EverChange

Chapter 5

Lacey stared at the rogue that was tearing up the playground equipment. She felt terrified it, and without Donovan or Brandon around, she was completely defenseless. Lacey grabbed her friend Emily's hand and they both ran into the school building. The doors were locked, and people on the other side were running. Emily banged her hands on the door. Her braids swaying as she fought back the urge to cry and pounded hard.

The other kids were screaming, surrounded by fire. Tied in with the dry air and already hot summer weather, Lacey made the assumption their end would be quick but extremely painful. Other kids had crowded around them, pounding on the doors and windows. The eighth graders began directing the younger kids, holding hands, picking up whoever was small, and ran single file around the building to get to the designated fire drill area. When Lacey tried to move in line with the others, the rogue suddenly turned his attention on her.

"Little hatching." he hissed in a language only she could understand. To others it was just snarling and grunts. Lacey grit her teeth and began running in the opposite direction. She could probably at least hide from him, run until Donovan or Brandon got wind of what was happening. She heard his thunderous steps, and a roar as he began pursuing her.

She braced herself for something-- dagger like teeth, fire, a crushing blow-- but was greeted with a shrill scream instead. Highpitched, hollow, like a raptor. Lacey turned to see another dragon, this one smaller and of light color, screaming at the giant. He looked annoyed, and continued on his pursuit. The smaller creature made a ruckus, flying and clawing at him. When he didn't even look at his smaller opponent, swatting the creature and not even taking them seriously.

They beat their wings and dove, flying close to the ground. Lacey watched as the small dragon snuffed out the flames, then directed the children away. A roar made everyone look, and a chunk of cement was launched like a bowling ball to strike pins. The smaller dragon didn't get out the way, and the chunk of cement hit it's back, but the little creature barely buckled. When the creature moved, he took flight, seeking to ram the smaller form.

Lacey was studying them both. She had never seen a dragon so small, it didn't even have forearms. It was relatively bipedial and it's wings were it's four arms. "A-A wyvern?" she stammered, her heart sinking in her gut.

Another clan had found them. Oh god, someone else had come to kill her.

The wyvern snarled, screamed and put up a fight, but the dragon swatted them away repeatedly. Lacey blinked, catching small snippets of what the smaller dragon was saying. She, a female she was impressed, was swearing and cursing and saying every imaginable foul word at the dragon. The dragon himself couldn't catch her dialect, so he simply thought she was screeching.

A few third graders were cowering in a corner of the school building, crying for their parents. Lacey couldn't leave anyone behind-- They were just kids! She ran back, grabbing their arms. "I'll get you out of here. Just hold hands." she said, placing a young boy's hand on the belt loop of her skirt. A girl grabbed onto his belt look, and her twin sister gripped her hands tight.

Lacey walked and then pulled them as fast as she could without tripping. They made it around the corner, and more kids joined their group. Adults were still yards away, and the dragon was between them. Another set of eighth graders, Lacey's upper classmen, directed them. Their uniforms were dusty and some torn, a bit of blood on their sleeves of knuckles.

The group went to walk around the building, only to get followed by him. Before the beast could finish them off with a breath of fire, the wyvern slammed into his head, his head hitting the concrete and stalling the fire. Smoky wisps came out of his nose and he let out a deafening roar. She shrieked, a hawty noise, then took off into the air. He was insulted, and spat on the ground.