Future Dragon: Rose Long (Season One)
Chapter/Episode 2: Meet the Kidnappers
Rose found herself in total darkness when she woke up. She had no idea where she was or what was happening to her. However, what she did know was that she could hear hushed whispers from beside her. The next thing she knew, Rose gasped as she felt something being pulled off away from her face. However, for a reason unknown to her, her gasp came out as more of a muffled sound.
Standing in front of her were eight dragons. The one that was stepping away from her was clutching was looked like a black mask. The dragon was a Heliotrope-color and had what looked like a wooden leg. She wore a medallion around her neck as well as what looked like a cross. Beside the dragon was a Sapphire-colored dragon that also had a medallion and had long Sapphire-colored hair that touched her wings. Beside her was a Russet-colored dragon with a medallion who was a little overweight. Beside him was a Carmine-colored dragon, also wearing a medallion around his neck. Beside him stood a Tangerine-colored dragon that was much smaller than the others; the dragon had short red hair that touched her shoulders and beside her medallion, she wore brightly colored beads around both of her wrists. Beside her stood two dragons, one male and one female. They both wore medallions as well. One was female, as she was a Deep Peach-colored dragon and had long brown hair. The other dragon had more muscle and was a Gamboge color. Finally, beside them stood the Verdigris-colored dragon that had attacked her.
Her eyes widening, Rose started to growl, but found that there was something in her mouth; glancing down, Rose found that there were chains wrapped around her snout, and as she moved her tongue around, she found that there was a cloth stuffed into her forced shut mouth (which was open slightly). Her eyes wide, she slowly looked down to see that chains were wrapped around her upper body four times and her feet were bound together with more chains. Slowly turning her head to the side, Rose glanced down and saw that her hands were also chained behind her back.
"So..." Rose slowly started to turn her head back to the dragons when she heard one of them speaking and she quickly found it to be the Carmine-colored dragon. "...What do we do now?"
"We wait for Joel to come back." The Verdigris-colored dragon told him. "He should be back any second now..."
"Speaking of the devil..." The Gamboge-colored dragon said with a heavy Russian accent as he turned his head to the side. "...He's back..."
The next thing Rose knew, the eight dragons stepped to the side, spreading out into two rows of four as two dragons quickly approached. One was the Peridot dragon from earlier; he wore a medallion like the others. Beside him was a Bondi Blue-colored dragon. She also wore a medallion, but peculiarly, her medallion was bigger, as below the actual circular metal was a star. More odd than that, however, was that in her claws was a medium sized plastic cup.
The Peridot-colored dragon stopped at the side of the Carmine-colored dragon, while the Bondi Blue dragon continued to walk until she stopped right in front of Rose. Slowly kneeling down, the Bondi Blue dragon had a friendly smile on her face as she set down the plastic cup.
"Terribly sorry about the chains and the gag..." She said as she slowly reached up to the chains around Rose's snout. "...It's just...I needed some assurance that if you woke up before we had a chance to speak to you, you wouldn't get the heck out of here..." There was something about the voice to Rose. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the dragon's voice sounded familiar.
Finally, the chains around Rose's snout came undone and they fell down into Rose's lap as she opened her mouth, gagging as she spit out the cloth. As soon as she did that, Rose was met again with a smiling Bondi Blue dragon, who held the cup to her lips.
"Drink this..." The dragon told Rose. "...It'll get that nasty taste out of your mouth. It's not poison..."
Although a little nervous and distrusting at first, Rose finally gave in and opened her mouth as the Bondi Blue dragon tipped the cup, spilling the liquid into Rose's mouth. Rose gulped down the liquid, which turned out to be water, and as soon it was gone, the Bondi Blue dragon pulled the cup away. "Better?" She asked.
Grunting, the Bondi Blue dragon slowly stood back up and looked down at Rose, who slowly lifted her head to look up at her. "Do...Do I know you?" Rose asked.
"Why don't you see for yourself..." The Bondi Blue only widened her smile as she reverted to her human form, Rose gasping when the light faded, revealing the dragon's human form.
"Savannah?!"
"Surprised?"
"You..." Even though Rose was not actually answering Savannah's question, Rose's facial expression was doing that for her. "...You...You...You never told me that you were a dragon."
"I never thought I'd have to..." Savannah shrugged. "...Rose, this isn't really the time to talk about me being a dragon..."
"You're right..." Rose replied. "...This is about your friends kidnapping me..."
"Don't think of it like that..." Savannah shook her head. "...It's not like that..."
"No, it is..." The Verdigris-colored dragon said, crossing her arms. "...Trust me. I know. It is."
"Fine..." Savannah growled, almost as if she had just lost an argument. "...You were kidnapped. You're not in any danger though..."
"Ugh..." The Deep Peach-colored dragon moaned as she clenched her fists, the Gamboge dragon turning his head to the side to look at her. "...Would you just tell her already?"
"Rose..." Savannah told her. "...It was not my decision to bring you here. It was my superior's. He told me something that you need to know. That's why you're here. Rose...your parent's death...was not an accident. It was...murder..."
Savannah waited for Rose to respond, and fortunately, it did not take long. Unfortunately, Rose's reaction was quick; her eyes widened very briefly before her expression returned back to normal.
"Murdered?" She asked, her voice calm.
"Yes, Rose." Savannah answered sadly. "I'm so sorry. That is why my superior had you brought here. I would think that you of all people would want to see your parent's killer or killers to be brought to justice. We want you to have that chance..."
As Savannah said this, a "Hmph!" came from the Deep Peach-colored dragon, who crossed her arms. Savannah seemed to be expecting this, as she rolled her eyes. Savannah then sighed as she lifted up her hand, sharp claws forming in a bright light.
"I'm going to let you go now, Rose..." Savannah said softly, kneeling back down. "...Now, I need you to help me a little. Can you lean forward so I can get the locks?"
It took Rose a few seconds to respond, and once she finally did, she grunted as she leaned forward slowly, allowing Savannah to reach behind and start to work on Rose's chains.
Finally, Rose heard a click, and the chains binding her wrists fell away. As Savannah started to work on the chains around her upper body, Rose watched as the Verdigris-colored dragon quickly wandered over to her and bent down, starting to work on the chains binding her ankles.
Rose quickly heard two clicks, and she watched as the chains around her ankles fell away, the chains around her upper chest falling into her lap. "Need help getting up?" Savannah asked, stepping back.
"Sure..." Rose replied, slowly lifting her clawed hand up for Savannah to take. Grunting, Rose felt herself being pulled to her feet as Savannah took a few steps back, helping Rose to her feet.
"So..." Savannah said with a smile as soon as Rose was standing, putting her hands on her hips. "...Are you in?"
Rose just stared back at Savannah for a seconds before she turned around and slowly started to walk off, although it appeared as though she was going as fast as she could.
"Wai..." Savannah was taken aback by this action. "...Wait!" She quickly tried to follow Rose. "Where are you...?" However, Savannah stopped when she felt claws on her shoulder. Turning her head to the side, Savannah could see the Heliotrope-colored dragon standing behind her.
"Let me go after her..." She said softly. "...I'll talk to her..."
BLACKOUT; COMMERCIAL
BACK TO THE STORY/SHOW
As Rose walked as quickly as she could through the place she was in, she as rather surprised to see that the only inhabitants were mermaids. "Huh?" Rose asked to herself in a confused tone. Finally looking up, Rose could see that the area she was in was contained in a large bubble.
"Mermaid City?" Rose asked.
LINE BREAK
Throwing open a door, Rose slowly walked into what turned out to be a bathroom. Walking as quickly as she could toward the sink, which had a mirror right beside it. As soon as she reached the sink and mirror, Rose reverted to her human form, putting her hands on the sink.
Staring at the mirror, Rose looked at her reflection for a few moments. Finally, she looked down, releasing a loud sob, finally allowing tears to fall from her cheeks. As she cried, she slowly lifted her head up, taking deep, heavy breaths as she stared at herself in the mirror.
However, her eyes widened as she heard the door open wide, the Heliotrope-colored dragon with the wooden leg stepping in. Sniffling, Rose slowly turned around to look at her.
"I'm sorry..." the dragon said to Rose. "...I'm sorry about your parents. It's not right. However..." As she said this, she took a step closer to her. "...I can promise you that they're in a better place..." It was then that, for the second time, Rose noticed the dragon's cross that hung from around her neck.
"Thanks..." Rose sniffled.
"My name's Angela..." the dragon replied, slowly holding out her claws. "...Despite these circumstances, it's very nice to meet you Rose..."
"H...How..." Rose managed as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "...How d...do you kn...know my name?"
"Savannah..." Angela replied, slowly lowering her claws. "...If you want, I can introduce you to the rest of the team..."
"I'd..." Rose started to say, but she stopped herself. "...Okay..." She answered.
LINE BREAK
Upon coming out of the bathroom, Rose was surprised to see that Angela was now in her human form. "Feeling better?" She asked as Rose slowly walked over to her.
"No." Rose answered as she reached Angela's side.
"I understand..." Angela replied, starting to walk with Rose, keeping her pace slow so Rose could keep up with her. As they walked, Angela looked out through all of the mermaids that she could see, finally spotting Joel and the Carmine dragon walking toward them. "...We can wait..." Angela told Rose softly, both of them stopping their walk as they waited for the two dragons to catch up to them.
"Good..." Joel said as he and the Carmine-colored dragon reached them. "...You found her. Where was she?"
"It doesn't matter, Joel..." Angela said. "...She's not your prisoner. She wanted to be alone. Can you really blame her?"
"Of course not..." Joel said after a moment. He then smiled at her and held out his clawed hand. "...My name is Joel. Sorry about kidnapping you. Cherri and I meant you no harm..."
"Okay..." Rose replied, even though the tone of her voice suggested it was more of a "whatever".
"...This is Coen..." Joel said, putting his hand on the shoulder of the Carmine-colored dragon.
"Hey..." Coen said.
"Hey..." Rose returned.
"Now, if you'll excuse us..." Angela said, putting her hand on Rose's shoulder. "...Rose needs to meet the rest of our team. If she's going to be working with us, she'd better get to know us better. Come on, Rose..." Starting to walk away from the two dragons, Angela led Rose away as they continued on.
LINE BREAK
Still in human form, Savannah exited a room and started to walk away. However, she stopped when she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, Savannah could see that Cherri, still in dragon form, was now in front of her.
"What is it?" Savannah asked as Cherri crossed her scaly arms.
"She's a slayer?" Cherri asked. "You never told us that she was the one who risked her life to destroy the Huntsclan..."
"Oh..." Savannah seemed a little surprised. "...You noticed her birthmark?"
"Yeah..." Cherri answered. "...Why didn't you tell us?"
"I actually thought it was fairly obvious..." Savannah said.
"No, it wasn't..." Cherri said as she lowered her arms. "...I never thought that you would be friends with an the ex-Dragon Council Agent that..."
"Stop it!" Savannah snapped. Now, it was time for her to cross her arms. "It wasn't her fault. She doesn't even know..."
LINE BREAK
After a few minutes, Angela and Rose came across the Sapphire Dragon, who was standing alone, rubbing her claws together. "Next up on the list..." Angela told Rose as the two of them started to walk toward the Sapphire-colored dragon, who was still rubbing her clawed hands together.
Finally, Rose and Angela reached the Sapphire Dragon, who was still busy scrubbing her clawed hands. As she was busy doing this, she seemed unaware of the two standing in front of her, only to be forced to look up as Angela cleared her throat. "What?" The Sapphire Dragon asked in an annoyed tone, and it was then that Rose looked down at the ground and saw that there was a very small bottle of Hand Sanitizer at her feet. "I'm busy." The Sapphire Dragon said, almost as if she was in some sort of distress.
"I can see that..." Angela said sympathetically. "...But I just wanted to introduce you to Rose."
"Hi..." The Sapphire Dragon said, still scrubbing her hands. "...I'm...I'm Lexy..."
"Hey..." Rose replied.
"Maybe we should be moving on..." Angela said, putting her hand on Rose's shoulder, gently leading her away. Lexy turned her head to the side, watching as Angela and Rose slowly walked away. Once they were out of sight, Lexy looked back down at her clawed hands, starting to rub them together again.
LINE BREAK
The Tangerine-colored dragon was sitting in the exact spot that Rose had been sitting in when Rose and Angela found her. "Come on..." Angela said as the two of them started to walk over toward her.
As they got closer, Rose could see that the Tangerine-colored had headphones in her ears and was holding a chocolate-chip sized iPod. "Lista..." Angela said as she and Rose reached her.
Even though Lista was listening to music, she could still hear Angela, so she looked up at her, reaching up and pulling one of the headphones. "Yeah?" She asked, but then she noticed Rose. "Hey..." She said. "...Feeling any better?"
"Not really..." Rose replied.
"Can't say I really blame you..." Lista said. "...It must be horrible. To lose your parents..."
"Yeah..." Rose replied.
"Rose..." Angela said, putting her hand on Rose's shoulder again. "...This is Lista. She is the youngest one on our team..."
As soon as Angela said this, a scowl immediately formed onto Lista's face. Rose quickly noticed this and as Angela started to speak again, Rose cut her off. "Is...Is Lista really...her name?"
"No..." Angela told her.
"Linda..." Lista said. "...But everyone calls me Lista."
"Oh..." Rose replied.
"Well, it's nice to officially meet you..." Lista said quickly, almost like she wanted to get back to the song that she was listening to. She furthered this by actually putting the headphone back into her ear.
"Yeah..." Rose agreed softly, just as Angela started to lead her away.
LINE BREAK
The overweight, Russet-colored dragon was exiting a building, a wrapped piece of chocolate in his claws. As the dragon closed the door behind him, he looked around to see if anyone was watching him.
Once he was certain that no one was around, he looked down at the candy bar that was in his claws. Smiling, the Russet dragon started to tear the wrapper at the top. However, just as the chocolate started to be revealed, he gasped when he heard a voice from his side.
"I thought you weren't supposed to have any more of those..."
Turning to the side, the Russet dragon dropped the candy bar to the ground as he saw that Rose and Angela were now standing in front of him.
"I..." The Russet dragon tried to explain.
"Savannah won't be happy..." Angela said. "...But I won't tell her. I honestly don't care if you reward yourself every once in a while..."
"Good to know..." The Russet dragon said carefully as he bent over and picked up the candy bar, groaning as he did so. "...I kind of wish that Savannah and Cherri were more like you..."
"No you don't..." Angela told him. "...Anyway, the reason I'm here is because I want you to meet Rose..."
"Oh..." The Russet dragon said as he looked at Rose. "...Hi...I guess..."
Rose didn't say anything. She just nodded in response, watching as the Russet dragon took a bite of the chocolate.
"Rose, this is Maverick..." Angela said. "...If you ever feel lazy or hungry, you can go to him..."
"Shut up, Angela..." Maverick replied.
"See, I told you that you didn't want Cherri and Savannah to be more like me..." Angela said with a small smile before she turned her head to the side, now looking at Rose.
It took Rose a few seconds to realize that Angela was looking at her. When she finally did, she slowly turned her head to the side.
"There are three more that you need to meet..." Angela said. "...I think we should get moving..."
LINE BREAK
"Okay, Rose..." Angela said in a warning tone as she and Rose neared a building. "...I just want you to know before you meet these two, you are probably not going to be loved..."
"I'm used to that..." Rose replied. "...In my thirty years of existence, magical bugs, dragons and even my own sister have tried to slay me..."
"You've been around..." Angela replied, her face filled with disgust. "...That is...if you're serious. I hope you're not joking. I don't like jokes like that..."
"Why would I joke like that?" Rose asked.
"Some people just like to..." Angela said as they finally reached the door. "...So, are you ready to meet them?"
"As ready as I'll ever be..." Rose replied.
"Okay then..." Angela said as she reached for the knob. Angela turned the knob and pulled the door open. "...After you..." She said, turning her head to the side to look at Rose.
Rose nodded as she slowly started to walk into the room. As soon as she stepped into the room, she found that the room was dimly lit and had two beds in each of the corners.
"Hello?" Rose asked as she took another slow step into the room, Angela right behind her.
"Gilda!" Angela shouted. "Arkadi!"
"There's no one here..." Rose said.
"I can see that..." Angela replied as she started to close the door. However, before she could finish closing the door, there was a thud before the door started to get pushed open, even though Angela was starting to close it. Her eyes wide with surprise, Angela quite literally jumped away from the door and turned around, watching as the door opened, a girl and a boy both walking inside.
Both looked like their dragon forms: The girl had long brown hair and the boy had plus-sized muscles. At first, the girl looked rather confused, but a frown quickly spread onto her face when she spotted Rose. "Get out..." She growled.
"Hold on, Gilda..." Angela said, putting her hand on Rose's shoulder. "...I want you to be civil for at least one minute. Rose, this is Gilda. And this..." She pointed at the boy. "...Is Arkadi. He is the Dragon of Russia..."
"How do you do?" Arkadi said politely, bowing his head.
"I've been better..." Rose replied.
"Yeah, so have I..." Gilda replied, crossing her arms. "...Get her out, Angela. I don't want her in here..."
"Well I don't want to be in here, either!" Rose shot back.
"Okay, okay..." Angela said, starting to lead Rose out of the room. "...We don't need any scuffles..." The two of them slowly started to walk to the door, and Gilda stepped to the side, her arms still crossed as she turned her head to the side, watching the two leave the room.
LINE BREAK
"What is her problem?" Rose growled as she and Angela slowly walked away from the room. "I don't even know her! How can she be such a witch?! I've done absolutely-"
"Rose..." Angela cut her off. "...It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that you just don't cross her..."
"But I want to know why..." Rose replied.
"Some people are just like that..." Angela said. "...You might want to know that Gilda isn't exactly the most popular dragon on the team..."
"That doesn't surprise me..."
"Just..." Angela said. "...Stay away from her..."
"That'll be easy..." Rose replied, stopping her walk. Angela immediately took notice, and she turned around to look at her.
"What do you mean?" She asked. "Staying away from someone isn't half as easy you'd think. She doesn't like you..."
"No, it will be..." Rose persisted. "...It will be. I'm not staying..."
Angela opened her mouth to say something else, but once her mind finally comprehended what Rose had just said, her eyes widened. "Wait, what?" She asked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not staying here..." Rose replied. "...Angela, look at me. I'm in no shape to track down a killer. Angela, I have a child. I need to be with him..."
"But..." Angela started, but she stopped herself, nodding. "...I understand, Rose. I also commend your dedication to your child. Well, we should tell Savannah that you want to go..."
"She's not going to try to keep me here, is she?" Rose asked.
"No." Angela told her quickly. "Savannah isn't like that. She'll respect your decision..."
BLACKOUT; COMMERCIAL
BACK TO THE STORY/SHOW
After a few minutes, Rose and Angela finally found Savannah, who was in human form, talking to the Verdigris-colored dragon. "Come on, Rose..." Angela said softly. Still holding Rose's shoulder, the two of them started to walk up to the two others.
"A-hem..." Angela cleared her throat as they finally reached them, making the Verdigris-colored dragon and Savannah turn their heads to the side.
Almost immediately, Savannah's face lit up. "Rose!" She exclaimed. "Good to see you again! And don't worry! My team and I are going to be with you all the way. Have you met the rest of the team?"
"I..." Angela said, even though she seemed to be having a difficult time telling Savannah this. "...I...I...I actually did introduce her to the rest of the team..."
"Well, I think there's one that you missed..." Savannah said as she indicated the Verdigris-colored dragon with a nod of the head to the side. "...Rose, this is Cherri. She's one of the dragons that-"
"Kidnapped me?" Rose asked.
"Yes..." Cherri replied. "...I'm sorry that Joel happened to knock you unconscious. I did not want him to do that. I'm also sorry that you had to find out only after being abducted from your home..."
"Well, if my husband can forgive easily..." Rose replied. "...I think I can too..."
Savannah's smile only widened as she watched the interaction between Cherri and Rose. "So..." Savannah said, clapping her hands together. "...I suppose you want to know more about what happened. Well, What I can tell you is-"
"Actually..." Rose cut her off. "...I don't want to know. I also don't want to chase down some killer. I appreciate you wanting to help me, but...I don't want your help..."
"You don't?" Savannah asked, her smile slowly fading.
"Well, not with finding the killer of my parents..." Rose replied. "...Besides, how do you even know it was murder? Were you there?"
"My superior was..." Savannah said urgently, almost as if she was trying to persuade Rose into changing her mind. Taking a step closer to Rose, she continued: "...He said the car exploded. For no known reason. It exploded. That's not natural, Rose..."
"Maybe it isn't..." Rose sighed. "...But I just want to go home, Savannah. Can you take me home?"
At this request, a confused look came on to Savannah's face. Then, she sighed. "Okay..." She said. "...We'll take you home. Just...give me a few minutes. I just...need to tell my team that you don't want us to pursue this case..."
"I didn't say that, Savannah..." Rose slowly shook her head. "...I said I don't want a part of it. If you want to hopelessly search for a killer that you think exits, I can't stop you."
"Well, let me tell them exactly that..." Savannah said with another sigh. "...Just...give me a few minutes. I'll have you home before midnight..."
"Can't you do it now?" Rose asked.
"I think it would be better if I told them now..." Savannah said, starting to turn around. "...If they try to come looking for me, they won't be able to find me. Cherri, please come with. Angela, stay with Rose..."
"Okay..." Angela said as Cherri turned around along with Savannah.
LINE BREAK
Cherri and a now dragon Savannah were standing in an empty room. "I hope they hurry up..." Cherri grumbled as she crossed her arms. No sooner had she said that did the door to the room enter. First came Joel, then Gilda and Arkadi, then Lista, then Coen, then Lexy, and finally Maverick.
"What's this all about?" Lexy asked.
"I'm going to explain all that..." Savannah said, holding up both of her clawed hands as all of her subordinates looked at her. Then, she sighed as she lowered her hands. "...I have some pretty bad news..."
"What?" Lista asked.
"If you'd just be patient, Lista, she'd tell you..." Cherri growled.
"I find that ironic..." Lista said, crossing her scaly arms.
"Pretty big word for someone who's still in high school..." Cherri shot back.
"Don't bring that up!"
"Would you all just be quiet?!" Savannah demanded, an aggravated look on her face. Then, she sighed yet again. "The reason I called you in here is because Rose doesn't want to find the killer of her parents. She wants to go home..."
"Good..." Gilda replied, a smug smile on her face.
LINE BREAK
Rose and Angela were both slowly walking around, when they started to get closer to one of the buildings. As they started to pass by the door, Rose's ear twitched as she heard voices.
"Maybe it's for the best that she doesn't want to help..." It was the voice of Cherri. "...No offense to her, but she's very slow and looks weak. I bet she fights like Lexy does..."
"Hey!" Came Lexy's voice. "No way! She'd be much slower than me!"
"I think she's just a little out of it..." Came Akardi's heavily accented voice. "...I also think she should stay. She deserves closure and justice..."
"No she doesn't..." Came Gilda's voice.
Sighing, Rose lowered her head as she continued to listen to the dragons on Savannah's team talk about her. "Come on, Rose..." Angela said softly. "...You shouldn't have to listen to this..."
She put her hand on Rose's shoulder, but Rose just shook her head, stepping to the side. "It's okay..." She said. "...Maybe I should explain why I don't want to stay..."
"You don't have to..." Angela started, but she stopped when Rose turned to the side and slowly started to walk into the room.
Inside the building, the discussion continued. Gilda started to open her mouth, but before she could say anything, everyone in the room heard a "A-hem".
Surprised, they all turned around, even more surprised to see that it was Rose. Suddenly, both Lista and Gilda grunted as both Savannah and Cherri pushed by them, both of them gasping when they saw Rose standing in the doorway.
BLACKOUT; END EPISODE
A/N: This one's really short word wise. It's only about 4,800 words while all the others are 5,000 or longer. I don't know why. It came out as fourteen pages, which is what the last episode was (I think). I guess it was either how short the paragraphs were or it was just the font. Oh well. Please review.