The Dark Dragon (The Arkham Monster Book 1)

1: Run

 Hi, you probably don't know me. Well, that's because no one wants to know me. I mean, I know it's not my fault I was put into the girls foster home. I was born to nobody.

 That's right: nobody.

 They say that my parents were jailed because they robbed a store and when they learned they had a child, it was either somebody was going to take care of me or into foster home.

 I guess they wanted a better life for me so now I'm stuck in a foster home.

 Oh well, there's nothing special about me anyway. I'm just your plain, typical girl. Flat brown wavy hair (long, put into a ponytail a lot) and dark grey bluish eyes. Yeah, I have them. I have no idea where I got them from so just don't ask.

 All the girls at the foster home sneer at me; calling me a freak and tossing their food in my face.

 I don't mind. I usually just wipe the food off me and throw it at someone. That's when it starts a food fight.

 Being at the Gotham Foster Home was actually kind of sucky since there was nothing to do. I'm sure it was fun at the Wayne Foster Home.

 The Wayne Foster Home took care of both boys and girls. It was funded by Bruce Wayne, the head hauncho of Wayne Enterprises since he inherited from his parents, Thomas and Mary.

 My parents didn't give a shit about me.

 So here I am, laying on my bed, bored as usually.

 Nobody will take me in. I mean, at least, nobody cares about me.

 I heard the news in one of the caretaker's rooms: "The Dark Dragon strikes again. The monster leaves a path of destruction at Gotham Main Hall last night. Our hero, Batman, tried to come at the scene of the destruction but the monster leapt away as soon as the Dark Knight came into action. Harvey Dent says that the creature will be captured at some point..."

 The Dark Dragon? When are they ever going to capture that monster? The Dark Dragon has been rampaging Gotham almost every night. It's been doing nothing but leaving destruction in its wake.

 I hope they capture it. I don't think it means harm. Maybe it just wants a home. Like me.

 I got up and ran out to the field. The field track usually calms me down. They built it so us girls can get some exercise.

 I ran faster and faster. I love the speed and the wind blowing in my face. It soothes my skin and my mind blanks out. I can pretend to be the fastest girl in the world.

 "Hey, freak's running again."

 I stopped and turned.

 I saw none other than Lauren Kelley and Kristen Debbie, two of the bullies here at Gotham Foster Home. They're usually the ones pestering me. The little mouse brown haired green-eyed bitches.

 "So, out for a stroll?" Lauren asked me, sneering at my shoes. The shoes were nothing special. I was in my typical black shirt with a black leather jacket and jeans with old white and black Nikes.

 "Yes," I said, acting casually. "What's the matter with that?"

 "The matter is that freaks aren't wanted here," Kristen said. "You're better off living in the streets. Wait a minute, it doesn't matter because you'll be living here for a long time!"

 Anger bubbled inside me. "Stop it," I growled. For a 17 year old, I'm sure overwhelmed by two 15 year olds.

 I felt heat rise inside me. The heat rose from my lungs into my throat.

 "Aw, freak's going to cry," Lauren teased.

 That does it.

 Immediately, I spatted out fire to their faces.

 Lauren and Kristen screamed.

 They ran back to the foster home.

 I winced and clutched my throat.

 Did I just do that?

****

 Everyone's been talking about it. How I blew fire to Lauren and Kristen's faces. Nobody believes them though. After hundreds of spatting and pointing, Lauren and Kristen were thought as lunatics, making something up to get attention.

 I laughed at this.

 Everyone says that it's impossible to breathe fire and Lauren and Kristen were just being little gossip girls.

 "It's true," I heard Kristen said at the dinner table. "Melani spit out fire and it was heading toward us. That's just freaky!"

 "This ain't over yet, Roseson!" Lauren growled to me. "Just wait till we get these people to believe us!"

 That's not going to happen for a while. Well, maybe never. How can I breathe fire again though?

 As I walked over to my bedroom that night, I felt something itchy on my neck.

 I went to the bathroom and turned on the light.

 I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

 There was clearly nothing wrong with it. Nothing at all.

 It that....scales?

 I yelped and jumped back.

 Scales. Dark black scales on my right side of my neck. Scales racing up. Scales that were rough and smooth.

 Oh my goodness. I am a freak.

 I ran out of the bathroom and went to the field track.

 I had to run. I had no idea what was happening to me but I didn't want to know. Maybe this is just some kind of dream. Yeah, it must be a really weird one and I'm going to wake up in the morning.

 I ran and ran. I rubbed the scales on my neck. Nope, still there. I scratched again.

 Nobody can see me like this. The foster people will surely kick me out. Or they'll send me to a doctor and try to do weird experiments on me. No way is that going to happen.

 I ran up to the gate. I jumped and climbed over it.

 I can't believe I just jumped that high.

 As soon as I hit the ground, I ran to wherever I was going.

 Branches from trees hit me with leaves with wet dew. The ground was soaked with mud and rocks.

 I cried and brushed past them, trying to find a way out. I pulled them away and ran some more.

 I finally stopped and catched my breath. I looked up.

 In front of me was a black gate. Along the sides, were brick walls.

 I looked up.

 The black sign read: Arkham Asylum.