by Kyra Dune
After ending the call with Brandy, I stepped out under the low light and used the mirror to check the cut on my head. It was a little swollen and bruised looking, but it had long since stopped bleeding. I carefully used warm water to wash the dried blood from around the gash, then I went to join Derek in the diner.
He was sitting at a booth beside the window. “Took you long enough,” he grumbled as I slid into the seat opposite his. “I was about to come looking for you.”
“Well excuse me, but I had three cans of soda, okay? Besides, I needed a minute to myself.” I eyed his fingers drumming on the tabletop. “Why are you strung so tight anyway?”
“I’m not.” His hand curled into a fist. “We shouldn’t be wasting time here, that’s all.”
The waitress, a middle-aged brunette in a white apron, brought us our menus. The name tag on her blue and white checkered shirt read ‘Flo.’ Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I still see her face. I wonder about her. Who she was, if she had a family, what her dreams for the future might have been. Why do I think about some random waitress, you ask? Because the last time I saw her she was dead and it was at least partly my fault. That sort of thing tends to stick with a person.
She smiled. “What can I get you two kids?”
“A couple of burgers and sodas would be fine,” Derek said.
“Actually,” I smiled up at the waitress so the dark look on Derek’s face wouldn’t make me second guess my intent, “what I really want is a nice, thick, rib-eye. Well done. And a loaded
baked potato. And a chocolate milkshake.” I figured an order like that would tie up at least twenty minutes. I didn’t have any idea how fast a helicopter could fly, but I was hoping it was a lot faster than a car.
“Well, well, got yourself a girl with a healthy appetite. Nothing wrong with that.” Flo winked at Derek. “Be right back with those drinks.”
“Why did you order that?” Derek asked once the waitress was out of earshot. “I told you we’re in a hurry.”
“I’m hungry,” I said. “And besides, you haven’t given me one good reason to be scared of anything except you.”
He sat back with his arms folded and didn’t say anything. Which was fine with me because I didn’t want to talk to him anyway. Flo brought our drinks back and I was perfectly happy to sit in silence with my milkshake. It was good too.
By the time our food arrived, Derek was tapping his foot on the floor and looking as if he would like nothing better than to hit something. I ate slowly, taking small bites and trying to act like I wasn’t stalling for time. Even though I knew what he was capable of, the more time I spent with Derek, the less I feared him. Not that I wanted to go wherever he was taking me, but at least I didn’t feel as if I had to worry about him exploding at me the way he had at Zack. Maybe it was a foolish notion, but it felt right.
No matter how long I drew it out, I had to finish my meal eventually. I laid my fork on my empty plate and looked out the window at the cars zipping by on the highway. No sign of a helicopter in the darkening sky.
“Are you done?” Derek asked. “Can we --” A massive roar drowned the rest of his words out as a fireball exploded into the ground across the narrow street from the truck stop.
I stared out the window, transfixed, as fire blossomed into the sky. Derek grabbed my arm, hauling me out of the booth. “Take cover,” he shouted, pushing me toward the counter.
We both barely made it around the counter before a second explosion blew the windows out of the diner. I screamed, pressing my hands to my ears. Nothing is as terrifying as to find yourself in this kind of situation, to be defenseless, to not even know what’s happening.
Derek took hold of my wrists and pulled me to my feet. That’s when I saw Flo lying on the floor covered in blood and glass. Her head was turned in my direction, her hand reaching out as if asking for help. But her eyes were empty. It was the first time I’d ever seen a dead person.
“We have to get out,” Derek said, pulling me after him. Otherwise I didn’t think I ever would have been able to stop staring at her wide open, sightless eyes.
“W-what’s going on?” I asked as we ran past the bathrooms toward the laundry.
“No time to explain,” he said. “Time to run.”
We made it out the backdoor as a third explosion caved in the front part of the truck stop. A breath of heated air followed us out.
Two eighteen wheelers were parked in the back lot; our sneakers smacked across concrete as we ran toward them. Between the two trucks, we stopped to catch our breath. Derek took hold of my shoulders and something in his eyes sent a shiver down my back.
“I’m going to try to buy you some time,” he said. “Once I have her distracted, I want you to run as fast and far as you can. Don’t stop. Don’t look back.”
“Once you’ve distracted who?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
He backed away toward the front of the trucks. “Just do like I said.” His pale brown eyes were
intense. “I lost you once, I won’t do it again.” And then he was gone, running around the front of the trucks and out of my sight.
I called after him, but he neither replied nor returned. I was alone, terrified and confused, with the heavy scent of smoke in the air around me. Knowing something is after you and not knowing what it is... It’s awful, let me tell you. Your mind runs wild, coming up with all these crazy thoughts which are usually ten times worse than reality.
The dull roar of the fire drowned out all other sounds, so I had absolutely no clue of what was going on. I desperately wanted to see what was happening. I guess that’s why the trucks moved. One minute, I was hidden in their sheltering darkness, and the next they were sliding away from me with an ear piercing screech of protesting tires. With the trucks out of my way I had my wish. I could see.
The truck stop was completely engulfed in flames. All I could think of was Flo and the two truck drivers. Certainly dead by now. A sharp breeze made the flames dance and sent loose bits of sand skittering across the parking lot. I was frozen, unable to do anything but stare.
The wind stopped and I felt pressure against my chest, as if a giant hand was pushing against me. At first, I thought it was my own fear threatening to suffocate me. Then a woman dressed all in black walked out of the inferno before me.
She strode across the parking lot, her long red hair rippling in a wind I couldn’t feel. The closer she came, the harder it was for me to breath. She stopped while still several feet away, eyeing me up and down.
“So you’re the one.” Her accent was soft and lilting.“You don’t look like much, but then I suppose neither did I, at your age.”
I tried to speak, to tell her whoever she thought I was, I wasn’t. But it was taking all the air I could draw into my lungs just to breathe. I wondered where Derek was. Much as I had wanted to be away from him before, was how much I wanted him back by my side then.
“There will be plenty of time for talking later,” the woman said, stepping closer. “For now, you’re coming with me.”
Fire flashed between us. I jumped back with a cry; she simply looked annoyed.
“Get away from her, Megara,” Derek said, striding toward us.
“Come now, do you really think your power can prevail against mine?” she asked. “Or do you think an untrained dragon will help you?” She laughed. “Abigail doesn’t even know what she’s capable of.”
“You aren’t taking her.” The air around Derek began to shimmer with heat waves. “Run, Abigail.”
“No,” Megara said. “I think she should stay and watch.” Bands of air wrapped around my body, holding me in place. “It’s you who should run, little boy.”
He stood firm. “I’m not afraid of you.” Ropes of fire formed in the air, whipping toward Megara.
“Your mistake,” she said. A solid sheet of rain fell from the clear sky to douse the fire. A gust of wind slammed into Derek, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying across the parking lot. H
e hit the asphalt, rolled, and came to a stop face down. He made no move to get up.
I thought he might be dead and was surprised by how upset the thought made me feel. I barely knew him, had no reason to trust him or even care what happened to him, and yet I felt tears prick my eyes anyway.
Megara shook her head. “They never learn.” She turned back to me. “Now, then, where were we?”
A helicopter soared over the top of the burning truck stop. Megara scowled. “Now what?” Razor sharp icicles rocketed toward her, only to be brushed aside by a hard breath of wind. As she was focusing on the helicopter, a rush of fire came at her from the side.
She must have caught sight of it from the corner of her eye, because she spun around and the fire twisted to the side, as if reflected from an invisible shield.
Derek was half up on his knees, his face ashen, his left arm dangling uselessly at his side. Megara’s lips pulled back over her teeth. A blast of wind from behind had her stumbling. And all this time I could only stand there, helpless. I don’t think I ever knew the true meaning of the word until then.
I wanted to do something. I didn’t know what, but something. And with that thought the bands around me snapped free. But they didn’t go wild. I couldn’t see them, but I could feel them in my mind as if I had my hands wrapped around them. I didn’t think, I let myself act.
One of the bands whipped out, slapping Megara across the face. A trickle of blood fell from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away, her green eyes intent on my face. “Well, now, that’s interesting.”
Alice and Zack jumped out of the helicopter as it landed in the parking lot. “Move, Abigail,” Zack shouted at me over the roar of blades. “Get back.”
The feeling of grasping the air slipped away and I felt suddenly drained. I took a step away from Megara. She smiled at me. “Another time, then.”
Wind swirled, making Megara’s hair dance in a fiery halo. The wind was fierce and blowing hot against my face. I backed further away, watching in shock as a tornado formed around Megara, lifting her into the air and out of sight.
Zack ran to my side. “Are you all right?”
“I...I think so.” I wasn’t physically harmed, but otherwise... Well how do you think you would feel after having something like that happen to you?
I turned toward Zack. “Who was she? What did she want from me?”
By this time, Alice had joined us. She and Zack exchanged a look. She nodded. “Tell her.”
“Her name is Megara,” Zack said. “She’s what we call a hybrid, a dragon who can control all four elements. Very rare. So rare, she was the only one of her kind alive, until now.”
It took a moment for his words to sink into my shocked mind. “Wait, are you saying I’m like her? I’m a hybrid?”
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away,” Alice said, “but we were hoping to ease you into the truth. Abigail,” she laid a hand on my arm, “what happened to your birth parents wasn’t an accident. We don’t know how, but Megara found out about you. You’re like her and that makes you a threat. She killed your parents trying to get rid of you. Now it looks like she intends to finish the job.”
“But we won’t let her,” Zack said. “That’s why you have to come to California with us. She won’t be able to get to you there. You’ll be safe.”
I look past them to where Rick was kneeling beside Derek, who was once more laid out on the concrete. I started to go to them, but Zack grabbed my arm. Our gazes locked. “He’s my brother and he was trying to protect me.”
“We don’t know why he came here looking for you,” Zack said. “At first, we thought maybe he was
working with Megara. Obviously we were wrong, but it still doesn’t mean you can trust him.”
I shook my head. “If he’s alive, we’re taking him to California with us or I’m not going.”
“Not going could cost you your life.”
“I know, but I’ve made up my mind. Now you make up yours.” Maybe it was crazy to be willing to risk my life for a man I didn’t even know, but I couldn’t forget the look in his eyes when he said he didn’t want to lose me again.
Zack glanced at Alice. She sighed. “We’ll take him. Let Alistair sort it out.”
“He won’t like it.”
“He’d like it less if we come home without his granddaughter.”
“It’s a mistake.” His face showed clear how much of a mistake he thought it was, but he didn’t give further argument. He let go of my arm and I ran over to Derek.
I stopped before I got too close, fearing to see his eyes empty like those of the dead waitress. “Is he...?”
“Passed out.” Rick stood. “From the pain, most likely. Looks like his arm is broken, but other than that and a few cuts and scrapes he seems fine.” He looked to Alice as she passed us.
“Load him up,” she said. “Let’s get out of here before Megara decides to come back.”
I stared back at the flames as Zack stepped up beside me. “What about my friends? My parents? They’re going to wonder where I am.”
“I’ll call Brandy and tell her we were too late.”
“You mean...let them all think I’m dead?” I couldn’t imagine being so cruel. “I can’t do that.”
“If you love them and want to keep them safe, then yes, you can.”
I looked into his eyes and knew he knew how hard this thing he was asking of me would be for me to do. “You’re sure they’ll be safe? She won’t try to get to me through them? She killed my birth parents, what would stop her from killing everybody I love?” My voice caught on the words. Guilt for the people in the truck stop was already tearing at me and they were perfect strangers, how could I ever live knowing I was responsible for the deaths of those most important people in my life?
“Megara is patient,” Zack said. “She’s a thinker. A planner. She knew about you when you were born, but she waited two years to go to the extreme to try and get rid of you. If she does decide to go after your people, she won’t do it for a long time. We’ll send someone to keep an eye on them and at the first hint of trouble we’ll get them safe no matter how we have to do it. I promise.”
I bit my lip. It was a terrible decision, one no one should ever be forced to make, especially not a scared kid whose life had spun completely out of control. And that’s what I was, but it was a decision I had to make anyway.
My family and my friends would hurt for me but they would be alive and they would be safe. They could get on with their lives. I could do that for them. Slowly, I nodded. Zack took my arm more gently this time and helped me climb into the helicopter. The door slid shut on my old life.
As the helicopter took off, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. I didn’t know exactly what was waiting for me in California, but I had a feeling the days ahead were going to be far more interesting and dangerous than anything I could imagine.
If only I had known, I might have climbed right back out of the helicopter and taken my chances in staying. But like they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty, and no matter how much you might want to, you can never change the past.
**************************************************************
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kyra Dune was born in Oklahoma, but spent most of her life travelling with her family. She is the author of more than two dozen fantasy novels, including: Shadow of the Dragon, Elfblood, and Firebrand. As a child, her favorite stories were those that told of ordinary children being whisked away to magical lands. She has yet to find her own secret wardrobe or rabbit hole, but she hasn’t given up the search. You never know what might be waiting over the next rainbow.
www.kyradune.weebly.com
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