Ryu found himself in the back seat of a car speeding out of the city and towards the snow covered hills nearby. The two girls smiled in the front sear as the music blared out of the speakers. They were talking about something, but the music was too loud for him to hear.
They ended up turning onto a dirt road and they headed around a small mountain, until they stopped at a small cottage next to a frozen lake. The car stopped and the music cut out as the two girls got out.
“What are we doing here?” Ryu asked as he gazed over the beautiful scenery. The hills glistened with ice and snow. With the recent downpour, the snow’s surface hardened into a thick crust which reflected the light like a mirror.
“We usually come here when we want to be alone.” Sparcy said, “And when we want to get away from the city.”
“So what are we doing here?” he asked again.
“We need to talk.” Crystal
“Shouldn’t we go inside?” he asked, noticing that they still weren’t wearing jackets, “It’s kind of cold out here.”
“I’m not cold, are you Sparcy?” Crystal
“Not at all Crystal.” Sparcy said.
“What’s going on?” Ryu asked, backing away.
“We just want to know…” Crystal
“W-What?” he stammered, taking another step backwards.
“We have reason to believe that you aren’t who you say you are.” Sparcy said.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You won’t tell anyone your real name, you’re out here wearing next to nothing for warmth, your odd behavior, and there’s an obvious secret that Rosette is hiding for you.” Sparcy said, “It all leads up to one thing.”
“What’s that?” he asked. The two girls looked at each other with a grin.
“You’re not human.” Crystal
“What?” He asked in shock.
“I know you’re not human now.” Sparcy said, “You’re a dragon, aren’t you?” Again his eyes went wider.
“H-How?” he gasped. “There’s no way….”
“It’s true isn’t it?” Sparcy said, “Then you must be him.”
“It has to be!” Crystal
“W-What?”
“We’re dragons too!” Crystal
Her words hit him like a punch in the stomach. His mind was a flurry of questions that could never be answered. At the moment, a strange girl was crying on his shoulder as another stranger stood nearby with tears rolling down her face, but at the same time, they both felt very familiar.
“Let’s show him, sis.” Sparcy said, pulling her away. She silently nodded as they both took a step backwards, and Ryu watched with wide eyes.
There was a burst of both snow and lightning, and when the storm died, two dragons stood towering over him, one silver, and one yellow. Both leaned down to look him in the face, but his expression was blank and he stared forward, not focusing on anything in particular.
“Ryu, are you alright?” the silver dragon asked. Crystal
He awoke later that night, wrapped in warm, heavy blankets. A roaring fire blazed nearby and he looked around the darkened room to see the two girls sitting quietly next to the bed, playing cards. A bowl of water lay nearby and a cloth sat next to it. He saw that his cloak was hung on a nearby door and his shirt hung over a chair.
“Oh, you’re awake!” Crystal
“You didn’t scare me.
“We’re glad to see you too, brother.” Sparcy said.
“What happened to you after the battle?” Crystal
“I was frozen.” He said, “I woke up about two months ago up north and came here.”
“That must be why you’re still so small.” Crystal
“What?”
“You didn’t grow if you were frozen.” She said, “We’re both fully grown now.”
“I thought you were bigger than before.” He muttered, “But that means you two were living together for all that time?”
“Yea, it’s been awhile.” Crystal
“I’m still getting the hang of it.”
“Oh I’m so happy!” Crystal
“You could have told us you were injured, though.” Sparcy said, “What happened?”
“I was shot when I woke up.”
“That’s awful! How have you been able to get by?” Crystal
“Rosette has been very kind to me.
“You like her, don’t you?” she asked. Ryu kept staring at the ceiling.
“I don’t know how I feel anymore.” He said, “Ever since I’ve been frozen, I’m so confused.”
“That’s understandable.” Crystal
“That’s not it though.” He sighed, “Things are so different now. I’m not sure of anything anymore. I’m so lost.”
“It’s just a matter of getting used to it.” Crystal
“What about Rosette?” he asked.
“What about her?”
“Can I tell her about you two?” he asked.
“If you think she can be trusted, we’ll trust your instincts.” Sparcy said.
“Speaking of which, you didn’t tell her your name, did you?” Crystal
“No.”
“Then why did you show your true form to her the other day?” she asked.
“Wait. That blizzard was your doing?” he asked, “Then that thunder storm this morning was Sparcy, right?”
“Yes, but you didn’t answer my question. If you didn’t make the bond, why did you do that?”
“I was protecting a friend.” He said, “Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. To me, that is freedom.”
The door opened late that night and Ryu crept inside. He remained silent as he slipped inside his bedroom, and got ready for bed. He was about to nod off, when he heard the bathroom door close and light streamed in from under the door. A few minutes later, the light went out, but he didn’t hear Rosette’s bedroom door close afterwards. Rolling over in bed, he saw her standing in the doorway of his room, clearly upset.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?” she snapped. Ryu sat up in bed.
“No.” he muttered.
“Where were you? I was worried sick!” she said, “I hope those two didn’t do anything they weren’t supposed to!”
“It’s not like that.” Ryu said. Her face softened when she saw the serene smile on his face.
“You’re awfully happy.” She said, suspiciously, “Something did happen, didn’t it?”
“Yes.” He simply said. Rosette took a seat on the bed.
“Well what happened?” she asked.
“It’s them.” He whispered, “They are my sisters!” Rosette gasped.
“Those two girls are your sisters from long ago?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s really them!” he muttered. Rosette blinked in shock. Finally everything fell into place. The reason why they never did wear a jacket, and why they wouldn’t tell her their real name. The reason was because they both were dragons, and Ryu’s sisters. Tears began rolling down her face as Ryu still sat in shock, trying to figure out just how he should feel at the moment, but he felt totally confused.
“That’s wonderful, Ryu! You’ve found your family!” she cried, “I’m so happy for you!” She gave him a friendly hug, but he stared off into the distance. “You should be happy! What’s the matter?”
“They’ve asked me to move in with them.” He said.
His words made her stop in her tracks. She released him from her hug and looked down at the sheets instead of looking at him.
“That’s up to you, Ryu.” She said, “You’re welcome to stay here, but I will understand if you want to live with your family. They are dragons, just like you, so they would know what’s best for you. I’m only human.”
“You say that as if it was a bad thing.” He said, “Being human isn’t anything to be ashamed of. You are what you are. And don’t think that if I do go and live with them, that we wouldn’t be friends.”
“But I wouldn’t see you as often.” She whined, “I would miss you.”
“Rosette, I didn’t say I would go yet.” He said. “I like it here.”
“But they’re family!” she said. Ryu smiled.
“I think I’m old enough to move out.” He said, “Besides, they’re just across the road and I assume they can come over whenever they want.”
“I suppose so. Are you ok with that, though? You wouldn’t get to see them as much.”
“Rosette, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.” He said, “It’s late, as you said. We should get some sleep.” He said.
“Alright, good night.” She said, heading for the door. She then paused and turned around again, “Where were you all this time anyway? You three left at lunch time!”
“We went to their cottage outside of the city for a while, then we rented a movie.” He said, without turning over.
“What one?”
“Dragonheart.” He said. Rosette smiled as she closed his door and went to bed.
The next morning, Rosette awoke to a strange sound. It wasn’t really the sound of the pipes in the walls, but rather a creaking of a door. She looked up to see that her door was indeed closed, but now that she could concentrate a bit more on what the sound actually was, she thought it sounded more like something was under a lot of strain. Her suspicions were confirmed, when there was a loud bang in the next room, and she could hear Ryu moaning through the thin walls.
Bolting out of her bedroom, still dressed in her pajamas. She threw open his bedroom door and gasped at the odd sight before her. The bed had given way to the strain of the weight of a red dragon. Ryu had turned back into his dragon form in his sleep, and was now rubbing his head from a smack on the nightstand. His immense body almost filled the room, and his red wings scraped the ceiling.
“Ow! What happened?” he moaned, holding his head, Rosette was frozen in the doorway, her eyes glazed over in excitement of what she was finally looking at. It took him a few moments to realize what he had actually done, and he began to panic.
“I’m so sorry, Rosette!” he exclaimed, “I didn’t mean it!” he tried to stand, but the horns on the top of his head hit the light overhead, and the room went dark.
“Calm down! It’s alright!” she said, finally snapping out of her daze and coming in the room, “It was an accident!”
“I’m really sorry, Rosette.” He said, bringing his huge head down eye level with hers, “I didn’t mean to change!”
“What happened?”
“I was dreaming of when the three of us would fly around together.” He said with a sigh, “I must have forgotten to stay in human form.”
“It’s alright.” She said with a smile, his head drew back in surprise and his eyes narrowed.
“You’re not mad. Why aren’t you mad?” he asked suspiciously. Still she had a wondrous gaze as she looked him over.
“It’s not your fault, it’s just a bed. It can be replaced.” She said.
“From what I understand, a bed costs money. You don’t work so you must have a student loan and buying a new bed will cut into your budget.” He said, still nothing he could say would phase the glow in her eyes, “Rosette, what’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing at all.” She muttered, “It’s just that I finally get to see your dragon form!”
“Oh…That’s what it was.” He shyly said.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s beautiful!” she swooned, “May I?”
“What?”
“I just wanted to, well…” she stumbled over her words, “Just as friends and all, but I’ve always wanted to touch a real dragon!”
“I don’t mind.” He muttered. Rosette smiled as she inched forwards with an outstretched hand. She connected with his long scaly neck, and she soon found herself with her ear against his massive shoulder, listening to his heartbeat. Ryu remained silent and allowed her this mythical experience, and before long, her short breathes could be heard in the silence. She had slipped off his shoulder and was now asleep with her ear still pressed against his chest. He covered her with a scaly wing, and he too fell asleep as well.
Rosette awoke a few hours later and her eyes focused on an overturned clock on the floor. It took her a moment to read the inverted time, but once she did, her eyes snapped open and she began to panic. She calmed down once she saw where she was, and another smile spread across her face. She carefully lifted his wing and slipped out from under it, careful to step over his huge arm, and left the sleeping dragon to his dreams. She smiled again as his deep breaths echoed from deep within his throat, and she scrambled to get ready for school.
“So, where’s you’re friend this morning?” Crystal
“He had a little accident.” She said.
“Was he hurt?” Sparcy asked, appearing next to her, she handed her sister a cup of coffee and they all began down the hallway.
“He’s not hurt, but I do need to get a new bed for him.” She giggled. Both girls could put together the pieces.
“By the way you said that, you know about us.” Crystal
“Yes, Ryu told me all about it.” She chirped. The two girls looked worried.
“And what are you going to do?” Sparcy asked, stopping her in the hall. She smiled.
“Nothing at all! I think it’s great he’s finally found his family!” she said.
“You won’t tell anyone about us?” Crystal
“Of course not! I would never!” she said.
“Fine. We’ll trust you, but tell no one else.” Crystal
“So why were you late this morning?” Sparcy asked, “You finally saw his true form and you couldn’t help yourself, right?” Rosette turned red.
“What? No! I was just, um, fascinated that’s all.” She stammered.
“So he broke your bed, eh? He’s still that small?” Sparcy asked, somewhat disappointed.
“What do you mean, small? He took up the whole room!” she exclaimed. Both sisters laughed.
“If he had been fully grown, he would have crushed the whole apartment building, Rosette.” Crystal
“You two are fully grown?”
“Yes, but since he was frozen for more than a thousand years, he hasn’t grown at all.” She said, “He’s exactly the same as we remember him.”
“You mean he’ll get to be that big as well?” she asked.
“Oh yeah! Next time, it might not be just your bed!” Sparcy joked.
“Now now, it’ll take him another hundred years or more to get that big, sis.” Crystal
Ahead in the hallway, a young woman dressed in a business suit had just come out of her office, carrying a box full of rolled up papers. Rosette had just enough time to look up at this towering mound of paper before it cam crashing down on her, knocking the woman backwards. Pushing the papers off of her, she sat up to see the two girls helping up the poor woman, and Rosette gathered her papers. As she did so, she noticed they were maps, mostly of northern Canada
“I’m sorry, professor!” Rosette said. The teacher put on a smile.
“Oh that’s alright. It was my fault anyway.” She said, “And I’m not a professor anyway.”
“I’m sorry.” She said again.
“We’ll meet you in class.” Sparcy called, leaving her to the nice woman. Still she gazed down with an odd smile.
“Say, you wouldn’t happen to be in Mythological studies, would you?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s my next class.” Rosette chirped.
“Great! I’m heading there as well. Could you help me carry these?” she asked, holding out some maps.
“Um, sure.” She said.
They arrived at class moments later, and Rosette placed the papers on a table the teacher had set up in the front, before taking a seat in the back. Their teacher stepped in and class began.
“Good morning, class. We have a treat today! This is my colleague I was telling you about. Se was doing a feasibility study on dragons, and has just returned from her expedition up north. Please welcome, Michelle Higgins...
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