Burning Sky

Chapter 13

Sora felt her heart skitter to a stop for a moment. So it's not going to be a stroke but a heart-attack, she thought as she waited breathlessly for her heart beat to return. After a few seconds, she exhaled and sagged in relief as her heartbeat thumped back into its usual rhythm.

"Is that true?" she hotly demanded to Drake.

He refused to meet her eyes, he was focusing on Mo with fury in his eyes. Sora swore his anger was making the temperature rise in the room. Is he about to set the whole house on fire? she wondered terrified. She felt Katie stiffen next to her; even she could sense that something was wrong.

"Can someone please explain to me why anyone would want to hunt me down and kill me?" she asked repeating the exact words Mo used.

Drake finally turned to look at her, the anger vanishing from his eyes, replaced by a bit of sadness. "This is why I haven't said anything to my parents. Dragoncallers are considered a threat to our kind and are killed on sight. Or at least that's what I heard. I'd never seen one until I met you."

"You've never seen another one?" Mo wondered aloud. "They are more rare than you might think," Drake replied refusing to tear his eyes from Sora's. "My parents must not find out about you. They are very traditional despite their outward appearance."

"You mean they would actually kill me if they knew?" she asked with sudden disbelief. Her memory flashed back to the meeting with Drake's parents. They had seemed like warm and friendly people, especially Mrs. Harrison. She found it hard to believe they were capable of turning into cold blooded killers at a moment's notice. Then she remembered that they, too, were dragons, and that thought dispelled any lingering feelings of pleasantness she had regarding Drake's parents.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they never find out about you," Drake assured her. Surprisingly, his words had a calming effect, and her feelings of terror vanished.

"We will make sure of it," Mo and Katie added.

Sora eyed each of them. She was relieved to have them on her side.

***

Sunday brought a sunny day with a gentle warmth that made Sora forget of all her problems briefly. She just sat at the back door's step holding Kiba in her arms, letting the rays of light bathe her. It was enough to make her feel normal again for a few minutes.

Normal, she thought bitterly. I am never going to be normal again.

As if sensing the change of her mood, Kiba licked her hand. "Thank you," she said and rubbed his ear between her fingers. "You are the best dog ever." Kiba barked in response and wandered off to play with his toys.

Sora watched him walk away, her gaze flickering away from Kiba's swishing tail to Drake's house. Drake was the furthest person from normal. She wondered if he resented being born a dragon. She remembered how uptight and serious he looked all the time, ready to do his duty. But he never seemed happy about it. He didn't choose to be born a dragon and a Senser on top of that. He had to drag other people into a life that even he didn't seem to want.

The only glimpses of happiness Sora had seen were when they were doing simple, everyday stuff, like making lists. The thought of him smiling made Sora's own lips twitch upwards. She wanted to see him smile again. She wasn't sure if she even liked the guy, but everyone deserved to be happy, and being normal was what made Drake happy.

With a renewed determination, Sora rose from her seat and walked back inside to find her phone. There was only one person she knew that made being normal the most enjoyable thing in the world, and Sora needed her help.