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7

He stares at me with a soft horror on his face. He nods and replies, “Yeah I do. Why?”

     I reply, “Okay, just making sure. Why do you have black feathers out your rear?” He stares at me with shock and the feathers shuffle around behind him. He looks horrified and mortified as he backs away from me. I remember the journals, thinking back to a poem my brother wrote…

       I have found a little blue house,

 Eri is as innocent as a mouse.

 Nick can tell you exactly how the clock does tick.

 Rick will play a nasty trick.

 The bottom floor is all I see so far,

The rest belongs to a boy named Bar.

They say the sky is his,

It’s where he does his personal buiss.

He flies on the skies.

Away from the ever blue lies,

He spreads his dappled wings to fly.

Why, oh why,

Does that Bar hide his ability to fly?

He is always so shy!

He shared his wings with me,

It is a rare sight to see.

He said there was a reason he shared with me.

“A girl who was with you needed to know about me.”

That was what his explanation be.

He deboned my mind in moments,

I think he’s looking for a V,

Because that is the letter from the dream he showed me,

When his wings he let me see.

    I whisper, shocked, “Bärchen?” The boy stares with wide eyes. He tenses his jaw and looks at Mez in fear.

   He replies, voice and body shaking, “Vie?  Where is Alex?” I feel the tears roll, and I see nothing but blur as black fills my vision. I feel something wrap me in a hug and I feel feathers wrap around me too.

    I whisper, heart tearing like a strained muscle, “He died.” Bärchen backs off, eyes wide. I see his wings, and try not to stare. The pattern is like dancing stars in  dark blue midnight sky every time a feather wiggles. I stare in amazement soon, my mind lost as I study the stars on his wings. He hides them quickly, but I what I saw before that shocked me. Words were forming on his wings with all the tiny stars. Real words were forming!  I mean, having wings is enough of a shock!  Bärchen waves a hand in my face and he frowns. I guess he caught onto my staring.

      He warns, voice monsterous, “Tell no one about this.” My brain freezes and my breath hitches. His teeth are sharp points, causing fear to dash down my spine. I start running, and reach the door. I am not staying here. Mez catches me as I reach the locked gate. I burst into sobs, body shaking.

      Mez suddenly turns into a transparent being. I scream blue murder, and Mez clamps an invisible hand over my mouth. She sighs, “Vienna, please. Settle down.” I nod and try to put my racing heart into words.

      I rasp, stumbling and racing my words, “You’re transparent and that boy is just…. a monster!  He has sharp teeth and those spots were becoming words!  Not nice words, scary words!  What is going on?” Tears run down my face and I hold onto the gate for support as I sit on the walkway.         

    Mez defends, “First of, Bärchen is not a monster. Second, second…. Wait. Wait. Ahhhhh. I get it now. You are very similar to your brother indeed. You see people for what they see themselves as. I shall have to teach you to control that… Come now, Maus, Bärchen is having a coniption fit and I need to stop him before…” Glass shatters and a huge, black dragon bursts from the top floor window. I stare in shock as it weilds over head, the feathery wings magnificent in this light. I stare in shock, and look at Mez with wide eyes. I look up and watch as the black scales gleam shamelessly off the sun as the magnificent beast twirls around. The tail has broad wings off the back, flapping in time with the main wings. The feathers are speckled, giving the appearance of stars. I see the horns as the beautiful monster turns to us in the air. The horns are long and elegant, curving off the jaw and the top of the head. The head is strong and elegant, showcasing an air of power and elegance. The wings now beat in time with my heart, and all I want to do is meet the creature that flies above me. Is this Rick or Eri? Nick? Who is this?

     Mez finishes, breaking my transe, “...Bärchen breaks the window again.” I gape as I stare at this beautiful dragon. Everything mumbles subtle beauty and elegance, it isn’t the monster from before at all. How are they the same person? Why isn’t he always a dragons?

        I whisper, shocked and disbelieving, “THAT is Bärchen?” Mez nods and bites her lip.

         She replies, “Yes. He takes pride in his wings. No one really know why he hides them so much. What do you see?” I put out my hand hesitantly. She takes it and yelps. The dragon sees us now,  green eyes locking onto mine. The dragon swoops, majestic form closing the distance with little space to spare. The dragon looks deep into my eyes, and I back up. The monster from before replaces the dragon in a swirl of black. He has broken features and a horrified look on his face. Then, he becomes a clown. I scream in horror and his breath hitches. He looks away from me to the sky, and all of the sudden I catch his eyes. The monsterous, bloody clown disappears. The teen that replaces me reminds me of Cody. I whisper, mindlessly, “Cody.”

    Bärchen whips his head to stare at me. He charges at me and demands, the dragon returning, “Why do you know about Cody?” I wince back and try to find an explanation for myself. The boys’ breath is hot on my face, and I realize that this teen could kill me here and now. My brain shuts down and I bolt for the house. I grab my suitcase and bolt into a light blue hall. To my dismay, all the hallways are the same. I soon find a room with a sign on it. I run in and slam the door, tears running down my face. I fall to the floor in confused tears. Why does everyone get so mad at me? I curl up in a ball and sob into my hands. That dragon, once so elegant, was the second most horrific thing I have ever came close to. The first was that fucking clown. I hate clowns. I suddenly hear a voice outside my door.

       I sob, “Stay away.” A sigh and a thump greet my ears. I give a raspy gasp and feel like the world is now crashing right down. I remember Alex, Crete, Cody, Vlad, Jack;  none of them deserved to die that way. I hear someone knock slowly, tiredly. I look up and see the door is being leaned on from the other side. I get up and throw it open. It opens towards me, and I get pushed to the floor. I hear a strangled scream and push a heavy weight off me. A scrambling sound and flapping confirms my suspicion, it was the monster out side my door.

           He stutters, from the other side of my eyelids, “I… I….” I suddenly feel a sharp fire in my heart. I remember the last time I heard that. My fire rolls up my throat. My neck ignites, travelling to my face. Water boils over in my eyes and I feel the fire on my tounge.

          I spit it out angrily, like the mighty dragon, “GET OUT!” I feel him wince as he runs out.