Shattering Reality - COLLAB WITH @AtomicDaDragon

Chapter 21

Ella's Perspective

  Today, we camp in a cold, grassy field. The snow covers the ground like icing.

  I straightened my hair with magic. Compressed the curls ever so slightly. It is so long now. All our hair is long. We have not had time to cut it.

  I wear a black long sleeved knit shirt.The cold turns my face pink. I have accumulated freckles, from when I don't know.

  We spent the rest of that day questioning Apollo. He seems on edge with us. The first time he saw Majirica, he panicked.

  "Rider Dragon," he had shouted. I laughed. "Yup. That's Majirica," I said, smiling. "Her Rider is Alexandra."

  The same thing happened when he saw Tzarr.

  "Dragon-wolf? What!" Atomic laughed this time. "He's my boyfriend."

  "Boyfriend," he has asked. She nodded. At that moment, Tzarr had jumped over to Atomic and tackled her. She hugged him, and shoved him off playfully. Majirica had landed. Alex asked who he was. The city was demolished.

  Flying down was easy. Gravity carried us down quickly. We reached the ground in twenty minutes. The adrenaline when I flew straight down was crazy.

  Upon landing, we ran, because our wings were too tired to fly, and Atomic was carrying Sera. Then, we made camp here.

  "So, you're really a half-dragon," I ask, for the tenth time. He nods

  "You are half galaxy," Atomic asks, with a sinister smirk. He nods, wary of her expression. I wonder at it, too.

  "Who are you? Where do you come from," Sera asks him. Her hair, now long enough to touch the small of her back, is loose and blows in every direction from the wind. Snow blankets her legs and arms. She looks so innocent.

  "Different story for a different day," he says. "But I will say this: My heritage is from the Arctic Empire.

  The Arctic Empire includes all ice, snow, frostbite, etc. dragon breeds. It is extremely powerful. I am curious.

  "Did you know your parents," I ask.

  "Yes, actually," he says. "My mother was named Clara, and my father was Tobias."

  "What breeds were they?"

  He doesn't answer, because Sera jumps in. "Leave him alone!"

  I back away, and so does Atomic, still with that sinister grin.

  Sera crawls over to the tree where Apollo sits. I walk away, laughing quietly. Sera, the girl who punched head-over-heels boys, is gone.

  I stand in the field. The sky is perfectly blue, and snow falls on the wheat field. I cross my arms, because I am cold. I loose myself for a moment, and stare into the distance.

  Who is Elyssia, really? Who is anyone? I have so many questions about Apollo.

  I sit down, and write something in the dirt.

  Under a Diamond Sky, Everything Starts To Shine

  "What does it mean," A voice behind me asks. Alex.

  "I don't know. I felt like writing it."

  She laughs. "Two hundred years of activity slows a person down," she says. "The De'lors are close now. I promise. We Just need to get to the top of the world."

  "The what," I exclaim. "It's so cold up there!"

  "I know."

  "Who decides to build a fortress up there?"

  "Me."

  "You? You're crazy!"

  "Humans are crazy. I'm smart."

  "What race are you," I ask. I've been wanting to know for a long time.

  "Dragon Rider."

  "That's not a race.

  "It is, because I am one. You start out human or elf. If you get a dragon, you become a Dragon Rider."

  "That's weird."

  "Not really."

  I walk away, confused. "Ella,'' she calls. I turn.

  "Something bad is in your future. Betrayal, from one you constantly fight."

  "Elyssia? She betrayed the world a long time ago."

  "I can't see who."

  How many more prophecies will entangle me? I don't know. I want to know. "Sera," I call.

  She dashes over. "Yes?"

  "I had a dream."

  "O...K. Was it a nightmare?"

  I stay silent. "You can trust me, Ella," she says. Oh, Sera. I can't trust you on this.

  "I killed you." I say it without hesitation. "I keep having it. Then Alex says I will be betrayed by one I constantly fight. What does it mean?"

  She thinks for a moment. Sera has a gift of empathy and understanding. I hope it helps now. This is more of a sympathy thing, though.

  "Maybe the one you fight with isn't so far away," she says. "You speak in as many riddles as Alex. What do you mean?"

  "You fight with one as hard on you as yourself. And you will not kill me." And she walks away.

  "What do you mean," I shout. She walks away.

  Behind a tree, near camp, I fall asleep.

**********

  I stand on a hill. So does Sera. Atomic is no where to be seen. My hair is long, longer than it is now. Sera holds a knife stained with blue blood. Elf blood.

  She looks at me, than at the ground. On the ground, is Elyssia, dead. Her throat is slit. I gasp. Sera killed her.

  "Ella..help," Sera says. Then she collapses onto the ground.

  I carry her to the top of a mountain. Suddenly, the mountain bursts into flame. Sera is no where to be seen. A circle of humans surrounds me. I pull out my axe. I attack them all. One figure is left. I don't want to kill the figure, because I know who it is. But I do. Serafina is dead on the mountain before me. I throw myself into the flames, but as usual, they don't kill me. This time, a hand drags me out.

**********

  I wake up, terrified. Sera will die because of me. Serafina will die. Sera will die.

  "Ella," Atomic calls. "We're leaving!"

  I get up. Sera, Apollo, and Tzarr are gathering their things. If I kill Sera, Apollo will kill me. So will they all. I can't stay here. I need to leave.

  I can't just leave. That's stupid. I need to join them, be more loyal than ever, and protect Serafina at all costs.