Those With Wings

Messed Up World

Alex' POV

Everyone was just eating like nothing'd happened. Or maybe not...

I glanced at Zero. He looked pale, and he seemed to be shoving his food about on the plate, no appetite on his face. It'd been a little impossible not to hear the shouting.

Harsh, Luanna, harsh. But true.

My sister looked a bit crestfallen. She was eating, but not talking, like she usually would. I caught her stealing guilt-ridden looks at Zero, and I know the threat to unravel his soul from hers was eating her. Luanna could never hurt Zero like that. With words, yes, that was no problem for her. But she could never let him die. That became obvious from the moment she bonded her soul with his, and refused to let him die. It was obvious before that, too. When she'd dragged him along everywhere. Stolen a kiss. Maybe even two. My sister was fond of the loser, somehow. Maybe more sister-fond then girlfriend-kind-of-fond, but still. I pitied the shushnub a bit. Another thing that was obvious: Zero was a whole hell of a lot crazier and fonder of Luanna then she was of him.

Piper kicked me under the table, and shot me a wink. I concentrated on my food quickly, but Luanna had heard the kick and she shot a gaze in my direction, the corner of her lips pulling up as I wasn't fast enough to hide the flush on my face.

Drat sisters. I bet she was going to spread rumors about me and Piper. Huh. Jerkmuffin.

There was a yawning noise, and Piper sighed. "Da-ad. Can Daisy sit on my lap?"

Piper's father gave her a look. "Darling. Daisy is a dragon. Not a pet dragon. She is a living creature."

"But-"

"All right," he gave in.

Piper grinned smugly, and turned her triumphant, large brown eyes to me. I gulped. I could see why her father had given in so quickly.

The girl picked Daisy up, who looked pleased, little ringlets of steam leaving its ugly snout. Or hers, I should say.

I glanced at Daisy's eyes while others continued the conversation about saving the future and the kingdom and blah-blah-blah.

Right there and then, I knew the creature was planning something evil. It seemed to give me a wink, and then yawned again, vomiting a bit of fire and jumping on the table.

Choas errupted.

The table-cloth caught on fire, and Piper's mother tried to extinguish it, her hands glowing up with heat in panic and then setting fire to the cloth too, on accident. Daisy scampered around the dinner-table and knocked plates over. Piper tried to catch her "pet" but tripped and dove right into me. I caught her and Luanna and Zero were screaming and holding on for dear life in a corner, until Luanna realized there wasn't really a reason to panic (other than that a pet dragon was destroying the whole house and lighting things on fire...) and shoved Zero away, making a dive for the dragon.

Piper's father wanted to do the same thing and knocked his head into Luanna's as Daisy jumped out of their reach, onto a large closet, that fell over as she slipped off of it. By now, Piper had pushed me away, and steam was literally leaving her ears as she shouted profanity at the dragon, who seemed to shrink under her words, and Luanna was yelling at Zero who was trying to extinguish the little flame on her shirt. In fact, everybody was yelling. I caught myself yelling because someone was standing on my foot and Piper's parents were yelling at each other about nothing in particular, and all I could think was-

This is a really messed up world.