The Oneiro Rangers: First Night

Table of Contents

Part 1: Now, Just Who ARE the Oneiro Rangers?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Part 2: The Wrong Side of the Glass

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Part 3: The Night’s End

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Copyright © 2015 Erwin
Blackthorn

All rights reserved.

The Oneiro
Rangers

IN

First Night

by

Erwin Blackthorn

PART 1

Now
,
Just Who ARE the
Oneiro Rangers?

Chapter
1

“Help!”

The old film projector chugged noisily in the dark, the image of a
pure white stage wavering slightly. Through the overhead speakers, a
prerecorded orchestra began its uplifting tune. Responding to the female’s
scream, a man in a black and white outfit jumped into the center of the screen,
a white full face helmet hiding his identity. A large “X” shaped visor covered
most of the helmet’s front, the mesh wire breathing slit under it resembling a
zipper. He stood tall with his fists on his hips, the back of his black trench
coat flapping in an artificial wind like a cape.

His voice was muffled from the helmet and from the poor sound
quality. “Did somebody say help?!” He pointed a finger up. “No need to fear,
the Oneiro Rangers are here!”

Hundreds of students in the assembly room clapped and cheered as
the man on screen jumped somewhere off camera. A stage light toppled over and
fell in front of the camera; the man’s offscreen landing shaking the unsteady
set.

“Yes, the Oneiro Rangers,” the nasally narrator said as a boom
mike dropped down from the top of the screen. “Fighting for the greater good.”

“Where Nightmare’s lurk, the Oneiro Rangers are on the alert.” A
still picture of the Oneiro Ranger slowly zoomed in, his flashlight held up to
shine down on a hideous fanged creature. The mouth of the man wearing the
creature costume could easily be seen between the suit’s rubber teeth, his five
o’clock shadowing being a dead giveaway. “Shedding light on even the darkest
situations.”

The film skipped to a warehouse full of people in cages, some of
them being put in a cardboard cutout of a delivery truck. A few people wearing
domino masks and burglar beanies laughed evilly as they put the crates in the
trucks. From the right side of the room, the Oneiro ranger from before barraged
in, tearing through a paper door.

“The best of policemen," the narrator said.

“Stop right there,” the ranger ordered with his gun out. Other
police officers ran by him to handcuff the surrendering bandits. “You are all
under arrest!”

The film skipped again to show a beautiful woman being cornered in
a dark alley, screaming for help. In a torn up gorilla suit, her attacker
waddled closer and closer, tripping on the floppy feet of his stitched-up
costume. Bat wings were glued onto the back, ready to fall off at any minute.
Holding the sides of her face, the woman shook her head and shrieked.

“Oh, save me, Oneiro Ranger!”

“Defenders of the innocent,” the narrator added.

The Oneiro Ranger tore through a paper wall that was painted as a
brick one, knocking down a couple of metal trash cans. He pointed his pistol at
the winged gorilla, a trash lid rolled by his legs. “You are a plague for
humanity. Take this!”

Everyone froze as a bright cartoony line came out of his gun's
barrel towards the monster, making a slide whistle noise. It let out a lazy
droning yell, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. The woman ran out to hold
the ranger, her right leg bent back happily.

“My hero!”

The ranger put an arm around her waist and rested the gun on his
shoulder. “Not just your hero sweetheart,” he turned his head to face the camera,
“
everyone’s
hero.”

The film skipped loudly and flickered, changing to a different
scene. The white Oneiro Ranger now stood in front of a giant Normlock flag with
his arms crossed and his chin held high. The black and white flag fluttered out
of control, wrapping around to cover the screen in stripes.

“The Oneiro Rangers,” the narrator continued as the camera backed
away. “Protectors of dreamers. Turning bad nights into good days.”

The students clapped loudly as the tape in the movie reel snapped
to a stop. The overhead stage lights in the assembly room turned on, revealing
the academy’s small number of council representatives. They sat in wooden
chairs on stage, being watched by hundreds of young soon-to-be rangers. The
oldest of the council members stood up and approached the podium in the middle
of the stage, hunched slightly as if accustomed to using a cane.

He settled the students with a weary wave of a hand. “I must thank
all of you for choosing such a diligent and gratifying career. For choosing to
be one of the few and the proud, the brave and the bold, the...”

Clint looked at him from his seat in the line of council members,
an almost disgusted sneer dripping off the side of his lips. He scratched at
one of his freckled cheeks in disappointment, easing in to cup his mouth to the
side. “Is it just me, or does that film get worse every year?”

“Both,” Rhonda chuckled to herself beside him. She sighed,
crossing her legs and holding her knee with her fingers laced. “The kids seem
to like it, so it's fine with old-man Abend.”

“I feel bad for those kids.”

“... And so, it is an honor to have all of you students in this
fine school.” The head councilman continued, now finishing up his speech. “I
can only hope the majority of you shall graduate and help in the fight against
those dreadful Nightmares. With all of that said, I am honored to welcome you
soon-to-be officials to your new home," he raised his hands forward,
"the Oneiro Academy.”

Chapter 2

The cafeteria was dimly lit by the dozens of electric chandeliers
and the lines of candle-shaped wall lights, their low hum of surging power
hidden under the clamor of hungry kids. Floral wallpaper created a pleasant
view for everyone sitting in the booths and round tables, unnoticeable wear and
tear on the bottom from consistent mishaps. The wooden floorboards caused an
endless clatter under the many feet that headed out of the halls; the long
assembly and early hours liable to give anyone a healthy appetite. A long
full-wall window showed the peaceful view of the Withering Woods right outside,
the skinny bone-like trees draped under the cold of the morning’s darkness. The
large white moon sitting on the horizon wouldn’t be switched out with a sunny
blue sky until 2:00 p.m., the same time class would be over.

For now, students and teachers trickled in to get their breakfast
meals, lining up before the cooks tending the steaming pots and chopping on
cutting boards. Smells of spices and the heat of steam filled the air around
the sections of different food selections. Even with the wooden ladles being
big enough to reduce spilling, neglectful students still found a way to splash
soups into neighboring pots; helping themselves to their preferred amounts.

Clint sat in a booth on the farthest corner of the cafeteria, away
from the other faculty members. With one sip of his coffee, he stuck his tongue
out, searching for the creamer cup. After pouring some in and approving its
flavor, it was time to attend to his toast. He made long fast wipes with his
knife to coat the slice of toast in his hand with butter, slapping on more to
almost have more butter than bread.

“Easy Amsel,” Rhonda said playfully as she sat down next to him.
“Are you trying out to be a barber or something?”

Clint huffed at himself, noticing he was mimicking someone
sharpening a straight-edge razor with a slab of leather. “Yeah, I guess I could
be one, but I already make more than two bits an hour.”

Rhonda quickly finger combed her long, curly brown hair and blew
some strands away from her eyes, hoping the flowery scent of her shampoo would
get his attention. When it didn’t, she shook her head and turned to the side to
face him. “So,
please
tell me you won’t keep yourself cooped up in a
classroom all night. I really want to go to the opera house with you and I
don‘t want the same thing happening like the last few times.” She crossed her
arms, purposely doing it under her bust to perk it up. “At this rate, I’ll know
more about those shows than you do, and you’re the opera-freak here.”

Clint tossed his toast on his plate, annoyed at her reminding him.
“Don’t worry — I want to go just as bad as you do. It’s the beginning of the
school year and I am positive I won’t get distracted tonight. It’s not like I
have to grade any homework or make any tests yet. There’s no way I can forget.”

“Well you better make sure of it! Tie a ribbon around your finger
or write it on your forehead. I know you. You always find a way to forget.”

Clint noticed she didn’t have a plate with her as he resumed to
eat his toast. “You’re not going to eat anything?”

She leaned in closer, speaking softly. “I... bought a dress the
other night for me to wear. It wouldn’t fit right if I ate the stuff they serve
here. A lady’s got to watch her figure if she plans on looking good.”

Clint raised an eyebrow at her. “That dress better be appropriate.
You’re going to an opera house, not a bachelor party.”

She rolled her eyes at him and giggled. “Well how about you come
to my room and you can see for yourself,” she hovered her hand towards his,
“and if you don’t like it, I can simply take it off...”

Their hands were about to touch, but Clint snapped his away from
her reach. “I don’t want any funny tricks now. You know that.”

Rhonda’s hands flopped into her lap, ruffling her thin black
dress. “I wish you weren’t so uptight about things. Is this still about
what’s-her-face? That was much too long ago. Why do you have to make things so
difficult on yourself? On us?”

Clint‘s head snapped towards her, his eyes fixed with a serious
glare. “Don’t even
start
to talk about her. Do you want to go to the
opera house or not? If so, wear something decent. You got it, Rhonda?”

“I’m sorry,” she sighed. Getting up, she hugged him from behind,
rubbing her chin on the top of his red hair. “Just call me around ten. The show
doesn’t start until eleven, so we’ll have plenty of time to drive there.” She
blew a kiss at him and happily waved goodbye. “Later, ya big lug.”

On her way out of the cafeteria, Rhonda passed by the oval tables
where most of the students ate. In one of them, Roland and Errol sat opposite
from each other, eating plates and bowls overflowing with food. They only took
a break to wash down everything with milk and to take a breather, as if they
were racing to see who can eat the most the fastest. Both of them finished soon
enough with a mess of bread crumbs and egg bits on the table around their
plates, and even more of a mess around their mouths.

“So are you excited for the new year?” Roland asked, wiping crumbs
off his slacks. His wavy, uncombed, brunet hair fell over his face as he looked
down. He flipped it back in place with a quick flick of his neck, moving on to
wipe the food off his lips with the back of a sleeve.

“It’ll be different all right.” Errol finished off his cup of milk
before continuing. “Now we don’t have to worry about writing so much stuff
down. It’s all hands-on training from here on. I heard we get to train with
real equipment.”

Roland’s blue eyes lit up. “You mean like
real
zapper guns
and
real
plasma knives?! No more wooden kiddy nonsense?”

Errol nodded. “And we even get to use the Metransistors to perform
Metramorphosis.” He stretched out his long, thick, legs to get comfortable, his
feet reaching past Roland’s chair. “I think that is going to be the coolest
thing of all. I’ll have the time of my life in one of those Oneiro Suits.”

“Yeah, Metramorphosis sounds simple enough. How hard could it be?
You just hold the doohickey and BOOM,” he pounded the table with a fist, “no
more Nightmare.”

Errol shook his head, his slicked-back blonde hair stiff in place.
“I don’t know about that. There are entire classrooms dedicated to the
Metransistors, with a special teacher called a Morpheus to teach us all about
them. If you ask me, it sounds like some serious stuff.”

“Oh great.” Roland scoffed. “I bet they’re gonna overcomplicate
things the way they do in Fine Arts. Malory’s lucky — she’s still in grade
school. It’ll be quite the while till she picks up a gun without everyone
ducking for cover.”

“Speaking of Malory, where did she go?”

“Bathroom,” Roland answered simply. “You know how girls are.” He
peeked over Errol’s broad shoulder to see his younger sister walk up to them.
“And speaking of the little devil…”

The twelve-year old girl skipped back to her spot next to Roland;
her feathery curly hair flying up with every joyful stride. With a loud grunt,
she sat down, the long skirt to her black school uniform settling with her. The
young brunette’s square glasses slid down her nose from the drop, making her
use a slim finger to push them back up. A bright pink ribbon tied around her
neck stood out from her otherwise colorless outfit, the bow loosely knotted.

“I almost got lost again,” she said in her high-pitched voice.
“This academy is
way
bigger than my grade school.”

Roland put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes concerned. “Let me
know next time you want to go somewhere. I wouldn’t want you actually getting
lost on you’re only day here, now would I.”

“Are you sure it was a good idea to use up your only visit day
pass on the first day of school?” Errol asked. “That’s a bit of a waste, don’t
you think?”

“You know how much homework grade school dishes out,” Roland
explained, “fat stacks the size of a baby elephant. Once the school year gets
rolling, she won’t have any time to visit until summer break. And let’s not
forget about how busy I’m going to be with my official, totally true, ranger
duty assignments.”

Errol held his head on the table, rolling his eyes. “Give me a
break. You seriously think they’re going to pick you
out of everyone
else to get a jump start on actual Oneiro Ranger business. Keep dreaming.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, buddy, but that dream is a reality.
They’re going to send me out on patrols the second they see me.”

“I think they’re going to send you into the infirmary more than
they’re going to send you out on patrols,” Errol quipped.

Roland snatched a fork off a plate and held it towards Errol’s
throat, bits of scrambled egg still clinging to it. “I’ll send
you
to
the infirmary! You wanna go right now? Let’s go!”

Malory finished the rest of her breakfast as they argued, leaving
only a thin layer of syrup from her plate of waffles. Errol stood up straight,
towering over his friend. The first bell tolled right away, letting it known
that class was starting soon. Errol and Roland glanced at the cafeteria clock,
returning stares.

Roland dropped the fork, hurrying out of there. “Like I said,
‘let’s go and get to class’. Come on, guys. We got a long boring day ahead of
us!”

The three merged with the crowd and went out into the hallway;
most of the students using the time to mingle near the classrooms instead of
entering them. The longs tree limbs of the Withering Woods seemed to follow
them, the man-sized windows overlooking the grounds outside allowing moonlight
to bleed in from one side of the hall into the other — blending with the
overhead lights inside. In the front courtyard, some students returned from
their unknown whereabouts, either from within the woods or just outside the
academy’s gates. Finished with watching the stragglers hurry inside, the three
of them passed the orderly rows of steel lockers and classroom doors until
someone came up from behind.

“Errol!” Angelica yelled, stopping the three in place.

Errol turned around to see his younger sister catching up to them,
coming all the way from the cafeteria’s entrance. Ending her long sprint right
in front of them, she gasped deeply for air. She had a small pixie haircut, her
blonde hair short all around except for the long bangs parted to the left, the
spiked ends wiggling with her breathing. Even though her arms and legs were
toned with more muscle than the other girls, having no exercise at all during
the previous summer break did nothing for her stamina. Even with a light and
opened orange sweater–instead of the heavy school jacket–didn’t help; only the
girls getting the luxury of modifying their school attire.

Errol looked surprised. “Angelica, where have you been?”

Angelica gulped sharply, baring her braces. “Where was I? Where
were you?!” Her voice wobbled from her excitement. “We were supposed to sit
together during the assembly and you–like the dumb ox you are–walk away while
I’m getting registered in. Your excuse better be good!”

“Sorry, I found Roland and we got to talking.” He scratched the
back of his head with a shrug. “Then I guess I—”

“—You forgot,” Angelica finished for him, letting out one last
huff. “At least
try
to find me during lunch, okay? We need to write our
letters to dad and I don’t want to fill in your page again. Can you at least do
that
for me? Please?”

“You can count on me sis,” Errol assured.

“We should hurry here,” Roland interrupted, “Our class is outside
in the grass and they want us there on the spot.” He turned to Malory. “You can
make it to the guest dorm by yourself, right kido?”

“Of course,” she chirped with a cheeky smile.

“Attagirl.” Roland gave Malory a quick hug, waving his friend
towards the staircase nearby. “Let’s go, Errol. We got first class together.”

“And don’t worry, Angelica,” Errol said on his way down the steps.
“I’ll be there for lunch. You can count on it.”

Angelica tried to keep her plump lips from pouting. “Okay.” She
turned away. “I don’t believe you,” she whispered to herself, “but okay...”

Malory looked down with her hands behind her back, grinding the
tip of her shoe against the floor. “Hey, Angelica?”

Angelica nearly forgot there was someone else with her. “Yes?”

“Can you help me get to the guest dorm?”

Angelica couldn’t help but laugh. “Sure, but you’re lucky my class
is on the way.” She held out her hand for Malory to hold onto it like they
usually do, the two going on their merry way. “So are you going to miss Roland
once today is over?”

“Yes, very much! It’s going to be a while until summer starts
again. But I’m going to make him remember this visit: tonight when he’s
sleeping.”

Angelica sensed trouble brewing. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to sneak into his room and put his hand in a bucket of water,
then he’s going to wet the bed!” She giggled mischievously.

Angelica crunched her eyebrows. “Don’t you think that’s a little
out of line?”