Burning Sky

Chapter 9

Sora spent ten minutes explaining everything that had happened in the last few weeks. She began with the night of the fire. Sora just knew that somehow she had started that fire, in spite of the fact that she had no way of lighting it. Then, she told them all about Drake. From his weird behavior from the day they met and his staring, to the strange electrical sparks that passed between them every time they touched. Mo looked uncomfortable when she mentioned the touching, and even though Sora knew she was sounding like a bad cliché, she kept on talking. She felt compelled to spill the whole story, afraid that she might lose her nerve if she stopped.

Finally, she recounted the events from her late night venture. How Drake had lured her to the forest with a cryptic note, and then how he convinced her to follow him deep into the forest.

"He transformed into a dragon right in front of my eyes," she said at the end and waited silently for their reactions.

When Katie and Mo had taken in everything Sora had to say, they immediately began to speak, both at the same time.

"Hey, one at a time," said Sora putting her palms out in front of her. "Please."

Mo was the first one to speak. "What do you mean he transformed into a dragon?" He seemed confused and a little scared, but at the same time, his eyes were shining with curiosity and excitement. Sora always admired that about him, his drive to know everything was stronger than anything she'd ever experienced. I should have known he would find out about me sooner or later.

"Exactly that. One moment he was taking his shirt off, hiding behind a tree..." A shocked gasp came from Katie. "And then there was a huge, red dragon in the middle of the clearing," Sora went on. "A really huge, flesh and blood, roaring dragon." Sora was surprised that she was confiding all her secrets to Mo, especially after everything that has transpired between them. Still it felt good to unburden herself to Mo and Katie. It was nice to know that they were in her corner, especially since Mo just so happened to be the most brilliant student in the history of the academy.

"Wait, so you didn't see him change?" he asked, a small frown creased his forehead.

Sora shook her head. "I think he needed to take his clothes off or something so he hid behind a tree." Katie had been quiet for awhile, so Sora turned to check on her. Katie's eyes were pinned on Sora, as wide as she had ever seen them. Katie was so still, as if she wasn't even breathing. For once, she had definitely run out of things to say. Sora returned her attention to Mo and continued. "Even though I didn't see him transform, I know that the dragon was him."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Do you see dragons popping out of thin air on a daily basis? It was him!" She actually yelled the last sentence, hoping that the volume would make her words sink into Mo's head easier. For someone who just found out that dragons existed, Mo was remarkably calm.

Mo was quiet for a few moments, then he smiled and grabbed his camera from a nearby drawer. "I need to document this," he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sora quickly grabbed his shirt before her could reach the door.

His eyes were shining with a crazy, almost maniacal, glow, which frightened Sora just a bit. "I am going to see the red dragon for myself, and to do so, I need to find Drake Harrison first," Mo replied as he tugged free from her grasp. When he tried to flee from the room, Sora felt her knees quake and her stomach churn. Instinctively, she knew she had to stop him.

"Are you crazy? Mo, you can't. What are you going to do? Walk up to him and ask him to change into a dragon so that you can photograph him?" The thought of Mo doing exactly that sent another sick wave of fear crashing over her.