Simon stepped out of the doorway and my jaw dropped.
“Simon! You’ve grown.” When I’d gone to the Academy, we were the same height. Now my twin was at least two inches taller than me. He grinned and ran a hand through his hair.
“Yeah, I shot up a couple of inches.” As soon as he was close enough, I threw myself into his arms for a hug. I breathed him in. Now I was whole again.
“I can’t believe Dad didn’t tell me!”
“Oh, you know Dad. He probably didn’t even notice.”
We got back into the limo and introduced Simon to my friends. He shook hands with everyone.
“Are we waiting on any of your friends?” I asked. Simon shook his head.
“Nah. We get a whole week off, so most of them went home to their families. So Hudson, Sophie tells me you’re from the Dwayyo pack? Your territory includes part of the Appalachian Trail, right? Have you ever hiked it? Hiking the whole thing is on my bucket list. What’s the part that runs through your territory like?”
I studied my brother as he and Hudson traded stories about hiking and strange things they’d encountered in the woods. He was acting casual. Almost too casual. I pushed the thought aside. If something was wrong, he would tell me when he was ready.
We had lunch at the fancy restaurant my dad had organized for us and spent the day in one of the supernatural neighborhoods of New York. Supernaturals had always lived alongside humans with little pockets of their own. Gracie and other supernaturals who couldn’t hide their natures were able to walk freely in these places. We shopped and talked and found an ice cream parlor for dessert.
I didn’t realize how much I needed a day to relax. We were sitting in the ice cream parlor and I was watching Simon demonstrate the tarot card skills he’d been learning at school. He was telling Gracie her fortune.
“Okay. This is a new one I’m still learning. It’s called a Celtic cross. This card right here is—uh—about recent events. Let’s see it looks like it’s the Ace of Pentacles. Have you been especially happy or content lately?”
“Yeah, I have!”
“Well there you go. This card right here is what should happen should you stay on your current path. It’s strength! That’s a good sign. I think it means things will work out in your favor.”
“Hey! I like that.”
“Good. Keep in mind, though, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.” We all laughed. This was the perfect day. My friends and my brother had finally met and loved each other. It was nice hanging out with the immortals, but this was what mattered to me. These people right here. My dragon surged protectively within me.
“I know, girl,” I whispered. “We’ll keep them all safe.”
Too soon it was seven, and time to head back to school. Arnold dropped Hudson, Gracie, Willa, and I off at Animage Academy first since we had an earlier curfew. As we got out of the limo, I was tempted to stick my phone in my pocket and sneak it inside with me. Who would know, anyway?
“Arnold, would you take a picture of us?”
“Of course, Miss Sophie.” We all lined up in front of the derelict building and smiled.
“Will you ask Mom to print that photo and mail it to me, please?”
“As soon as she and your father return from their trip.”
“Thank you!” My friends said their goodbyes and left me alone with Simon. I hugged him again as fiercely as I could.
“Ouch! You’re stronger than you used to be.”
“Oh, sorry. Yeah, I am.” Up close Simon looked tired and sad.
“You sure everything is okay?” He nodded.
“It is.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon for break.” He smiled and pulled me in for one more hug.
“Love you, Soph. Stay out of trouble.”
“Never.”
Once we made it back to the room, I sank into bed with a thankful sigh. The cover and pillows welcomed me with open arms and wrapped me up into heaven. My dragon shifted inside me. She hadn’t been let out today, but even she didn’t protest much as I closed my eyes and gave into sleep. As I drifted off, I was comforted by the fact that there was no class the next day so I could sleep as late as I wanted.
I woke without warning. My eyes flew open. A sense of humming filled my body. My dragon uncurled. She sensed danger. No, not danger. Distress. The feeling was new, but I recognized it immediately. It was like black spots on the edge of my consciousness. As tired as I was, it was like an electric buzz saw to my brain. In the darkness my eyes adjusted quickly. There was a figure at the foot of my bed. I jumped but my dragon was unconcerned. The next second I realized why. It was Willa.
“Oh, Willa, you just about gave me a heart attack.” I blew fire on the candle next to my bed to light it.
“Sorry,” she whispered. If it wasn’t for my range of sound, I wouldn’t have been able to hear her. “I wasn’t sure if I should wake you.” The tickle of distress was still there.
“Willa, what’s wrong?”
“I think I need help, but I’m not sure.”
“Willa, you can tell me what’s wrong.” Even in the dark I could see she was biting her lip.
“You promise you won’t tell anyone?”
“I promise.”
“It’s my mom. I’ve never told you, but we’ve been on the run from the Upholders for years. She had an accident and her magic is very volatile now. They are trying to take her away and put her in an institute somewhere she will never be allowed to use her magic and will never be allowed to leave ever again.”
“Willa, that sounds awful.”
“It is. When I was revealed as an animage, I knew we couldn’t keep running so I set her up in a place here in New York before I let the Upholders find me. They told me I had to come to the Academy, that all animages were required to. I told them Mom had left, and I didn’t know where she was. They seemed to believe me only now…” Willa paused again and began twirling her hair.
“Willa, what’s happening now?”
“I can’t find her. She won’t write and when I scry, I can’t see her. I went to check on her the other night and she wasn’t there. I’m afraid they’ve taken her. I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, let’s go find her.”
“Seriously? You mean it?”
“Yeah,” I said. “You said you went to see her the other night. Does that mean you know a way out of the school?”
“I do.”
“Then let’s go.”
Willa and I dressed in all black and headed out of the dorm room. We snuck to the edge of the trees behind our dorm.
“Wait,” I said. I pulled shadows of darkness around me to cover Willa and myself. Now no one would be able to see us.
“Wow, that’s cool.” Willa said.
“Dragons are creatures of darkness.”
“You sound like a fortune cookie.” I laughed.
“It’s something my dad likes to say. He’s basically a walking fortune cookie.” Willa led us through the trees to the furthest corner of the property. She placed her hand on the outer wall of the lot and pushed. A small opening appeared. Together we crawled through and out into the New York City night.
Covered in darkness like we were, no one paid us any mind as we carefully picked our way through people. The illusion would shatter if we ran into anyone. I kept the illusion on us until we were far away from the Academy and in one of the supernatural streets of New York.
“I’m afraid to ask anyone about her,” Willa said. “What if they tell the Upholders?” We needed a way to find where Willa’s mom was without alerting anyone. That would be difficult. Then it hit me.
“Willa, I’m so stupid. I know a really great Finder.”
“Sophie, I don’t know about telling anyone else.”
“Trust me, Willa. It’s Simon.”
“Can you contact him this late at night?” I nodded. We found a payphone. I spelled it to let me call without paying anything and dialed Simon’s number. Animage Acade
my students were the only ones not allowed to have electronics, the rest of the schools let students keep their phones and devices. Simon and I had a hurried conversation and then he was on his way. Thankfully his school was only a couple of blocks away, so we didn’t have to wait long before he found us. I hugged him.
“It’s good to see you,” I told him. He still smelled the same. Like potions and pine needles.
“You, too. Hey, Willa. What are you guys doing out? We are all going to get into big trouble if anyone discovers us gone.” I glanced at Willa, but she didn’t seem to be in any hurry to tell Simon what was going on.
“We need to find Willa’s mom. She could be in trouble. I thought maybe you could track her somehow?”
“Yeah, sure, do you have anything that belongs to her?” Willa handed him the charm bracelet she always wore. We found a deserted spot in an alley.
“I’ll need some fire,” he said looking at me. I nodded and breathed some fire into my hand. It burned there in a ball. “How long have you been able to do that?”
“About a month or so. It kind of happened on its own when I was arguing with Dad. It freaks people out, so I’ve been keeping it to myself.”
“You could always tell them you have really bad heartburn.”
I placed the fire in a metal hubcap Simon found and then he put the bracelet in the middle.
“Don’t worry,” he told Willa. “It won’t hurt the bracelet.” He knelt down and waved his palm over the fire, chanting words the whole time. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as he worked the magic. Finders were rare. Most witches and wizards could scry if they knew where someone was, but Finders were able to take an object and pinpoint the location of something. If they were strong enough, like Simon, they could even look into the future and the past of what they were looking for. It was powerful magic.
After a few minutes the fire split apart, opening in a circle and in the middle was a lady who looked just like Willa.
“Mom,” Willa whispered. She drew closer to the fire. The woman was standing in line at a store. She kept jumping and glancing over her shoulder at the smallest sounds. Willa let out a long breath. “She hasn’t been arrested. Can you tell where she is?”
“Yeah.” Simon closed his eyes for a moment. “A little grocery store about two blocks from here. We can be there in ten minutes.”
But as we watched her hands started to glow. First, they glowed red. Then green.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” she said. I jumped when the basket of milk and eggs she’s been holding crashed to the store floor. The eggs busted and scattered across the ground. People turned around to look. Willa’s mom shook her hands as they continued to glow in an array of colors. Purple. Gold. Blue. Pink. I had to shield my eyes as they each grew brighter than the last. There was a rush of cold air at my side as Willa took off running. Simon ended the spell, and we dashed after her.
We ran for all we were worth. The glass doors of the store were shattered. Fluorescent lights flickered. The disjointed humming rattled my ears. Willa’s mom sat on the curb, crying. There was no one else in sight.
“Mom!” Willa slowed as she approached. “Are you okay?”
“Willa?” For a moment there was no recognition in her eyes. Simon and I hung back near the corner. Simon was tense. He popped his back and shook out his hands. A muscle in his jaw was twitching. As Willa drew closer her mom smiled and opened her arms to her daughter.
“Mom are you okay?” Willa asked again.
“Oh darling, I’m just fine. Just getting some eggs for breakfast. I’m not sure where everyone went, though. Or what happened to the store. I believe I was just in there.”
“Mom, why did you leave the apartment I set up for you?”
“Oh dear, the muskuppies were getting very loud. I couldn’t sleep at all. I moved to a different spot.”
“Mom, muskuppies aren’t real. It’s just your imagination.”
Footsteps. They weren’t running away like the others. They were getting closer. I slowed my breathing to listen. Six sets coming this way. Their pace was direct. We were in trouble.
“Guys, we have to move.” Willa’s mom sprung up from the curb and backed away from me.
“Mom don’t worry. These are my friends. They’re twins. Simon and Sophie.”
“Willa, we have to move. Upholders are on the way.” Willa’s eyes flared opened wide, and she took a couple of steps back. I recognized the look in her eyes. She was trying to hold on to her animal form. It was too late to run. The Upholders were close enough now I could sense their feelings. None of them were distressed. We had to get out of here.
“I’m going to fly us out of here.”
“Sophie, you can’t.” Simon grabbed my arm and stepped in front of me. “You don’t exactly blend in. If they see you, they’ll know who you are. You’ll get in trouble.”
“Simon, it’s our only chance.” His grip tightened on my arm. Then he gave a curt nod and let me go.
“Willa, when I shift get your mom on my back as quick as you can. Simon, climb up behind them. I’m going to fly really high really fast so hang on tight. When we are out of danger, I’ll find somewhere in Central Park to set us down where no one will see.”
I didn’t wait for a reply. The Upholders were only two streets away. My dragon was waiting. Before I even closed my eyes, she exploded out of me. In seconds my shift was finished. Willa hoisted herself on and pulled her mom up behind her. Simon leaped up at the back. I hoped they were ready for this.
My muscles contracted, and I launched myself into the sky. The wind whistled in my ears as I pumped my wings and climbed faster than I ever had before. The buildings below us looked like toys before I stopped climbing. I dove into a nearby cloud. I hung there until I could concentrate enough to pull the shadows around all of us. When nothing but darkness shimmered around us, I turned my attention to the store.
The six Upholders were searching the area. Two of them were peering into the store and the other four were working the block in a grid-like pattern. None of them were looking up.
Satisfied we hadn’t been spotted—yet—I headed for Central Park. Frost was forming on the tips of my wings. The humans on my back had to be freezing. It took a few minutes of soaring before I found a spot big enough and deserted enough to land. I tucked my feet up under me and lifted my wings to descend. I came out of the air fast and landed with a bump. Immediately I rolled over on my side so my passengers could slide off. As soon as I felt Simon’s weight move, I shifted back to human. I plopped down right in the middle of the field. My whole body was shaking.
“I just need to rest,” I said.
“Wow Sophie, I’ve never even seen Dad shift that fast.” Simon knelt down in front of me. He handed me a water bottle, and I drained it in three big gulps. Willa and her mom stood away from us. Willa was trying to talk, but her mom wasn’t listening. She turned and caught sight of Simon and me.
“Oh, hello. I’m Emily, are you guys friends of Willa’s?” Simon and I exchanged glances.
“Yes, Miss Emily. Actually, Willa called me because she said you have a muskuppie problem? Well, I’m a muskuppie expert. If you’ll show me your apartment, I can get rid of them for you.” Simon always knew what to do.
“Oh, Willa. Thank you my dear. And you always tell me there’s no such thing. Well here’s an expert to tell you differently. Right this way, my boy.”
Willa mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Simon as we followed her mom through Central Park to the apartment. Once we got there, Simon entered first to do his check for Emily’s imaginary pests.
“All clear,” Simon declared when he reemerged. Willa ushered her mom inside. Simon and I stayed on the stairs to make sure no one was following us.
“Mom said you got an invitation to spend Christmas with some of your friends? Are those the friends I met today?” Simon asked.
“It’s a different friend. Drew, from one of my classes. He invited a bunch of us to his parents’ chalet
way up north. But I’m not going. I want to come home with you.”
“Are Willa, Hudson, and Sophie going?”
“Oh, no. They don’t know Drew and his friends that well.”
These were all things Simon could have asked me earlier today. I suspected he was beating around the bush.
“I hope no one saw you.” There it was.
“Even if they did, I’m not going to get into trouble. I’m a dragon.”
“Wow, that was arrogant.” His words stung.
“It’s true. The professors at school let me do whatever I want.”
“Don’t let the fame go to your head there, princess.”
“What did you call me?” Simon had no way to know my friends teased me by calling me princess, but it still grated on my nerves.
“You’re acting like a spoiled brat.”
“Hey, that’s not fair. When everyone was making all over you because they thought you were the dragon, I didn’t see you turning any attention down.” Simon was silent. I probably hurt his feelings, but at that moment I didn’t really care.
“No, you’re right. I’m sorry. That’s wasn’t nice of me.” He scooted closer on the step and nudged me in the side with his elbow.
“Forgive me?” I pushed his elbow away.
“Of course, I do. You’ve been acting weird ever since this summer. Are you mad at me because I’m a dragon, instead of you?”
“No, Sophie. I’m not mad. I think I am jealous, in a way. I never really wanted to be the dragon, all the weight and responsibility of it. My new school is nice, but I feel separate from everyone, like they all know I’m not supposed to be there. I spent my whole life thinking being the dragon was inevitable. And now I just feel like I’m drifting. I don’t know what to do.”
“You have your whole life to decide what you want. Dad now thinks he has my whole life decided for me. It’s stifling. I’m not his puppet. I’m going to be a dragon on my own terms.” Simon chuckled.
“What?” I didn’t think this was very funny.
“I just don’t know how we all fooled ourselves for so long. You and Dad are so much alike. So finicky and stubborn. Neither of you are afraid of anything. You were always a dragon. I don’t know why it took us all so long to see it.”
Dragons and Destiny (Animage Academy Book 1) Page 13