Burning Sky

Chapter 17

After a few moments of silence with the car being the only sound, Sora was wishing that someone would say something. Thankfully, someone did finally speak, and Sora was relieved that she wasn't the one who had to break the silence.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on," Katie said hesitantly. "Is the dragon really Ben?"

Drake turned to look at her but not before his eyes passed over Sora. "When he punched me, I felt a shock of electricity. It is the same sensation I feel whenever I touch a dragon," he explained. "Or Sora," he added, locking his eyes with hers. Sora felt compelled to speak, but before she could, someone else blurted in.

"You said he is changing, right?" said Mo not taking his eyes from the road, keeping close tabs on the car Ben was driving.

"Yes," said Drake turning his attention back to the front. "And we better find him before someone else does. He is a Brawler."

"Shocker," said Sora sarcastically as she arched her eyebrows. "Did you glean that information from the punch as well?" Katie let out a breathy laugh, and Sora couldn't help smiling.

Drake didn't even bother to look at them. "I mean as a dragon. Brawlers are one of the most dangerous types of dragons. They are bigger, stronger and much angrier than other dragons."

"Oh," muttered Katie with a serious expression.

"Bigger than you?" said Sora, raising her eyebrows again but this time in shock. She remembered how terrified she was the first time she'd seen Drake as a dragon. If Ben was worse, then she wasn't so sure that it was a good idea to go after him. Then her thoughts clouded with doubt. "Wait a minute... a few minutes ago you didn't even know who the dragon was and now you can tell what type of dragon he is? What's going on here?"

Drake shot her a look over his shoulder. Everybody seemed to be holding their breath at the tension, waiting for an explanation. "You know the expression that the eyes are the windows to the soul?" She nodded, and he kept on talking. "Well, with dragons this is a little bit more literal. The eye color of the Dragon signifies their exact type. Sensers have black eyes, Brawlers blue. My mother is a Screamer and they have brown eyes, while my father, who has honey colored eyes, is a Speeder."

Now everyone was confused and a barrage of questions poured out.

"Say what now?"

"Ben being a Brawler is so fitting."

"Your mom's a Screamer? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sensers, Brawlers, Screamers, Speeders? What is this Wonderland?"

"Everybody stop!" yelled Sora over the others. She was glad she had a loud, clear voice, it came in handy from time to time. "All the dragon types are irrelevant right now. We need to focus on Ben, who just so happens to be driving the car in front of us, oblivious to the fact that he is about ready to turn into a big, bad dragon," she said. Everyone turned to look at the speeding car in front of them terrified.

"He will crash if he changes while driving," Katie vocalized what everyone was thinking.

"I have an idea. I am already regretting it but there is no other way," said Mo, and he gripped the wheel harder. "Everybody put your seatbelts on and hold onto something."

Sora felt the car accelerating while she fumbled for her safety belt behind her. She had a brief moment of paralyzing fear, but then she glanced at Katie fastening her belt and the moment was over. Sora's fingers finally found her own seatbelt just as the lights of Mo's car reflected brightly onto Ben's car, momentarily blinding them. She inhaled a sharp breath and with one swift move secured the seatbelt around her.