by Hati Bell
A white-hot, searing pain appeared behind her eyes and she knew the migraine attack wasn’t over yet. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. She shouldn’t complain. Her great-grandmother had suffered from migraines almost at a daily base. Something that eventually resulted in her inability to get out of bed and even end up at an asylum. Compared to that, she was blessed, she convinced herself for the nth time. She was a star at relativity. Yup. Einstein had a real fan in her.
Somewhere, a car alarm started going off, and the shrill sound made her head pound.
She put one foot in front of the other in her hurry to cross the street. Her ears were ringing and a white light flashed behind her eyelids, which was why she didn’t see the black van coming right at her until it was too late.
TWO
Amber heard a curse and then someone pushed her, which hurled her forward. Her ankle got sprained and her Achilles’ heel protested.
Screeching tires hit the gas and disappeared with a roar. It smelled like burnt rubber and exhaust fumes. She would’ve fallen flat on her face if someone hadn’t caught her. Arms were wrapped around her knees and back and suddenly she was lifted off her feet and tucked against a chest. She felt a bit groggy, like when nestled against a hot water bottle and slowly dozing off.
She lifted her head to look at her savior. He had high cheekbones, a small crook in his nose, and suntanned skin. His shoulder-length hair was so black it almost appeared blue in the sunlight. A couple of hundred years ago, she would’ve mistaken him for a pirate.
He bent to pick up her bag, while still holding her. His face came awfully close. She shut her eyes and sighed in relief when he got back up without touching her skin.
“You don’t have to close your eyes, beautiful. I don’t mind you looking at me,” he said, sounding amused.
The heat that surrounded her increased and the fuzzy feeling returned. Her headache receded to a bearable level, while he carried her inside the school. How odd.
The long hallways of Trinity college were deserted. The floor had recently been waxed, because the air was filled with the scent of chemical cleaner.
“Your ankle is most likely sprained. You should be more careful when you cross the street. That could’ve ended much worse.”
“Maybe,” she admitted somewhat unwillingly. “Although that would’ve been the solution to my problems.” When he looked at her in shock, she hurried to reassure him. “That was a joke. Of course I don’t want to end up like roadkill. I just wasn’t paying attention to where I was going because of the storm inside of my head. It just happens after having a nightmare. Not that I’m complaining. Well, maybe a little.”
He was a good listener because he didn’t interrupt her while she told him about her visions. “I’m just not normal,” she sighed, hating the pity party, but she couldn’t help it.
“No, you’re definitely not,” the stranger said. His eyes were glistening in joy and another emotion she couldn’t define. “You’re… extraordinary.”
“I dreamed that someone was murdered in the gym,” she told him. “I couldn’t see the face of the murderer, but I did see a tattoo on his chest. It was some kind of red snake. You know anyone with a tattoo like that? Because I sure don’t.”
There was a short silence. “It was just a dream,” the guy eventually said.
Amber wished it was only a dream, but even in her semi-delirious state, she knew better. “Just a dream. Can’t interfere,” she mumbled.
“You can’t tell anyone about your dream,” he whispered in her ear. “Promise me.”
He’d saved her life. At that moment, she would’ve agreed to anything, even his strange request. “I promise,” she mumbled.
To her surprise, he wiped a tear from her cheek and put his thumb in his mouth. “In some parts of the world your life would now belong to me,” he whispered.
She smiled at the absurdity of that thought. Before she could tell him that, their conversation was interrupted by a screech from the school nurse. Obviously, Mrs. Croft had seen her standing in the doorway.
“Amber O’Neill! I thought your dad had called you in sick. Put her on that couch, young man,” the school nurse said briskly. Her grey curls jumped up and down in agitation.
“Amber…” the stranger said with a rolling r, as if he wanted to taste her name on his tongue.
The minute he put her down and stepped away from her, her ankle started to throb again. She wanted to jump right back into his arms and use his magical body heat, but realized that she’d been hanging like a sack of potatoes in his arms for long enough.
Mrs. Croft handed her a glass of water and some painkillers. Amber thankfully accepted them and closed her eyes. Within moments, her ankle was taped. Several minutes later she felt the effects of the painkillers kick in and she opened her eyes.
The stranger was leaning against the wall. He’d crossed his arms in front of his chest and was staring at her.
She gazed right back, studying him. He wore jeans, sneakers, and a black t-shirt that fit him like a second skin. He was impossibly tall, taller than her brothers. There was something about him that she couldn’t identify. He had to be one of the newcomers from Meadow college.
“Your ankle is sprained, so you’ll need crutches for the next couple of days,” the nurse said. “I’m afraid you’ll have to miss introduction camp. I’ll ask Ian to take you home.”
Amber couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief. During the camp, several group activities and contact sports were organized. She always ended up finding out more about her classmates than she wanted to. No one deserved to be bombarded with flashes of cat pictures, lip-locking couples, or vomit-fests after a night of clubbing.
Croft pulled out a pair of crutches and Amber placed the massive devices under her arms. The newcomer raised an eyebrow when he saw her struggle.
“I don’t want to bother Ian. He has football training,” Amber said. “If you can just give me the usual stash of painkillers, I’ll be off.”
“Nonsense!” Croft dismissed her objection. “Ian is used to the effects of your… headaches. He doesn’t know any better than…”
“Exactly. He doesn’t know any better,” Amber said through gritted teeth. She hated always having to be the weakest link and being reminded of it.
She was torn when she saw her bag on the floor. It seemed impossible to pick it up while simultaneously hoping she wouldn’t drop her crutches.
The newcomer pushed himself off the wall and smoothly picked up her bag. She sent him a thankful look. If he helped her any more, she would have to give him her firstborn.
“I’ll take her home,” he offered.
The nurse raised a brow. “And who exactly are you?”
“I’m Cage,” he answered after a short pause. He opened the door before Croft could respond. “Ladies first,” he said, while gallantly pointing at the exit.
Amber wished that her pace was just as elegant, but the crutches made that impossible. She eventually left the nurse’s office, half-limping like a cripple. They walked into the hallway in a calm silence that was only interrupted by the uneven thumping of her crutches. The yards and yards of shiny linoleum appeared to be creeping away. Slowly. So slowly.
Cage looked as if he’d rather carry her again. She imagined him already regretting his offer, thinking no good deed goes unpunished.
“I’m sorry I’m so slow,” she said. “I can tell that it is annoying you.”
“That’s not what annoys me.”
She noticed how he didn’t deny that he was annoyed. For some reason that annoyed her. When she mis-stepped and tipped sideways, he sighed.
“This walk would be a lot faster and less painful for you if I would just carry you,” he suggested.
Amber looked at the big clock on the wall. It was almost lunch time. She’d rather hobble her way outside than be carried away in public.
Another sigh followed. “I can tell you won’t go for that, so I’ll just have to look at
you stumbling. Can I pick you up if you fall flat on your face and kiss the floor, though?” he asked dryly.
“Please don’t feel obliged to keep your promise. By the way, I’d rather kiss the floor than you,” she snapped. He didn’t seem to be impressed by her outburst. He stared at her lips and oddly her breath caught in her throat.
“No, you wouldn’t,” he said.
She felt he cheeks burn. “I didn’t mean… you don’t have to take me home. I can just call Ian,” she said stiffly. She knew he would call their father. He would interrupt his conference and make his way home. Again. She sentenced herself to a week of the chamomile tea she loathed, and a pile of pillows in her back.
“I promised I would,” he reminded her. “I’m a man of my word.”
“And a promise is a promise, right, how could I ever forget,” she mumbled.
“It sure is. More than you probably realize. You look pale. Maybe I should take you to the hospital first so that they can do a thorough check. Something the nurse should have suggested herself, instead of just sending you off.”
She realized he was annoyed because Croft had let her go so easily. “She couldn’t do more for me than give me some painkillers.”
“Do these… headaches… happen often?”
“On occasion. It’s like a family heritage,” she tried to explain. “Some sort of genetic disorder. It’s not like I can control it.”
“One never can with a heritage,” he answered, sounding a bit forlorn.
When they stepped outside she suddenly remembered that she had to go to the library. “I need some books from the library,” she said while she looked at him apologetically. “They’re reserved in my name and are waiting for me at the information desk.”
“No problem,” he said. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Amber stepped towards the stairs that led to a bench which looked dangerously steep while carrying crutches. Suddenly she was lifted into the air and her crutches dropped on the floor. She relaxed when she felt the now-familiar warmth. After a couple of steps, he gently put her down on the bench.
“There’s no shame in asking for help, beautiful,” he whispered. He left before she could think of a comeback.
Lunch had started and the school yard was flooding with students. Within a matter of moments, most tables were occupied. Some classmates came by to say hi. Vanessa Rush stuck around longer than the rest of them. Amber suppressed a smile. Vanessa had had a crush on her brother Ian for a while and tried anything for him to get to notice her. Even hanging around his weird sister.
“Did Cindy Summer really ask you to sing for Bryan at his birthday?” Vanessa wanted to know.
Amber nodded. Cindy Summer always came up with the wildest ideas. Instead of just asking Bryan on a date, like a normal person would do, she’d planned a live serenade for him.
A few minutes later, when there almost fell an awkward silence, Amber saw Ian approaching, with Dave in his wake. They were both wearing their football gear and looking pissed off.
Ian sat down next to Amber and squeezed her hand. She sighed when the image of her brother making out flashed before her eyes. Yuk.
“Sorry. What did you see?” he asked curiously.
“You and Sarah in a dark, secluded corner, Friday night, at the introduction party.” She comforted herself with the fact that Ian now was in the “vision free zone,” that is, until this vision had come to life.
Ian looked smug. “I knew she had a heart hidden somewhere under that layer of ice.” Amber wisely decided to ignore that remark. According to her best friend Pinky, Sarah was in love with Ian but was playing hard to get.
Dave stared at the parking lot, his jaw clenched. Ian followed his gaze and his eyes hardened.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“No. They took our bloody parking spot, and they’ve only been here a day,” Ian growled.
“Filthy dragons,” Dave added.
Vanessa raised an eyebrow, but Amber wasn’t concerned about whatever the Dynamic Duo might accidentally reveal. The mascot of Meadow College had, very fittingly, been a dragon, so the cuss word wasn’t a surprise.
She didn’t recognize the pickup truck that was parked in Ian’s usual spot. It seemed to her that it could have just as easily belong to one of the human newcomers. Not everyone at the former Meadow College was a dragon, after all.
The group around the truck consisted of two guys and a girl. One of them, a blond specimen with a mohawk, towered over the other two. His jeans and tank top fitted closely around his bulging muscles. The guy next to him was wearing oversize overalls and had a round, friendly face. The girl wore a miniskirt and fishnet stockings.
Amber felt light in the head and her eyes were still a bit misty, so she wasn’t sure about the golden glow around their skin.
The next moment it was as if a bell had rung, because suddenly Ian and Dave were surrounded by their friends. She cursed inwardly when she disappeared between the bench and the wall of guys. This was their final year and she was not going to start her first day ending up in a brawl.
Dave looked down at her and tapped her hand as if he was trying to comfort her. She smiled when she saw that he got car keys. He would turn nineteen in three months, exactly six months after her own eighteenth birthday.
“What happened to your ankle?” he asked.
“I fell and sprained it.”
“I’ll go get the car,” Ian said.
“Oh, that’s okay. I know you have football practice. Someone’s already offered to take me home.”
“Who?” Ian asked.
“His name is… oh, there he is,” she exclaimed.
Judging by Vanessa’s revived look, she wasn’t the only one happy to see Cage. Vanessa looked like a real life version of Barbie, and she knew it. The only reason Ian hadn’t noticed yet was that he was already tripping over gorgeous girls.
Much to Amber’s surprise–and internal satisfaction–Cage didn’t even glance at Vanessa, but stopped right in front of her. He had a cautious look in his eyes when he noticed the group surrounding her. He stuffed her bag in his hands as if he were trying to knead it into a ball.
She smiled, to let him know that she wasn’t part of the anti-Meadow-movement. “Ian, this is…”
“Drake Cage. Former boxing champion of Meadow College. He won the cup for the Southern District,” Vanessa whispered while she batted her eyelashes.
Amber blinked a few times, squinted her eyes, and then noticed his golden glow. Of course. How had she missed that? That certainly explained the rapidly increasing hostile atmosphere.
She sent Drake Cage a look, but he simply shrugged. She decided to break the icy silence by finishing her sentence. He had saved her life, after all. Ian would simply have to get over his dislike for dragons. “He has…”
“Chosen the wrong person to take home. Stay away from my sister, you filthy dragon,” Ian growled.
“Ian!” Amber was shocked by the hatred in his words.
In a flash, almost impossible to detect, minuscule cinders appeared in Drake’s eyes. The next moment, he had his emotions under control.
Suddenly, she couldn’t imagine that she hadn’t immediately noticed the dragon blood running through his veins. The migraine she had had that morning appeared to be causing her more and more trouble.
As if the tension weren’t already bad enough, the group from the parking lot appeared at Drake’s side. The blond version of Drake raised his eyebrows when he saw her. He looked surprised, as if he couldn’t imagine why anyone would make a fuss about her.
A loaded silence fell.
Drake looked at her questioningly. She realized that he was silently asking her if she was ready to go home. He seemed to think that it was still possible for them to leave together. Sadly, she found herself in the exact position she didn’t want to be in.
Ian was strong. Not human-strong, but dryad-strong, and incredibly fast. The dragon blood running through Drake’s veins,
however, was stronger. The only reason her kind hadn’t been wiped out centuries ago was that the light-footed dryads would always be just a fraction of a second faster than dragons. The universe had had a foreseeing look and had provided a balance this way. Dragons had a fireproof skin and dryads could spend hours underwater without drowning. They were like fire and water, in every way.
“Ian,” she said calmly, “please apologize. If Drake hadn’t saved me today, I would’ve been run over by a van.” Her brother looked like she’d just told him that he had grown a tail and horns.
Drake narrowed his eyes, but wasn’t able to hide his surprise. Apparently, he hadn’t expected her to take his side.
“Van? What van?” Ian asked. He suddenly seemed to have realized that she’d almost seen the light at the end of the tunnel. As she told him of what happened earlier, his anger transferred from Drake towards the driver of the van that had just left the scene.
She kept the conversation going as long as she could until the tension had somewhat defused. Judging by Drake’s sardonic smile, he knew exactly what she was doing. Eventually, she was saved by the bell that signaled the end of lunch break.
The loosely gathered students, who had eagerly been waiting for a fight, backed off in disappointment until only Ian and Dave were left. And Drake. And his friends. Of course.
What followed was a not-so-sincere apology from Ian. Drake’s response was just a grunt.
“You saved a tree-hugger,” the blond mohawk guy suddenly said. His baby-blue eyes scanned her from the top of her head all the way down to her feet. By the time he was done, Amber was blushing.
“Stay out of it, Logan,” Drake said softly.
“Right. Too bad you saw her first.” For some reason, he smiled. “Jade is not going to like this,” he said, and he looked like he was having a private joke.
The girl in their midst, curled up her lip as if she was about to bite Amber.
Amber decided to ignore Logan’s remark and looked at Drake. “You saved my life. I’m very grateful. As is my brother,” she said.