"Okay girl, we're gonna take this nice and fast. Ready?" Meg asked her dragon, who warbled in response, and Meg readied her powers.
"Now!" She cried, and shot ice around in a defensive move, above her dragon's fire, swooping around and roasting and freezing all the trees in the clearing.
"Great job girl!" Meg exclaimed, rubbing Star's favorite spot. Star purred, then stiffened as something came in the clearing. Meg sighed in relief when she saw it was just Astrid, and continued rubbing Star.
"What is with you?" Astrid asked in a rude tone. Meg froze, and a flashback blocked everything in her brain. She stood in a school hallway with rude girls bullying her. The tallest girl said in a rude tone,
"What is with you?" Meg's brain cleared and she gasped, falling against her dragon.
"You-" Astrid began, and Meg straightened her back, seeing something behind Astrid. Astrid whipped around, hearing a snarl, and lifted her ax, shouting,
"Run! Run!" Meg jumped over Astrid's back, wrenching her ax out of her grip and tossing it away.
"No!" She shouted holding out her hand to stop the Typhoomerang which had come up behind Astrid. It stopped at her hand and purred as she touched it, and Meg stood in front of it, stopping it from lunging at Astrid.
"You just scared her." Astrid got up quickly and said sarcastically,
"I scared her? Who is her?" Meg lifted her shoulders in a shrug and said, "I don't know, I just know it's a her."
"But how did you do that? She's a wild Typhoomerang!" Meg narrowed her eyes at Astrid, telling her by this to stop, but Astrid ignored this.
"Do you have sorcery or something over dragons?" Meg flung her arms out shouting,
"ENOUGH!" and Astrid stopped, staring at her.
"Just, stop. Every time you come near me, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems?" She hissed, glaring at Astrid. Astrid stepped away, surprised by the anger in the normally shy girl.
"Everyone outcasts me, everyone says I'm a nerd, an idiot, I never fit in ANYWHERE! Not in my time, not in yours! Can you even IMAGINE how that feels?!" She shouted angrily, her fists clenched so hard the knuckles showed white. Astrid stared at the girl; her red hair flowed around her muscle tight arms, her vivid green eyes blazing with anger, her legs apart and tense, her face was formed in a fierce expression, expressing hidden feelings that could be concealed no longer, and Astrid felt something move in her emotions. It felt like compassion.
"I am alone, always and forever, no human near to my heart since my whole BLOODY family died ten years ago! I was 5 years old when my family died! I was taken in by a neighbor for 5 years and as soon as I was old enough they cast me out, throwing me on the world and not caring whether I lived or died! My only friend was a horse, the only people I knew of were the bullies who beat me at school, I didn't know a single friend in the world!" Hot tears trickled down Meg's cheeks as she recalled her painful past, and old wounds opened anew.
"I had dreams, hopes, I was talented, but every talent was hidden, my dreams were crashed and torn to pieces as were all my hopes! Now I have a chance to begin anew, and people cast me out here as well!" Tears were now pouring down her cheeks, and Astrid's heart was in her throat, causing a few tears to escape.
"Meg, I-I'm sorry." Astrid said sadly, staring down at the ground. "I had no idea. I just assumed-"
"You just assumed I was a sorceress that bewitched dragons." Astrid flinched and muttered,
"I'm really sorry, I always jump to conclusions."
"Well you shouldn't. It-" She breathed in sharply and finished, "Hurts. Really, really bad." Astrid looked up at Meg, and murmured,
"You're tall." Meg sighed and loosened her arm and leg muscles. "I've always been tall. Another outcast item."
"Can-are you good at doing hair?" Astrid asked timidly, and Meg opened her eyes in surprise.