I struggled to wrap my mind around the beating thing, while thinking about the fact that Lucian was okay with doing that. Any attraction I had once felt disappeared in a flash. I didn't fancy him so much anymore.
“Told you it sounds nuts, but I take my hat off to the ones who want to claim a Chromatic dragon if they're not dents. They said when the Chromatic is good they'll do anything for their Dragonian. No matter how crazy the task is.”
“So basically they let their Dragonians abuse them and then let them take advantage of them after the fact. Sounds like a match made in heaven.”
“Elena, you make it sound so . . . evil.”
“Becky, it is!”I could feel my voice rising, though I wasn’t really upset with her.
“No, it's not. Look, they don't get beaten on a daily basis. Only when they really need to control their evil selves, and on this side, we grow up knowing that Dragonians don't always get the ability they want. If fate messed up and we get the ability that matches one of the Chromatic dragons, we know what needs to be done. They'll let their Dragonian know when the dark in them becomes too much to control.” She was trying to get me to understand the situation from her view.
“I don't understand,” I said solemnly, refusing even to consider the situation as anything other than abuse.
“Dragons know what it takes to stay good. Why do you think Sammy has different classes than us? She learns other stuff.”
“So the dragons want their Dragonians to beat them?”
“Only the Chromatic dragons, and yes, they truly love their Dragonians for helping them stay good. It's not a cruel game, nor do we enjoy it. So please, don't go start a group against dragon abuse.”
“They really beg their Dragonians?”
“It's not that difficult to grasp, Elena, believe me, the Dragonian hurts more than the dragon.”
“The Dragonians don't like beating them?”
“No, unless they're psychos.”
I still couldn’t come to terms with the abuse, but I decided I would do as Becky asked. I told her I wouldn't say anything bad about the beatings or bring them up ever again.
The bell rang and we both jumped. "You ready to go back to class or do you want to stay here?"
“No, let's go back,” I said, thinking my problems weren't as bad in comparison to some of the others. I would even face another dragon if I had to, but running away was part of my past now. Heaven knows I'd had enough of that.
Chapter Seven
I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and opened the classroom door an inch, peering inside. Becky came up behind me and opened the door wide, nudging me softly in the back to go in. I expected the stares, but a boy in the third row had the nerve to snicker audibly. Becky gave him a sharp glare as she dragged me to the last row. We slipped into the only two chairs available and I sunk inside my seat, wishing I could disappear.
The tutor at the front of the room paged through his textbook. His youthful appearance reminded me of Professor Mia and Sir Edward.
Becky leaned in to whisper. “Professor Gregory graduated a couple of years ago from Dragonia. He's one of the smartest humans ever.”
“Welcome to Anatomy, Elena,” Professor Gregory said. You okay he mouthed, and I nodded carefully, not appreciating the extra attention he directed my way.
“If I ever catch anyone pulling the stunt George did earlier this afternoon, I swear, you'll wish you'd never hatched.”
The air was sucked from the room as the class went silent.
Hatched? I frowned at his word choice.
“Open your books to page three fifteen,” he said.
The sound of pages turning carried on for ten seconds. A picture of a dragon standing next to a human took up the whole page. For the love of blueberries, the ratio between them was way off and it looked terribly unrealistic.
Run, Forest, Run. I bit the inside of my mouth and stifled a laugh.
“Dragons come in different sizes and colors. They start out as eggs, which can be anywhere between one to four feet in length.” Professor Gregory picked up a huge egg with a gritty, rocky surface. The harsh lights of the hall cast an eerie glow creating a funny greenish shine. He handedit to the blonde girl in the front row to pass around when she'd finished with her inspection. I didn’t want to be anywhere near that thing.
“Sammy came from an egg?” I asked Becky in a whisper.
“Yup.”
“A dragon's wingspan can reach up to 170 feet.”Professor Gregory’s voice echoed through the lecturing hall. “A dragon's eye has a large iris and a vertical pupil, just like a cat's eye. Can anyone tell me why?”
“I'm sure Riley knows,” Becky whispered.
I knew cats because I had fed a lot of strays during our life on the run; it was easier than making friends I would just have to keep leaving. I lifted my hand tentatively. Becky and Professor Gregory looked surprised.