by Mari Mancusi
“Hello?” she cried out. “Anyone there? Caleb? Can you hear me?”
At first there was no response. So she repeated her cry, a little more desperate this time, her voice quaking with fear. But still there was nothing. Only silence, emptiness, a vacuum that threatened to swallow her whole.
Then suddenly, she heard it. A strange thundering sound coming from high above. She looked up, her jaw dropping.
“No way…”
It was a dragon—no, make that two dragons—swooping down at her, coming in for a landing, their massive wings beating the air into submission. She gasped, shocked by their sheer size and blinding brilliance. And here she thought little Emmy was impressive. These beasts had to be the size of small houses.
The first dragon landed a few feet in front of her, dark pink with long, translucent claws, violet wings, and eyes just as purple. The second—which touched down a moment later—was black as night, with hints of gold flashing under its scales.
They observed her for a moment with piercing eyes. Then, to Scarlet’s surprise, the pink one dropped its front paw and dipped its purple wing so that the tip brushed against the ground. The wing rippled once, then folded in upon itself to create a sort of leathery staircase leading up to the dragon’s back. Scarlet stared at it then up at the dragon, incredulous.
“You want me to…?” She nodded at the wing, almost afraid to say it. “Get on your back?” It seemed the obvious conclusion to come to, but she wanted to make sure before she just started climbing.
We will take you to the one you seek.
The female voice whispered across her consciousness, much like Emmy’s had back in the real world. Did all their species have some sort of mental telepathy? she wondered. In any case, she certainly wasn’t going to look a gift dragon in the mouth.
Somehow she managed to pull herself together then started the climb, using her hands and feet to scale the dragon’s wing. When she reached the top, she straddled the creature’s back then examined its neck, searching for handholds. Finally she gave up, throwing her arms around its neck, her fingers latching on to two scales on either side.
The dragons seemed to nod at one another then stretched out their wings, giving one after the other a tentative flap, cracking the air like a pair of twin whips. Before Scarlet could even say, “Holy wingspan, Batman,” her pink dragon leapt off the ground.
They were off.
They shot upward, faster than even that roller coaster she’d ridden at the State Fair a few years back, and Scarlet found herself squealing in a mixture of delight and excitement as the wind blasted her face. Her stomach roiled, but in a good way, and as they quickly gained altitude, she wondered if she should be freaking out. Any rational person would be, she supposed, but at the same time it just felt so powerful, so free, flying through the air like this. How could she waste the moment by being afraid?
The dragons crested some ways up, settling into a horizontal flight pattern. Scarlet looked down at the all-encompassing whiteness below, exhilaration swimming through her as she imagined what it would be like to have a whole world beneath them—forests, fields, and oceans spreading out into infinity.
And then, to her surprise, suddenly they were there. The same forests, fields, and oceans she’d imagined, magically rolling out before her eyes, exactly how she’d pictured them in her head.
She stared down at it all, marveling. Was that how things worked here? Why everything seemed so blank when she’d first arrived? Because she hadn’t yet filled it with her own imagination? No wonder Caleb liked it here. An entire world of possibilities, dancing at your fingertips; a world where you pulled all the strings. A world where you could banish all the monsters and live among mighty dragons.
But it was also a world of illusion, she reminded herself, sobering. A temporary escape no different than her and Mac’s little hideout or, later, Mac’s big habit. You couldn’t run from the real world forever. At least not without leaving the ones you loved behind.
She turned her attention back to her winged guides. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”
The black dragon regarded her with golden eyes. You have the blood of the dragon swimming through your veins, he said sagely. You would be amazed at what you can do.
The blood of the dragon? Scarlet swallowed hard. Did he mean Emmy’s blood? Could he tell, somehow, she had Emmy’s blood inside of her?
“I’m Scarlet, by the way,” she told them. “And I really appreciate your help.”
The pink one turned her head for a moment. I am Zoe, she said. And this is my twin brother, Zavier. She paused then added, And we are always pleased to help a friend of our mother’s.
Scarlet did a double-take. “Wait, what? What do you…?” she cried. Then her eyes widened. “You don’t mean…Emmy’s your mother?”
Emmy had seemed so young. And she had said she was the last dragon. How could she have children of her own?
Well, not yet, the black dragon—Zavier—corrected. Which is why we’re still here.
All dragons yet to be born as well as those who have already died exist here, added Zoe. In the Nether.
This was getting crazier and crazier. “So when are you supposed to be born then?” she asked, struggling to understand all of this.
Zavier shrugged. A few months? A year? Perhaps we will never be born. The future is not certain. Especially not for the world’s last dragon.
We can only wait, Zoe added. And hope.
The entire race of dragons has pinned its hopes on our mother, Zavier added. She cannot fail.
Scarlet shook her head. As if she wasn’t already all consumed with the idea of saving Emmy, now the fates of two more dragons—no, make that an entire race of dragons—depended on her survival. She looked from one majestic creature to the other, determination rising within her. She had to make this work somehow. She had to get to Caleb and figure out a way to make this all okay. Whether he liked it or not.
The journey took what felt like maybe ten minutes, but it could have easily been ten hours. Or maybe no time at all—she wasn’t even certain time existed here, at least not in the way she knew it. But at last, a tall glass structure rose up before them, like a crystal ball on top of a long, clear stem. A building manifested from someone else’s imagination, not her own.
Was this where she’d find him?
The dragons began their descent, touching down on a glass landing pad that looked too fragile to hold their weight but somehow did. Once they were settled, Zoe gently lowered her wing and Scarlet slid down, making a rather graceful landing, if she did say so herself.
She looked around. “Is that where I’ll find Caleb?” she asked.
“Depends on what you want from him.”
She whirled around, her eyes falling to none other than the boy himself, slouching against the doorway to the glass house. He was gaunt, worn, shadowed, wearing tight, black leather pants and a collared shirt he’d left half unbuttoned. His hair was tousled and his eyes were rimmed with red.
“Caleb!” she cried with relief. “Thank God.”
She turned back to her dragon, looking up into her purple eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “And don’t worry. I’m going to do everything I can to save your mother. Trust me, I know how important mothers can be.”
Zoe seemed to smile at this, dipping her wing in a salute. Then she rose into the air, following her brother into the sky. Soon they were only two dark shadows burning against an orange sun. Scarlet watched them go for a minute, feeling a little wistful, wondering if she’d ever get to meet them again. Maybe in the real world, she decided, if everything managed to turn out okay.
Then she remembered Caleb. She turned back, realizing he was staring at her, an annoyed expression on his face.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” h
e asked curtly, his body stiff and his arms folded across his chest.
She nodded slowly, recognizing the stance all too well. He was in full bad-twin mode now. Ready to lash out at her to shield himself from whatever it was he didn’t want her to see. Just like Mac back in the day.
But she knew better now. And Caleb wasn’t getting off that easy.
And so she said nothing, just strolled casually into the house, purposely invading his fantasy space. Inside was a circular room encased entirely in glass. It appeared to have once been very beautiful. A mansion with luxurious appointments. But it had clearly fallen into ruin. The crimson drapes were moth eaten. The couch was saggy and tinged with mold. The wooden furniture was scarred and broken.
Just like a certain boy she knew.
She sat down on the couch anyway, ignoring the swampy smell that filled her nose. She closed her eyes, thinking hard about the most beautiful flowers she’d ever seen—a bouquet of red roses from an old Technicolor film. Sure enough, a moment later that very bouquet appeared on the coffee table in front of her, nestled in a crystal vase. She grinned. She had to admit, she kind of liked the way things worked here.
“Just make yourself at home, why don’t you?” Caleb said sarcastically, observing her handiwork with disapproving eyes.
“Thank you. I absolutely will.”
She looked around, her eyes falling upon a sweeping staircase in the center of the room with several broken stairs. Using her mind, she set about fixing them one by one by one, restoring the beautiful marble to its finest, sealing up any cracks. When she had finished, they gleamed. Then she turned to the windows and started smoothing out the warped glass panes.
“Enough already!” Caleb cried. He threw himself in front of the window she was working on, as if his body could block her repair. “Stop fixing things! This is my house. My—”
“You know, this place could be really amazing,” she said calmly. “If someone cared enough about it to put in the work.” She moved on to the curtains, sewing up each moth hole.
“Well, no one does, okay?” Caleb retorted. He stalked over to the newly repaired drapes and grabbed them, purposely ripping them in two. “So cut it out.”
She stopped. She folded her hands in her lap and stared down at the roses.
“Is that why you come here?” she asked quietly. “Because you think no one cares?”
His pale face flushed bright red. He dropped the drapes. “Why are you here?” he growled. “Why can’t you just leave me to my misery like everyone else?”
She rolled her eyes. Here he went again. “God, you remind me so much of Mac,” she couldn’t help but mutter.
Caleb frowned. “Who’s Mac?” he demanded, as if he didn’t really want to know. “Your boyfriend?”
“My brother,” she corrected quietly. “He was just like you.”
“Super hot with a biting wit?”
She shook her head. “A drug addict.”
“What?” he cried, losing his cool. “I’m not—”
Scarlet held up her hand. “Don’t even bother,” she interrupted. “Trust me, I’ve heard it all before. You’re not addicted, you only do it for fun, you can quit anytime, blah, blah, blah.”
“But it’s—”
“No. It’s not true,” she bit back, her voice rising. “You know it’s not, so don’t waste your time trying to lie to me. I saw you passed out in the alleyway. I saw you go through detox symptoms for the last two days. And I saw that hungry look in your eyes when Mara pulled the gem from her pocket.”
“Now hold on,” Caleb interrupted. “That all may be true. Except for the Mara thing.”
Scarlet raised a skeptical eyebrow. He blushed.
“Okay, so I wanted it. Of course I flecking wanted it. But I wouldn’t have taken it, I swear. Except that I realized it was my one last chance to save them.”
“Excuse me?”
His mouth twisted. “Look, I know what they think of me, okay? I know that’s why they offered me the gem in the first place. Put poor little bad twin out of his misery so he’ll come along quietly.” He scowled, and the lights in the room flickered, reflecting his mood. “But I figured maybe for once in my life, my pathetic reputation might work in my favor. I could palm the gem, then leave a message for my brother through the Nether somehow—like we used to when we were kids. I could let him know that the Dracken had their location and were on their way. Then at least he’d be able to get Trinity and Emmy to safety.” He sighed, looking a little sad. “He’s good at that kind of thing, don’t you know? Protect and serve and be a goddamned hero. I should have just let him have the job from the start.”
Scarlet bit her lower lip, feeling a little ashamed. Here she’d thought he’d taken the easy way out. But had she been wrong? Had he really been making one last-ditch effort to help them? Sacrificing himself to save his friends?
“So that’s good, then,” she said, trying to sort through what he was saying. “Connor will protect Trinity and Emmy? And maybe they’ll come rescue us as well?”
Caleb looked at her sharply. “What do you mean, us?” he asked. “Did they take you too?” Guilt flashed across his face. “Man, I told you, you should have left when you had the chance.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, well, it’s too late now,” she said. “We’re both in the back of some kind of military truck, headed to some government facility or whatever. But it’s okay,” she added. “If your brother can just save Emmy, I’ll be—”
“He can’t,” Caleb interrupted, in a strangled voice.
“What?”
His face darkened. Outside thunderclouds cracked across the sky. “I couldn’t do it, okay?” he blurted out. “I tried, but I couldn’t make it work. I don’t have any spark left.”
“Spark?” She shook her head, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you were right about me,” he retorted. “They were all right about me. I’m nothing more than a burned-out Netherhead who willingly went and wasted his gift. I couldn’t steel my mind against Mara’s probe then, and I can’t get a message to my brother to warn him that she’s on her way now. Hell, I don’t even know when I’ll be able to release myself from this god-awful place—even if I wanted to.” He stared down at his feet, his hands squeezed into fists. “It’s like I’m trapped here. Just like Trinity’s mother was. And there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Scarlet’s heart wrenched at the agony she saw flash across his face. It reminded her of another night. Another boy, trapped in another prison—also of his own making. He’d been cruel too. Calling her names, pushing her away, telling her to leave him alone. But those angry jabs hadn’t been weapons; they’d been cries for help.
“Oh, Caleb,” she whispered, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder.
He shrugged it off angrily. “Don’t feel sorry for me,” he growled. “I deserve everything I get. I was selfish, weak, stupid. I deserve to be left here to rot.”
“No,” she said firmly. “You don’t. And you’re not selfish or weak or stupid either. You’re sick. Just like my brother was sick. And you need to admit that. Admit you need help.”
“Of course I need help!” Caleb cried, turning away from her, his whole body shaking. “But who the hell is going to help me? I’ve pushed away everyone who tried to care about me away. Trinity, my brother, even my own dragon.” His voice broke. “There’s no one left.”
“Actually there is,” she said, placing a hand on his arm again, gently turning him around. She lifted her eyes to meet his own. “Me.”
For a moment he said nothing, just squeezed his eyes shut, as if unable to contain the anguish he was feeling inside. Then he opened them again. “Why would you help me?” he rasped. “You barely even know me.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. I guess I kind of feel like I do. Maybe it’s because of all the craziness
we’ve been through in the last week. Or maybe it’s because of my brother.”
“What happened to your brother?” he asked hesitantly, not sounding as if he was sure he wanted to know. She didn’t blame him. After all, she didn’t really want to say. But she didn’t have a choice now.
“He died,” she said slowly. “Two years ago—of an overdose or maybe a bad batch of meth. Who knows? It doesn’t matter, does it? Just that he died. He died and left me to face the monster on my own.” She could hear the trace of bitterness at the edge of her voice. The one that always came when she spoke of her brother.
“The monster.” Caleb looked up at her, his eyes widening. “You mean your mom’s boyfriend, don’t you?” he added, a growing realization reflected on his face.
She turned away, unable to meet his piercing gaze. She didn’t know how he knew that. More mind tricks, she supposed. At this point, what did it matter?
“Did he hurt you?” he demanded. “He did, didn’t he?”
“Mostly he hurt my mother,” she corrected, suddenly feeling very tired and very old. “I only got it when I tried to break things up between them.” She paused, realizing she was making excuses for him, just like her mom always did. Caleb needed to know the truth, no matter how ugly it was. She squared her jaw and met his eyes. “Yes. He hurt me. For years he’s hurt me.”
Caleb swore under his breath, his hands squeezing into fists. Outside, lightning slashed across the sky, followed by a roar of thunder. “That bastard,” he growled. “How could he do that to someone like you? You’re so small. So sweet.” He looked up, his face a mask of frustration and anger. “God, if I were your brother, I would have killed him the first time he laid a finger on you.”
“Yeah, well, years of getting the crap kicked out of you kind of dissuades you from that kind of bravado,” she told him. “Especially when your own mother knows it’s going on but refuses to do anything about it.” She shrugged. “Mac felt like he couldn’t escape. So he chose a different way out.”