~Chapter Nineteen~
There were a lot of cries of confusion coming from the younger Dratinis and Dragonairs. I felt like crying myself, since it was still pitch black in the room.
"The crystal!" I heard Mystic say. "April! Come over here!"
"Where are you?" I cried.
"To your right."
I walked to the right, accidentally stepping on two Dratini tails. They barely even noticed since they were so scared.
I found Mystic sitting against a wall, holding the crystal ball in her mouth. I cradled my hands and she dropped it into them.
"Now what?" I asked.
"Go find Danny," she answered.
I had no idea where he was. All I saw were long moving shapes, if I could see anything at all.
"DANNY!!!" I yelled.
"April! Where are you?!" I heard him shout back. I waved one arm in the air, even though I doubted he could see it.
Miraculously, he found me after a few minutes. "April, where are we?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Mystic told me to find you for some reason. . .and she gave me the crystal. . ." I said, holding it up.
Danny half-held the crystal ball in his hands, while I held the rest of it. It began to glow so bright, I had to close my eyes, so I didn't see it somehow light up the whole room.
I opened my eyes and looked around, and gasped.
The entire ceiling and all of the walls were made of crystal. The floor was paved with cement, and there were somehow a few rosebushes near one corner. A large podium made of some kind of blue material that was about three feet high was in the center of the room. A glass case was on top of it, but it was empty.
"What's with all the crystal stuff?" Danny joked.
Mystic didn't seem to take it lightly, and went right to the podium. She nosed around it for a few minutes, ignoring some dragon tails that were accidentally slapping her. She sighed and shouted something in dragon language, and everyone started slithering to the door, and went back outside into the pool.
"What was that all about?" I asked. Now that everyone but Danny, Mystic, and I were out of the room, there was a strange echo.
"Anthony's gone-for now," Mystic breathed with a sigh of relief. "I don't know where he went or if he's ever going to come back-which hopefully he won't."
I was confused by the strange combination of words in Mystic's sentence, but ignored it with relief.
"So, what do we do now?" Danny asked. "Do we still stay here in the den, or do we try to escape Anthony, or what?"
Mystic shook her head. "We'll stay here and stand our ground, because we all BELONG here!"
Danny chuckled. I wandered around the room, gazing at my dim reflection in the crystal walls. My eyes fell on those cluster of rosebushes in that one corner. I wandered over to them to smell the roses. I smiled a little, thinking of the roses my dad had frequently brought home to my mom after his "training."
Was this where the roses had come from?
I shrugged and peered behind the bushes. There was a patch of dirt and there were a couple of vine-like things growing out of the ground, surrounding something. I gingerly stepped into the bushes. I was curious about what was underneath those vines-I was drawn to it for some reason.
I knelt down on my knees and shoved the vines out of the way. I saw a huge gray rock. I wanted to stop pulling-after all, what's so special about a big gray rock-but something made me keep pulling. I tugged at those vines for awhile, completely oblivious that Danny and Mystic were still in the room. When all of the vines were gone, I stared at what stood before me.
It was more than just a big gray rock.
Much more.
It was my dad's headstone.
"Omigod," I whispered. I looked at the ground beneath me and quickly stood up. Was my dad-BURIED under there?
"Hey, April?" a voice asked, and it startled me. I spun around and saw Danny and Mystic standing on the other side of the rosebushes.
"Yeah Danny?" I said in a timid voice. I thought my dad had been buried at-
'You're stupid April. Remember? That was a lie. To "protect" you from all of this. Dad wasn't buried at Mount Silver. He was killed and buried here.'
"Um, are you feeling okay?" Danny asked again, interrupting my thoughts.
"His. . .grave. . ." I said. I was on the verge of tears.
"Whose grave?" Danny asked. But his tone of voice told me he already knew the answer. His eyes widened and he whispered, "Your dad?"
I nodded and bit my lip.
Danny didn't say anything. He just walked through the bushes and hugged me.
Mystic interrupted by yawning, and I managed a giggle.
"What a day, what a day," I replied. "This has been the weirdest birthday. First we find out about Anthony, then I see what's in room after five years, and then I find dad's grave, and all kinds of weird stuff."
Danny smiled. "You forgot the best thing," he said as he twirled my engagement ring around my finger.
I grinned up at him, despite this whole mess. "You're right. I don't know how I could forget that."
Mystic yawned even louder, and I laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm going to bed now! Sheesh!"
Mystic slid out of the room and Danny and I followed her, hand in hand.
"Are you going to sleep out here again?" I asked Danny when we reached the pool room. Ever since he came into the den, he had been sleeping out there with his Dragonite and all of the dragons.
"Yeah," he answered, and rubbed my hand. "Sweet dreams April," he said.
"I'll try," I laughed. I started walking to my room. I saw Mystic already in her basket and sleeping. I turned around and smiled.
"Good night Danny," I said as I closed my door.
~*~*~
Of course I didn't fall asleep right away. How could I, after everything that happened? Plus, my room was still a mess after The Search for Dad's Journal. I sighed and shoved everything but Dad's journal into a corner. I picked the small leather book up and set it under my pillowcase-and got out my own diary. It had been so long since I last written.
~*~
"Dear Diary, Wowee. . .this has been the most eventful birthday ever, and not because I saw Mo or anything. To make a long story short, Anthony somehow got in the den and we were all in a panic. We got into this freaky crystal room to hide, and. . .I found dad's grave in there. This really gets me thinking: HOW COULD MY WHOLE FAMILY LIE TO ME ALL THOSE YEARS?! Did they think I would give away the 'family secret' or something?
But the day doesn't end there. . .well actually, this happened at the start of my day-Danny proposed!!! It was soooo sweet. He hid the ring inside of a really pretty rose. I was kind of glad he didn't get down on one knee because that is soooo old fashioned, but I wouldn't really care how he proposed to me-not that I even thought he would!
Oh man, my thoughts are all messed up. We haven't even talked about the wedding or anything because of this mess with Anthony. Oooo, if I could get my hands on that guy, I'd show him a thing or two about true love. . . I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed right now, and just so tired, so I think I'll actually try to go to sleep now.
I will not think about you-know-who. No, no, no. . ."
~*~
There were a lot of cries of confusion coming from the younger Dratinis and Dragonairs. I felt like crying myself, since it was still pitch black in the room.
"The crystal!" I heard Mystic say. "April! Come over here!"
"Where are you?" I cried.
"To your right."
I walked to the right, accidentally stepping on two Dratini tails. They barely even noticed since they were so scared.
I found Mystic sitting against a wall, holding the crystal ball in her mouth. I cradled my hands and she dropped it into them.
"Now what?" I asked.
"Go find Danny," she answered.
I had no idea where he was. All I saw were long moving shapes, if I could see anything at all.
"DANNY!!!" I yelled.
"April! Where are you?!" I heard him shout back. I waved one arm in the air, even though I doubted he could see it.
Miraculously, he found me after a few minutes. "April, where are we?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Mystic told me to find you for some reason. . .and she gave me the crystal. . ." I said, holding it up.
Danny half-held the crystal ball in his hands, while I held the rest of it. It began to glow so bright, I had to close my eyes, so I didn't see it somehow light up the whole room.
I opened my eyes and looked around, and gasped.
The entire ceiling and all of the walls were made of crystal. The floor was paved with cement, and there were somehow a few rosebushes near one corner. A large podium made of some kind of blue material that was about three feet high was in the center of the room. A glass case was on top of it, but it was empty.
"What's with all the crystal stuff?" Danny joked.
Mystic didn't seem to take it lightly, and went right to the podium. She nosed around it for a few minutes, ignoring some dragon tails that were accidentally slapping her. She sighed and shouted something in dragon language, and everyone started slithering to the door, and went back outside into the pool.
"What was that all about?" I asked. Now that everyone but Danny, Mystic, and I were out of the room, there was a strange echo.
"Anthony's gone-for now," Mystic breathed with a sigh of relief. "I don't know where he went or if he's ever going to come back-which hopefully he won't."
I was confused by the strange combination of words in Mystic's sentence, but ignored it with relief.
"So, what do we do now?" Danny asked. "Do we still stay here in the den, or do we try to escape Anthony, or what?"
Mystic shook her head. "We'll stay here and stand our ground, because we all BELONG here!"
Danny chuckled. I wandered around the room, gazing at my dim reflection in the crystal walls. My eyes fell on those cluster of rosebushes in that one corner. I wandered over to them to smell the roses. I smiled a little, thinking of the roses my dad had frequently brought home to my mom after his "training."
Was this where the roses had come from?
I shrugged and peered behind the bushes. There was a patch of dirt and there were a couple of vine-like things growing out of the ground, surrounding something. I gingerly stepped into the bushes. I was curious about what was underneath those vines-I was drawn to it for some reason.
I knelt down on my knees and shoved the vines out of the way. I saw a huge gray rock. I wanted to stop pulling-after all, what's so special about a big gray rock-but something made me keep pulling. I tugged at those vines for awhile, completely oblivious that Danny and Mystic were still in the room. When all of the vines were gone, I stared at what stood before me.
It was more than just a big gray rock.
Much more.
It was my dad's headstone.
"Omigod," I whispered. I looked at the ground beneath me and quickly stood up. Was my dad-BURIED under there?
"Hey, April?" a voice asked, and it startled me. I spun around and saw Danny and Mystic standing on the other side of the rosebushes.
"Yeah Danny?" I said in a timid voice. I thought my dad had been buried at-
'You're stupid April. Remember? That was a lie. To "protect" you from all of this. Dad wasn't buried at Mount Silver. He was killed and buried here.'
"Um, are you feeling okay?" Danny asked again, interrupting my thoughts.
"His. . .grave. . ." I said. I was on the verge of tears.
"Whose grave?" Danny asked. But his tone of voice told me he already knew the answer. His eyes widened and he whispered, "Your dad?"
I nodded and bit my lip.
Danny didn't say anything. He just walked through the bushes and hugged me.
Mystic interrupted by yawning, and I managed a giggle.
"What a day, what a day," I replied. "This has been the weirdest birthday. First we find out about Anthony, then I see what's in room after five years, and then I find dad's grave, and all kinds of weird stuff."
Danny smiled. "You forgot the best thing," he said as he twirled my engagement ring around my finger.
I grinned up at him, despite this whole mess. "You're right. I don't know how I could forget that."
Mystic yawned even louder, and I laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm going to bed now! Sheesh!"
Mystic slid out of the room and Danny and I followed her, hand in hand.
"Are you going to sleep out here again?" I asked Danny when we reached the pool room. Ever since he came into the den, he had been sleeping out there with his Dragonite and all of the dragons.
"Yeah," he answered, and rubbed my hand. "Sweet dreams April," he said.
"I'll try," I laughed. I started walking to my room. I saw Mystic already in her basket and sleeping. I turned around and smiled.
"Good night Danny," I said as I closed my door.
~*~*~
Of course I didn't fall asleep right away. How could I, after everything that happened? Plus, my room was still a mess after The Search for Dad's Journal. I sighed and shoved everything but Dad's journal into a corner. I picked the small leather book up and set it under my pillowcase-and got out my own diary. It had been so long since I last written.
~*~
"Dear Diary, Wowee. . .this has been the most eventful birthday ever, and not because I saw Mo or anything. To make a long story short, Anthony somehow got in the den and we were all in a panic. We got into this freaky crystal room to hide, and. . .I found dad's grave in there. This really gets me thinking: HOW COULD MY WHOLE FAMILY LIE TO ME ALL THOSE YEARS?! Did they think I would give away the 'family secret' or something?
But the day doesn't end there. . .well actually, this happened at the start of my day-Danny proposed!!! It was soooo sweet. He hid the ring inside of a really pretty rose. I was kind of glad he didn't get down on one knee because that is soooo old fashioned, but I wouldn't really care how he proposed to me-not that I even thought he would!
Oh man, my thoughts are all messed up. We haven't even talked about the wedding or anything because of this mess with Anthony. Oooo, if I could get my hands on that guy, I'd show him a thing or two about true love. . . I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed right now, and just so tired, so I think I'll actually try to go to sleep now.
I will not think about you-know-who. No, no, no. . ."
~*~