"Where did he go?" Huntsgirl screamed. She tapped her staff on the ground and disappeared. She reappeared in the Huntslair, where Huntsman was waiting. She hung her head, telling him without words that she had failed. He tapped his foot on the ground and clicked his tongue at her.
"Huntsgirl, you should know better," he said, then grabbed her collar and threw her against the wall. She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes, but didn't do anything. She took a deep breath and retreated to her room. She sat down on the bed and lifted her pillow, revealing a small dagger. The handle was shaped as a dragon and was wooden. She pulled the glove of her left hand off and put the dagger's blade against her wrist. She closed her eyes and swiftly swiped the blade across her wrist.
Jake as the American Dragon flew towards the Huntslair. Something was wrong, and he didn't know what. He knew that something had happened, though. He could feel it.
He stopped in front of Rose's bedroom window, which had it's curtains shut. He easily opened the locked window and flew into the room. "Oh no, Rose," he whispered as he witnessed the scene before him. The young teen was sprawled across the bed, her right hand loosely gripping a dagger, her left hand covered in blood. "Why, Rose?" he asked her. He picked up her limp body and wrapped her glove around the cut on her wrist. He held it tight as he flew towards the hospital.
He flew into the hospital and stopped at the front desk. He didn't care that he was still in dragon form. The girl at the desk looked up at him, fear in her eyes.
"C...can I help you?" she asked. Jake held out the unconcious Huntsgirl.
"Yeah. She needs attention, like, now," Jake said, much to the surprise of the girl. She nodded and picked up the phone beside her.
"We have a girl in here who looks like she cut her wrist. I need a paramedic pronto," she said and hung up the phone. She turned to the dragon. "The doctor should be down shortly. What is your relation to her?"
"I'm, well, her boyfriend," Jake said truthfully. "It's not as weird as it sounds, mind you." The girl took out a pen and looked up at the dragon again.
"I need her name, age, and the name of a parent or guardian," the girl said quickly. Jake sighed.
"Rose Mahyr, thirteen, and I don't know her uncle's name," Jake said.
"Whoa," a voice said, and Jake turned to face a man, most likely the doctor.
"Um, hi," Jake said. The man glanced at Huntsgirl.
"Any reason she's wearing a mask?" he asked, motioning for Jake to follow him. They turned right and started down a hallway.
"She's a hunter," Jake said.
"What does she hunt with that outfit?" the doctor asked, almost laughing. Jake looked at Huntsgirl.
"Me," he said, and the doctor stopped. "She hunts magical creatures, like me."
"Would she mind if I took off her mask?" the doctor asked, starting to walk again. Jake sighed.
"I don't know," he said. "She's not too fond of people finding out that she hunts magical creatures, considering she's the most popular girl in school."
"You go to school with her? Wouldn't you maybe stand out?" the doctor asked, opening a door to a room. They walked into the room and Jake set Huntsgirl on the bed, still holding the glove to her wrist.
"I can turn into a human," Jake said. "She doesn't know who I am, though. That's her goal right now. To find out my human identity and kill me." The doctor wrapped a bandage around Huntsgirl's wrist. He took her other glove off and Jake winced at what he saw.
There were probably twenty or more scars on her wrist.
"How could I have not noticed that before?" he asked himself aloud. The doctor turned to him.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the doctor said. Jake nodded his head and left, shutting the door. The doctor sighed and shook his head. "Of all the days to be working, it had to be today. Okay, let's get you bandaged up now."
Jake flew home and entered the house. He turned into a human just seconds before his dad came into the room.
"Howdy hey, son," he said. Jake sighed.
"Not today, Dad," Jake said. He slowly walked up to his room and opened the door. He fell onto his pillow, arms outstretched, and fell asleep.
The next day at school, everyone was wondering where Rose was.
"She never misses school."
"Maybe she's sick."
"I'll bet she's run away from home."
"Maybe she killed herself. I wouldn't be surprised. Have you seen her wrists lately?"
Jake stared at the ground as he entered the lunchroom. Rose had tried to kill herself, and if he hadn't gotten there when he did...
Jake picked at his meatloaf with his fork, but didn't eat it. Trixie waked her hand in front of his face, gaining his partial attention.
"You okay, Jakie?" she asked, concerned about her friend. Jake shook his head.
"I'm the only one in this school who knows what happened to Rose and where she is," he said quietly. All he needed was to be bombarded with questions.
"Well, what happened?" Trixie asked. Jake sighed.
"I was getting ready to go home after a fight, but something was telling me to go check up on Rose," Jake said, reliving the night before. "So I flew up to her window, which was locked and had the curtains shut. I knew something was wrong. She never locks her window."
"I don't even want to know how you know that," Trixie interrupted. Jake smiled.
"Being a dragon has it's advantages," he replied. "Anyways, I managed to unlock the window, and when I got into her room...she was unconcious." He shuddered as the picture formed in his head. "Rose had attempted suicide. I didn't realize her uncle was that awful."
"So then what happened?"
"I took her to the hospital. I went in dragon form. I didn't even care. All I cared about was that Rose got taken care of," Jake answered. "So she's in the hospital today, recovering. Trixie, I guess I just never really looked before, but her wrist, the one with the mark, has about twenty-five scars on it. Huntsman abuses her, and I can't let him hurt her anymore."
"But I thought you didn't care," Trixie said. "You told me that as long as she was Huntsgirl that you wouldn't have anything to do with Rose."
"It's different now, Trixie," Jake said. "If I hadn't cared, Rose wouldn't even have a chance to change her mind about the Huntsclan." Then he smiled. "Huntsgirl owes the Am Drag big time."
Gasps could be heard throughout the cafeteria and Jake turned around to see Rose coming into the cafeteria. She glanced around and stared at the ground. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt that covered most of her hands. She sat down at an empty table and rested her chin in her hands. Jake smiled and began to eat his meatloaf. Trixie also went back to eating her sandwich.
That afternoon after school, Jake followed Rose home by way of the sky. When she entered the house, he landed and turned into a human. He ducked under a window and listened.
"Huntsgirl, your mission for tonight is to go out and attempt to slay the American Dragon once again," Huntsman said. Rose sighed.
"No," she said. "I'm not going to leave the house tonight. I need to catch up on my sleep, Huntsmaster." Her voice was followed by glass shattering and a loud thud. Jake gasped as a vase flew over his head. He heard Rose whimper and her footsteps slowly getting softer. She was going up to her room. And as if to clarify, "I'm going upstairs. Don't come into my room." Jake closed his eyes and sighed. He turned into a dragon and flew up to her bedroom window.
Rose went to lock the door, and as she locked it, Jake snuck in. Rose turned around to see the American Dragon standing there, frowning. In his hand was her dagger, and it was swinging back and forth like a pedastal, held between his thumb and index finger.
"Now, think about it, Rose. Do you really want me to take you to the hospital and cause a scene again?" he asked. "You have to stop doing this, Rose. You'll kill yourself." Rose narrowed her eyes.
"What do you care if I kill myself, Dragon?" she asked. "Just one less Huntsgirl to fight." Jake sighed.
"Just...hear me out. If you kill yourself, I'll blame myself for the rest of my life because I didn't stop you," he said. "If killing me will stop this abuse, then kill me. I have nothing to lose." He tossed her the dagger and she caught it with ease. She looked at it, then Jake.
"So you're just giving up?" she asked. "Why?"
"Because I don't want to see you get hurt by Huntsman anymore," he said. "I want to see you someday without bruises...or scars." He grabbed her wrist, emphasizing his words.
"Why are you doing this?" Rose asked suspiciously. Jake looked at the ground.
"Because...you don't know what all kinds of thoughts were running through my head when I saw you last night on that bed," he said. There was a knock on the door.
"Rose, is there somebody else in there? Did you invite someone in?" Huntsman's voice boomed. He seemed nicer, but only because he thought there was someone else in the room with her. Rose looked at Jake and then turned around to the door.
"Yes, Uncle," she said. "My friend, um, Jake Long is here talking to me about some of the homework in a few of my classes that I missed today, right Jake?" she asked, looking at the dragon with pleading eyes.
"Most definitely," Jake said, nodding his head. He heard Huntsman leave and sighed.
"That was close. If he found out that I was lying, I'd--"
"You weren't lying," Jake interrupted. Rose turned to him.
"Yes I was, because clearly Jake Long isn't in this room," she said. Jake looked at her with all seriousness.
"Are you entirely positive about that?" he asked. She nodded her head, then realized what he was talking about.
"You're Jake, aren't you?" she asked.
"Like I said before, if killing me will solve this problem, then kill me right here, right now," he said, ignoring her question. She smiled.
"I think I can handle it for a little while longer," she said. Jake perked up.
"So you're going to quit?" he asked hopefully.
"Maybe..." she said. Jake smiled and hugged her, forgetting that she was his worst enemy for the time being. Right now, she was a friend in need. And that was all she would ever be to him.
"So that's a yes?" he asked, teasing her. She grinned.
"That depends..." she said slowly. "Are you Jake?" Jake mirrored her grin.
"I'm not telling," he said. "See you later, Huntsgirl."
"Right back at you, Dragon," she said, and Jake flew out of her window. She sat on the bed and sighed.
"I'll quit the clan...I can promise you that, Jake. I promise..."