Chapter One: Escape

"Elliottt, can't you be any quieter? They'll hear you. Big footsteps!" Penny hissed as she clung to the gigantic dragon's neck. Her twin brother Pete shushed her.

"If they'll hear anything, it'll be your belly-aching." He whispered. Penny wanted to say more on the matter, but this wasn't exactly the time. She could yell at Pete later.

"Besides, Elliott's being as quiet as he can. He is big, you know." Pete hissed a moment later. Penny glared at him.

"Shh! Now they'll hear you!" She snapped, feeling Elliott's belly rumbling. He was laughing!

"Elliott, shut up!" Penny said as quietly as she could. Even if Elliott was invisible at the moment, the Gogan's would still hear anything out of the ordinary. Especially Mrs. Gogan. She had the ears of a rabbit, she did. The last thing the twins wanted was to get caught. Even though Penny hated to admit it, Elliott really was their only hope of getting away, for good this time.

Elliott was, in fact, a dragon. When Pete ran up to Penny in the fields a few days ago, yelling about how a dragon had come to rescue them, Penny doubted him fiercely. There were no such things as dragons. Or fairies, or angels, or the tooth fairy or even Santa Claus. The Gogans made sure the kids knew anything good didn't exist for them. Nope, they were destined to be miserable, said Mrs. Gogan.

But Pete was furiously insistent, claiming a large dragon named Elliott knew they were in trouble, and came to help them get away. Oh Penny had tried to reason with him. There were no such things as dragons, but Pete grabbed her hand and unwillingly dragged her out past the fence they weren't allowed to cross, and there she saw him.

Elliott.

At first Penny thought she might be hallucinating. It wouldn't be the first time. When she was sick with the fever a fear years ago, when Mrs. Gogan had locked her in a room until it broke so nobody else would catch it, she remembered all kinds of hallucinations, some good, and some bad. That was what she thought was happening, but it was no hallucination. She was meeting a real dragon, and it was true. Elliott had come to rescue them.

Penny was full of doubts as Elliott told them his plan to get the kids away from their abusive adoptive family, the Gogans. Penny tried to be realistic. That had always been the difference between Pete and Penny. Pete was full of dreams, and visions for a wonderful future. Penny was stuck in reality. This was her life, this was her future. Life wasn't about wonder, or goodness. If it was, then why were they living with the Gogans, where they constantly forced to work, and where they were constantly beaten if they slacked off in any way. No, Penny didn't enjoy her life. She hated it, who wouldn't? But there was no happy life out there for the twins.

But maybe, Penny wondered, maybe Pete and Penny could make it on their own. If they could only get away from the Gogans and stay away this time. Yes, they had tried to escape once before, but the orphanage people had found them, and forced them to go back. Neither Pete nor Penny could sit down properly for a month after that. The bruises would never go away.

So with the thought that Penny and Pete could take care of each other, and with Elliott on their side, Penny agreed to leave that night.

Riding a dragon would have been fun had they not been running for their lives. Penny still thought she must be dreaming somehow. Let's be realistic. A dragon helping us escape? Nobody would ever believe me. But oh Petey. Pete was so out there. Anytime the Gogans tried to crush any of his dreams, he would stand up for himself and claim a better life than this. He would be beaten to a pulp, and as Penny would treat his wounds and tell him to be realistic, he'd try to convince her of his own dreams and goals. Penny tried to be patient with him, but it was so difficult. She felt so much older than their 10 years, having to think as an adult at times, suppressing her own feelings and hopes. It was just her and Pete now. She had to take care of him, and she had to get it through his head that this was it.

"I think I can hear them getting closer." Penny hissed, when she thought she heard Willie's voice off in the distance. Willie was Mr. and Mrs. Gogan's son, and the one who hit Pete more than he hit Penny. He did other things with Penny. Things she didn't want to think about.

"We'd better hide." Pete whispered back. Penny felt her stomach dropped as the invisible Elliott lowered his neck so let the kids off. He muttered something quietly.

"No Elliott, if you try to fly, people will see us floating in midair. It's too risky. We'll just hide out here until they go away." Penny said, motioning to Pete. Pete stared at Elliott. Strange, Penny thought, even though they knew Elliott was invisible, they knew where he was. It wasn't like they could see him, more like they could sense him. It was strange. It really didn't make any logical sense at all.

"Just stay invisible, Elliott." Pete warned, as he followed his sister. Penny rolled her eyes. It didn't seem like the dragon was stupid. A little slow sometimes, but not stupid. Penny grabbed Pete's hand and they quickly found an open log the two of them could squeeze in without difficulty. Since the Gogans hardly ever fed the twins, with the exception of bread and water every couple of days, it was no surprise the malnourished twins could fit inside a hollow log. Penny stared at Pete, and pressed her finger to her lips. She could hear Mrs. Gogan yelling already. Penny could only hope Elliott would just stay away until the Gogans moved on.

That was when Penny heard the crackling voice of Mrs. Gogan.

"Oh Petey! Oh Penny dear!" She tried to sound like the caring mother she always pretended to be when the orphanage directors came by to check up on them. Those were the only times they had nicer clothes and weren't filthy from working the fields.

"Please come back, we miss you. You're like children to us." Mrs. Gogan sang out. Penny felt sick just listening to her. Honestly, did they think they were going to believe a word they said? They weren't stupid. At least Willy was honest.

"Brats, where is you?!? We're gonna snag ya, gag ya, drag ya through the town. Put your head in the river and let y'all drown!" He laughed out loud as Mr. Gogan smacked him over the head.

"Come on kids, we miss you already, come back, and we'll have the happiest home in these hills." He said, trying to sound like a dear old dad. Penny shuddered to herself. Their voices were getting closer. She knew they'd be skinned alive if they were caught. Would Elliott intervene if that happened?

"I think they went this way!" Willie shouted.

"Naw, they went that way!" His brother, Grover replied.

"What do you know? You don't know 'em like I know 'em." Willie retorted.

"You be thinking wrong, bro. I spend more time beaten' 'em than you do." Grover shouted.

"Yer crazy!" Penny swallowed. The Gogan brothers were right beside the log they were hiding in. She held her hand over her mouth so they wouldn't hear her breathing. Those two scared her worse than Mr. and Mrs. Gogan. The brothers were rough!

As the brothers argued, Penny had a sense that Elliott was moving. She looked through a hole in the log and saw Elliott moving toward them. She heard Pete's insistent whispering.

"No, Elliott, don't!" He hissed. Penny glared at him with her finger pressed tightly to her mouth. Shut up Pete! She thought harshly. Not that she thought it would do any good. Even if they were twins, they couldn't always read each other's thoughts.

Elliott swung that large tail of his, and Willie went down in the mud. Penny shook her head as Elliott took another swing and Grover went next. As the brothers shouted and cursed and flung mud at each other, Mr. and Mrs. Gogan showed up, screaming at the brothers about horsing around when it was important than they find these orphan brats.

"Why do we gotta find 'em so bad, Ma?" Grover asked.

"Yeah, why don't we just buy another orphan?" Willie inquired.

"Don't you know anything? Those orphans cost me 50 bucks as a package deal! The only reason I got 'em so cheap instead of 50 bucks a pop was because they were twins. We can't afford another 50 bucks for only one orphan brat! And if you don't find 'em, then it'll be you two working the farm, all by yourself. Which means no more chasing after pretty ladies for you." Mrs. Gogan explained. There was a moment of silence, before Grover and Willie finally shouted at the same time.

"PETE! PENNY!" Obviously they were now desperate to find them.

Penny waited until she heard the last of their footsteps die off before she finally poked her head out of the log. They were gone. Penny breathed out slowly. They did it. They got away from them. They had never gotten this far before. Maybe this really could work.

"Thanks Elliott, but next time, you'll have to be more careful. They could have seen you." Pete pointed out as he peeked his head out next to Penny.

"No they couldn't have. He's invisible. I was more worried they'd think it was us, and then never leave this forest. They would have found us for sure." Penny said.

"But they didn't! See Penny, I told you Elliott would be able to help us." Pete said with a wide grin. Penny sighed.

"Alright so you were right. That doesn't mean they still won't find us. We have to be real careful now, Pete. This isn't a game." She said. Pete sighed. Penny knew Pete hated it when Penny said things like that, but she liked to live in the real world. Pete liked to think they were invincible. He truly believed they were safe from the Gogans now.

"Anyway, I don't think we should go anywhere tonight. It's dark and it's late." Penny said. She heard Elliott say something.

"Elliott's right. It's better if we just stay here tonight. The Gogans will be farther away from us if we sleep here for the night." Penny added. Pete nodded.

"Good idea Elliott." He smiled at the dragon. Penny rolled her eyes. It was my idea.

The twins curled up inside the log. As Penny tried to find sleep, she stared at the stars through a crack in the log. She tried to imagine what it would be like to have faith like Pete's. To believe that there was a silver lining on those dark clouds above. No matter how much she tried to stretch her heart, she couldn't let that thought in. It was just too dark to see.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep the heavy sound of a dragon snoring.