The Dragon's Gift

Part 3

I was still shaking when my mom sat me down on the couch. She sat down across from me.

"Tamalia, honey, can you explain to me EXACTLY what happened?" I nodded. I explained to her every detail about what happened on the trail. What surprised me the most was that Mom didn't look surprised. She was just listening casually. "Are you okay now?" she asked.

"I, I guess so," I said. "But I just don't understand what happened. I was just walking, and then it happened. Just like that. It's not even nighttime." Mom looked at me in a way that she was nervous, yet anxious about something.

"Tamalia, do you believe in dragons?" I stared at her. Was she seriously asking me this when I had just been in pitch black on the trail in the morning?

"Why are you asking me this right now?" I said.

"Just answer me please."

"Um, no. I don't. And why us this important right now? I've just gone through something that you have never gone through and-"

"I have gone through it," Mom interrupted.

"What?" I asked.

"I've wanted to tell you this for years. But your father didn't want me too because he thought that you weren't one."

"Weren't what?" I asked.

"A Nogard."

"A what?"

"A Nogard."

"What's that?" Mom looked nervous to tell me, but she did anyway.

"A Nogard is someone who can see dragons. It's a curse that people can get when they are born." My jaw dropped. I stared and stared at Mom.

"Why would you lie like that?" I asked. "Why?"

"Do you really think I would lie about something like that? This is a serious matter."

"But... Dragons aren't real. It's impossible." Mom shook her head.

"Dragons exist, Tamalia. But you're lucky you haven't seen one yet."

"Wait, wait wait. Slow down. You're telling me that dragons exist and there are people who can see them called Nogards?" Mom nodded.

"Here, let me explain. Regular people can't see dragons. Nogards can. Nogards can communicate with dragons and sometimes, if the dragon likes you, Nogards can ride them."

"I don't understand," I said. "How can dragons exist?"

"They just do," Mom said. "I didn't understand either. But, you're lucky that your mother is a Nogard. My mother isn't. Neither is my father."

"Then, how did you become a Nogard?"

"Well, some people are just born with the gift."

"Didn't you say it was a curse?"

"You can call it whatever you want, Tamalia. Sometimes it's a something I'm so happy that I have. But other times, I wish I was normal."

"Wow," I said. "So you're saying that I'm a Nogard too? What about Dad and Amber?" (Amber is my sister.)

"Dad knows about me," Mom said. "Amber isn't a Nogard."

"How do you know?"

"She hasn't come crawling to me saying that it suddenly became pitch black in the morning."

"But, why did that happen to me?"

"I don't know, but it happened to me too. It happens to all Nogards at a certain age. Normally, it happens when you're about eleven or twelve. Since Amber is fifteen, I know that she isn't a Nogard."

I was still surprised. That day was one weird day. First, Mom told me to stop reading and writing, second, my friend Bella wasn't home on the first day of summer vacation, which she's always home on that day. Third, it became pitch black in the morning and last, I'm a Nogard. And it wasn't even lunch time yet. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but I just went with the simple ones.

"Have you ever ridden a dragon?" I asked. Mom sighed.

"Yes," she said. "She was a very special dragon. And can you guess what her name was?"

"Linda?" I said. Mom rolled her eyes.

"Her name was Tamalia." I stared at my mom (once again).

"You named me after a dragon?" Mom nodded.

"The best dragon. Until that dreadful day."

"What happened?"

"She was killed by a Ljubljana dragon."

"A what?"

Mom's voice was shaky.

"A Ljubljana (Le-oob-lee-anna) dragon. Let me explain what happened." She took a deep breath. "A few days before I got married to your father, I was flying around with Tamalia the dragon. I was so happy that I was finally getting married. But I didn't see the Ljubljana dragon that was chasing us. Tamalia sped up and I wondered why. But, I found out too late. Tamalia threw me off. I fell off her and I was flying towards the ground. I landed on the ground. Since I had been through a lot of training, I knew what I have to do to land on my feet. That was easy. But when I looked up, Tamalia was gone." Mom sniffed.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," I said.

"No, don't be," she said, rubbing her cheek. "It was a long time ago. Don't worry about it."

"But, why did you name me Tamalia? Why didn't you name Amber that? She was your first born."

"Well, I was thinking about naming her Tamalia when she was born, but I thought about it and I remembered that I got Tamalia from a family of dragons. There were five baby dragons. Tamalia was the second born. So, when I found out that I was going to have a second child, if it was a girl, which it was, I would name her Tamalia. And I did."

"Wow," I said.

"And, when you were born, you were different. You see, Nogards can sense if someone is a Nogard. I couldn't really tell if you were one, but I had a feeling. And I was right."

"I have another question," I said.

"Go for it."

"Do your parents know that you are a Nogard?" Mom sighed.

"No. I tried to tell them when I was your age, but they didn't believe me. So I gave up after that."

"But then how come Dad believes you?"

"Your Dad is a Gard."

"What's that?"

"A Gard is someone who can see dragons, but can't communicate with them or ride them."

"Then, how do you know that I'm not a Gard? What if I am?"

"You're not a Gard because Gards don't go through the pitch black thing."

"But, that means that Amber could be a Gard." Mom rolled her eyes.

"Why are you so paranoid about that? She isn't a Gard because I can sense if people are Nogards or just Gards."

"Oh," I said. "Sorry."

"Now, we need to tell you father when he gets back from work. We also need to get you a dragon."

"What? I don't want a dragon! Having a sister is enough!"

"Really honey?" Mom asked. "You seriously are going to blow an opportunity of a life time that you thought was never possible?" I was about to answer but then I realized that Mom had won this argument.