Name: Lucid Lies

Chapter Name: Cackling in Darkness

Chapter Number: one

A/N

As always tell me if there are any spelling mistakes, grammar issues, a character being out of character -ooc- plot holes, or any other tips. Disclaimer is at the bottom for possible Spoilers.

I'm hiding can you find me before it's to late?

'Not another Nightmare!' Cried Claris mentally

She knew that voice, Jackle the Mantle. Like in all of the beginnings of her dreams she started falling back first, a voice commanded her to do something that ended up in death. Landing on her back she whimpered, she had learned to ignore the pain that shot up her back each nightmare. Standing up she looked around, and dusted of her skirt. Standing up on the table she was on, carefully she hopped off.

Jackle had started the Nightmare in his new Lair, it was basically his old one but rearranged. The middle wasn't crowded with oversized toys, but had a round yellow table with straps to restrain whomever it held, red specks were scattered across the table, presumably blood. The floor was the same yellow, and grey tile. As usual in the yellow tile was either a spade, heart, club, or diamond, but grey. Same with the grey, expect the design was yellow. Giant cards taller then Claris, and Jackle made a large circle around the Table. Gaps remained in-between them. Most of the cards were face cards, but the one that stood out the most was a King, not just any king but a suicide king. The same staircase was behind the cards that went upwards. The guillotine was next to the staircase.

Claris was lost in all the detail in the room, little did she know that's what he wanted. Something ran in-between the giant cards laughing mechanically. Startled Claris froze, she was torn in two, her curiosity told her to see who it was, instinct told her to stay. Taking one step forward she decided curiosity won. Running over to the first card she stared at it, it was a queen of hearts . - Queen with a heart in the corner-

Rushing behind the Card Claris starred wide eyed at another one of her Nightmares, Gillwing he had changed just like the rest of her Nightmares. His tail had a spike-ball that was green with orange, yellow, and purple spikes that left hardly any room, his wings looked like a dark purple now, the edges were rigid, and ripped with giant claws that jabbed out of the tip. His teeth were larger, and clasped together, and stuck out of his blue lips. A spiked caller that was lime green decorated his neck..

He was asleep with his tail rapped around him, much like a cat. Smoke puffed out of his nostrils making rings of smoke that drifted up towards the ceiling. Claris bit her lip, and backed away slowly from Gillwing. She didn't want to wake him, last time the met he tried to kill her. As the rest of her Nightmares she wasn't very found of the memory.

The same cloaked figure that was racing in-between the cards appeared, but only his silhouette. Snapping his pointed fingers he awoke Gillwing. Gillwing lifted his head blinking his eyes, the tadpole Nightmaren yawned, and then snapped his mouth shut again. The silhouette stepped out of the protective darkness, revealing Jackle.

"Sick her Gilly!" Jackle commanded purposely using the nick name "gilly" he had given Gillwing.

To emphasize his point he pointed his first finger at Hopefully Gillwings's next victim. The tadpole Nightmaren smiled, and started swinging his tail around Claris eagerly, he had wanted to see someone's blood splatter, he had waited for this for years. She had feared this for years, to make matters worse NiGHTS was no where to be found. Gillwing'tail dug into Claris's abdomen, and let blood gush everywhere. Gillwing ripped his tail out, he delivered another blow to her left cheek. It dug into the soft tissue and left a mark that looked like several claw like markings that went straight down. Ripping his tail out of the dreamer he and let Claris fall limp to the ground, as the Alarm Egg started Ringing it immediately woke the pink haired girl up.

Claris jerked up in bed yet again her hair a mess, and most of the pillows, and covers were tossed on the floor. She looked at the clock with a shivering body, from fear. Seven-thirty, those numbers mocked her as they blinked red on her alarm clock.. Sitting with her legs cris-crossed on the bed, she thought silently.

' I wonder if I did accept Jackle's offer if he would hurt me.' she thought, then another thought crossed her mind.

" How will I be able to go to School today?" Claris winced today was Monday, and Jackle's first appearance was Friday after School she had yelled "I hate you, now leave me alone." Then the teacher who was getting in his car looked over, and assumed she was schizophrenic. Then he had rushed her to the school consoler, Mr. Cole. Every since that day, she had feared something that was key to survival. Sleep.

She had thought she had conquered her fears for years, but maybe Fears get stronger, and come back to test you. Claris got out of bed, and into her mini bathroom. Getting her toothbrush out of the little bowl she grabbed the toothpaste, looking up intro the mirror for a second she froze in fear again. In the mirror were two figures herself, and a jester like creature, it wasn't Jackle it horns curved down. Squinting her eyes she found it wasn't a Jester she recognized at all.

"Who- who are you?" She stuttered.

The creature looked directly at her general direction, she didn't know for sure, it was only a dark shape, Carefully it lifted it's hand up to the glass, and as if he was stuck inside the glass he wrote on the inside.

"hpleS ma I." is what the writing said.

Claris mumbled curses it looked backwards she tried to write it forward on her side of the mirror "I am Selph" she wrote. And just as her eyes fell to the word selph the figure was gone. Claris stared at the Mirror with Questions buzzing in her head of who it was, with the name Selph Claris couldn't assume a gender yet. She noticed something else in the mirror, she still had the mark on her cheek from Gillwing. The blood had dried, and it looked like a deep gash.

Walking out of her bathroom she tried to piece the puzzle together, but she came back empty yet again. She decided she should just get dressed, eat breakfast, and leave for school. Doing said tasks she slung her back over her shoulder , and rushed up the stairs to the bus, and took a empty seat, and slung herself on it, dropping her backpack on the floor. She stared at the backpack, it was the same as before, green, and blue shoulder bag with pink stars. She half expected for Jackle to pop out of it any second. But once she got to school she knew that wouldn't happen. Claris wished it to though because then she could knock some sense into that lunatic.

Hopping off of the bus she ran on the hot pavement, it was already heating up. Slamming open the doors to the school that said push she speed walked in the halls of the school.

Carefully she plopped down at her desk, and unzipped her backpack, and pulled out her books, and shoved them in her desk, then counted them without pulling them out, Claris could peer inside the desk, and count them.

"Music, Algebra, Drama, English, and Science," She read aloud, then she inwardly groaned."then where's History?"

She stuck her hand in the bottom of the backpack, and felt something slice through the tip of her Finger, letting blood trickle down it. She brought her finger to her face, there was a deep, and straight cut. Without second thought she assumed the worst. She pulled out a tarot card, that had Jackle getting ready to throw a tarot card, shaded in, but not colored. It was metallic, on the sides of the card was yet again the weed like plant vines, that had upside down shaped leaves. On the other Side it Said " THANK YOU" in curly letters.

"Jackle," she whispered, "I'm going to find you, and I'll beat you like before..." She clenched a fist.

Just then the teacher walked into the room, and sat at his desk in the front of the room, in the corner, straight ahead of Claris was the chalk board. As always she was early, and got the desk in the front row.

"At least History is my last period..." she mumbled so her teacher Mr . Olson wouldn't hear.

Claris sat Jackle's 'thank you' card on her desk, and stared into it. Mr. Olson walked over to full of curiosity of what one of his favorite pupils had. He leaned over Claris's desk., looking up at Mr. Olson she examined him.

His hair was very light brown, that had small strands in the front that dangled in front of his green eyes. Mr. Olson had sliver circle lense glasses that were always perched on his nose he wore a long sleeved shirt that was white, and had a green tie, with red vertical stripes. His pants were grey, and long as well with dress black shoes.

" Ms. Sinclair What is that? " He asked politely.

" It's a card a old rival gave me..."

He pointed to Jackle, "I meant that." his eyes rested on where Jackle's limbs were invisible.

" He's a Jester, and a gambler."

His eyes shifted to the card around his neck. "I see that, put it away before other kids see it."

Nodding Claris shoved it in her desk, he was supposed to have taken it way but he would occasionally bend the rules for pupils that did good in school. He had high tolerance for a select few pupils. The bell ringed, and it practically shook the whole room, the first teen slammed the door open, and the rest flooded in behind him. Some were dressed head to toe in black, others wore all pink, and some rested in-between. The only thing everyone had in common was the girls wore colored girl uniforms, the boys the same, minus the mini skirts. The used to have to wear the same color of uniform, but after a riot they could order any color, they were also allowed jewelry, and different shoes.

Claris battled to keep her eyes open. She waited patiently for everyone to take a seat, she wondered what a insane homicidal Gambler would want her history book.. Just like the rest of her week staring at Friday didn't make sense.

School had flew by, Claris hadn't fall asleep yet, any she had one class left. With her backpack over her shoulder, she confidently walked through the halls with her pink hair bobbing up and down. She was going to be early as always, she opened the door swiftly.

" Good afternoon Mrs. Randal." Claris greeted.

Mrs. Randal looked up from her papers she was grading. Her blue eyes twinkled.

Claris always liked to see what the teachers wore, on certain days they wore certain colors. Today was white. Mrs. Randal stood up, and walked over to Claris.

"Well hello there."

Her grey hair was in a bun, with small strands of fine hair that dangled by her ears, she had a long white dress that went to her ankles, it had short sleeves that barely covered her shoulders, that had frill at the end of them, and the dress. Her shoes were old-fashioned white flats.

Claris smiled, then her expression flushed to panic.

" Mrs. Randal I forgot my History book..."

Her expression fell, " I'm sorry but the extra History book I have will be occupied by a new student. You can share with Elliot he shouldn't mind."

Claris Face flushed red, she hadn't seen him all day. Elliot walked into the room, and smiled brightly. Mrs. Randal walked over to him, and explained that Claris didn't have a History book, Elliot seemed to understand. Automatically Elliot took the desk next to Claris. Elliot stared at the deep gash on her face with concern. He would ask her about it after school.

History class went by faster, and smoother then Claris expected it to. After school the doors didn't open, which meant one thing. Announcements.

The principal came loud, and clear over the speakers, "Next week we are having a fun raiser for the elementary school, all students that attend here will participate," all the children groaned or booed, "We will also accept anyone over eight-teen with no criminal record to volunteer."

Claris, and Elliot were among the few students who didn't groan or boo in anyway shape or form. Instead they chatted about what it was going to be like, they let everyone else get out the door first, they didn't have to go anywhere. Claris started feeling drowsy, and once again the battle to keep her eyes open was fought. Elliot saw the dried blood on her cheek again.

" Claris are you okay?"

" I'll be j-just fine."

"Let's sit down on the floor, Okay?"

In reply she nodded then plopped on the ground, and put her back against a wall for extra support. Elliot stared at the wound.

" Claris where did you get that gash on your cheek?"

" I had a dream about Gillwing-" Claris stopped herself from saying anything more, she knew that They had never spoken about their Nightmarens, they only spoke of Wizeman the Wicked, an enemy they both knew, and shared hate for him.

Elliot stared with curiosity peeking, yet he knew Claris wasn't the type of person to tell him what was happening, and start at the very beginning. She liked to be independent, yet she could swallow her independents, and sought help when absolutely necessary .

" You can skimp on details, just give my an undetailed reason."

" I had a nightmare, my Nightmarens were there, except one. The leader told one to attack me he did as told...and it was the goriest dream I've had."

Elliot bobbed his head up, and down in sympathy, "So it was still there after you woke up?"

"Correct, but how could it affect reality?"

" Unless Wizeman found out how to...cross dreams into reality."

" Wait rember Reala? Doesn't it sound like shortened, and misspelled Realaty?"

" Not only that it sounds like it...Re-al-uh-tee, Re-al-uh..." concluded Elliot wincing.

"Does that mean NiGHTS is the 'Dream' part? You don't think she's working for Wizeman..."

" He wouldn't..."

"So that's why he needed NiGHTS, and Reala..."

Claris shook her head, and stood up, "I'm going home, we will figure this out..." She walked away without turning her head to Elliot.

Claris sat on her bed doing homework, her thoughts shifted back , and forth from NiGHTS to school. She looked up, and gazed out the window. It was Night, and the stars were quit easy to see, she could see the big dipper from her bed. The moon was a gleaming ivory looking crescent. A star whizzed by in the sky. She quickly wished.

She wished for this Nightmare to end, now or never.

End of chapter 1. Okay this was quit fun to write, this is just the beginning to my NiGHTS category.

Claimer: I only own Mr. Olson, Mrs. Randal, And the Reala theory, but I may not Be the first with this. And the Nickname 'Gilly'.

Disclaimer: I don't own Jackle, Claris Sinclair, Gillwing, Elliot Edwards or NiGHTS, and Reala, but didn't SEGA scrap everyone but NiGHTS, and Reala?