Jesse James and the Dragon's Egg

"Black limos and cop cars"

Jesse should have known something was wrong. He should have known something was wrong the instant he saw Chip parked in his neighborhood.

It was early the next day and his Mom had already left for work when Jesse realized they were out of milk. Fortunately, it was a quick bike ride up to the Bradfordville Corner to fix the situation. Al was still asleep. Laid flat on his back, his little rear paws were stuck up in the air, and his wings spread flat out on either side of him. He was snoring like a little chainsaw. The little dragon had been through so much over the last couple of days, and Jesse didn't want to wake him. He thought he needed his rest. Jake, too, was still asleep. The sitter wasn't going to be able to take him today, so it fell to Jesse to watch over him.

So Jesse slipped out the door. The whole trip wouldn't take more than ten minutes, and he'd be back well before Al or Jake woke up.

He'd done exactly that. Gone barely ten minutes. Back in plenty of time to see Chip.

It wasn't unusual for the bully to be there. Corny had been dating a girl who lived two streets down from Jesse for more than a year, so the trio had become an unfortunate fixture on Heathrow Drive.

No, what was unusual, what told Jesse that something was wrong, what struck him as so very odd, as he rode by on his bike, was the fact that Chip, standing out by his big 4x4, was smiling and waving.

Maybe Chip had gotten over it. Maybe he had decided after last time that he had been as mean to us as he was going to be and maybe, just maybe, he wanted to be friends again. Like old times. These were the ideas that Jesse was mulling over as he rounded the corner onto his street and saw the deputy's patrol car parked in front of his house. And behind that, a slick black sedan that looked strangely out-of-place.

Flee. It was his first thought, and it was screaming at him. Flee flee flee. Stay on your bike and keep riding. Ride right past that house, to the end of the street and keep on riding and do not come back here until those two cars and their awful occupants are well and thoroughly gone. The mantra kept repeating itself over and over in the boy's mind. He was so scared he was sweating from places he didn't know could sweat.

Flee.

It really was the only sane thing to do.

But Al was in there. And he was alone.

Jesse pictured the little dragon pacing fearfully around the room, trying desperately to work the window open with his little mouth, at the mercy of whomever was in his house.

This could be it. If Chip had made good on his promise and reported Al for the reward, then it could all be over right here. They could be in there right now, with big leather gloves and a cage and some kind of stick with a noose on one end, trying to catch his frightened friend as he yelped and loped around the house, looking for safety. Looking for help. Looking for Jesse.

He had to do something.

~

Jesse could feel the tension as he opened the door. The first thing he saw was his mother. Ruddy, glistening cheeks, pale complexion, a box of tissues on the coffee table in front of her. She'd been crying.

The three men that sat opposite her were just nondescript backs. Jesse could tell from the buzz cut and the crisp green uniform that the man who sat farthest from him was the deputy. The other two were less distinct at first. They wore crisp black suits. Both sat upright and had an air of authority about them. The one who turned to look at Jesse, however, had slick black hair and severe features.