The Core: The Dark Enemy

47. The Dragon Comes to Earth

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Happy Chinese New Year Tet to everyone who celebrates it!

Hope you all are doing wonderfully!

Thanks for being readers. :)

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"Are we there yet?"

"No, honey. We still have two more hours to go."

"Two hours? Is that long?" the four year old Hailey asked her dad as she looked out the window at the stars as they drove through the night.

"Not too long if you take a small nap honey." Her dad said as he reached around behind his seat to retrieve Hailey's stuffed giraffe that had fallen down sometime during the trip. "Here, snuggle with Giraffie, he will help you get a tiny nap in." He said as he looked over the car's control console.

Mike was old fashioned and his Tutor had made sure to keep much of the classic car aesthetics during the vehicle's upgrade process. While he didn't need to drive, per se, his car still had a functional steering wheel if he chose to take control. As it was, his hands were currently gently flipping pages on a recent novel that he had picked up at the last gas station.

Well, even gas stations were old fashioned. Now they were all called rest stops since cars no longer needed to burn fossil fuels. As for books, they were back as well, giving people's eyes a break from staring at phone screens.

"Ok." Hailey said as she clutched her stuffed animal, gazing out the window at the softly twinkling stars.

One such star caught her attention. It pulsed with a pretty blue light that she had never noticed a star doing before.

"Daddy!"

"Shhh, honey. Mom is sleeping. Please try to keep it down a little, ok? What is it?"

"Sorry. I just saw a really pretty star outside."

"You did? Huh, well would you look at that?"

"See?"

"Yeah, that is really quite beautiful." Her father said, choosing to let his child believe that it was a star. "Probably a new Tutor satellite though." He whispered to himself as he admired the pulses, which seemed to flash in an excited rhythm.

"It seems happy." Hailey's childlike voice called from the back as she leaned her head against the glass, her eyes fixed on the pulsing light, drawn by the beautiful light show.

"Yes, it does." Her father agreed before going back to his book.

Hailey stayed awake for a little bit longer, her eyelids getting slowly heavier as she watched the indigo light flash in the vast distance. Soon, sleep crept over her, a sleep that only lasted the two hours and was gently interrupted by the sensation of their car pulling into their relative's driveway.

When they all got out of the car and into the chilly night air, her parents focused on unloading the back while Hailey searched the sky, clutching Giraffie to her chest. It only took her a moment before she spied the sparkle in the sky again. It had moved slightly from its last position.

"Daddy?"

"Do we need this bag honey? Or can it wait until morning?"

"Um, I think it just has the belated birthday presents for Jenna, so yes, it can wait until morning."

"Which bag has the toiletries in it?"

"Um, the green one I believe."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, bear?"

"The star is bigger."

"What?"

"Oh my..."