by Katie Cherry
Nathan’s eyes pop open as he’s yanked out of sleep. The bus! He’s going to miss it! He scrambles out of bed and throws on some clothes, skipping the shower. He grabs his shoes and backpack and races out the door, getting to the bus stop at the same time as the bus. Panting, he climbs on and sits down. He quickly gets his shoes on before the bus gets to Angela’s stop. “Almost miss the bus?”
“Yeah,” he replies, turning around and finding himself just a few inches away from Angela’s face. They both scoot back a little, diffusing the tension and awkwardness immediately.
She laughs. “I can tell,” she says, rubbing his head like a dog. “Your hair’s a mess!”
He mockingly sticks his tongue out at her. “And your hair is perfect, as always.”
She frowns and reaches back to fiddle with her high ponytail. “But I didn’t do anything with it. I just stuck it in a ponytail! I was running late too,” she laughs.
“It doesn’t matter that it’s in a ponytail, it still looks great,” Nathan compliments.
She flushes. “Well, thank you.”
He smiles back. “So, did you do the history homework?”
They then talk about the assignments from various classes on the way to school. When he gets off the bus he’s still talking to her, but suddenly stops dead, staring at something in the distance. “…What is it?” Angela asks, following his gaze. “I don’t see anything…”
He blinks and shakes his head. “It’s nothing. I’m just tired, that’s all.” He smiles at her and guides her into the school. He stops and glances back before following her through the door, but there’s nothing there. I could have sworn there was, though… he wonders as he enters the building. And not just anything… I thought I saw Rosulkip. But the little pink monster was nowhere in sight, so he brushes it off as being tired and seeing things, then heads to class.
“Hey Angela, can we come watch your tennis match today?” One of her friends asks at lunch, glancing at Nathan.
She laughs. “Sure… but I’m not playing against Nathan,” she adds, smiling with a knowing look on her face.
The girls are crestfallen. “…Oh. Okay, then.” They continue eating their lunch silently, heads down. Angela shares an amused look with Nathan before she continues to eat her own lunch. After a few minutes, the head of one of the girls pops up. She has a determined look on her face as she glares at Angela. “Why not?” she demands, arms folded. “Why aren’t you playing against Nathan anymore?” The other girls glance from the one who spoke to Angela and back again, obviously waiting for the answer just as expectantly as the one who asked.
Nathan answers her before Angela can. “I’m not going to the meet today.”
“Oh. Why not?” Another girl inquires.
Because I keep seeing Rosulkip everywhere and I want to find her to prove I’m not going insane, he thinks to himself. But all he says is, “I’m busy. I forgot about other plans I had that I can’t skip. …Family stuff.” Their faces all fall and they stare sadly at their trays.
“Oh. Okay,” the first girl sighs, her disappointment clear. Nathan hesitates and almost changes his mind.
“Well… you could all come and watch the game on Monday. Friday’s just practice anyway, the real fun happens on Monday.” Angela glances at him, a little surprised, as the other girls brighten up considerably.
“Okay!” they readily agree, happily returning to their food.
Angela stares at Nathan, trying to figure him out. Confused, Nathan mouths, “What?” but she just blinks and turns back to her lunch, ignoring him. He shrugs, figuring it was nothing and returns to his own food. He finishes his lasagna just as the bell rings, ending the lunch period. Gulping down the rest of his milk, he dumps his tray in the trash, then turns the corner to go to his next class. He passes the men’s bathroom and catches sight of a blur of pink dashing inside. Glancing around, he quickly follows it into the bathroom.
The door slowly swings shut behind him. The bathroom is deadly silent. Nathan slowly takes another step into the dimly lit room. The one working light flickers, threatening to plunge the windowless room into complete darkness. He holds his breath until it stops flickering, then slowly lets it out. He stands under the lone light and peers into the semi-lit darkness of the rarely used bathroom. He catches another dim sight of pink, followed by a wet, nasally laugh that was definitely not human.
“…Hello?” he calls out hesitantly. He’s answered by another hacking giggle, but nothing more. “Who’s there?” he asks, although he already knows. “…Rosulkip?” Another giggle. This one was closer. Goosebumps suddenly erupt across Nathan’s skin; and it’s not just from the cold, damp breeze. His hand slowly slips into his pocket and clutches his ring, eyes darting around the room.
The light starts flickering again. Oh no… Please don’t. Don’t go out… he prays. Despite his pleading, the bulb fizzles out, leaving him blind in the darkness. Quickly slipping on the Matter Ring, he blinks rapidly, trying to get his eyes to adjust enough that he can see with just the light emitting from beneath the door.
He suddenly feels something go through his intangible wrist and hears a hiss of disappointment. “Nasty boy! Horrible, treacherous boy! Why I can’t grab him?” the pink creature moans to itself.
He swallows. “Um, why are you here?”
The light from the hallway is finally enough to see the glower on her face. “To grab boy Nathan,” she simply states.
“Well… how do you that I’m that Nathan?” he asks, hoping to confuse her.
Her reply is swift, however. “You smell of Dragons,” she states, swiping a hand through his arm once again in a futile attempt to grab him. The bell for the next class to begin rings, and he hears it in what seems to be a faraway place as he contemplates what Rosulkip said.
“What does that mean? Dragons? Why would I smell like dragons?”
Rosulkip snarls at him, backing towards the door. “Not that kind. Yous smell of Dragon girl.” She opens the door, causing the sudden light to blind him. “I be back,” she growls before speeding away. The door slowly swings shut behind her, leaving Nathan dazed and confused.
*****
“Nathan? Are you sick?”
He gazes back at the teacher with glazed eyes before blinking and trying to focus on what he said and how he should reply. “I… um…” He glances down at his shaking hands and wipes the sweaty palms on his jeans.
“He sure looks sick,” one of the girls in the class comments.
“…Why were you late to class, Nathan?” the teacher inquires.
“I… um… well, I was in the bathroom,” he finally replies. He lifts a trembling hand to his face, his thoughts still far away. I ‘smell of the Dragon girl?’ That can only be Crystal… but why would Rosulkip mention her? How would she know what Crystal smells like? …Is she in danger?! I have to find Rosulkip again and get some real answers out of her…
“Can I just go home?” he suddenly asks, cutting the teacher off as he starts to say something. He’s surprised, but he agrees and sends Nathan to the office with a checkout sheet. After gathering his things and leaving the front office, he starts walking home. Although he keeps a sharp eye out for Rosulkip, he doesn’t see her the entire way. When he turns onto his street, he notices that there are no cars on the driveway or in the open garage. He breathes a sigh of relief. At least he won’t have to deal with trying to sneak in unseen.
Going up to the front door, he tells it his name and it opens, accepting his voice signature. Peeking his head in, he confirms that no one’s home. Leaving the lights off and the blinds closed, he climbs quickly up to his room, dumping his backpack onto the bed. “Hey!” An indignant voice squeaks.
Nathan tries to suppress a smile. “Sorry, Greg,” he apologizes to his small Familiar as he inches out from under the bag. The rat yawns, whiskers wiggling.
“Why are you home so early today, Nathan?” Nathan quickly runs through his encounter with Rosulkip while slipping on his Lightning Shoe
s and filling another backpack with things that he surmises might help with the hunt. “So you’re going to chase after the thing that’s trying to capture you?!” Greg exclaims in horror, racing onto his backpack as he finishes zipping it up.
“Well, yes. I would rather not be caught off-guard later when I’m unprepared. Plus, I need answers, and Rosulkip isn’t too hard to manipulate. I can get her to tell me anything I want to know.”
“Yes, but what if the other one is there?”
He hesitates, remembering the other monster that had attacked him on the bus and pulled him out. “No one can grab me while I’m wearing the Matter Ring,” he finally says, closing the matter.
The Familiar sighs. “Fine, but I’m coming with you.”
Nathan smiles. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Greg follows behind him as he walks down the stairs to the door. As he opens it, the sound of someone walking towards them reaches his ears. It’s coming from right behind him- in the house he thought was empty. Tensing, he spins around, ready to fight, but relaxes when he sees who it is.
“Grandma,” he sighs in relief.
She raises a curly gray eyebrow at him. “And just what are you up to?” He quickly explains the situation to her, once again grateful that he has someone he can tell the truth to. She smiles slowly once he’s done. “…I’ll tell your mom you’re at a friend’s house until Monday.”
Nathan grins and gives her a huge hug. “Thanks, Grandma! You’re the best!”
“You just do what you have to do and come back safe and sound, okay?” she says, patting him on the back.
“Of course,” he assures her, shouldering his backpack and setting Greg on his shoulder.
“Good luck,” she says, shutting the door behind him.
“Ready?” he asks Greg.
The rat’s tail curls with anxiety. “No,” he answers honestly. “Do we have to do this today? I mean, there’s this one cat that’s really mean to me… we could go bug him instead…” he continues, trying in vain to dissuade Nathan.
He smiles grimly. “Nope. I’m doing this now, and you can come with me, or you can stay home and feel tremendous guilt if I never return…”
“Oh, come on now, that’s not fair! Now you’re trying to manipulate me! …I’m coming, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”
“Fair enough. I’m not happy about this either- we’re not exactly going for a walk in the park,” Nathan states as he steps out into the street, shouldering his backpack full of supplies.
“I think you’re just having withdrawals from Zilferia,” the Familiar contemplates. “You miss having all those near-death experiences, don’t you? What’s wrong with you?”
Nathan turns and looks at the rat seriously. “No, I don’t miss nearly dying. …However, that was the highlight of my life…”
“See?” Greg says triumphantly.
“But nearly dying is not the reason.”
“…Then what is?”
“You know who,” he replies, walking back up the street. Greg is silent for a while, then, thankfully, changes the subject.
“Do you even know where we’re going?”
“Not exactly. I was kind of just hoping Rosulkip will find us.”
“And what if she doesn’t?”
“…I don’t know. We’ll see.”
“And if the other creature comes? What then?”
“I can make him take me to his leader just as easily,” he replies confidently. “That’s all he was concerned about when he ripped me out of the bus the other day.”
“…Fine. We better be home for dinner, though,” Greg adds.
Nathan laughs. “I packed food, don’t worry.”
“Oh, good. At least you remembered the most essential part of this whole trip. If you hadn’t packed food, Nathan, I would be quite worried about you.”
“I’m sure you would be,” he chuckles, shaking his head.
He wanders around for a few hours, keeping a sharp eye out for Rosulkip, but doesn’t see the pink creature anywhere. They stop for dinner in a park. After eating, Nathan lays back on the grass and gazes up at the trees, hearing the song of the Zilferian trees in his mind. Sighing, he closes his eyes. Unbidden, images of Crystal come to him once more. Her eyes closed and face peaceful as she sleeps. He feels a pang in his chest. Oh, how he missed her. Even now, he can still hear the sound of her voice in his mind, still remember her fierce, unwavering determination and stubbornness. The memory lifts the corner of his mouth into a small smile. She was never afraid of anything, he recalls. She excelled at the challenges put before her… I just wish I could do as great of things as she could, he sighs, sitting up.
Sitting there in front of him, just watching him, is Rosulkip. They stare at each other for a moment, then Nathan scrambles to get his Matter Ring on, but he’s too slow as small, scaly red arms reach around him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. He’s surprisingly strong. “We got him!” Rosulkip cheers, jumping up.
“Yes, but now we got to get him to Zarafa,” Gorldf, the red monster, growls.
“Who is Zarafa?” The frustrated Nathan demands to know. The two ignore him.
“Oh, right,” Rosulkip contemplates. “How we gonna do that, Gorldf?”
“…I don’t know,” he growls, frustrated. His breath is hot and wet on the back of Nathan’s neck.
“Um, I can help with that,” Nathan pipes up. They continue to ignore him.
“We could steal a car and fly him there!” Rosulkip suggests.
“No… we not know how to drive.”
“Oh… right. We could… drag him!”
“Zarafa said not to hurt him,” Gorldf replies, clearly disappointed.
“Oh.”
“I’ll come willingly!” Nathan shouts.
They both turn to him. “We no listening to you,” Rosulkip states. “You a liar. You tricky.”
“No, seriously,” Nathan pleads, not wanting to be dragged painfully to their leader. “I’ll come with you! I want to meet… Zarafa! Just show me the way!”
Gorldf narrows his eyes at the boy. “No, Zarafa said no talk to boy. We not going to listen to you.”
Rosulkip sighs. “Wish we could just teleport back.”
Gorldf growls. “Did Zarafa gives you anything, Rosulkip?”
“Yep!” she yips happily, pulling a small silver device out of a sash around her small waist. “This thing. What is it, Gorldf?”
He sighs impatiently. “That a teleporter. Give to me,” he demands. She hands it over.
Gorldf pushes the object into Nathan’s hand and pushes the button. His vision instantly fades, then there are bright, swirling colors all around them, hurting his eyes. Rosulkip and Gorldf fade away, replaced by a white wall. He can’t seem to move the entire time, but when the wall flashes into focus, he finally can. Dropping the handheld teleporter, he jumps up and spins around.
“Hello, Nathan Anderson.” The sweet voice somehow soothes his nerves and slows his racing heart. The person before him is a woman who looked to be in her twenties. Her long, straight red hair accents her piercing green eyes, which lock onto his. He can’t seem to form a reply, her eyes holding him captive. “My name is Zarafa. I’m pleased to meet you at last. I’m so sorry about those two Dorff. I couldn’t come to you personally, I’m afraid. While the Dorff have their uses, they are terribly dumb. Welcome to my home.”
“Z… Zarafa?” Nathan stammers in confusion.
She smiles kindly at him, her perfect red lips curling upwards to reveal her straight white teeth. “I can see you are confused. We will talk later, I suppose. For now, this is your room. Please make yourself at home. Feel free to join me for dessert in an hour,” she invites, exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.
Nathan stares after her, confounded. …Now what do I do? He hadn’t thought this far ahead in his plan. He had no idea what to do now that he had finally found Zarafa.
CHAPTER SIX
; The Dragon Hunters’ Hideout
The forest is silent and dark, lit only from the small amount of light provided by the large crescent moon and the stars above. The smaller moon hidden behind the larger one. Nothing is moving, and there isn’t even a wind to cause the leaves in the trees to stir. The night is peaceful and still. Everything seems to be sleeping- everything except the seven of us, creeping quickly and quietly through the shadows. I glance at Ham and Sierra. To think, I missed them so much over the summer, and now that we’re back together, we’re immediately thrown into yet another life-or-death situation.
While the fear is written clearly on my two friends’ faces, the other members of our team have faces of stone. I can’t read any of their emotions. They are focused on the task at hand; deadly, silent, and powerful. Once again, I wonder why I was even included in this mission at all. Not only do I not have any Gifts, but I am also sadly inexperienced compared to these veterans. I can tell Ham and Sierra feel the same way. I’m just a seventeen-year-old girl. What can I do to help Zelda and Y’vette?
I reach a line where the trees are suddenly smaller and less healthy and stop. My gut clenches in fear and I can hardly breathe. Memories flash before my eyes while I stand frozen in place. A small, cold room with no windows. Men in black everywhere, keeping me under watchful eye. A massive, ferocious porcupine-tiger. A young man named Chet. The memories halt on his hopeful fact. Blinking, I return to the present to see Susan watching me carefully. “Crystal? Are you alright?” she whispers hesitantly.
“Where’s Chet?” I demand. “He could have shown you the way here. He knows the inside of the castle better than I do, as well. I didn’t exactly roam the halls of their secret building during my captivity. Why didn’t you ask him to come?”
She frowns. “We don’t need to address this now. We need to move on.”
“No,” I insist. “Tell me now.”
She glances back at the other members of the group, then shrugs. “He was recaptured by Patrick. We have no idea what happened to him. …He may be dead,” she finally warns, her voice devoid of emotion. Clearly, she has dealt with death before and remains strong as others fall around her.