The Orphan Boy

Red Blooded

Rayhanna sat on a hill. This hill was no particularly nice hill. There was not a green plant on it. Even the desert shrubs couldn't survive, they were all dead and shriveled. The ground was dry and cracked beneath her. A scorpion scuttled past her hand.

Behind her Rayhanna heard the steady beating of wings. She stood and brushed herself off, turning to see where the noise was. She saw a dragon come out of the clouds and soared over head. It's shadow washed over Rayhana, she smiled. A dragon could take her away from this desolate place.

The dragon circled overhead, getting closer to the hill where she stood. Then it alighted gracefully onto Rayhanna's hill. The dragon was green with intense golden eyes. It eyed her cautiously as she stepped forward. Rayhanna reached out to touch it and it flinched, backing away. She tried again to touch the dragon, her hand met the dragon's scales, the ones just under it's eye.

Rayhanna walked around to the dragon's side and scrambled onto it's back. The dragon spread it's wings and pushed off with it's feet, gouging the earth. It's flew upward, every second it brought her farther away from that hill that had held her captive for so long.

Rayhanna soared above the clouds, the wind running it's fingers through her hair. Her legs hugged the back of her dragon, it's emerald scales gleaming in the sun. The dragon's powerful wings beat hard, shooting the two of them through the air. His scales tickled her bare legs. The cold air stung her face but it was an almost pleasant feeling.

The dragon suddenly dove, rocketing toward the ground. She laughed but the sound was ripped from her mouth and tossed away, lost in the roar of the wind. Then the dragon leveled out Rayhanna breathed deeply, content. before her was a pleasant scene. The sun setting painted the sky with different shades of red, purple, and orange. The colorful sky was reflected in the ocean waters below it. Waves crashed against the rocky beach, sending up salty spray. The waves created a sort of rhythm, one you could fall asleep to.

Rayhanna closed her eyes and breathed deeply, opening them again but slowly. Here she could stay, forever. The dragon turned his head back to look at her with his beautiful golden eyes. She saw in his eyes the same contentedness that she felt.

"Rayhanna child, what is taking you so long?!" Rayhanna heard Laina called. Suddenly Rayhana fell off the back of her dragon and crashed back into reality.

Rayhanna was a Star. Her father was a Star, she had been born in the castle, she had been raised in the castle. All her life she had known the Stars, she knew their ways, their secrets, she knew them. They were her people, but she was not their's.

Her mother was not a Star, she had been very much a human, without a drop of unnatural blood in her. Rayhanna had pale blonde hair and blue eyes which looked more than plain in comparison to the Star's silver hair and silver eyes that practically glowed. Rayhanna wasn't the ideal quiet, shy, obedient child that the Star children were. The Stars were her people but she was not their's.

"I'm coming!" Rayhanna swung her legs around to the other side of the bed and slid down, her bare feet touching the cold stone of the the bedroom floor.

Around the room was several windows, with white drapes framing each one. White was the primary color throughout all of the castles. The bed sheets, pillows, blankets, on the bed were all white, save the blue ocean scene embroidered into them. The lilies in the white jade jar was sitting on a birch wood side table. Each of Rayhanna's floor length dresses, shawls, and fur coats were a plain white.

Rayhanna hurried down the steps of her bedroom tower. The Stars never had many children, for their lives were often five times longer than a average human's. They had children so rarely that they were all able to live in one tower together. There were only six children, they all rarely ever spoke with Rayhanna.