Chapter 7: Truth or Lie

Rose took a look around at the completed room.

In addition to repainting the walls, the dragons had also bought some new blankets and sheets for the bed that, to her astonishment, matched the paint perfectly. They did not, however, buy a new mattress, but the overall appearance of the room seemed far more appealing. It was beginning to become less and less of a prison cell and more like a personal bedroom.

Her belongings, including her books, sketch pads, and notebooks were neatly organized on the dresser and bookshelf. The dragons had also bought her some cheap (but new) cloths and had given her an old computer with no internet access. It was, however, good for playing games and writing stories.

The bars on her window had been covered up with thick red and white curtains that also matched the colors of the room.

All in all, the room looked fantastic.

Interestingly enough, her door now remained unlocked most of the day.

The dragons of course realized that at this point she really had nowhere to go, so there was no point in keeping her locked up in one room. However, they did not allow her to leave the shop. In fact, she had never even gone downstairs to the main shop part of the building before. There really wasn't any need to.

One day, however, the older dragon insisted that she come downstairs and eat dinner with them in the back of the shop. He was, for a change, in human form, which struck her as slightly suspicious. Not that she hadn't already seen his human form.

"It would do you good to get out of this room," he insisted, and to her, this persistence was almost suspicious as well.

He must have been able to tell from her facial expression that she was uncomfortable.

"You may stay here if you wish," he added, "but it would be easier for me and healthier for you to just come eat with the rest of us."

She sighed as she felt her stomach rumble right on cue. What did she have to lose? She was already out of her box enough by living and conversing with dragons on a daily basis.

"Alright…wise…old…Chinese man," she hesitated awkwardly.

She was almost irritated by the smile that was tugging at the corner of his lips. "You may call me Lao Shi," he properly introduced himself.

She waited until he turned to guide her toward to ground floor before rolling her eyes.

She had, of course, been in this particular hallway before. After all…she had to shower and use the restroom somewhere. But she had always been monitored carefully. This time, the dragon…or…Lao Shi apparently…wasn't even looking back to make sure she was following him.

He knew she wouldn't leave. Of course he knew. He was much smarter than she had originally anticipated. She didn't want to leave, and he knew it.

She followed him down the stairs and into a room that she had never seen before. He guided her into the back room, where that flabby dog and some boy she didn't know were sitting on the couch.

"Jake," Lao Shi addressed the boy, "go upstairs and bring this girl a bowl of noodles."

He turned around and looked her dead in the eye. He almost looked…surprised. And there was something about him that made her believe that she knew him.

He broke the stare and nodded, silently walking toward the stairs.

Then it clicked. Of course she knew him. The other dragon…the American Dragon. Who else would be randomly lounging in the dragon's quarters? She couldn't believe that she hadn't realized it before.

She sat down quietly and somewhat cautiously on the couch next to the ugly dog.

"How's it going, sweetheart?" He addressed her presence with a mouthful of food.

She ignored him, instead gazing at him with a dazed look. She was still trying to make sense of why she didn't recognize the boy at first. What did Lao Shi call him again? John? Jason?

Jake…it was Jake.

Then she realized what it was. This kid just seemed so…human. If she were to run into him on the street and have a conversation with the guy, she never would even know he was a dragon. He looked so…normal.

And he wasn't bad looking at all…in fact, he was kind of…cute.

She immediately slapped herself mentally. He was a dragon, cute or not. He was probably a horrible person who did horrible things to people.

She shook her head. She was putting too much thought into this. She pulled herself together just in time for him to return with a bowl of noodles.

"Here you go," he spoke, and when he spoke, he seemed so…naturally friendly. Not at all like a terrible person.

She took it from him silently and began to eat.

"Yeah, she's not very social, kid," the pudgy Shar Pei shrugged.

"Well I probably wouldn't want to talk to you either if I was her," Jake shrugged.

The dog let out a sarcastic laugh. "It's not like she's talking to you either, kid. Maybe if I was her I wouldn't want to talk to YOU!"

Jake starred at him blankly before turning to her. "Just ignore him," he advised. "That's what I always do."

Despite trying with all her might not to, she couldn't help but smile a little through her confusion.

He must have noticed her look of confusion because he sent her a look that said, "Are you alright?"

She cursed inwardly. Both of the dragons were good at reading emotions. The younger dragon…err…Jake…must be smarter than she thought as well.

"Why do you look so normal?" The question seemed so random, even to herself, but she felt like she absolutely needed to ask.

Judging from the look on his face, it wasn't a question that he was expecting from her.

"I don't know," he laughed a little. "You look pretty normal too."

"But…you're a dragon…"

"And you're a slayer…"

She paused for a moment, and he took advantage of the moment to go into further detail.

"Most dragons do look pretty normal," he sat down between her and the dog as he explained. "It's our cover…so no one expects anything. No one will know," he added. "Hell, I didn't even know until I was 13."

Great. As if she wasn't confused enough.

How could someone NOT know they were a terrible mythological creature? Wouldn't it be obvious? Unless, of course, this kid grew up just like any other kid would.

But that couldn't be right. Of course that couldn't be right. He was a dragon. A scaly terrifying monster. He had to be lying.

Yeah…that was it. He was lying. If dragons are truly terrible creatures, then lying would be a natural part of their personality. He just made that up to make himself seem more human to her, and she was not fooled.

She continued to eat in silence. Even when the dragons handed her a piece of chocolate cake, which happened to be her absolute favorite thing in the world, she remained silent.

"So," the dragon named Lao Shi broke the silence. "We have been monitoring Huntsclan activity lately, and they appear to be up to something."

She shrugged as she continued to eat her cake. She still refused to speak.

"I do believe it that," he hesitated for a moment to find the right words, "it may be in your best interest to tell us what you know."

She forcefully set her plate down on the coffee table with a clang. "Is that what this is all about? Trying to get me to talk?"Her tone sounded even scarier than her typical Huntsgirl voice.

No one said anything at all.

"Whatever," she stood up and stomped toward the stairs. "I'll be in my room."

The three remained quiet as they listened to the thump of her feet as she went up the stairs and down the hallway. Then they heard the door slam shut.

"Pff…teenagers," Fu Dog shook his head. "They are all the same if you ask me."

Lao Shi sighed and sat down on the couch. "I do not know how we are going to get through to her."

"Keep feeding her chocolate cake," Fu Dog suggested immediately. "Did you see how fast she ate that cake? Give her some more and eventually, she'll talk."

"Yeah, that's not a great plan," Jake replied as he sat down next to his grandfather.

Lao Shi shook his head. "Just keep being kind towards her, and eventually, she will realize how terrible the Huntsclan really is. I can see good in her."

"I hope you're right, Gramps," he folded his arms across his chest, "because I've got a feeling the Huntsclan is planning something terrible."

"I'm afraid so too," he looked away. "If we cannot get her on our side, we may all be in terrible danger."

XX

DUN DUN DUN!

Long overdue update. Sorry about that. But…SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! One more week of school for me…and then I can hopefully update more on a weekly schedule…for both this fanfic and my…other one.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Review if you'd like…That would be kind of you. OMG THE BUTTON IS BIG AND BLUE NOW! Lol.

~ada