ll be able to go at least a week without inflicting another one. It’s nightmares like these that I wish I could have all the time so I wouldn’t have to inflict fear into so many people. I could pretend to be normal longer.
    If only I didn’t have to pretend.
     

5. RESIST
     
     
     
     
     
     
    I swear the council likes screwing with my head. Two days ago they told me they weren’t sure they could get me a volunteer for another week, but suddenly Roxanne slipped a list of seven names under my door. Scribbled across the top of the list was a note that said, “Surprise visit from the Enchantress Sisterhood.”
    I roll my eyes. “They’re such liars. No visit is ever a surprise.”
    Alyssa shrugs. “You’re right. Roxanne just forgot. Don’t be mad at her though. It really was an accident.”
    “Well unless they want me to stalk community members, they need to get their act together.” I stare at my reflection in my vanity mirror. My indigo eyes sparkle in the lamp light and my cheeks are still rosy from the last nightmare I inflicted.
    Alyssa laughs. “You wouldn’t.”
    I waggle my eyebrows. “I might surprise you. Just because you don’t see me doing it now doesn’t mean I won’t.”
    She holds her smile. “But you know I am your backup volunteer.”
    “More like a last resort. You know how I feel about it. I don’t want to mess up our friendship.” I run a comb through my hair.
    “Nothing could mess up our friendship.” Alyssa gets up from my bed and crosses her arms over her chest.
    I press my lips together but don’t say anything. Alyssa will never understand the torment I inflict on people. If I gave her a nightmare, she’d be afraid of me forever. You can’t be friends with someone you fear. Even if that fear was only in their dreams, it would cross over into their reality.
    “You should believe me. I’m a seer remember? I don’t see a life where we aren’t friends.” Alyssa strolls to the door, and then turns to look at my reflection in the mirror. “Enjoy your new volunteers. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    I clear my throat. There’s nothing really enjoyable about giving people nightmares besides how full I feel afterwards. The guilt is enough to make anything enjoyable go away the moment I step out of their heads.
    “I don’t know if I will visit anyone tonight. I just inflicted a nightmare two days ago.” I spin in my chair so I could meet Alyssa’s gaze. “I don’t like to do it more than I have to.”
    Alyssa leans on my door. “Dmitri is coming home tomorrow. He’s going to question why you didn’t do it.”
    I sigh. “I’ll think about it.”
    “Please do.” Alyssa opens the door and leaves me in my room.
    She’s right about my father. He’ll question me and worry because he doesn’t understand how I feel. I’m only half nightmare inflictor because my mother was human. I feel for the people I scare because of my human half. I understand that it’s what I have to do to survive, but I don’t have to like it, and I still don’t have to do it all the time. It’s good for me to remember who I am. Recognizing I’m a monster makes me value my human side more. It makes me value humanity, too.
    I puff air through my lips and stare at the list of volunteers. The enchantresses are from all over the country. Going into some of their dreams will take me to places I’ll never experience unless I leave the compound. Just the thought alone is tempting enough for me to go to the guest apartments, but I resist. Not tonight. Maybe not this week. One of these days I’ll see how long I can go without inflicting a nightmare. Maybe that will make me human. I want to be human.
     

6. YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE
     
     
     
     
     
     
    The moon hovers overhead, illuminating a pale path of