Chapter 1
"Val? Can you help me carry these vases out to the front?" Filia asked her son who stood by one of the windows in the back of the shop, staring off into the distance.
"Can't you do it yourself?" Val asked, sounding mildly bored.
"Val! I ask you to help me and that's your response? After all I've done for you?" Filia replied, glaring at the teenager.
"Fine, I'll do it if you'll just quit guilt tripping me." Val sighed, turning and picking up several vases.
"I wasn't guilt tripping you, Val! I was just trying to get you to help me. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, you've been so moody." Filia said, picking up the other vases and followed Val out into the front of the shop and began setting the new vases up for display.
"Fine, pretend you're not guilt tripping me if it makes you feel better about yourself. My mood isn't any different than ususal, you've just been getting on my case." Val replied, putting the last of the vases he was carrying onto a shelf. He turned to look at Filia who was staring at him in a sort of nonplussed way.
"That's what I'm talking about! You've never talked back to me before, you've always been a good son up until now, Val. What's made you behave this way?" Filia asked.
"What are you going to do if I'm not the perfect son you wanted? Throw me away? Disown me? Or will you be like the ones in my dreams and chase me? Have you ever thought that maybe it's not me but you that makes me act this way?" Val spat, crossing his arms.
"Val! That's quite enough from you! Now I don't know what's gotten into you but I want you to stop it this instant!" Filia ordered. Val glared at her looking from her to the door a moment.
"Forget it, you don't understand anything." Val said, thrusting an arm and knocking over a vase as he strode quicky toward the door, stepping out of the shop and out onto the street.
"VAL! That was intentional! Get back here right now and clean up this mess young man! Val! Are you listening to me?" Filia yelled, starting to follow him.
"Mother, you'd better stay in that shop! Don't mess with me right now!" Val yelled and then turned, running off. Filia stared after him but didn't make to follow Val, instead simply leaning against the door frame with a bewildered expression on her face.
"What's her problem? Can't she just leave me alone? Can't she see I don't want to talk with her? I don't understand why she can't get that through that thick head of hers." Val muttered to himself as he walked through one of the back alleys of the city out toward the desert outskirts that surrounded the town for miles in all directions. More and more Filia seemed to be getting on his nerves and he didn't quite know why, she just irritated him. Val made his way outside the city and stopped to rest by a tree whose sparse leaves swayed in the wind. He leapt up onto one of the thicker branches and stared out at his home town. Sighing he allowed his wings to sprout, pinioning from between his shoulderblades. He stretched the long black wings, sighing a moment and then sitting on the branch he'd been standing on and folded his wings.
"Even here in this peace I see it and hear it." Val whispered, commenting on the noise that roared in his ears and the thoughts plagueing the back of his mind. He could feel it, the fiery thick blood that spilled from the dead ancient dragons that always plagued his sleep.
"Why me?" Val sighed, looking upward at the sky and watching the clouds drift overhead slowly. Late that afternoon after spending his day sitting outside alone he made his way back home to the shop, slipping inside and starting to head for his room.
"Val! Where have you been? I was worried sick for you!" Filia exclaimed and Val ground his teeth feeling anger boiling deep under the surface of his conscious calm resolve.
"I was out, it's not like you need to worry. I'm a dragon, remember." Val said, and then began to move upstairs when Filia reached out, catching hold of the back of his shirt.
"Wait Val! You should eat something. You've been gone all day." Filia replied. Val pivoted on his heel, swiping her hand away with his own and casting a glare at her.
"I'm not hungry. Just leave me alone." Val said and then turned moving upstairs and into his bedroom.
"Oh Val... What's wrong with you?" Filia sighed, turning and walking into the kitchen where she'd already prepared dinner. She put his food on a tray and carried it up to his room setting the tray down outside his door.
"Well, when you get hungry I put your food out here." Filia called through the door and then walked back down the hall. Val glared at the door from inside his room, sitting down on his bed and then leaning back to gaze up at the rafters of his room.
"Why does she make me feel so angry? All she has to do is speak or look at me and I'm instantly on the defensive. She just drives me crazy." Val muttered to himself. Turning over he closed his eyes, waiting for sleep and the nightmares to come.
The following morning as Filia was going to wake Val she found the tray of food she'd set out the night before cold and untouched. Picking up the tray she carried it downstairs to the kitchen before heading back upstairs to check on Val.
"Val, are you all right? You didn't eat your dinner." Filia called and then heard footsteps coming to the door. Val opened the door, giving her a cold stare and then pushed past her, moving downstairs into the dining room.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine. I just wasn't hungry." he said. Filia followed after him and found him sitting staring at the tabletop disinterestedly in the dining room. Val glanced at her a moment and then picked at a rough edge of cuticle on his left hand.
"It's not healthy for you to skip meals, Val. Why don't you let me cook you a nice big breakfast!" Filia said, trying to sound cheerful. Val narrowed his eyes but would not meet her gaze, instead turning his head away to stare out a window.
"No, I'm not really hungry so don't waste your time." Val replied and Filia sighed.
"First you keep acting weird and now you won't eat. I know something's wrong Val. If you'll just talk to me I can help." Filia offered. Val turned slowly to face her, glaring.
"Would you just quit nagging me!? There's nothing wrong with me, Filia! The best thing for you to do is just get off of my back and keep your nose out of my business. If I say I'm not hungry then just drop it rather than trying to smother me with your attention, Filia!" Val said, intentionally using her name rather than refering to her as mother since he knew she didn't like when he called her by her name.
"Val! You know better than to talk to me that way!" Filia replied, raising her voice and narrowing her eyes at her son.
"Oh do I?" he asked sarcastically, getting to his feet and moving toward the stairs.
"Where are you going now?" Filia asked.
"My room so you'll leave me be!" he yelled back over his shoulder, causing Filia to flinch at his tone. Val entered his room, closing the door behind him and striding to lay down on his bed. His golden eyes scanned the ceiling and he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Doesn't she get that I just want her to leave me alone?" Val asked, his voice resonating in
the room.