Disclaimer: I do not own American Dragon: Jake Long and I am not Theodore Roosevelt.
Author's Note: No gore yet. I'm getting there soon enough. I would have uploaded this yesterday, but I wanted to do some editing.
To tuxer: I haven't really thought that out. Yeah, Rose may make an appearance, but beyond this chapter, anything and everything is possible.
This explanation is going be a little long. The war is more or less an execution of sorts. Think of the Salem Witch Trials, which is a really good example of what's going on, except without the trials; they skip straight to the execution. And about the government, they don't really have a part in this. It's more or less confusion/chaos up there, which is why all of this is getting away without any consequences. Plus, with the exception of 'Brockium', there is no way to tell a magical creature from a human. Unless they're like, you know, Veronica or the Gorgons. Really, any magical creature that can disguise itself (magic or otherwise) is safe, unless people decide they don't like them or become suspicious.
I felt a hand on my arm, lifting me up to my feet. I stood along with the rest of the students, and saw my best friends as fearful as I was. I felt better for a moment, knowing that I wasn't the only one that was scared. But I was probably the only one with a secret to hide. Some people were talking, but it was subdued, like at a funeral when everyone had come to pay their respects to the deceased.
"Students will be called during the next few days to be tested," Brock called out. The tension in the room eased, if only slightly. "Will the first five students please report to the nurse's office: Trixie Carter, Courtney McArthur, Brad Morton, Jasmine Nolan and Danika Hunnicutt. Thank you and please return to your classes."
"So, what'd they do?" I asked.
After twenty, maybe thirty minutes, Trixie came back during lunch. She seemed completely unharmed, although somewhat shaken up.
"That old guy, he said his name was Professor Brock. He asked me to dump something on myself; it looked like water. Claimed it was Brockium, and it would force a magical creature into its true form. So, I poured it on myself, and it felt like ice. I got really cold, started sneezing, and threw up after a few minutes, but nothing else happened. Brock said I was fine, the vomiting was a slight side effect, the same kind people sometimes get from medicine. He said I'd be fine and to go back to class." Trixie smirked here, but the effect was ruined by her shuddering. "Still cold," she explained. "After he told me I could leave, I thought I could go walk around the school for a little bit. It's not like they were expecting me back."
"You find anything?" Spud seemed better, having forgotten the incident with his dog and the batteries.
"Yeah. The guy has a whole truckload of that Brockium stuff. It's parked outside the school's kitchen."
This was a good thing to know. Perhaps I could sneak here later tonight and destroy it, dump it down into the sewers. No, what if there were people around? I'd get caught, and even if I didn't, they'd be out looking for me. Wait, I could try contaminating it! What if it had bad side effects when Brock uses it? Or maybe I could burn it with fire. I thought about it for a moment, and decided it was the best idea. Hopefully the stuff isn't volatile. I'd have a difficult explaining that one to Gramps.
I was about to comment on the school's lunch, which was fish sticks, but was interrupted by a scream. It cut straight through the lunch room, and everyone scrambled to see what happened. Trixie, Spud and I were more wary, but still curious, so we hung back, still close enough to see.
One of the students was a Nix. Way to go, Brock. She was humanoid from the waist up. Her skin was a forest green and scaly, resembling a snake's; her hands ended in claws, the scales a lighter olive green, resembling dress gloves; her lips were black, the teeth became fangs, and her eyes were a pure, unbroken, glowing red. Her ears had become pointed as well as her hair, giving her a slightly elfin look. She had a pair of dark wings, which were flapping as she searched the crowd of faces. Rather than legs, she had a snake's tail with a plated underbelly that resembled a dragon's. The plates were the same shade of green as her hands.
As a whole, the crowd backed away from the Nix, just as she seemed to find what she was looking for. She lunged at a student, grasping his shoulders with her claws. The boy, whose name I didn't know, seemed paralyzed by her touch or by fear. The screaming started as over one hundred students stampeded out of the hall, like on the last day of school.
The Nix seemed to falter for a moment, noticing the departure of her audience. She backed away from the boy, if you could call it that. Her tail turned in on itself as she moved, so she was moving on the top of the tail rather than the bottom. Her eyes became wide as she lifted her hands to her temples, like she was having a nightmare. There was something like a wind surrounding the Nix, and the light behind her disappeared. It looked like she was standing against a backdrop of the night sky, stars speckled across its surface. Everything seemed to recede into itself as the girl transformed into her human form.
She looked Indian, with her tanned skin, thin eyebrows and long black hair. She had a small mole just below her left eye. The girl looked stunned for a moment, looking between me and the boy. She brushed off her clothes and held out a hand.
"My name is Jasmine," she said.
I looked behind me; Trixie and Spud were gone, either pulled out by the crowd or they had run out by themselves. I shook her hand, noting that she smelled faintly of snakes. She was wearing a purple dress, the collar resembling a turtleneck sweater. A purple belt hung at her hips, and was being clasped by her free hand. The dress, if it could be called that, had long sleeves that went down to her wrists. On her feet were long white boots with a small heel. Se shook the other boy's hand and looked at us with a twinkle in her eye.
"Why didn't you run?" I wasn't sure if she was asking me or the other boy.
"Well, you were holding me. Besides, people like us have to stick together," the boy answered.
I started slightly at that. How did he know I was a dragon? The boy had shoulder length red hair and darker eyes. He seemed to be wearing an open suit with a black undershirt. He caught my eye and waved a hand.
"Hello? Anybody home in there?" He snapped his fingers in front of my face, so I knocked them away. "Either you're an idiot or you have a secret to hide."
"Hey, I'm-"
"Hiding a secret," finishing my sentence for me. "So what are you? A Troll?"
I scoffed at him before looking around. I didn't see anyone, but I couldn't be too careful. I looked in the nearest classroom, which was empty. Perfect. I pulled the two of them inside before speaking.
"Before I say or do anything, what and who are you?" I asked, pointing at the redhead.
"I," he said with a flourish, "am a wizard. Nigel Thrall, at your service." He smirked at me, puffing out his chest to make himself seem more appealing.
"Are you trying to flirt with me?" Jasmine asked with a grin on her face.
"I no-"
"And what about you?" Jasmine asked, wheeling around to face me.
"Jake Long, the American Dragon." For the first time, I felt slightly ashamed to say 'American Dragon'. I expected to be yelled at, or even turned in by these two, but Jasmine nodded in understanding while Nigel shook his head in exasperation.
"I'm going to need proof. I don't accept things without proof. And before you ask me to prove myself, I have one thing to say." He held up a finger. "Steak and kidney pie, make this idiot fly." I was lifted up into the air and fell back down. Nigel frowned before muttering "That should have lasted longer."
I shook my head and growled at Nigel. "You want to play dirty? I can play dirty. Dragon up!" I became a dragon and tackled the wizard to the ground. I stood back up and changed back to my human self. I glanced out the door, quickly confirming there was no one in the hall; if anyone saw us in here, we would be in a heap of trouble. Nigel got himself back up, but surprisingly, he was grinning.
"Well, since we can all trust each other, how about we figure out a way to get rid of that medicine?"
"Don't hit at all of it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft," I answered. Nigel frowned, but Jasmine seemed to understand.
"You're saying that, if we have to do this, we do it good and right?"
"Something like that."
Author's Note: I am accepting ideas! I have had no goal in mind with this story, and am asking for any suggestions you people may have! So, if anyone wants a certain thing to happen, I'll try to write it in. Character deaths may be accepted. I'm actually considering one now, and it will bring in a lot of gore and fighting…
