The Domestic Dragon

Part 4: Teamwork

"Hank, thank god," I said when Hank walked into my dorm. Once he closed the door I waved my hand, putting a barrier up so no one could interrupt us. The second I'd gotten back I'd immediately written down a list of people who might have been experimented on by the UHA. The top of the list? The mage who somehow had a country accent and somehow wasn't the same as his parents- Hank.

"What do'ya need?" Hank asked and I realized that he was uncomfortable. Probably because I'd called him to my dorm, alone, without any reason.

"Sorry, I probably freaked you out, but I just found out something huge." I said, rushing through my words. "The UHA is really the Church and they're experimenting on the students in schools."

"How- how do'ya know that?" Hank seemed uneasy. I wondered if he was putting the pieces together.

"The director told me," I said. "They experimented on me, and I'm working on a list of who else and I think they might have done it to you. I mean- you have an accent and you don't use the same magic as your parents."

Hank paced for a minute, "How would we know?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "They used a rune on me. Do you have runes you didn't do yourself?"

He gave a grin and patted his right pec, "You've seen it before. I just assumed I was born with it, but you're sayin'..."

"Yeah," I said. "Do you mind if I take a look at it?"

He nodded, quiet and nervous. ""Katie has one of these as well." He said as he unbuttoned the top of his uniform to show me the rune. I didn't recognize it but Hank beat me to asking. "I have no idea what it means."

I frowned and backed up, noticing Margie's old school camera. The Polaroid had been used to irritate our friends for years but it might serve a purpose now. I grabbed it and took a picture, getting close to the rune.

"Thanks," I said.

"So ya'll're gonna try'n figure out what they're doing to folks?" Hank asked, putting his shirt back together.

I nodded, "For starters."

Hank's face was unreadable. He looked like he was going to ask a question but changed his mind. 

"Well, I need to talk to Mike." I said, ignoring the knowing smile that Hank gave me. "Please reach out to me if you think of anything else. Thanks for letting me see the rune." We walked out of the room and I noticed Margie, Christine, and Mike waiting.

"You let me know if y'all find out anything." Hank said. He had a guess as to what I was up to, it was obvious, but he wasn't going to say anything outright.

"Obviously," I replied with a joking tone and an easy smile. There was something overwhelmingly comforting about knowing that Michael and I weren't going into this alone.

"Hank?!?" Margie stage whispered when he turned down another hall. "What are you doing?!"

Christine rolled her eyes and I ignored the obvious accusation from Margie. "Get in here- I've got news."

We walked in and I once again put up the barrier, having no idea who was going to walk by. I wouldn't be able to do anything if they caught on to me.

"What happened? Why didn't they execute you?" Margie's tact continued to be non existent. She stood beside Christine while Michael checked me for blood, as if I would have calmly walked away after being attacked.

"The Harold Church didn't stop their experimentation, they created the UHA." I said, "While the Jones' have control over the rest of the world they leave the UHA." My tone became bitter, "What's a few thousand kids vs the safety of the rest of the world."

"Why did they tell you this?" Christine asked. I could tell she was nervous about what was coming next, she was right.

"The director told me because they experimented on me." I said, "The kidnapped me when I was a baby, put the rune on me, and gave me to my mother."

"Why did they let me break the rune?" Michael asked, "Why didn't they... do anything?"

"They want me to get in line on my own accord." I said. "He said the rune was to allow me to use my father's powers, to suppress the Jones blood."

"High risk, high reward," Margie whispered.

"And if you don't get in line..." Christine didn't need to finish what she was saying. We all knew.

"Please tell me your plan is to both behave and work with Ms. Jones to get to safety." Margie half begged.

"The prophecy would pull her into trouble, there is no point in hiding." Christine said. I grinned, she knew my plan.

"Me and Michael," I said. "We're going to war whether we like it or not."

"So we're starting it," Michael said slowly. It was as if he was figuring it out as he spoke.

"Alenia- NO!" Margie exclaimed, clearly panicked.

"If we don't act now then we lose the element of surprise," I replied. "It's the only thing we have."

"And if we don't have it we can't save the kids," Michael said. The kinder kids, the elementary kids, the middle kids with their awkward mix of puberty and childhood.

"Exactly," I confirmed. I sighed, "look, I know I'm asking a lot of all of you but..."

"We've been in this together from the beginning," Michael said. "And you're right, this is the best start to the inevitable."

"I'm in," Christine said simply. I wasn't surprised by how calm she approached it. We all looked at Margie then. Her face flushed red and she glared.

"As if I'm gonna let everyone run into danger without me covering your asses." She said.

There was a tense silence until Christine broke it. "So- what's the plan?"