Lior often wished she could still be seven. Seven year old Lior could believe that she was normal and everything was wonderful. Seven year old Lior didn’t have any worries besides whether she would get dessert after dinner. Twelve year old Lior was currently trying to put away dishes without breaking them, all while trying to ignore the unsettled looks she received from passersby. The boy had told her that she looked how he imagined a ghost would–very slightly translucent and only noticeable if one looked closely. So, she supposed most of the passerby didn’t realize they couldn’t touch her. They were more occupied with her seeming pantomime of putting away dishes and giving her a suitably wide berth. But there wasn’t much she could do unless she wanted her mother to yell at her again for not doing the dishes, for not listening, for not paying attention to her surroundings. After all, she had taken any number of hearing and seeing tests, all of which came back normal. So really, she had no excuse.

Lior was quite relieved when the other world faded away a moment later to reveal the familiar ugly countertops and faded linoleum of her family’s kitchen. She was even more relieved when she noticed her mother sitting at the kitchen table, sorting through the day’s mail and not having noticed anything amiss. The relief soured into nerves, however, when her mother looked up at her and beckoned her over.

Lior dried her hands on her shirt as she plopped into the seat beside her mother. “What’s up?”

“You heard about Galerose?”

“Everybody has.”

Her mother sighed. “Strange place, but it seems they’ve sent you an invitation.”

“Me? Why?”

“Who knows. But it might be a good opportunity.”

“Isn’t it a boarding school?”

“That’s what worries me, but you should get a say.” Lior’s mother folded the letter back up, creasing all the edges, and tucked it back in the envelope. “Just read the letter and think it over. We’ll talk about it at dinner when your father’s home.”

Forgetting about the unfinished dishes, Lior took the letter back to her room and sat on her bed to read it. The address on the front was handwritten in messy script, the name of her street misspelled and the zipcode missing entirely. If not for her name at the top, Lior would have thought it was sent to the wrong address.

The note inside was a single sided sheet of paper, inscribed with the same scrawl, along with a pre stamped and addressed envelope. It was shorter than Lior would have expected, reading:

 

Lior Sova,

You have met the qualifications to attend Galerose Institute of Private Education. We hope to welcome you into our halls on August 1st. Please send your reply promptly.

Sincerely,

Theodora Blanchet,

Head of Admission

 

Lior flopped back on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. What sort of messed up qualifications did she have? As far as she could remember, she had never even applied, nor had attending ever crossed her mind. It occurred to her though, that the application might give her some answers. Taking the letter with her, she sat down at her parents’ desktop and searched for the school. Galerose had the sort of polished site one would expect from a private boarding school, but beyond the usual lofty mission statements and vague platitudes, there wasn’t really any information on the school at all. If Lior hadn’t been hearing rumors about the place for as long as she could remember, she would have concluded that the only remarkable thing about it was how ordinary it was.

Upon closer inspection, however, she realized it was the missing things that made it strange. Despite searching through every corner of the site, she could find no application. Nor did she see a mailing address, cost of tuition, or academic calendar. Lior tried calling the number listed, but was only rewarded with an automated message asking her to call back another time, but giving no hours. It was strange, certainly, and near the cusp of terrifying, but maybe that was what she needed.

That evening at dinner, Lior didn’t give her mother time to bring it up. “I think I want to try it,” she informed her salad bowl.

“Try what, sweetie?” Her father asked, paying more attention to heaping his plate with casserole than the glass which was perilously near being knocked over by his elbow.

“Galerose.”

Bump went the elbow and crash went the glass. “What? Why-”

“They sent a letter,” Lior’s mother interrupted before he could finish the thought. “I was going to tell you when you got home, but you were late.” She gave him the sort of pointed look only mothers could.

He cleared his throat. “So you want to apply to Galerose?”

“Apparently I’ve already been accepted.”

“Well- I’m- confused.”

Lior shrugged. “That about sums it up.”

“Kids who go into Galerose never come out,” her little brother piped up.

“Shut up Rolph.” At her mother’s glare, Lior muttered an apology.

“I thought you would take longer to think about it,” her mother commented.

“Well, I thought maybe it was time I tried school again.”

“But Galerose?”

Lior shrugged again. “Regular school didn’t really work, so maybe this will.

Lior’s mother tried to hide her worried frown as she agreed.

“If you go to Galerose, I’ll finally be an only child,” Rolph said.

“Shut up, Rolph.”

Later that night, Lior’s mother came by her room to say goodnight, something she usually didn’t do at Lior’s insistence. Tonight, though, Lior didn’t mind. “If you’re sure about this, we can send that letter tomorrow.”

Lior gave her a small smile. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll come home. Don’t worry so much.”

“Who said I was worried?”

Lior giggled. “Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, Lior. Sleep tight.” Her mother flipped off the lights and shut the door behind her. It wasn’t long before Lior was asleep and dreaming.

***

She was dreaming of Galerose, except the gates seemed unimaginably tall and the building made of shadows. The shadows reached out to drag her in, and she didn’t resist. The heavy, wooden doors opened and shut on their own, the hinges creaking ominously. Whispering shadows darted at the corners of her vision, disappearing when she looked at them. She tried to follow them, but they alway stayed just out of reach. They did seem to be leading her somewhere, though. Everytime she thought about turning around and leaving, the whispers grew louder, more insistent. So she trailed after them until they suddenly dispersed before a heavy, wooden door. Lior had no doubt of what the shadows wanted, but should she do it? It seemed like a classic bad decision and yet her curiosity was insistent. With more than a little trepidation, she grasped the handle and pulled the door open.

The room beyond the door couldn’t have been more different from what she had seen so far. The room was lit with a warm glow from several lamps and a crackling fire. Where they weren’t hidden by bookshelves, the wood paneled walls were dripping with tapestries and paintings, mainly of cats, and the wood floor was covered with a delightfully soft rug. A  few plush armchairs encircled the fireplace, one of them currently hosting a black and white spotted cat. At the far end of the room, beneath the arched window, a middle aged woman sat behind a desk, but she stood when Lior entered the room.

“Lior Sova,” she said, her voice perfectly matching the room. “Welcome to Galerose.”

She gestured to one of the armchairs and seated herself in another. The cat gave a big stretch and leapt from its chair onto her lap.

“But I haven’t sent in my acceptance yet,” Lior half stated, half questioned. “At least, I don’t think I did.” For some reason, her memory felt foggy, but she was reasonably certain she had only just gotten the letter.

“Oh good, you’re planning on accepting then?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that saves me a bit of trouble.” The woman sent Lior a warm smile. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Esperanza Galerose, president of this school and affiliated institutions.”

“Affiliated institutions?”

“Nevermind that. Galerose is the one you should be concerned with. As a student here, you will receive an education like no other.”

Something about those words tickled Lior’s brain. “I couldn’t find anything about what you teach here,” she said slowly. “At least, I don’t remember there being anything. And the letter was super vague.”

“I’m sorry about the letter. There are some things we simply can’t put in the mail. Now, there is a reason I brought you here.”

“Lior frowned. “You brought me here? How?”

“Well, I didn’t technically bring you here, just your mind. You could say I have an affinity for dreams.”

“I guess that explains some things, but-”

“Now, dear, Ezperanza interrupted. “Tell me about what you see.”

“What I see? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I think you do. Where do you go when you’re not here?”

Lior froze. Did this woman know about the visions? She couldn’t. It had been a long time since Lior last tried to explain, and no one had ever believed her before. She chose her words carefully. “I don’t know how to answer.”

Esperanza sighed. “How can I be more direct?” She thought for a moment. “Sometimes, you stop seeing what’s around and you see something else, correct?” Lior nodded. “What are you seeing when that happens?”

“There’s a city.”

“Is that it?”

“And people.”

“Nothing special is happening?”

Lior shrugged. “It’s just a city.”

“Hmm.” Esperanza was lost in thought for quite a while, forgetting even to pet the cat in her lap. The cat gave an annoyed shake and relocated to the carpet before the fire. Finally, she said, “You wanted to know what we teach here?”

“Yes.”

“We can help you get more out of it.”

“What if I’m fine as is?”

“Don’t you want to control when it happens.”

Lior’s gaze dropped to her lap. “Yes.”

Esperanza gave her another of those warm smiles. “Wonderful. Then we will see you in August.”

The room began to blur, seeming to break into a thousand pinpricks of light, surrounded by darkness. “Wait!” Lior cried, searching the blur for Esperanza. “I have more questions!”

The woman’s voice seemed to come from all sides. “I’ve kept you long enough. You won’t remember most of this anyway. Memories and dreams are terribly fiddly things.”

The colors began to spin and shrink, and Lior realized she was falling into the darkness. She wanted to scream, but the wind snatched her breath away, and soon the darkness crept through her mind until there was nothing else.