“Dad?” I grabbed his sweaty arm, and he turned back around to face me. “Are more dragons coming for us?”
“I don't know, Bear.” He caressed my cheek gently with his thumb. He dialled a number and held the phone carefully to his ear. His eyes searched everywhere, his face illuminated by the soft glow of the phone. “Matt, Herbert here. We got attacked by dragons…no, I told you, not over the phone. We are stuck on Interstate 40, just meet us and please hurry, I don't know if more are coming.” Dad switched off the phone and placed it back into the pocket of his pants.
“Elena, I need to tell you something. Believe me when I say this wasn't how I planned on doing this.” He sniffed hard and wiped his nose with his index finger and thumb. “I wanted to take you out for a nice dinner and maybe ease into things, but...” He sighed, blinked a couple of times, and looked away. “Bear.” He looked back at me with tears in his eyes. “I love you more than life itself, and I would never let anything happen to you. You need to understand that.”
I nodded, but struggled to wrap my head around the fact that Dad could morph into a dragon whenever he wanted.
He swallowed hard and lowered his gaze.
What is he not telling me?
A screeching sound that pierced the darkness made both of us jump.
“Elena, just run.” Dad screamed, and pointed in the direction I needed to follow. “As fast as you can. Matt is on his way, go, now!”
I heard the sound of ripping jeans, and when I swung back around, Dad had turned back into a dragon. I didn’t even have time to say goodbye or I love you back. All I could do was what he asked, and I started to run.
Tears blurred my vision, and I wiped them away vigorously. Not that it helped; everything was coal-dark and I couldn't see a thing in front of me. I fell down hard on the turf, but got back up and kept running. I didn't look back as I silently prayed for the motel to come into sight. Another screeching sound made me stumble again. This time fire lit up the entire road. I look back and saw the outline of the dragon, the one with the beautiful face. A shiver ran up my spine as I remembered the evil emanating from him.
Where is my father? I'm going to die. Don't give up, Elena. Get up! I did what the voice in my head told me and kept running, while the dragon, lurking in the darkness, followed my trail. A predator that I could not see was stalking me, but each new shiver told me he was there.
I shrieked as something hard pressed into my ribbed cage. One moment my feet were touching the ground, and the next, I soared through the air. His talons pressed hard into my flesh, and I was sure if he pressed any harder, he would snapped me in two.
The sound of his wings flapped loudly in my ear and he reeked of sulphur. I started to cough uncontrollably as the strong smell crept into my lungs. My eyes started to burn, and it felt as if my head were going to explode.
My whole body shook when the dragon collided with something hard. I felt the dragon’s weight being thrown back, and his grip around my torso vanished.
I fell and tumbled in the air. A vague picture of another dragon snapping at the red dragon came into view. The red dragon breathed fire that lit up the sky. The two dragons became smaller as I descended. My heart beat so fast it felt as if it was inside my throat. Then everything went black and all became silent.
* * *
Dull voices spoke quietly in the background. At first, I couldn't make out what they were saying. It sounded hollow as if they were speaking into a tin can. One question dwelled in my mind: Was Dad okay?
Sight came back in shadows, first the light, then a bit of grey. Four figures stood over me, but I couldn’t tell whether they were male or female.
“Constance?” A man's voice, with a strong Asian accent spoke clearly.
“Not now, Master Longwei,” a woman admonished with a British accent.
I tried to lift my hands from my sides. Why can't I move?
The British woman barked a breakdown of medical stuff to someone, and one of the figures disappeared.
“There's something else you need to know,” a masculine voice that sounded vaguely American said to my right. “She has the mark. It’s a dark one too.”
Mark? That doesn't sound good. When people speak of marks and signs, it usually means a freak. I'm a freak! My heart rate rose again, and it felt as if something heavy sat on my chest.
“But you said that her father was a dragon,” the Asian man said, sounding confused.
“How is this possible, Matt?” the British woman asked.
“I don’t know, Constance. I told you everything I know.”
Matt? Where’s my Dad?
While the strangers were carrying on their conversation, my sight began to come back. I saw the three figures leaning over me. The British woman wore a long, white lab coat and had a stethoscope draped around her neck. She had the strangest silver glow in her hair, and she seemed to exude confidence. The Asian man was short, middle-aged, and wore the ugliest Hawaiian shirt I had ever seen. The American, whom I assumed was Matt, was somewhere in his fifty's, with golden blonde hair and a huge nose.