by Mandi Oyster
“So, are you okay with me?”
He kept his eyes lowered and shrugged. “What else can you do?”
“I—”
Cody interrupted, “Remember when I went to the hospital?”
“Yeah, kidney stones.” Dan looked up at Cody. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.
“That’s what we said, but I was in bad shape.” Cody’s face was stony. The anger, hurt, and sorrow he must’ve felt every time he thought about that day didn’t show. “Four students beat me. I needed surgery.”
“No.” Dan shook his head “I saw you the next day. We played basketball.”
“Dacia healed me.” Cody drew me closer. “She has powers. Before coming here, she couldn’t control them, but with Sa—Dean Aspen’s help, she’s mastered them.”
“Dean Aspen knows about this?”
“Sarah knew before I was born that she might train me someday,” I said. “She called me into her office and informed me she and I were part of a prophecy. I thought she was nuts, but she wasn’t.”
Dan looked at Samantha for help. His eyebrows were raised, and his mouth curled into a confused frown.
“It’s all true, Dan.” Samantha lifted her shoulders. “I wanted to tell you, but it wasn’t my place.”
“Why are you telling me now?”
Cody’s hand trailed up and down my arm. I didn’t know if it was to keep me calm or him. I looked at Dan and said, “Since you’re staying, you should know.”
“Why?” Dan glanced at each of us, rubbing his neck. “You’ve kept it from me this long.”
Cody and Samantha looked at me. I shook my head. Somebody else could tell him.
Samantha pinched her nose. “We wanted you to find out before something happens.”
“Like what?”
“Let me explain more.” I walked to the window and stared out at the trees. Aspen leaves rustled in the breeze. “The prophecy was that I would have to face a demon who wanted to conquer the world. Believe it or not, I did.”
Dan wiped his hand over his face and laughed without humor. “Sure.”
Samantha shrugged and nodded. “It happened.”
Dan’s smile faded, and his expression turned into a look of utter disbelief. “No offense, but how did you defeat a demon?”
“None taken. And, it was sheer, unadulterated luck. Do you remember me missing a lot of classes?”
He nodded.
“Nefarious, the demon, attacked me.” I shuddered at the memory. “If I wouldn’t have been able to heal myself, I don’t think I’d be able to use my leg today. But, I don’t even have a scar. Nefarious actually killed Sarah to keep her from training me, but I brought her back.”
“You’re kidding me. Right?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“So, how else would I find out about you?” Dan asked again.
“Bear with me for a minute.” I held my hand up. “I’ve been having nightmares lately. When I dream that something or someone attacks me, I wake up with whatever injuries I dreamed about.”
He scrubbed his hand down his face. “That’s not possible.”
“I wish.” My voice trailed off. “And if that isn’t enough, earlier this week a man named Draconian imprisoned me. He keeps dragons as pets.”
“Dragons?” Dan snorted. “There’s no such thing as dragons.”
“Yeah.” I sat on Cody’s knee, and he rubbed my back. “I saw one up close and personal after my Fictional Writing final on Wednesday.” I pictured the red dragon, saw flames shooting toward me. I shook my head, focusing on my friends. Samantha stood beside Dan. Her hand on his shoulder. He sat in Big Bird, one hand around her waist. The other pulled fuzz off the chair.
Cody’s hand kept running along my spine.
“He wants me to give him Nefarious, and since I won’t, he’s started sending his dragons after me. We decided you should know before you come over here one day and find me covered in blood, burnt to a crisp or whatever else they may do to me.”
“You’re serious?”
“She’s serious.” Samantha walked over to her closet. “I hope you don’t mind, Dacia, but I saved these for when you talked to Dan.” She pulled out a charred, bloodstained pair of pajamas. “Dacia had a dream about dragons the other night, and this is what she woke up in.” Samantha tossed them to Dan who stared at them in astonishment.
“How would you give Nefarious to Dracon … what was it?” Dan asked, stumbling with the name.
“Draconian,” Samantha answered.
“How would you give Nefarious to Draconian anyway?” He looked around the room as if searching for an explanation. “I thought you defeated him.”
“I think I kind of turned him into a jinni. I encased him in a vase that is safely hidden away.”
“This is going to take a while for me to wrap my brain around.” Dan set my pajamas down and wiped his hands on his legs. “I mean, how can you go through life knowing you might be attacked by demons or dragons?”
“Having Cody and Samantha helps more than you can imagine.” I smiled at my friends. “But, it’s not easy, and there are days … when I … when I just don’t know if I’m gonna make it.” I stared down at my hands until my vision blurred. “I haven’t dealt with it for months. Until earlier this week, I was in denial. Sarah told me about Nefarious … nothing else. I had no idea there would be other monsters. I thought I could have a normal life when I was done with him.”
Dan leaned back in the chair, and I could see he was trying to process all the information we’d given him. “So this is real?” He looked me in the eye for the first time since seeing what I’m capable of.
“Unfortunately.”
“Well, then, uh …” He stopped and cleared his throat. “Can you show me again?”
Slumping back against Cody, I let out a long breath. I looked over at Samantha and knew she felt the same way. Smiling, I showed him again.
He held the ice globe, examining it as the last of the flames disappeared. “So are there more things you can do? Fire, ice, heal, transport objects through mid-air, what else?”
“Well, uh, I can walk through walls, fly, read minds, tell when Cody’s near, teleport.” I cocked my head. “I think that’s all.”
Samantha tapped her chin. “You can crush things.”
“Yeah.” I remembered Bryce’s screams when I crushed his hand without knowing what I was doing. “Oh, I can also shoot lightning from my fingers and create like a force field thingy around me.”
He tilted his head, making his hair fall across his eyes. “Can you turn invisible or manipulate time and space?”
Tingles ran from my fingertips to my wrist as my hand disappeared.
“Wicked.” He reached out, touching my fingers. “Can you make pizza appear?”
I waved my hands through the air. “It’ll be here any minute.”
Dan’s mouth hung open. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Cody laughed. “I ordered it earlier.”
A few minutes later the pizza delivery guy knocked on the door. Cody took the pizzas from him and had a slice half-eaten before he set the boxes down.
“So Superman has Kryptonite.” Dan held a slice in front of his mouth. “Batman’s just a regular guy with too much money and a sense of righteousness.”
“Yeah.” Cody put two slices on a plate and sat down.
“So, if you can do all that.” Dan waved his arm, looking at me. “Do you have a weakness?”
“Well—” my eyebrows squeezed together “—probably.”
Cody laughed, just about choking on his pizza. When he swallowed, he said, “Do warm chocolate chip cookies count?”
Chapter 11
Not So Bad
Nightmares pummele
d me. I’d wake up from one and fall into another. Finally, deciding I couldn’t take another beating, I grabbed my book and sat in bed reading. When morning’s light crept through the window, I got up and headed for the showers, hoping one would invigorate me.
By the time I got back, Cody was awake. “Nightmare?” he asked as I set my bathroom bag down.
“Yeah,” I grabbed my brush and pulled it through my curls. “I wish Sarah knew something that could help me against Draconian … or even his dragons. Maybe if I only had to worry about one, things’d be better.”
Cody flipped the TV on. I looked up into Samantha’s loft, expecting her to yell at him. Her bed was empty. “Where’s Sam?”
“With Dan.” Cody flipped through the channels. “They’ll meet us for lunch.”
He must’ve gone through the channels twelve times before deciding there was nothing to watch. I set my hand on his, pushing the remote down. “Is something wrong?”
“I, uh—” he flipped the TV off “—I should shower.”
Shaking my head, I said, “So shower.”
He ran his hands back and forth over the arms of the chair. The blue fuzz stood on end then was smoothed flat. “All that’s happened lately, I don’t wanna leave you.”
“Alone.” I sat in Big Bird with my chin in my hands. “You left off alone.”
“Yeah.” He stared at the black screen. “He took you twice this week. I don’t want you alone.”
Kneeling on the floor, I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head on his chest. “I’ll be fine, Cody. I can stay here or sit in your room.”
He tilted my chin up. “Promise you won’t leave?”
“I’ll stay in the building.”
I walked with Cody to the door. When he opened it, Aurelia was stepping into the hall from the room across from mine.
“Hi.” A grin spread across her face, and she tilted her head, reminding me of a bird for a second. I shook my head to clear the image. “I guess we are neighbors,” she said.
“Looks like.” I tried to return her smile, but the monster inside roared at me to get Cody away from her. I grabbed Cody’s hand, tugging him along.
He lifted his eyebrow at me and nodded at Aurelia.
The three of us walked outside together. I tried to come up with something to say to break the tension, but I couldn’t think rationally with the beast snarling inside me, fighting to claw its way out.
Aurelia’s golden hair bounced as she walked. The silken strands glistened, not a hair out of place. I looked at my shadow. Its curls were tangled and unruly. Her legs were perfectly toned, her skin flawless. Next to her, I felt unkempt, insignificant, and washed out.
“Getting settled?” Cody asked.
She smiled at him, and a fire burned in the pit of my stomach.
“Yes. I just finished unpacking. I am looking forward to classes starting Monday so I can meet people.” She looked at the mountains, and her eyes softened. “It gets lonely not having friends here.”
Her loneliness spoke to me, quieting the monster. In that, I could relate to her. “I know what you mean.” Without thinking about it, I asked, “Why don’t you meet us for lunch? My roommate, Samantha, and her boyfriend, Dan, will be there, too.”
“Really?” She looked from me to Cody. “That would be great. Thank you.”
I shrugged, feeling guilty about how I’d been acting. She didn’t deserve my attitude. “No problem.”
I stayed in Cody’s room while he showered and shaved. His roommate, Drew, had already gone home for the summer. Only Cody’s things remained behind.
A picture of his family hung on the wall. Breathing deeply, I closed my eyes. Cody’s siblings worshipped him. How long would that last? If he kept ditching them for me, the end was in sight.
When he finished, we walked outside. His pace was hurried. His hand pressed against my back, pushing me forward. I couldn’t blame him. His fear for me guided his steps.
Once we were inside my hallway, I pointed at the restroom. “I won’t go anywhere else,” I said.
He nodded and walked toward my room.
When I finished, I hurried to my room, not wanting Cody to worry more than he needed to.
Raised voices stopped me outside the door. “She can’t be alone,” Cody shouted.
“And you can’t sleep in her room unchaperoned,” Sarah yelled.
I lowered my head. A problem. That was what I was. Just one big problem after another.
Opening the door, I stepped inside. Sarah and Cody stood inches from each other. Cody’s hands were fisted at his sides. He glared down at Sarah. Her hands were on her hips, her feet spread apart.
They both turned, shooting me sheepish looks.
Cody dragged his hand through his hair. “I swear to you. I will sleep in this chair. Nothing will happen.” He looked into her eyes, pleading with her to believe him. “She needs someone here.”
Sarah looked from Cody to me and back again. Her hands dropped, and she let out a breath. “I am trusting you both but only because I won’t be here to help her.” She focused on Cody, her hazel eyes hardening. “Don’t let me down.”
d
The cafeteria was all but deserted when Cody and I showed up. We debated getting our food or waiting for the others, finally taking a seat at a table by the windows.
Aurelia showed up right after Samantha and Dan.
“Hi, Dacia, Cody.” She nodded at us somehow making the movement look graceful. “Thanks for inviting me to join you.”
“No problem,” I said surprised to find the beast sleeping soundly. “This is my roommate and good friend, Samantha, and this is her boyfriend, Dan. This is Aurelia.”
Dan stared. His mouth floundered but no words came out of it. Samantha smacked his shoulder, and his face turned bright red.
“Nice to meet you.” Aurelia stretched her hand toward them.
Samantha pushed Dan’s out of the way and clasped Aurelia’s. “You too,” she said. “Let’s eat.” She steered Aurelia away from Dan.
Dan sat at the table watching Samantha and Aurelia walk away. Cody patted him on the shoulder when we walked by. “Gets easier.”
Dan joined us at the counter after he collected himself. He stood next to Samantha, keeping his eyes on the food.
When we returned with our food, I asked Aurelia, “So, where are you from?”
“I have lived all over.” Aurelia had a couple of hamburgers with no bun. She cut into one, and blood seeped out. “No one place. I do like the mountains best, though. They give me a sense of freedom.”
I looked away from her nearly raw meat, focusing on my taco. “The mountains are beautiful. You can’t beat the view.”
Samantha pushed her salad around, occasionally taking a bite. Dan looked anywhere but at Aurelia.
“Where are you from?” Aurelia looked at each of us as we answered.
“Dan and Samantha are going home tomorrow morning,” I said, “but they’ll be back for the summer semester.”
“Have a major?” Cody asked.
Aurelia dabbed the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “I am undecided for now.”
Cody and I asked several questions, and after Aurelia answered, she turned them back on us. Her actions were stiff and her words formal, but she didn’t have the comfort of friends like the rest of us did.
Every student that stepped into the cafeteria seemed drawn to our table. Several came over and introduced themselves to Aurelia, but most gazed at her from across the room. I wondered if she realized the effect she had on them.
About halfway through lunch, Samantha and Dan loosened up. When Dan finished eating, he threw his arm over the back of Samantha’s chair and rubbed her shoulder. Her smile told me he was forgiven.
While walk
ing out of the student center, Aurelia said, “I want to thank you again for inviting me to join you.”
I smiled at her. “No problem.”
Aurelia turned away from the dorm. For a moment as she walked away, she looked like she was glowing.
When we were out of earshot, Samantha said, “Okay, I see what you mean. She sparkles.”
“She did. Didn’t she?” Dan held the building door open for us. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Yeah”—Samantha swatted his arm—“we noticed.”
“At least I wasn’t the only one,” Cody said. “Feel better now, Dacia?”
“Actually, I forgot to be jealous.” I laughed. “She’s nice.”
“She was,” Samantha said, “but she didn’t really talk about herself.”
I unlocked our door and flipped on the lights. “She was probably just nervous.”
“Or your first impression was right.” Samantha pointed at Big Bird, and Dan plopped down. She sat on the floor in front of him, leaning back against his legs. “Maybe she can’t say where she’s from.”
Dan’s eyebrows rose. “Why not? What was your first impression?”
“The first time Cody and I met her”—I curled up on Cody’s lap—“she sort of appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared again. Everything about her makes me wonder if she’s really human.”
Chapter 12
Death First
“Dacia, where are you, Dacia?” Draconian says in a singsong voice.
I squeeze my body into the corner and turn invisible, but I still feel exposed. Draconian knows I’m here. It’s just a matter of time before he finds me.
“Give up, Dacia. You can’t teleport out of here. You’re trapped.” His voice echoes off the walls. “I’ll go easier on you if I don’t have to track you down like a wild animal.” He paces back and forth, waiting for me to show myself.
He steps so close I think my heartbeat will give me away. When he turns his back, my knees buckle. I grab the walling, holding myself up.