A.N. Here you go! I will be posting a new CDF story later today or tomorrow. This one will not be abandoned so don't worry, I just had another idea that wouldn't leave me alone.
I curled tighter, determined not to loose the shape of a small ball. I had kept up this for the past two hours and nothing was going to stop me, even if my legs were falling asleep. The past two days had been some of the worst in my entire life which was saying something. In the span of forty-eight hours I had almost been killed twice, kidnapped, and my secret was out. Mr. Tiny knew I had magic. That was why I was currently curled at the back of the van. The incident had happened last night and he hadn't said a word to me since; not that I had said a word in two days either but Mr. Tiny was not usually this quiet. We stopped every few hours and I would scuttle out to buy chips and water with a few bucks Mr. Tiny handed me along with using the bathroom and drinking blood if needed but besides that we were driving to an unknown location.
I closed my eyes to avoid staring at Mr. Tiny who was constantly eyeballing me in the rearview mirror and remembered what had happened again.
"If you would stop acting like a two year old, we might make some progress!" Mr. Tiny said in frustration but just like all his other attempts to make me speak I kept quiet. We had just pulled into a campsite and he had yet to unlock the car. Finally he threw up his hands and the doors swung open. "Go and shower you smell awful." He tossed me a bag and booted me out, the doors closing with a click.
I stalked off after picking up the bag and making a show of brushing every bit of dirt off it. I was not looking forward to showering in the near chilly weather and hoped the pipes were frozen. It was a decent trek to the showers and I eyed them with distaste. The building was nice enough but the shower stalls were tiny, and the curtains wouldn't have covered a toddler properly. I hung my bag on the hook outside the stall furthest from the door and turned the water on; I had a brief moment to hope it was frozen but water came gushing out. I stripped quickly and danced under the water teeth chattering. I had just begun to soap up my hair when footsteps outside the building made me pause with my fingers digging into my scalp. The footsteps, two pairs of them walked by and continued on without pausing and I relaxed. Rinsing took no time at all and I reached for the water to shut it off when the footsteps came back, but this time I could hear and smell six people. I left the water on and quietly unzipped my bag from behind the curtain, pulling my pants and shirt to me; I dressed under the water ignoring the fact I was getting new clothes soaked and listened hard. The footsteps were definitely coming to the building with a purpose and I highly doubted it was because they were here to enjoy the campsites facilities. I used a bit of magic to turn on all the showers and pull the curtains closed then I picked up the bag and slung it over my shoulder, climbing part way up the shower wall and bracing my feet against it so they wouldn't be seen.
The footsteps entered the building and spread out, three people going to each row. As they went I heard them pulling down curtains one after another. I bared my pointy teeth and smiled. The curtain next to mine and I saw the indents of fingers wrap around mine and I jumped, landing on the closest man to slit his throat with one claw before anyone could react. I whipped around in a blur of blue feathers and my tail wrapped around another mans throat, crushing his windpipe. I left him to die gasping on the ground. The third man was dispatched with a crushing blow to the chest from a massive punch and I spun around, crouching to meet the next three. I wasn't happy with the way I had fought; exhaustion had made me slow. Unfortunately my eyes lighted on the weapons all three were carrying: cattle prods. I growled loudly and the prods sparked. I lurched backwards and ran for the door, closing my hand around the necklace Mr. Tiny had given me and ripping it off. He had added another spell to alert him if I was in danger and the necklace being removed was one way to trigger the spell.
Of course the men gave chase and I led them outside the building, into the bright sunlight. The crackling of electricity had sent my already tense body into hyper alertness. Those things could not touch my skin or my dragon again. I turned around and held out my hands, making it very clear that the men needed to turn around and leave right now but they only laughed and advanced. I snarled loudly.
Then one of the men whipped the cattle prod back over his shoulder and tossed it at me. He had wrapped a piece of cloth tightly around the handle so the electricity was constantly going. The prod spun through the air slowly and I watched it dumbly.
My hand snapped up without thought and a wave of angry, fearful magic sent all three men tumbling through the air and into the side of the building. I lowered my hand and turned around after watching the one man get electrocuted by his own weapon and stiffened.
Mr. Tiny was standing a few feet away watching me with an eerily blank expression.
I snapped out of the memory when the car began to grind up a gravel driveway. The smell of farm animals made me uncurl stiffly and look out the back window. We were at a large farm; barns were scattered in a half circle outside a large farmhouse and beyond that fields gave way to forest. A group of people were standing on the farm houses porch dressed in overalls, tattered jeans and old shirts. The farm house itself looked well loved and old, but still in good condition. The tallest person was a woman in her late thirties to forties with a bush of red hair pulled into a ponytail that could barely contain the frizz. She wore a dark pair of overalls and heavy boots. Standing behind her, peeking out around her leg was a girl I guessed was her daughter. She had the same red hair and her eyes were bright blue. Two twin boys dressed in jeans and loose coats were shoving each other on the bottom steps but straightened up guiltily when they saw the car approaching. They looked like imps and I immediately liked them. The last man was tall and well muscled, also wearing overalls.
The car stopped and I opened the door after Mr. Tiny got up and walked behind him to greet the family. It was a shock when not one of them batted an eye at my appearance or ran back into the house in terror. In fact they seemed pleased to see me and Mr. Tiny.
"This is Shadow," Mr. Tiny said and gestured to me; I dodged him when he tried to grip my elbow and pull me out from behind him.
I liked the people but dealing with another set of humans that could mess with me was not my idea of fun.
"Hello Shadow. My name is Pandora, and my daughter here is Bea. The two devils are Jasper and Timothy and our hardest worker here is Albert," the woman said with a smile.
I lifted my hand up in a small wave and offered a grin in return toward the little girl who giggled and darted back into the house, returning a moment later with a plush doll. Another smile crossed my face at her antics.
"He doesn't talk," Mr. Tiny said, shooting me a cross look.
Pandora dodged past Timothy and approached me with purposeful stride. "By his own choosing?" She asked and studied me, probably looking for some defect that would keep me from talking.
"Yes," Mr. Tiny said.
"That is not a problem," Pandora said kindly. "Bea why don't you show Shadow around and then take him to his room? I need to speak with Desmond."
Bea grabbed my hand and for a seven year old she had a tight grip. She led me up the steps and through the front door, into a living room. The room was a good size with one large couch in front of a TV mounted on a brick fireplace and two plush chairs off to the side. Bookshelves covered most of the available wall space, filled with old volumes, family pictures and stacks of CDs. In one corner a desk sat with an old computer on top and a lamp. But Bea didn't let me linger to see what the titles of some books were; she pulled me down a short hall; I caught sight of a bathroom through a half opened door and another family room filled with boxes, then we went into the kitchen. The appliances were old too and the dining table was scratched and well loved. One leg had a book underneath to keep it level and all the chairs had ripped seat cushions. We went back down the hall passing the bathroom again and up a creaking set of stairs. Bea showed me her room which was filled with tons of model horses: they filled her shelves, desk, laid on her bed and were all over the floor. Next was the twin's room which was only slightly cleaner. Pandoras room was tightly shut and we didn't go in.
"Albert lives in the barn loft. He likes to be alone," Bea explained. She yanked me down the hall to the far end and pointed at two doors, opening one. "This is your room," she said excitedly.
I went in and stood in the middle of the room. It was spacious but not overly so. A twin bed and side table sat in the corner and the floors were wooden just like downstairs. The floors were a pale shade of green going nicely with a small desk and chair at the other side. The closet was already filled with clothes my size and I stared at Bea, gesturing to them in confusion.
"Mr. Tiny told us your size and gave us money to get you clothes," Bea said proudly. She started to hand me shirts and pants, pointing out each one that she had helped pick out.
When we finally put the clothes back I could hear Pandora and Mr. Tiny coming up the steps. I shut my door and leaned against it with a heavy sigh but quickly moved when my wings pressed into the wood.
"We haven't gotten anyone with wings before!" Bea said and circled me, examining every inch of me with a critical eye. I let my tail fall from where it had been wrapped around my waist and the little girl laughed again. She abruptly tried to touch my wings and I flinched away, banging into the desk painfully. "I'm sorry," Bea said her eyes going wide.
I made a patting motion when the fear subsided to try and make the girl relax. The door opened and Pandora entered, holding my bag. I took it from her and backed up to sit on the bed when Mr. Tiny hovered in the doorway.
"Do you like him Bea?" Pandora asked and for some reason I got the feeling there was some deeper meaning in the question. I wondered how much Mr. Tiny had told her about me. If she knew about the collar and nightmares I did not want her pity.
Bea put her finger on her chin and looked thoughtful for a second. "Yes," she finally decided.
"You look unsure," her mother said and her eyes went to me for a split second.
"He is so jumpy! But he likes the clothes we picked out and the room and he didn't get mad at me when I tried to touch his wings," Bea said carefully. "Why doesn't he talk?"
"He doesn't want to," Pandora said and she visibly relaxed.
Bea looked from me to her mom and back again. "Is he scared?"
A gust of air escaped from me in protest but then I sighed. In truth not speaking was a lot easier then having to answer question after question. Instead of struggling with how to explain why I was like this, or what had happened to me I could stay quiet.
"Maybe," Pandora said and shooed Mr. Tiny backwards so she could mostly leave the room. "He will talk when he is ready." Then she was gone and I had ducked my head to keep from seeing Mr. Tiny's expression when he left. Their footsteps went back downstairs and only then did I breathe again.
Bea helped me unpack and I took the bag from her before she pulled out the book and feather. Then I sat on the bed and slumped over, staring mindlessly at the floor.
"Don't be sad," Bea said.
I looked up at the little girl and frowned, tilting my head.
"Everyone has to be scared of something," Bea said matter of factly.
I smiled and nodded, accidently giving Bea a full glimpse of my pointed teeth. But she took it in stride, her eyes only widening for a second.
"Mom said you can shower before dinner," Bea said and led me outside to the upstairs bathroom. She brought me a towel and shampoo then helped me pick out clothes much to my amusement. I left the room ten minutes later with a bright red t-shirt and jeans.
The shower was quick as the memory of what had happened during the last one was strong. I made sure my rib wound was no worse and saw that under the water it was beginning to scab more thoroughly. Nothing more then that since my dragon was still hurt but it was a start. I carefully toweled off, avoiding the dragon's wounded side and had just pulled on my pants when Bea burst into the room waving a piece of paper in the air.
Bea's eyes got huge when she saw the dragon on my torso, the tail disappearing under my jeans to the side and put a hand to her mouth. She didn't look scared at all. In fact concern replaced any apprehension she had been giving off.
I had almost killed her when she walked in, but the logical part of my mind had asserted itself just in time. Bea was a harmless cub and meant no harm toward the dragon. If anything she was the perfect person to see the dragon.
"It's hurt," was the first thing Bea said. She took a tiny step forward and when I didn't freak out, walked right up to me but did not touch the dragon.
I nodded.
"Stay!" Bea rushed off and opened the closet, bringing back medicine that she uncapped and squirted a bit onto her finger. "Can I put it on?"
I sat on the toilet, leaning back a little so she could see the wound more clearly. I had no idea why I was giving myself up to this little waif of a girl so easily but I was quickly becoming attached. For all I knew the medicine would actually help. I hissed in pain when Bea's small fingers brushed over the dragon but tolerated it until the medicine was mostly rubbed in. But Bea did not pull away; instead her fingers trailed along the uninjured part of the dragon's side and I felt it too. I let out a long sigh and my muscles started to relax. It was like getting a massage. Bea only stopped after she had rubbed the dragons head and sent my hair into a mess. When she pulled away I quickly yanked my shirt on, feeling strangely sad. But I pulled myself together and put a finger to my lips trying to convey to Bea I wanted this to be a secret. It took a minute but her eyes lit up.
"We have a secret!" She said eagerly and then giggled.
I touched my stomach where the dragon was still sitting and nodded.
Bea placed her hand over mine and stared into my eyes, her own sincere. "I promise not to tell," she swore solemnly. Then her attention broke and she gave me the piece of paper. "Mom said to write down what kind of pizza you like so she can order it."
I took the paper and wrote down 'anything but mushrooms,' in messy scrawl after Bea found a pen in her pocket. The girl bounced down the steps and I followed at a more sedate pace, my side stinging painfully. Pandora was sitting on the couch deep in conversation with Mr. Tiny and both of them fell silent when we entered. Bea handed her mother the paper and she read it with an amused quirk of the mouth.
"I agree completely," Pandora said to me and tucked the paper in her pocket.
"We have a secret!" Bea said and then clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes darting to me with worry.
I sighed.
"A secret?" Pandora said. "What is it?"
"It wouldn't be a secret if I told you," Bea said.
Mr. Tiny looked between us and at the last second I started at the floor so his eyes grazed over the top of my head.
"Bea you know how I feel about secrets," Pandora said.
"It's fluffy," Bea said and crossed her arms. "That's all I will tell you." Apparently she had reminded herself of something because she added: "Can I show Shadow the barn?"
"Tomorrow. It's already getting late. But after dinner you can show him the kittens," Pandora compromised.
"Ok…" Bea said and wrapped her hand around my arm.
I looked down at the girl and let her lead me back into the other family room. There we played so many games my head spun. I lost at most of them, most spectacularly at checkers. The only game I trounced Bea in was Connect Four where I remained an undefeated champion. By the time we finished the smell of food wafted in from the kitchen and I followed Bea, trying to remind myself that I did not bounce.
The sheer amount of food on the table awoke an appetite I hadn't had in days. I took a plate and heaped pizza and chicken onto it. I wrapped my hand around the plate possessively after hunting down a fork and dug into the food. The chicken was perfectly breaded and crispy, and the pizza hot but not burning. Bea took a large amount of food too, mimicking the layout of my plate exactly and sat down next to me. Her gaze kept darting to my side where the dragon was resting. We ate in silence, Pandora trying to get Mr. Tiny to engage in conversation but he remained silent. She talked to me after that, telling me all about the house, barn and animals on the farm. There were sheep, pigs, horses and cats along with a very old goat. Bea interjected occasionally to tell me about their giant cliff on the south side of the farm and the lake that was partly frozen over. I nodded sometimes to show I was listening but did not look up from my foot until my stomach was ready to burst. Mr. Tiny was staring me down a few places across and to the left. The look on his face made me set down the fork and push away from the table. "Bathroom," I muttered, not missing the furious look Pandora sent Mr. Tiny. I barely made it to the toilet before everything I had just eaten came back up. I clutched the toilet bowl and dry heaved before flushing and washing my hands. Then I sat on the toilet and put my face in my hands. From outside I could hear raised voices, but didn't bother to focus and listen in. Mr. Tiny had obviously made up his mind. He was angry at me for having magic; even though I had known that could happen his reaction still stung. I got up and slumped past the kitchen, sidling past before anyone saw me but was waylaid by Bea at the front door.
"Forget about the nasty man," Bea said solemnly. "I have kittens!" She grabbed my hand gently and pulled me into the living room. Under the desk was a box lined with thick blankets and inside huddled next to two hot water bottles were four gray and white kittens that looked like giant fluff balls with eyes. "We found them on our doorstep," Bea explained. She patted the couch. "Sit here and I'll give you them!"
I sat on the couch, leaning against the arm that faced the TV and let Bea pile two blankets onto my lap and chest. Pandora and Mr. Tiny came in during her procedures and sat down on the plush chairs to watch us. Mr. Tiny had his blank expression on while Pandora still looked mildly annoyed. But her expression calmed when she saw what we were doing. She flicked on the TV and put on a movie that wasn't familiar to me.
Bea set the kittens on my back and they snuggled up to each other easily as I was almost laying flat. Their purring was going straight into me and embarrassingly I felt the urge to purr back. I had never wanted to do that before. Bea sat on my legs and ran her fingers over the fluff balls which only made them purr harder. The four kittens were right between my wings which was rather odd but Bea was careful not to mess with them.
Hours went by and the movie ended. The TV was left on but the show meant nothing to me and I felt like I was sinking into the couch. My arm was flopped over the side of the couch and my eyes were half closed; the kittens had fallen asleep but their purring never ceased. Even my wings were beginning to relax into an open position. Bea was on top of my legs still, her breathing deep and even.
"The boy suffers from night terrors, I do not suggest leaving kittens and a little girl with him," Mr. Tiny said.
Pandora sniffed. "It is no wonder if he stayed with you! It seems you have done nothing to help him!" She crossed her arms. "Have you seen him that relaxed ever?"
I felt Mr. Tiny's eyes flit over me. "No," he said finally.
Their conversation melted into white noise as I started to fall asleep; one wing folded itself just so to cover Bea and then I was out like a light.
R&R Please? :D
