Dragon Riders
By: The White Dragon Rider
Disclaimer: The only thing I own are my OC's Zero and Brass; everything else belong to their respective owners
(Here it is, I used this chapter as the last gentle chapter for a while. From now on expect a lot more action, fighting, and extremely dangerous enemies. I admit I might've gotten sidetracked mid-chapter but its funny)
Chapter 12: Schools Out
Emmy and Max's House
"Come on Max we're going to be late!" called Emmy at the door of Max's room
She was in the hallway outside Max's room waiting for him to come out stamping her foot impatiently as she waited
She was in a very nice, red dress she wore for parties or other special events
Today was a very important day
They had just gotten home from their last day of school for the year and their parents were having a party in a little while to celebrate the beginning of summer
All their friends and relatives were going to be there
The problem was that there was also a party in Dragon Land that day for the same reason
They had to be at their parent's party but they also wanted to be with their dragon friends at the other party
Thankfully the party in Dragon Land was later than the one they were having
They decided they would stay at their house for their parent's party and when the party in Dragon Land began they would cast the forget me not spell and slip away to the party
They had to time it carefully so it would work and unfortunately Max was holding things up
"Hurry up!" called Emmy to Max
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" replied Max annoyed from inside his room
A moment later Max appeared in the doorway
He was in his blue tuxedo with a blue bowtie on his neck
"I thought the party wasn't for a little while!" said Max annoyed
"Yeah but mom needs our help to set up" explained Emmy
"When's Enrique getting here?" asked Max
"In a while, his parents will bring him over here before the party starts so he can help up set up" said Emmy
"I hope we can make it to the Dragon Land party in time" said Max worriedly
"Don't worry we'll make it" said Emmy reassuringly
"Good because Ord needs me for some of the party games" said Max
"I think Zero might come to the party here too" said Emmy
"Really?" asked Max
"Yeah, since he was so nice before and didn't charge for the first time he babysat us Mom and Dad thought they should repay him somehow so they invited him" explained Emmy
"Alright I wanted to ask him about that motorcycle he has, it's so cool!" said Max wondering if Zero would give him a ride
Max had gotten a very different opinion about Zero since they first met
Now Max thought he was one of the coolest people he had ever met
"I'm not sure if dad will let you take a ride on it" said Emmy
"He might if I ask him enough times" said Max with a mischievous smile
"Max…" said Emmy in an annoyed tone
She knew he would just bug him until their daddy let him ride
Emmy looked up at the clock that was in the hallway
"Oh man! We're going to be late! Mom needed us to help set everything up" said Emmy with dread
"We can probably do it quickly if we use our powers. Enrique's double beat would do it quickly" suggested Max
"We can't be seen using spells! You know that Max" scolded Emmy
"What if we do it while no one is looking?" asked Max
"No we can't" said Emmy firmly "Now let's go, mom is probably outside waiting for us"
"Ok fine" said Max in defeat
Both children then ran down the hallway so they wouldn't be late
The Backyard
Max and Emmy walked outside and into the backyard
The yard had been decorated with a bunch of party stuff like tables for the food, some games, and some chairs
Their mom was busy setting up a table while their dad was busy trying to get the grill to start
"Max! Emmy!" called their mother gesturing for them to come over and help her with a table cloth that was blowing wildly in the wind
Max and Emmy rushed over and helped hold it down until the gust stopped
"Thanks" she said as she put it on the table
"Sorry we're late, Max took forever to get his tuxedo on" said Emmy pointing to Max
"Hey!" said Max annoyed
"The party will be starting soon, Enrique's parents called and said they would send him over in a few minutes" said their mother
"Stupid thing!" said their father still occupied with the still un-lit grill
He banged the side of the red grill a few times in frustration
"I better go help your father before he burns himself" said their mother before rushing off to see what the problem was
"Man this is going to be great!" said Max happily "First we get out of school finally and now we get to go to two parties!"
"Yeah, it'll be great to just relax for a while. We haven't had a lot of time to just relax and have fun since…" Emmy looked around cautiously "…we became Dragon Riders" she whispered
"Yeah I know" said Max in a whisper
Suddenly both children heard a scream from behind them
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Both of them wheeled around quickly to see their dad backing away from the grill that had a five foot flame shooting out of the top
Their mother quickly got a fire extinguisher and doused the flame
She then helped their father to his feet
"That's it we're cooking inside!" he yelled looking at the red grill that had been brunt black
Both of their parents then went inside the house
Emmy and Max let out a light laugh at the scene even though it was not funny to their parents
"Come on Emmy let's just light the grill for them with or magic" said Max
"No Max, we can't" said Emmy sternly
"Awwwwwww" said Max disappointedly
"Hola! Max! Emmy!" came the voice of Enrique who had finally arrived and was now running over to his friends through the yard
He was in a black, child size tux with a red bowtie on his neck
"Hola Enrique" greeted Max happily
"What's going on guys?" asked Enrique
He then spotted the still smoking grill and used fire extinguisher near the house
"What happened?" he asked curiously
"Our daddy had some grill troubles" said Emmy
"I can see" said Enrique looking at the damage
"I think we should just use our powers to light it" said Max
"Max enough! We can't use our powers for little stuff like that" said Emmy scolding
"But it would be easy" said Max
"Max we would still get tired from using spells in regular form. You don't want to be all sleepy and tired for the party do you?" pointed out Enrique
"Oh yeah…I forgot about that" said Max in an embarrassed tone
"So Enrique have you heard anything about that Phoenix guy?" asked Emmy
"Yeah, he's that guy running around downtown late at night beating up bad guys. I hear he's super fast and nobody can hit him, even with bullets!" answered Enrique
"I wanted to ask you yesterday when Zero was here. Do you know anything about that? You've gone out late a couple of times to fight because Wheezie couldn't sleep and wanted to do something. Have you seen anything?" asked Emmy
"No, I nearly ran into him one time by following the sound of gunshots but when I got there all that was there were a few bullet holes and a knocked out mugger on the ground" answered Enrique
"Something's up with him" said Emmy suspiciously
"Do you think he has anything to do with the dragons?" asked Emmy
"I don't know, he seems to just be a guy running around with guns who can move fast based on what my parents have said" answered Enrique remembering his parents calling him a "Crazy guy running around with a gun shooting criminals"
"He has to be a superhero" said Max in a convinced tone
"Why?" asked Emmy curious
"How else could he beat up so many bad guys and still not get hurt? Even we still get hurt with super powers" said Max thinking about how many boo boos he got from the occasional punch that got past his defense
"He's got a point, even with amazing super powers we still keep getting hurt from time to time from fighting so much" said Enrique thinking about it
"Could a regular person beat up so many guys with guns and knives and other things without getting hurt?" asked Enrique
"I don't know" said Emmy thinking about it
"I'm just worried about what to do when we meet him" said Enrique
"Why?" asked Max
"We don't know anything about him and he could be dangerous" said Enrique concerned
"But he's still a superhero, so I think we should trust him" said Max
"Enrique does have a point Max; we don't know anything about him and we have no idea what he's like" said Emmy concerned
"So what should we do if we see him?" asked Max to Emmy
"I'm not sure but we should be on the lookout for anything that might tell us something about him" said Emmy still thinking hard about this Phoenix character
"What's a Phoenix anyway?" asked Max
"I don't know" said Enrique
"My parents said it was some kind of bird" said Enrique
"So he's named after a bird?" asked Max
"Yeah, supposedly a magic, fire bird" answered Enrique
"Sounds like something in Dragon Land" commented Max
"Either way he's helping people out so that's a good thing" said Enrique
"Yeah I still wonder where he came from though, if he's somehow connected to Dragon Land we should ask Quetzal when we go for the party" said Emmy
"By the way we still have to help set up for ours" said Max looking at all the things they had to get set up before their parents came back out
"Ay carumba! This is going to take a while" said Enrique
"Not with a double beat" said Max temptingly
"Max!" said both Emmy and Enrique angrily
"I'm joking!" said Max with a laugh
"Let's go, we need to do this quickly" said Emmy turning to the pile
"Race you!" said Max teasingly quickly getting to work
"Hey you got a head start!" said Emmy quickly getting to work trying to catch up to Max's progress
Enrique soon joined in the work
Later
In almost no time at all the children had set up the rest of the decorations and other party stuff
All of them fell to the ground breathless and panting from the pace they had worked
"I (huff) won (huff)" said Max exhausted
"No (huff) fair (huff) you got a (huff) head start" said Emmy breathing hard
"That (huff) was (huff) fun (huff)" said Enrique looking up at the sky while laying down
Max and Emmy's mother then came out of the house to see the rest of the party stuff set up and the children resting on the ground
"Muy bein! Did you do all this?" she asked happily coming over to the children and looking down on them
"Yeah, you said we had to help set up for the party" said Max starting to get his breath back
"I only meant the small stuff! Not all of it!" said their mother in surprise
"Oh" said Max
"Well at least everything is ready" said Emmy in a still exhausted tone
"Si, the party should start soon" said their mother as the children sat up
"Oh by the way is Zero going to be here?" asked Max
"I'm not sure he said he was busy, but he would try and come over as soon as he could" said Max's mother
"Alright" said Max in a disappointed tone
Their mother then left to go back inside and tell their father that the rest of the stuff was set up
When the children were alone they turned to each other
"Ah man this is going to be great, no more school until the end of summer!" said Max excitedly
"Yeah, I can't wait for the fair to come here" said Enrique having heard about a fair that came to town every summer
"It should be here for the Fourth of July" said Emmy
"Yeah and every year it has games, rides, food, prizes, and the huge fireworks display at the end!" said Max excitedly
"It won't be long until it comes" said Emmy
"Alright!" said Enrique
"Well I thought I saw a firework the other night" said Max
"Really?" asked Emmy
"Yeah it looked like a big blue light moving across the sky over our house" answered Max
"It was probably a plane" said Emmy
"Nu huh! It was moving really slow and it was really bright!" said Max
"It was probably a star then Max" said Enrique
"It wasn't a star either!" said Max
"Well we can talk about it later, right now let's go see what mom and dad are up to" said Emmy
"Ok" said Max
The children then ran inside the house
Later at the Party
By early evening the party had started and most of the guests had arrived
A lot of Max, Emmy, and Enrique's friends, relatives, and neighbors showed up
They were all in the backyard eating, talking, joking, playing, and relaxing and overall having a good time
Their mother would greet the guests and make sure everything was alright while their father still was fighting to get the grill to start and stay lit
Max, Emmy, and Enrique enjoyed the party and played with their friends and the neighborhood kids that were their age
After a while they went over to the drink table to get some juice
"Wow this is fun" said Max happily with a cup in his hand
"Wait till we get to Dragon Land later" said Emmy excitedly
"Oh man we're going to exhausted by then" said Enrique
"Yeah probably but at least it'll be really fun still" said Max
"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The children turned to see another huge flame shoot out from the grill in Max and Emmy's father's face
He fell back to avoid getting burned
When it died down he got up and kicked the grill
"Es stupdio grill!" he said as he kicked it before walking away from it angrily
"He's not going to get that to work anytime soon" said Enrique
"Yeah I haven't seen him this mad since his laptop broke" said Emmy
"Yeah, I can't believe after all that work to have Brass fix it that it still broke" said Max
"By the way, Emmy have you heard anything from Brass lately?" asked Enrique while they were on the subject
"No, not since he fixed my dad's laptop" answered Emmy
"Brass still scares me" said Enrique
"I know what you mean, he's always doing something really strange or mean" agreed Emmy
Ever since they had met him by chance at the library's computer room Brass seemed to always do something really weird, dangerous, or mean
He also seemed to want to get into trouble for some reason which Emmy thought was not normal
"I think he's kinda cool, he knows all this stuff about computers, he has that cool Quad thing, and he's a cowboy" said Max
"But he's still crazy" said Emmy
"And mean" added Enrique remembering all of Brass' insults and rude behavior
"He just seems really odd. Ever notice how he always jumps at the chance to insult or destroy something? I'm not sure if I trust him, maybe we should tell on him" said Emmy thinking about all of Brass' hacking and other illegal things
Emmy had though Brass was odd from the moment she and the others had met him in the library one day when they forgot to see if anyone was in the computer room with them
Emmy had reluctantly agreed to Brass' help because she thought he could help them
It was true that Bass had helped fix their daddy's laptop when Max broke it but something about Brass made her uneasy
"But he knows about us Emmy, we can't tell on him or else he could tell on us" said Max
"He knows the Dragon Riders are real, it's not like he knows who we are" said Emmy
Brass only knew the Dragon Riders existed; it wasn't like he knew who they were and where they lived
Suddenly Emmy felt someone put a hand on her shoulder and use it for balance
"Woo! Great party! Where's the keg?" someone said excitedly off to her side
Emmy turned to see a boy who was a bit taller than Enrique with black, short, messy hair with a black, well worn cowboy hat on and an entirely black outfit with wires sticking out of the gloves, goggles, and pocket
He had his hand on Emmy's shoulder and was holding a cup while he talked
"BRASS!" screamed Emmy in shock realizing who it was instantly
She moved away from him and fell down in shock
Max and Enrique looked at him in surprise
"So that's what you look like without the cloak pinky, nice! At least you weren't wearing that because you're ugly" said Brass looking at Emmy who had gotten up
"Um…um…do I know you?" asked Emmy nervously holding onto the fading hope that Brass didn't know who she was and that he had just showed up at their house right next to them by freak chance
"Well judging by the way you yelled my name five seconds ago I think you do…Pink Dragon Rider" said Brass slyly
Emmy immediately covered his mouth and looked around in a panic to see if anyone had noticed what was going on
Fortunately everyone at the party was so busy with they were doing they didn't pay attention to the children talking
"How did you get here!" asked Emmy in an urgent whisper
"Oh you know I just grabbed onto the landing gear of a plane taking off at the local airport and dove off when I saw your roof" joked Brass
"Not that! How did you find us!" asked Emmy in a whisper
"Easy, a computer has personal information on it. You handed me your daddy's laptop to fix so I saw everything that was on it, including pictures of you guys, your names, and this address. All I had to do was stop by when I was in the neighborhood" answered Brass casually before sipping his drink
"Oh" said Max regretfully
Emmy dragged Brass away from the drink table and to a secluded spot away from the rest of the guests so they could talk
"Hey I wanted to get a beer!" complained Brass as Emmy dragged him off by the hand away from the drink table with the unguarded beer on it that was tempting Brass
Max and Enrique followed
"So this is your place huh? Not bad! I was expecting a cave or something in the woods. By the way were are the dragons?" asked Brass calmly like this was normal to him as he looked at Emmy and Max's house
"They're not here. But that's not the point! Are you going to tell on us?" asked Emmy in a panic getting straight to the point
"Please don't!" begged Max
"Si don't!" said Enrique
"Ok here's the deal. You over look some of my…less desirable transgressions...and I don't tell anyone about your little secret. Not your friends, not the media, not all the criminals you've pissed off, and most importantly…your parents" said Brass in a business-like tone
"Do we have a choice?" asked Emmy in a depressed and defeated tone
"Nope!" said Brass happily with a smile
"Deal" said Max
"I still can't believe you found us so easily" said Enrique depressed
"Yeah, I guess we aren't too good at keeping our secret identities secret" said Max in a sad tone for being found out so easily
"We then its good you have me around!" said Brass
"Why?" asked Emmy
"I'm good at lying and keeping things secret and hidden. I'll help you stay secret using my amazing powers of trickery and lying" announced Brass like he was talking about a comic book superhero
"What's that mean?" asked Max
"I'll help cover for you if you have any problems with people suspecting you of something, I can also help with any explosives of electronics" explained Brass
"Ok" said Emmy partially glad to be getting something out of this
"Now who is which color?" asked Brass looking at them
"I guess we should re-introduce ourselves" said Enrique
"I'm Enrique the Purple and Green Dragon Rider" said Enrique shaking Brass' hand
"Nice to meet you…again" said Brass in a western accent
"I'm Max the Blue Dragon Rider" said Max
"I figured as much since you're the shortest" said Brass remembering how short the blue on was
"And I'm his older sister Emmy, I'm the Pink Dragon Rider" said Emmy
"Howdy" said Brass in a western accent again
"Brass you promise not to tell right?" asked Emmy
"I promise, besides its more fun this way. All cloak and dagger…or sword… or whatever it is you carry" said Brass
"Whew! I'm just glad you aren't going to tell, I'd hate to see anything happen to Dragon La…nothing! nothing!" Max stopped mid-sentence
"By the way were are the dragons?" asked Brass
"They're not here" answered Emmy
"Let me guess they're hidden somewhere?" said Brass
"Yes and it's a secret!" said Emmy sternly
"Ok, cool with me. I'm still amazed your parents haven't figured out you're the Dragon Riders. I think they would have some sort of clue about what you guys were up to by now after all the times the Dragon Riders have appeared" said Brass
"Haven't they noticed you missing during school or from home? Little kids going missing is a hard thing to miss even for the densest adults" asked Brass
"We have a spell that makes them not notice we're gone, but we still have to be careful" said Emmy
"Spells huh? What kinds of magic can you do?" asked Brass curiously
"Lots of different kinds" said Max
Max and the others remembered all the cool spells they could use in a fight
Max's powerful strike blade that let Max perform a powerful sword attack, Ord's thundega that summoned a huge blue lightning bolt to attack enemies, Emmy's super destructive dragon fire and energy rain that caused mass destruction on a un-real scale, Cassie's dragon heal and barrier that could protect and heal her friends, Enrique's double beat that set the battle's tune on a much faster pace by increasing his speed, and Zak and Wheezie's Do Re Mi blast that blew enemies away with a musical blast
Then there were the spells that could help then outside of battle
The pathfinder that allowed their spell books to show them the way to anyplace with a magical map, the forget me not spell that allowed them to sneak away from their parents by making them forget about them, the portal spell that allowed them to create a portal to and from Dragon Land, and the hidden dragon spell that allowed them to become invisible for short periods of time
And Sage said they would only get stronger as time went on so Max was anxious to see just what they would be able to do as time went on and they increased in power
"Neat" said Brass
"Yeah but electronics and magic don't mix so everything electronic around us breaks when we do stronger spells" said Enrique
"It also keeps us from being caught on camera" said Max
"No wonder all those security cameras near the places you fought only caught a few blurry images" said Brass hearing about how no one could get the Dragon Riders on camera
"Yeah, this way no one gets a really good look at us" said Emmy
"Sneaky, I like!" said Brass happily
"Yeah well as I said, we still have to be careful" said Emmy
Their parents hadn't noticed anything odd yet and they hoped to keep it that way
"Of course a little caution in never a bad thing…for most people" said Brass
"So Brass what'll you do now?" asked Emmy
"Can I stay for the party? That drink table has unguarded beer bottles on it that are calling my name!" said Brass
"I thought it was illegal for kids to drink beer" said Max
"Like I care what's legal!" said Brass
Emmy gave Brass a stern look
"I'm joking! Da gone! The last time I saw someone that on edge they were threatening to throw themselves off a cliff at the Grand Canyon" said Brass
Suddenly Emmy and Max's mother walked over to the children, wondering why they were so far away from the rest of the guests
"Emmy, Max what are you doing all the way over here? And who is this?" she asked spotting Brass
"This is a friend of ours we met in the library one day, he just sort of showed up here" said Emmy
"Howdy maam! My name's Brass Fang" said Brass politely
"Hello Brass nice to meet you. I haven't seen you around here before. Did you just move here?" asked Emmy and Max's mother
"Yup! Me and my family just moved into the da gone neighborhood from Texas" answered Brass
"Really? Where?" asked Emmy and Max's mother
"A few streets over" answered Brass
"Ok. Oh Max I wanted to tell you your babysitter is here" said Max's mom to him
"He is!" asked Max excitedly
"Yes, he's around front" answered Max's mother
"All right!" said Max running past her and around the house to the front yard
"Well it's been nice to meet you" said Emmy and Max's mother to Brass
"Can I stay for the party maam?" asked Brass politely
"Of course you can! Have fun!" said Emmy and Max's mother as she walked away
"Brass you live around here?" asked Emmy as soon as her mom was out of earshot
"Nope!" said Brass
"Wait! But you said…" began Enrique
"A bunch of lies! I don't live around here and I haven't seen my parents in years!" said Brass
"You haven't?" asked Emmy confused
"Yeah, I ran away from home a long time ago. I met up with a traveler one day and we went all over the world!" said Brass
"Is this another lie?" asked Emmy accusingly not believing him
"No this is true! We went to every continent, all the famous big cities, and a lot of other cool places. We had some awesome adventures together!" said Brass looking like he was remembering something
"How'd you end up here?" asked Enrique
"Well, we had just finished going around the world and were heading back to America when we decided to stop in Canaida" said Brass
"Don't you mean Canada?" asked Emmy
"Whatever, anyway things got messed up and we got separated. I tracked the guy I was traveling with down here but lost his trail in this city" said Brass
"Sure" said Emmy unconvinced
"Right" said Enrique doubtful as well
"Why don't people ever believe me?" asked Brass frustrated
With Max
Max had dashed away from Emmy, Enrique, and Brass in the backyard and had run to the front yard
All the guests' cars were parked in front
Cars lined the street and only Max and Emmy's parents cars were in the driveway
Max could see many kinds of cars including what looked like a giant black tank
Max quickly spotted a red high-performance motorcycle in between some other cars
Zero was just getting off it and removing his helmet with some difficulty due to his giant ponytail
"Zero!" said Max happily running up to him
"Hola! Max! Como estas?" greeted Zero
"Bein! I'm glad you're here!" said Max happily
"Well I'm glad to be here! I had to rush across town to get here on time though" said Zero
Max went up and began examining Zero's motorcycle
"Nice huh?" asked Zero proudly seeing the little kid's look of amazement
"It's so cool! I want to get one when I grow up! Can I get a ride later!" asked Max excitedly
"I'm not sure, you're going to have to ask your daddy" said Zero uncertainly
"I knew you'd say that" said Max
"So where's everyone?" asked Zero looking around
"They're in back, follow me!" said Max leading Zero to the backyard
In the Backyard
Max and Zero came around the side of the house to see the party still going strong in back
All the guests were still having a great time
The children played party games while the adults talked, joked, and got a little drunk
Max looked around and quickly saw the rest of the gang in the spot he had left them in talking
"Follow me Zero!" said Max leading Zero over to the others
Max and Zero made their way past the guests and over to Emmy, Enrique, and Brass
"Why don't people ever believe me?" asked Brass frustrated with his back turned to Max and Zero
Emmy and Enrique saw Zero and Max approach and smiled
"Guys! Look who's here!" said Max excitedly
Brass turned around to face Max and Zero
When he did Zero and Brass saw each other
Both put on a surprised look the second they saw each other
They both just stared at each other for a few quiet seconds
"What's going on?" asked Emmy at the scene
"Girly boy?" asked Brass in disbelief at the sight of Zero
"Demon Child?" asked Zero back
"Zero!" yelled Brass happily
"Brass!" yelled Zero back
They then both ran forward and hugged each other
"What's going on?" asked Emmy again getting confused
"Do you two know each other?" asked Enrique curiously
"This is the guy I was traveling with!" explained Brass
"Really?" asked Emmy
"Yeah, Zero Fallwell the only guy I know that has hair that long who isn't a hippy" said Brass happily letting go of Zero
"Zero you used to travel with Brass?" asked Emmy
"Yeah! Back in the day me and Brass went on a little world destruction tour to see the world" said Zero
"Brass when'd you meet Zero?" asked Max
"Like I said to Emmy and Enrique one day I ran away from home, I traveled for a while by myself. Then one day I met Zero here down in Mexico when I went down there to pick up some da gone illegal fireworks and bring them back to the states" said Brass
"Two crates of illegal fireworks and a case of M80s, I still remember" added Zero
"Yeah, I met Zero in a bus station just south of the boarder. I was being hassled by some local punks who stole my fireworks, Zero came charging in and beat them senseless. After that he told me he was trekking across the world by any means he could find. It sound like an adventure so I decided to join him" said Brass
"How'd you get around?" asked Enrique
"However we could; train, bus, taxi, hitchhiking, plane, boat, when we had no money walking" answered Brass
"How'd you get enough money for the trip?" Emmy asked Zero
"I didn't, we were broke half the time and had to do odd-jobs for people to get enough to move on" answered Zero
"He did odd jobs, I occasionally hacked to get free things like hotel service, rental cars, plane tickets" said Brass
"Hey that's stealing!" said Emmy
"Really…pinky?" sneered Brass
Emmy quickly became quiet
"What was that about?" asked Zero to Brass
"Nothing" answered Brass with a chuckle
(Brass can be so evil sometimes)
"So where did you guys go?" asked Max
"Well we started in Mexico since we were already there" answered Brass
"Yeah we explored Mexico's cities; my personal favorite was Taxico which has some great silver. Speaking of which I wanted to give this to Emmy" said Zero pulling out a silver bracelet
"Wow! What is it?" asked Emmy looking at it
"It's a silver bracelet that earned working a little in the city, I don't have any use for it since I'm a guy…" said Zero
"Fooled me" interrupted Brass
"…anyway, I kept it as a souvenir…"
"You should have pawned it that time we had no money in Tokyo" interrupted Brass
"…but when I saw Emmy I thought she might like it" said Zero ignoring Brass
"Thanks!" said Emmy happily putting it on
It was a chain of sliver with a silver heart hanging from one of the chains
"Do you have anything for me?" asked Max
"I might at home, I'll have to catch you on that next time" said Zero
"Anyway, next we headed to Florida" said Brass
"That was a disaster" said Zero
"How?" asked Brass
"When we went to Disney World we had to dive off the "it's a small world" ride to avoid being caught be security" said Zero
"Why?" asked Emmy
"Well…" began Zero
Flashback
We see Brass and Zero on one of the "it's a small world" boats as it's going through the ride
Brass in standing up in the boat and shooting at the puppets as they sing with a shotgun
"It's a small world afte… BANG! It's a small… BANG! It's a… BANG! BANG! BANG!"
"Die puppets! BANG! DIE! BANG! I'll blow you all to heck! BANG!" screamed Brass as he took out half the South America puppets with one shell
"Hey how much are the Asian ones worth?" yelled Brass over the sound of gunfire as he blew the head off of a Samurai puppet
End Flashback
Emmy, Max and Enrique look at Brass with shock
"What! They clearly didn't mark that the place wasn't a shooting gallery" said Brass defensively
"You leveled half the ride!" said Zero
"So? That's what they get for singing the most evil song EVER!" said Brass innocently
Zero just let out a frustrated sigh
"You haven't changed none" said Zero
"Well, at least I had fun throwing explosives into the water down there and watching the fish come to the surface" said Brass optimistically
"No idea why everyone was so mad though" added Brass thinking hard
"You throwing half sticks of dynamite into the dolphin tank at Sea World!" said Zero
"Oh yeah! Woo wee! I dang near blew that tank all to heck!" said Brass happily
"After that we explored the rest of America; Chicago, Seattle, Vegas…" said Zero
"Now that was fun! I won a new car!" said Brass
"You won a car?" asked Max
"Yeah! I brought it with me!" said Brass
"You did?" asked Max
"Wait! Aren't you too young to drive?" asked Emmy
"Legally yes, but I'm a great driver and I don't really care what's legal!" said Brass
(I'm willing to distort reality and bend common sense and logic a bit in Brass' case so long as he's funny so don't complain about how Brass could never get away with what he does)
Emmy let out an angry and frustrated sigh
"I was wondering what happened to that hummer you won in Vegas" commented Zero
"I put it in a storage facility until we got stateside again" explained Brass
"Hummer?" asked Max
"Yeah it's out front, follow me" said Brass leading the group away from the party in back to the street in front of the house
Front Yard
Brass lead Max, Emmy, Enrique, and Zero up to the black tank Max had seen earlier
They walked up to the HUGE!, pitch black, Hummer parked in the street
It was all black with massive off-road tires and a spare tire on the back
Tied to the roof were blue barrels of some kind
It had a giant black snake painted onto both sides with the head on the hood of the hummer
They children had to look up to see this mini-tank's door
It looked like it could crush the cars in front of it like they were bugs
"O my…" said Emmy coming up to it
"Nice!" said Zero looking it over
"What is this thing?" asked Enrique
"A 2006 Earth Destroyer! Its interior is baby seal skin leather with rare rainforest wood lining and it gets two miles to the gallon, city not highway!" said Brass
"Nice Brass" said Zero sarcastically
"Who make such a vehicle?" asked Zero
"Myabatsu! The same people who made the monstrosity SUV they tested up in Liberty City" explained Brass
"You mean the one that exploded?" asked Zero
"It only burst into flames!" said Brass defensively
"It's huge!" said Max
He would have to jump in order to reach the bottom of the door
"Yup!" said Brass happily
"You could crush a van with this thing!" said Emmy
"Si! Muy grande!" said Enrique
"What's with the barrels?" asked Zero pointing to the blue barrels on the roof
"Those? Oh, this car REALLY likes gas so I just keep spare barrels of gas on the roof so I don't have to stop and push when it runs out on the highway in the middle of nowhere" explained Brass
"How on earth could buy all that gas?" asked Zero
"This" said Brass taking out a credit card-like card that was black
"What is that?" asked Max
"A special card I made to let me get free gas at self-serve, quick pass pumps. It tricks the pump computer into thinking the station is draining the gas tank so it pumps without needing any money. So I get free gas!" said Brass happily
"Normally I'm against stealing, but since it's stealing from huge oil companies when the gas prices are insanely high, can I get one?" asked Zero
"Already made you one in case we met up again" said Brass pulling out a red card and handing it to Zero who pocketed it
"Brass you drive this thing!" asked Emmy in shock
"Yup!" said Brass proudly
"But that's illegal!" said Enrique
"You know I've been thinking about coloring it purple or green" said Brass to Zero
Enrique quickly stopped complaining
As Brass was bragging about how many times he ran over things with his tank the hummer suddenly rocked violently
"What was that?" asked Max seeing the hummer jolt violently
"Oh boy, let me guess. That's the bear?" said Zero
"Yup!" said Brass happily as he went over to the hummer door
"What bear?" asked Max
"Brass' pet" said Zero
"Brass has a pet bear?" asked Enrique
"Close enough" said Zero with a sigh
Brass opened up the side door to reveal a huge pet carrier on the seat
It was a huge black box with a big metal bar door
On the side was a sticker that had a devil smiley face that read "Devil dog"
The children could hear vicious growls coming from inside the carrier but they couldn't see what was inside
"Oh Treble! Come on out boy, time meet some new people!" said Brass jumping up onto the seat and opening the carrier
The children gave each other concerned looks as something stirred in the carrier
Emmy couldn't help but think this was like something she had seen in a monster movie
This would be the part when the monster leapt out of the dark place and ate them
The children looked to Zero for comfort since he seemed to know what was going on
Zero just stood there looking with a look of slight interest on his face
This didn't help or make worse the children's fears
The first thing the children saw were two eyes that had a slight reflection of them in the dark carrier
What leapt out could only be described as the closest thing the children had ever seen to a monster
It was a massive dog so big Brass could ride it like a horse and still have room for other riders
It looked wolf-like with black fur that was as dark as Brass' hair
It had a body like a wolf including distinct pointy ears, a bushy tail, and fierce fangs
It looked like it had come from a monster movie
The demon-like dog was so big it was taller than Emmy, Max, and Enrique by a significant amount
It was a little under Zero's chest height and was taller than Brass
From nose to the tip of its tail was roughly close to the length of a car
It had a fierce and vicious look on its face as it's looked around like it was scanning the area
Emmy, Max, and Enrique screamed in fear and hide behind Zero
"Good boy Treble! Good Boy!" said Brass as he got out of his hummer and brushed the dog's side
Treble's face suddenly turned happy and he began licking Brass' face happily
"What is that thing?" asked Emmy in fear cowering behind Zero
"This is my dog Treble" said Brass proudly as Treble stopped licking
"Hi Treble! Long time no see" said Zero playfully to Treble
Treble jumped once a gave a happy bark
"Don't worry guys Treble is harmless to people who don't make him mad" said Zero reassuringly to the children
The children cautiously got out from behind Zero and walked up to Treble
Treble stood panting happily as the children approached
Max slowly went up to Treble and brushed the side of his fur gently since he couldn't reach up high enough to pet him
As soon as Max did Treble began licking him like crazy
"He he! Hey cut that out!" said Max as Treble licked his face
"See? Treble is as friendly as a puppy most of the time, only when he needs to be is he dangerous" said Zero
"What is he?" asked Emmy as she petted Treble's side
"A cross breed; he's part wolf, Pit-bull, Bull Mastiff, and a few other dangerous breeds. He's mostly wolf and Bull Mastiff. Somehow combining all the most dangerous breeds created a new one that was highly dangerous but very friendly" explained Brass
"What's up with Brass and big things?" asked Enrique to Zero after seeing his car and dog
"He's from Texas and everything's bigger there" said Zero
"Dang right!" said Brass proudly
The children went and sat on the edge of the hummer in the open doorway while Brass and Zero stood
Treble walked back and forth a few times in front of the children so they would pet him
"I'm amazed you two used to travel together" said Max to Zero and Brass
"Ah it was fun" said Brass coolly
"So you went all over the world?" asked Emmy
"Yeah, Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, heck we even took a side trip to the northern areas at one time" said Zero
"I preferred American cities, I loved the San Andreas area" said Brass
"Oh Yeah! That was fun!" said Zero
"Las Venturas, San Ferrio, Los Santos; great places" said Brass
"Remember that hippy we met in Los Santos?" asked Zero
"Oh yeah! He and his black friend in green were awesome!" said Brass
"Good times, Good times" said Zero
"Why did you go?" asked Max to Zero
"Well…I always wanted to travel and since I was doing mostly nothing back at home I decided to see what the world had to offer, I packed up what little I had and set off to see what kind of adventure I could find" answered Zero
"So you left everything you had behind so you could travel?" asked Emmy curiously
"I didn't have much trust me" said Zero
"But still, that sounds kind of scary and dangerous" said Emmy
"Yeah" agreed Max
"Ah well, like I say "risk everything or gain nothing" and it worked for me. Instead of doing some boring dead end job back home and doing the same stuff over and over again day after day I got to explore and had a blast living life on the road, even if it was hard" said Zero
"Wow that's so cool!" said Max
"Why do go Brass?" asked Emmy
"Easy, I was a runaway with no fixed address and nothing to do. I planed to travel anyway so I thought "why not do with someone else?" said Brass
"Why did you run away?" asked Max
Brass suddenly looked angry
"I'd rather not talk that" he said in a serious tone
"What about you Zero? What did you do before you left?" asked Emmy
"Let's just say that's an entirely different story" said Zero
"So if you were traveling together how did you get separated and end up here?" asked Enrique
"It's a long story" said Zero
"Well as I said it started when we stopped in Canadia…" said Brass
"Canada" corrected Zero
"Whatever! That cold place to the north with maple syrup and weird language!" said Brass
"Me and Brass arrived in Canada as a part of the last leg of our trip, we had just gotten back from London and were planning on heading south to New York for the last stop" said Zero
"We arrived late February; we had a half decent time there but wanted to finish our journey and tried to leave early" continued Zero
"Unfortunately Zero's prediction that there would be no snow in Canada in February was off by about seven and a half feet" said Brass looking accusingly at Zero who ignored the comment
"…So our plane was held over" said Zero
"So we decided to check out Ottawa and see the sights" said Brass
"Yeah but Brass; who for some reason hates Canada couldn't help but get in trouble" said Zero
"What happened?" asked Emmy as she petted Treble
"He got arrested" said Zero
"I did nothing wrong!" said Brass
"Brass you marched around outside the Prime Minister's office holding a burning Canadian flag and singing Blame Canada" pointed out Zero
"I still don't see how I was at fault! Besides they had no reason to throw me in a mental hospital afterward!" said Brass defensively
"You were doing this while you were but naked in negative three degree weather" pointed out Zero
"Ok I might've done something wrong but where were you?" asked Brass
"After the first three minutes of this I went in a coffee shop to relax when the first two or three cops showed up for your scene" explained Zero
"Da gone Mounties!" said Brass angrily
"When I came out I saw they had caught you and were dragging you away, I kept track of you as they put you in a mental hospital thinking you were insane" said Zero
(Aside) "They were right too"
"Anyway, I asked about your release and they said you had to get therapy first before anyone could bail you out. I decided to head stateside to see if I could get enough money to bail you out once they tried and failed to cure you and you caused them mass chaos. I remembered coming through a nice town our first time through this area so I decided to head here and see if I could get some money for bail. I met Max, Emmy, and Enrique on a job and the next thing I know I meet you here" explained Zero
"That's my story, what about you? How did you break out since I know they wouldn't just let you go" asked Zero
"Well one day I asked one of the hospital's doctors to take me and see Treble which they captured and put in a cage in one of the rooms in the hospital…" started Brass
"It took over five fully armored Canadian SWAT team members to subdue Treble and that was after I told Treble to calm down and that we could just escape later" added Brass with a chuckle
"…when he took me to see Treble it's turned out that the authorities had greatly underestimated Treble's power and put him in a flimsy cage. The doctor got too close to the cage and when I gave the signal Treble burst out of the cage and attacked. The doctor ran away screaming and accidentally dropped his pass and key. I escaped with Treble and traveled back to the states" said Brass
Treble gave a happy bark when Brass mentioned the doctor
"When we got stateside I had someone bring me my hummer and began tracking you down" said Brass to Zero
"How'd you do that?" asked Zero
"I looked up your speeding tickets on the police database, I know how fast you like to drive on the highway on that bike of yours and know you get pulled over all the time for speeding" said Brass
"So you tracked Zero all the way here and lost his trail?" asked Emmy
"Yup, Zero's easy to find while he's moving across country but hard to find in a city with no highways" explained Brass
"Brass, I'm curious. How did you meet Emmy, Max, and Enrique?" asked Zero
The children gulped at the question
"I met them in the library…" started Brass
The children were now in a panic
"…as I was hacking the local databases looking for any sign of you…"
They fear on the children's faces was clear now
"…the children had come with their parents and we got to talking in the computer room…"
The children gave a sigh of relief
"…I explained how to use a computer to them and we became friends" said Brass
"Weird, Brass I didn't think you would like to hang out with anyone as nice as them" said Zero suspiciously
"And I would think the children wouldn't hang out with someone as dangerous as you Brass" added Zero
"He's not that bad" said Emmy in an unconvincing tone
Truthfully she would rather eat her own weight in glass than have to spend a lot of time with him but now that he knew who they were she and Max and Enrique could expect to hear from him again
"Why do I find that hard to believe?" asked Zero
"Are you insinuating that I am a bad guy to be around?" asked Brass in a mock intellectual tone
"I'd think they be safer hanging out with a Mexican gang" replied Zero sharply
"How would you know?" asked Brass insulted
"I'm one of your friends and I traveled with you for months" answered Zero
"Oh" said Brass
"Emmy, Max, Enrique!" someone called from the backyard
The children looked towards the direction the voice had come from and instantly knew who it was
"That's Mom" said Emmy getting down from the hummer's doorframe that was a good deal off the ground
"She must be wondering where went" said Max getting down as well
"We better head back to the party" said Enrique also leaping down
"Sweet! Let's party!" said Brass
Treble gave a happy bark
"Umm Brass? I think Treble should stay here, he could …scare some of the guests away" said Emmy
Treble let out a whine
"Sorry boy" said Bras in an apologetic tone to Treble "But she's right, but I'll make sure to bring back some meat for you"
Treble gave a happy bark
"Well Brass we kind of don't have any yet" said Max
"What? Why?" asked Brass
"Our Daddy can't get the grill to work" explained Max
"Well if that's the only problem leave it to me!" said Brass
"You know how to grill?" asked Enrique
"What part of Texan don't you understand? Give me a minute and I'll get that thing to start underwater!" said Brass proudly
Brass then ran to the back of his hummer
"You guys stay here" said Zero to the children having a feeling this was something they shouldn't see
Zero followed Brass to the back while Emmy, Max, and Enrique stayed by the side
Brass hit a button on the bumper to open the backdoor
He had installed an electronic opening system for it since he was so short
The backdoor opened up to reveal a huge stockpile of explosives in the back of the hummer
In the back was a small metal workbench with a bunch of scattered explosive things on it
The walls had compartments for all his explosives
Cherry bombs, fireworks of many shorts, M80's, various flammable chemicals, plastic explosives, satchel charges, claymores, grenades, dynamite sticks, TNT, napalm, and Zero swore he say something with a radioactive sticker on it
Brass had an entire bomb workbench and explosives storage area in the back of his hummer!
"You love explosives waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much" said Zero calmly like he was used to this
"Doesn't bother me none" said Brass calmly
"You drive this thing?" asked Zero at the obvious danger
"It's perfectly safe!" said Brass as he picked up a can of napalm
"Brass you can't use napalm to start a grill" said Zero sternly
"Please?" asked Brass like a little kid would ask for a toy
"No" said Zero firmly
"Aw man!" said Bass defeated before putting the napalm back and just grabbed some lighter fluid
(Note: one of the reasons I created Zero is that he is the only one capable of keeping Brass under control and the only person Brass will obey. He's the counterbalance for Brass)
Brass shut the door and he and Zero walked over to the children
"Got it" said Brass holding up the can
"Hey that's the same stuff dad was using!" said Max recognizing it
"Really?" asked Brass
"Yeah but mom said he uses too much" said Max
Suddenly another huge pillar of flame could be seen from behind the house
"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" someone screamed from behind the house
Brass smacked his face in annoyance
"Amateur!" said Brass before running to the backyard
The rest of the group followed as Treble stayed behind guarding Brass' hummer
"Oh Zero, there's something I want to ask you" said Emmy as they walked
"What?" asked Zero
"How do you…you know…put up with Brass?" asked Emmy
"Yeah he seems really dangerous and mean" said Enrique
"Oh don't worry too much, despite what you think Brass is actually nicer than this" said Zero
"He is?" asked Enrique
"Yeah, he's always really mean to new people or strangers but once someone gets to know him and can put up with him they earn his respect and he cools down a bit" explained Zero
"Really?" asked Emmy
"Yeah, so if you guys just ignore his insults and rude behavior he'll stop eventually" said Zero
"Oh" said Max
"But he's still really mean and a criminal right?" asked Emmy
"Yeah but trust me he's still only ok with breaking some laws" said Zero
"What's that mean?" asked Enrique
"Even Brass isn't heartless, he knows not to go too far with what he dose. He makes it a rule that no one can get seriously hurt or die because of his antics, he never will do anything besides minorly annoy someone he doesn't know, he only causes them serious problems or pain if they have done something to anger him. Also he always tries to cause problems for people who have done something wrong whenever he can" said Zero
"But what about all the bad stuff he did on your trip?" asked Max
"Well those were some of the worse moments for Brass, he actually did a lot of good on our trip but he'll never admit it" said Zero
"Why?" asked Emmy
"Brass prefers to be known more for his meaner side" said Zero
"Why would he want to do that?" asked Enrique wondering why someone would want to be known for being mean
"It makes him feel tough and for Brass that's important" answered Zero
"Why?" asked Enrique
"I'm not sure to tell the truth, it has something to do with his past but he never talks about that even to me" said Zero
"So Brass isn't as mean or evil as he seems?" asked Emmy
"Yeah, I figured that out long ago and that's how I can deal with him" answered Zero
"I guess I can understand" said Emmy thinking about it
"Don't worry, if you give him a chance and some time Brass will surprise you. I've learned that although he's rough and totally insane on the outside he's very reliable and trustworthy" said Zero reassuringly
This made the children feel a lot better
Back Yard
Zero and the children come around the corner of the side of the house to see the party still going on
Some of the guests were lined up near the grill waiting for a burger
Brass was at the grill cooking like he was a professional with Emmy and Max's father looking at him wondering how he had been upstaged by a ten-year old
Emmy and Max's mother walked over to the children and Zero
"Max, Emmy; your new friend is quiet amazing. He got your father away from the grill and got it lit in ten seconds" she said to Emmy and Max
"That's Brass for you" said Zero expecting this
"Oh, hi there Zero! I'm glad you could make it today, Max seemed very eager to see you again" said Emmy and Max's mother noticing Zero
"It was no problem, I was happy to see them again too" said Zero politely
"Have a good time then" said Emmy and Max's mother
She then walked away to mingle with some of the guests
"So Zero what do you want to do?" asked Emmy
"Well I think I'd better keep and eye on Brass and make sure he doesn't slip laxatives into the food" said Zero before heading over to where Brass was
Later
The children enjoyed the party for a while longer until it was nearly sunset
Emmy, Max, and Enrique where busy playing tag
"Can't catch me Emmy!" taunted Max as he ran past the legs of some of the party guests with Emmy close behind
"I'll get you!" said Emmy playfully as she followed him
Max out ran her easily with the lead he had
Suddenly Enrique, who was also after Max, appeared in Max's path
Before Max could stop Enrique simply placed his hand out an tagged him
"I got you!" said Enrique happily
"Nice one Enrique" complimented Emmy who was panting slightly
"Max I'm getting beat" said Max also tired
"We should save some of our energy for the party in Dragon Land" said Enrique
"Yeah, when's it going to start?" asked Max
"I don't know, what's the time?" asked Enrique
"I don't have a watch. Let's ask Zero" suggested Emmy
The children went up to Zero who was talking Brass about something
"I'm telling you I saw a UFO the other night!" said Brass
"Yeah right" said Zero unconvinced
"I'm serious! I should know, I'm a redneck! We attract them like orphans from some third world country to celebrities!" said Brass
"Whatever" said Zero
Zero then spotted the children coming over
"What's up?" he asked as they approached
"Zero, what time is it?" asked Emmy
Zero took out his phone and checked the clock
"5:58" said Zero
"Ay caramba! We're going to be late!" said Enrique
"It's starts at 6!" said Max
"Let's hurry!" said Emmy
The children then ran inside the house
"What was that about?" asked Zero
"How should I know?" said Brass
"Like I was saying it was a huge blue ball of light!" said Brass
"You sure you didn't just sniff something too hard in the back of your hummer? I've seen some of what you have back there" said Zero
"I don't do drugs! I only steal a beer and underage drink from time to time!" said Brass insulted
Dragon Land
On a beach a Dragoon Lagoon the dragon's party was set up and going full swing
It was sunset and everyone was having a good time under the orange sky that looked like it had come from a painting
There were campfires all over the entire beach and the rainbow colored dragons and many other creatures were relaxing and having fun
Ord, Cassie, Zak and Wheezie were among them
Ord was using his dragon breath to cook burgers and hotdogs for himself
Cassie was talking to him while he cooked even though he couldn't talk because his fire breath would stop
And Zak and Wheezie were playing their scales for a crowd of dancers
All were busy waiting for their friends to show up
The children appeared in a bright flash of green light right next to Ord and Cassie
"Maf, Ewwe, Enwque!" mumbled Ord still breathing fire on his food
"You're here!" said Cassie running over and hugging Emmy lightly
"You been around Ord too much Cassie" joked Emmy with a smile at the gesture
Cassie let out a laugh
"Glad you're finally here!" said Wheezie coming over with Zak
"Sorry we were late we got caught up with Brass and Zero" said Emmy
The dragon's reaction was shock
"BRASS!" said Ord in shock dropping his food
"What happened?" asked Zak
"Did you guys do something as the Dragon Riders? Did you get into trouble?" asked Cassie in a panic thinking they must have been fighting a criminal or something dangerous to need Brass around since he said they could call him if something bad was happening
"No" said Emmy
"Brass kinda…showed up at our house" said Max
"What?" asked Zak
"How?" asked Wheezie
After a quick review of what's happened
The children spent five minutes telling the dragons about everything that had happened from Brass finding out who they were to the story of Zero and Brass
"No way!" said Wheezie when they were done
"Yes way" said Enrique
"I can't believe Brass knows who we are" said Cassie with dread
"Yeah but like it or not we're stuck with him" said Emmy
"Great just great" said Zak sarcastically
"I'm still amazed Zero knows Brass" said Cassie
"Yeah those two seem really weird" said Enrique
"Well so are we" said Max
"What?" asked everyone else
"We travel to a magical land filled with dragons and fight bad guys using magical powers and weapons, they seem normal compared to us" said Max
"Well that's on way of looking at it" said Wheezie
"Point made" said Emmy
"Ninos!" someone called off to the side of them
They group turned to see Quetzal walking over to them
"Hola Quetzal!" said Max politely
"Hola" greeted Emmy and Enrique
"I'm glad to see you could make it ninos, I was worried that you weren't going to show up when you were late" said Quetzal
"Sorry we had a party today too and we forgot what time it was" apologized Max
"No problemo! I'm just happy you're here" said Quetzal
"Oh Quetzal? I was wondering have you ever heard of something called the Phoenix?" asked Emmy remembering she wanted to ask Quetzal about it
"A Phoenix did you say? Hmmm…I'm not quite sure, it sounds familiar but I can't remember much about it" answered Quetzal
"What do you remember?" asked Emmy
"Well…it had something to do fire I believe but I can't remember much" said Quetzal
"A fire bird" said Enrique
"Yes that was it! It was a bird that had powers of fire and life, I believe that they were mentioned in the big storybook a few times but I can't remember it" said Quetzal
"Does that help at all?" asked Quetzal
"Not really but it's not that big a deal" said Emmy
"Why did you ask?" asked Quetzal
"Well someone in our world has the nickname Phoenix and I was just wondering what it was" said Emmy
"I'll look in the big storybook later and see if there's something on them in it" said Quetzal
"Gracias" said Emmy gratefully
"De nada" said Quetzal politely before walking away
"The Phoenix…" said Emmy in deep thought about him
"What's wrong Emmy?" asked Max to his sister
"Nothing, it's just that I can't get over the feeling that he has something to do with the dragons" said Emmy
"What makes you think that?" asked Enrique
"Nothing really, it's just a feeling" said Emmy
"Well I got a feeling to party!" said Wheezie doing a back flip
"EASY WHEEZIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" screamed Zak as she did a triple back flip mid-air and landed on the ground with a thud
"That was fun!" said Wheezie
"I'm going to puke" said Zak looking greener than he already was
"Yeah enough talking about this let's have fun!" said Max
He and Ord then ran off to try some of the party games the dragons had set up on the beach
"Come on Enrique, you can help with the music" said Wheezie
"Si! Let's go" said Enrique happily before running off with Zak and Wheezie
Zak made a sick face as Wheezie ran off dragging him off because he was still sick from the back flip
Emmy stayed behind thinking about the Phoenix
"What's wrong Emmy?" asked Cassie
"Oh…what?" asked Emmy coming back to reality
"You looked like you were thinking about something hard" said Cassie concerned
"It's nothing let's go with the others" said Emmy
"Ok" said Cassie still nervous about what was bothering Emmy
Emmy and Cassie then went to meet up with the others
Later
The children and dragons enjoyed the beach party for a while
Ord and Max beat almost everyone at the party games and won many prizes
Ord beat everyone in an impromptu eating contest he had set up and ended up getting so sick he nearly puked
Cassie and Emmy talked with a lot of their friends in Dragon Land
Polly Nimbus, The giant of Nod, Spike, Windy, and many others
Enrique and Zak and Wheezie helped provide music for the dancers
Emmy and Cassie walked over to Ord and Max who were on the ground recovering from the eating contest Ord had set up
"Hi Emmy. Hi Cassie" said Ord sitting on the ground leaning against a rock with Max right next to him
"Hi guys" said Emmy
"You alright?" asked Cassie to Ord
"I'm fine, I just don't think I'll be able to eat again for a week" said Ord
"Hi guys!" said Loca happily who had just rolled up to the in his wheel chair holding a plate of cupcakes
Ord spotted them and quickly grabbed on and ate it
"HMMM! Dragon Berry!" said Ord happily licking his lips
Max let out a laugh
"Hi Lorca! What's up?" greeted Emmy
"Nothing much. Great party huh?" said the red wheelchair bound dragon happily
"Yeah, it's nice to just relax and have fun like this every once in a while" said Cassie
"Yeah since becoming…" Lorca paused to look around "…Dragon riders…" Lorca whispered "…you guys have seemed really stressed"
"I guess you're right" said Emmy thinking about how their lives had changed since becoming Dragon Riders
Emmy had thought a lot about it since she considered it her fault that they had become them
'What if I hadn't been in that bank? What if I had just ran a little faster to the door? What if I would have been fine if they hadn't showed up? What if I had just stayed home?' Emmy's mind though often going through all the what ifs she could think of
She still felt a deep guilt about it and often wondered every time one of her friends got hurt during a fight if they blamed her for it too
Sometimes she thought it might've been better if they hadn't showed up to help her out
She knew they would never say that to her openly but sometimes she wondered if they thought it
"By they way thanks for not telling about us Lorca" said Cassie gratefully
"It's no problem! I'm just glad you guys don't have to hide anything from me" said Lorca happily
"We're getting used to hiding" said Ord
The dragons had to often hide from anyone while in the human world
They hid on rooftops, in alleyways, in the air, and they kept having to hide in the dark, dirty, cramped playroom closet to avoid Emmy and Max's parents
Ord was disappointed at first to not be able to meet new people in the human world but now he understood that it was important
"So have you guys done anything interesting lately?" asked Lorca curiously
Ever since finding out about who they were he was always curious about what cool things they had done in the human world as Dragon Riders
Lorca was always amazed by what they told him
All stories of strange weapons call "guns" and all the battles they had against odd evil humans called "criminals"
Lorca couldn't understand all the terms they used for strange human items but he was always captivated by the stories
He felt like he was listening to a Prince Griffon story whenever they told him about the petty criminals they had stopped and the people they had saved
"Well…" said Emmy thinking about what they had done recently
"We haven't done much recently" said Cassie
"We fought a carjacker the other day" said Max casually
"Really?" asked Lorca excitedly
"Did he have one of those "gun" things?" asked Lorca
"No only a knife, we were flying over the city the other day and found him breaking into a red sports car that was parked near the sidewalk in front of a skyscraper" said Max
"Are those the things that can fly?" asked Lorca
"No those are planes, sportscars are really fast on the ground" explained Emmy
"Oh" said Lorca
"We came down and landed hard on the road breaking the ground and making a loud BANG sound" said Max
"The carjacker turned around and saw Ord right behind him" continued Max
"I think I scared him" said Ord
"I'll say! He screamed, wet himself, and passed out" said Max
"The cops showed up later and just picked him up" said Emmy
"That's so cool!" said Lorca
"It's wasn't that impressive" said Ord modestly
"Yeah, in the human world most people haven't see dragons and panic and get really scared when they see them" explained Emmy
"Why? I bet humans and dragons would get along really well" said Lorca
Emmy, Cassie, Ord, and Max all became uncomfortable at this last comment
They knew that humans had nearly killed off dragons and forced the dragons to create Dragon Land to flee to
Emmy had a breakdown when she had heard about this from Sage with the others and though humans shouldn't be allowed to be in Dragon Land but Cassie had talked some sense into her along with Kiki and Fihn
Emmy and the other often wondered just what could've caused humans to do that but no one knew what did it
It made no sense that one day humans just woke up and decided to kill all dragons but the reason they started was unknown
"You're probably right" said Cassie weakly knowing the truth
"So guys the School in The Sky let out today too, right?" asked Emmy to get onto a different topic
"Yeah, but we'll still go there to see Quetzal from time to time" said Cassie
"You got out of human school today too, right?" asked Lorca to Emmy and Max
"Yup! No more stupid work until September!" said Max happily
"We still have to do our summer work Max" said Emmy
"Stupid summer work!" said Max angrily
(I HATE SUMMER WORK! I have to do summer reading were I have to read two books and do a project on them during my valuable summer vacation time. Does anyone else have to do something like that?)
"What do you have to do Emmy?" asked Cassie
"A project on dinosaurs, me and Enrique are doing it together" said Emmy
"I have to read a book and make a project about it" said Max bitterly
"That's not so bad" said Cassie
"But it's during summer! I'm suppose to be having fun not doing work!" complained Max
"Just don't do it the last week Max and it'll be fine" said Emmy
Max wasn't convinced
"Brothers…" muttered Emmy annoyed
"Sisters…" muttered Max annoyed
"They're beginning to sound like Zak and Wheezie" said Cassie
"Where are Zak and Wheezie?" asked Ord
Cassie pointed over at Zak and Wheezie who was with Enrique further down the beach
Zak and Wheezie were playing music on their scales and Enrique was joining in with a triangle
Several other dragons were dancing to it
"Come on Zaky let's rock!" said Wheezie playing fast and loud
"Why do we always have to rock?" asked Zak to a Wheezie who was not listening
"Looks like fun" commented Ord who finally stood up
"Yeah!" said Cassie happily
"What're we waiting around here for?" asked Lorca
"Let's go!" said Emmy
All of them then ran off to join in on the fun
Later on a Cliff over looking Dragoon Lagoon
The children and dragons were on a rocky cliff laying down and resting
The party was still going down below them but they needed a break to rest
It was late sunset and the sun was starting its final decent into the horizon
"Wow today's been fun" said Max
"Yeah" said Ord
"I'm glad we could just have fun for once and not do anything dangerous or Dragon Rider related" said Enrique
"It's like how it was before we were Dragon Riders" said Max
"Yeah" said Emmy weakly
Cassie sensed something was wrong
"What's the matter?" asked Cassie
"Nothing" said Emmy
Cassie could feel Emmy was lying because they shared a heart and Cassie could sometimes feel Emmy's emotions
"You're lying" said Cassie
Emmy knew she had been found out
"Well…it's just that, do you guys regret becoming Dragon Riders?" asked Emmy
"What?" asked Max
Everyone was no looking at Emmy
"We've had to give up a lot in order to become Dragon Rides. We don't get to play in Dragon Land nearly as often, we have to battle dangerous criminals and get hurt saving people, and we have to lie and sneak to avoid being caught. Sometimes I think it might've been better if you guys hadn't shown up to save me" said Emmy sadly
Everyone gasped at the last part
"No it wouldn't have!" said Cassie in shock at Emmy's last comment
"That's right!" said Enrique
"We're glad we showed up Emmy" said Ord
"Yeah!" said Wheezie
"None of us regret what we did Emmy, and we don't regret becoming Dragon Riders ether" said Cassie
"Thanks guys, I was just worried that you blamed me for what happened" said Emmy
"What!" asked Cassie
"That ridiculous!" said Wheezie
"Yeah! That's dumber than half the stuff Wheezie says" said Zak
Wheezie gave him an annoyed growl
"We could never blame you Emmy" said Cassie
"It's wasn't your fault" said Max
"I know but…"
"Enough Emmy, you don't have to worry about it" said Cassie
Cassie gave Emmy and smile
This made Emmy happy so she smiled back
"Thanks guys" said Emmy in relief
Emmy leaned back and looked at the sunset that was only seconds away from nightfall
The children and dragons sat back and relaxed and enjoyed the show as the warm summers night air and sea breeze coming off the ocean wafted around them calmly
"What do you think is in store for us?" asked Max
"I don't know Max but we'll be ready for it" said Emmy with a smile to her brother
At that moment the sun finally set and only a dark shadow-like light remained
At the party below them the older adult dragons torches on sticks for light
"We better get back to the party" said Cassie
"Si" said Enrique
Everyone got up and headed back down the rocky path to the beach
Emmy stayed a second to look at where the sun had been
"Emmy coming?" called Cassie to her
"Yeah Emmy, hurry up!" taunted Max as payback for earlier
"I'm coming!" said Emmy with a giggle
She ran towards the path
She stopped for a second to take on last look at where the sun had been
She then ran down the path to join her friends
The sun sets this day only to return again to mark the beginning on a new day with new possibilities
We can see the children and dragons running down the path laughing happily all the way
For there is no ending in life, just a new beginning
The children and dragons race across the beach back to the party
Everyday is a new road, a new path and whatever obstacle may lay on that road you must face it head on with all your heart
End Chapter