by Dune, Kyra
CHAPTER FIVE
Over the next week, the couch became my best friend. We were practically inseparable. Forget going to the cafeteria to eat; I talked my brother into bringing my food to the room, where I ate on the couch and pretended I was back home. Meanwhile, he and the others were getting out among the dragons and getting to know people. Which was fine with me. I didn’t care what they did so long as I didn’t have to do it too.
Jonah came by every day, but whenever he would drop hints about training I pretended not to notice. Part of my problem was fear, but comfort was almost equally to blame. I felt safe and secure for the first time in months. All I wanted to do was enjoy it and let the rest of the world pass right on by me.
I was perfectly happy except for one small thing. No Zack. I had no idea where he was or what he was doing and I was too embarrassed to ask Jonah. And I certainly had no intention of going to look for him. I probably would have hung out there on the couch until the end of time if not for Hannah.
I was lying on the couch leafing through a magazine without really paying any attention to what I was looking at, when Hannah came into the room, grabbed me by the arm, and hauled me bodily to my feet. “Hey! What the... Hannah!”
“Don’t Hannah me in that tone of voice,” she said. “Go in the bathroom, splash some water on your face and run a brush through your hair. Jonah will be here in ten minutes. We’re going out.”
“What?” I looked around the room. Brandy and Curtis were sitting at the table, and Derek was in the chair by the door. By the expressions on their faces, they knew exactly what was going on while I was completely clueless. “What do you mean, ‘going out’?” I tried to pull free from Hannah’s grip but she just dug in harder. “Going out where?”
“To meet people,” Hannah said. “No more acting like a hermit crab with a couch for a shell. You hiding out in here is making people nervous. And a bunch of nervous people stuck underground is not a good thing. So step to it.” She pushed me toward the bedroom, which was where the bathroom was.
“What if I don’t want to go out and meet people?” I asked.
“Too bad,” Hannah said. “You’re getting out of this room whether you like it or not.”
I looked around again and saw I was going to get no support on this. “I can’t believe it. You’re a bunch of traitors. I feel like that salad guy who got stabbed in the back by all his friends.”
Brandy sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t refer to Julius Caesar as ‘that salad guy.’ You are not being stabbed in the back. You simply cannot do nothing all day but lie on the couch. It’s unhealthy. Anyway, you’re supposed to be learning to control your powers. Isn’t that the reason we’re here? You can’t do that unless you get up and out.”
Don’t you just hate it when other people are right? “Okay. Fine. Point taken. It’s just... I’m nervous okay? I have no idea what Megara told these people about me, but I’m pretty sure it was a bunch of lies I can’t possibly live up to. Even with training.”
“In a way, you can’t really blame Megara for hyping you up some,” Derek said. “These people are in a dark place. They were badly in need of a little sunlight.”
“That would be you,” Hannah said. “See, when Jonah got your scent--”
“My scent?” I wrinkled my nose.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, but when you say it like that it sounds so... creepy.”
Hannah rolled her eyes toward the ceiling as if asking it for the patience to deal with me. “When Jonah sensed you coming into your powers he told Megara, and she got to thinking it would lift everybody’s spirits if they thought they were getting another really powerful hybrid on their side. Worked too. Jonah says the mood around here has been way better since people were told you were coming.”
“Been spending a lot of time with Jonah, have you?”
“He’s pretty cute. And that accent.” She licked her lips. “Yummy. I wouldn't mind getting to know him a little better.”
I shook my head. “How can you be thinking of romance at a time like this?”
“How can I not?” Hannah countered. “I don’t want to shock you, but it’s not like I was a nun before I hooked up with you people. I’ve been spending way too much time with myself over these past few months, if you get what I mean.”
Derek drew a hissing breath in through his teeth. “That’s a bit of an over share, don’t you think?”
“Oh please, like you haven’t been missing your fiancé. By the way, did you tell Abby she’s coming up?”
“Stephanie is coming here?” It seemed like I was always the last person to know these things. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You have a lot on your mind.”
“Me getting to meet my future sister-in-law is happy news.” I smiled. “I could use some happy news.”
He smiled back at me. “I think you’ll like her.”
“Of course I will.”
A knock at the door and of course it was Jonah. In three seconds flat I went from being really excited at the thought of meeting Stephanie, to terrified of going out among the other dragons.
“It’s going to be okay.” Derek took my hand as we stepped out into the hall. “These people are really excited to meet you.”
“Yeah,” Hannah said. “To them you’re like a superhero or something.”
“Gee, thanks. That makes me feel so much better.” My throat was so dry it was a wonder I could even talk and my mouth tasted like I’d been chewing on an old sock. I really wished Brandy and Curtis had come, but she’d opted to stay in the room and insisted Curtis do the same. She seemed to think it would be better if I met the other dragons without two humans along. I can’t imagine why.
“I asked them to keep it toned down,” Jonah said. “This won’t be as bad as you think it will. It’s not as if they’re going to mob you or anything.”
Easy for him to say. But then people who have nothing to worry about always act like that, don’t they? When we got to the cafeteria, Jonah opened the door and we stepped inside. And just like that, forty pairs of eyes staring at me again. No clapping this time, though. Oh no. Silence. Complete and utter silence. If Derek hadn’t been holding my hand I would have bolted.
Somehow I managed to put one foot in front of the other and move forward even though I really didn’t want to. As soon as we got close to the crowd, Jonah started to make introductions. Names went straight through my head without sticking. Faces blurred before my eyes.
We waded into the crowd and soon they were all around us. Not pressing in too tightly, but still making me feel a little claustrophobic and lightheaded. Everybody smiled. They all told me how happy they were to see me and how sure they were that a bright future waited ahead of us. I have no idea what I said back. If I said anything at all.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a familiar face. I twisted, Zack’s name on my lips, but he wasn’t there. I spent the rest of the time we were there searching the crowd for another glimpse of him and wondering if I had imagined seeing him in the first place. I don’t think anyone even noticed how spaced out I was.
I didn’t draw an easy breath until we left the cafeteria. Out in the hall I had to lean against the wall for a minute until my limbs stopped trembling.
“Are you okay?” Derek asked.
“All those people...” I dropped my head back against the wall. “I can’t do this. I can’t be their... their hero. Megara made a mistake.”
“Don’t be trying to tell her that,” Jonah said. “She’s convinced the two of you can take on the world. If you ever get to training, that is. She’s getting a bit antsy, but I’ve talked her into keeping a distance and giving you some space. I think she realizes the way she approached you the first time was a mistake, even if she’s never come right out and said as much.”
“A mistake?” Derek snorted. “She killed four innocent people for no good reason. I’d say that’s something more than a mistake.”
“And Megara would say there is no such animal as an innocent person,” Jonah said. “She doesn’t have much use for humans in any case. So far as she’s concerned, they’re expendable.”
“How do you feel about that?” I asked.
Jonah shook his head. “Human or dragon, it makes no difference to me. The only time you’ve got a right to take a life is when you’re protecting yourself and your own. But Megara has a different view of things. She feels no more guilt for killing those humans than you would feel at swatting a fly.”
“And this is the person who is supposed to teach Abby to control her powers?” Derek made a face. “I’m liking this idea less with every passing second.”
“Hey, just because this chick is psychotic doesn’t mean she can’t teach Abby a thing or two,” Hannah said. “Crazy ain’t catching.”
“Maybe not, but what is she going to do when it comes to the point that she’s taught Abby all she needs to know and then doesn’t get what she wanted out of the bargain?” Derek asked. “She isn’t going to let us leave here.”
“Is he right?” I looked to Jonah. “Do you think she would try and force me to do what she wants?”
Jonah rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s possible. This is a serious situation for us all, but to Megara it’s an obsession. After all she’s been through, I can’t say as I blame her for feeling the way she does, but her methods are a bit extreme for my taste.
“Take this whole rebellion idea. I don’t see how it can work. It’s a matter of numbers, you know. We might, and I stress that word hard, be able to take out the Oregon clans with two fully powered hybrids if we can hit them by surprise. But once clans in the other states get wind of what’s happening it won’t be long before they band together to stop her. They’ve never done it before, but if she becomes a direct threat they will. We couldn’t possible win against such odds.”
“There are other hybrids here,” Hannah said. “It would make more sense to wait until they came into their powers. The more hybrids she has on her side the better the chances of success. Right?”
“The oldest hybrid here aside from Megara and Abigail is still nine years away from coming into his powers,” Jonah said. “And the others are even younger. Besides, before you showed up these people were getting restless. Most of them haven’t left the bunker in years.
“Megara is like any other leader, she only has the power her people give to her. She knows she can’t wait much longer to take some kind of action. She’s going to want you ready to make a move on the other clans by the end of year. I’m sure of it.”
“It’s crazy,” I said. “This whole thing is crazy.”
“I agree,” Jonah said. “And yet... what else can we do? How can we sit by and let this go on? I've been around these young hybrids. I’ve seen them playing with the other children like they were all the same, because they are the same. It took coming here to show me that. They aren’t monsters. You aren’t a monster. And neither is Megara, no matter what she’s done. Somehow, it has to stop.”
On that at least we could agree. I just had to decide whether I was willing to kill, or even die, to try and do something about it.
CHAPTER SIX
Megara and I stood facing each other in a large, empty room. The only light was the single bulb hanging above us, leaving the corners draped in shadows. I think she did that on purpose trying to intimidate me. Well, if that was her goal, it was working.
We’d been there maybe five minutes and she hadn’t moved or even spoken a word. I shifted my feet. “So, what are we--” I dove to the side as a fireball came roaring at me. Yeah, that’s right, a fireball. Aimed at my head. Not a little one either, this thing was the size of a basketball.
Rolling across a concrete floor is not fun, let me tell you. I glared at Megara. “What did you do that for?”
“To test your reflexes,” she said, like it was no big deal she’d lobbed a fireball at my head. “Not bad.”
“Are you insane?” I pushed myself to my feet. “You could have --” Air snapped around my legs and jerked them out from under me. I hit the floor hard enough to make my head bounce. My teeth clamped down on my tongue. You know how a penny smells? That’s how it tastes when your mouth is full of blood.
“First thing you can learn from me,” Megara said, “is to always pay attention. Especially when you’re around other dragons.”
My head was buzzing as I rolled over onto my hands and knees. The floor turned to sludge. I jerked my hands back but the sludge surged up and captured my wrists. It went solid. Not enough to really hurt me, but enough to hold me where I was.
Fear burned low in my gut even though I was almost sure I wasn’t in any real danger. My heart pounded in my ears. I tasted something more than blood in the back of my throat. Nothing like being trapped to get your fight or flight instincts kicked up.
“Concrete is made with water and sand.” Megara strolled toward me. “Most earth or water dragons couldn’t do much of anything with that, but a hybrid can. That’s your second lesson. For us, anything can become a weapon.”
Megara crouched in front of me. An icicle formed in her hand. She touched the sharp tip to the spot between my eyes. “Now you’re dead.”
“Great,” I said through clenched teeth. “Does that mean training is over?”
The icicle melted slowly and each drop hovered there in the air before my face. “Look at you.” Megara’s lip curled at the corner. “You didn’t try to defend yourself or strike back at me. You’re not trying now. Lack of training isn’t your problem. It’s lack of spine.”
Ice cold water hit my face. I gasped, blinking against the wetness. When the sludge slid away from my wrists, I sat back on my heels and looked for Megara. But she was already gone. The door to the room stood open.
“That was intense.” Jonah stepped out of the shadows.
Heat flooded my face. “You saw all that, huh?”
He nodded. “Sorry to be spying. I wanted to see you in action.”
“Real impressive, right?” I rose slowly to my feet. “I don’t suppose you have any aspirin? My head feels like it was whacked against a concrete floor.”
His smile at my weak attempt at humor held more pity than amusement. “I could check our little pharmacy, but there’s not much in it.”
“Never mind. It’ll pass.” I rubbed my wrist. “Megara was right. I’m too weak for all this. I don’t want to be here. I don’t even want to be a dragon. All I want is to wake up safe at home in my own bed like all this never happened. Guess that makes me a coward.”
“It makes you a person,” Jonah said. “I know exactly what you're feeling. The fear. The helplessness. The wishing it was all a dream. We’re a lot alike, you and I. I had a normal life once myself. A family. A home. Nobody knew I was any different from any other spirit dragon until I turned sixteen and came into my powers.
“Then my whole world was turned inside out. I had to leave not only my home and family, but my whole country. I was terrified of coming to the States. Terrified of meeting a real, live hybrid. All I wanted was for things to be the way they once were. So trust me, I understand. I’ve been where you are right now. Give it time. It’ll get better.”
I appreciated his words, but they didn’t help. “If Megara is going to go this hard at me during all our training sessions, I might not live long enough for it to get better.”
“Her training methods are harsh, I’ll give you that,” Jonah said. “But then I was trained to be a spirit dragon, which involves a lot of sitting and mediating and searching for your inner peace, so what do I know?”
His words gave me an idea. Maybe it was a crazy idea, but at that point I was willing to try anything. “Maybe you should train me.”
“What? I doubt Megara would approve of that.”
“So we won’t tell her. We won’t tell anybody.”
“Not even your friends?”
I shook my head. “Derek wouldn’t like it and probably Brandy wouldn’t e
ither. So no, I wouldn’t tell them a thing. I could train with you in the mornings and Megara in the afternoon and just let them think I’m with her all day.”
“I don’t know. Keeping secrets from Megara... If she found out she’d be furious. Besides, I could only train you the way I was trained.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what I need.” The more I thought on it, the more I warmed to the idea. “I could sure use some inner peace. And it can’t hurt. Please, won’t you at least try?”
He thought it over for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. “All right. We’ll start tomorrow morning. But not here. Someone might see us. I know of a better place. More private. Come out into the hall and let me show you something.”
Out in the hall he pointed to a red line running high up on the wall. “You see that?”
“Yeah.”
“Follow this red line until you come to a wall with a yellow one. Then follow that one until you get to where I’m waiting for you. I’ll show you my little slice of paradise. But you can’t say anything to anyone. This is a secret.”
I’m not stupid. The idea of meeting him to go off to some secret, secluded place did make me a little nervous. But I was a dragon with active powers and he wasn’t, so it’s not like I couldn’t protect myself if I needed to.
“I promise I won’t say a word.” I started down the hall. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When I got back to the room, the only ones there were Curtis and a dark haired boy about his age. They were sitting at the table staring at the laptop and seemed to not even realize I was there. “Hello.”