Dragon Seekers

Chapter 13

If all that happened before hadn't happened, Jamie would still think that he was dreaming.

But he was definitely awake, and seeing all of this in front of him.

Right before his eyes were two dragons. Two dragons the size of a double decker bus. One was a brilliant red with the odd golden scale that almost remind Jamie of a Dalmatian. The other dragon was a charred black colour. Their claws and teeth were sharpened and seemed to easily tare into anything that was flesh. Their wingspan seemed to be half the size of wings from a plane. They looked stunning, but frightening at the same time.

Ash's form caught Jamie's attention as she dashed toward the dragons. She looked like a little kid at Christmas. That was when he noticed the two young men that were riding the dragons. They both seemed to be in their early twenties. One of them had heavily tanned skin, most likely due to living in this environment for so long. He had sandy blonde hair that was incredibly short. The other, Jamie assumed to be a relative of Ash's. He was obviously too young to be a dad, so he might be an older brother or even a cousin or uncle. He had dark hair, just like Ember and Ash, but it looked like it started growing back after having been shaved. Both young men wore similar clothing to each other: loose shirts, boots and comfortable looking trousers for when riding on dragons. They also seemed to be wearing identical necklaces.

"You should still be in bed,"

Jamie yelped as he heard that voice. He was so lost in watching the scene outside that he forgot that there was still one more person in the house. He turned around, being as careful as he could with his feet, and was met with Ember standing at the door. She was carrying a bowl of what seemed to be soup on a tray, along with another bright blue crystal. She placed the tray down on the bedside table and went over to a very ashamed looking Jamie. He tried not to look at her face, but looked back outside as he heard Ash shouting and laughing. As the blonde started to lead the dragons to a large building that resembled a stable, the other man had placed Ash into a playful headlock, rubbing his knuckles on into her already messy hair. Ember placed a gentle hand on Jamie's shoulder. She had a look of pride on her face as she watched the play fight going on outside.

"My son, Pyro, and his fiancé. I'll introduce you to them later," she smiled before she started to urge Jamie away from the window. "Now, back to bed. You shouldn't be out of bed yet."

Jamie gratefully accepted that statement as he felt like his feet were in pure agony now that he thought about it. Relief sweeps over him like a refreshing, cool wave as he sat back down on the bed. Ember gently brushed Jamie's hair reassuringly before passing the tray to the boy.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Mrs Ember," he muttered, trying his best to not make her worry.

"Just call me Ember. No need to be formal with me," Ember smiled, seeming to ignore Jamie's apology. "Now, eat up before your food gets cold. Though, it's hard for anything to get cold here." Jamie found himself smiling as Ember chuckled awkwardly at her own joke.

He looked down at the soup in his lap. The homesickness still lingered, making him hesitant to eat. It didn't feel right to be eating while he was far away from home. However, his stomach rumbled and he felt a cramp in his stomach from not eating sooner. Shaking a little, Jamie spooned up some of the soup and delivered it to his now drooling mouth. The meaty chunks were tender and hot as he chewed it. The food travelled down his throat, satisfying him for a split second. Jamie had another two spoonfuls and the hesitation to eat was gone. Despite Ember telling him to slow down, Jamie consumed the entire dish in under a minute. You would think that the boy hadn't eaten for 100 years after seeing how greedily he ate.

"Jamie! You saw them right?!" Ash suddenly shouted as she dashed back into the bedroom. Behind her, she was dragging her brother, Pyro, for him to see the boy. "Your very first dragons!"

"Ashley! Keep your voice down, dear," Ember scolded, looking like she was on her last nerve. Ash only responded by rolling her eyes carelessly. She ignored the fact that she was being told off. Ember sighed before what Ash said finally processed through her mind, as she looked at Jamie with wide eyes. "First dragons?"

"It's kinda complicated, Mum. Even I can't get my head around it," Ash interjected, saving Jamie from repeating himself so soon. Ember looked back and forth between her daughter and the injured boy, looking more confused. She looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start. Pyro suddenly stepped over to Jamie. As he approached, Ember took the tray from Jamie, giving the crystal back to him. Jamie didn't realise it before, but Pyro looked a lot more stronger than he thought. Strong like Carl.

"Hey kid! You must be Jamie. I'm Pyro," Pyro smiled, offering a rough, strong looking hand for Jamie to shake. Jamie wanted to shake it, but as soon as he looked at the appendage, he was suddenly flinching back, trying away from the young man. The family blinked in surprise, making Jamie feel ridiculous.

"Why are you suddenly nervous? My brother's not going to hurt you. He's very gentle," Ash said reassuringly, patting Pyro's shoulder.

"I...sorry..." Jamie muttered, suddenly reverting back to the boy that he wished that he wasn't. He held out a hand to Pyro, offering a hand shake as to not offend the eldest sibling. "It's nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine, kid. No need to apologise. You're not the first to feel intimidated by me," Pyro smiled, gently shaking Jamie's hand. Jamie was surprised at how light Pyro's grip was. It was like his hand was made of feathers. Pyro might be gentle anyways because of the condition Jamie's hand was in, but Ash was right.

"Ashley, Pyro, could you give me a moment with Jamie please?" Ember suddenly insisted, passing the tray to Ash, showing that it wasn't a request. Ash sighed heavily, but complied after being given a stern look from Ember. Pyro ruffled Jamie's hair a little and followed his sister. As soon as the door closed, Jamie breathed a breath that he didn't realise that he was holding. Trying to calm down, he took some sips of water from the crystal again. Ember gave Jamie a sympathetic look as she gently sat beside him.

"Jamie, has someone hurt you at home?" she suddenly asked. Jamie almost dropped the crystal that he had been holding onto. The question took him completely by surprise. Teachers would always ask him if he was okay whenever they saw his injured, but no one had ever asked him directly if someone had hurt him. He always made up the excuse that he fell and had an accident, but he suddenly felt even more pressure to lie to Ember.

"No one. I-" Jamie started, wanting to try to keep up the lies.

"Jamie, I have a daughter that constantly fights creatures outside this house and play fights with her brother daily. I know bruises that come from punches and kicks," Ember interjected, looking deep into Jamie's eyes. Jamie tensed up so much that he felt like he was turning into stone. "And I've seen bruises like that on you as I was checking you over. I know someone hurt you, sweetie. That's why you were scared of Pyro, isn't it?"

Jamie froze like a deer caught in headlights. No one had ever come to the right conclusion about what was happening at home. He wanted nothing more than to hide under the covers and try to disappear. However, something deep down inside him told him not to. He looked into the kind and patient eyes of Ember and something told him that maybe he should confess after hiding for so long in the dark.

"My stepfather. He abuses me and my mum daily," he finally said, feeling like his body was light. All the lies that he had spilled had been there for so long, that he had gotten used to the weight that they had caused. Ember stroked his hair a little, causing him to continue. "That's why I need to go home. I need to make sure that my mum's okay. She needs me." Jamie suddenly started crying as he bared out all that he had kept inside. He told Ember about the alcohol, the abuse and the cruelty that he was forced to go through daily. He even told her of how he got his astraphobia. The more he let out, the more weightless he felt. All the chains of lies that he made were shattered and broken.

By the end of it all, Jamie cried even more. Ember held his trembling body close to her. While it wasn't Jasmine, she still provided the motherly love that Jamie didn't realise he needed so badly. Jamie cried and cried, feeling like he could fly after finally telling the truth.