Fire
Reese
There were two things that were significant enough about lunch period that really appeared on my radar. One was a common thing the other…not so much. The first was it was lunch, the time where we didn’t have teachers stuffing their-as my sister so politely put it-“crap of monetary gain” into our heads my sister-Sarah also believed that we’d forget it all as soon as summer started, which wasn’t untrue, anyway I’m getting off track. The second thing was something both disturbing and alluring. Ava Maunders piecing stare that cut into my back like a knife. I actually know why it’d be disturbing, but alluring? That’s a tough one, I have a theory but it just doesn’t seem…right. My theory (although it sounded like a good one, but really did feel wrong) was that because Ava and I had once been friends, we’d actually been best friends. Nothing could break us apart.
Until something did,
That something was me being interested in girls, I had began to date when I was thirteen and I did it often, maybe too often. I would drop Ava when whatever girlfriend I had walked by, or whatever girl I was lusting after at the time. At first it was a rare thing, and then it happened more frequently, soon I was canceling plans with Ava.
I had even canceled plans on her first birthday after her parents died. I mean, really? Had I felt that at the time whatever girl I was with was more important than Ava, especially on a day like that? She was in a group home, where the only person who cared about her was me.
And I left her out in the cold so I could make out with some blond, and I didn’t even apologize for it. Which was an even deeper cut into our friendship, the more and more I dropped Ava, the weaker our bond became, until we’d sit separately at lunch, me with the popular girls, who so brutally bullied Ava, and she all alone with a book, I never even defended her. That was one of the final straws,
Then it happened, one day I had been giving for longing looks at my girlfriend’s chest(I know I’m such a pervert) and the next I had decided to see how Ava was doing. I turned to see an odd sight, Four of the school loners had sat with Ava at her table, they weren’t usually at her table, Ava had been sick lately. She had become hot tempered, angry. And from that day on, she hung out with them, she had disappeared again for a few days, then came back made up her work and sat with her new friends
That didn’t include me, I had gone to her after class one day, she had ignored me, and when I finally got her to talk to me, and she had turned and said
“We can’t be friends anymore, if that’s even what we are. In fact I don’t want to be your friend. I hate you Reese. So, stop trying to talk to me, because I am done with you” I had been shock, my jaw had hit the floor, Ava just rolled her eyes and began to walk away.
“Reese?” she said stopping, I had looked up hoping she’d say it was all a big joke
“Yes?” I couldn’t help the hope dancing in my chest
“I’m not sorry” and with those words she slipped into the crowd and disappeared, what have they done with her? This wasn’t the sweet Ava I knew. She had changed, and never talked to me since.
It was only a month ago she had begun to stare at me. A month where I had been hot tempered feverish and had noticed smoke coming from my lungs, I didn’t smoke. Then I had noticed my skin getting scaly but not dry, my fingernails grew thick. Something was happening,
I still didn’t know why she stared but…
For some reason I loved it.
Ava
I hate Reese Mathews; I hate him with a burning passion. He was an ass, someone I wished I could sink my claws into and rip him to shreds. I stared at him hoping the message would come across as a glare, not a stare. He seemed to think otherwise, he smiled. He was enjoying this. I felt the familiar heat climb up my throat, and I hissed. My talons lengthened and I had to curl my hands into fists so that my fingertips were buried in my palms, and stuff my hands into my elbows. I felt the talons slice into my skin the sting not even catching my attention. He seemed so shocked when I told him we couldn’t be friends anymore, after…my transformation.
When I became one of the elite, the few, the Draki,
A sharp jab in my ribs jolted me from my haze, I realized that my nostrils were starting to flare; I had to clamp my hand over my nose to conceal the smoke. I turned to Nicholas, the leader of our “elite pride” who was glaring.
“Go, now” he managed to ground out “don’t take long, just because you have free periods doesn’t mean we won’t be meeting. The sixth member will come today” I growled at him not pleased, because the sixth member was Reese. This had been my solace from him, and now he’d shatter it, He had dug his way in through the walls that sprung up when my parents got shot in a break in; he made me fall in love with him. When he’d cancel our plans for some girl it would hurt.
He shattered my heart,
He wouldn’t and no one else would ever get past my shell, ever again. I will never love, only have friends like the other pride members, Carmen, Nicholas, John, and Alexander, they were my friends.
Reese wouldn’t be.
I ran out of the cafeteria, outside off campus and into the forest, anger coming off me in waves, concealing myself in green and wood.
Before I gave in to, the thing that claimed all of us elite Draki and would soon completely claim Reese, something called, the fire.
Reese
I watched as Ava talked with the boy next to her the she snarled her mouth curling down at something he said she had run off in a heat of rage looking pissed. He the boy, Nicholas, was seemingly trying to calm himself. He nodded to the others, and together they stood and stalked towards my empty table (I was grumpy today) they arrived too soon. They didn’t wait for me to invite them they just sat.
“What are you doing?” I hissed
“You’re not very polite” Nicholas frowned
“Sorry, what are you thieves doing here, please?” sarcasm bled into my words like blood from a large open wound
“Thieves?” the girl frowned. What was her name? Cassie…Caddie…Karma…
“Yeah, you stole my best friend from me” I sneered back at her. The other two boys Alexander Riggs and Jonathan smith gave me pointed looks. “You stole Ava, and changed her.”
“We stole Ava? You’re the one who…” she was cut off
“Carmen…” Nicholas warned “calm down,” Carmen was her name then Nicholas turned to address me “Now, Reese, we aren’t here to talk about Ava”
“Oh, really?” his eyes narrowed at my retort.
“Have you had any strange symptoms lately?” how did he know? “Anger, scaly skin, fever, heat flashes, oddly growing finger nails?”
“How did you know?”
“Because that’s what we had what Ava had, we all are the same…”
“I am not like you” I was very angry I felt heat climbing up my throat again; I looked at my hands to see the tough scale pattern had changed color. It was green. I gaped “What the hell?” I whispered
“Get him out of here Alex start your car.” Alex nodded and ran out the room. John grabbed my arm and Nicholas my other arm they began to pull me dragging my body along the floor shooting death glares at everyone who dared to turn and watch
“Where the hell is Ava?” Nicholas murmured as we sped towards the woods at the edge of town.
“What’s going on?” I demanded my voice shaking the green scales had spread up my arms to my shoulders. The four in the car had UN tucked necklaces from their shirts, Nicholas had a clear one as did John, Carmen had a red one and Alex her boyfriend had a purple. The necklaces were thick yarn like cord with a stone pendent at the end.
“Here” Nicholas had shoved a clear one my way, “put this on” I gave him a strange look “It’ll help” I nodded and hung it around my neck. The car soon skidded to a halt; Nicholas shoved me out and kept pushing until we arrived in a clearing. Then a wave of pain ripped through me, I screamed and dropped to my knees, my back ripped apart. I was horrified to see wings sprout from my back, and I looked down.
I had talons, and from what I could see I had a snout.
In seconds I was flying in the air, yes, flying.
Then the pain faded and I felt myself floating my feet touched the ground and I breathed.
“See it’s not that bad” Nicholas smiled “you were screaming and groaning and cursing, call me Nick”
“What just happened?”
“You transformed!” Carmen giggled happily, “We have three stages, human, dragon, and something in between, oh, that’s out of order, it’s human, in between, and then dragon” Carmen laughed clapping, she’s a bit of a ditz…Alex growled at me, when I rolled my eyes at her. Someone’s touchy
“I wouldn’t believe it if it didn’t just happen” I said
“Yeah, so let’s tell you the basics. Before I yell at Ava for flying out to long. First call me nick” I nodded “Second every dragon had a match, the necklace we wear that protects us shows the color of the match when they come near, we also feel it.” Nick smiled “Alex and Carmen are matched; I think that you and Ava are too”
“Ava and I?” I repeated, maybe “I do get a thrill when she looks at me” why had I admitted that to him? Heat spouted on my cheeks at the mention of Ava.
“Here she comes now” I looked up to where John was pointing, a beautiful blue dragon (still not used to that word) zipped toward us, slowly the dragon changed soon I could see human like shaped ears legs arms (since when did I have such good sight?) she landed with grace.
My heart stopped, and my necklace buzzed like crazy changing to her blue.
Ava had never looked so beautiful to me, her long brown hair fell in waves down her face, which was tinted olive, and her eyes were an odd color, brown with specks of blue throughout the iris. Her lips were so full and so kissable; she was muscled and looked so…gorgeous.
“Damnit, Reese!” she screeched her fists clenched and she began to breathe heavily she screwed her eyes tight and took deep breaths, her shoulders still tensed, but she was calm “why did you do that?”
“I-I-didn’t mean to” I couldn’t rip my eyes away from her, her necklace was green, “Ava…”
“Don’t talk to me! I hate you don’t you remember?” I swear my heart feels like its being strangled, Ava is my air yet she won’t let me breathe
“But you were staring…”
“Glaring, I was glaring” she corrected angrily, she backed away. “I’m leaving” she turned and jumped transforming on the fly (ha-ha get it? I know I’m trying to lighten the mood) She disappeared.
“Ava!” I screamed “Ava, come back to me, Ava!” I screamed Nick pulled me back
“Reese calm down, now” I ripped away, “don’t you dare defy me, now calm down” my knees buckled under me, I had no choice but to obey my heart rate grew normal again and I sighed
“Ava…” I said again. Nick gave me a sympathetic look. I shot a glare his way and hissed, yes I hissed. I think I must have scared him a bit because I caught him in the middle of a shiver. I know, odd observation, but you seem to enjoy noticing little things when your heart feels like it’s slowy ripping in half. I need Ava,
Then why didn’t I need her before?
Ava
Flying was calming, like when a human drives with his or her car. The steady beat of my wings catching the air as they work softly up and down, I never get tired easily.
Ava, are you there?
Carmen?
Hi Ava!!! Oooooh, you’re so preety!!! Are you alright, Ava?
Here let’s fly home; we’ll talk in our room. Since I transformed I’ve been living in the house we live in. It was a place to bond a place to go when we couldn’t take it at home (or didn’t have one) Carmen and I shared a room. Carmen was like a sister to me, she was so sweet. Everyone thought she was stupid and ditzy but she’s actually a genius if you get to know her she’s just happy. So many mistake her for an idiot, they mistake every one of friends for something they’re not. We arrived at the window to our bedroom, we always kept the latch open. When we got inside we plopped on my bed and Carmen snatched the brush from the desk, she loved brushing my hair the same color as hers. My mom used to do it for me, and Carmen took over. She was so caring; we always took care of each other and the boys.
“Let me ask again, are you okay?”
Sighing I told the truth “I don’t know”
“he’s your match” Carmen whispered she pulled the comb through my hair, I felt my muscles relax.
“If he was my match then why did it take him becoming a draki to finally see me as something other than the girl who he can blabber to about his girlfriends? Why didn’t he see me as anything worthwhile, he canceled our plans on my birthday, Carmen, I had nobody but him. And he abandoned me, he didn’t even care enough to stand up for me!” I took a deep breath “you and Alex were in love before you transformed right?”
“Yes” Carmen answered,
“See? He doesn’t love me”
“Do you love him?” I was hit oddly by the question, did I? I wanted to deny it, but something deep down in the shell of my heart made me stop, I hesitated
“I don’t know, I don’t think so,” I admitted “I don’t want to” I dropped my head, and felt a sharp tug on my heart. Deny, deny, deny, I thought. I agreed with myself.
“We should study” I murmur steering the conversation away from Reese and I Carmen must understand because she nods.
“The boys dropped our stuff off when we went flying,”
“Where are they now?”
“Practicing with Reese, putting him on the night shift”
“Let’s study for the trig test then” I said again shifting the conversation from Reese
“You know you don’t need to study, Ava. You’re a genius”
“I’m not, but you are Carm”
“Whatever you say, Ava. Let’s study anyways, and do homework”
“Let’s”