Dragon Within (Book One) Read online

  I had to stop. I mean, it’s not like I could pretend I didn’t notice it was snowing on me.

  “What do you think now?” Zack asked.

  “I still think one of us is crazy, but I’m not so sure which one.” I slowly turned toward him. “How are you doing this?”

  “I told you. I’m a water dragon. It’s what we do. Or at least, it’s part of what we do.”

  I shook my head, finding it hard to keep denying his words with snowflakes melting on my shoulders. “What does this have to do with me?”

  “Like I said, you’re a dragon too. An air dragon. And you’re part of my clan, like your father.”

  “Wait, what? My parents are dragons too?” This idea was even harder to believe than anything else he’d said. It seemed to me that was the sort of thing my parents might have mentioned at some point in my life.

  “You aren’t going to like to hear this,” Zack said, “but the Freemans aren’t you’re parents. You were adopted.”

  He couldn’t have shocked me more if he’d dumped a bucket of ice water on my head. “I am not.”

  “Have you ever seen any pictures of yourself when you were baby? Do you have any old toys or clothes, or even a birth certificate?”

  “A pipe burst and flooded the basement. All that stuff was ruined.” The familiar story rang falsely in my ears.

  “You were adopted,” Zack said, getting back on his bike. “I can give you a little time to talk to the Freemans and to get used to the idea of being a dragon. But not much.” He put his helmet on, then lifted the visor and said one last thing before taking off, “If anybody else you don’t know

  approaches you, run.”

  I don’t really remember walking home. I think I was in a kind of daze. But I do remember crawling into bed without bothering to tell Curtis I was back. I had a killer headache and all I wanted to do was sleep so I wouldn’t have to think about anything for awhile.

  I guess I did sleep, because the next thing I was aware of was the sound of running water. I got up and went into the kitchen. My mom stood at the sink, washing the lunch dishes.

  “Hi, honey.” She smiled at me. “Did Trudy’s parents get home okay?”

  “Yeah.” I sat down at the table. I couldn’t believe I was thinking what was I thinking, but if Zack was right about my parents then maybe he was right about the whole dragon thing too, as impossible as it seemed.

  “Brandy called,” mom said. “She said she tried your cell but you didn’t answer. You were sleeping and since I know you had a late night with Trudy I didn’t want to wake you. I told her you’d call her back when you got up.”

  “Uh huh.” Brandy was the least of my concerns. I took a breath, opened my mouth to speak, and then shut it again. I stared down at my hands, wondering if I was crazy to even be thinking of asking my mother if I was adopted solely on the word of some guy who believed himself to be a dragon.

  I tried to tell myself it was ridiculous. Only I couldn’t forget how Zack made it snow. I couldn’t rationalize it away and I couldn’t pretend it was some kind of trick no matter how much I might have wanted to.

  “You’re awfully quiet over there,” mom said. “Something on your mind?”

  And the question came tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Was I adopted?”

  A dish clattered into the sink and it was like a stone sinking in my chest. “Oh my god.” I rose to my feet. “It’s true. I am adopted.”

  Mom turned around, her face slack with shock. “Who told you that?”

  I can’t explain all the emotions running through me then, but the one I latched onto was anger. “You should have told me. How could you keep a secret like this? How could you lie to me for my whole life? You said my baby things were destroyed, only they weren’t because I never had any baby things. Because you’re not...” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words yet. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  Mom sagged back against the counter. “Your father and I discussed it several times and we always decided against telling you. We thought it would be better that way. There didn’t seem to be any need for you to know the truth.”

  I gripped the edge of the table. “Why not? What happened to my real parents?”

  “We are your real parents. Your father and I. We have raised you and loved you like you were our own, because you are.” She reached out a hand toward me, then lowered it when I flinched away. “Oh, Abigail, I am so sorry. We never thought you’d find out.”

  I was hurting her, I could see it, and it was last thing I wanted to do. But I was hurt too, and so confused. “I...I don’t know how to deal with this. I have so many questions.” Like whether or not she knew I was a dragon, only I wasn’t sure how to go about asking that.

  “I don’t know much.”

  “Well, tell me what you do know.” I sat down again. “Even if you think it sounds too strange.”

  Mom frowned. “Strange? Honey, what happened to your birth parents was sad, but it wasn’t

  strange. They were killed in a car accident. You were only two at the time and you had no family to take you in, so the state got custody.

  “Your father and I had been on the waiting list for a baby for three years. Then one day our caseworker called and asked if we’d be willing to take a toddler instead.” She smiled. “From the first moment we saw your picture we knew you were our girl.”

  So, nothing about dragons then. “This is... It’s a lot to deal with all at once.”

  “I understand.”

  Only she didn’t. She couldn’t. Because she didn’t know. I considered telling her what Zack had told me, but her first reaction probably would have been the same as mine; she would have wondered what kind of drugs I was on. I could have shown her, could have made something float and proven at least that much. Maybe you’re wondering why I didn’t. Well, think about it. I mean really, think. Would you want to tell your parents you’d suddenly developed the ability to move objects with your mind?

  I’m betting the answer is no. Because, like me, you can guess at where that sort of thing would lead. She would have dragged me to the nearest hospital to have them test me for radiation poisoning or something, and from there it wouldn’t have been too long before the men in the black suits showed up.

  “I have to...to think about this.” I stood. “I’m not mad at you, or anything, I just need some time alone.”

  “Okay, honey. When you get ready to talk, I’ll be here.” She tried to smile, but it was weak. I’m not sure she believed me when I said I wasn’t mad. But it was true. I might have grabbed on to anger at first because it was easy, but by the time we’d finished talking anger was replaced by a kind of...disorientation is the best way I can describe it.

  I went back to my room glad she hadn’t pressed me to tell her where I’d gotten my information. I never was a good liar, and telling her I’d found out I was adopted from some strange guy on a motorcycle would have gone over only slightly better than telling her I was a dragon.

  Lying on my bed, I tried to get all my thoughts and feelings straightened out, but it was no use. I needed somebody to talk to. I reached for my cell to call Brandy, only to stop and ask myself what I thought I was doing.

  Sure, under the circumstances of a normal crisis Brandy would have been the first person I’d call. Only these were far from normal circumstances. I could have called to tell her I was adopted, but she was bound to press all those questions my mom left hanging. And if it was hard to lie to my mom, well, it was impossible to lie to Brandy. She knew me too well.

  I didn’t want to call Trudy and I didn’t want to go to Curtis’ room because I was so not ready to see my mom again. So I called him instead. “Hey, can you come to my room? I really need to talk to you.”

  “Uh, okay.” Puzzlement was clear in his voice, but he didn’t ask any questions.

  Curtis came into my room, sat backwards in my desk chair, and rested his arms on top of it. “Aunt Robin is sitting at the kitchen table
looking like somebody just ran over her cat or something. Is that why you called instead of walking over to my room?”

  “Was she crying?”

  “No. Why? Should she have been?” He was trying to be all cool about it, but I could see the flicker of concern in his eyes.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I ran into motorcycle guy on the way back from Trudy’s.”

  “Oh.” It was obvious he was wondering what this had to do with anything, but again, he didn’t ask. One of the great things about Curtis is he’ll let you say whatever it is you want to say without turning it into a game of twenty questions.

  “First, he told me dragons are real,” I said. Curtis raised a brow, but he still didn’t speak a word. “Then, he said that he’s a dragon and I’m a dragon and to prove it, he made it snow on me. He told me I was adopted and if any other strange people showed up I should run. I came home, confronted my mom, and yeah, I’m adopted. My re– birth parents, were killed in a car accident when I was two. So, what do you think?”

  “You were adopted. Wow. That’s intense.”

  “Forget that for a minute,” I said. “What do you think about the other stuff?”

  He rested his chin on his arm. “What do you expect me to say? Moving stuff around with your mind, okay, yeah I can buy that. But come on, you’re a dragon? I don’t think you’re lying, I think he is. Either that or he’s completely nuts.”

  “He made it snow. I saw it. I felt it. I swear. If you can explain it away, please do. Because I can’t.”

  He made a face. “Dragons. I can’t get my head around that. But if you believe it, then it’s good enough for me. Do you want the guy’s phone number?”

  I sat forward. “You know his phone number?”

  “My friend emailed me back this morning. Motorcycle guy’s name is Zachary Arnold Truant. He lives in some kind of commune outside Los Angeles.”

  “Commune?” I wrinkled my nose. “Like hippies, or something?” Okay, so I didn’t know much about communes. Maybe you do, maybe you don’t, either way it seemed to me to be a perfectly reasonable thing to ask at the time. Blame the movies.

  Curtis shrugged. “My friend said about a hundred and fifty people live there. They have a school and a farm and everything. Completely self-sustaining. In other words, weird. So, do you want to call him or not?”

  “I don’t know if it would do any good.” If Trudy had been there I’m sure she would have been all over me to call Zack, but it seemed to me if he wanted to tell me more he would have done so when we were face to face. I couldn’t see myself getting more information out of him over the phone.

  I picked up my cell. “Give me his number and I’ll – Uh oh.”

  “What?”

  “Seven missed calls from Brandy. I must have muted the phone before I took a nap.” I checked and, sure enough, the phone was muted. “I better call her back before she decides to come over. She’ll take one look at me and know something is going on and I don’t know what I’d tell her.”

  No sooner had the words left my mouth, then the doorbell rang. Me and Curtis exchanged a look. “No way it’s her,” he said.

  “I bet it is. That’s the way my luck is going lately. Here.” I handed him my phone. “Put Zack’s number in my phone book. I’ll see if I can get rid of Brandy.”

  Brandy and my mom were standing in the entryway when I came out of the hall. “There you are,” Brandy came over to me. “You were supposed to call.”

  “I forgot.”

  “Well,” mom said, picking her purse up from the little table by the door, “I have to run to the store real quick. If you guys want snacks there’s plenty in the kitchen. See you in a bit.” Then she was out the door and gone.

  Let me tell you something about my mom. She always goes to the grocery store on her way home from work. Always. Okay, so maybe she might have forgotten something, but I don’t think so. I think she left to make sure Brandy and I had plenty of privacy to talk freely. That’s my mom for you. If I’d known I wasn’t going to be seeing her again for a long time, I’d have given her a hug and made sure she knew exactly how much I appreciated it.

  “Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Brandy asked as we stepped into the living room.

  “I guess I muted it before I took a nap.”

  Brandy sat on the couch. “Didn’t your mother tell you I called the house?”

  “Yeah.” I dropped into my dad’s recliner. “I was busy.”

  “Too busy to call your best friend?” She eyed me narrowly. “What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting strangely ever since your party.”

  I plucked at a loose thread on the chair arm. “Nothing’s going on.”

  “Don’t give me that. I know you too well. You’re upset about something, I can tell.” She crossed her legs. “I’m not moving from this spot until you talk to me.”

  And she meant it too. Once Brandy gets rooted, a bulldozer couldn’t move her. If only I could figure out how much to tell her without resorting to any attempt at lying. “I just found out I’m adopted.”

  “Oh my god.” Brandy came over and perched on the chair arm and took hold of my hand. “No wonder you look so strung out. Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I guess I was too upset to think straight.” I was so grateful she hadn’t asked how I found out.

  “How did you find out?”

  Okay, so I should have seen that one coming. “My mom told me.” Not entirely a lie, so I thought I might be safe there.

  “Why would she tell you after all these years?”

  See what I mean about twenty questions? Brandy has to have all the facts, she can’t help it. Sometimes I swear talking to her is like being interrogated by the police. Not that I’ve ever been interrogated by the police, but I’ve seen it on TV and if those shows are anything like real life, then Brandy would have done well in a job in law enforcement.

  “I was down in the basement looking for something and I found my adoption certificate.”

  Brandy frowned. “What were you looking for in the basement?”

  Have you ever felt like grabbing both sides of your head and screaming in frustration? If so, then you know exactly how I felt right then. “Oh my god, Brandy, does it matter? I’m having a crisis here and you’re asking the stupidest questions.”

  “You’re right.” She gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry. Of course it doesn’t matter. Did your mother tell you anything about your birth parents?”

  Now, I think most people would have said real parents, like I did at first. Trust Brandy to be all correct and proper. “Killed in a car accident when I was two.”

  “Do you have any siblings?”

  I blinked. The idea had never crossed my mind. “I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask.”

  “Of course not, you poor thing.” She patted my hand. “You must have been in shock. Was your mother angry you found the papers?”

  “Not angry, no. But she was upset. Still is, I guess. She’ll probably want to have some big family meeting when dad gets home.” And I was definitely not looking forward to it.

  “Are you mad at her?”

  “A little. I mean, they could have told me the truth years ago when I asked about my baby stuff. Instead, they lied to me.” Tears stung the back of my eyes. “I think that might be the worst part of all this. The lies.”

  “I can see what you mean,” Brandy said. “But I can also understand where your parents are coming from. By the time you were old enough to understand you were adopted, you already thought of them as your birth parents. It’s obvious they love you and I’m sure they must have thought keeping the secret was in your best interest or they wouldn’t have done it.”

  Have I mentioned what a pain Brandy and her logical brain can be? No? Well, now you can see for yourself. I love the girl like she was my sister but sometimes she can be really annoying.

  I heard my phone ringing in the bedroom and a moment later Curtis brought it out to me. Brandy moved back to the
couch and Curtis stood next to it.

  “So,” Brandy said, “have you been working on your video from the park?”

  I frowned at my phone, wondering why Trudy was calling me already. “Hello?”

  “Some,” Curtis said, smiling shyly.

  “Abby?” Trudy asked, as if anybody else would be answering my cell.

  “Can I get a copy of the birthday party when you’re done?” Brandy asked.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” I said, trying not to sound annoyed. “What’s up?”

  “Sure,” Curtis said.

  “First,” Trudy said, “this black Mustang drove by my house three times, then parked across the street. Now your motorcycle guy is out there and they seem to be talking to each other.”

  I resisted the urge to tell her he wasn’t my motorcycle guy. After all, I didn’t want to give anything away to Brandy. “Huh, how interesting.”

  Both Curtis and Brandy looked curiously at me. I pointed at the phone and silently mouthed Trudy’s name. Brandy rolled her eyes. She does that a lot, in case you hadn’t noticed.

  “I can’t see who’s in the car,” Trudy said, “but motorcycle guy keeps waving his arms like maybe they’re having an argument. What do you think they’re – Oh my god!” A clatter and the sound of shattering glass followed this cry. Then silence.

  “Trudy?” A spike of fear went through me, driving me to my feet. “TRUDY!”

  “What’s wrong?” Brandy asked.

  “I don’t know.” I shoved my phone into the pocket of my shorts. “But something’s happened and we have to go to Trudy’s house. Now.”

  Brandy stood. “I’ll drive.”

  I ran to my room to grab my purse, then we climbed into Brandy’s lime green Corvette and I gave her the address to Trudy’s house. I was the only one of my friends who’d ever been there.

  The first thing I noticed when we arrived was all the front windows in Trudy’s house had been shattered. I saw no sign of either Zack or the mysterious black Mustang.

  Brandy barely had a chance to pull to a stop before I was jumping out of the car. I glanced at the drive. The garage door was open, but I didn’t see the Carlson’s station wagon and I was sure it was there when I walked Trudy home earlier.