Quite a Fright

The next morning, Noble stretched inside her pod. During her time in the Dream Realm, she had spent some time searching the landscape around Ender's Deep to seek out any Sleepers who might have been dropped in her area.

 She was careful not to float too far from her citadel, mostly because she didn't want to break her promise to Fort about staying safe and coming home on time.

 Her efforts did no good, and she returned to the real world as soon as she was allowed.

Opening the lid of the pod, Noble could smell the delightful aroma of sizzling meat. Fort had cracked the door of her dojo to tempt her as soon as she woke up. 

'I am guessing it isn't orange monster meat,' Noble thought wryly. 

Her small smile faded. Dressing as quickly as she could in the comfortable clothes which her husband had laid out, Noble checked her communicator. 

'No message from Umbei. I should contact the hospital just to make sure.'

The professor called the medical facility only to be directed back to her group's healer.

After Noble confirmed that she had slept, Umbei gave her the news. "Everything is the same as you left it. Well, that is not entirely true. I ate too many sweets while trying to pass the time, so I'm maybe a little more round."

 The healer chuckled lightly.

Noble felt some reassurance in Umbei's relaxed demeanor. "So, everyone is alright for now?"

 Umbei hummed softly. "Mhmm, we have been very fortunate this year. No immediate deaths and two from another group have already returned. They were practically dropped at the doorstep of Bastion. Some people have all the luck."

"Seems so." Noble hoped those in her group would find their own luck soon. "Thanks, Umbei. And keep me posted…"

"…if anything happens, I know." Umbei chuckled.

Noble could picture the woman shaking her head.

After saying goodbye and ending the call, Noble took a deep breath.

 'Time to keep busy and stop worrying.'

Passing the hours searching was easier than sitting idly in the real world.

 As soon as the solstice occurred, the Academy was officially closed for two weeks, not accepting any students. That gave the full-time teaching staff time to work on research or anything else they wanted.

 It was meant to be a break from the stress that the solstice brought. Noble was thankful not to have to set foot on the empty campus. Some family time was long overdue.

Fort was in the kitchen flipping sizzling bacon. He grinned widely when he saw Noble amble into the room. 

"You are just in time!" he said. "I was about to call the kids to set the table." 

Normally, Noble would take her children out of school for a couple of days after the solstice to make up for all the time she had been gone. But today there was no school anyway, so the children had slept late and spent the morning lazing about. 

"Don't bother them just yet. I'll set it." Noble didn't even look at the cabinet as it flung open and dishes and cups flew to their places at the table. "There. Done! Anything else you need?"

Noble kissed Fort and adjusted his well-worn apron. It was a gift from the kids from a few years ago with their painted handprints on it. 

"Need? No. Want? I can think of a few things." Fort stole another kiss before his wife could float away. 

A few moments later Honey, Brock, and Blaze followed their noses to the kitchen. With the whole family assembled, brunch was served. Fort had truly outdone himself. Everything was scrumptious. 

The twins tried to be good for their mother's sake at first. But they quickly fell into their habit of trying to outdo each other with their antics.

If one could fit an entire biscuit in his mouth, the other naturally had to fit two. It was all fun and games until Brock got the idea to try and drink the juice through his nose with a straw. While he ended up being mildly successful, the gross factor was too much for their mother. 

"I have seen hideous Nightmare Creatures, and that still makes me queasy." 

"Sorry Mom," Brock blew out his nose into his napkin. 

"So what do you want to do today? I was thinking we could do something fun all together." 

"Let's go to the movies!" Honey suggested immediately. "Or go shopping!" 

"I want to play a game," Brock countered. "Maybe we could go to a park?" 

"I want to get ice cream!" Blaze spoke loudly over his siblings. Everyone looked at the youngest member of the family with confusion. "What? I ate all my food. Why shouldn't I get a treat?"

"It's really cold outside," Honey placed her face in her palm, "Do you really want to add ice inside of your body when there is so much around already?" 

"There's that new place! It's owned by an Awakened and he makes it special. Tastes cold, but doesn't make you cold. It's right by a park and a movie theater too!" Blaze presented his case with a flourish. 

Noble and Fort looked at one another. "I am willing if you are," the professor shrugged. 

"Why not?" Fort winked. "Let's all get cold together." 

A short while later the family was out of the house and heading to the train station. 

After a moderate debate, they decided to see a movie first. But even that turned out to be a bit of a struggle. Honey wanted to see Song of Light and Darkness again while the boys wanted to see a remake of a movie about toys coming alive. 

In the end, it was easier to divide and conquer. 

Noble headed with her twin sons into a theater filled with other families. Almost immediately the movie began and animated toys danced across the screen telling jokes and getting into the same old antics. Noble took a bite of popcorn and settled into her seat. 

"Mom, I need to go to the restroom," Blaze whispered. 

"Then go," his mother nodded. 

"I don't know where it is. Can you go with me?" The boy's eyes grew puppyish.

"Just go with him, Mom. I'll let you know what happens." From the other side, Brock took the popcorn out of his mother's hands. 

Noble sighed. "Come on." 

Thankfully the restroom was only one theater over. If they hurried, they wouldn't miss much. 

The professor waited outside the door for her child. He had the smallest bladder of the three. She really should have made him go before the movie started. 

Someone screamed, derailing her parental regrets.

Instinctively Noble held out her hand to call forth a weapon and face whatever danger was coming. But then she looked up at the sign above her head.

'Slasher Man: Revenge of the Hallows Part XVII. That explains it.' 

The scream had been accompanied by a flood of emotion from the people in the theater. Although the action on the screen might have been fake, the fear was not.

'Hmmm.' 

Sparks in Noble's hand called forth a Memory, just not the original one she was planning. In her palm, the Portcullis Key took shape. 

"How are you doing in there, Buddy?" Noble called through the door of the bathroom.

"Going to be a couple of more minutes, at least!" Blaze answered. 

"No rush. Take your time." The Professor looked down at the ball. It looked like she had time for a little experiment. 

Heading into the theater, Noble watched from the top of the auditorium and looked down at the audience. For the middle of the day, the theater was pretty packed. After moving along the back row, Noble stood in a blank spot on the rear wall. 

'I just have to wait for the right moment.' 

Already the ball in her hand was pulsing with a dark light, but Noble did not want to settle for good enough when she thought that she could do better. It shouldn't take long for her to get a real jolt from the people around her. Looking at the screen, Noble frowned.

'There is enough horror in the real world. Why would people intentionally induce that response?' The Awakened shook her head. People were weird.

In the end, it didn't matter why people did it, all that mattered was that they did. As the horror on the screen intensified, the Portcullis Key's reaction became stronger.

Then, the moment came. The woman on the screen, who clearly should not have been walking in some ancient haunted forest alone at night, met her justifiably gruesome end. Noble had no time to contemplate why the crazy serial murderer preferred chainsaws to actual weapons. 

Instead, she used the moment of terror from those in the theater to charge her Memory. Without a word, she pushed against the wall and ended up in the projection room.

A very startled employee stared at her with a look of terror all her own. She screamed, joining those in the theater.

"Sh...Don't mind me," Noble waved awkwardly. "Just passing through." 

Before the woman could call security, Noble continued on her path and ended up back in the hall where she began. 

She felt a rush of exhilaration. 'It worked! I knew it. It is powered by fear.' 

Noble sent a glance over her shoulder. Perhaps she should go apologize to the projectionist. Just to make sure the woman was alright—and maybe just a little bit because she wanted to use the ball one more time.

Just then, Noble heard the toilet flush, and a couple of moments later the bathroom door opened.

Blaze came out, hands dripping from the sink. "I'm done!"

"Good. Brock will be wondering what happened to us." Noble watched her son wipe his hands in his pants.

Regarding the ball in her hand, Blaze furrowed his brow. "What did you do while you waited?"

The professor dismissed the Memory and chuckled. "Even if I told you, I fear you wouldn't believe me."