by Jade White
“Password!” the floor demanded which made me jump in surprise.
“Aw c’mon just let me in, man,” Shawn pleaded.
“Who is this?” the floor asked.
“It’s Shawn!”
Silence met our ears for a moment, then suddenly a hatch opened from the floor.
“Shawn?” a man emerged from the hatch. “Shawn! It is you!” he exclaimed.
The man was pudgy and bald, but he had a good-humored grin on his face. He climbed out of the hatch and pulled Shawn into a large hug.
“My boy! How long has it been since you visited us?” the man from the hatch said, “Who is this? You got yourself a girl? My gosh! What kind is she?”
“She’s not a shifter,” Shawn said.
“What?” the man’s smile fell. “What do you mean, she ain’t a shifter?”
“I mean she’s a regular human,” Shawn said.
“And the kid?” the man asked.
“Is ours, and I think he’s a shifter, he’s like me,” Shawn said.
“My god, another d-dragon?” the man said.
Shawn nodded. The man looked at the floor for a moment, making a decision.
“Alright then. I’ll let you in, but you’ll have to talk to Kathleen,” the man said.
“Thank you, Bartley,” Shawn said.
“Don’t thank me just yet, boy,” Bartley replied.
The two men smiled at each other. Michael stirred a little but remained asleep. Bartley then let us into the hatch and closed it shut behind us. There we had to go down numerous sets of stairs, further and further into the ground. Our steps echoed in the deep as the torches on the walls lit our way. The air was musty at first but the further down we went the fresher it got. Eventually, the tunnel got lighter and lighter until finally it opened up to a gigantic city underground.
My jaw went to the floor as I looked on to the large city, it was almost as large as Dublin! I looked at Shawn who happily smiled back at me.
“Like I said, Sub-Dublin,” he said.
I looked back at the large city. “It’s amazing, how does no one know about this?!” I exclaimed.
“Just like how no one knows about shifters,” Bartley explained.
“This is a city only for shifters so that we can train and practice without the worry of being caught,” Shawn explained. “I spent a fair time here myself as a boy.”
“Weren’t you from America?” I asked.
“I was born here,” Shawn said. “Then my parents moved to America.”
My mouth made an ‘oh’ shape in understanding, I then gazed back at the city. It was amazingly huge to be underground. There were many animals like birds, cows, and dogs, running and flying through the city.
“Are all the animals shifters?” I asked.
“Yup,” Shawn answered, “most are probably kids too.”
I looked in wonder as we began to walk into the city. The buildings were fairly modern although some looked older than others. It seemed as if many were renovated over a long period of time. The people that walked the streets all smiled and nodded as we past, many eyeing me curiously.
“First you should go to Kathleen,” Bartley said, “I need to get back to my post.”
“Sounds good, maybe we’ll visit you and your wife afterwards for dinner,” said Shawn.
“You better!” Bartley replied, “She’s been missing your sorry ass.”
Both of them laughed while I shifted Michael in my hold.
“Do you want me to carry him?” Shawn offered, noticing my shaking arms.
“Just for a little if that’s alright,” I said.
I was beginning to worry I’d have to take a break since Michael isn’t as light as he used to be as a baby.
“We first need to introduce you and Michael to Kathleen and discuss our plans, then we can finally rest,” said Shawn.
“Who is Kathleen?” I asked.
“She’s sort of the Mayor of the city. She knows basically everything that happens within the city and is in charge of the division of labor among the people. She’s been mayor for at least the last decade or so through election,” Shawn explained.
“She must be very charismatic to win so many elections,” I said.
“That and she keeps her promises,” Shawn said.
CHAPTER NINE
“Shawn”
Rachel seemed to be awestruck with the city, and I can only imagine why. She’s probably never seen one of the shifter underground cities before. They were actually quite common, although it’s hard to get into one, let alone find them, unless you were born and raised in one.
Her face was absolutely adorable with her jaw dropped to the floor. She had twinkles in her eyes and a slight curve to her lips that resembled a smile. She eventually composed herself but I could still see how excited she was to see the city. With a heavy sleeping child in my arms, I led us to Kathleen’s house. It was on this end of the city so it was only twenty minute walk.
We came to Kathleen’s large house and I nodded towards Rachel to knock on the door since I had Michael in my arms. She knocked sheepishly and we waited. Suddenly, the door opened revealing an older woman with long grey and purple hair.
“Shawn?” she asked.
“That’s me,” I answered.
“And child??” Kathleen questioned.
“My child,” I replied.
Kathleen’s face lit up.
“Here I was thinking you’d never settle down!” Kathleen joked.
The older woman smiled and gestured for me to hand over Michael. I looked over at Rachel for approval and she nodded with a smile. She seemed to have taken a liking to Kathleen quite easily. I handed over the sleeping Michael to Kathleen, which jostled him a little, causing him to wake.
“Mommy?” he whispered sleepily.
“Oh no, Shawn my boy, he’s got your eyes,” Kathleen said in wonder.
She looked down at Michael as if she was her own child for that moment. From that moment I knew that we were in, whether or not Rachel was a shifter didn’t matter since Kathleen liked Michael.
“This is the mother?” Kathleen asked looking towards Rachel. Rachel smiled sheepishly back at her.
“She’s human,” I said before Kathleen got any ideas.
Kathleen sputtered for a moment. “H-h-human?” she said. Then, she looked at Michael for a moment. “The child? Is he-?” Kathleen began to ask.
“He’s a dragon,” I said.
“Really?!” Kathleen said a tad too loud.
“At least I think so. He’s showing the same signs of shifting as I did as a kid, but much earlier than I,” I explained the situation.
Kathleen hummed and looked down at the boy in her arms. “You know I can’t turn away a shifter,” she muttered, “but a human mother?”
“Kathleen,” Rachel called out.
“Yes?” she said, turning her attention to Rachel.
“If my child is truly safe here, I’ll leave, but I don’t know for sure if I can trust any of you,” she said.
Kathleen looked at me and then back to Rachel.
“You raised him yourself,” she noted.
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“She clearly has a much larger bond with the child than you, you- ugh” Kathleen almost cursed. She was clearly disappointed in me.
“In my defense, I didn’t know I had a child until a little while ago,” I said.
“That’s no excuse,” Kathleen said.
I sighed.
“Let’s take this inside, what was your name darling?” Kathleen asked Rachel.
“I’m Rachel, and that’s Michael,” Rachel answered, gesturing to her son in Kathleen’s arms.
“Well then, welcome Rachel,” Kathleen said with a smile, “come in, come in.”
We followed Kathleen into her large home. Inside a variety of grandfather clocks greeted us and shelves and shelves of various knick-knacks. If Kathleen were to be described as anything other than reliable, it would
be a pack-rat. She probably had things worth thousands of dollars among her collection but she refused to let any of it go.
Kathleen put Michael down on the couch in her living room and gestured for us to sit. She then disappeared into the kitchen.
“She seems really nice,” Rachel noted.
“She is, although she can have a temper,” I agreed.
“Probably for the right reasons,” Rachel said.
“You’ve taken a liking to her,” I commented.
“You told me to trust my gut, and I am. My gut says that she’s a good person and I can trust her,” Rachel said.
“You trust her in the blink of an eye and you still don’t trust me?” I said.
“She didn’t leave me alone with a kid for five years,” Rachel said.
I scoffed, Rachel was right but I still didn’t feel great about it. Kathleen returned to the room with a platter that held a tea set. She placed it on the coffee table in front of us and began to pour the tea.
“How do you like your tea, Rachel?” Kathleen asked.
“Just black is fine,” she said.
“Ooh, I like this girl already. Pretty and has taste,” Kathleen complimented.
“Ah, thank you,” Rachel said sheepishly.
After Kathleen poured the tea, she passed us our respective cups and sat in a one seater across from us.
“So,” Kathleen said.
“So,” I replied.
“Give me the run down. Why are you here?” she said.
I looked at Rachel then back at Kathleen. “Long story short, we’re in danger,” I said.
“I need more details than that, child,” Kathleen said while tucking her purple and silver hair behind her ear.
“He got me pregnant five years ago,” Rachel said. “I looked for him everywhere but had no idea where he could be.”
Kathleen leaned forward, listening intently.
“I moved to my Aunt’s house after an incident with my agent, and that’s where Shawn found me and told me I was in trouble.”
“I had heard of sightings of a possible dragon shifter,” I continued the story, “So I went to check it out. I went to the site but Rachel had moved, but I eventually found her and Michael at her aunt’s place in the suburbs. I knew I wasn’t the only one looking for the dragon shifter and Rachel started having a bad feeling in her gut about being watched. Plus at this point I assumed that the FBI, my boss, and some other shifter factions might be after Michael, ” I summarized.
“So you got her and Michael out of there as fast as you could,” Kathleen replied, “smart, but why here, why not the city underneath London?”
“I’ve never been there so it’d take me ages to find the entrance, besides, I was starting to miss you…” I said.
“Oh, don’t be a cheeseball,” Kathleen warned.
We both laughed. Michael was quiet since he was sleeping, and Rachel sipped her tea quietly.
“This place will take some time getting used to Rachel, but I’m sure you’ll love it,” said Kathleen.
“Is it alright if I rest a little?” Rachel asked, “I’m really tired.”
“You must be!” Kathleen agreed, “I’ll show you to the guest bedroom, you can let Michael sleep on the couch, I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Thanks,” Rachel said after a yawn.
“Rachel”
I followed Kathleen to the guest bedroom. She even lent me some pajamas to sleep in.
“Thank you so much, Kathleen,” I said. “I really appreciate what you are doing for us.”
“We’ll speak more about it after you’ve had some rest,” Kathleen warned.
“Of course,” I said.
Kathleen left me alone in the room and I crashed into the bed. I was so exhausted. I felt sleep pull at my eyelids heavily. I felt at ease with Kathleen looking over Michael and finally being somewhere that put Shawn at ease and where he felt that we were safe.
I yawned and stretched and got comfortable in the bed. I felt something terrible pull at my heartstrings. I was so sad at being pulled away from my home, away from my career, from Auntie, from London. Everything was so new and unfamiliar and I had no idea how to digest it all. I felt tears build under my eyelids and my breathing grow short. I started to sob quietly in the dark guest bedroom. I held myself and tried to stifle any sounds, I didn’t want Kathleen or Shawn to come in asking what was wrong. I felt myself lose to sadness and wept only harder. I missed London. I missed my old apartment. I missed being a model. I missed Auntie. I missed Auntie’s house, the familiar smells and the sound of her comforting voice.
I missed my mother and father before they passed, the taste of my mother’s cooking and the joking tone in my father’s voice. I missed our old house and the parties we used to have there. I missed hanging out with my cousins before everything changed. I missed the way I felt with Dan, secure and warm, I missed the times before I realized he was manipulating me emotionally, making me feel like everything was my fault.
Everything was changing before my eyes and it made me feel horrible. How was I to protect Michael when I didn’t know what this danger entailed? What about school? How was he going to learn math, how to read and write? How was he going to socialize with other children if he’s a shifter and can’t control his powers?
How am I supposed to support him when I don’t know what he’s going through? The realization came crashing down just then: I couldn’t raise Michael by myself if he was a shifter. I was going to need help. That’s why we were here, for help and safety, for security. I sighed and calmed myself down as I started to hiccup between sobs.
We were safe here. I felt it in my gut. I felt that we could trust Kathleen. Michael and I would be fine here… but what if they force me to leave? What if I have to leave Michael? I shook my head, I couldn’t think about that. I would stay, no matter what they said. Michael was my life at this point. I didn’t spend four years, no, five years nurturing the boy just to give him away!
I felt courage build up inside me. I had to try my best. Hopefully, Shawn would be on my side for this, otherwise why would he have brought me along? I felt myself relax in the idea of Shawn. I could trust him… I hoped I could trust him. I had to, especially when I didn’t know what was coming next. As I began to relax, I felt sleep claw at me once again. I grew tired and felt my eyelids begin to droop.
I succumbed to sleep.
***
“Shawn”
“What do you think?” I asked Kathleen.
“I don’t know, Shawn, we don’t let humans know about us for a reason,” Kathleen replied.
“She’s trustworthy though, not to mention she raised the kid by herself, we can’t just separate them like that, plus she might be in danger topside,” I tried to reason.
“I’ll think about it, Shawn, for now let her and the child rest. You should rest as well,” Kathleen said.
Just then, I felt the tiredness sweep my body from not sleeping and flying such a large distance at such a slow pace.
“You are tired aren’t you?” Kathleen asked.
“Exhausted,” I admitted.
She smiled. “Go sleep, we’ll talk when Rachel wakes,” Kathleen said.
I nodded and grabbed some blankets off the side of the sofa. I covered Michael first with them, and then I made myself comfortable on the sofa next to the child. I covered myself in the second blanket and sighed at the warmth. We were safe, for now. I could rest easy for at least a little while. Kathleen wouldn’t let our whereabouts be known to other shifter factions when she hasn’t decided what to do with us yet.
Kathleen would do what was best for the city, and if that meant abandoning us she would. However, she would give us provisions and advice before kicking us out, she just was that kind of person. She was kind, to a fault. It’s why I trusted her so much.
Michael moved jostled around a little in his sleep. I tucked him in a little further with the blanket and got back into my sleeping position. I gazed at his little s
leeping face, it was a wonder that such a life came to be by so many accidents of fate.
CHAPTER TEN
“Rachel”
When I awoke, I felt the warmth of another body next to mine. At first I thought I was hallucinating, but then as I grew more lucid, I realized it was reality. I took in my surroundings: I was in Kathleen’s guest bedroom and in the pajamas she had so kindly provided. I went to bed alone, so maybe they had put Michael in bed with me? I didn’t stir just yet since I was comfortable and the warmth was so soothing to my muscles. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment of peace and quiet from all the stressful things I had been going through the past few days.
The warmth was on my back and was very large. It felt as if I was inside a large cocoon. It reminded me of the days with Dan when after sex, he would spoon me and whisper sweet nothings. I missed the security he used to give me, even if it was false. I tried not to think about that as I relaxed into the hold of this heat against me. I sighed through my nose and nuzzled my head into the pillow. I was so comfortable, and felt as if everything was the perfect temperature. It felt as if for once I could finally relax and just be.
I imagined it was a man sleeping next to me, a large figure pulling me into his arms after a night of passionate sex. He would be handsome and well-spoken. He would have dark hair and golden eyes. His jaw would be sharp and his lips pulled into a pout. He would love to whisper sweet things to me and would refuse to let me get out of bed in the morning. He would caress my hips and kiss my cheek. He would yawn sweetly and bid me good morning.
Someone cleared their throat and that’s when my eyes shot open. I looked behind me to see a disheveled Shawn yawning.
“What are you doing in my bed?!” I exclaimed at the surprise.
He looked at me incredulously before his facial features became more neutral.
“Kathleen told me to wake you up and you just looked so comfortable so I decided to join you,” Shawn explained.
“So you think it is okay to just sleep with me like this?” I said, scandalized.
“I thought you would understand,” Shawn said while yawning again.
“UGH!” I grunted as I got out of the bed, leaving that calming warmth of another person’s body.
