The Blood of Dragons (On Hold)

Prologue: Scary Mommy

The plush dinosaur bobbed up and down as I made it walk along the carpet over the soiled clothes, and fast food wrappers. I imagined that the different sized piles of filth served as mountains and the carpet valleys. Every once in a while the blinds that moved in the light breeze resembled dark clouds that allowed sunlight to shine on the desolate sight below. I strained to open my swollen eye wider to see it's purple coat become iridescent in the morning sun.

"Rwar. Rwar. Fire." I roared under my breath and raised it up over my head like it suddenly had wings. My eyes followed and wondered how wonderful it would be to burn the ugly world around me and fly away to place without pain or hunger. With a sigh, I left my favorite toy under the shadows of my bed.

As I attempted to get off the floor I heard footsteps, I froze and sucked in lungs full of air and as my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

"Emmie?" My sister's soft voice called out.

I heavily exhaled and gasped in pain. "My tummy hurts," I thought as my fingertips lightly touched the bruise on my ribs.

I have to be a big girl. Daddy says, "Big girls don't cry, 🎵aye aye aye🎶"

"Mornin'." I said hoarsely.

"Hungry." Nicole's shrill whine pierced my ears in the small room we shared.

"Shhhhhh!" Oh no! Niki too loud! I hastily forced myself to stand and grabbed her hand to yank her behind me. Wide-eyed I threw all of my senses at the doorway opposite the room. When I heard nothing I relaxed just a hair.

"Em-"

"Shhhhh!"

I peeked into the dim hallway. No mommy. My eyes immediately darted to our parents bedroom. Mommy there? I moved cautiously with Nicole still behind. The door was slightly ajar and the television made the room flicker in blueish light. Scanning the room carefully I found our mother passed out on the bed with a needle in her arm.

I closed the white door quietly as I started to breathe again.

Come home soon daddy, mommy is scary.

"Sorry, want breakfast now?" I asked as I led Nicole down the narrow apartment hallway to the kitchen.

"Cereal?" Nicole asked.

I took a heavy rolling chair from our dining area and slid it to the kitchen cupboard. I carefully climbed up and stood to open the cabinet door. Gone.

My head hung low and tears threaten to fill my eyes as my own stomach rumbled in hunger pains.

"No cereal?" Nicole asked.

"No cereal," I paused and thought for a moment. "Tortilla?" I asked daringly to consume our father's stash he keeps for work in the refrigerator.

Nicole nodded.

Half empty bottles of ketchup and mustard rattled together as I opened the refrigerator door. When I grabbed the tortilla bag in the bottom drawer I found only one tortilla left. I pulled the bag out and I climbed back on to the chair.

Nicole looked at me puzzled. Clearly, she expected to be handed her tortilla without question.

"Get pea-na-butter."

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. PEANUT BUTTER! I saw the image of the jared golden goodness flash like a lightning bolt across her adorable face.

She ran to fetch it from our secret hiding place under the loveseat. Than excitedly ran back to me with the jar.

I opened it and pulled a greasy scraper from the makeshift utensil jar, and scraped every last morsel.

I want Niki have it.

"All done," I called from the counter. Nicole came running as she tore herself away from a Barbie commercial.

No more food, all gone.

My stomach flipped at the thought of when she would ask to be fed again.

I licked the grimy scraper and when I ensured all the peanut butter was gone I put it in the sink filled with weeks old rancid dishes.

.
.
.

Nicole and I fell asleep on the broken recliner in front of the television hugging each other. We had spent the day quietly playing, and the evening watching our favorite television shows: Power Rangers and Cops.

*click*

The sound of the apartment door knob being unlocked jolted me awake.

I closed my eyes tight hoping that it wasn't going be as bad as yesterday.

"Emma, Nicole, daddy's home!"

"Daddy!" I exclaimed welcoming his rare good mood.

Uh-oh.

Our father's face darkened. He grabbed my chin with his rough overworked hands and dragged me from my sister's embrace to the kitchen area for a better look.

I winced in pain at the sudden glaring artificial brightness.

"AMANDA!!!" Our father thundered after letting go of my face.

He stormed heavily to the back bedroom our parents shared.

I ran back to my sister.

Nicole started to cry loudly at our father's booming voice.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. The sight of her frightened and tear filled eyes made my heart tightened to the point of breaking.

I held my sister and gently led her to tentative shelter underneath the dining table.

Our mother was awake now and in full rage at being woken up from her blissful high. The shouting got worse and worse as it filled the tiny apartment.

Huddled together, I pushed Nicole's matted hair away to rub my hand across her shoulder blades. My throat swallowed hard dry air as another sob wracked her tiny two year old frame.

"Niki." I choked as tears threatened to spill down my face.

I wanna be a big girl...

Then we cried together when I saw another tear fall down her rounded cheek. I felt my face grow hot and all I could hear through our sobs was the ringing in my ears. This was our life: scampering for food, scared of our parents, and always crying. For a fleeting moment I thought of being able to burn it all away into nothing but ash and charred remains. For a fleeting moment I had Nicole in my talons soaring away from our miserable filthy life. For a fleeting moment I was a dragon.

*aahhhhhh*

Out of nowhere, our father dragged me out from underneath the dining table and away from my favorite dream. He shook me with tremendous force as his fingers dug into my thin arms. I was so scared I couldn't understand any of his thunderous shouts. The look in his eyes sent icicles shooting down my back and chilled me to the bone.

I called for my 'other self' like I have done so many times before when I felt scared, or hurt, or when I needed a strong loving embrace. My 'other self' would make my emotions disappear and my pain go away when I need them to, and I would feel my silent tears recede when I felt the comforting presence blanket me in a warm hug. I felt my 'other self' then surge through me and I clung to it desperately just as our mother ran up and stabbed our father in the back.

I watched emotionless and unblinking as the brilliant blue eyes of our father lost their light. At that moment I could feel the protection my 'other self' provided and it's warmth slip away as it was replaced by a single chilling emotion: fear.

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Thank you for reading! Please let me know if you have any questions, I'll will be happy to answer them.