Elemental

Chapter Five (Revised)

Jade's first instinct was to flee, but she knew she couldn't outrun a dragon. Bright red, the gigantic dragon started to swoop down like a vulture after finding a tasty meal. Jade shielded her little brother, although she knew the dragon could still impale them both.

Before she knew it, Jade was inside the mouth of the dragon. She squeezed Charlie, embracing for the impact of sharp teeth. The teeth never chomped down. They just closed, sealing the siblings inside.

"Are we inside a dragon's tummy?" Charlie asked, not even a hint of fear in his voice. Jade looked around. Her bare feet were slimy with saliva. Jade was standing on a giant tongue. She looked at the sharp teeth surrounding her and the throat in the back of the cave-like mouth. Saliva dripped from the roof. Everything was dark and disgusting.

"I think we're in the dragon's mouth." Jade spoke. Her voice echoed a bit. Dragons are not real. Jade kept thinking that. They are from Charlie's stories at bedtime. Dragons were just fictional characters. Dragons did not randomly appear and swoop up two orphans. Dragons are not real. Dragons are not real. Jade repeated this in her head. There was no scientific explanation for what was happening.

Charlie went over to examine the dragon's extremely white teeth. Odd, Jade thought. She pictured dragons with rotten yellow and black teeth.

"Be careful, Charlie." Jade warned him. She did not want Charlie to receive a poke from a sharp tooth.

The sensation of going down a drop suddenly filled her stomach. The dragon was going downwards, probably to feed the two children to its dragon hatchlings.

Suddenly the decline became much steeper. Charlie lost his balance and fell on Jade, creating a domino effect.

"It's like a roller coaster!" Charlie smiled obliviously. Seriously, the kid had zero fear. Jade nodded and gulped. She loved roller coasters but this roller coaster was slimy and squishy. The tongue could swallow them at any moment.

BUMP! The fierce red dragon had landed abruptly, making both Charlie and Jade fling against the teeth. It's a good thing those razor sharp spikes were closed.

"Oof!" Jade placed her hand over a lump on the back of her head. Charlie stepped away from the teeth dizzily.

After the long ride in darkness, the light hurt. Charlie shut his eyes tight as the dragon opened its mouth. As her eyes adjusted, Jade saw something odd.

In front of her was a large white house. It shimmered in the summer sunshine. Behind the house, random spots of lights danced. It looked as though random things were being propelled into the air. A lamp flew up and crashed with a shattering sound. There was noise. A lot of noise.

The dragon stuck out its tongue and once again, Jade fell over. She really needed to get better at this whole balance thing.

Jade grabbed Charlie's hand and dragged him away from the dragon. It stared at them curiously. Jade looked at herself. She was still wearing her blue nightgown. Her bare feet were slimy with dragon saliva. Charlie's green footy pajamas were soaked from the waist down.

When the finger tapped her shoulder, Jade jumped. She turned around, still holding Charlie's hand, and saw a women about twenty-five years old. The women had medium length blond wavy hair. Her eyes were a very light brown color.

"Welcome to Katherine's Training Camp! I'm Katherine. Come with me." Jade had no choice but to follow. She did not let go of Charlie's hand. He seemed just as confused as she was.