Fly

Chapter 6

On the way home, I sat quietly, dressed in a pair of soft pajama pants and a baggy shirt like an invalid. My parents kept trying to buy me snacks and drinks and other treats on the way home. I wasn't all that hungry, between the food from the police station and the guilt of deceiving everyone. And the fact that this had even happened at all. Plus there was this constant feeling that something in me had fundamentally changed since it had happened. As if, even though I had returned to human form, it was like putting a little girl's coat on a bodybuilder. I felt as if I were trying to contain a second set of muscles and bones under my skin. And maybe that was the case.

At any rate, it wasn't a question of whether I could change back, but when. It wasn't as if I couldn't resist the feeling, but I didn't want to. I wanted to be up among the clouds again. To see things from miles away. To feel the heat in my jaws as flame jetted out of my mouth. I needed the wind on my scales like I needed to breathe. I flexed my hand again, the one that had been injured. Not even a twinge.

As soon as we arrived home, I hugged my parents and told them I was tired, and that I was going to bed for the night. I could practically feel their concerned eyes on my back as I went up the stairs, and I had to keep myself from running. Finally, I made it to my room, closing the door and locking it. They could still get in, with a little effort, but I would have some warning if they tried. I stood in the middle of the room, closed my eyes, and let the Change come. It flew out of me in a burst of wild energy, as if my blood had suddenly flooded every single muscle with adrenaline and oxygen. My chest expanded and I took a deep breath, opening my eyes to the maelstrom of light that surrounded me, swirling up from the ground. I reached a hand, claws extending from my fingers already, and trailed it through the wall of what seemed like liquid radiance, which twisted upward from the floor like a brilliant tornado. The base was white, just like my scales, but it seemed to flicker with colors like the aurora borealis, fiery hues dancing like fish through a river, sparks like fireworks spraying across the surface. In a few seconds, it abruptly reversed and sucked back into the ground, disappearing into the carpet as if it had never existed. But now, I was a dragon.

I stood, careful not to make any sudden moves, in a room that suddenly seemed much smaller. I arched my delicate neck and craned my head around, tail arched like a scorpion's over my back so I didn't knock anything over by accident. Truth be told, I wasn't as big as I had originally thought. Without my wings and tail, I wouldn't be much bigger than a deer. 

I tucked my wings close to my body and delicately stepped up onto my bed. It groaned a little, but I couldn't be much over 250 pounds, so the metal frame held just fine. I curled up, nose on my tail the way I had seen cats do, and settled down to think. 

The idea that had been floating around in the back of my mind since the police station came to the forefront again. They said they were having trouble catching that human trafficking ring. All those men and women were overworked, and putting themselves at risk every day with no visible results. There's got to be some way I could help. Use this new ability of mine to assist them somehow... I narrowed my eyes in thought. First I have to make sure I know what I'm doing. I'm going to need some more practice with this body. And second, I don't know if going to Chicago again is going to be feasible anytime soon. My parents will be spooked for quite awhile after THAT whole experience. And I don't know how long I'll need, so I'd have to come up with a good excuse for me to be there for a long period of time. I huffed, watching a faint cloud of smoke drift upward, like the puff from blowing out a candle. I raised my head and shook it, scales shaking around my shoulders, making a faint jingling noise as they rubbed and settled against each other. I eyed along my elegant white form again, still baffled about how I had ended up this way, yet more comfortable than I had ever been in my human skin. It was like taking a deep breath of air after a rainstorm, when the air seems to be full of its own special energy. I wondered idly where the energy needed for me to Change forms came from.

Having decided that for now, I would simply discover the limits of my abilities and experiment with them, I stood and stepped down from the bed, standing still and shifting back to human. I frowned as I looked down at myself, now clothingless again. That might become a problem as well. I'll have to do something about that. Maybe carry some with me in a bag? Or have some placed around in various hiding spots that I can get to and Change in without being seen? I'll have to think about it.

I ducked into some pajamas and wiggled under my blankets, sighing. Though I no longer felt entirely at ease in my human form, it was still incredibly comfortable to be surrounded by softness. I drifted off quickly, vague images of clouds and tall buildings and sunlight on metal flashing through my head, becoming a dream of falling through endless air, yet being completely unafraid.

The next morning, I set out for the woods.