4. Dragon
1337 Words
We go to the big office with lots of windows. There are 8 men at the end of a big long table. Thora pulls me to the other end of it. She sits me beside her.
The man at the end stands up. "What did we figure out?"
Marcus flips through papers. "If they miss 3 classes they are out."
"Wow."
"It's a 6-month class. Monday to Friday. 10 to 11am. They are going to need a place to practice here as well. And there is a stretching class from 8:30 to 9:30 at the same place. It is suggested they do that. At 400g each. They also need 450g tomorrow at 10 to pick up the clothes. They also need supportive shoes. Are you doing the stretching class?"
The girl at our end answers, "Yea, we need a refresher on that anyway."
Elek looks at Dipak. "While we're there, we are running security on all the girls."
"Why?"
"It was either that or get the f**k out, and it's cold in the out, in Switzerland."
Marcus smirks. "It really is."
"I'll get the money for them by tomorrow."
"8:30. The stretching is at 8:30. They have to pay tomorrow. It probably starts on Monday too. They missed the meeting for it this morning. The instructor for the aerial class had some information about it though. They were able to get the forms and time for tomorrow."
"Make sure you give yourselves enough time to eat. And I will have the money and 2 of us in there for your security tomorrow."
The girl at our end smiles. "Thank you."
"Next."
"We need to finish the parade stuff."
"Kane is coming up."
"Starlet, about your dragon. It's not..."
A man steps in the room with a knife and walks towards me.
I dive under the table. Then I crawl as fast as I can to Marcus. I sit between his knees and shake. I don't want to be hurt. I don't like knives.
"You're alright." Marcus tries to pick me up, and I start to pee. I can't help it.
"f**k. I didn't think about it. I went at her with a knife."
"She's alright."
"Marcus, she's..."
"It's ok. Tye, make me a door."
I wake up in my bed all clean. I don't remember taking a bath or going to bed. Maybe it was a nightmare. My servant comes in and helps me get dressed. Then she takes me to Marcus's office.
I sit on the couch with Omar. Marcus sits in the chair like always.
"Starlet, we have to talk about the dragon."
"She left."
"No. She didn't. She has been magically suppressed. She is still with you."
I shake my head.
"Yes, she is. A magician put a curse on her. We found a way to break the curse."
"She didn't leave me?"
"No."
"She's here?"
"Yes."
-Dragon?-
Nothing.
"She's not here."
Omar smiles. "We have to break the curse, Star."
"Do that."
Marcus sits back. "It's with the knife. We found the suppression line on your arm. We have to cut into your arm to get it out of you. It's going to hurt really badly."
I think about all the times I've been hurt. All the scars. The other times I've been stuck with knives. It can't be any worse than that. I hold out my arms to them.
"We have to do it in Dipak's office. I can't let a dragon out in the mountain."
Omar rubs my arm. "Are you sure? It will hurt."
"I want my dragon."
"Ok. Let's go get her." He helps me up.
We get to Dipak's office and 9 men and me, sit at the table. They sit on 1 end. I sit in the seat by Thora's. She's not here, but I think this is where I'm supposed to sit.
The man on the end smiles. "Do you understand we're going to cut into your arm to release the dragon? It will hurt."
"Yes. I want my dragon back."
"Good."
"It's her left upper arm."
Marcus moves my sleeve up. "Here, Kane."
"Once I start, I can't stop. Pull Marcus's hair if you have to."
I nod and they laugh.
Marcus grabs my arms and I feel the knife against my skin. It feels like it's burning its way in. It does hurt badly. I close my eyes and try to remember my brothers' smile. My daddies hugs. My momma's laugh.
"It's out."
I look at the blood on my arm and my eyes go red.
I jump up and flip the table on half of them. I slam a man into the wall, and he drops to the ground. Someone pins me to the ground. "Search her memories. We are not here to hurt you."
I can't move, so I close my eyes and concentrate. I remember going into King Cole's office. Seeing a prince. They said he was my mate. They killed our family. I see the torture. All of it. Then Marcus found us. He figured out I was here. "Marcus."
"Yes." He helps me up. "You're not going to be hurt anymore."
I sit at the visiting end of the table. They got it flipped back over. The man I knocked out is awake again.
The man on the end stares at me. "What happened?"
I smack myself on the head trying to get the hair out of my face. Damn near knock myself out. Then I blow on it. It won't go away.
"Try this." A man puts a plate in front of me. It has yellow stuff on it.
I put it in my mouth and spit it out. "No." It falls down the front of me. I try to move my hair and pull some out.
Another man jumps up. "Can I do your hair?"
"Yes."
He comes behind me with a hair tie. The first man turns into a dragon and blows fire at the plate. "Try it now."
"No."
"Little taste."
I put it in my mouth. It is good this way. I eat more.
"Is that better? You can see now."
"Yes. Thank you."
"My pleasure. Try again, Dipak." He goes back to his seat.
"What happened?"
I reach for more yellow stuff and see my hand. I jump so hard I nearly fall out the seat. It's red and bumpy. I pull the sleeve up and my arm has scars. The other arm is the same way. I stand up and pull the dress up. My legs are covered in scars. I pull the top out and look down. I even have scars on my chest and stomach. I feel the bumps on my face. This won't work. "I need blood."
The servants bring it and I heal the scars. I get it done and check everything. No more scars. I sit down and eat another yellow thing.
"What happened?"
"Marcus saved me."
"Who are you?"
"Starlet."
"Were they your family?"
"I have no family."
"Tell us something."
"I don't want to."
"Why?"
"She doesn't trust you. I will say nothing."
The man at the end rubs his eyes. I release the power.
"You're alright. Sit up and take a drink." Marcus pulls me up. "Can you feel the dragon now?"
-Dragon?-
-I'm here.-
"SHE'S HERE."
He sits beside me. "She had control of you briefly. That's why you passed out."
"How did that go?"
"Fine."
I wait for him to go on, but he's staring into space. I reach for the pineapple and see my hand. I jump so high. There are no marks on it. I lift the sleeve and nothing. Nothing on the other arm. I jump up and check my legs. No scars. I feel my face and cry. There are no bumps.
"She healed the marks, Starlet."
I drop to my knees and bawl my eyes out.
Omar pulls me up. "That's enough for today, Marcus. Make sure they have her ready in the morning. She has class."
- Writer
