Flying To New Heights

Chapter Three

Adelaide walked home in a stupor. The previous night had shaken her. The Parliament of Peace was spying on her. Just her, and no one else. She knew they spied on other people, because that is just how that works. Right? They need answers about the war. Right? Was Adelaide even remembering right? She wasn't sure what had just happened, to be honest. She was shaken up, and was trying to get home from a street she had never been on. Why did all the crazy stuff happen to her? She shook her head, trying to get rid of the feeling that she was being watched. Well, then again, she was being watched. Who knew when that spy would be back, taking notes on her?
    Adelaide crept inside. Her home seemed to welcome her as she climbed the stairs, exhausted from the running. The moment Adelaide crawled in bed, she fell asleep.
    Adelaide awoke the next morning to a tapping at her window. But it was the familiar tap of a carrier pigeon's beak. She happily got up and opened her window. The pigeon dropped the note and Adelaide retrieved the tin of bread crumbs you were supposed to give to carrier pigeons when they delivered a message to you. And if they flew a long way, you had to give them water, also. It's only polite. The pigeon ate contently as Adelaide unfolded the note. The moment she saw her best friend's handwriting, Adelaide grinned. Jubilation, or Jube, which is what most people called her, was Adelaide's closest friend since birth. And it would always be that way. Adelaide was sure of it.
    "Adelaide, please come to Unity Square in one hour," Adelaide read aloud, doing her best to sound like Jube. "Something big is happening! With love, Jubilation." Adelaide smiled and took out a quill from a drawer in the travel beside her bed. She wrote on the back of the note "I'll be there" and gave it to the pigeon. The pigeon clicked its beak and flew away. Adelaide smiled happily and walked over to her closet. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, warming the room. Adelaide selected a light blue dress. A cream satin ribbon was tied around the middle in a bow. After slipping it on, and after putting on some shoes, she rushed downstairs to eat.
    Adelaide sat at the table spreading jam on three biscuits she had quickly baked. She had rushed, and they were sloppily formed, but she didn't want to be late to see Jube, and biscuits took thirty minutes to make and bake if you were lucky. So, at this point, Adelaide had twenty-five minutes to get to Unity Square. She finished her third biscuit and licks her fingers, smiling happily at the sweet taste of the jam. She dashed out the door, not even bothering to take her hair out of the braid she had slept in.
    Adelaide got to Unity Square and saw what Jube had meant by "something big". She saw Jube standing by her mother with a pout on her face. And Adelaide soon saw why Jubilation was unhappy. Citizens waved homemade flags and banners saying "dragons are killing, and we aren't winning" and other things like that. They were also chanting similar phrases. When Jube saw Adelaide, she ran over to her and grabbed her hand.
    "I hate those," Jubilation said. "I hate all of this."
    "I do, too," Adelaide said. "Is there a way to stop it?"
    "I don't think so," Jubilation said. "We might get hauled off by the Correctors."
    "But...don't the Correctors only haul off Parliament members? Or Council spies?" Adelaide asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.
    "They hauled off three adults last week for saying dragons were not all bad," Jube said grimly. "But I do want all of this to stop."
    "It's not worth getting taken by the Correctors. You remember the stories about the whips and brainwashing, don't you?" Adelaide asked her. Jubilation winced and grimaced.
    "I think we should try," Jube said. "And I know I dismissed the idea at fist, but I think it's worth a shot."
    "Jube! We can't!" Adelaide whispered furiously. "They'll take us!"
    "We have to try," Jube said, squeezing Adelaide's hand. She then ran off into the crowd, chanting things such as "dragons feel too" and "they think like us" and "dragons love too". Adelaide watched as the crowd was practically ripped apart. Something was happening. What was going on? Adelaide rushed to see. Correctors were grabbing Jubilation. Adelaide rushed forward and grabbed Jube's hand.
    "Jube!" She shouted.
    "It's ok, Adelaide," Jube said with a slight smile. "I'll be fine."
    "No!" Adelaide yelled as Jube was taken away, her head held high like the proud girl she was. Adelaide sank to her knees, tears coming to her eyes. Would she ever see her best friend again? Adelaide stood up shakily, taking a deep breath. She ran out of Unity Square, tears streaming down her face.
    Adelaide was walking home. She was about three blocks from her house. Then a pigeon dropped out of the sky right in front of her. She bent down and looked at the note tied to its leg. "Adelaide Ryan Wilson" the note read. That was her! She tried to untie it, but the pigeon hopped a foot away.
    "Hold still!" Adelaide said. She tried to into it again, but the pigeon flew about three yards away. Adelaide chased after it and tried, yet again, to untie the note. The pigeon simply flew ten yards away.
    Adelaide had chased that pigeon a fair distance from her home. She was nearing a meadow when she caught the pigeon's leg. It bent down and nipped her hand and Adelaide put it in her mouth. She chased the pigeon to the other side of the meadow. She tried yet again to grab it, and when it flew a bit to her right, she tried to stand up. She had had enough. But she bumped into something. It was a yellow and orange dragon! She jumped back, frightened.
    "Don't hurt me!" She yelled.
    "Aaah!" The dragon screamed. When she realized that the dragon would not hurt her, she eased up a bit. She smiled and began laughing. The dragon grinned and laughed too.
    "You scared me really bad," she said, laughing.
    "I thought you were going to kill me!" The dragon laughed.
    "Same!" Adelaide said. There was something calming about the dragon's laugh.
"I'm Oliver, by the way," the dragon said. His speaking voice was quiet and calm. Adelaide smiled.
"I'm Adelaide," she said. Then her mind drifted to Jubilation and tears sprang to Adelaide's eyes.
"I-is something wrong?" The dragon said, stepping towards her.
"My best friend got...got taken away from me," I said. He frowned and wrapped a wing around me.
"Why?" He asked. And Adelaide began to tell him about her life.