by Unknown
Tyler's eyes widened in horror. He backed up so quickly that he fell backward. Even while hitting the floor, his eyes stayed on her. "So the videos are of you...,” he said in a mix of awe and fear. “You stay away from me, you freak!” He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran away.
Now that the source of her anger ran out a sight, her eyes returned to the normal blue Rexajon turned them to. She shyly looked at the shocked and alarmed students, then remembered Tyler's words.
She frowned. What video?
Her stomach dropped and she immediately assumed the worse. She knew what video. This was bad.
This was really bad.
She lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with everyone, as she scurried to her next class. She needed to talk to Rexajon. Now.
She rushed into the classroom and took the seat directly in front of Rexajon. Her normal seat was in
the far corner of the classroom, but she would take any detention her teacher wanted to hand out if it meant sitting beside Rexajon right now.
She spun around in her seat and looked at him. “There's a video,” she whispered quickly, just as the bell rang.
Rexajon looked at her in confusion.
“A video,” she hissed again.
The teacher walked in, only sparing her a glance. “Back to your seat, Ms. Perplio.”
She winced. That was fast. She gathered her things and stood up. “A video,” she whispered harshly to Rexajon once more.
“Silently, Ms. Perplio.”
She shot her teacher an aggravated look but did as he commanded. She begrudgingly and silently walked over to her desk, still unsure if Rexajon understood what she was talking about.
She scowled. She would have to investigate this on her own.
She half-listened to the teacher's lecture and pulled out her phone. She hid it under her desk and typed with one thumb 'Dragon' into the address bar.
Sure, enough, the first link to populate was the number one trending video on the Internet. She inwardly winced. Not good. Not good at all.
She glanced up at the teacher to make sure she was going unnoticed, then back down at the phone.
She made sure it was muted, then clicked on the video.
It showed the green golem from yesterday flying through the air. She inwardly winced again. She knew what was coming next.
She watched on the little screen as she and the other golem went flying from the train. Then, as clear as day, Rexajon jumped out of the train and transformed into a dragon to save her. Unquestionable, undeniable proof, and on the Internet for everyone to see. She scrolled down to see the comments.
“Ms. Perplio!”
Solana jumped a little. She looked up to see the teacher standing directly in from of her, holding a hand out and waiting impatiently for her phone. She groaned and handed it to him.
“And that's detention,” the teacher added for good measure. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Solana repeated one of the Wizterian curses she heard from Rexajon. Having a date to the Spring Fling was beyond the last thing on her mind at the moment.
Chapter Five
Oh, Kuri was going to kill them when she returned. It was not a matter of “if.” It was a definitive
“when.” Was it too late to give up and not save her to spare their hides?
Solana bit her nails in worry of what they were going to do. As of right now, there was nothing she could do except continue serving this detention.
She glanced at the door. She could see Rexajon from the window, waiting for her in the hall. She saw him scowl every few seconds. She could only imagine the comments he was reading about them online.
Her eyes widened in despair. What if they tried to take them away and experiment? Perhaps humans had come a long way, but that was in the realm of magic. They probably would not take kindly to fire-breathing dragons.
Solana felt her breath quicken and her heart race. How could she save Wizteria from a government examination table?
Her magic malfunctioned from her frantic emotions. Her body glowed and shot off an energy blast at the nearby desks. She jumped a little in surprise as the desks went flying. She blushed furiously.
The teacher's head shot up at the noise. “What in the...?!”
The crash attracted Rexajon's attention, too. He rushed into the classroom, ripping the teacher's focus to the door before he could see the mess Solana caused. “It's 4:30!” Rexajon said loudly.
Solana understood the purpose immediately. Rexajon was distracting, so she could... She summoned a little magic to sit the desks back upright as quickly and quietly as she could manage.
“And according to the school handbook—.”
The teacher sighed and put his glasses back on. “I know what the handbook says, Mr. Gener. I
helped write it.” He stood and looked at Solana. He paused for a moment. He was certain he heard a crash, but could not figure out what was out of place. He would have to let it go. For now. “Ms.
Perplio, you're free to go.”
Solana stood and quickly followed Rexajon out of the classroom. Once they were out of earshot, Rexajon spoke. “You need to get them under control,” he warned. “Especially if you plan to convince the humans that you don't mean them any harm.”
They walked out of school together. "What are the comments online saying?"
"It's a 50/50 split," Rexajon reported. "Some people believe that if we wanted them dead, they would have already been that."
“True,” Solana said with a dry chuckle. “And the rest?” “Think that we were sent by Satan himself.”
Solana sighed. “Well, that's encouraging,” she said sarcastically. “That's what they said about witches before they burn them at the stake.”
“It's a good thing we don't burn.”
“Fire dragons like you don't burn,” she reminded him. “I am very flammable. And if it's up to the angry mobs, you'll see exactly how flammable I am.”
"You know I would never let that happen," Rexajon assured her. "And once your magic is strong enough, you won't burn either. I bet once we cultivate the second orb, you'll gain your advantages back.
Two orbs, and you'll be as strong as the average dragon. At three, you'll be stronger. No human could touch you. And at four..."
“I fulfill the prophecy, save Kuri and save Wizteria.”
“Exactly,” he agreed. “The good news is, they only have proof of me being a dragon. They've got nothing on you.”
Solana shook her head. “In the video, you saved me and not the doctor. People are either going to assume I'm a dragon or some kind of dragon tamer. Throw my crazy powers and my ability to sprout a tail
at random and it doesn't look good. We're in this together. And I wouldn't have it any other way.”
Rexajon smiled a half-smile. “Nor I, my princess. I would do it all again if it meant saving you.” After walking for a while, their house came into view. They stopped and their hearts simultaneously sank.
Reports swarmed viciously around their house. Some of the bolder ones even flashed their cameras in the windows, trying to get a glimpse of the inside.
“How did they get our address?” Solana asked, her fists clenched in irritation.
“Many of the comments online were from our school,” Rexajon explained, trying to remain calm enough for them both. “Even the fact that the video was on another continent did not deter them. They gave out our names and pictures. It is not a far stretch to imagine that the same people disclosed our address.”
“Maybe being peaceful is overrated.”
“You don't mean that, Sun Rose of Grace,” Rexajon spoke away her angry thoughts by reminding her of her place. He took her hand. “Come. Stay close to me.”
They approached the house, careful to keep their heads down.
“Solana!” the reporters clamored and enveloped them in the mob as they pushed to the door.
“Solana! What do you say to claims that you are a dragon, too?!�
�
"Are you native to this planet?!"
“Rexajon, can you really breathe fire?!”
“Why are you here?!”
“Why should we trust you?!”
They finally made it to the door of the house. Rexajon whispered the spell that allowed them inside and ushered Solana through the door.
The reporters caught a glimpse at the inside of the house. The grandiose of it set them off anew.
“Did you use magic to build this house?!”
“What is your response to those who think you are evil?!”
He looked at the reporters and tried his best to hide his disgust at their bold questions and obvious intrusions. “She will answer your questions in her own time. For now, you are trespassing. Please leave. Stay away from the princess.”
He did not realize his mistake until it sent the reporters into another fit of flurries.
“Princess?! Princess of what?!”
“Are you confirming that she is, in fact, a dragon like you?!” “Has your princess come to conquer the Earth?”
Now, Rexajon made no effort to conceal his disgust. He took a step back and slammed the door in their faces. They knew everything. Nothing was stopping him from using his powers freely.
His hands glowed with magic as he focused on the magical barrier around the house. “Trenaist!” he yelled the spell, putting all his energy into strengthening it into a physical barrier and increasing the radius to include the yard.
He breathed heavily once he was done. He regained his composure, then went to find Solana.
Rexajon joined her in the living room and watched helplessly as she focused on the television. She numbly flipped through the channels.
She watched from a bird's eye view as Rexajon's barrier pushed the reporters away from the house with ease.
She changed the channel. "See?!" the television host yelled. He was red with righteousness. "This is proof! These dragons—these beasts—are dangerous! We don't know what they're capable of—."
She flipped the channel again. “And at this point,” the reporter announced. “We do not know the intentions of these dragons, if there are more, or if they're even from this planet.”
She flipped the channel again. This one displayed pictures taken off their social media profiles. They would have to delete those now. "And again, these are the confirmed dragons. Our sources say their names
are Rexajon Gener and Solana Perplio, or should I say, Princess Solana. We have reports that she is considered the princess, Phil.”
The television flashed back to a man, assumingly Phil. He sighed. “Dangerous times we're living in,” he said with a shake of his head. “These creatures are considered very intelligent, and until we can confirm who they are and where they came from, extremely dangerous. I say we need to lock them up now, ask questions later.”
Solana felt a lone tear travel down her face. She did nothing to stop it. She felt helpless. Distraught.
Numb. She turned off the television.
Rexajon walked deeper into the room and took a seat beside her. “It's going to be okay, Princess.” She looked at him with sad eyes. “They're afraid, Rexajon. Fear creates danger. What if they detain us? What if they separate us?”
“Never going to happen,” Rexajon assured. “You have my word.”
Solana sighed and snuggled against him. He wrapped his arms comfortingly around her and soothed her to sleep. She had his word. Now it was a matter of him figuring out how to keep it.
Chapter Six
“Princess,” Rexajon said as he gently shook her awake. “Princess, wake up. We have to go.” Solana groaned as she woke in her bed. She did not remember how she got there, but she was sure Rexajon saw her to her room sometime during the night. She sat up and rubbed her eyes until the blurriness and grogginess of sleep vanished. She looked at him in confusion as to why they were up so early.
“Our flight leaves soon,” he reminded her.
In all the excitement and sudden publicity, she almost forgot. She nodded and kicked off her covers.
“Do you think the airport will let us in?”
“I've thought of that,” Rexajon assured her. He pulled a small card out of his pocket and handed it to her.
She accepted it and looked it over. “A fake I.D.?”
Rexajon nodded. “Do you think you can be Katelyn Jones for a few hours?”
Solana opened her mouth to answer him but closed it again. She nervously looked over the picture on the card, then back at Rexajon. "What if I mess up? Maybe you should just do it for me."
Rexajon shook his head. “I won't be able to sustain both of us for hours and have energy left for emergencies. This has to be you. Besides, you are the Hope of Wizteria. You have to learn to do things like this on your own. I can't get you out of every situation.” He gestured to the window, referring to the swarm of reporters waiting for them to emerge. “Case in point.”
Solana sighed and looked at the picture again.
Rexajon took a step backward. "We meet the driver in fifteen minutes. Get ready." With that, he left the room.
Solana lifted her head to watch him leave, then looked at the picture once more. “I'm the Hope of
Wizteria,” she whispered to herself. “I have to learn to control this fraction of my powers before I can even think about touching another orb. That means doing this and maintaining it. You've got this, Solana.”
She stood up and paced around the room. If she wanted the highest chance of success, she would have to do a basic cloaking spell. It would not change her voice or hide her magical signature, but it should be enough to fool humans.
She closed her eyes and focused her magic. "Temieluin rexas," she recited the spell. Her body glowed softly, then transformed. Her blonde, curly locks turned brown and straight. She was shorter and a little plumper. Most importantly, she looked like the girl in the picture and not like Princess Solana of Wizteria.
She looked in the mirror to check her face and huffed when her normal appearance stared back at her. Her spell was weak, but hopefully, it would be enough.
She shoved the ID in her back pocket and walked out of her room to find Rexajon.
She walked to the foyer to see someone waiting for her. It took her a moment to take in his appearance. He opted for red hair and freckles, a stark difference from his blond hair and clear complexion. His face was rounder and he stood a little taller. She chuckled, impressed with his transformation. “Rexajon?”
“Aaron,” he corrected. He looked her over. “Passable job.”
Solana cocked an eyebrow. "And what kind of spells were you casting on your second day of magic?”
“Touche.”
Rexajon stepped towards the window and peeked out. As he suspected, the reporters still lingered, waiting for them to come out. "We can't go out of the front door. I told the driver to meet us a block from here."
"Short-range teleportation?" Solana asked.
Rexajon nodded. “Exactly. I want you to do it. Let's see what you can do.”
Solana nodded. She took Rexajon's hand and closed her eyes to concentrate. “Yeourtian!” With a flash, they were gone.
They reappeared at a bus stop not too far away from their house. Five minutes later, a black sedan pulled up. The window rolled down. “Jones?” the driver asked.
Solana and Rexajon nodded and stepped into the car. Once the door was closed and they were buckled, the driver drove off.
The trip to the airport was silent, save the radio. The driver had it on the news, much to Solana's dismay. She uncomfortably shifted in her seat. Rexajon pulled her a little closer to calm her down and keep her magic under control.
“Crazy what's going on with these dragons, right?” the driver asked, looking back at them through the mirror.
Solana shifted again, careful to avoid his line of sight. Rexajon shielded her to the best of his abilities. “Actually,” he requested. “Can you turn that down?”
The driver complied.
"Yeah, I think it's all a witch hunt, too," he said. "They're dragons, so what?
Leave them alone. They're not bothering anybody. If you ask me, I think us humans are the problem.
We always have to stick our noses in other people's business."
Solana smiled a little. “It's nice to hear someone support them,” she said softly. “There's a sea of hatred against them.”
The driver shrugged. “It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but as soon as the public gets a whiff, it's the other way around. It's a shame, that's what it is! Who knows? They may be here to help us!”
Solana's smile grew. She hid it in Rexajon's sleeve, but it felt nice to at least have one person on their side in this chaos.
They finally arrived at the airport. The driver slowed the car down to a stop and unlocked the door.
Solana smiled at him again. “Thank you. I won't ever forget your kindness.” She stepped out of the car.
The driver looked backward at her, a bit of confusion in his eyes. Rexajon laughed nervously at Solana's obscure behavior. "She says that to all our rideshare drivers. I'll make sure you get a nice tip." With that, he stepped out of the car, as well. He joined Solana and together, they walked into the airport.
Once inside, he took a moment to scan the area, then directed Solana to the check-in desk. This was her first time at an airport. He had to be with her every step of the way to make sure she did not draw too much attention to herself.
"This way," he gently guided her. He pulled out his phone and pulled up the virtual versions of their plane tickets.
He politely greeted the clerk and checked them both in, then guided her through security.
As she removed her shoes, she looked up at the television monitor to read the directions. She placed her shoes and phone into the plastic box and pushed it onto the conveyor belt.
The pictures changed every couple of seconds for standard airport announcements. In a matter of seconds, she learned not to carry a bag for a stranger, to report any bag sitting alone, and—.
