by Mandi Oyster
It was the most I’d heard Cody say at one time, but it did nothing to ease my mind. “I can’t—”
Cody pressed his fingers over my lips. “Not your choice. Mine. I’m staying.”
“Whatever.” I shook my head.
He took my hand, leading me to the playground. I sat on a swing, twisting the chain, wrapping it tightly, then spun in circles. How can I get him to go? When the swing came to a stop, I asked, “Do you want to go sit on the beach?”
“Sure.” He put his arm around my shoulders as we walked away. “Can’t figure out how to get me outta here?”
“No.” Heat rose in my cheeks, and I looked down at my feet. “You can’t blame me for not wanting you to get hurt, can you?”
“You’ll rescue me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
We sat on the beach watching waves wash up on shore. A girl sashayed out of the trees. She glided over to us, her movements so graceful she appeared to float on air. “Hi. Sorry to interrupt you. My name is Aurelia.” Her long, golden hair bounced against her shoulders, glistening in the sun. “I will be taking classes at Phlox University this summer. Do you two go there?”
“Yeah, we do,” I answered while Cody stared at the tall, slender girl with his mouth hanging open.
Aurelia’s cat-like yellow eyes seemed to take in everything. Her bronze skin shimmered in the sunlight. I wondered if she was human or if it was a disguise. Could she be an elf, nymph, dryad, or some other magical creature?
“I’m Dacia and this is Cody.” I nudged him hard in the arm when I introduced him.
“H-hi, nice to, uh, meet you.” Cody stood, holding his hand out.
She shook it, then pointed at the ground beside me. “May I?”
“Sure.”
Cody sat back down. I pulled his arm around my shoulder and leaned into him. I wanted both of them to know he was mine.
All my life I’d heard tales of a monster with green eyes. Never before had I realized that monster lived inside me. With the way Cody looked at Aurelia, the beast stirred. Its lips pulled back revealing bloodthirsty fangs. A low, menacing snarl filled me, daring me to let it escape.
“This place is beautiful.” Aurelia stared at the lake. “As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to go to school here, but I know none of the students. I am sorry if I seem forward. I just wanted to meet some people, so I feel a little more like I belong here when I start classes.” She turned her head toward us, and the motion looked predatory. “Are you taking summer classes?”
Cody cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
“Great! I am glad I will know a couple of people here. I doubt we will be in the same classes, but maybe I will see you around campus.”
I pasted a polite grin on my face. “Yeah, maybe.”
“I will see you later.” She stood, smoothing out her white slacks and walked away.
I threw Cody’s arm off my shoulder and stood with my hands on my hips. “I can’t believe you stared at her like that.”
“Dacia …”
“You might wanna wipe the drool off your chin.” I turned to make sure Aurelia was out of earshot. “Where’d she go anyway?”
He climbed to his feet and shrugged. “She just sort of … disappeared.”
“Are you disappointed?” The beast bared its fangs again. I fought to keep the monster caged, but it was on the verge of escaping.
“I’m sorry, Dacia.” He stepped toward me, and I backed up. “She’s …”
I could tell he was sorry. I could hear it in his voice and see it on his face, but I couldn’t think rationally. “She’s what?” I got more perturbed by the moment. “Beautiful? Wonderful? Perfect?”
“She was … unusual.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t put my finger on it.”
I poked his chest. “Make sure you don’t put your finger on any part of her.”
His eyes narrowed. “Something’s off with her.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t see me stuttering and staring. Did you?”
“I said sorry.” He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his hand down his face. “Enough of the jealousy.”
“Then go home because if she’s in any of your classes, you’re going to act like an idiot every time you see her. And, you’ll see the jealous side of me more often.”
Why am I so upset? He acted like an idiot, but I noticed there was something different about Aurelia, too. Why didn’t I just admit it? Was it because I was jealous or because I was worried about him staying here?
“Dacia.” His voice was different. The regret was gone. It hardened and left no room for argument. “I’m not going home. Drop it! I’ll never look at another girl.”
There was no reason for me to be jealous, but I couldn’t help it. “You can look at other girls.” I laughed before adding, “But … only ugly ones.”
d
Samantha sat at the desk surrounded by books. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and a pen was tucked behind her ear. “How was Falcon Lake?”
“We met a new student”—I rolled my eyes—“Aurelia. Make sure you have Dan on a short leash when she’s around.” I plopped down in Cookie Monster. “Cody couldn’t keep his eyes off her.”
She cocked her head. “Is that why he’s not here?”
“No, he wanted to stop by his room. I guess he’s planning on sleeping here”—I swept my hand over the chair—“again tonight.”
“So, what’s so special about … Aurelia, was it?”
“Honestly, I don’t think she’s human.” I spun the chair, trying to gather my thoughts. “I know how stupid that sounds, but I think she’s some sort of magical being. She sparkled.”
“What do you mean sparkled?”
“I mean sparkled. Her hair and her skin shimmered. It was like they had flecks of gold in them, and the way she moved was so graceful. It wasn’t natural. She came from nowhere, and then”—I closed my hands, then flicked my fingers out—“she disappeared.”
“Well—” Samantha tapped her finger against her bottom lip “—we know other creatures exist. Maybe she is something else, but what?”
“I wondered if she was an elf or nymph … maybe even a fairy. I don’t know. She seemed nice enough, but I didn’t like the way Cody looked at her. It was almost like he was infatuated with her, like she had some sort of spell over him. The way he was acting reminded me of the stories about sirens luring men to their deaths. I suppose it probably didn’t help that we had been arguing … sort of.” Talking about Aurelia brought the monster within me back to the surface. Cody loves you, I thought, not her. Feed the love, not the jealousy.
“What were you fighting about?” Samantha asked. “Is everything okay now?”
I spun Cookie Monster around again. “I guess his brothers were looking forward to him being home. They had all sorts of things planned for this summer, and I want him to go. At least there, he’ll be safe. Here … who knows?”
Samantha stared at me with her mouth slightly open, then shook her head. “How do you expect him to go home when he knows every night you might wake up injured? When he knows—beyond the shadow of a doubt—something will eventually happen to you? You may or may not get hurt, but he would be so worried about you. The only way for him to go home is if you do. You have to know that.”
I let out a hefty breath of air. “I could go home. Mom and Dad will be on vacation, so it’s not like they’d know about my dreams. Maybe I’d be better off there.”
“Yeah.” Her voice was thick with sarcasm. “Do you really think you’d be better off in a house all by yourself? Give me a break, Dacia! Be sensible.”
“I’m sorry.” I swept my arm in front of me. “Why do you and Cody think it’s wrong for me to want to protect you? If you’re around, you’re targets. I can’t bear fo
r anything to happen to you.”
“We know.” She pulled the pen from behind her ear and tapped it on the desk. “We really do, but even though we aren’t much good to you, we can still help if you get hurt or if you need someone to talk to.”
“That’s what he said.” I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself. As I released my breath, I felt Cody’s aura slide over me. My lips tugged up in a smile. “Speaking of Cody, he’s here now.”
Cody let himself in and asked Samantha, “How’s the studying going?”
She threw her arms up in the air. “I’m going to fail all of my finals.”
“Yeah.” Cody shot her a lopsided smile. “You’ll ace ‘em.”
“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “I’m not the least bit ready for any of my tests.”
“So, you don’t want pizza tonight?” I asked.
“Did I say that? Pizza sounds good.”
“See if Dan wants to join us.” Cody patted her shoulder as he walked by.
Looking at the phone, she lifted from her chair. Then she turned back to her book and plopped down. “I’ll give him a call as soon as I get done reading this section.”
“Okay.” I pulled my hair into a ponytail. “We’re going to watch a movie while we eat. Will that bother you?”
“Nah.” She thumped the pen against her notepad. “We’ll probably join you. You were right.”
“My three favorite words—” I smiled “—but about what this time?”
“Dan is a bad influence on me. I’d much rather spend the evening with him than studying.”
“I’d much rather spend the evening with a dead fish than study,” I told her. “Luckily, I only have one final to study for.”
Samantha threw her hands up. “Why’s that?”
“For painting, I just had to finish my last project. I had to write a short story for fiction writing. I’m about done with it. And, I have never figured out how to study for math. You either know it or you don’t.”
“That is so unfair.” Samantha shook her head. “I’ve been studying for math all day.”
“If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll try to study for geometry tomorrow while I should be studying American Lit.” I laughed.
“Dacia, you are such a procrastinator! I wish I could do that even once, but I’d feel so guilty. Now, leave me alone so I can finish this!”
“Okay, okay,” I said, still giggling.
Chapter 7
Draconian
After finishing my American Literature final, I sat outside to enjoy the fresh air, going back over every question in my head, hoping my answers were thorough enough. The sun shone over the mountains, and the sweet smell of wildflowers hung on the breeze.
Students meandered about with their heads in open books, trying to cram in last-minute knowledge. Strolling amongst them was a man dressed in a navy wizard’s hat and robe. Though out of place, nobody paid attention to him. His long, white beard waved in the wind. What I could see of his skin appeared aged, almost leathery.
He prowled toward me. His gray gaze bored into mine, imprisoning me on the bench.
The sky darkened. Goosebumps lifted the hairs on my arms, and shivers danced along my spine.
I wanted to flee, but my legs wouldn’t respond to my brain’s command.
Students veered out of the man’s path as he strode closer. The wind picked up blowing hair in front of my face. Strands stuck to my lips.
The man stopped in front of me, looking down at me like I was the winning lottery ticket. He brushed the hair off my face and tucked it behind my ear. His touch felt like a thousand spiders crawling over my skin. My stomach heaved.
“Hello, young lady.” His voice was harsh, scratchy, and vaguely familiar.
“Hello,” I responded. “Can I help you?” The words escaped before I could stop them. My mind felt cloudy—almost like I wasn’t in control.
“Actually, you can. You’re just the person I was looking for.” He pointed at the bench. “May I?”
Against my better judgment, I said, “Sure,” and scooted over to give him room.
“Let me introduce myself; I am Draconian, the Dragon Lord. I have a proposition for you, Dacia.”
My head flinched back. Dragon Lord? No, no, no. I’m not ready for this. “How … how do you know who I am?”
“Well, Dacia Wolf is the only person on this entire campus who can see me, and since you were watching me, I immediately knew who you were.” He paused. “I find you very interesting. For such a young lady, you have lived an exciting life—to this point—and if you do as I say, you will have many more adventures ahead of you. Now … for my proposition.” He rubbed his hands together. “If you give me that beautiful little vase with Nefarious in it, I will keep my pets from ripping you limb from limb.” His steely eyes drilled into me.
High above the clouds, two shadows circled. My instincts told me they were dragons. “What—” a lump stuck in my throat “—what are you talking about?”
His voice was low and hard. “Don’t play dumb with me!”
“W-why?” I stammered. “Why do you want him?”
“That does not concern you.” He waved his hand in the air like he was shooing a fly away.
With that comment, the fog cleared from my brain. Feeling confident for the first time since I laid eyes on him, I said, “Actually, it does concern me. You see if you release Nefarious, I have to battle him all over again. Since it nearly killed me last time, I really don’t want to do that. I’m sure you can understand my dilemma.”
“Do I look like I would set a demon loose on the world?” He feigned being offended. “Just what makes you think I would do something as irresponsible as that?”
“Oh, uh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you send dragons out to attack teenagers?” I lifted my hands palms up. “Just a theory.”
“You don’t seem to understand.” He wrapped his long, slender fingers around my wrist. As soon as he touched me, I felt like my body was being squeezed in and stretched out at the same time. When the feeling subsided, I was no longer on the bench. Draconian still held my wrist, but we stood in complete darkness. “You don’t have a choice.”
My muscles tensed, and I took a step back. “What did you do to me?”
“Transported you to my dungeon,” he answered like I should have known what was going on. “I’ll give you a few days to change your mind. Then I’ll hand you over to my dragons. Your friends will be easy to persuade with you out of the way.”
My heart pounded with a new intensity until it reached its crescendo. My fingernails dug into my hands, leaving crescent-shaped marks across my palms.
“Give me Nefarious, and no harm will befall them.” His grip on my arm tightened. “Deny me, and they will die.”
“Leave them out of this!” The words tore from my throat, leaving me raw.
I closed my eyes, pictured my room, and tried to transport myself out of his dungeon. I managed to free myself from his grasp, but I wasn’t any closer to getting out.
His laughter echoed through the dungeon. Bouncing off the walls, it intensified as it sought freedom. “I am a powerful wizard, and you think you can free yourself? My dungeon is guarded by magic more powerful than any you have ever imagined using. You are here until I release you.”
I backed up against the wall. If magic couldn’t save me, I’d find the door and free myself. The wall scraped my fingertips, like stone or cinder block. I moved along it, searching for a way out.
Panic clawed through my stomach and chest, fighting to overcome me. I needed to escape. Without me to protect them, Cody and Samantha wouldn’t survive a dragon attack. I kept picturing their lifeless bodies. There had to be a way out.
“Dacia.” Draconian’s voice was soft, cajoling
.
I turned toward his voice but couldn’t see him.
“Be reasonable. I don’t want to hurt you.” Footsteps moved toward me. His fingers brushed against my arm, and I jerked back, scraping my arm on the rough wall. “Just give me Nefarious, and we can end all of this.”
I didn’t answer, afraid my voice would make it easier for him to track me. I kept moving along, searching the wall.
“I’ll get him one way or another.” His voice rose in frustration. “He will be part of my collection.”
I stopped. My hands fell against my sides. “Your collection …” I pulled a trembling hand through my hair. “What do you collect? What makes you think you can control him?”
“Fifteen dragons at my beck and call and you don’t think I can control a demon.” The tone of his voice made me picture his lip turning up in disgust. “I could control the sun if I wanted to!”
“If you’re so powerful, why don’t you make me give Nefarious to you?” I slapped my hand over my mouth. I couldn’t believe I’d said that. What if it hadn’t occurred to him?
Silence filled the room. Had I struck a nerve? Why would he be able to control dragons but not me? The room filled with a blinding light. A loud boom like a clap of thunder shook the dungeon. The light was gone and so it seemed was the wizard.
Continuing my search of the room, I found a corner. Ten steps along that wall took me to the next. Thirteen steps to the next. I wanted to light a fire, but I was afraid someone or something would see me; I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t alone. I pictured myself sitting in my room and called upon all the energy around me to help me get there, but when I opened my eyes, I still stood in darkness.
