Wings of Fire: A Destiny Found

~CHAPTER 19~

       Glow landed swiftly and tip-toed quietly off to her dorm when she was stopped by Peril, with a rather cross look on her face. "So, what were you two talking about?"  Her voice was stinging with contempt. Glow was caught incredibly off-guard by the harshness of the question.

       "We weren't  really talking about anything. We talked about you for a bit and then we  talked about ourselves for a bit. Nothing, really." Glow explained.

       "Yeah. You talked about how I apparently 'don't know any better.' And here I thought you  actually cared about what I felt." Peril spat. Glow widened her eyes in shock.

       "You spied on us?" Glow accused.

       Peril scoffed. "Well, I mean, I couldn't leave you two completely alone, now could I?"  She said angrily. Glow felt offended by her remark.

       "Are you saying you don't trust me?" Glow asked directly.

       "Well, you don't seem to trust me either, so I guess we're even." Peril hissed. Glow  furrowed her brow, trying to contain her anger.

       "Look, what I meant by what I said was that...the only life you've known was a life of  violence. Scarlet just let you do what you wanted, and that's not healthy, for anybody." Glow defended.

       "Why can't you just understand that I like the way I am? Scarlet does, and Clay does too. So why can't you?" Peril accused, steam coming from her furious blue eyes.

       "You like murdering dragons for fun?!" Glow spat. "Is how you feel all you care about?! What about all the dragons you killed for Queen Scarlet's amusement, all the dragons that had homes and families waiting for them?! What about Horizon!?"

       "STOP IT!" Peril spat back.

       "Why should I? Are you just not used to having to think about your actions?" Glow hissed.

       "You think after sharing a drink with me at a tavern suddenly makes you the expert on who I am and what's best for me?!" Peril questioned.

        "I saw who you really are that night, and who you really are isn't what Scarlet made you; a monster!" Glow answered, frustrated.

       "What do you know, Glow?" The fiery copper dragon demanded. Peril turned around to walk away when Glow finally lost her composure. 

        "I know that you invited me to that tavern because it's important to you! I know that you invited me there because you thought you saw a friend in me!" Peril stopped and stayed chillingly still. "I know that all you really want is for someone to really care about you, not like a toy they can play with, but as a friend– someone important to them. You act like you're happy with your life, but I think you're just complacent with the position Scarlet put you in because it's easy. It's easier for you to not think about it and just accept it than to try and change it to be better." Peril remained entirely quiet – even her breathing was inaudible.  "And you know that...don't you?" Glow calmly probed.

       Peril turned around, her eerie blue eyes glinting in the darkness. "Can I ask you something, Glow?" She whispered. Glow sat down, ready for whatever Peril was going to throw at her.

       "Sure." She said simply.

       Peril sighed deeply. "Do you really think I'm a monster?"

       Glow tilted her head to the side. She didn't really know how to respond to that. I mean, yes. She's murdered countless dragons. But it isn't her fault. Scarlet made her that way, and if she had a different life, she would have chosen different. "Not to the point where I don't think you can't change, or can't be happy."