The Day of the Dragon

Chapter Twenty One

I stop in front of the door. I've never really looked at it before. It's cracking in places, white paint peeling. With all the money he gets from the school, you'd think he could afford to fix up his front door. Of course, then where would he get his alcohol from? I knock twice. 

Boom . . . Boom

No one answers.

"Samuel?"

He's either passed out drunk or at a pub somewhere on the edge of town. I roll my eyes, the wind puffing up my hair. Couldn't he drink at his own house? It's not like beer's some magical drink that could only be produced a million miles away.

I sigh and retreat from the doorstep. I crinkle my eyes, refusing to give up. Without a second thought, I turn towards the left and peer into his windows. Most are low, only a few steps off the ground, and lead to some cluttered room that hasn't been cleaned in years. I can almost smell the putrid stench of dirty socks just by looking. How did this guy get approved to be a teacher? I roll my eyes and tug at each window sill. Despite the rust creeping on each metal handle, they reject my attempts to open them. I roll my eyes.

Really? He can't afford to be anywhere at the right time but the guy locks his windows?

How dare he.

I keep moving until I come across a window, locked, but with a large crack on the handle. With both hands, I break it off. I smile, the window opening with a smooth swoosh. It immediately disappears. Damn, has this guy heard of soap? Water, trash cans? Burning things? His living room screams the smell of the dying.

I take a deep breath, plug my nose, and step over into the room. My foot clicks against the wooden floor as I take in the scenery. A torn couch sits next to the fireplace. The reeking scent of rotten apples comes from a table in the center, the bowl of fruit probably permanently bathed in the smell. I move as quickly as I can to the main hallway. I slam the door, breathing a sigh of relief.

Finally, familiar territory.

My feet are finally muffled by carpet as I move towards the garage. Everything is bathed in darkness. I move slowly, using my hands and ears to get around. You'd think after all this time I'd just know where to go from memory. Well, the soon-to-be-bruises on my kneecaps will beg to differ. I can't seem to stop bumping into things. Since when did he have so much stuff in the hall? Eventually, I open the door, walk inside . . . Only to discover it's the closest.

I'm hopeless.

"Maybe this was a mistake..." I murmur aloud.

Well, I've come all this way. Might as well find the right door and actually do what I came to do.

I stumble my way out, half sighing. My fingers climb the wall in search of the next handle. Eventually, it touches something cool. Aha! I smirk and open it, the familiar draft cupping my cheeks. I run down the stairs-

"Ah!"

Bump!Bump!Bump!

My body keeps tumbling, an obnoxious bump ringing out every time my head hits the step. I keep falling down each and every step. The pain gets louder and louder. I feel like clothes in Phe's washing machine invention (that she stole from Terro-People. Don't think I didn't notice). Eventually, the self-inflicted torture stops.

Here's a tip; Never run down stairs in the dark.

I haphazardly flip on the lights. My eyes feel like they're spinning, white blobs appearing as each area is lit up one by one. The last place for the light to reach is my work desk. As soon as I see it, the pain seems to subside. I smile.

It's time to get to work.

I drag large pieces of metal on the table in the center of the room. It's our work bench; All projects that couldn't be fitted on our desks were birthed here. We joked that they're really held together by our blood and angry cussing. It's hard getting all these large, unsharpened pieces, tangled wires, and tools all up here. And the three of us didn't take kindly to things that take time. 

I already have my engine here; Now I just need to form a skeleton. I figured I'd work my way out from the engine, the equivalent to its heart. I'd mold the torso first, making it around four or five feet in length, width, and height. Then the limbs, next, head, and finally the tail. After I got the skeleton ready, I'd wire it all together and fit in the programming.

I internally wince as I think about it. Programming sucks, and I'm not looking forward to it. But if I didn't get it done with, my dragon and I would never fly. I'll do what has to be done.

"Micha, what the hell are you up to!"

"Ah!"

I drop the metal chunk. It thankfully doesn't hit my toes, instead creating a thump almost as terrifying as Niko's voice. Slowly, I turn. My stomach feels like it's falling apart. He's crossed his arms, face contorted with anger and foot tapping. Fraze stands behind him, visibly gulping.

"How did you get in here?!"

"We may or may not have followed you-"

"Fraze!" Niko turns and smacks his shoulder. "Why did you tell him that, ya goof!"

He shrugs. Niko sighs, turning back to face me.

"You shouldn't be here, Micha. It's late and you haven't slept in who knows how long. And are you aware of the freaky bump on your forehead? You look like a camel who didn't know where to put his hump. What a look!"

"You seem angrier than you should be," I mutter, picking up the metal. "At least I'm actually out of my house. I'm being productive, for goodness sakes! You can't villainize me for that."

Fraze rolls his eyes.

"You're breaking and entering."

"I'm breaking and entering for productivity. Plus, I know Samuel, so it's okay."

"That...doesn't make sense-"

"Alright," interrupts Niko. "That doesn't matter right now. Micha, are you going to tell us what you're up to? I don't like being left in the dark."

"Try falling in the dark, that's worse."

He narrows his eyes. I gulp, placing the metal up on the workbench. It glints in the fluorescent lights. I see Niko's face soften, Fraze looking more concerned and less on edge. My shoulders fall.

This is going to take a lot of explaining.   

A/N:

Thanks for reading my story! You're great!

This chapter is dedicated to violetsskies! She's been a super supportive reader and has a great book of her own that you should check out ^-^

Don't forget to vote, comment, and have a great day!