feathers and scales | j.j.k

I

"Vipera."

"You must awaken my darling."

"Before it's too late."

Lyn woke up panting. The moonlight shone through the window onto her white bedsheets that were drenched in sweat.

"Fuck," she murmured. It was the eighth time in a row since these nightmares had started. The eighth time in a row since her hair had grown to unbelievably long lengths overnight.

Lyn grabbed the scissors that were on her bedside table and snipped the hair off. She looked at it through the mirror. A movement in the corner of her mirror caught her eye.

Outside her window, she saw the faint shadow of a bird resting in a tree. Lyn felt the piercing golden eyes of the bird scrutinize her.

"Ugh. First Dad, and now birds?"

Lyn swept the hair away and sat in the chair in front of her desk. She took out Baem from his terrarium. Baem twisted around her fingers, lightly nipping at her thumb.

The cool touch of her reptile soothed the troubled thoughts that ran through her mind. Lyn fingered the dark black scales of Baem and admired how his golden eyes twinkled under the moonlight.

Lyn let Baem slither up her neck and around her ears. She took out a pencil and started drawing. The sound of pencil scratching against paper filled the room. When dawn broke, she smiled at the drawing that had come out of her pencil.

It was a black iron circlet encrusted with a single red ruby in the center. Around the gem were entwined snakes, twisted, and knotted around each other.

"What do you think Baem?"

Baem's tongue flickered out in approval. 

"Good boy."

Lyn put Baem back in his terrarium and walked into her closet. She slipped into ripped black jeans and a silky black long-sleeved blouse. Lyn tied on her combat boots and tugged her backpack on.

Just as she was about to leave the room, an idea popped into her head.

"Baem," she said as she snapped her fingers.

The snake looked up at her. "Wanna come to school with me?"

[...]

"Thanks, Ryuji."

Lyn hopped out of the car as she waved goodbye to her chauffeur.

"Ejder Highschool," she grumbled. "Ready Baem?" she whispered.

Baem, who was curled around her neck like a necklace nudged her slightly.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Lyn trudged into the school. She headed straight for her locker, ignoring the stares and whispers of the people around her.

"29...92...89..."

"Hey Lynsander."

Lyn ignored the annoying voice as she slipped her AP Biology textbook into her backpack.

She exchanged her Calculus notebook for her Biology one and slid her lunch inside the locker. Lyn slammed the door shut and walked to her classroom, disregarding the annoying breath and steps of Chris, the typical jock in every highschool.

He slid an arm around her shoulders, holding her in place with his large, meaty hands.

Lyn cringed and struggled to get away. "Go away Christopher," she said through gritted teeth.