The Domestic Dragon

Part 5: Choices

There was something instinctual about the way the fight was going. Jamie and a few other dragons had successfully gotten all of the teachers out of their dorms and after rounding up a few teachers strolling the dorm halls it was clear that the entry of the school was a battle. Many teachers were running on their own, others were unwilling to let the monsters run free. 

"Stop!" I yelled through the pandemonium, shaking my head no to a student rushing through. They could keep running, they needed to get to their dorms, it was the fighting that had to stop. The teachers wouldn't have done more than glance at me if all of the students hadn't stopped. "Teachers and staff- this is your last chance to leave peacefully. Leave, go home, now."

"You're not in charge," A science teacher yelled at me and I couldn't help but laugh. What was he, five?

I thought about saying just that but instead I grabbed Justin, who had stopped crying but had still said nothing, his eyes glassy. Lifting him by his shirt I threw him at the science teacher, smirking when he fell down like a bowling pin. "The man in charge was incapacitated, consider us temporary. But- fine. You want to go the hard way? You think you'll win? Go for it."

Jamie and the other dragons, as well as a few other strong students, took action immediately. Humans might dominate the UHA, but that wasn't the natural order of things, and as I physically shoved them out the front doors I couldn't help but realize how stupid we had been. Magical beings and users, creatures created by the Church, all bowing down to humans. I loved humans, but the fact was that we were winning for a reason. 

"I'm going back to teacher housing," Margie said. A spirit floated behind her, glaring at everything it could see. "They might have missed someone."

I frowned, "You can't go alone."

"I'm not alone," She replied immediately. I noticed the spirit glaring at me specifically now, very insulted. "And you need to stay here."

I frowned but nodded, "Sorry about that." I said to the spirit, he raised his eyebrows and nodded, saying nothing still. He and Margie rushed out, heading towards the teachers dorms. I couldn't watch her go or dedicate any time to worrying about my sister. Instead I felt the electric attack of a taser. 

The pain was immense but clearly not as bad as the teacher had expected. I grinned, "Did you really just try to burn a dragon?"All trace of joke left my voice and I let the flame that had so wanted to escape for so long dance along the frame of my body. "You need to leave. Now."

The teacher ran away, grabbing another who was standing in shock when they did. Two down, 5- 10- 15- 20- 25- a lot to go. The fight was going well, something I observed while I did my best to bully teachers and faculty into leaving. Many were leaving on their own but I noticed, as time went on, that not all of the teachers were human. Harolds were among their ranks. 

"Jamie! Behind you!" Jamie dodged just in time, my warning getting her to avoid the touch of one of our teacher-harolds. I didn't know what he was planning to do but based on how huge his pupils had been it wasn't good. She seemed to agree, immediately retaliating and punching him in the throat. Distracted by her I didn't notice Michael enter the fray. Instead of rushing to my mate's side I let my flame loose, using it to herd teachers away from us. Their numbers were going down, fast, and only a few lay on the ground. Good- we didn't need to kill or seriously injure without reason. 

I frowned when I heard vehicles in the distance, doubting they were there to help us. I frantically looked around- they were parking and I doubted they wanted to do good things to us but I couldn't put a wall around us without locking the teachers in. 

Before I could make a plan I heard a gunshot behind me and a man yell. Michael! My whole body engulfed in flame and I ran to the human who had shot him. I didn't consider the fact that she had fallen, probably attacked by Michael. Instead I left her to the mercy of my flame while I tended to Michael. 

"Are you okay?" I looked for blood but couldn't find anything- wait! Deep red stained the right thigh his jeans. "Fuck- Michael-"

"Alenia!" He rasped, struggling to deal with the pain. I knew the feeling, the wound from where Mr. Walton had shot me before still stung. "The cops!"

I cursed and stood up, supporting Michael's weak leg. The cops hadn't started shooting yet, but they were ready. Seven cops stood in front of five SUVs with their guns pointed right at us. Why didn't they shoot? 

Teachers and faculty ran to the cops, hiding behind them. In the background I could hear more vehicles coming and knew that the extra police force wouldn't be needed if the final person stepped away and left the police with a clear shot. Silently I pulled up a force field. Hopefully they were all humans and wouldn't recognize it. 

"Go back inside!" I yelled, but no one wanted to. They weren't going to run away from this fight and didn't know that I could do force fields. We didn't have time for this, mere seconds could change everything. "Make sure there are no teachers!" I all but roared, letting my flame dance on the force field that traced the whole school. I hadn't wanted the police to know I could do that but I needed to prove myself so they would go. "And stay inside!"

My allies in fighting ran away and, when he began to shift, I began to fear that Michael, too, would run. I knew he should, he was hurt, but as the fire began to fade and I could see the threat I was facing clearly I didn't want to be alone. Michael stood, he favored his right leg heavily, but he stood his ground next to me. We didn't have to look at each other to know what was happening. We were making our stand, here, now. Prophecy or no this was the moment that we decided to do the right thing, to fight the right fight, until the very end.

Bullets shot and I should have expected them but I flinched a little. They didn't made it past the force field, obviously, and I let a grim smirk onto my face. An officer in the front put up his hand and the bullet wasting came to a stop. He stood up and out of his crouched position, walking as far as he could without trying to force himself past the barrier. "Who is in charge here?"

I looked at Michael, just to be sure, and his determined eyes met mine. We grinned together and turned back to the police, yelling in tandem. "We are!"