Worlds Apart

Chapter 22

Jason sat there in shock, watching me with those brown eyes of his. "Me?"
I struggled to sit up. Barely audible, I mustered up a, "yes. You were there - you double crossed me, you lied to me, you deceived me! You ruined my life and left me all alone!" By that time, my voice grew louder, until I was nearly shouting.
"Ava, it was just a dream."
"Dreams can predict the future," I told him stubbornly. "Or reflect the past."
Jason fell silent, watching the fire crackle. "Ava, I won't ever betray you. You know that, right?" He crawled over to me, putting his arm around my shoulder and giving me a gentle squeeze.
I love you.
Why did I so desperately want him to say that?
"I know," I croaked out, a single tear slipping down my cheek. I moved a little closer so that we were right up against each other, and my head leaned up against his shoulder.
We stayed in that position for awhile, Jason protecting me from whatever it is I was hiding from, what I was fearful of.
"Do you want me to sleep beside you?" Jason asked in a hushed tone.
I shot him a bewildered look. "Ummm..."
"So I can protect you, Ava."
"Oh, yeah, I'd like that."
He moved his blankets right up against mine, and laid down beside me.
I snuggled up against him, and we just laid there before I drifted off into a sleep full of dreams.
****
The cracks of sun between the towering trees shone through, causing me to wake up.
I opened my eyes, and rolled onto my stomach, when I realized with sudden dread what was standing before us.
"Jason," I said in an urgent whisper, shaking him.
"Wha?" He asked in a groggy voice, sitting up as he rubbed his eyes.
"What on Earth is that thing?!"
I don't think the creature saw us yet, it was quite a bit away, and wasn't entirely facing us.
Jason's eyes went wide. "Don't move a muscle," he told me quietly.
"Jason, that's not actually a dra-"
"A dragon? Yes, it is," he stated grimly.
I suddenly had trouble breathing as I watched the gigantic beast that was no more than 30 feet away from us.
It appeared calm and casual, not like the ones I'd watched in movies, read in books, or heard stories of.
"Jason, he's not a threat," I said in relief.
He stared at me in disbelief, sheathing his sword. "A gigantic dragon is right by you, and it's an electric dragon of all things! This is the reason I came with you, to protect you at all costs!"
"He's not that big. I'd say a young adult."
"Oh yeah? When did you get to be such a dragon expert," Jason asked sarcastically.
I shrugged, a half smile on my face. "Since now."
"Hello!" I called.
Instantly, the dragon whirled around and it faced us directly.
"Crap. Ava, we could've gotten an attack on it without him seeing us! Why'd you do that?"
"Drop your weapon," I commanded Jason.
"Are you nuts? It's going to slaughter us if I don't kill it!"
"Akish," I told Jason. "That's his name."
He stared at me, dumfounded. "You named it?!"
"Just trust me, Jason." I strode over to the still dragon, and he watched my every move. "Akish. That's you, isn't it? I feel like that's your name."
He didn't answer. I bet he couldn't even if he wanted to, but I felt that if he could, he would respond with a yes.
"I don't want to harm you," I continued, taking a step closer.
He didn't move as I kept going closer until I could reach out and touch him, which was exactly what I did next.
Ah! He shocked me!
I giggled to myself. Of course he did, Ava, he's an electric dragon for crying out loud!
After that, though, I didn't feel sparks. His skin felt scaly, like any other reptile's.
"Would you, by any chance, give me a ride sometime?" I asked excitedly, staring into his black eyes.
His large eyes were as dark as night, as black as a soul, and as beautiful and shiny as the stars.
It almost seemed to nod, but I could never be quite sure.
I smile at Jason, who seemed to be slightly less worried.
"Come here." I beckoned for him to come closer, but he shook his head warily.
Akish let out a deafening roar that could probably be heard across all of Desridore.
I sent him a confused look, and something inside of me tingled.
It's you, Ava, hero of the worlds.
My eyes went as wide as saucers. "What?"
He let out another roar. You knew who I was, and I know who you are. Now that we're on the same page, would you mind telling me how you got here?
"You can talk?" I whispered, a baffled expression on my face.
This time, the growl was slightly quieter. Dragons can speak to each other through roars. It's our form of communication.
"Then how do I understand you?"
Again. Because, Ava, you're special. You have Light Powers within you. If you learn to control them, you'll be the most powerful person to ever live.
"Does... But wouldn't that mean I'm part dragon? If only dragons understand each other..? Is that why you didn't attack me?"
I sense dragon blood in you, yes, but that doesn't mean you're actually part dragon. That doesn't work. Your ancestors must have spent time with dragons and been around us enough to learn our way of life. Does that make sense?
I nodded slightly. "So why didn't you hurt me? How do you know who I am?"
Because, I knew your parents.
"M-my parents? How could you possibly have known them?! They live back in Earth! They were born and raised on my planet! Just like me!"
He shook his head, and waited a moment before letting out another growl. Those people you call mom and dad, aren't your real parents, and your 'mom'? She was actually born here, and so were you, Ava.
You were born in Desridore.