The Fire Within (Book 1 of Dragonfire series)

Chapter 9

Deciding it would be a bad idea to bring boys, I asked Stella to accompany me to Earth. She squealed and gave me a thankful hug, like I had just invited her to come with me for an extravagant vacation. I told her Earth wasn't anything fancy, but she wanted to come regardless. Kokel gave me a phone with Cullen and Alfio's numbers in it, and instructed me to call them if I needed any help. Kokel himself did not have a phone, but both men promised to relay the message, if one was ever sent. A car pulled up to the castle at noon and took us to the travel station in Magix. I was stressed the whole ride, wondering how I would start the conversation with my parents.

Hey mom and dad, I was kinda wondering how you "adopted me". I already know the story because I saw it while I was meditating, but some dead goddess I met in an underwater cave told me to ask you anyway. I opted to not say that, and instead tried for a more subtle approach.

Something along the lines of, Hey mom and dad, I know I'm adopted, but I'm curious about how you adopted me, exactly. Would you mind telling me what happened that night? The car suddenly stopped, and we entered the travel station anxiously. I felt confident when I stepped onto the platform at the station, remembering what Cullen told me the first time I traveled with him.

"Wilmington, North Carolina on planet Earth please," I spoke confidently, and used a slight boost of magic to transport me right outside my house. Within seconds, Stella joined me, and we walked through the front door together.

"Hello Alena, what a pleasant surprise!" my mother chirped as she hugged Stella and I. "And who is your pretty friend?"

"I'm Stella," she said with a slight blush. My mother returned her gaze to me, and seeing the concerned look on my face, knew something was wrong.

"I have a feeling you came here for a specific reason. Why don't I make some coffee and we can go sit outside and talk." The warm cup felt good against my hands. It was autumn, so it was a bit chilly, but not cold enough to the point you needed a jacket. My father joined us a few minutes later, and I introduced him to Stella before getting down to business.

"The night you found me," I started off nervously, "H-how did you know I was in that building?" My father rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, like he was preparing to give me the sex talk. He took a deep breath, then exhaled, before deciding to answer.

"Before we found you, your mother owned a flower shop. One night, we got a call saying it had caught on fire. We jumped into the car and rushed into town. The flames were pouring out the windows and crawling up the sides of the building. I was worried they wouldn't be able to put it out! It was then that I heard a baby crying, from within the building. I appeared to be the only one who heard it, so I ran in. The building had already begun to fall apart, so it made reaching you extremely difficult."

"How did you know where I was through all the flames?" I asked confused.

"You were surrounded by this blue.." he drifted as if unsure what to say next, but quickly regained his train of thought, "light. It looked like what I would imagine a force field or something similar to look like. I bent down and reached through it to pick you up, and when I did, the fire went out instantly. In that moment I knew you couldn't have been human, but what was I supposed to tell you? And how? I doubted you or anyone else would believe me, so your mother and I decided to keep it a secret unless anything like it happened again." He finished hesitantly, waiting for my reaction. I smiled and gave both my parents a hug. We continued to talk for a while, and left when we had finished our third cup of coffee. Stella and I said goodbye and left the house. I told her I wanted to walk a little bit before going back to Evacsa.

"You're parents are so sweet," Stella said with a meaningful tone.

"They did a great job raising me. Sometimes I think about just giving up on searching and pretending like they are my real parents. As easy as that would be though, I know a part of me will always have that desire to know the truth, and it will eat me alive if I don't figure it out." I said. We walked silently along the beach and looked out at the water. I remembered going there with my parents when I was little. I would pretend I was a mermaid and dive through the ocean, riding the waves fearlessly. After a few peaceful hours, we teleported back to Evacsa and took a car back to Kronborg. I walked in with a smile, realizing I was slowly collecting pieces to a giant puzzle. Kokel summoned me to his office, and I told him what my parents told me.

"And they said you were just laying in the building? Did they know how you got there?" he questioned. I hadn't exactly told him, or anyone else, about the dreams I was having, unsure if anyone would even believe me.

"I was, um, sent there I think, from a different planet," I said awkwardly.

"So they saw you come from outer space and land in the flower shop?"

"Well, uhh, not exactly," I said quietly.

"Alena, what aren't you telling me? You know you can trust me," and with that, I told him everything about the dreams, from the beginning. Starting with Vesta encouraging me to start the journey, and ending with me leaving the planet.

"Wow, that's a lot to handle. How are you dealing with it?" he asked obviously concerned.

"I just think of it as small clues, all leading up to the big mystery. I've been trying to piece them together, which is why I had to go to Earth. Vesta told me to while I was meditating."

"And in all these dreams, how did you know the woman was Vesta?"

"When I saw her, the name just came to me. I don't know how, but I just knew that was her name." I said hoping he wouldn't question it any further.

"Thank you for sharing this with me. As of now, I think it would be best to keep this information between us. It could get dangerous if it ended up in the wrong hands. I will do all I can to help you figure this out. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. You are dismissed." Tired from all the talking, I decided to relax in the library for what remained of the day. I read any books I could find about magic and the planets. When I could barely keep my eyes open, I returned back to my room and crashed as my head hit the pillow.

I'm a baby again, laying in the same crib I was in when I saw the coven destroying the planet. This dream, however, is different because when Vesta picks me up, her face shows nothing but joy and excitement. She carries me through a hallway, and into a gold room. Glass cases stand on platforms throughout the room encasing jewelry with extravagant gems. She brings me to the front of the room and gently places me on a gold altar. She holds her hands over her heart, and chants a spell as she slowly pulls her hands away. What appears to be a small ball of fire leaves her chest and dances lightly in her hands. She lowers her hands over my body and repeats the spell as she slowly pushes the fire into me. I feel a burst of something, unable to describe it, within me. It roars to life as it connects to my heart, then withers away, storing itself into a deeper part of me. My mother gives me a kiss and picks me up to slowly cradle me.

Hello readers :) this is a short chapter, but it was necessary & I couldn't add anymore because if I did it would be a suuuper long chapter. I decided to save the crazy stuff for chapter 10, hehe. Have a nice day/night! Xoxo