The Stone Dragon

by H. M. Gooden

  "I am so sorry! Please, I must go. Don't hurt me!"

  Cat stepped forward, gently touching Mai on the shoulder. With a burst of warmth from her hand, she felt Mai relax. A look of surprise and curiosity replaced the despair she'd displayed seconds earlier.

  "What are you? You are different, like me." She squinted at the other two girls. "Are you different too?"

  Cat nodded. "We're all different from most humans, like you, but none of us are the same kind of different. Would you like to come with us and tell us your story?"

  Mai looked at the girls, visibly assessing her options and safety. She slowly nodded her head and her shoulders slumped.

  "Yes, I will come with you. I have nowhere else to go. Maybe you will be able to help me understand what has happened to me."

  The girls walked the short distance through a back pathway through the trees to Vanessa's place in near silence, digesting the unexpected meeting while being careful not to startle their new acquaintance in case she bolted. Cat had known it was time to start looking for answers, but this made things seem much closer. While not definitive, she couldn't help but remember the words Robin had prophesied, saying they would soon add a fourth to the group who would help sail them down a river. Given that Mai had literally almost cried a river at their first meeting, it seemed very likely she was the one that Robin had foretold would join them.

  VANESSA UNLOCKED THE door and swung it open so the others could enter first. Mai looked understandably nervous and hesitated before walking in behind the other two girls. Vanessa shut the door behind her, careful while locking it to make it as inaudible as possible, on the chance that Mai would freak out if she heard the lock engage. Mai, however, was too busy looking around the apartment that the other girls had explored the previous night to notice, and appeared to be amazed by everything around her.

  She slowly wandered through the open space, stopping in front of the large window and looking with wonder at the street below. Mai glanced back at the girls.

  "Are you all very rich then? I am surprised to see young women living here without a parent, with such expensive looking furniture. It all looks very modern. How do you afford such a place?"

  Vanessa laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, Mai, I don't own this place. And yes, it is pricy, but I'm renting from a friend, at least for now. Maybe when I've made a little more money I can buy it, but for now, I'm a renter, not an owner. My sister and friend are just visiting for the weekend. Cat lives with our parents and Evelyn lives with her mother."

  Mai nodded, satisfied. "That makes more sense. What do you do for work then? There are not many jobs for women that could pay for this."

  Mai stopped talking suddenly, then blushed. The girls looked at her curiously before it clicked for Vanessa, who emphatically denied the implication.

  "Oh, good God no! I don't sleep with men for money. I'm an actress." She stopped and considered her words before clarifying. "And no, I don't sleep with men for money as an actress, either. Actually, lots of jobs for women pay well. Can I ask where the heck you're from? That's pretty archaic thinking."

  She sounded like she was joking, but at the same time Cat found it odd to hear a person who was her age say something so blatantly sexist and old fashioned.

  Mai shrugged. "The San Francisco that I know, where I grew up, had few options for women. You were either white and wealthy and did not have to work, or you worked as a servant, or washerwoman, or clerk. If you were not white, you had pretty much the same job options, but with less earnings. That of course, is assuming you came from a decent family. Many women who started in an orphanage or lost their parents ended up at the mercy of others, either in brothels or sold as indentured servants."

  Mai looked at the girls, noticing their expressions of shock and confusion in equal parts and smiled ruefully.

  "I was a lucky one, really. My parents were diplomats from China and we had money when I was young. My father was an important man and could afford a good education for me. Unfortunately, my parents died on the ocean, in an accident on their way back to Hong Kong on business. I was left behind with my aunt, my mother's sister. She was a nice woman, my best friend, but my mother's family did not have as much money. She operated a wash house, or Chinese laundry as they were more commonly known. I was already thirteen and almost grown when my parents died, so I started working with my aunt, pressing shirts and starching collars, but dealing mostly with the business at the front counter as my English was better than hers."

  "Mai, when were you born?" Cat asked cautiously, treading carefully as she was still confused, yet felt as if she was starting to piece things together. The clothing that she'd been wearing when they'd found her at the park now clicked. They had looked baggy and a little unusual, but before this moment, she hadn't thought anything about it. But maybe it was important to the puzzle.

  Mai looked at Cat like she was crazy, answering her with the careful tone one would use with someone who was acting strangely.

  "I was born around the same time as you were probably. April 26, 1890. So, depending on how long I have been a statue, I think I'm sixteen or seventeen. When were you born?"

  Cat nodded her head, the pieces now clicking into place. She answered while Evelyn and Vanessa continued to stare at Mai with their mouths wide open.

  "I was born in 1999. I'll be 17 soon, and Vanessa is 19. Evelyn is already 17, so I'm the baby of the group."

  Cat saw Mai's stunned look and was worried she'd fall over.

  "Maybe you should sit down? The couch is comfortable and I think there’s a lot that we'll have to catch you up on. Do you need something to drink?"

  Mai looked at the couch beside her and sank into it weakly. She looked at Cat with disbelief.

  "How is this even possible? It did not feel like more than a few days. I did not feel that much time passing. How could I have been a statue for over one hundred years? It cannot be possible."

  Cat sighed and came and sat next to her on the couch, patting her knee lightly, non-threateningly.

  "That's the question now, I guess. The truth is, we're just muddling through things ourselves, so I'm not sure if we'll be able to find that answer for you. It was less than a year ago when I found out that I wasn't just an ordinary high school student. Not long after that, we were forced to fight against something we didn't understand and hadn't ever confronted before. This is all new to us as well. Maybe if you can continue with your story? I think it's all related, I'm just not sure how yet."

  Mai nodded, then spoke quietly.

  "Well, that was my entire life. My aunt was wonderful, but we did not have much time for fun outside work. For a few years, that was our existence. Not good or bad, just more work for us. There had been talk of sending me to live in China with other relatives to further my chances at marriage, but I was an American. While my life may not have been exciting or easy, I loved my home and the Bay Area, and I pleaded to stay with my aunt."

  Mai stopped talking and walked over to the window, gazing out into the distance as if to look at the waters of the bay. She sighed, then turned around.

  "But then I turned fifteen and strange events started to happen around me when I was scared or upset. One time when I was outside enjoying a fast moving storm, I was suddenly surrounded by water. Sometimes I could control it, like with small things. The first time I remember being able to control water was with a rain cloud on my way to work. I had a strong wish to work with dry socks. Seemingly by magic, I walked in a spot of sunshine while rain continued to fall on the road all around me.” Mai raised a shoulder, half-shrugging as she explained. “My aunt noticed something was different almost immediately, but luckily, she was able to help a little. In my mother's family, there was a history of strong earth and water magic. When she found out that water answered to me, she was not shocked, especially as I had blue eyes, unlike my parents, which she told me were a sign of water in my chi. She could not help teach me how to control my power though, as she herself did not have
any gift for water, but at least she could help me understand what was happening."

  Cat nodded understandingly. "It's good that you had someone to help you. I was really confused at the beginning when my powers came in as well."

  Mai smiled wistfully. "It was a huge change in my world. I started to get pretty good and was soon able to play with water. But then one day, the world suddenly stopped."

  Mai stopped as well, spending a few moments trying to compose herself while the girls waited intently.

  "A strange man showed up one day, near where our laundry was. He was tall, thin, and very pale, looking like a ghost man or evil spirit come to life. Nothing happened, but my soul felt as chilled as winter on the bay. I was uneasy for the rest of the day, but unsure why. I had a bad sleep that night, with visions of the man laughing in my head. When I was jolted awake in the morning by a sudden loud shaking, I was confused and at first thought my dream had caused it. But as I opened my eyes, I saw things jumping off shelves in my room and ran to the door. The shaking stopped and I raced to find my aunt. But as I got to her room, the shaking started again, this time more violent, and I fell down on the floor."

  Evelyn went over and put a hand on her shoulder, offering support. Mai tried to smile, but a tear leaked out before she continued.

  "I was so scared. I felt no relief when I saw my aunt, still in bed. Books had fallen down around her and her head was bleeding. I managed to crawl over and wake her up. She was only slightly injured, thankfully, but woke up as scared as I was. We huddled together on her bed for what seemed like ages but was probably only a minute, until the shaking stopped. My aunt insisted on going to work to see what the damage was and although I was still scared, I knew she was right and went with her. Our house had only sustained small damage from objects falling and appeared normal otherwise.”

  Mai shook her head, briefly closing her eyes, and Cat knew the memories were still fresh by the pain on her face.

  “Other houses on the way to the laundry had not fared as well. Some looked as though they had been ripped in half by giant hands, while others were entirely gone. My aunt cried when she saw the laundry burning and tried running into the building, but I held her back. I could feel my power swelling up, triggered by all the fear and pain surrounding me. I somehow managed to pull water from the sky and rained it down onto the laundry in a deluge, putting the fire out immediately. My aunt hugged me tightly, telling me to go and do good where needed, before she disappeared into the building. That was the last time I saw her."

  Mai stopped again, swallowing back tears in remembrance, but regained her composure and spoke again.

  "I felt lost, but knew she was right. With all the destruction and fire that had sprung up, water would be important. At this point, I could also sense the water rising in the bay and realized that a tsunami was coming. Running closer to the wharf, I concentrated on damping down the power of the waves. I somehow managed to keep them smaller, only washing a small distance and height and causing no damage that I could see."

  Mai stopped again, shaking her head slightly. "The day passed in a blur of putting out fires. You may think that I am crazy, but I could swear that I saw small creatures dancing in the flames, looking happy and delighting in the fire. I rained and threw water wherever I could, but by evening, I was drained of all my energy. It was there, while I was standing in the middle of a block of houses, numb from the destruction around me, that I saw the man again. He was walking through the street, appearing to glide over the debris without concern, when he noticed me."

  Cat watched as both Mai and Evelyn's faces paled and realized this was what the dreams had been showing Evelyn.

  Mai continued her story, another tear sliding down her cheek. "I was terrified. When he saw me, he laughed. It was such an awful, evil sound. As he came closer, he looked even paler, with skin stretched too tight across hollow cheeks and glittering obsidian eyes. He spoke and it was like an echo through a cave, booming and empty of humanity. I still remember him telling me I was causing a nuisance for him. My fear eclipsed anything I had ever felt and it welled up inside me before bursting out in a snarl. He looked surprised, but then his face became bored. I do not know exactly what happened next, but then everything went dark and then I was here, with you."

  Mai stopped with her head bowed, looking at her feet. After a few deep breaths to calm her raspy voice, she looked back up at the girls, waiting for a reaction or response. Vanessa appeared stunned, but Cat felt a chill cross over her spine from her own memories of a dark and scary man.

  Evelyn spoke with a solemness Cat hadn't heard before. "That was Dub who you met that day. He's an old, dark, and evil god. Actually, the god of darkness from Ireland, to be exact. I've been seeing this in my dreams for the last few months, but didn't know it was you that I was with."

  Mai looked at her curiously. "What did he do to me? "

  Evelyn paused before speaking, appearing to be choosing her words carefully.

  "From what I can tell, I think that you actually turned into a dragon on your own, which was why he looked surprised. And then to put it into words that you would use, I think he stole your chi, which was why you became a statue."

  Mai shook her head. "No, that is not possible. How could he steal my chi? And how could you give it back to me, if he did?"

  She turned to look at Cat with disbelief. "How could I turn into a dragon? I am not a dragon, they are not real!"

  Cat smiled at the indignation in Mai's words and expression and tried to answer as best she could with the limited knowledge that she had.

  "I'm not sure how you turned into a dragon, but it's likely an extension of your water abilities. The man you saw steals souls, but not until someone is dead do they sever from the body and belong to him completely. Somehow, he turned you to stone when he tried to remove your soul, either accidentally or intentionally, which preserved you in the state in which we found you."

  Cat exhaled, irritated with herself for being so confusing in her explanation.

  "I can hardly figure out what's happening, let alone explain it," she said. "One of my abilities is that of healing souls and physical injuries. When we found you, I could sense a faint bluish glow, but wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling. That must have been what was left of your soul or chi. When I touched the statue, I was able to heal your aura and help it regenerate until it became whole and you reemerged from your stone prison."

  Vanessa shook her head.

  "I still have no idea why that scary bastard let us walk away after beating Declan. Especially if he turned Mai into stone after she put out a few fires. That just doesn't fly with how evil he is. Why would he let us go?"

  Evelyn shrugged. "I wonder if there's more to the story. I've seen other images in the dreams, other dark people who reminded me of Declan. There's something bigger at play. Maybe it wasn't about Mai. Perhaps she just was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

  "Well, I don't know what's going on, but I'm pretty sure that Mai is who Robin said would come to help us. We'll need to learn from each other, but we can figure this out later."

  Cat looked over at Mai, seeing the weariness on her face and in her aura, then stood up, gesturing as she walked over to the bedroom door.

  "Come, you need to get some sleep. You can rest in here." Cat opened the door to the room she was sharing with Evelyn and pointed to her bed. "Lie down while I make something to eat. You've been through a lot."

  Mai nodded and without another word, walked over to the bed and pulled the blanket over herself before closing her eyes.

  Cat quietly pulled the door closed, then sat back down on the couch and looked at Vanessa and Evelyn.

  "So, how's that for our first day?"

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The excitement of the morning had worn off. Instead of having lunch by the wharf as planned, the girls prepared food at the apartment to give Mai time to rest. While the new girl slept, the other three discussed her story. Evelyn had shared the i
nformation about the other people that she'd seen in her dreams that weren't as good as Mai. They all agreed that Mai wasn't evil, despite the odd way they'd found her, and that she was most likely there to help them in the battle. Once she was a little more accustomed to the modern world, that was. They decided after lunch that they'd still go out to explore the city, but this time with Mai, who could serve as a guide to the past if she was up for it.

  No one wanted to be the one to wake her, so the day had begun to fade into late afternoon before Mai opened the door. She looked better, but sheepish.

  "Sorry for sleeping so long. You would not think that I would need to rest after being a rock for more than one hundred years."

  Cat smiled."Don't worry. It's good that you were able to get some rest. Are you hungry? We made some Mac and Cheese, if you want some." Cat laughed at Mai's confused expression. "Sorry, of course you have no idea what that is. It's a noodle and cheese dish. People call it fast food, because it doesn't take long to cook. We've already eaten, so you can have as much as you want."

  Mai nodded in thanks before sitting down at the table, examining the food in the bowl with curiosity.

  "This is Mac and Cheese?" she asked, then took a bite and looked ecstatic. "It tastes good!"

  She proceeded to devour the entire contents of the bowl. When she'd finished, she leaned back with a contented sigh and patted her stomach. "That was very good, thank you."

  She straightened up again, looking at Cat with a questioning expression. "I remember you saying that you wanted to look around San Francisco. What are you looking for?"

  "I've been having dreams for months now," Evelyn answered. "About what I think was the day of the earthquake. I never saw you in my dreams, but I did see the man and your interaction with him, as well as the destruction surrounding you. I'm pretty sure that I've been seeing things from your perspective this entire time. I think that we're supposed to learn something about that day, that somewhere in the past there's a clue that will help us fight him in the present. So, the more we find out, the more prepared we'll be when he comes for us and I think you can help us with that."