Allies of Plaxas

Chapter the Twenty Fifth: Bella

 "What were you thinking?" Sophie isn't facing me, her eyes still on the road, but I can tell that she's angry. I can see that her face is red in the rear view mirror and her hands clutch the steering wheel so hard that they're white.

"I....I wanted to go home. Back to your house," I mutter, my legs pulled up against my chest as I lean my forehead against the window.

"But couldn't you have waited until tomorrow? You had me so worried Bella. Visiting Marylin is a once a year thing. It's always happy for me,"

"I know, I know," I say. I still feel really bad that I ruined Sophie's trip....but the dragons. I still have no idea if they're alright and I'm really worried.

You're just paranoid. I tell myself. They're probably just fine. They're almost certainly just fine. But I can't help wondering.

"What was it you wanted to get back to so badly anyway?" she asks.

"I just....missed the house," I mutter again.

"You missed the house so badly that you couldn't wait one day until we got home?"

"Yes?" I ask, doubting she'll believe me.

"Well," she pulls into the long driveway. "Here we are. The house that you so badly wanted to see. "It's whole, just in case you're wondering. Aliens didn't take it,"

Aliens. Creatures from unknown lands, who come down from the skies. Am I an alien? I certainly feel like one. I only wish that I could do some cool power things like abducting cows. Actually....I don't think I'd like to abduct a cow. It would smell.

"Now," Sophie stops the car and turns to look at me but I'm already gone. As soon as she stopped it I opened the door and dashed out, towards the forest.

"Bella!" she shouts. "Come back! Bella, you're grou--"

Her voice seems to cut off abruptly as I plunge into the deep underbrush. It's much cooler in the forest and the loud chirping of bugs gives me the shivers. I've never much been a fan of bugs.

I wade my way through the undergrowth towards the cabin in the woods. My head is throbbing. It's going to be okay. The dragons are going to be fine, I tell myself firmly. But I just can't bring myself to believe it.

I can't find the cabin. It's beginning to get dark because once Sophie found me on the side of the road, dirty and disheveled with tired legs because I'd dropped the bike miles back after a broken tire had occurred, it was already one in the morning. The drive took four hours and now it's five.

I hold up my hand and a light shines from it. I keep forgetting I have this power to make light from my hand. I think that I could probably do other things with it too, but I haven't been practicing enough. The light is still almost as dim as it was the day I found out that I had this power.

"Blanq?" I call. "Blanq!! Where are you?"

I think I hear something in the shadows but when I turn nothing is there. It's really dark right now and it's hard to keep my light going. It flickers out and I begin to run through the dark forest.

I stumble into a clearing and gasp in surprise when I realize it's the same one that the cabin is in. I sigh in relief and make my way towards it. It's hard to see in the ever fading light.

The cabin is quiet as it was the first night that I came to it. I knock softly on the wood outside in case they're asleep. A small dragon head pokes out from under a musty old blanket and I laugh.

"Hey, little guy," I pet under its chin. "You're alright after all. I guess I didn't have to get Sophie angry at me just to get back to you. I feel so stupid now. Why did I need to try so hard?

"Blanq?" I head closer to the dragon mom who's lying with her back to me. I wonder if she's asleep. But she doesn't even twitch as I lie a hand on her.

Another baby dragon pops up from next to his mom and then the last one does too. I laugh again but I'm really concerned about their mom.

"Blanq?" I ask. Then I see something that makes me gasp. Blanq is lying in a pool of blood. And it's her blood.

I spot an arrow in her side and let out a sob. Blanq is dead.