Diary of a Dragon Rider

Ch 2

CHAPTER TWO

Dad drove all through the night and the next day. Mason, being the bear that he was, slept most of the way there, and only moved when he wanted food or to use the restroom.

It was in the early afternoon when Dad got off of the highway and drove into the parking lot of some kind of restaurant. I was about to ask why we were here, because we had only eaten an hour ago, when I saw a man in his early fifties walk in front of our parked truck.

Dad got out of the truck and went over to say hello to the man. From the way they were acting towards each other, I assumed that the man was my grandfather.

Grandpa Worth caught me staring and waved at me with a warm smile. I smiled back and put my wavy, golden hair into a messy bun before getting out of the truck.

"Thalia, my goodness, it's been too long since I've last seen you! How have you been?" Grandpa asked me as I came up beside him. I blushed, suddenly feeling self conscious, and looked at the ground.

"I've been better than I have been in a while. It's nice to see you Grandpa." I replied.

He chuckled and draped his arm over my shoulders. "It's great to see you too."

"Well Thalia, would you like to ride with me the rest of the way? That way we can catch up?" he asked. I guess that explains why we were in the parking lot of a restraunt.

"Sure, I'd like that. I just need to go get my bag." I told him with a smile. I wasn't exactly sure why I was acting like I already knew Grandpa, because I was positive that I hadn't met him before. I'm not a fan of strangers, but he didn't seem like a stranger to me. More like a long lost friend.

Dad began walking away right as I joined them again, telling me he would see me at the house.

"Well come on then Thalia, we're less than an hour away, and I'm sure that you want to get home and rest." Grandpa told me while opening the passenger side door for me.

"Thanks." I mumbled while climbing into the Jeep.

"It's no problem at all." he said after getting into his seat.

The two of us were quiet for the first couple minutes back on the highway until said, "I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but I don't really remember you that well Grandpa." I told him while fiddling with my favorite necklace.

"That's quite alright Thalia, I wouldn't expect you to. The last time that I saw you was when you were a child. Your father threw you and your brother a birthday party and I showed up, uninvited. I gave you that necklace and gave your brother that bracelet that he was wearing. Sadly, your mother threw me out of the house afterwards. It was worth it though."

I looked at him for a moment in shock. I probably resembled a fish with my mouth opening and closing, unsure of what to say.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I told him "I remember now, meeting you. You haven't changed much, and apparently neither has my mother. She told the two of us that she gave us these things." I said while looking down at my necklace. It was a copper dragon curled around a sapphire on a silver chain. I laughed out loud. "It's funny actually, this is the only thing that I have ever liked that she gave to me, and then I find out that she lied and it was given to me by someone else."

Grandpa looked over at me sadly. "It's not her fault, you know, for everything. She just had a different perspective on life and was forcing it on others." he told me, while not even believing his own words.

"Because when you say it like that, it makes her sound like a misunderstood angel." I told him sarcastically. "Sorry, but I'm not sure if we're talking about the same person."