Out with you, RV! OUT! sighs Now, then, thanks for the fine reviews. Sorry for taking so longwith this shocker, but here it is. And, I brought drinks.
YFWE: For you, milk to go with that XXL bag of M&M's. Enjoy!
CelloSolo2007: Let's see, how about root beer? spills aww noo. I spilled it all over your cello. Here's some juice instead and another cello to replace the one I messed up.
Angel of Forgotton Souls: Thanks for the immediate reviews. Here's some Cherry Cola.
Now, sit back and enjoy this next chapter...
Chap 14
Immediately, three things happened. One, the rest of the family started screaming because they had seen Kaleb turn into a dragon with no explanation. Two, both Jake and Grandpa were trying to sort out the situation by explaining about how dragons skip generations and by telling Kaleb's story; well, the story that they heard so far. Three, amidst all the confusion, Kaleb's older sister ran from the panic to her room. During all this, Kaleb turned back into his old self and immediately tried to find his older sister. Of course, he wasn't surprised to find her wielding a Huntsstaff (if that's right) when he walked in on her hiding place.
"Hello Jessie." Kaleb said calmly. Of course, he knew about what she was. If you remember, he cryptically told Jake and Grandpa about how he knew who the Huntsgirl in Seattle was.
"How could you!" Jessie cried. "How could you be a…a dragon!"
"There's more to this than you know, Jessie," Kaleb said. "You remember that black dragon that stopped you the night before we moved?"
"Yes…" she muttered, "He broke my primary staff…wait. YOU were that dragon? How can that be?"
"I was angry at that time." Kaleb explained. "My powers are controlled through my emotions. So, if I get too emotional, I lose control."
"So, it's YOUR fault the Huntsclan is after me!" Jessie cried.
"Actually," Kaleb chuckled. "They don't know you're gone."
"WHAT?" Jessie yelled.
"Quiet!" Kaleb whispered, "Unless you want to be found out."
"So," Jessie asked quietly, "How did you manage to package me out of the Huntsclan without them knowing?"
"Easily," Kaleb giggled. "I psychically made an illusion of you to act as Huntsgirl in your absence. So, that way, no one would know for at least…till now."
(Jessie) "WHAT?"
"Calm down!" Kaleb said. "I can protect you, or," looking at her still operating staff, "at least help you. So, agreed?"
"Fine," Jessie replied.
"But," Kaleb surmised. "For this plan to work, we're going to have to tell the family."
"Ugh. Why?" Jessie asked.
"Because," Kaleb explained. "Like my dragon training, the family needs to know what we're doing so that they don't get the wrong ideas about anything and ground us so that we end up getting into even more trouble."
"Oh, is that why those two 'friends' of yours are here?" she grasped. She never did like strangers; more so ever since she had taken to the Huntsclan's "motto" of never trusting strange creatures. "To make sure the family was able to understand your 'predicament?'"
"In a sense, yes," Kaleb answered. "Now, do I need to tell them or will you?"
"I'll tell them, thank you." Jessie replied stiffly. "You told them your secret, after all. I'll tell them mine myself."
With that, Jessie walked out of the room; head held up high. Unlike her brother, when she had her mind made up about something, she did it; no complaints about it. Of course, the whole family was about calmed down by the time Kaleb and Jessie had returned. Grandpa and Jake had just finished telling them about how Kaleb would need afternoon training with them, when they spotted Jessie and her staff. Immediately, they went full dragon and cries went up among the whole family all over again.
"STOP!" cried Kaleb. He knew something like this was bound to happen. "Grandpa, Jake, stop, please! My sister is an EX-Huntsgirl." At this, both Grandpa and Jake were so stunned that they changed back to human and plopped back into their seats.
"I thought I was going to tell the family," Jessie muttered. She had a very nervous look on her face. Three dragons, all in her house? The Huntsmaster would have killed her for letting them live, if she still followed him.
"Well," Kaleb whispered back. "I had to tell them something."
They looked back at the quite stricken Black family. Kaleb knew that they were still mulling over the fact that he was a dragon. Now their daughter was a…a magical creature bounty hunter?
"Well," Jessie began uneasily (she did not like anyone knowing things about her she wanted to keep secret), "I was a Huntsgirl. See, about four years ago, I saw what looked like a golden feather on my way home from school. Of course, it was, but I thought it was a fake one. So, I picked it up and took it with me. Kaleb would remember it, of course; that was the day he read his first dragon book. I didn't bother him about it, though, because, at the time, I was very interested in this feather. Now I know what the feather was; a phoenix feather."
"Wait," Mr. Black asked, "A phoenix feather?"
"Yep," Jessie answered, "100 mythical phoenix. However, it was stolen from me the next day and replaced with a letter. 'If you wish to see more wonders like this, come see me at this address at 9:00 pm tonight.' Of course, I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't think you guys would want me to go out that late, so I didn't tell you."
"That explains why you've gone to the 'library' so many times." Stacy surmised. Everyone looked at her. "What?" she asked.
"You're getting ahead of the story!" Kaleb told her. Stacy giggled.
"Anyway," Jessie continued. "When I arrived, I met the Huntsmaster, the leader of the Huntsclan. He was a horrid man, but he seemed to be on the level. When he talked about the 'wonders,' I said I'd help. He seemed appreciative at first, but then, I wouldn't have been able to know since he wore a skull-like mask on his head.
"Afterwards, he told me to start working out so that we would be able to go after the treasures we would be seeking. Amazingly, he wasn't going to tell me about them yet. So, I started training. That's what I did mostly when I 'went to the library,' Stacy.
"When I was eleven, I was finally able to join the Huntsmaster in finding his treasures. Unfortunately, I was unprepared for what I found."
CLIFFIE! I know they're evil, buttrust me. This one's a...around a shocker.
Random Alien and Random Vulcan: Live long and prosper.
Do I even have to ask?
RA and RV: Uh... (start running away)
Ask if you want a different drink! Don't forget to review!
