American Dragon: Haley Long: Descent into Purity
Disclaimer: I don't own AD:JL or any of the characters. They belong to Disney (which sucks).
A/N: You will also find that this is written like a movie in some respects. Kind of like my episodes, which had pauses for commercials and the theme song.
The sky was a beautiful color of blue, and the clouds, which there were plenty of, were all large and fluffy. (PLAY OPENING CREDITS)
Suddenly, out of the clouds, two dragons came out of the clouds, flying down to the island. Haley Long and Sun Park, with Fu Dog on her back, soon landed on the island. "This is the big day, Haley..." Sun told Haley. "...This is the day the Council assigns you a dragon pupil. Are you ready for this?"
However, Haley was not listening to Sun. For she merely smiled as she stared at a small group of nine people who were all standing in front of Rose, who was in dragon form. She was hovering in the air, performing some maneuver while she twirled her staff. Once she finished the maneuver, she lowered herself back down onto the grass, reverting to her human form. In response, all of her trainees voiced their amazement.
The trainees wore the same uniform that Rose herself wore, minus the cape and the silver dragon armor. In the place of the cape and the armor, the Agents-In-Training wore a blood-red mask that went down to their noses. On the forehead area of the mini-mask, there was a silver stamp that was in the shape of a dragon head, which matched their belts.
"Haley?" Sun asked, turning her head to the side to see if Haley was paying attention. "Haley?" She repeated. However, Haley only proved to Sun that she was not paying attention, as Haley quickly reverted to her human form and started to walk over to Rose was training the Agents-In-Training. "Haley?" Sun repeated. "Haley!" However, Haley still did not listen to her Dragon Master, and continued to walk over to Rose. "What has gotten into her?"
"Phtt!" Fu Dog replied. "Heck if I know!"
LINE BREAK
"Now..." Rose addressed her students. "...I want you to do as I do...On the count of three. One...Two-" However, before Rose could continue, Haley stepped up from behind her, reached up and put her hand on Rose's shoulder. "Whoa!" Rose jumped in surprise, whirling around to see Haley. "Haley?" She asked with surprise.
"Hi..." Haley told her.
"You..." Rose stammered. "...You scared me..."
"Sorry..." Haley apologized.
Rose exhaled as she put her hand to her chest. "That's okay..." Rose told her with a smile. "...Just hold on a second, okay?" Rose then turned around to address her trainees once more. "Alright..." She told them. "...This is my sister-in-law, Haley..." Rose said as Haley stepped up beside her. "...Since she is here, I'm thinking of letting you guys have a fifteen minute break while I talk to her. Go get some lunch or something..."
This got rumors from the trainees but nonetheless, all but two of them turned and started to walk away, breaking away from each other. However, two of the trainees remained, and Haley quickly recognized them, even with the masks on. Seeing Haley, her two best friends, Leah Belden and Destiny Morgan both smiled and waved at her.
"Hey, guys..." Haley greeted them. "...How's training?"
"It's going great!" Destiny told her.
"Is it?" Haley asked, turning her head to the side so that she was looking at Rose.
"Yeah, it is..." Rose answered, smiling. "...Leah and Destiny have really improved. I'm really proud of them..."
"Good..." Haley replied.
"Haley..." Haley suddenly gasped at the sound of Sun's voice from behind her, and both she and Rose turned around to see Sun and Fu walking up to them. "...Hello, Rose." Sun greeted Rose as she and Fu stopped walking, having reached Haley. "Haley, what are you doing? We're supposed to meet the Council?"
"You are?" Leah asked, she and Destiny walking up beside Haley. "What for?"
"I'm going to be assigned my dragon pupil today..." Haley told them. "...At least, I might..."
"Why wouldn't you?" Rose asked.
"A pupil has to be deemed just right for the Master..." Sun told them. "...A young dragon-in-training cannot be assigned to just any Master. The student and the Master have to be right for each other; they have to get along. That is what we're doing here."
"Yeah..." Rose said slowly. "...Then I guess that you should get going, Haley. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yeah..." Haley sighed. "...I guess so..." Haley stepped away from Rose, Destiny and Leah, and rejoined Sun and Fu. The three then walked away from Rose and continued to walk down the island. Haley kept her eyes on the Main Hall, but as they got closer, she was surprised to see that Sun and Fu Dog were moving away from her and were instead walking toward the obstacle course.
Freezing, Haley turned around in surprise, calling out to them: "Hey!" Hearing her voice, both Sun Park and Fu Dog turned around and faced her. "Don't we go into the Main Hall?" Haley asked, indicating to the doors with her arms.
"No, Haley..." Sun told her. "...We're meeting the Council at the obstacle course. That is where you are to meet with your first potential student. Now hurry. I am sure that Holly and the other Council members are expecting us to be there in a few minutes..." Sun and Fu then turned and started to continue walking toward the obstacle course. From behind them, Haley started to jog up to them, and she finally reached Sun's side as Sun and Fu reached the break in the wall around the obstacle course, allowing them to walk inside.
They quickly caught sight of Holly, who was standing in human form next to Councilor Callum, who was also in human form. "Aw..." Holly smiled as the three stopped in front of them. "...Welcome Haley, Sun and Fu Dog..."
"Hey, Holly..." Haley greeted her.
"I'm glad you could make it..." Holly told them. "...Now, the very first potential student for you is waiting, Haley..."
"Alright..." Haley replied. "...Let's see him...or her..."
Holly nodded and she reached into her robes, pulling out a communication device. Pressing a button, a holographic image of Rin appeared. "Bring him in..." Holly told her. The holographic image of Rin nodded in response before the image faded, and Holly looked back up at Haley. "...Councilor Rin is bringing him in..."
"She won't be very long..." Callum added.
Haley nodded, looking around the obstacle course as she waited. The obstacle course had never changed over the years. There was still a large tree just outside it, and the target boards were still there, along with a lever that activated the course. Finally, not far away was the warehouse that used to be the place where the Test of Judgment in Fire was administered. Haley didn't know what it was used for now, though.
"Aw, here they are..." Holly finally said, tearing Haley from her thoughts. Looking straight ahead, Haley could see Rin, in dragon form, walking down the grass, coming toward them, along with an apple green-colored dragon that, although a good six or seven years younger than Haley, was only a little bit smaller than her. Finally, Rin and the younger dragon stepped up in front of Haley, Sun and Fu, stopping at Holly's side. "...Haley..." Holly said. "...I'd like you to meet Duong Phuoc. He is a young dragon from Vietnam..."
"Hello..." Haley said rather shy, waving. In response, Duong merely nodded. "...So..." Haley added, looking back up at Holly, Callum and Rin. "...Do you want me to-H..How do you want me to begin?"
"Anyway that you want to, Haley..." Holly told her.
"If you want to be a good Master, Haley..." Sun said from behind Haley, putting her hand on her student's shoulder. "...You have to find your own way to train. That is why all Master's have their own style..."
"Alright, Sun..." Haley told her, turning her head to the side to look at her. Finally, Haley turned her attention back to the young dragon right in front of her. "...Alright, um..." Haley began nervously, not knowing what to do first. After a few moments, her face lit up, and she snapped her fingers. "Alright, I've got it!" She exclaimed. Smiling, she put her hands on her hips, looking at her potential student. "Let's see your fire power..."
Duong nodded, and he quickly opened his mouth, blowing out a torrent of fire, which he aimed at the wall, a few feet to the side of Haley. The fire, at first, came out as one torrent and it headed for the wall. However, just as the fire reached Haley's side, Duong seemed to lose control of the fire he was shooting out of his mouth, and it broke off into two more torrents, the two new ones moving off to the side. This meant that one of them started to come right toward Haley, and before she could even react, the fire hit her in the chest.
Screaming, Haley was thrown off of her feet, and she flew back, grunting as her back collided with the wall. Sliding down into a sitting position as the fire faded, Haley groaned as Sun rushed up to her. "Haley, are you okay?" Sun asked with worry in her tone as she knelt down in front of her. Holding out her hand, Sun waited until Haley took it before she rose up to her feet, Haley getting up with her. "Are you okay?" Sun repeated.
"Yeah..." Haley answered, looking down at her body to see if she had any burn injuries. "...Yeah. I think I'm okay..."
Nodding with relief, Sun smiled as she put her hand on Haley's shoulder, both of them turning around to face the three Council members. "Okay..." Callum said slowly. "...I'm not sure if Dragon Phuoc is going to be the best choice for Dragon Long..."
"That's very possible..." Holly agreed, looking at Haley. "...What do you think, Haley? Do you think we should try again? There are a few more possible students for you..."
"How many more?" Haley asked.
There was a pause before Holly answered, and the look on her face seemed to say that she was trying to be as accurate as possible when she gave her answer. Finally, she answered: "There are about sixteen more..."
"Sixteen?!" Haley exclaimed in surprise, Holly nodding as Rin took Duong by the shoulder and turned him around, starting to lead him away from the other dragons. Sighing, Haley looked down at the ground, trying to make up her mind on what to say. Finally, she looked up at Holly. "Alright..." She answered. "...Let's see the others..."
Holly nodded in understanding, and she turned her head to the side, watching as Rin walked Duong away. "Councilor!" Holly called out, making Rin stop in her tracks and turn around. "Bring in the next possible student for Dragon Long!"
"Yes, Councilor..." Rin responded, before turning back around and continuing to walk away with Duong. Once Duong was out of sight, Holly turned her attention back to Haley, smiling at her.
"This could take a few minutes..." She announced.
"I know..." Haley sighed, crossing her arms. Sighing, she started to look around the area again. However, this ended as she heard the sound of flapping wings. Looking back up at Holly, Haley watched as Rin landed beside Holly, a dragon of a Dartmouth Green color. Once again, the dragon was just a little bit smaller than Haley, although this dragon looked to be about eight or nine years old.
"Her name is Anahi Iara..." Holly told her. "...And she is a young dragon from Brazil. She just got her powers about a month ago. She just completed her class the other day. She might be more suited for you than Dragon Phuoc was..."
"Well, we'll see..." Haley stated, looking at the young dragon. "...Young dragon, do you mind coming over here?" Anahi looked nervous as she started to walk over Haley, finally stopping right in front of her. "Okay..." Haley said as she looked at the young dragon. "...Seeing as testing your fire power is probably not the best idea, let's..." Haley stopped briefly, trying to think about what she could have the dragon do. "...Let's..." She started again. "...Let's see your wing power. Young dragon, please demonstrate your wing power..."
After a moment, Anahi nodded nervously, and she started to flap her wings, rising into the air. Anahi continued to flap her wings as she hovered in the air, picking up a lot of wind. that rustled Haley's shirt and hair, hitting her in the face; however, the wind that hit Haley was light, and Haley smiled in approval. However, this only served to make Anahi more nervous, and she started to flap her wings harder.
However, this only picked up more wind, which hit Haley full force. Haley's impressed smile was wiped off of her face, and she had to put her hands up to her face in order to protect it from the wind. However, that turned out to be not enough, and Haley let out a startled yell as she was thrown back, her back colliding against the grass before she started to somersault backwards, finally coming to a rest just before she hit the wall.
When Anahi saw that she had done this, her eyes widened with regret, and she stopped flapping her wings, dropping down on her feet onto the grass. She then started to walk over toward Haley, only to stop as Haley slowly started to pick herself up onto all fours.
LINE BREAK
Grunting, Haley flew up into the air and slammed her back against the top branch of the tree before she started to fall back down onto the grass.
LINE BREAK
With a scream, Haley flew back over to the wall, the heels of her feet hitting the the top of the wall. With another scream, Haley fell backwards, landing behind the wall with a grunt.
LINE BREAK
Grunting, Haley once again hit the wall.
LINE BREAK
Once again, Haley grunted as she slammed against the wall.
LINE BREAK
With a yell, Haley was flipped over the back of a dark blue dragon. She rolled down the dragon's back before she landed on the grass with a thud.
LINE BREAK
With a grunt, a Ochre-colored dragon slammed against the wall, before the young dragon slumped into a sitting position. In front of her, Haley was facing her, in full dragon form, in a fighting stance. When she saw that she defeated her opponent, Haley quickly dropped her fighting stance and smiled. "Hey, I did it!" She exclaimed happily, however, when she heard the groans coming from the Ochre-colored dragon, she gasped and her eyes widened.
"Oh, Alora!" Haley exclaimed with worry, reverting to her human from and running over to the Ochre-colored dragon. Once Haley reached Alora, she reached out and took the young female dragon's claws, helping her to her feet as Callum, Holly, Rin, Sun and Fu Dog all approached her from behind, and Haley turned around to face them. "She's okay..."
"That's good..." Holly said, relieved. "...Well, it appears as though Alora is definitely not the right student for you. It wouldn't be good if you accidentally hurt your pupil..."
"Yeah..." Haley agreed, watching as Alora stepped away from her and walked over to Rin, who turned around with her and started to walk away.
"Well..." Holly shrugged. "...There is a little bit of good news. There are still plenty of dragons to work with. I can have Councilor Rin fetch another one..."
As Holly spoke, Haley had started to rub her back, but when she heard Holly say this, her eyes widened, and she held up her hands to stop Holly. "NO!" She begged, but her eyes widened when she saw the look on Holly's face. "I mean..." Haley corrected herself, lowering her hands back down to the side. "...I think I have had enough for today. I have a few bruises now, and I'm tired. I'd like to go home and get some sleep..."
To Haley's surprise, Holly just nodded and smiled. "Of course, Haley..." She said. "...Do not worry. If this takes a few days, that will be absolutely fine. I'm willing to work with you. Remember...this is all about trying to find you the best student possible..."
LINE BREAK
Outside the Long household, flapping could be heard as Haley, in her pink dragon form landed right in front of the steps. Quickly reverting to her human form, Haley quickly made her way up the steps and opened the door, stepping inside. Closing the door behind her, Haley quickly turned and walked into the kitchen, walking over to the refrigerator.
Haley pulled open the refrigerator and looked inside, finally finding a pre-made sandwich. Smiling, Haley reached in and pulled it out. She then turned around and walked over to the table, where she used her hand to pull the chair up once she set the sandwich on the table. Then, she sat down and picked it up off of the table.
LINE BREAK
It was early in the morning, and Haley had fallen fast asleep at the kitchen table, the side of her face lying down on the half-eaten sandwich. Moaning, Haley slowly opened her eyes as she heard a pounding at the front door of the house. Moaning again, Haley lifted her head all the way off of the table and slowly got to her feet, walking out of the kitchen and turning, walking over to the front door.
Yawning, Haley reached for the knob and opened the door, seeing both Leah and Destiny standing on the porch. Both wore their Agent-In-Training uniform, only without their mini-masks. "Hey, guys..." Haley greeted them with a sleepy tone as both of her friends smiled at her.
"Morning, sleepy-head." Destiny said.
"Hey, Haley..." Destiny spoke. "...We were wondering if it would be too much to ask for a ride to the Island of Draco..." As Leah said this, Haley slowly stepped out of the house and closed the door behind her.
"Yeah..." Haley replied. "...That kind of is..."
"It is?" Leah asked, looking disappointed.
"Yeah..." Haley replied. "...See, when I was working with younger dragons yesterday, I landed on my back many times. I was planning on taking it easy today. I think I'm going to walk..."
"Oh!" Destiny replied. "Well, we were going to do that too. We can walk together..."
"Yes we can..." Haley said, starting to walk down the steps, passing in-between her two friends in the process, leaving the two on the porch. Both Destiny and Leah turned around and quickly started to follow her, reaching her side quickly.
"So, did you get a dragon student yet?" Leah asked.
"No..." Haley answered. "...That's why I'm going back..."
"Well..." Destiny said optimistically. "...I'm sure that today will be the day that you find the right one..."
"Maybe..." Haley returned.
LINE BREAK
Eventually, the three friends arrived at the subway station. They all walked down the stairs and started to walk toward the elevator that would lead them to the Island of Draco. However, just as they were about to reach the doors that would slide open, two people stepped up in front of them from the side. Surprised, Haley, Leah and Destiny all stepped back as they saw the backs of the two people.
One of them was tall and female, as the person had long Icterine-colored hair that touched her back. She wore a T-shirt that matched her hair in color and also wore a pair of dark red work-out shorts, paired with a pair of Icterine-colored sandals. As the girl, who looked to be about twenty-two, pressed in the code on the elevator buttons, Haley looked at her companion, who was obviously a boy, seeing as he had short brown hair and wore a pair of jeans, and a yellow-green T-shirt.
"Hey!" Leah shouted from Haley's side, making the two people turn around just as the elevator doors opened. The girl wore a pair of sunglasses, which she pulled off as she and the boy looked at Leah, Haley and Destiny. "You're in our way!"
"Oh..." The woman said. "...I...didn't mean to. I apologize."
"You're going to this island?" The boy asked. "The Island of...Whatever or something...?"
"The Island of Draco..." Haley corrected him. "...Yeah..."
"Well, that's where we're going..." the girl told her. "...You can come ride with us..."
"Okay..." Haley responded softly, and she and her friends followed the boy and the girl into the elevator, just as the doors slid closed.
Inside the elevator, Haley sighed as she found herself in the middle, meaning that she had nothing to hold on to. Turning her head to the side, she could see Leah holding on to the rail, and Destiny holding on to Leah's shoulder. Turning her head to the other side, she could see that the girl was also holding on to the railing.
"I'd grab on to something, Carter..." The girl said.
"Why?" The boy, Carter, asked, crossing his arms. However, that was just when the elevator shaft shot down in the Earth, screams erupting from everyone inside, except for the elevator shaft operator.
LINE BREAK
Seconds later, the elevator shaft burst out of the ground, and soon the doors slid open, everyone piling out. While Haley and Carter fell down on the grass, Leah, Destiny and the girl all managed to stay on their feet as they stumbled out of the elevator.
Groaning, both Haley and Carter got up onto all fours, only to gasp as they saw a crowd of dragons crowed around in a circle. "Whoa..." Destiny muttered as she and Leah walked up to Haley's side. "...What's going on?"
"I don't know..." Haley replied, she and Carter slowly getting to their feet. "...Let's go find out..." Haley then started to walk toward the crowd, Destiny and Leah starting to follow her. Haley continued to walk toward the crowd, however, she stopped when out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rose, in human form, standing several feet away from the crowd, looking confused.
Without even thinking about what she was doing, Haley turned from the crowd and started to walk over toward Rose. It took Leah and Destiny a few seconds to realize who Haley was walking towards. However, when they did, they both started to turn and follow Haley, jogging toward her. They both reached Haley, just as Haley arrived in front of Rose.
Rose, who was watching the crowd of dragons, quickly glanced at Haley before she returned her attention back to the crowd, which seemed to be stepping back, making a larger circle. "Hey..." Rose greeted her as Haley turned around and started to watch the crowd with her, quickly being copied by Destiny and Leah, who turned around and watched as well once they reached Haley's side.
"What's going on?" Haley asked, aiming the question at Rose.
"I don't know..." Rose answered. However, just as she finished saying this, her eyes widened and she pointed at the circle of dragons. "LOOK!"
Haley, Destiny and Leah did as they were told, and they watched as the crowd of dragons stepped back again, three dragons walking out of the circle, heading toward the Main Hall. As Haley, Rose, Leah and Destiny watched, their eyes widening and their mouths lowering in surprise, they could see that the leader of the dragons was a Celadon-colored dragon who wore a gold robe and cape, along with a golden broach. The dragon on the left side of her was a Malachite-colored dragon and was male. On the left of the Celadon-colored dragon was a female with long black hair the was pulled back in a pony-tail that was an Arylide yellow-color.
"Who are they?" Haley asked, continuing to watch them with her friends and sister-in-law.
"I don't know..." Rose answered.
"They're Pure Dragons..." A new voice stated. Surprised, the four young women turned around to see the young woman with the Icterine-colored hair and T-shirt, Carter at her side.
"Pure Drag-?" Destiny started to ask, but Haley cut her off.
"They are?" She asked. "How do you know?"
The girl just looked at Haley for a moment before a smile spread onto her face. Stepping away from Carter, she stepped up right in front of Haley, holding out her hand. "Maybe an introduction is in order first. My name is Isabel Cromwell. This is my younger brother, Carter..."
"You didn't answer Haley's question..." Rose told her. "...How did you know that they are Pure Dragons?"
"Hi, Isabel..." Isabel retorted in a soft, disappointed and sarcastic tone. "...Nice to meet you. My name is..."
From beside Haley, a frustrated sigh came from Rose. "Fine..." She told Isabel. "...Her name is Haley Long..." She said, pointing at Haley. "...My name is Rose. I'm Haley's sister-in-law. This is Destiny, Haley's friend..." She pointed at Destiny. "...And this is Leah, Haley's other friend. Happy?"
Isabel smiled at Rose's response, although Haley could see that she was not happy in the slightest. "I know that they are Pure Dragons..." Isabel finally told them. "...Because of the apparel of their leader. That is Damiana, the Queen of the Pure Dragons. There are only two kinds of dragons in this world, and the Dragon Councilors don't dress like that..."
LINE BREAK
The doors to the Main Hall were pushed open as Queen Damiana and her two following dragons entered the Main Hall. As they walked up to the large table, Holly, Jake, Callum and Rin all looked up and stared with wide eyes as the three dragons stopped in front of them.
"Yo!" Jake exclaimed. "You can't just barge in here! Don't you know how rude that is?!"
"Quiet, Jake..." Holly said softly, holding her hand to the side, trying to silence Jake. "...I apologize for the way Councilor Long addressed you, but I have to say that he is correct. We have a very busy day ahead of us today. We are expecting the arrival of the American Dragon very shortly, who-"
"We don't care about that..." The male Malachite dragon growled. "...We have waited long enough. For the last two and a half months, we have been trying to be patient. We have sent the Council letters, asking for permission to discuss an issue that is very important to our kind. You've NEVER responded, and now, we've finally had it..."
"I can honestly say that I have no idea what you're talking about..." Holly said, as she looked both ways to see the confused looks of Rin and Callum, and then the nervous-looking face of Jake. Her eyes widening, Holly scowled at Jake as she continued to stare at him, the Malachite-colored continued:
"...We sent the entire Council letters..." He told them. "...And never...did we get a response..."
As she continued to glare at Jake, and as Jake's look got more and more uncomfortable, sweat starting to form at his forehead. "Jake..." Holly growled, her teeth clenched, Callum and Rin both looking in Jake's direction as well.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Jake quickly held his hands up in an attempt to defend himself. "Okay, don't look at me like that!" In another attempt to defend himself, he tried to lean to the side in his chair. However, this did not fare well for him, as he fell back off of the side of his chair with a startled yell. As Jake landed on his behind, he looked up at Holly's angry face. "Just listen to me, Holly!" Jake tried to defend himself. "Okay, it's like this: When I got those letters, they were signed by some person I'd never heard of! Deisa?! What kind of bogus name is that?! I mean, for all I could have known, it could have been some obsessed fan of the old Am Drag..."
"Desia..." The Arylide-yellow female dragon finally spoke. "...Is my name, and I am the one who sent those letters..."
"Councilor Long..." Callum spoke up, apparently not pleased, judging by the tone of his voice. "...This is Damiana, the Queen of the Pure Dragons. Our differences may have caused us to split apart, but we still try to keep in touch..."
"I only heard about Pure Dragons a few months ago..." Jake tried to explain as he sat back up and sat down in his chair. "...I mean, how was I-?"
"You know nothing about us, and you're a member of the Council?" The Malachite dragon questioned. "Have the standards fallen so low?"
"Hey, I was appointed by Holly..." Jake smiled. "...Don't be a hate-ughh!"
However, before Jake could continue, Holly's tail formed from her behind, and her purple tail shot around behind Jake's head and wrapped around his left ear, making him grunt in pain, silencing him.
"I apologize..." Holly said humbly, putting her hands together. "...I assure you that Councilor Long will keep his MOUTH..." as she said this, she tightened her hold on Jake's left ear, making Jake grunt in pain again. "...SHUT...or he will spend the night in a prison cell..."
"Good..." The Malachite dragon said.
"Now..." Holly said. "...I and the rest of the Council are all ears. What is it that you wanted to discuss?"
For the first time, it was Damiana's turn to speak. "Deisa..." She said. "...Alvah...I want both of you to go wait outside while I talk to the council..."
Both Deisa and Alvah both nodded, and they turned around walking over to the two front large doors. Damiana turned around and watched as her two minions left before she turned her attention back to Holly. "Councilor..." Damiana said. "...I hope you are aware of the reason of my visit..."
"I am not..." Holly told her politely. "...As you have just learned, we did not even know that you were coming..."
"I am aware of that..." Damiana told her patiently. "...But what I want to know is if you know the reason why I want to talk with you..."
"No..." Holly replied apologetically. "...I have no idea..."
"It's very important!" Damiana growled, putting her claws on the large table, leaning closer toward Holly, making the Head Councilor look slightly up at her, giving off the appearance of someone who felt small and intimidated. "It's about some of the inmates being held at your prison..."
"Really?" Holly asked. "Why?"
"You have some very serious offenders..." Damiana told them. "...That honestly, I don't think are worth housing."
"Such as?" Callum asked.
"Well, your mother for one..." Damiana answered, looking right at Holly. "...But the news that murderess Kenna Zareen is incarcerated here really caught my attention. She murdered a member of the Dragon Council, did she not?"
"She did..." Holly replied, crossing her arms in a matter-of-fact way. "...As my mother murdered my brother. Although, I must say that I do not see what the problem is. Both of these serious offenders, as you put them, are paying for their crimes; they are both serving life sentences..."
"And what I'm trying to tell you..." Damiana said in a growl, leaning closer toward Holly, making the younger woman back up even more against her chair, now looking smaller and more like a young child. "...That I think it is a waste of space...and an act of mercy being shown to several dragons that do not deserve such an act..."
"What are you saying?" Callum asked. "You want us to execute them or something?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all..." Damiana answered, backing up from Holly, stepping backward, away from the large table. "...I am saying that they should be put to death, but I am not saying that you should be the ones to do it..."
"And who do you suggest would be the one to do it?" Rin asked.
"I am certain that I could find a Pure Dragon that would be more than willing to do it..." Damiana said.
"Well, that would be good..." Holly said, straightening herself back up in her chair, no longer looking like a cornered, scolded child. "...There's only one problem. I'm not going to allow you to execute living people who have already been sentenced to other punishments..."
"But did they give their victims that luxury?" Damiana asked.
"Well, I'd hardly call living the rest of their lives in a prison cell a luxury..." Rin replied. "...Coming from someone who-"
"I call it a luxury..." Damiana cut her off. "...They took people's lives away. Why should they get to keep their lives?"
"Come here..." Holly suddenly said, summoning Damiana over to her with her hand. Damiana just stared at Holly briefly before she started to walk over to her. Once Damiana was standing right in front of Holly, Holly slowly stood onto her feet, looking right at Damiana's face. "...They get to keep their lives..." Holly told her slowly. "...Because I said so..."
At first, Damiana looked surprised, but then, anger quickly spread across her face. Quickly, Damiana reached out and grabbed Holly by the collar of her robes; Holly gasped in surprise as Damiana forced her up onto her feet. As Holly's feet left the floor, her tail quickly unraveled from around Jake's ear, and Jake sighed with relief as he fell forward against the table, breathing heavily.
"I want you to listen to me, Councilor Jennings..." Damiana growled. "...I just want you to know that I have just as much power as you do with my kind as you do with yours. Just think about it..." The second that Damiana finished saying this, she released her hold on Holly, who, with a startled gasp, landed on her feet and stumbled back, falling back down into her chair as Damiana turned and strode out of the Main Hall.
As Damiana disappeared out of the room, Callum turned his head to the side, looking at Holly. "What did she mean by that?"
LINE BREAK
"And so..." Isabel continued as she, Carter, Leah, Destiny, Haley and Rose sat on the grass beside the tree. As she spoke, Isabel reached down and was currently picking out strands of grass. "...Because the Pure Dragons and the Regular Dragons disagreed on the way to run things, they spread apart. Because they spread apart, most Regular Dragons don't even realize that Pure Dragons even exist..."
"Wow..." Destiny muttered. "...You sure know a lot about Pure Dragons..."
"Well..." Isabel said, smiling proudly.
"Yeah..." Rose added, cutting whatever Isabel was about to say off. "...How did you know that? The magical book that Holly gave me didn't even say that. All it said was that they had a falling out. It also said that they have odd powers..."
"They do..." Isabel replied. "...But I wouldn't call them odd. I find them fascinating..."
"Look..." Destiny suddenly pointed up at the Main Hall. The others all looked at what she was looking at, and they could see the three Pure Dragons walking out of the Main Hall. Once again, they were surrounded by a crowd of other dragons. The Malachite and the Arylide yellow dragon stepped in front of the Pure Dragon Queen, forcing the crowding dragons to step back as wings appeared out of the Queen's back, coming out from her golden robe.
Haley, Rose, Isabel, Leah, Destiny and Carter all watched at the three Pure Dragons started to flap their wings, taking off into the air. "So..." Haley finally spoke again, turning her head to the side so that she could look at Isabel. "...You're a dragon?"
Isabel smiled at Haley before she slowly started to get to her feet. Once she was on her feet, a bright light consumed the young woman, and when it faded, a large Icterine dragon was standing where Isabel had been. "Yes..." Isabel spoke. "...And just the other night, Carter just got his dragon powers..." Isabel smiled as she turned her head to the side, looking down at Carter, who said.
In fact, Carter did not seem excited at all. He just seemed bored and uninterested. Confused as to why the teen boy was not excited, Haley frowned, but nonetheless, she looked up at Isabel. "So, does that mean that he needs a Master?"
"Yep..." Isabel replied. "...Unfortunately, I don't know if the Dragon Council will want to see him..."
"Why wouldn't they?" Rose asked.
"Because..." Isabel said sadly, shaking her head. "...The other day was Carter's thirteenth birthday, and he just magically sprouted wings and a tail. I couldn't tell you how proud I was! But then, once he managed to get his dragon form to go away, he hasn't been able to transform since..."
"He hasn't?" Rose asked.
"No..." Isabel answered. "...I'm quite worried. What if he isn't able to transform ever again?"
"Don't be silly..." Haley replied, slowly starting to get to her feet. "...This happens to a lot of dragons when they first get their powers. So, I don't think that your brother will never be able to summon his dragon form again. He just is going to need some time to master it and learn how to keep it under control..."
"Really?" Isabel asked.
"Well, yeah..." Haley replied. "...I mean, my brother, for example; it took him several weeks to fully master his form..."
"Really?" Rose asked, a small smile on her face.
Before Haley could reply to what Rose asked, Isabel spoke again: "You really think so?" Then, a hopeful smile appeared on her face. "Do you...think...that you could possibly...work with my brother? It would mean a lot..."
"Well..." Haley tried to tell her. "...You see, I'm supposed to meet the Dragon Council, and-" However, when she looked at Isabel, seeing the hopeful look on her face, she sighed. "...I guess..." Haley reluctantly replied.
"Thank you!" Isabel said happily, once again turning her head to her brother once again. "Carter, get up!" She said excitedly. However, when Carter still just sat there, Isabel reached over and grabbed his wrist with her claws, forcing him to his feet, trying her best not to hurt him. She then released him and stepped to the side, leaving Carter to stare at Haley.
"So, what now?" Isabel asked.
"I don't know..." Haley answered, not taking her eyes off of Carter. "...Usually, each dragon has their own way of going dragon. Jake and I used to say 'Dragon up'."
"So, maybe he should, too?" Isabel guessed.
"No, that would probably not work for him..." Haley answered. Sighing, she looked down at the grass. "...I don't...I don't know. Maybe you should talk to the Dragon Council..."
"They'll just say that he needs a Dragon Master..." Rose said, getting to her feet as well.
"I know..." Haley answered, seeming a little stressed out, and because of this she, as well as Rose, Destiny, Leah, Isabel or Carter seemed to notice that Holly, Jake, Rin and Callum were all walking toward them.
"..Okay..." Haley tried to think, looking up at Carter. "...Okay, let's think about this. What were your thoughts when you saw your dragon form just a few nights ago?"
At first, Carter did not seem to care enough to answer, but he did after his sister nudged his arm, making him grunt in surprise. "I don't know..." He finally answered.
"Can you try to think about it?" Haley asked.
"What's the big deal?" Carter asked, shrugging his shoulders.
"Try to think..." Haley urged him, ignoring his question. "...Were you happy? Were you freaked out? What? You had to have been feeling something..."
"I knew I was going to have powers..." Carter told her carelessly. "...So it didn't really feel that awesome. It actually felt...anti-climatic..."
"Well, then perhaps the way to change your predicament..." Haley decided. "...Would be to change your attitude about it..."
"You really think that would work?" Isabel asked.
"Yes..." Haley decided quickly, nodding her head in certainty. "...Yes, I think so. That's what I would do..."
However, at that moment, everyone realized that there were people watching them as they heard clapping coming from only a few inches away. Haley, Destiny, Leah, Isabel, Rose and Carter all turned around to see Holly, Jake, Rin and Callum all standing in their human forms. Holly had an impressed look on her face as she clapped her hands together.
"Very insightful, Haley..." She told her. Then, after a minute, she put her fingers to her chin. "...You know what, Haley? I think you've finally found your student..."
"Really?" Haley asked, a little surprised. "You mean, without even knowing how they'd work with me? How I'd work with him?"
"Any dragon who would take so much time to come up with a suggestion for a dragon in need would work well with the dragon that they plan to help..." Callum said.
"Besides..." Holly added. "...If you find that you two do not work well together, there is always the tests that your student will need to take in due time..."
"Si, then it is settled..." Callum stated. "...Would that be correct, Councilor Jennings?" As he asked this, he turned his head to the side so he could look at Holly for confirmation.
"Yes..." Holly confirmed, nodding once. "...Yes, I believe so. Haley Long is officially the Dragon Master of Carter Cromwell..."
LINE BREAK
Isabel, Rose, Destiny and Leah were all waiting outside of the Main Hall. Isabel was now human form and was staring blankly at the two large doors, just as they opened, Carter walking outside with a human Haley. "Well?" Destiny asked as Haley and Carter stopped in front of them.
"It's sealed..." Haley said, a nervous look on her face. "...He's officially my pupil."
"Haley, that's wonderful!" Rose had a big smile on her face.
"Yeah..." Haley continued. "...Holly says that she would like me to train Carter for three hours every other day..."
"You can handle that, right?" Isabel asked. "I mean, I'm sure Carter can..."
"Well, I have to get Carter into his dragon form first..." Haley said, crossing her arms. "...And then I have to get him to keep his form. That could take a long time, and I have to do that before we start any training..."
"Well, I know that Carter will work hard to please you..." Isabel smiled. "...And I know for a fact that he will give it his all." After saying this, a smile spread on to Isabel's face. "In fact..." She said. "...As a little gift to you all, how about a buy you lunch? We can all get to know each other a little bit better. How does that sound?"
"That..." Haley replied. "...That sounds...okay, I guess..."
"How about you three?" Isabel asked, turning around to face Destiny, Leah and Rose. "You can come as well..."
"Sounds awesome!" Destiny said, Leah nodding in agreement.
"How about you?" Isabel asked, looking directly at Rose.
Rose just stared back at Isabel for a few seconds, finally turning her head to the side so that she could look at Haley before answering: "You guys go on without me." She said. "And don't worry, Leah and Destiny. I'm sure that after those Pure Dragons showed up, all of my trainees probably won't be in a training mood. So, go have some fun..."
"But why aren't you coming?" Haley asked.
"Because I don't have a social life anymore..." Rose said in a half-joking way. As she said this, she started to walk away from Destiny and Leah. "...Now I'm married, have a child that's going to be three months old, and I have a job...I need to...go...see how Jake Jr. is doing..."
"Alright, well thanks, Rose!" Leah told her. Rose nodded in response before she glanced at Haley one last time. Then, she walked away.
LINE BREAK
The bell above the door to Canal Street Electronics rang as the door opened, Haley, Isabel, Carter, Leah and Destiny all walking inside carrying brown paper bags. Sun and Fu Dog were sitting at the front counter, and they both turned their heads to the side when they heard the bell. When Fu Dog saw Leah and Destiny enter, he immediately jumped up onto all fours, his eyes wide with fear. Gasping and stuttering, he turned around and jumped from the counter, hitting the floor with a thud.
However, Haley, Leah, Isabel and Carter all did not seem to notice this as they walked up to the counter. "Haley, who is this?" Sun asked.
"Sun, I'd like you to meet Isabel Cromwell..." Haley said, indicating to Isabel, who smiled kindly and waved at Sun. "...She is the older sister of Carter Cromwell...who is my official dragon pupil..."
It took Sun a few seconds to interpret what Haley had just told her, but when she finally did, her eyes lit up and she smiled as she stood up. "Haley, that's wonderful!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her student. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Sun..." Haley answered, slowly stepping back, which gave Sun the hint that Haley wanted to be let go of. As Sun released Haley, Haley stepped back. "...We're going to go have lunch in the back room..."
"Alright..." Sun replied. "...Have fun..."
Haley nodded, and she turned, starting to walk into the back room, followed by Carter, Isabel and Leah. Once they exited into the back room, the only one left in the room along with Sun was Destiny. Holding the bag with her lunch in it tightly, Destiny walked over to the counter and set the bag down. This got Sun's attention, and she looked up at Destiny, but before she could even form any words, Destiny put her finger to her lips, hoping to tell Sun that she wanted her to be quiet.
Fortunately, Sun got the message, and Destiny leaned over the counter, looking down and seeing Fu Dog lying on his belly, his paws over his ears. "Fu Dog..." Destiny said softly, reaching down and tapping Fu. Feeling the tap on his back, Fu Dog slowly opened his eyes and looked up, gasping when he saw Destiny.
"Hey..." Destiny said, continuing to look down. "...You don't have to be afraid of me..." She told him. "...I honestly can't imagine anyone being afraid of me..."
"What do you want?" Fu asked.
"To..." Destiny said. "...Thank you..."
"Say what?" Fu asked, surprised.
"I want to thank you..." Destiny answered, only this time in a complete sentence. Interested, Fu Dog got up onto all four of his feet and he jumped up onto the counter, forcing Destiny to straighten up and take a step back.
"Why do you want to thank me?" Fu asked. "Didn't you say that I messed everything up?"
"Well, I never said that..." Destiny told him. "...Look, I was just worried. Leah looked really mad, so I didn't really know how else to react. So, I'm sorry, and I also wanted to thank you...for your little stunt that you helped me pull..."
"Let me guess..." A smile crept onto Fu's features. "...It helped you and Leah find the va-va-va-voom!"
It took Destiny a few seconds to reply, but when she finally did, she smiled and nodded, reached out and putting her hand on Fu Dog's head, patting it. "You're a good friend, Fu Dog..." She said.
LINE BREAK
In the back room, Haley, Carter and Isabel all sat on the couch while Leah sat on the floor. As Destiny entered the back room, she could see this, and she walked over to Destiny and sat down next to her as Haley finally spoke to Isabel: "So, what else do you know about Pure Dragons?"
Isabel, who was in the process of opening up her brown bag, sighed when she head Haley's question. Pulling out a burrito, Isabel replied as she started to unwrap the tinfoil around it. "Well, what do you want to know? I know a lot..."
"Like what..." Destiny asked.
"Why don't you just tell us everything you know..." Haley responded.
"Okay..." Isabel shrugged. "...Well, for starters...the role of the Queen is not very easy. It kind of...well, it kind of sucks..."
"How so?" Haley asked.
"Well, according to my readings..." Isabel answered. "...It started with the very first known Queen of the Pure Dragons. You see, they had just split up with the Council of Dragons, and the Queen wanted to feel as though she had almost absolute control over the Pure Dragons. So, what the Queen did was this...she took part of their chi..."
"Pure Dragons have chi?" Haley asked. "But I thought that chi-"
"They have to have chi..." Isabel cut her off. "...If a dragon doesn't have chi, then they aren't dragons..."
"So, it can be removed then?" Haley asked.
"Of course..." Isabel replied, biting into her burrito. As she chewed, she continued. "...But it would mean certain death if all of it is removed..."
"Where is the chi?" Haley asked.
"The heart..." Isabel replied. "...Well, anyway...the first known Queen decided that in order to keep complete control over her subjects, she wanted to take out part of their chi, and then she would put it into herself. Now, if she dies, the entire Pure Dragon civilization will pass on. That is...if there is no one to take the place of the Queen."
"Wow..." Haley replied, her eyes wide.
"Yeah..." Isabel nodded. "...Unfortunate, huh? I just...I just wish that Pure Dragons and Regular Dragons could make up. That way...maybe...just maybe I could live in the presence of Pure Dragons. That would be really cool."
"I bet it would..." Destiny replied.
"Aw, shoot!" At that moment, Destiny's head turned to the side when she heard Leah's voice. Leah was looking at her watch. "Aw man, I should be getting home. Rose's class would have ended about twenty-five minutes ago. My parents are probably expecting me to come home..." As she said this, Leah started to get up onto her feet as Haley, Carter and Isabel watched.
"You're sure?" Haley asked.
"Yeah..." Leah replied, reaching down and grabbing her lunch.
"I'll walk her out..." Destiny volunteered, also getting to her feet.
"Okay..." Haley replied somewhat sadly, right before she turned her attention back to Isabel. The two young women started to resume their conversation as Leah and Destiny walked out of the room.
LINE BREAK
The sound of flapping wings could be heard from high in the sky. Finally, Queen Damiana, Deisa and Alvah landed right in front of a hole that was in the ground. The three Pure Dragons once again spread their wings out and dived into the hole. After descending down for quite a while, the three Pure Dragons landed on a hard ground.
After walking for a few seconds, the Pure Dragons entered a large room, where there were several Pure Dragons all of different colors. Damiana broke away from Deisa and Alvah, turning and walking against the wall, arriving at yet another hole in the floor. Without spreading her wings, Damiana stepped down into the hole, falling for a couple feet before she landed with a quiet thud in a grand-sized bedroom. The room was perfectly clean; all it had was a large, golden master bed in the side of the room, an Amaranth-colored dragon with a button on her belly lying on her back. The Amaranth-colored dragon was of considerable size, and was about eighteen years of age.
"Suzanne, what are you doing in here?" Damiana growled.
The sound of her mother's voice made Suzie sit up before she got off of the bed, turning around to face her mother. "Resting after a long training session..." She answered.
"I don't see why you need it..." Damiana growled. "...You managed to eliminate your target..."
"After he captured me..."
"Well, that worked for your benefit..." Damiana replied, starting to walk over to her bed. "...Didn't it?"
"Yes, Mother..." Suzie replied. "...But I still feel like I need to better my skills..."
"Then I cannot stop you..." Damiana replied. "...Even though I feel that it is a waste of time..."
"Speaking of wastes of time..." Suzie asked, crossing her scaly arms. "...How did your meeting with the Council of Dragons go?"
"They refused..." Damiana put it bluntly as she sat down on her bed, Suzie walking over to her from the other side. Once Suzie reached her mother, Suzie sat down on the bed next to her. "...It's not over, though..." Damiana continued. "...Councilor Holly Jennings believes that I will just give up because she refused to allow the execution of the prisoners. She doesn't realize that I will not give up until those serious offenders have been dealt with..."
"How are you going to do that?" Suzie asked. "Do you have any plans? Mother, I have met two of these Regular Dragons. Do not think that because they have human forms, they are inferior to us. The American Dragon was more skilled than I..."
"I don't have a plan yet..." Damiana answered. "...But trust me, Suzanne. I will think of one. And once I do, the Council of Dragons will allow me to do what needs to be done..."
LINE BREAK
Meanwhile, Destiny and Leah continued to walk down the sidewalk, until they reached Leah's house. "Well, thanks for walking me home..." Leah told Destiny as she turned her head to the side, looking at Destiny, who smiled sheepishly.
"Don't mention it..." Destiny replied as Leah started to walk away from her, starting to walk up the steps that would lead to the front door. "...H...Hey!" Destiny finally pulled up her courage and called out, making Leah stop and turn around to face Destiny.
"Yeah?"
"Do...Do you..." Destiny asked. "...Mind if I come in with you?"
"Uh..." Leah stalled for a few seconds, her voice carrying as she tried to decide how to answer. Finally, she closed her mouth, her lips forming into a smile. "...Sure..." She said.
Smiling, Destiny jogged over to the steps and continued to jog up the steps until she reached Leah. Leah continued to smile, even as she turned around and reached out for knob, opening the door. The two young women stepped into the house, and Destiny made her way over to the stairs as Leah closed the front door behind them. Stopping at the stairs, Destiny waited until Leah reached her.
"Come on..." Leah told her, passing Destiny and starting to walk up the stairs. A smile forming on her mouth, Destiny started to follow her. Leah reached the top of the stairs first, and she immediately started to walk toward her bedroom door. Destiny smiled as she followed after Leah, finally reaching her as she pushed open her bedroom.
"After you..." Leah said.
"Thanks..." Destiny muttered as she walked into Leah's room. As Leah followed her in and closed her door, Destiny made her way over to her bed and sat down. "...Whoa..." Her eyes widened suddenly.
"What is it?" Leah asked, walking toward the door.
"It's kind of hot in here..." Destiny told her.
"Hmm..." Leah muttered, considering what Destiny was saying. "...You know what?" She finally decided. "I think you might be right. How about I open the window?"
"If you want to..." Destiny shrugged. Leah nodded and she started to walk over to the window. As Leah reached the window and started to pull it open, Destiny brought her fingers up to the top of her uniform and started to unbutton it; she then pulled it off, leaving on a grey tank top that was underneath.
As Leah turned around to walk over to the bed, she froze, a little surprised. However, she quickly managed to overcome her surprise, and she walked back over to the bed, sitting down next to Destiny. "I hope you don't mind..." Destiny told her.
"No..." Leah replied softly. "...No...I don't mind."
The two young women just sat there in silence for a few moments, neither of them knowing what to say. So, they both proceeded to look around the room. Finally, after a few moments, Leah finally stopped looking around the room and stared right at Destiny.
"So..." She finally said. "...You hungry?"
"I'm not..." Destiny replied. "...I've still got my taco..."
"Okay..." Leah replied nervously, looking back down at the floor. "...Well then..." As she came up with something to say, she looked back up at Destiny. "...Are you thirsty, then? I could make us something to drink. Some punk, some lemonade or something like that..."
"Okay..." Destiny answered quickly, smiling. "...That sounds refreshing..."
"Okay..." Leah nodded, repeating Destiny as a smile spread onto her face. Getting to her feet, Leah turned and walked over to her door. Opening it, Leah left the room, leaving Destiny alone. Once alone, Destiny fell back onto the bed.
Leah quickly made her way to the staircase, and just as she started to climb down them, the front door of the house opened, and both Ian and Alena stepped into the house, carrying grocery bags. The two siblings of Leah stepped further into the house, allowing their mother to enter the house. Mrs. Belden quickly closed the door behind her as Ian and Alena walked into the kitchen, not noticing Leah. However, as Mrs. Belden looked up, she could see Leah slowly making her way down the stairs.
"Oh, hello Leah..." Mrs. Belden smiled up at her daughter. "...You're back from the class thing that you have. How was it?"
"It was canceled for the day..." Leah answered. "...Destiny's up in my room. We're hanging out. Do you think that...maybe...you could...make us something to drink?"
"Sure, sweetie..." Mrs. Belden smiled. "...We just went to the grocery store. I'll make you two some lemonade. How does that sound?"
"Sounds great..." Leah replied. She then slowly turned around and started to walk back up the stairs. Mrs. Belden smiled before she turned and walked into the kitchen, where Ian and Alena were already putting away some groceries. As Mrs. Belden entered, Ian had reached into the grocery bag and pulled out a box of lemonade mix. Not noticing that his mother had entered, Ian started to walk over to the cabinet, only to freeze as his mother called out:
"Do you mind setting that down, Ian?" Mrs. Belden told him. "Don't put it away?"
"Why?" Ian asked, turning around to face his mother.
"Leah has company and she asked me to make her and her friend something to drink..." Mrs. Morgan said kindly as she walked over to her son, taking the box of mix from Ian's hands.
LINE BREAK
Sighing, Leah re-entered her room and closed the door behind her. Hearing the door close, Destiny pushed herself into a sitting position. "My mom's making something for us..." Leah said as she walked over the bed and sat down, right at Destiny's feet.
"Sounds good..." Destiny smiled. "...What's she making?"
"Lemonade..."
"Sounds good..." Destiny replied, her smile widening as she looked at Leah. The two girls once again sat in silence, both just looking around the room. Finally, after a few minutes, Destiny sighed and fell back down onto the bed on her back.
"What?" Leah asked, turning her head to the side to look down at Destiny.
"This is boring..." Destiny replied.
"So what do you want me to do about it?"
Destiny seemed to think about this for a moment; finally, she smiled as she sat back up, reaching out and grabbing onto Leah's shoulder. Destiny then leaned forward and put her face in Leah's, their lips touching. Although slightly surprised at first, Leah recovered and she closed her eyes, starting to return the kiss.
LINE BREAK
Back in the kitchen, Mrs. Belden finished stirring the two glasses of lemonade that she had made. She then turned around and held out the glasses to Alena. "Do you mind taking these to them, Alena?" She asked. "While I clean up this mess?"
"Sure..." Alena muttered as she took the glasses. "...Why not?"
"Thanks, honey..." Mrs. Morgan replied, turning back to the small mess that she had made with the mix as Alena walked out of the kitchen and made her way to the stairs, starting to walk up them. Within a few seconds, Alena reached the top of the stairs and started to walk toward the closed door to Leah's bedroom.
Finally reaching the door, Alena sighed as she realized that the door was closed. "Leah..." She tried, but she stopped herself. Sighing again, Alena tried to put both classes in her hand while she used her other hand to open the door, but before she could grab the handle, the door was pulled open, revealing Leah.
"Oh, thanks..." Leah replied, reaching out and taking the glasses of lemonade in both her hands. Without saying another word, Leah used her foot to gently kick the door shut.
LINE BREAK
On the roof of Canal Street Electronics, early the next morning, both Carter, in human form and Isabel, also in human form stepped through the door that led them to the roof. Immediately, they caught sight of Sun, who was sitting in a meditative position.
"Master Park..." Isabel shouted out, making Sun open her eyes to look at the two dragons. "...I'm terribly sorry to interrupt you meditation, but do you know where Haley is? It's time for Carter to start his training lesson..."
"I haven't seen her..." Sun said, closing her eyes again, just as the sound of flapping wings could be heard. Seconds later, Haley, in her pink dragon form, landed on the roof, facing Carter and Isabel.
"Oh, there you are..." Isabel smiled.
"Glad to see you're on time..." Haley told them. "...Now, have a seat, Isabel. Carter, come over here..."
Isabel smiled as she sat down right on the spot, while Carter turned his head to the side and looked down at her sister. "Go on..." Isabel urged. Sighing, Carter started to walk over to where Haley was standing.
"Okay..." Haley said, crossing her arms. "...I'm sure you're just as nervous about your first day of being my student as I am of being your Master..."
"I'm not nervous..." Carter replied.
"Well, that's good..." Haley replied. "...Then I guess that means that you wouldn't mind telling me if you've made any progress when it comes to mastering your form..."
"No..." Carter followed Haley's example and crossed his own arms. "...I thought that was what this was all about. I thought you were supposed to help me do that..."
"I was just seeing if you made any progress..." Haley replied.
"Well, I haven't..."
"Okay, then..." Haley said. "...That's all you had to tell me. Okay, so this is what I want you to do. I know that you have already told me about your thoughts when you first found out that you were a dragon, but I'd like you to tell me again..."
Carter looked annoyed, almost as if he thought that this exercise would be the biggest waste of time in his life. He rolled his eyes, however, he complied: "I already told you..." He said. "...I already knew how it would feel to find out that I was a dragon, because I had already seen my sister. I also knew what it would be like to be a powerful and brave protector, because I remember growing up with her telling me how awesome it was. There's nothing to look forward to..."
"Uh-huh..." Haley nodded. "...Alright, that was good." Then, Haley started to lower herself onto the ground, sitting down. As Carter looked down at his Dragon Master, Haley crossed her legs and started to close her eyes. "Okay, sit down with me. We're going to do some meditation..."
Rolling his eyes again, Carter sighed, sitting down so that he was facing Haley. "Okay, just close your eyes..." Haley said softly. "...And relax. When you think about your dragon powers, I don't want you to think of them as something normal, I want you to think of them as something special..."
The two just sat there in silence for several minutes. Finally, Haley opened one eye, looking at her student. "Well?" She asked. "Do you feel any better about your powers? Feel like...I don't know...maybe...turning into a dragon?"
"No..." Carter replied.
Haley, who had expected a positive answer from Carter, had closed her second eye again and had allowed a small smile to spread onto her face. However, when she heard Carter answer negatively, her eyes snapped wide open and her smile vanished. "What?" She asked in shock.
"I don't..." Carter replied. "...I don't feel any differently..."
Although her eyes were wide, and her tense body indicated the exact opposite, Haley nonetheless told him: "Okay, don't freak out. I have an idea. The Dragon Council wants me to train you for three hours each day. Well, I think I'll move it up to five. Hopefully, then we can make some progress..."
LINE BREAK
(One Week Later)
It was mid afternoon, and Sun panted softly as she carried a bag of groceries toward Canal Street Electronics. However, just before she reached the door, the door was pulled open as Carter stomped out, closely followed by Isabel.
"Hello, Carter..." Sun replied kindly. "...Hello, Isabel..."
"Hello, Master Park..." Isabel said kindly. "...Unfortunately, no progress today. However, I'm confident that my little brother will get it soon enough..." As she said this, Isabel put her hand on Carter's shoulder. However, Carter did not take this well, for her frowned and stepped away from his older sister, walking away from the shop and away from Sun and Isabel.
"I should go after him..." Isabel said softly.
"That would be best..." Sun nodded in agreement. She watched as Isabel took off running after Carter before she walked to the door. Sun pulled open the door, and as she stepped inside, she could hear the bell above the door ringing out. However, over the sound of the bell, she could hear the sound of a faint and muffled sob.
Bewildered, Sun started to look around the room, her eyes falling upon Fu Dog, who was lying on his belly on the counter, his paws once again placed firmly over his ears.
"Fu Dog..." Sun said as she walked over to the counter. Hearing Sun's voice, Fu removed his paws from his ears and lifted his head up, turning it to the side so he could look at Sun. "...Fu Dog, what's going on?" Sun asked.
"Ughh, it's the kid..." Fu moaned. "...She's having a meltdown..." Just as Fu Dog said this, a louder wail of frustration came from the back room. Moaning again, Fu Dog put his head back down on the counter and placed his paws over his ears again.
Concerned, Sun turned and slowly walked into the back room. "Haley?" Sun asked as she stepped into the back room. She quickly found Haley sitting on her knees, hunched over her couch, her head buried in her arms, and her hair looking like it had been tugged at. "Haley?" Sun asked again, walking up from behind Haley, just as a growl of frustration came from the pink dragon. "Haley?"
Hearing Sun's concern, Haley lifted her head up and rolled herself around so that her back was touching the couch. There were no tears in her eyes, but they were blazing with distress nonetheless. "Haley, what's wrong?" Sun asked gently.
"It's my dragon student..." Haley growled. "...I've gotten nowhere with him, and I've been spending five hours each day with him. Sun, I don't know what to do. I'm behind in all of my class assignments, and I'm sure that the Dragon Council will want to see the process I've had with him. They won't be happy when they learn that I've accomplished nothing!" Haley sighed, looking down at her scaly legs. "Maybe..." She whispered, just loud enough for Sun to hear. "...I'm just not Dragon Master material..."
"Haley, don't say that..." Sun said comfortingly as she walked over to Haley. Once Sun reached her pupil, she turned around and then she sat down next to her. "...Haley, in all my years that I have known you, through all the crisis's you've been through, I have never seen you ever give up. You're not thinking about doing that now, are you?"
There was a long pause before Haley took a deep breath, and then she took a few seconds to exhale. "No." She finally answered. "No I'm not going to give up..."
LINE BREAK
At the Belden house, Leah was lying on her back, tossing up a tennis ball at the ceiling as Alena lied on the floor, doing crunches. The ball bounced off of the ceiling and shot back down into Leah's hand. Sighing with boredom, Leah threw the ball back up at the ceiling, just as a knocking sound came from the front door.
"Leah, can y...you...ge...get that?" Alena grunted as she lifted herself up into her crunch position.
Sighing, Leah got up off of the couch and started to walk over to the door. Once she arrived at the door, she quickly opened it, only to see Destiny standing on the porch. Despite wearing her grey tank-top and a pair of jean shorts, Destiny was sweating from the heat.
"Hey, Destiny..." Leah greeted. "...What's up?"
"I was wondering..." Destiny spoke. "...If you've heard anything from Rose..."
"No..." Leah replied slowly, a little confused. "...Why?"
"Well, Rose hasn't had her training class in a week..." Destiny replied. "...I was wondering if maybe you knew anything..."
"I know nothing, Destiny..."
"Oh..." Destiny replied. Not knowing what else to do or say, Destiny just stood there in the heat, sweat forming on her body. Leah watched her, frowning as she saw Destiny standing out in the heat.
"Do you..." Leah quickly asked, but then she stopped herself when she realized just how eager she sounded, slowing herself down. "...Do you want to come inside?"
Hearing these words, a smile spread onto Destiny's face. "Yeah..." She nodded. "...I'd like that..."
"Then come on..." Leah said, returning the smile as she stepped back, allowing Destiny to walk inside. As soon as Destiny passed her, entering the house, Leah sighed with relief as she closed the front door, cutting the heat off from entering the house. Smiling, Leah walked up to Destiny's side, and together, they started to walk up the stairs, Alena still doing crunches on the floor, oblivious to the new arrival.
The two young women quickly made their way up the stairs, and then they walked down the hall and quickly made their way to the bedroom door.
Leah opened the door, and the two stepped inside. Without bothering to close the door, both girls smiled as they walked over to the bed. Leah quickly walked passed Destiny and turned around, showing Destiny her smile. "It's been kind of nice to get away from the responsibilities of being a Dragon Agent in Training..." She said.
"That it has..." Destiny agreed, also still smiling. As she said this, Destiny got closer to Leah, their stomachs almost touching as Destiny put her face closer to Leah's. Their lips then met, and immediately, Leah let herself fall backwards onto her bed, Destiny falling after her and landing on Leah's stomach as the two girls started to kiss.
LINE BREAK
Downstairs, Alena groaned as she got to her feet. She was sweating from the workout, and she looked around the room, wondering where her younger sister went. "Leah?" She asked in surprise. "Leah, where'd you go?"
Confused, Alena made her way to the stairs, and she looked up. "Leah?" She asked. However, when she didn't get an answer. Alena took matters into her own hands and she started to climb up the stairs. Reaching the top of the stairs, Alena made her way down the hall until she reached Leah's door.
Alena didn't bother knocking, and she immediately grabbed the knob of the door, turned it, opened it, and stepped inside. However, as Alena stepped inside, she immediately froze, her eyes widening when she looked at her sister's bed. Destiny was lying on top of Leah, both girls kissing each other.
However, both girls had heard the door open, and Destiny lifted her head up from Leah's face as Leah lifted her head up from the pillow, her eyes widening as she looked at her older sister. "Al...Alena?" She gasped.
In the blink of an eye, Destiny literally jumped from the bed and whirled around to look at Alena as Leah sat up, also staring at her older sister. "I'm not very surprised..." Alena said.
Very nervous, Destiny looked from the side at Leah to Alena. "I..." She managed to make out. "...I...I...I think...I think I'll...I'll be going..." Destiny slowly made her way toward Alena and the door; Leah was somewhat expecting Alena to block Destiny's way, however, Alena stepped to the side, allowing Destiny to wordlessly leave the room.
As soon as Destiny was gone, Alena sighed as she turned and closed the door, making it so that she was alone with Leah. As soon as the door was closed, Alena turned back around with another sigh. "I'm not very surprised..." She repeated, Leah just standing before her with a very nervous demeanor. "...After I saw that girl come back here after your so-called date several months ago..."
"Alena, I can't help it..." Leah told her. "...It's just the way I am..."
"I know that..." Alena replied. "...That's why I'm going to tell Mom, Dad and Ian..."
"What?" Leah asked with shock, her eyes widening with fear. "Alena, please. Can't this just be our little secret?" However, he plea fell on deaf ears, as Alena turned around and opened the door. "Alena, please!" Leah tried again, this time it was more of a desperate shout; one that got Alena's attention and made her stop. "Please..." Leah repeated, this time in a much softer tone. "...Please, Alena. Don't do this to me. You don't know how Mom, Dad and Ian will react..."
"You're right, Leah..." Alena said softly, without turning around. "...But if they have any common sense, they will see this as a problem...They'll be ashamed..."
Then, Alena walked out of the room before turning and walking back down the hall, leaving Leah alone.
LINE BREAK
Flapping could be heard as Deisa landed in Queen Damiana's room, carrying a bowl of food. "Dinner, your highness..." Deisa said politely as she walked over to the bed, where Damiana was lying on your back. "...Not to pressure you or anything, your highness..." Deisa said politely as she handed Damiana the bowl. Damiana took it, but she did not do anything else, except for stare at the wall in front of her. "...Have you decided on a plan yet?" Deisa asked.
"No..." Damiana replied. "...I haven't. Sometimes, the best ideas are the ones that take a while to come up with..."
"I know that, your highness..." Deisa said politely. "...But as Queen, you have a lot of duties. Wouldn't it be better to get one out of the way? Wouldn't it be better to get it over with so we don't have to interact with the Regulars anymore?"
"No, Deisa..." Damiana replied, still just staring at the wall. "...I have to find a way to get the Council of Dragons to adhere to my agenda. It has to be a good plan. That is why I have enlisted Alvah to find out anything he can that can be used..."
"You did?" Deisa asked, just as another set of flapping wings could be heard.
"Aw, there he is now..." Damiana smiled, setting her plate of food down on her belly as Alvah landed in the room, carrying a piece of paper. "...I take it you found something..." Damiana said, taking the plate off of her belly and placing it down beside her on the bed as she sat up.
"Yes, my Queen..." Alvah said respectfully as he walked over to Damiana, who sat up in her bed. "...I have concocted a search of every fact that is known about each of the Dragon Councilors. Take a look..."
Damiana wordlessly took the piece of paper and stared at it, a small and cruel smile spreading onto her face. "Very interesting..." Damiana said as she lowered the paper. "...Excellent work, Alvah..."
"Thank you, my Queen..." Alvah responded. "...So, what now?"
"I want you to contact Councilor Holly Jennings..." Damiana replied. "...And I want you to tell her that we will be coming back first thing in the morning..."
LINE BREAK
At the Belden household, Mr. Belden and Ian were sitting with Alena on the couch eating popcorn as the front door opened, Mrs. Belden stepping into the house. "I'm home..." Mrs. Belden announced, walking toward the couch. At the sound of Mrs. Belden's voice, her husband, son and oldest daughter got up from the couch.
"Hey, Mom..." Alena smiled. "...How was work?"
"Busy..." Mrs. Belden replied, taking off her coat.
"That's a shame..." Alena replied. "...Look, I've got something I need to tell you..."
"Do you think it could wait, honey?" Mrs. Belden asked as she walked over to the coat-rack that was in the corner of the room. "Perhaps after dinner?" After she placed her coat on the rack, she turned around to face her family. "Where's Leah?"
"Well, actually..." Alena took a step closer to her mother. "...This is about Leah..."
However, before Alena could continue, Ian spoke up: "She's up in her room..."
However, unbeknownst to anyone else in the family, Leah was at the door of her room, which was open at a creak, allowing Leah to hear what was going downstairs as she put her hear to the opening in her door. Leah had tears rolling down her cheeks as she listened.
"I'll go get her..." Mrs. Belden replied.
"Can't I just tell you what I need to tell you?!" Leah could hear her sister's impatient tone ringing out. "This is really important, and it probably has something to do with why she refuses to show her face down here!"
As Leah heard her sister say this, Leah immediately squeezed her eyes shut, trying to prevent tears as she brought one of her hands up to her mouth, muffling a sob. Sniffling after releasing the sob, Leah climbed back up to her feet and stumbled over to her window, which was opened. Below her window was an opened suitcase, which contained a few pairs of clothes, including her Agent-In-Training uniform.
Trying her best to hold back her tears, Leah closed her suitcase and picked it up by its handle before she slowly started to climb out the window.
Back downstairs, Mrs. Belden stared at her oldest daughter with a look of confusion on her face. "Are you...?" She asked, her eyes filling with worry. "...Are you saying that...are you-is Leah in some kind of trouble?"
I'm trying to tell you-" Alena tried to say, but she was cut off as her mother turned and started to walk toward the stairs.
"I want Leah to tell me what's going on..." Mrs. Belden replied, starting to walk up the stairs. By the time Mrs. Belden reached the top of the stairs, Alena was running up the stairs after her. Mrs. Belden ignored this, and she walked over to Leah's door. By this time, Alena reached the top step, and in order to reach her mother, she jogged over to her just as Mrs. Belden pushed the door open.
"Leah?" Mrs. Belden asked as she and Alena stepped into the room. However, Mrs. Belden immediately realized that something was not right. "Leah?" She asked, looking around the room, finding no sign of her younger daughter.
"Look..." Alena stated, pointing at the window as her mother started to check over areas in the room that she had already looked at. This got Mrs. Belden's attention, and she looked at the window, her eyes widening.
"Oh no..." Mrs. Belden whispered.
LINE BREAK
Haley was lying on her stomach, on top of the covers, sweat forming on her face as she tried her best to sleep. However, her eyes slowly started to open as a ringing sound came from her nightstand. Groaning, Haley pushed herself up onto a sitting position on her knees as her communication device continued to ring from her desk.
Groaning again, Haley brought one of her arms up to her forehead, wiping away the sweat before she reached over and grabbed her communication device. and pulled up to her chest before she pressed the button, omitting a holographic image of Jake, who was in human form.
"Jake, why are you calling at this time of night?" Haley moaned. "I'm trying to sleep..."
"Sorry, Hales..." Jake answered, smiling. "...You can yell at me tomorrow, because the rest of the Council thinks that it's time..."
"Time for what?" Haley asked sleepily.
"Don't play that game, Haley." Jake put his hands on his hips. "You know what I mean. They want to see your progress with Carter."
Haley, who had previously been drowsy, was woken up as these words coming from her brother's mouth. "Wait, say what?" Haley asked, looking at her brother with wide eyes. "Jake, I don't think that's a good-"
However, before Haley could continue, the sound of crying came from the holographic image, and Jake turned his head to the side. "Whoops!" Jake exclaimed. "Look, Haley! I gotta go! Jake Junior's makin' a scene! He'll wake Rose up. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"But, Jake..." Haley tried to say. However, Jake could not hear her, as his holographic image faded away. Completely alone, Haley lowered her head and her communication device, giving a heavy sigh.
LINE BREAK
In his room on the Island of Draco, Jake quickly put his communication device back into his robes before he turned and ran over to a nicely carved crib that was in the corner of the room. Jake Jr. was lying on his back, wailing loudly, even as Jake reached the crib.
"Shh! Shh!" Jake whispered as he reached into the crib, pulling his infant son out of the crib. "Shh..." Jake pressed his son up to his chest as he patted Jake Jr.'s back. "Shh..." Jake repeated. "...Please don't wake your mother..."
Finally, after patting Jake Junior's back for several seconds, Jake Jr. began to quiet down. Relieved, Jake smiled as he set his son back down in his crib, covering the now sound and content child with his blanket. Silently, Jake then turned around and looked at his wife, who despite the loud crying just seconds ago, was still lying on her side, sleeping soundly.
Jake smiled at this sight, but his smile was wiped away when he heard a knock coming from the door to their room. "Come in..." Jake said.
About a second later, the door opened, and Holly stepped inside. "Jake..." She said.
"Don't sweat it, Holly!" Jake smiled, holding up his arms, "I called my sister! She got the message! She'll be here!"
"Really?" Holly asked, and Jake suddenly got the feeling he had done wrong.
"I was..." Jake's smile faded. "...I was just listening to Callum and Rin..."
"I know..." Holly replied. "...And they were just telling you what I told them to. Unfortunately, Haley coming here with her dragon student won't work tomorrow..."
"I already called her..." Jake replied. "...I can try to call her back..."
"No, no..." Holly shook her head. "...Don't do that. She can still come. We'll just...have to find a way for this to work..."
"Holly, what's going on?" Jake asked.
"Jake..." Holly replied, looking right into Jake's eyes, making him feel very comfortable. "...The Pure Dragons are coming back..."
LINE BREAK
Haley tried to control her shaking body as she, Sun and a leashed Fu Dog walked down the stairs of the subway station. "Yeesh!" Fu exclaimed as the three of them reached the bottom of the stairs. "Relax, kid! Everything's going to be okay!"
"Fu Dog is right, Haley..." Sun told her as they started to walk to the elevator, where Haley could see Carter and Isabel waiting. "...Everything is going to be alright..." Sun said. "...Holly will not hold anything against you..."
By this time, they reached the elevator, and while Carter had his usual unhappy look, Isabel smiled and waved. "Hey, guys!" Isabel greeted. "Haley, I bet you're so excited! You get to show the Dragon Council everything you've taught my brother!"
"I'm not really all that excited..." Haley explained as Sun walked over to the pad beside the door and punched into the code. Almost immediately, the doors slid open, and Haley could see the goblin standing inside.
LINE BREAK
Yawning, Destiny sat up in her bed. Slowly getting off of her bed and standing up on her feet, Destiny groaned as she stretched out her limbs. Yawning once again, Destiny slowly made her way over to the door to her room. Destiny reached her door quickly, and she opened it, stepping out into the warm morning air.
However, as she was not paying attention to all her surroundings, as Destiny gasped as she tripped over something, falling over onto the ground. However, Destiny recovered quickly and rolled over, sitting up as she watched a moaning Leah sit up as she clutched her stomach. Leah's suitcase was just a couple inches away, probably meaning that she had used it as a pillow...when she had slept right outside Destiny's door.
"Oww..." Leah moaned.
"Leah?!" Destiny gasped. "What are you doing? Did...Did you sleep out here?"
"Well..." Leah answered in a small, pained voice. "...What else was I supposed to do? The door was locked. I knocked, but you never answered..."
"Oh, Leah..." Destiny's eyes widened in sympathy, and she found herself reaching out, putting her hand on Leah's shoulder. "...But why weren't you home, where you should be?"
"I ran away..." Leah answered. "...Alena..." As she spoke, tears once again started to form in Leah's eyes. "...Alena...said that she was going to tell Mom, Dad and Ian. They...If they knew that we were in a relationship...they'd freak..."
"You don't know that..." Destiny said gently.
Leah sniffled, acting like she was listening to what Destiny was saying. However, when she finally spoke, it proved to be the exact opposite. "Can...Can I stay with you?" Leah asked. "Just...Just for a few days..."
"Oh, Leah..." Destiny repeated, shaking her head. However, despite this, she used her hand that was on Leah's shoulder to pull her closer to her. Destiny released her hand from Leah's shoulder once Leah's stomach touched hers, and Destiny quickly wrapped her arms around Leah. "...You can stay here..." She told her.
LINE BREAK
On the Island of Draco, several of the dragon inhabitants started to crowd together as they heard flapping wings, and within a few seconds, Queen Damiana landed, right in front of them, accompanied by Deisa and Alvah.
"Move!" Alvah growled as he and Deisa pushed through the crowd of dragons, allowing Damiana to walk freely. Finally, once Alvah and Deisa finished pushing through all of the dragons, the three Pure Dragons made their way to the Main Hall. Damiana quickly threw the two large doors, and they strode inside, where they walked to the large table, where Rin, Callum, Holly and Jake were all sitting.
"Welcome..." Holly greeted them kindly. "...What can we do for you today?"
Damiana remained silent until she reached the large table, standing right in front of it. "Alvah..." She finally ordered. Alvah walked up from behind her and handed Damiana the piece of paper before he stepped back, going over to join Deisa once again.
"Before I say anything else..." Damiana said. "...Are you willing to give in to my request to execute the serious offenders?"
"Of course not!" Callum growled.
"Well then..." A cruel smile made its way onto Damiana's lips. "...Then I suppose you might be interested to hear about what is on this piece of paper..."
"We're all ears..." Holly said.
"I know you'll like it, Councilor Jennings..." Damiana said. "...According to this piece of paper, you are the granddaughter of The Dark Dragon, the number one threat to humans, dragons and Pure Dragons alike..."
As she heard this, Holly's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.
"So, it is true..." Damiana's smile widened as she saw Holly's reaction. "...Good. So, Councilor. Do you want the Magical World to know your dark secret? Because...I really wonder as to how they will react. Surely, they will not feel comfortable..."
"Yo!" Jake finally spoke, his eyes just as wide as Callum's, Rin's and Holly's. "Are you trying to blackmail her?! That's not right, punk!"
"As the Queen of the Pure Dragons..." Damiana replied, narrowing her eyes at Jake. "...I can do whatever I please. Councilor Holly Jennings..." As she said this, she switched her gaze to the shocked Holly. "...My status of authority is just as high as hers. She can try to retaliate, but deep down, she knows that the only thing she can do is give in...So, what say you, Councilor Jennings, granddaughter of The Dark Dragon?"
Holly gulped as she just stared back at Damiana, her eyes wide. "Holly, you can't do this..." Jake told her.
"Councilor..." Rin also spoke. "...I say you should allow her to have the prisoners. What is more important? Your safety or the lives of those who have taken other lives away?"
Starting to breathe heavily, Holly looked at Jake and then turned her attention to Callum, obviously wanting his input. "Councilor..." He finally answered. "...Do not give in to their demands. It's not worth it. Even if they reveal your secret, those who are loyal to you truly will remain by your side..."
Her courage coming back due to Callum's advice, Holly frowned as she turned her attention back to Damiana. Inhaling deeply, Holly rose from her chair, slowly followed by Rin, Callum, and Jake. "No..." Holly said firmly. "...I don't care what you do." She said. "I will not allow you to invade this island and take away lives!"
Hearing these words from Holly, Damiana's smile quickly faded and was replaced with a scowl. Without saying another word, she whirled around and started to stride out of the room, and as the Council members slowly sat back down in their chairs, both Alvah and Deisa turned and followed her.
LINE BREAK
The magical elevator popped out of the ground, and the doors slid open, allowing Haley, Isabel, Sun, Fu Dog and Carter to all stumble out of the elevator. Isabel was the first on to recover, and she immediately spotted the crowd, Damiana, Alvah and Deisa forcing their way through, starting to walk toward the edge of the island.
Gasping, Isabel quickly made up her mind, and she bolted away from the others, running toward the Pure Dragons.
Isabel finally got close enough to hear what the Pure Dragons were saying by the time that they reached the edge. "Well, look at the bright side..." Deisa said. "...At least now you can reveal her origin to the entire Magical World..."
"That would be pointless..." Alvah pointed out with a growl, all three Pure Dragons completely unaware that Isabel was standing in plain sight just a couple feet away from them. "...If you had thought it through, you would know that that would achieve nothing..."
"Councilor Holly Jennings has proven that we do not have enough on her..." Damiana told them. "...She cares more about the lives of murderers than she does about her own reputation. We will just have to come up with another way to eliminate those who have taken lives. Come..."
At this instruction, Damiana turned, her wings once again sprouting out the back of her golden robe. Deisa and Alvah both turned around at this cue, and all three started to flap their wings, taking off from the grass and starting to fly away, leaving Isabel alone.
"Another way?" Isabel asked herself. "Another way..."
LINE BREAK
The inhabitants on the Island of Draco had started to break apart and return to their normal activities by the time that Isabel returned to the building areas. Looking around the area, Isabel's eyes lit up as she caught sight of Rose exiting the Main Hall and starting to walk toward the housing building.
"Rose!" Isabel shouted, running over to her. Isabel's call caught Rose's attention, and she stopped in her tracks, turning her head to the side just as Isabel reached her. "Hi!" Isabel said happily. "Do you remember me? My name's Isabel Cromwell. I'm the older sister of Haley's dragon student."
"Yeah, I remember you..." Rose smiled. "...Is there something you wanted?"
"Well, I just wanted to talk to you..." Isabel said.
"Well, I'd love to..." Rose said kindly. "...But I really don't have time. I have to get back to my quarters and see how my son is doing..."
"Oh..." Isabel said, watching as Rose started to walk away. "...W...Wait!" As Rose got farther and farther away, Isabel started to run up to Rose, meeting up with her again just as Rose pulled open the door to the building and stepped into the hall. Following Rose inside, Isabel continued: "...It's just...I really need to tell you something..."
"And it can't wait for a few minutes?" Rose asked, continuing to walk down the hall as she did not see that Isabel had stopped in her tracks.
"No..." Isabel said, her voice darkening as she lifted up her Icterine-colored T-shirt, revealing a very small holster. Isabel reached into it and pulled out a very small Derringer, which she pointed at Rose's back, cocking it.
When Rose heard the sound of the cocking weapon, she froze and turned around, her eyes wide and her arms unconsciously shooting up into the air.
"Put your arms down..." Isabel rolled her eyes. "...And don't even try going into your dragon form. I can't afford to shoot you..."
"I can't afford to get shot..." Rose replied, not meaning to sound like a smart-aleck, even though she knew she did sound like one. "...I have a child..." She told her. "...So don't do anything stupid. Please..."
"I won't if you just come here..." Isabel told her. Rose nodded and slowly made her way over to Isabel, who turned around and pressed the barrel of her Derringer into Rose's back. "...Walk..." She ordered, the two of them slowly starting to walk out of the hall.
"Are you going to slay me?" Rose asked, her tone devoid of any fear.
"I'm not..." Isabel replied. "...And put your hands down. I don't want any of the dragons to suspect me of anything once we get out there..."
Rose nodded, and she slowly lowered her arms, just as they walked out of the hall and stepped out onto the grass, walking toward the edge of the island as the doors to the hall closed behind them. "...As I was saying..." Isabel said again. "...I'm not going to slay you...unless you give me a reason to..."
"I have no intention to do so..."
"Good..."
"I just want to see my son again..." Rose continued selflessly. "...He needs his mother to help raise him..."
"Well..." A cruel smile came onto the face of Isabel. "...I think that your fate is up to the Pure Dragons..."
"What?" Rose asked, surprised.
"I heard them talking..." Isabel answered as they continued to walk toward the edge. "...They need a way to slay all of the murderers in this prison. And so, I thought...why not give them you?"
"What can I do?" Rose asked.
"You'll soon find out..." Isabel answered. "...Meanwhile, the Pure Dragons will want to thank me. Who knows? Maybe they'll even let me live with them..."
By this time, they had reached the edge of the island, and Rose stopped walking as she didn't know what else to do. "Okay..." Isabel told her. "...Now I want you to go into your dragon form. Don't try anything funny..."
"Okay..." Rose nodded. In a bright light, Rose's human form disappeared, and when the light faded, Rose was standing in her dragon form.
"Alright, now let's go..." Isabel said, and in another bright light, she transformed into her Icterine-colored dragon form. Her eyes widening at this, Rose realized that this was her chance to act. Quickly looking down, Rose eyed her belt; she quickly grabbed it with her hands and used her claws to unlock it, dropping it onto the grass as the light faded from Isabel.
The two dragons then took off into the air, Isabel completely unaware that Rose's belt was lying on the grass.
LINE BREAK
The doors to the Main Hall opened once again, and Holly, Callum, Rin and Jake all, walked out onto the grass. Holly looked to the side and immediately saw Haley sitting on the grass next to Fu Dog, Sun and Carter standing behind her. "There they are..." Holly muttered, starting to walk over to Haley. Callum, Jake and Rin all followed after her, and they caught up with her, just as she stopped in front of Haley.
"Glad you could make it..." Holly said, making Haley look up at her. "...So, why don't we go down to the training arena and put your pupil to the test?"
Haley sighed as she stared back at Holly, Sun quickly reaching down and putting her hand on her shoulder as Holly, Callum and Rin all turned and started to walk toward the arena, leaving only Jake behind, staring at his little sister. "C'mon, Hales..." He smiled at her.
"It's going to be okay..." Sun gently told Haley.
Having no other choice than to believe her, Haley slowly got to her feet. However, before she could make another movement, an unfamiliar voice came toward her, shouting out: "Councilors!"
Haley turned her head to the side, watching as a grey dragon ran up to them. Something was in the dragon's claws, but Haley could not make it out. That was, until the grey dragon stopped in front of the surprised Jake. Haley unconsciously took a step forward, looking at what was in the dragon's claws as the grey dragon held out his claws, but still did not unclench them.
"Councilor Long..." The grey dragon said. "...We may have a problem. I found this on the grass at the edge of the island..."
Finally, the grey dragon unclenched his clawed fist, and Haley's eyes widened as she realized that it was Rose's belt.
Jake's eyes widened also, and he quickly reached out and snagged the belt, holding it in his hands, clutching onto it tightly. "This is my wife's!" Jake exclaimed. "You say you found this on the edge of the island?! And there was no sign of her?!"
"No, sir..." The grey dragon replied sorrowfully.
Jake looked down at the belt that was in his hands, which he used to squeeze the belt. Finally, his eyes wide with worry, Jake whirled around. "HOLLY!" He shouted.
LINE BREAK
Queen Damiana, Alvah and Deisa all landed inside the lair of the Pure Dragons after flying down the hole. Wordlessly, the three Pure Dragons started to walk through the room, amidst several Pure Dragons who were wondering around. However, Damiana, Deisa and Alvah all stopped when they each heard two sets of flapping wings.
"We weren't followed, were we?" Damiana growled, turning her head to the side so that she was looking at Deisa.
"I did not check, your highness..." Deisa answered.
"Well, it won't matter in just a few seconds..." Alvah grinned as she quickly turned around. "...Because Pure Dragons or not, they're dead!" In the blink of an eye, Alvah's scaly belly became dislodged from the rest of his body; attached to a metal rod that came out of his body, his scaly belly shot out toward the entrance of the hideout.
As the belly-weapon flew toward the entrance, the flapping wings got closer and closer, and before the belly-weapon got far enough, both Isabel and Rose, with Isabel's gun still pressed against her back, landed.
Isabel quickly caught sight of Alvah's belly, and her eyes wide, she threw herself and Rose onto their bellies on the ground, Alvah's belly making contact with the wall; the end of the belly-weapon pierced the wall.
Realizing that he missed, Alvah growled to himself as he took a step back, dislodging his belly-weapon from the wall. As his belly-weapon came flying back to him, landing back exactly in its place, a growling Isabel slowly got to her feet, wrapping her tail around Rose's scaly wrist, therefore forcing her back up onto her feet while still allowing her to keep her Derringer pointed at her back.
"What the heck was that for?!" Isabel growled as Rose just stared blankly at Damiana, Alvah, Deisa and all the other Pure Dragons that were in the room and were now looking at them.
"You two don't belong here..." Alvah growled.
"I may be just a Regular..." Isabel told them. "...She may, too..." She indicated to her captive. "...But I came here to help you..."
"Help us?!" Deisa scoffed. "You are sorely mistaken if you believe that Queen Damiana needs help. She is perfectly capable of coming up with solutions!"
"Silence, Deisa..." Damiana hissed, crossing her arms. "...And what makes you believe that you have the solution?"
"She..." Isabel said, forcing Rose over to Damiana as she walked up to the three Pure Dragons. "...Is the solution. Doppelgangers! You make a doppelganger of a dragon that the Dragon Council trusts, and make it do your dirty work. I...have brought you that dragon..."
As Isabel said this, Queen Damiana turned her attention to Rose and stared at her. "A doppelganger..." She said, nodding to herself. "...Yes, that just might be a good idea. Alvah..." She turned her head to the side to look at Alvah. "...I want you to take care of our new prisoner..." Then, Damiana turned her attention back to Isabel. "...As for you, I want you to come with me..."
LINE BREAK
Suzie sighed as she lied on her back in a room. She had her armor that was over her arm, and with her arm that was not covered in armor, she typed numbers into the pad. This resulted in a light engulfing her, and when it faded, Suzie looked as if she were about eight years old. Sighing again, Suzie typed in another number, and another flash of light transformed her into an old lady.
The room that Suzie was lying in was bare and empty. There was a hole in the floor that led up to her room, and then there was another hole right above it on the ceiling that led up to another room.
Sighing yet again with boredom, Suzie once again typed in another number. Another bright light consumed Suzie, and once it faded, she was once again eighteen years old. Still, Suzie was not satisfied, and she brought her claws up to type in another number, however, she froze as she heard flapping wings.
Sitting up, Suzie turned her head to the side and watched as Alvah and Deisa both flew up through the hole in her floor. In-between them, was a yellow dragon wearing a black cape; the yellow dragon was trapped in-between Deisa and Alvah, as the both were clutching onto her wrists, stretching them out.
"Wh...?" Suzie started to ask, looking up as the three dragons flew up into the hole in the ceiling, disappearing from view.
LINE BREAK
Damiana and Isabel both continued to walk through the hideout, finally passing through a doorway. As they passed through, Isabel could see a bunch of differently-colored Pure Dragons all gathered around in a circle.
"There is only one Pure Dragon here..." Damiana said. "...Who would have any knowledge in making doppelgangers..."
"Really?" Isabel asked.
"As you have seen..." Damiana said, turning around to face the doorway, looking out of the room. As she turned, Damiana put her claws on Isabel's scaly shoulder, giving Isabel the idea that she should turn around. "...I want you to look out there..." Damiana said as Isabel turned around. "...As you have just seen, and as you are seeing again, every Pure Dragon has a job to do..."
Isabel listened to what Queen Damiana was saying, but she also did as she was told and looked out into the other room, where a dark blue-colored dragon was mopping the floor, a magenta-colored Pure Dragon was hovering in the air, blowing air around the room, and a sky blue colored Pure Dragon was painting the wall, giving it a fresh coat.
"...Some of the jobs may not be glamorous..." Damiana continued. "...But they help our nation..."
"It's perfect..." Isabel muttered, turning her head to the side so she could see Damiana's smile.
"Isn't it?" Damiana replied, turning around back to the circle of Pure Dragons. "Follow me..." She ordered softly as Isabel turned back around. Isabel then followed Damiana as the Queen of the Pure Dragons walked into the crowded circle.
"Out of our way!" Damiana barked as she shoved through a couple of Pure Dragons, allowing herself and Isabel to reach what the dragons were gathered around. To Isabel's surprise, it was a giant hole in the floor that led to complete darkness. If someone were to fall into the pit, the only thing that would be there to stop their fall would be the large net that put up deep down the pit.
"What's that?" Isabel asked.
"That..." Damiana answered. "...Is our way of sorting out the Pure Dragons...and those who are without powers. We cannot have dragons that are not pure-or worse yet, an inhabitant that is not even a dragon at all..."
"But how do you do that?" Isabel asked.
However, Isabel's question was not answered by Queen Damiana. Instead, the Queen of the Pure Dragons just pointed across the pit. "...Look..." She ordered, and Isabel looked up just in time to see a rustling coming from the Pure Dragons as a new Pure Dragon stepped into view. This new Pure Dragon was a snowy-white color and wore a belt around her waist that was merely a length of chains wrapped around her waist twice and then locked with a padlock. The Pure Dragon also had two length of chains that went up her body, the ends wrapped around her shoulder blades, creating a kind of "vest".
"Meet Mercury..." Damiana told Isabel. "...It is her job to figure out what newborns have Pure Dragon genes. If the infants do, they will be made true Pure Dragons. If they do not, they will plunge into eternal darkness, purged from our world..."
As Damiana said this, Isabel watched as Mercury brought her tail up, revealing that she was holding a baby dragon in it. "But..." Isabel asked. "...Shouldn't you know that they are pure when they are born in their dragon forms?"
"Stranger things have happened..." Damiana shrugged.
Her eyes wide, Isabel watched as Mercury dangled the infant over the pit and finally dropped it. The infant dragon wailed with fright as it plunged into the pit. Frightened, Isabel squeezed her eyes shut just as the infant hit the net. The net held strong, and the infant dragon's fall was stopped.
"Isabel..." Damiana said, grabbing Isabel's shoulder. This prompted Isabel to open her eyes, and she watched as the net shot up from the bottom of the pit until it stopped at the surface. Isabel and Queen Damiana watched as Mercury bent over and picked up the infant dragon, turning to her side and handing it to a female red Pure Dragon was at her side. With Mercury at this angle, Isabel could now see that Mercury's long snow-white-colored hair was pulled together and braided with even more chains.
With the infant Pure Dragon in the arms of its apparent mother, the rest of the Pure Dragons started to break away and leave. Within a few seconds, only Damiana and Isabel were left alone with Mercury, who turned around to face them.
As soon as Mercury saw Damiana and Isabel, her eyes widened. "My Queen..." She gasped. "...H...How can I be of service to you?"
Damiana smiled. "I have a task I need you to complete, Mercury..." She answered. "...I also need you to collect your supplies. Your amplifiers to be exact..."
"Uh, negative chi amplifier..." Isabel pointed out.
"What do you want me to do?" Mercury asked, putting her clawed hands on her hips.
"Make a doppelganger..." Damiana answered. "...For the past two and a half months, the Council of Dragons has been holding murderess Kenna Zareen on their island. I find it to be only best that she, as well as the other serious offenders, be eliminated..."
"Yeah..." Mercury nodded. "...It sounds like a good idea. But...how would a doppelganger help? What could a doppelganger do?"
"You order the doppelganger to eliminate the prisoners..." Isabel smiled, crossing her scaly arms.
"While I distract the Council..." Damiana said.
"Sounds like a good plan..." Mercury smiled. "...I'll help you, my Queen..."
LINE BREAK
Panting, Suzie flew up through the hole and landed in a dimly lit room, where she could see Deisa and Alvah standing in front of the female yellow dragon. The yellow dragon was standing against a wooden pole in the back of the room. Chains were wrapped and locked around her scaly chest and the back of the pole, binding her to it; her scaly arms were also pulled back and bound with chains behind her back and the poke, trapping her. Alvah had her cape in his claws, and as he turned away from the prisoner, he tossed it to the side.
"What's going on?" Suzie asked, making not only Alvah and Deisa turn around to look at her, but it also made Rose turn her head to the side.
"Suzie, this doesn't concern you..." Deisa said. "...This is strictly the business of your mother..."
"It would be best if you left..." Alvah agreed. However, before Suzie could even move, the sound of three sets of flapping wings started to get closer and closer. Finally, Suzie turned around just in time to see her mother, Mercury and Isabel all landed in the room. Mercury was clutching a vial that contained green powder.
"Is that your dragon?" Mercury asked, walking over to Rose. Mercury arrived in front of Rose, who merely stared back, as Mercury nodded. "She looks good..."
"Good..." Isabel replied. "...You can do whatever you want with her later. I don't care..."
"Well, we'll figure that out later..." Mercury replied as she lifted her vial up and splashed the contents of it into Rose's face. Rose gasped in surprise as the powder hit her, and she coughed and gagged as her body tensed against its restraints.
As Rose continued to sputter and cough, Mercury grinned, taking a step back as a bright blue light formed at Rose's feet. The light then shot up, consuming her entire body before it broke away from her, an exact double of Rose's dragon form appearing right by Mercury's side.
As soon as Rose stopped gasping and coughing, she lifted up her head and gasped as she saw her doppelganger. "A doppelganger..." She whispered. Not getting an answer, Rose watched with wide eyes as Damiana and Isabel walked over to Mercury, the doppelganger, Deisa and Alvah, leaving Suzie alone to stare at the scene in front of her.
"Very good..." Damiana said as she, Isabel and the others all huddled together in a circle. "...Alright, doppelganger..." She looked at the doppelganger dragon. "...You have been created for a task, and one task only..."
"You are to accompany us to the Island of Draco..." Isabel told the doppelganger. "...And when we get there, I-we-need you to dispose of the dangerous prisoners. Can you do that?"
"Sure..." The doppelganger of Rose said, smiling cruelly. "...I can do that..."
As the Pure Dragons and her doppelganger plotted, Rose watched attentively. Once she was certain that no one was paying attention to her, including Suzie, who was watching the others, she focused on her situation. Taking a deep breath, Rose turned her head to the side, glaring down her back as she pulled at the chains binding her wrists. As she had hoped, Rose's pull had stretched the chains slightly, and Rose narrowed her eyes, grunting as she tried to pull her wrist away from her other, out of the chains.
"Now that that is all settled..." Damiana said. "...There is just one thing more that needs to be discussed. Who is to come to the island with Isabel, Alvah, the doppelganger and I?"
"I thought that I was to go with you..." Deisa said humbly.
"No..." Damiana told her. "...You are to stay here and look after my daughter..."
"What?" Suzie's eyes widened, and she unconsciously took a step closer to the others. "I can come with!"
"No, Suzanne..." Damiana turned around and walked over to her daughter. As soon as Damiana reached Suzie, she knelt down and put her claws on her shoulder. "...You need to stay here in case anything bad happens. I don't plan on it, but just in case. Remember what'll happen if anything bad happens to me and you are not there to take my place..."
"I understand, Mother..." Suzie said softly, looking down at the ground.
With no one in the room paying attention to her, Rose continued to fight against the chains holding her to the pole. Grunting again, Rose gave another tug at the chains, and her lips curled into a smile as she felt her wrist slowly starting to slide out of the chains. Taking another deep breath, Rose started to pull her wrist out of the chains.
Finally, after a few seconds, Rose's wrist completely became free of the chains. Rose had to control herself in order to prevent a victorious grin from spreading across her face in the presence of her captors, but that became easy when her ears twitched, picking up the sound of the chains sliding off of her wrists, starting to fall to the floor. Her eyes widening, Rose reacted quickly reached down from behind her and snagged the chains before they could hit the floor.
Sighing with relief, Rose turned her head to the side, watching as Deisa and Suzie both spread their wings and dived down, disappearing into the hole in the floor.
"Thank you for volunteering, Mercury..." Queen Damiana told Mercury as her wings popped out of her golden robe.
"Don't mention it, my Queen..." Mercury replied, she and Damiana walking over to the hole. Then, they to dived down the hole, allowing Alvah and the doppelganger Rose to walk up to hole. Then, they also dived down the hole, leaving only Isabel to walk up to the hole.
Isabel spread her wings, and she jumped up into the air, preparing to dive. However, before Isabel could actually go down into the hole, a yellow tail with a blonde tuft of hair at the end wrapped around her ankle, pulling back and yanking Isabel away from the hole. Isabel screeched with fright as she flew backwards across the room, only coming to a stop once she hit the wall.
Grunting, Isabel slid into a sitting position on the floor. Moaning, she quickly looked up, only to gasp as she saw Rose standing before her, holding onto the chains that had previously bound her. Rose smiled victoriously as she twirled the end of the chains around in a circle. "Now..." She said. "...It's my turn..."
LINE BREAK
Back on the Island of Draco, Carter, Sun, Haley, Fu Dog and Holly all stood together in human form as Jake, Callum and Rin all searched around the edge of the island in their dragon forms, accompanied by several other dragons.
"Man, this looks real serious..." Fu stated.
"It does..." Sun agreed, her face showing nothing except concern.
"I'm worried..." Holly added, but then she looked down at her feet, sighing. "...I'm sorry, Haley." She continued, turning her head to the side so she could look at Haley, who had a very nervous look on her face, and Carter, who had an unreadable look on his face. "...This was your day to show off your student's skills."
"Yeah..." Haley replied slowly, nervously.
"...But instead..." Holly sighed again as she crossed her arms. "...This happens. I apologize Haley. You must be disappointed. But you must also be worried. Don't worry. We'll find Rose..."
No sooner did these words leave Holly's mouth, did Councilor Callum remove himself from the search, and he walked over to Rose, completely unaware that Jake had also stopped searching, and was now walking over to Holly.
"Councilor Jennings!" He said, stopping in front of the group, and Jake stopping right behind him. "I am afraid..." He said. "...That we have found no sign of Agent Long. We've searched the entire island, as well as the bottom of the island. There's no sign of her. The only thing that this could mean...is that Agent Long fell and-"
"Don't say that!" Jake finally revealed his presence to Callum with an angry yell and a shove of the shoulder. "Rose is too skilled to just fall!" Jake continued, and he opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, he was cut off as Rin ran up beside him, panting.
"Councilor Jennings!" She exclaimed, turning to the side and pointing up into the sky. Jake and Callum turned around to face the direction she was pointing at, and together, they all looked up to see four dragons flying down toward the island.
"That looks like Rose!" Jake exclaimed.
Just seconds later, the four dragons landed on the grass, revealing Queen Damiana, Alvah, Mercury and Doppelganger Rose. Immediately after touching the ground, Damiana's eyes widened. "What are they doing out here?"
"I take it that this was not part of the plan..." Mercury mused, just as Jake's face lit up.
"Rose!" He exclaimed happily. "We were worried about you!" Jake quickly started to walk over to "Rose". "Say, what were you doing with these freak-os, anyway?"
Doppelganger Rose said nothing, and Jake quickly stepped in front of her, wrapping his arms around her. However, that was when Doppelganger Rose gave a response, her face retorting in disgust. "Get off of me!" She growled, stepping back, Jake's arms releasing her. Scowling, Doppelganger Rose lifted off of the ground and slammed her tail into Jake's chest.
With a yell of surprise, Jake was thrown off of his feet and he flew backward, slamming onto the grass on his back in front of Holly, Haley and the others, reverting to his human form. With her brother on the ground, Haley gasped and looked at the dragon that appeared to be Rose. She could see an evil smile spreading on her face, and upon closer inspection, Haley could see a burning fire in both of her eyes.
Gasping, Haley quickly pointed at "Rose", and shouted: "She's a doppelganger!"
"A doppelganger?" Sun asked. "Haley, are you sure?"
Jake groaned as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. As he looked at the three Pure Dragons and Doppelganger Rose, his eyes narrowed and he growled. "What have you done with Rose?" He demanded, and then as he slowly got to his feet, he clenched his fists and his teeth. "What did you do with my WIFE?!"
Before any of the Pure Dragons could answer, the sound of flapping wings could be heard, and suddenly, a large torrent of fire hit the ground right in-between the angry Jake and the Pure Dragons and Doppelganger Rose.
Surprised, everyone looked up in the air, literally everyone gasped when they saw that it was Rose who was hovering in the air. In her claws was Isabel, who was now tightly bound with the chains that had previously bound Rose. "Rose!" Jake shouted up to her.
Back on the ground, Queen Damiana scowled as she watched the Dragon Council, Haley, Fu Dog, Carter and Sun look up at Rose. "What do we do now?" Alvah asked.
Damiana narrowed her eyes as she watched Rose lowering herself onto the ground. "Doppelganger!" She suddenly shouted. "Destroy your original! Then, destroy the others!"
Doppelganger Rose grinned evilly at this command, and the evil doppelganger started to flap its wings, flying over to the spot on the grass where Rose had just landed, setting Isabel on the grass on her belly. Before Rose had any time to react, her doppelganger arrived in front of her, and the doppelganger slammed its tail into Rose's face. Rose grunted and flew backward, landing on her back with a grunt several feet to the side of the others.
Not knowing what to expect as Doppelganger Rose landed right at her side, Isabel merely looked up, gasping slightly as Doppelganger Rose reached down and picked her up by her hair. "You're in my way..." Doppelganger Rose growled as she moved her claws up so that they were now at the front of Isabel's face; Doppelganger Rose used her clawed hands to start to force open Isabel's mouth. "...Get out of it..." Then, before anyone could react, Doppelganger Rose yanked her clawed hands apart, throwing Isabel's mouth open, which resulted in a loud cracking sound. Doppelganger Rose then quickly forced Isabel's head to the side, stopped, and then quickly twisted it to the other side, resulting in a loud cracking sound that came from her neck. Finishing the act off, Doppelganger Rose threw Isabel's now lifeless bodyto the side by her head, which caused the slain dragon to be lifted up onto her feet briefly before she fell back onto her back on the grass, never to get back up.
Grinning, Doppelganger Rose then lunged off of the ground and started to soar toward Holly, Sun, Haley, Carter, Fu Dog, Callum, Jake and Rin. However, before Doppelganger Rose could strike, a flash of yellow intercepted, and Doppelganger Rose grunted as she was thrown to the side.
Shocked, everyone turned their heads to the side to see two yellow dragons hit the ground, Doppelganger Rose on the bottom as her original slowly got up. "Rose!" Jake shouted, making the real Rose put her foot down on the chest of her fallen doppelganger before she turned her head to the side, watching as her husband reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled something out her belt. "I think you lost something!" He then threw the object over to Rose.
Rose easily reached up and caught it, and as she looked down, her eyes widened as she saw that it was her belt, with her staff and her shackles still attached. However, this gave her doppelganger the chance to strike; Doppelganger Rose quickly lifted up her head and blew out a fireball which hit Rose directly in the chest. Gasping and hissing in pain, Rose stumbled backwards, giving her doppelganger the chance to roll over onto its stomach and flapping its wings, flying into the air. As soon as Rose had patted the fire on her chest away, she looked up, and seeing that her doppelganger was escaping, she growled, pulling her staff from her belt, dropping the belt onto the grass before she started to flap her wings, taking off after her double.
Growling, Queen Damiana's eye started to twitch as she watched as the rest of her opponents return their attention back to her, Alvah and Mercury. "Fine..." Damiana growled. "...I guess it's time for me to get my hands dirty..."
As she said this, Jake, Callum, Rin, Holly, Sun and Haley all transformed into their dragon forms, leaving only Carter in his human form. Seeing this, Holly turned her head to the side. "Come on, Dragon Cromwell!" She urged him. "We are going to need your help!"
Despite Holly's plea, Carter still did nothing, and Haley shook her head slowly, lowering it in shame. "Holly..." She finally said. "...That's what I needed to tell you. I haven't gotten anywhere with him. No matter what I try, he just can't assume his dragon form..."
"What?" Holly gasped, her eyes widening with fear. Just then, from a couple feet in front of them, Queen Damiana's wings popped out of her back, and she started to flap them, starting to fly over to her enemies. Knowing that they were about to be attacked, Holly's eyes darkened, and she frowned as she pushed Haley to the side. As this was sudden, Haley was caught off guard, and she slammed into Carter. Carter and Haley both grunted and fell onto the grass, Haley on her stomach on top of Carter, who was also lying on his stomach.
"The only thing I want you to do..." Holly growled as she stepped back. "...Is to watch over your student, Haley..." Just then, Queen Damiana landed right in front of Holly. Jake, Callum, Sun and Rin all gathered together and got behind her, ready to attack, but Damiana just grinned as she slammed her tail into all of their feet, knocking them all onto the grass. Still grinning, Damiana then straightened up, staring at Holly who slowly backed up.
"So..." Holly said. "...I take it that you want it one on one. Just you and me?"
"Oh, Councilor Jennings..." Damiana's grin only widened as she stretched out her arms. "...You don't know just how short this fight will be. At least, not yet..." Slowly, Damiana's arms started to slide out of their sleeves, and once they were both completely out, Holly's eyes widened as she saw Damiana's arms hovering in the air while sticking out of the sleeves of Damiana's golden robe were two skeletal hands. "...Because you are fighting a Pure Dragon!"
Damiana's left arm then reeled back, clenching into a fist as it went back several feet. Then, her arm started to shoot toward Holly. The speed was so fast that Holly could only stand in place and watch with wide, fearful eyes as the detached arm and clenched fist slammed into her chest.
"Holly!" Haley shouted, watching with her head turned to the side as Holly screamed, flying backwards until she hit the doors to the Main Hall. The doors swung open and Holly fell inside, landing on her back and not getting back up. "Fu Dog!" Haley turned her head in the other direction and stared at Fu, who was frozen in fear. When Fu heard Haley's voice, he quickly scampered over to Haley and Carter.
"What?" He asked.
"I need you to keep Carter safe!" Haley told him as she slowly got up off of Carter and onto her feet, turning around and watching as Damiana slowly started to walk toward the Main Hall. Growling and narrowing her eyes, Haley started to flap her wings, and she lifted off of the ground, flying away as Fu sat down next to Carter, who sat up.
"Where's she going?" Carter asked.
Meanwhile, Jake, Callum, Sun and Rin all started to get up onto their feet, but they stopped when they saw the grinning Alvah and the grinning Mercury walking toward them. "Well, I guess we have you guys all to ourselves..." Alvah said. His smile then widened as his scaly belly shot out from the rest of his body, while Mercury flicked her tail, her tail magically transforming into a long chain, a fish hook at the end of it.
Alvah's scaly belly shot toward Callum and Jake, and they each rolled over onto their backs as it flew by them, while Mercury shot her tail/chain toward Sun and Rin, who quickly jumped into the air and it started to wrap around where both had previously been. Now flapping their wings, Sun and Rin started to fly over to Mercury, who growled as she started to flap her wings and rose into the air at the same level as Sun and Rin. Roaring, Mercury then shot her tail/chain at the two as they started to fly toward her. A grin crossed Mercury's face as she twisted it around the air, trying her best to snag both dragons, but both Sun and Rin performed various maneuvers in the air in order to avoid the tail. Finally, Sun and Rin both flew passed the tail and came upon Mercury, both stopping and slamming their tails into her chest.
Mercury grunted as she flew back, flying across the island until she slammed into the tree. With a grunt, Mercury slid down onto the grass, unmoving. Satisfied, both Sun and Rin lowered themselves onto the grass and started to walk over to the defeated Pure Dragon.
However, just as Rin and Sun reached Mercury, the Pure Dragon swiftly lifted up her head and blew out a torrent of fire. The fire hit both Rin and Sun, and they both fell backward onto the grass. Grinning, Mercury got to her feet, started to flap her wings, and flew up into the air.
Meanwhile, Alvag stepped back, pulling his scaly belly back. However, just as it went by Jake and Callum again, that was when both Dragon Council reached out and grabbed onto his belly. This lifted them off of the ground, and they started to fly toward the Pure Dragon with the help of his belly. Finally, once Callum and Jake were close enough to him. They let go, and Alvah's scaly stomach connected back into his body, just as Callum and Jake slammed their tails into him.
With a grunt, Alvah was thrown off of his feet, and he rolled across the grass. "Dude!" Jake exclaimed with a smile on his face as he and Callum walked up to him, Alvah picking himself up onto his knees. "For a Pure Dragon, we're kind of better than you!"
"You want to bet?" Alvah sneered before he opened his mouth and blew out a torrent of fire. Jake's smile was wiped off of his face as she and Callum had to jump to the side in order to avoid it.
With this distraction, Alvah started to flap his wings, and he flew up into the air, reaching a fairly high point in the air before he turned and started to fly over to the tree where Mercury was hovering. As soon as Alvah reached her, he turned around just in time to see Sun, Rin, Jake and Callum all fly up in the air, joining together.
Despite being outnumbered, both Alvah and Mercury merely grinned. "Come on..." Alvah said to his companion. "...Let's take them all down."
LINE BREAK
Queen Damiana chuckled evilly as she got closer to the Main Hall, and the purple dragon was still lying motionless at the door. However, Damiana's evil chuckling came to an end as she heard the sound of flapping wings. Then, Damiana stopped in her tracks as Haley landed in front of her, blocking the Queen of the Pure Dragons from Holly.
"I won't let you hurt my friend..." Haley growled.
Damiana just blinked in surprise as she stared at Haley until a smile spread onto her face, and then it transformed into hysterical laughter. "You?!" She asked. "Stop me?! Get out of my way, kid..."
"No..." Haley growled, running toward Damiana with a growl. This quickly stopped in front of Damiana and swiped at her with her claws. Damiana merely backed up, and Haley quickly gave up on that attempt of attack, instead starting to flap her wings and fly up into the air.
Damiana quickly followed her, and she flapped her wings until she got up to Haley's level of height in the air, the two facing each other. "You've got a lot of courage..." Damiana acknowledged. "...Truly, you can accomplish something great. Unfortunately, now that will never happen...because I'm going to slay you."
"It's going to take a lot more effort than you think to put me down for good..." Haley growled. Then, she started to fly toward the Queen, a determined look on her face. However, a gasp suddenly came from Haley's mouth as she came to a screeching halt, watching as Damiana grinned, her legs and feet sliding out of place from underneath the robe. Finally, once her legs were also hovering in the air, Haley could see that what was now visible were two skeletal feet.
"I think you'll go down just as easy as I am anticipating..." Damiana told her. Then, her grin returned to her face as both of her arms and both of her legs shot toward Haley.
LINE BREAK
Flying high in the sky, Doppelganger Rose looked around, looking for the jail. Quickly turning her head to the side, Doppelganger Rose could see that its original was flying right toward them. Growling, Doppelganger Rose looked back down and continued to look around the island.
Finally, Doppelganger Rose spotted the prison, and the doppelganger dived down, just as the real Rose was just seconds away from catching up with her double.
Doppelganger Rose landed right in front of the door to the prison, and the doppelganger opened the door, just as a torrent of fire hit the ground behind it. Turning around, Doppelganger Rose looked up just in time to see its original starting to fly down to it.
Grinning evilly, Doppelganger Rose took a step back, inside the jail. Doppelganger Rose then reached out and slammed the steel prison door shut, just as the real Rose landed on the grass. Knowing what she had to do, Rose looked both ways in order to make sure that no one was watching her before she opened her mouth and blew a torrent of fire at the door.
From the inside of the prison, Doppelganger Rose had started to walk down the halls when the steel door was blasted off its hinges. The steel door flew down to the floor and slid across the floor, finally coming to a rest after it slammed into the back of the doppelganger's feet.
With a gasp of shock and pain, Doppelganger Rose fell back and fell onto its back. Rolling over onto its belly, Doppelganger Rose picked itself up onto its feet, growling as the real Rose flew into the room, ramming into her doppelganger.
Both flew back down the hall, until doppelganger Rose brought its tail down to the ground, slowing down their flight enough for the doppelganger to land on the ground, completely stopping the fall back.
Growling, Rose lowered herself onto the ground and tried to swing her staff at her doppelganger, but Doppelganger Rose threw itself onto the real Rose, grabbing her by her shoulders. Grinning, Doppelganger Rose started to spin the real Rose around before letting go of her.
Rose flew back, not stopping until she hit the bars of a cell, denting them. Groaning, Rose slid down into a sitting position as her doppelganger grinned. "I'm disappointed..." Doppelganger Rose told its original. "...I was just created a few hours ago, and I am more skilled then you are. How very sad..."
Doppelganger Rose then turned around and started to walk back down the hall. "...Stay here!" It called back. "I'll come back to finish you just as soon as I am done disposing of the dangerous inmates!"
However, as Doppelganger Rose turned its back and started to leave, it gave Rose the perfect opportunity to slowly get to her feet. Once Rose was facing her doppelganger, she twirled her staff in her hand, it forming into a bow with a glowing green arrow. Grinning as she took aim, she fired, lowering her weapon as she heard a sickening thud.
Rose's shot had met its mark. Now, Doppelganger Rose was frozen in place, its eyes wide with shock and agony as the tip of the glowing arrow stuck out of its left ear. Before Doppelganger Rose had a chance to fall to the floor, the doppelganger's form started to shake before it disintegrated into blue light. The glowing arrow fell to the floor as the blue energy came back toward Rose, absorbing back into her body.
Once the light stopped going into Rose's body, the young woman's mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Wow..." She said to herself.
LINE BREAK
Back near the tree, Mercury, Sun and Rin continued their fight above the leafy top, while Alvah chased Jake and Callum around lower to the grass.
Although Mercury lashed out with her tail/chain, she never managed to hit her enemies. Instead, as both Sun and Rin flew toward her, Mercury's eyes widened as she flew up higher into the air in order to avoid them. Unfortunately for her, as she flew up, her tail was still reachable when Rin and Sun reached her.
Rin quickly reached up and grabbed her tail/chain, pulling her down. Mercury screeched with surprise as she felt herself being yanked down. Both Sun and Rin spread apart as Mercury fell down passed them, and they both looked down as the screeching Mercury landed and disappeared within the leaves.
Grunting as she fell through the leaves, Mercury finally passed through all of the leaves, only to slam her back against the very first branch, which was a little too thin for her large scaly body. However, her tail/chain continued to fall, only to hit a snag once it reached the end. The tail/chain shot back up and started to wrap around Mercury's chest and belly, binding her to the tree. Completely trapped, the now panicking Mercury could only look up at Sun and Rin came through the leaves of the tree, coming down to get her.
"No..." Mercury's eyes widened even more, and she tried to fight against her restraints. "No! No! No! Alvah, help me!"
Alvah, who had been chasing Jake and Callum at this point, stopped when he heard Mercury's calling for him, and he turned and flew over to the tree. As he reached the trapped Mercury, he looked up and blew out a torrent of fire at Sun and Rin which blasted them up into the leaves again.
"Alright, Mercury..." Alvah said, his belly coming out from his body again. "...I'm going to get you ou-AAAHH!" However, before he could help his companion, a red tail slammed into his belly, which shot the belly back into his body. As his scaly belly hit his body again, Alvah grunted and fell back, shouting as he started to fall down, heading for a lower branch. Alvah finally hit the branch, a roar of pain followed a loud crack that came from his back.
Alvah just remained on the branch for a few seconds before his body slid off head first, falling for the ground, where Alvah landed a few seconds later, belly first.
Callum looked down at Alvah's motionless body with a horrified look on his face before he turned his head to the side to look at Jake. "What?" Jake asked. "I was just trying to stop him! I didn't mean to slay him!"
LINE BREAK
Haley screamed as she flew back, landing on the roof of the Main Hall. Lying on her back, Haley slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows as she lied there, only able to watch as the Queen of the Pure Dragons landed on the roof.
"You see..." Damiana said as she walked over to Haley, her feet lowering to the roof while the arms kept hovering. "...This battle didn't take long at all. Just as I expected..."
Once she was right in front of Haley, Damiana looked at her arms as the fingers were extended, the sharp claws aimed right for Haley's chest.
Haley could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she saw the claws aiming right for her chest. Not wanting to die, Haley forced herself to think of a way to defeat the Queen, the first thing coming to her mind was what Isabel had told her; her words about a Pure Dragon's chi being their heart, and what would happen if it were to be removed.
Her eyes wide, Haley quickly removed her arm from behind her and extended it toward Damiana's heart. Then, she slowly pulled back, watching intently as Damiana froze, the area where her heart was starting to glow as a bright blue light came out of her chest. Damiana's jaw dropped in shock and her eyes widened as her heart-chi left her body.
Almost immediately, her detached claws dropped to the roof, and Damiana herself collapsed to her knees before she plunged over and collapsed on her belly, dead.
Her eyes wide with horror and regret, Haley looked down at her claws as the blue heart-chi disintegrated into thin air. Haley then looked back up at Damiana's body. However, just as Haley looked back at the body, it briefly started to vibrate as Damiana's robe started to morph, leaving her body as a cover of golden light.
Haley watched with wide eyes as it floated into the air, starting to transform. Finally, after a few seconds, it had transformed into a giant, glowing, golden dragon. The giant golden dragon did not seem to notice Haley as it merely looked in both directions before it merely sped away.
Now panting, Haley slowly got to her feet before she turned around and watched the golden dragon leave.
LINE BREAK
Hours later, Haley, Carter and Rose all stood in human form in front of the large table thar Rin, Callum, Holly and Jake were all sitting at in their human forms. Holly moaned in pain as she held an icepack to her head.
"Rose..." Jake said, standing up as he held out a new cape and a new belt. "...Since you lost your old ones, I felt that it would be best that you get new ones..."
"Thanks, Jake..." Rose smiled thankfully before she walked up to the table and took the cape and the belt from her husband as Holly slowly lowered the icepack from her head.
"Rose..." Holly said. "...Now that you have what we called you in for, do you mind leaving? The rest of the Council and I need to talk to Haley."
"Certainly, Councilor..." Rose said with respect as she bowed. Then, she turned and walked out of the room.
Holly waited until the doors closed behind Rose until she spoke. "Haley..." She finally said. "...For the first time in...well, ever...I am very disappointed with you."
"I am sorry, Holly..." Haley said, lowering her head, while Carter just stood in place with an unreadable look on his face. "...I just didn't know how to tell you..."
"Well, you are in luck, Dragon Long..." Rin said. "...Because we are willing to give you a second chance. You have one week to get your student to assume and keep his dragon form..."
"Yes, Councilor..." Haley said as she lifted her head to look at them all. "...Thank you..."
Holly nodded in reply. "You may go..." She said.
LINE BREAK
Haley pushed open the doors to the Main Hall and stepped out onto the grass, followed closely by Carter. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Carter sighed. "Why were they such jerks to you?" He finally asked. "It's not you. It's me..."
"That doesn't matter..." Haley said, stopping in her tracks. "...At least not to the Dragon Council." Sighing, she looked down at the grass. "The Dragon Council believes that there is no such thing as a bad student. There is only such a thing as a bad Master..."
"Really?" Carter asked.
"Yes..." Haley replied, turning around to face her student. "...And I'm going to tell you right now that you really embarrassed me back in there and you made me look bad. I refuse to look bad. That's why I want you to come to the shop first thing in the morning..."
"And where am I supposed to go for the night?" Carter asked. "I lived with Isabel, and now that isn't possible anymore..."
Surprisingly, Carter's misfortune only served to put a smile of dedication on Haley's face. "Then get on my back..." She said. "...We'll start training tonight..."
LINE BREAK
A dark shadow came over the hole that led to the lair of the Pure Dragons as the giant, glowing, golden dragon arrived. Quickly, the golden dragon dived into the hole, passing through the tunnel before it arrived in the first room, where it flew passed the Pure Dragons inside, including Deisa, who froze in her tracks, as the dragon left the room.
LINE BREAK
Suzie was in her room lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling when the large, glowing, golden dragon flew into her room. Suzie only had time to sit up in her bed before the glowing dragon flew over to her, consuming her in a bright light.
As soon as the bright light faded, about ten seconds later, Suzie was hovering in the air wearing a golden robe, just like her mother had. However, unlike when her mother wore the robe, as Suzie wore it, there was hole in the robe right where her blue button was, allowing Suzie to push it whenever needed. Also, one of her sleeves was missing, which would allow for the metal panel to appear on her arm.
Although somewhat surprised at first, Suzie recovered quickly and looked herself over. As soon as she had done that, she looked back up...and smiled.
BLACKOUT; END
A/N: Wow! That was long! It took over a week to write, so what did you expect? Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed. The second "film" will be up around the first Saturday of July. In the meantime, please review.
