So Many Books, So Little Time

•Chapter Five•

"Ugh, my book isn't even a story," Raylee complained later that evening, setting it down. "What about yours?"

"I haven't looked at the new one,"Aleah confessed. "But the one he gave me yesterday is like a collection of diary entries and dragon facts. It's really cool, but some of the entries are hard to read sometimes."

"I mean, he was nice and all, but there's just something about him, you know?" Raylee continued. "This book he gave me is just a literal manuel. Like, it honestly just tells you how to take care of a baby dragon. How does that work? Why was this thing even allowed to be published? Dragons aren't real! You don't need to know how to care for their young when they are actually nonexistent! And it doesn't even tell it as a story. I could handle that. But nope, it's literally just facts! That aren't even real! Ugh."

"Don't get so worked up about it," Aleah suggested. "Just leave it be. Think of it as an unwanted gift or whatever. I'd say give it to me and let me read it, but something tells me Phoenix gave it to you for a reason. It might be a totally insane reason, but a reason nonetheless. Keep it to humor him, maybe skim over it a bit so you can tell him about it tomorrow, and ditch it when he leaves. I guess it isn't very nice, but what else are you gonna do?"

"Yeah, okay," Raylee sighed.

An hour passed, and the twins had remained in the same positions they had assumed when it first started: Aleah was still reading, although she now seemed to be concentrating a bit too hard, and Raylee was messing around on her phone, although she was a bit too bored.

"Hey, what's that look for?" Raylee asked, jolting her sister from her reading trance.

"What look?"

"The one that looks like you want to kill your book."

Aleah glared at her twin, refusing to believe what she had previously been considering before Raylee had interrupted her thoughts. "It's nothing."

"Yikes, now it looks like you want to kill me. I doubt it's nothing. What made you so mad?"

"Ray, shut up. It's stupid."

"I'm stupid or you're stupid? Or is the book stupid? I'm confused here."

Aleah groaned, throwing her head back on the couch. Raylee smirked from her position on a reclining chair, proud of her efforts to rile her sister. It was true that she had been making a pretty fierce face, and so Raylee had taken it upon herself to "fix" it.

"Look, some of this stuff is just kind of bothering me," Aleah explained, irritated with herself and with her sister. "It's like it's just... too close to the truth, you know? Most of this, if not all of it, is really, really accurate."

"You do know that these authors could've just looked it all up, right?" Raylee pointed out. "It's not that hard."

"I know that!" Aleah snapped.

"Then what's the problem?" Raylee questioned.

"It just has this... ring of truth to it. Here, listen:

"My name is Elizabeth Hank, and the date is December 6, 1865. I have been granted a Dragon's Blessing, and my wish is for slavery in America to officially end. Everyone has been talking about it for years, but no law has yet been passed. Please change that.

•

Slavery ended that day, and the dragons themselves returned the slaves to their homes, where family and friends awaited them. For the ones who grew up in America, however, the dragons created new homes. None of this they did directly, and instead guided other people to help."

"So?" Raylee snorted. "That's it? That's what's making you mad? I don't hear any 'ring of truth.' You're just looking too much into it. That, or you've just been reading it for too long. Give it a rest and then talk to me about this again."

"You don't understand!" Aleah said with a huff of frustration. "I have this feeling in my gut, okay? It feels like I've always imagined magic to feel like. That might sounds silly to you, but I've never experienced something like this before. And the Dragon's Blessing thing? Phoenix said something like that when he gave it to me. That can't be a coincidence."

"Um, it totally can. He must have read it before and is trying to start a fan club or something. That's probably why he wants us to talk to him about these books. He's as obsessed with dragons as you are."

"Maybe," she mumbled. But then again, maybe not. When we stop by after school tomorrow, I'll have to make sure Raylee leaves before I do, so I can ask Phoenix without her overhearing. If he denies everything and calls me crazy, then that's what I am. But I will get answers. Because if it really is magic, there is no way I'm missing it.

The next day after school, Aleah discovered that her sister had already made plans with Laura anyway, so she didn't have to worry about trying to ditch her at Inkland Adventures. Raylee simply handed her the baby dragon handbook and disappeared inside her friend's red truck. Aleah was a bit disappointed at Raylee's quick getaway, but resolved to carry out her self-appointed mission to the end; she would not back down from asking a seemingly silly question.

Having magic exist would be a dream come true, but she had to wonder if it would come with dangers. After pondering about this for a few minutes, she supposed that there were dangers in everything, and that the beauty of it would override the ugliness. Besides, from she'd read in her book, the dragons seemed friendly enough.

I wonder if I could become a dragon, she thought wistfully. Or if I could ride one. Either of those would be beyond awesome. Just making friends or seeing one in the flesh would be enough, though. I mean, how many a humans have actually seen a dragon? Probably not very many.