Sisu & the Undiscovered Country
Chapter 3: Breakfast With Dragon Company
In all his life, Jamie never expected his life to take such an odd turn. Of course, who would ever expect to meet an actual dragon? Many would think facing such a mythical creature to be a magical experience, but for Jamie, that was far from the case. All Jamie ever wanted was a quiet life with little to hardly any excitement to interrupt it. Having a dragon appear throws a wrench into that calm lifestyle. Making things worse was that this dragon could talk and wanted to stay as close to Jamie as possible without needing to be joined at the hip. This dragon, Sisu, had convinced herself the two were best friends regardless of what Jamie had to say. No, she didn't seem like the worst person to have as a friend, mind you. It would be nice if Jamie had any say in it. Still, Sisu persisted in the idea, which was made worse when the young man had to use it as a cover to explain why she, in human form, was in his home. Oh boy, now there'll be no way she'll let him live that down anymore.
On bringing Sisu into his home, Jamie found himself extremely grateful that Sisu could even turn into a human. Spared him from the screaming and most of the constant questioning. Still, the young man assumed that bringing someone, anyone over, something he hadn't done in more than half a decade, would at least raise some eyebrows. As is, Jamie's family was taking a liking to Sisu. At this very moment, Sisu was sitting at the dining room table with his sisters, regaling them with stories of her life back in Kumandra, sans the whole being a dragon part. She never failed to get a laugh whenever any jokes were made by her.
Even Jamie's mother and stepfather were having a gas hearing Sisu's tales. All the while, the two prepared breakfast. By the time Sisu had finished a particular story, she and this Raya character had tripped over each other during a ceremony and directly into the food table, making a whole mess of the festivities all over herself. Sounded like such an embarrassing affair, but you couldn't tell by how Sisu recounted the tale. The human-disguised dragon made it all out to be this glorious event that shouldn't have been missed. Only after this story was told was breakfast finally ready to be served.
Carol and Ritchie set the table together with various breakfast items. Said breakfast menu comprised twenty slices of bacon, twenty breakfast sausage, a pitcher of orange juice, two plates of eggs, half of each made in different styles, and topped it all off with a stack of over two dozen pancakes. With all these delectables assembled, each person grabbed a plate of their own and filled it with their preferred choices, with the only exception being that each had a stack of four pancakes. However, excited over the prospect of trying out some new food, Sisu filled her plate with a bit of everything. With everyone's plates nice and full, they all sat at the dining table, with Jamie strategically sitting himself right next to Sisu. Truth be told, he didn't trust Sisu to control her bubbly personality to accidentally blow their cover. It's better to be safe than sorry, he thought.
Still, even with the young man's concerns, everyone else was enjoying their food. Sisu, especially, was having a blast trying out a new style of cuisine she had never tasted before. With every bite, Sisu found her taste buds assaulted with various flavor combinations she once never thought possible. Sure, she was no stranger to eggs, but mostly either hardboiled, mixed into rice, or scrambled into other dishes. Never had she had her eggs with the yolk mostly intact. At first, she was worried that breaking the yolk would create an irreversible mess for her plate, only to realize it could also be used as a sauce for the rest of her breakfast meat. Nor, too, did Sisu expect this bacon, just a thin piece of meat, to still be so succulent. Speaking of meats, the sausage was especially sweet and juicy. In fact, if Sisu wasn't mistaken, she caught the taste of maple within these slabs of pork. How odd for someone to have their meat marinated in tree sap, but this dragon couldn't argue with the results. Nor could she argue with having some maple sap drizzled on her stack of breakfast pastries.
"These are so good!" Sisu exclaimed with each bite.
"Why thank you, Miss. Datu." Carol found much appreciation from their guest, who enjoyed her work.
"Oh please, just call me Sisu." She corrected, "Miss is way too formal for my taste."
"Still, this is the least we can do to apologize for my earlier actions." Ritchie held his head low in shame.
"It's all good!" Sisu responded with her signature grin, which did not leave her face, "You were just looking out for your family. I can respect that."
"Your voice sounds funny." the nine-year-old at the table blurted out.
"Sophie!" Carol scorned, "That's no way to talk to our guest."
"It's okay. I know I've got a silly voice." Sisu sincerely showed no signs of offense, "Honestly, my second oldest brother, Jagon, used to give me much worse grief about it when we were little."
"I like your hair, though," Sophie said apologetically, "What did you do to get it that color?"
"Oh, it's natural-oof," Sisu was stopped when something struck her ankle. Looking to her right, she saw the culprit, Jamie, giving her an annoyed look while trying to appear to be casually eating his breakfast. It took a second to figure out her mistake, and Sisu would've kicked herself too if she could. How could she forget people weren't naturally born with purplish blue hair? "Natural… ingredients. A lot of stuff is grown in my homeland that can be used as beauty supplies. Wanna know what a wad of aloe and river slime can do for ya?"
"No one wants to know that." Jamie groaned.
"Well, in that case, let's talk about these…" Sisu poked at the pastries on her plate, which had been reduced to one bite, "What are these called again?"
"Pancakes." Jamie muttered.
"Pancakes!" she said, taking the last bite of the cake, "I've never had pancakes before, but I can already tell that these are the best."
"Well, that is high praise," Carol beamed with appreciation, "It's so nice for Jamie to make a friend who's so sweet and thoughtful."
"Yeah, it's been a while since he had anyone over for almost a decade ago." Katie commented more to herself while eying Sisu suspiciously, "How did you two meet again?"
"At the cultural festival, of course." Jamie was quick to answer for Sisu, "Isn't that right, Sisu?" she nodded obliviously as her focus was on finishing her breakfast.
"Really?" Katie was not so easily deterred while pulling out her phone, "Because you texted how you were leaving the festival not long after we got there because it 'wasn't doing it for you.'" she followed up by showing said text.
"Yeah, well…" Jamie silently cursed his older twin for being so nosey, "I texted that before I met her."
"And, Sisu?" Carol grabbed the human-disguised dragon's attention, "How did you meet my son?"
"I ran him over."
Like that, Jamie wished he could disappear behind his hands while the rest of his family were shocked and panicked by those words. The one time he gave Sisu a chance to play along, and she completely botched it. Now, the teen was faced with how to fix this while his mother kept begging to know if he was hurt and – or okay. It took all his willpower to not seethe at the dragon who blissfully sat beside him. Luckily for her, Jamie had more pressing matters to deal with.
"What she meant was that she was having so much fun that she ran into me. On foot. No car, vehicle, or nothing. Right, Sisu?"
"What's a car-oof!" that little strike was enough to tell Sisu that now was not the time for questions and to just play along, "Yes! Whatever he just said, it's all true."
That seemed to calm Carol down, "Well, as long as you're not hurt. Still, Jamie, I wish you'd call first before inviting a stranger to our home."
"About that..." Jamie thought fast for an explanation, "When Sisu ran into me, it was immediately after I sent that text, so I accidentally dropped it somewhere in the lake where it's gone forever."
"I'll see if we're covered for it," Carol sighed heavily. "You need to take better care of your things, Jamie."
"Yes, Mom."
"So…" Katie continued, "Remind me, where is Kumandra again?"
"Clearly, it's in Asia." Jamie steadfastly answered before Sisu could.
"What part?" his twin persisted.
"Part you never heard of."
"And how do you know so much?"
"She told me!"
"Then she shouldn't have much trouble telling us," Katie said, turning her sights to Sisu and dialing up the charm, "You wouldn't mind telling us about your homeland, please, Sisu?"
Looking sideways, Sisu saw Jamie's worried look, worried about her explanation. She hoped not to disappoint her new friend, "Kumandra's located in the southern eastern region surrounded by tropical forest and a massive river that connects all the lands major cities together." but then Sisu's demeanor melancholy: "Though a lot has changed."
"Are you alright, dear?" Carol asked.
"Oh… well…" Sisu never intended to say that last part. It just came out, and now she just had to roll with it, "It's just that it's complicated. You see, my family was forced to leave for a very, very long time. It's only recently we've been able to come home and resume our regal duties."
The word regal caught Sophie's attention, "Does that make you a princess, Sisu?"
Again, Sisu looked to Jamie, only this time for clarification on how to proceed. Sadly, neither she nor the teen knew where to go from here. The downside of being caught so early was that neither had the opportunity to make up a legit cover story in time. Thus, they both have been winging it so far and since that's been working for the moment, Jamie gave Sisu a look to just go with it.
"Well, kind of." Sisu began answering to the best of her abilities, "My family is very important and influential throughout Kumandra. So, I guess we're like the next best thing."
"So, Sisu?" Ritchie piped up, "How long will you be staying in Greyrock?"
Jamie immediately jumped in, "Well, there's a funny story about that because…"
"Now Jamie," Carol interrupted, "Let's not be rude and let Sisu explain her situation."
Jamie was reluctant to allow this but stayed silent on the matter so as to not upset his mother. Despite his hesitation, the teen had to admit that Sisu was doing a good job maintaining cover. He only had to resort to kicking her twice so far. Even her stories of Kumandra were embellished enough to not give too much away on Sisu's actual origins. There may be nothing to worry about. Maybe he could drop the reigns a bit.
"So, Sisu, how long will you be staying in our town?" Carol repeated the question.
"The ethereal plain won't be able to open for a month from now."
Thus, Jamie tried to hide his embarrassed - defeated look on his face. The one time he gave Sisu full reign, and she blew it in the first sentence. It was time to prepare for the inevitable barrage of questioning.
"Well, that sounds like a very inconvenient airline." Carol replied.
"That worked?" Jamie muttered to himself in utter disbelief at their incredible luck. Their luck could be good enough to press another issue, "Actually, that's what I need to discuss with you about. I kind of told her that she could stay with us until then."
An awkward silence fell upon the parents at the kitchen table. Carol and Ritchie give one another a questionable look, pondering on such a request. Now, Jamie was under the belief that their luck had finally run out. Seeing his mother and stepfather silently converse only served to heighten the boy's nerves. It's too bad the same couldn't be said for Sisu. Looking over at her, Jamie almost groaned. He was on the verge of stressing out while this dragon simply enjoyed the remainder of her breakfast. She was blissfully unaware that the decision of whether she should stay or must unsuccessfully fend for herself in the wild hung in the balance. Instead, she seemed more concerned with scarfing down the remaining eggs on her plate. The teen was almost envious; how could she be so calm?
After a hellish minute of waiting, Carol finally addressed her son, "Jamie, you're really putting us on the spot here."
Yeah, definitely too big of a gamble, "I know, I know. I would've called you about it if I could." Jamie thought fast to salvage this, "This is Sisu's first time visiting another country. She didn't know that this would be our busy season, so she didn't book a hotel in advance. You can't fault her for making a first-time mistake. Besides, look at her," Jamie pulled Sisu into a shoulder hug with her face stuffed with scrambled eggs, "Can we really turn down someone so desperately in need?"
Sisu quickly swallowed her food to respond, "I'm not that needy-oof!"
"After all…" Jamie quickly continued, hoping to drown out Sisu's comments, "Such generosity is what brought you and Ritchie together. Would it not be prudent to pay it forward and show the same kindness to her?"
"You must admit, Carol, Jamie does make a valid point." Ritchie interjected, "It might do Jamie some good to have someone he's interested in socializing with. I haven't seen him so passionate about anything since we were introduced."
It was clear to the mother that saying no was not an option. Her children and husband supported Sisu's stay, and Carol had to admit that this stranger had charmed her way with the household. Ritchie also had a point; seeing her son share his time with someone was nice. It had been so long since Jamie had a friend over, let alone had a friend in general, not after what happened to his father. Seeing him finally make a new friend after so many years is good. One who said she would be leaving within the month, so why get in the way of her son's happiness?
"Oh, all right. She can stay." Carol conceded, "On the condition that she will follow house rules. Royalty or otherwise doesn't matter. As long as she lives under this roof, she has to abide by our rules, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Sisu proudly saluted, "Whatever you say goes, Mrs. Reed."
"That's what I like to hear. Now, we should figure out your living situation here."
"Oh, I figured I'd be staying with Jamie in his room."
Jamie nearly choked on his breakfast when Sisu said that, "Say what?"
"Well," Sisu whispered to the teen, "I just thought it would make things easier for you to keep an eye on me the way you seem to want to do. Not that it's too big of a deal if you don't want to. Just so you know, I can't keep up this form when I'm asleep. Hope that's not too much of a problem. I'll just need a bit of space to…"
"I would gladly share my room with Sisu!" Jamie cut off the private conversation, not wanting to think about one of his family members walking into one of the guest rooms to find a sleeping dragon, "I can easily make room for her."
"That's absolutely out of the question," Carol scorned, "There's no way I'm letting my teenage son share a room with a girl he just met for an entire month."
"It's okay, Mrs. Reed, I wouldn't mind at all." Sisu replied, utterly oblivious to the mother's concerns.
"It's not about that, Sisu." Carol reiterated, "No offense, but we still hardly know you that well, and with a child in the house," she pointed to Sophie, "I just don't want to risk the chance of you two becoming… you know… intimate."
That word did elicit a response, but not from Sisu. Instead, the twins, Katie and Jamie, react in utter disgust with how their mother would even breathe such a discussion in relation to them. Complaining about how they were in the middle of eating or that their preteen sister was at the table. Unlike them, Sisu didn't seem the least bit bothered by the mother's statement. On the contrary, she was instead hit with a sense of clarity.
"Oh, is that all? You won't have to worry about any of that." Sisu said with a laugh and smile to help the mood, "You see, since I'm kinda part of a noble family, I've already betrothed. So, you know, can't really get involved with anyone in that sense."
"Nice save." Jamie whispered to Sisu as his mother was thinking things over.
"Thanks. It just came to me."
"Almost thought you couldn't lie."
"No, it just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe I should sprinkle in some more truth to make it better." before Jamie could inquire what she meant, Sisu quickly addressed the whole family again, "Also, no offense, but your son is nowhere near my type!"
"…Thanks for that." Jamie groaned all the while his twin was in a fit of laughter, believing to have witnessed her brother striking out in glorious fashion. Don't get mad, Jamie thought, get clever, "Besides, mom, I'm not some prepubescent boy anymore. I'm less than a year away from being a legal adult, so I know a thing about self-control. Also, it's better than putting her in Katie's room. She'll probably drown in an avalanche of dirty laundry in less than a week."
"Hey, my room's not that bad!" Katie sneered.
"For a gorilla, maybe."
"Alright, enough, you two!" Carol commanded the table yet again before going into thought, "Against my better judgment, I'll allow you both to share a room so long as you both behave yourselves. I don't want to hear even a hint of any 'funny business' going on in there."
"Are we talking figuratively or literally? Because I do fancy myself as a practical jokester…" Sisu stopped dead in her tracks when Coral gave a cold stare to show she was not playing around, "I mean... yes, ma'am."
"Well, if that's all settled, I'll prepare a sleeping bag for Sisu." Ritchie sauntered from the room, but not before addressing Sisu again, "Again, apologies for my behavior earlier."
"No problem, big guy!" Sisu cheerfully assured. Once Ritchie was gone, Sisu turned her sights towards Jamie, "Thanks for the offer, roomie. But you didn't have to if you really didn't want to."
"Yeah, well…" Jamie tried to hide his irritation in his voice, "What are… friends for?"
Once breakfast was finished, Sisu was then given an official tour of the house. Once again, she was impressed with the build and craftsmanship of the place. From leading her through the living room, to where it was Sisu's turn to continuously apologize for the damage she caused, straight to the study. Never in her life did Sisu ever see so many tomes splayed in one home. Then, there was the upstairs area, primarily to showcase where the bathroom would be on both floors. Sisu would make a hushed comment to Jamie about how much of a hassle it must be to deliver so much water to the upstairs bath, only for the teen to explain the concept of indoor plumbing. Afterward, everyone reconvened in the lounge to relish some more small talk. Being the ever-so-curious dragon, Sisu was intrigued when Sophie activated the 'black mirror' and viewed its mystical wonders. Of course, Jamie, once again, secretly explained to her the concept behind television.
Sometime later, Ritchie returned with a sleeping bag, pillow, and blanket for Sisu. From there, Carol insisted on Jamie showing their guest to his room and helping her set up. The boy was all too willing if it meant avoiding getting caught up in any more accidental awkward conversations caused by this nuisance of a dragon. Jamie ushered her upstairs, taking two items and allowing Sisu to take the last. While making their accent, Sisu took notice of the portraits that decelerated the hall along the way. Marveling at how these pictures didn't look painted, but a moment in time frozen in a frame made her almost pause in aw.
When entering his room, it all began to sink in for Jamie. What was he doing? In the beginning, he was hoping to let Sisu fend for herself in the wild while he occasionally visited her, but now he invited this lunacy into his room, his personal sanctuary. This whole mess was spiraling out of his control.
"Hey, Jamie?" Sisu broke the teen from his train of thought, "You don't mind if I change back for a moment? To stretch my dragon legs."
With a heavy sigh, Jamie answered, "We are alone, so why not?"
"Thanks." within a flash, Sisu was back in her dragon state, stretching her serpentine body around, "Nothing like a full belly to start the day."
"Especially after having yours forcefully emptied earlier today."
"Oh, you gotta bring that up?" Sisu's winced at the mere thought of her recent berry blunder, "I learned my lesson: no eating wild berries in these lands ever again."
Jamie simply shrugged off the ordeal before taking a seat at his desk. In the meantime, Sisu took a moment to marvel at her new surroundings. No, this wasn't the first time she was in a spaces room, for she had visited Raya's on occasion, but it was often to see one filled with so many new odysseys, from the colorful portraits on the walls to the nicknacks across Jamie's desks. It was a treasure trove of mysteries. On a second look, Sisu spotted that Jamie possessed his own black mirror. No, wait... TV, she had to remind herself. Even the soft carpet was new for the dragon as it tickled between her toes. Her head and eyes darted around the room, hoping to take in every nook and cranny.
"Hey, what's that!?" Sisu rushed over to the desk. Her face hunched in front of a lava lamp, and she stared, mesmerized by the materials floating inside, "It's pretty." Jamie just sat back and hoped Sisu's scrambling around the room would tire herself out eventually, "Ooh, what's that?" she rushed over to a small nightstand near the bed and picked up a Rubik's cube that already had two sides completed. It didn't take long before she realized it was a toy, and she repeatedly turned the sides, "This is addicting."
"Sisu, no!" Jamie snatched the cube from her grasp, "It took me forever to get those two sides."
"Sorry." Sisu blushed from her mistake before the large furniture ahead caught her gaze, "What's this?"
"That's my bed." Jamie answered in frustration while fixing his Rubik's cube.
Sisu stared at Jamie and then the furniture once again. This was a bed? Sisu has seen a multitude of beds before, and they look nothing like this. They were either cots or slabs of wood or stone with a hard pillow and thin blankets. This, however, was different. It was, by far, the thickest bed she'd ever seen, yet still had legs to elevate it off the ground. The blanket on top was also thicker than she was used to, with an assortment of pillows. Unsure of what else to expect from the bed, Sisu took her front paw and pressed it down on the mattress. Sisu was taken aback by how soft beneath her touch. She must investigate further.
Sisu swept herself across the bed in one fell swoop and was immediately filled with satisfaction. With her tossing and turning, she spread the comfort of the mattress throughout her whole body. From all the moaning, cooing, and purring, one might be mistaken for thinking the bed was giving the aquatic reptile a full-body massage. After some time, Sisu settled to splay on her back, her limbs dangling in the air, resembling that of a relaxed dog.
"Comfortable?"
"Oh yeah," Sisu blissfully acknowledged, "This is heaven."
"Well, at least you're enjoying yourself. Lord knows that makes me happy."
"Aw, that's so sweet of you to say." Jamie's sarcasm was utterly lost on her. Before long, something else on the nightstand caught Sisu's eye, "Hey, Jamie, what's this?"
Jamie looked up from his cube to see Sisu holding up a book. At first, he was going to answer very bluntly, but he realized it wasn't the book itself that she was curious about. Instead, her clawed finger pointed to the book's cover art, which featured a valiant knight on horseback facing off against a fire-breathing monster. Sisu's finger was primarily focused on said fearsome creature.
"That, Sisu, is a dragon."
"That's a...?" Sisu did a double-take upon hearing this information, "That's a dragon!? Wow, no wonder you were so confused by me if you think we dragons are a bunch of giant lizard-demon-bat-things."
"Yeah, because a long fluffy noodle makes much more sense."
Sisu eyed the boy quizzically, "You're mocking me, aren't you?"
Jamie let out a faux gasp in response, "She's learning."
"Oh, hardy, har, har, smart guy." Sisu sat upright on the bed, "But I don't understand why you're so worried about your family finding out about me. They seem nice enough, I don't see why we got to keep this from them."
"And you came to that conclusion after spending one afternoon with them?" Jamie put the Rubik's Cube to give Sisu his full attention, "No offense, but you only just met my family."
"Maybe, but I also had breakfast with them." Sisu clarified while lying in a new position, "You know what they say? The best way to get to know someone is to break bread with them." Jamie gave her a questionable look, "I mean, I know we didn't have bread for breakfast, but you see, the bread is a metaphor for..."
"I know the saying. I was just silently disagreeing with it. Besides, it's too risky to tell anyone about... this." Jamie gestured to all of Sisu, "Also, you need to be more careful with what you say around them. You're lucky they didn't think twice about that whole ethereal thing."
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't be going around kicking dragons." Sisu asserted, "Just because we're fierce doesn't mean we're not sensitive."
"You, fierce?" a snicker escaped Jamie's lips.
"Oh, don't underestimate me, boy." though trying to be firm, Sisu still carried an ounce of playfulness in her voice, "Get me riled up enough. I've got a real intimidation factor."
"You're as intimidating as a fluffed pillow." Jamie's comment got Sisu giggling, "Still think you're overexaggerating our so-called friendship."
"You can't deny it because you admitted it twice today!"
He knew he'd regret saying such, "I was trying to maintain cover for my family."
"More like you're trying to cover up how much you like me!"
"I immediately regret everything."
Again, Sisu found herself caught in a giggle fit. By now, she was having a wondrous morning laying on the comfiest bed the dragon had ever seen after a filling meal with her new friends. What more could Sisu ask for? Extra kudos would also have to go to Jamie's parents, who were kind enough to allow her to stay…
"Oh no!"
"What?" Jamie rushed to the now hyperventilating Sisu, "What's wrong?"
"I should've gotten a gift for your parents! " Sisu panicky exclaimed.
"…Seriously?" Jamie was met with a nodding dragon, "That's what you're so worked up about?"
"It's a big thing amongst us, dragons." Sisu attempted to explain.
"What's the big deal?" Jamie shrugged off, "I'm sure a simple thank you card will do the trick."
"The 'big deal' is that it's a sign of trust and appreciation," she continued, "Your parents showed their trust by allowing me to stay, so I should show my appreciation by gifting them in return. It's the spirit of things."
Jamie stared in stunned silence, "I…I can't believe we're even having this conversation right now." he ultimately threw his hands up in defiance.
"Me neither." right then and there, Sisu began compiling a mental list of possible gift ideas, "Let's see. I think Carol wouldn't mind some jewelry. I think I've got a workaround for that. I never tried it before, but it's possibly doable. All that leaves is… hey Jamie, what does your dad like?"
"STEPDAD!'
Jamie's outburst was so sudden and abrupt that it surprised Sisu. So much so for a nearly fifteen-foot-long reptile to recoil away from the clearly agitated teen. Whatever giddiness and excitement Sisu had evaporated, knowing she hit a nerve of some sort.
"I'm-I'm sorry." she said meekly, hoping not to stroke another outburst, "I didn't know."
Seeing how drastically her demeanor had shifted brought Jamie down from his heated state, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"It's okay," Sisu soon relaxed, seeing she no longer had to walk on eggshells, "I guess you and your da… I mean, Ritchie, don't get along?"
"We're not close. That's all I'll say about that." Jamie sat beside himself, lying his head on the desk, wishing this conversation would end.
"So, where's your real dad?" Sisu's curiosity got the better of her.
With a heavy sigh, Jamie answered, "He's off the corner of Nunya."
"Nunya?"
"None your business." Jamie sneered.
One would think someone would be taken aback by such a comment, but not this dragon. Instead, she repeated both phases to herself in utter confusion. It became a puzzle that the blueish reptile was obsessed with solving. After about the fourth time around repeating those words, it finally clicked with her.
"Oh, I get it! Wordplay!" Sisu giggled, "And your sister says you have no sense of humor." after getting her kicks, she soon calmed down, "But, alright. I won't pry on what's obviously a sensitive topic."
Though still in a dower mood, Jamie looked back and said somberly, "Thanks, Sisu."
"No problem, buddy."
Seeing her genuine smile helped to calm Jamie's mood. He knew he was being a little harsh with her this morning, but he had to. Sisu had no fundamental understanding of this world and how it works and had a nasty tendency to let her mouth run away. Only by pure luck did the whole ethereal plain situation go over everyone's heads. However, Jamie must admit he's also been unnecessarily tough on her. Despite being here for half a day, she handled herself quite well, with only a few noticeable hiccups. He should lighten up on her. That's what he thought before a pair of paw-like hands snatched him from his chair onto the bed, where he was met with a strong embrace from said dragon.
"When you do feel like talking about it, just so you know, I have a fluffy shoulder for you to cry on." Sisu then hugged him tightly.
"I never said anything about crying!" Jamie was now flustered while trying to break out of Sisu's grasp.
Sisu brushed this off with a series of shushes and gentle pats on the teen's head, "Don't force it, boy. It'll come naturally when you're ready."
Jamie gave up with a lowly groan, "Oh dear God."
"That's it, Jamie. Converse with your deity." this reply only elicited an even louder annoyed groan from him.
Not long after this exchange, there came a knock at the door. It was his twin, Katie, who said she was sent by their mother to ask how long it takes to set up a sleeping bag. Sisu was quick with the save by stating how Jamie was showing off his stuff. However, when hearing how dinner was in the midst of being ready, Sisu, an avid food lover, transformed back into her human form and rushed out of the room to make a beeline for the kitchen.
With Sisu out of the room, Jamie thought to lay on the bed and give himself a break from all this madness. Who would've guessed that babysitting a dragon would be such exhausting work? He should let his mother entertain her in the meantime. But, no, it's probably best for him to get down there and look after the crazy lizard before she hurts herself on a spatula or something. However, Jamie exited his room to find his twin still in the hallway waiting for him.
"You two certainly spent a long time in there." Katie grinned with her sly comment.
"Yeah, so…" Jamie was annoyed that he didn't anticipate an ambush from his pesky twin, "We were just hanging out because, you know, that's what friends do. They hang out with each other."
"Oh really?" Katie gave her brother a quizzical look.
"Of course it is!" he asked defensively, "Why are you giving me that look?"
"I'm just trying to wrap my head around things." Katie answered, "After so many years, my stick-in-the-mud brother finally gets himself a new friend? Just out of the blue?"
"Why is that so hard to believe?" great, he was starting to sound like Sisu.
"Because Sisu's funny, ecstatic, and outgoing. And your…" Katie gestured to all of Jamie, "…not."
"Yeah, well, what does it matter?" Jamie was beginning to feel cornered by his sister's constant questions, "You and Mom are always so antsy about how closed off I am, but when I finally open up to someone, you suddenly have a problem with it."
"Maybe if it didn't feel like you two were hiding something." Katie's cheeky grin really shut Jamie down, "I mean, sure, you're actually buddy, buddy with each other when all eyes are on you. But I see how when no one's paying attention, you get easily annoyed with her. It's almost like you two are putting on a show for us."
With a heavy sigh, Jamie answered, "You know, Katie, you're right. Sisu's not who she appears to be." Jamie knew he was making a gamble, but he had to say something to satisfy his twin, "She's actually an actor. I spent two months' worth of paychecks to fly out here and pretend to be my friend."
There was a moment of silence between the two. Jamie wasn't sure about this new story he cooked up on the fly. But Katie was teetering on figuring out the holes in his original story, so why not make up a new one to indulge her suspicions. However, Jamie knew his sister well and could tell from her indifferent stares that showed a fifty-fifty chance of convincing her.
"You know what's the worst part about being your twin?" Katie rhetorically asked, "Is that I can tell when you're lying or being sarcastic with me."
"Well, I don't know what to tell you, sis. It has to be one of those two explanations. What would you think is going on around here?" Jamie crossed his arms, daring Katie to press further.
Katie stepped forward and made direct eye contact with her younger twin in the hope he'd flinch. When no such thing happened, Katie was forced to respond, "I don't know. But you've never been good at hiding things from me. So, whatever it is, I'll figure it out eventually."
Katie walked away, and Jamie was allowed to breathe a sigh of relief. Katie wasn't exaggerating with what she said about his inability to keep secrets from her. Just thinking about it cropped up some embarrassing memories of her leveraging certain privacies. So, Jamie was proud of himself for being able to keep Sisu under wraps. Speaking of which, Jamie should get back to checking up on the hyperactive reptile.
Sure enough, from the staircase, Jamie could see Sisu kneeling on the lounge carpet, hanging with Sophie. From high on, Jamie watched as both Sisu and his younger sister played with Sophie's pony toys. It was relatively seamless how this otherworldly creature was able to get into the groove so quickly. It wasn't too hard to believe, for Sisu had the personality of a high-energy child. Though Jamie had to admit, those two were really hitting it off. He could pawn Sisu off to Sophie for the majority of the month so he could get a break from all the headaches.
Dinner was ready to be served shortly after Jamie sat on the stairs. Once again, the dining room table was set and filled with various delectables whose delicious smells made Sisu's mouth water, especially when catching a glimpse of the plates filled with BBQ ribeye. Plates were filled with said steaks and their choice of mass potatoes, green peas, grilled corn, and baked beans. Unlike breakfast, dinner's been considerably uneventful. Yes, conversations between the Reed family and their guest for the month continued, but Sisu had yet to say anything that would've jeopardized her forged identity. Nothing more than a pleasant evening of a relaxing family dinner, plus one human-disguised dragon.
After that, life in the house became more relaxed as the evening continued. The most excitement simply came from watching a movie that intrigued Sisu. When the movie ended, the time was drawing late, with Sophie already having slept through the film's climax and needing to be carried off to her room. Even Jamie had to turn in early, with tomorrow being one of his work days. But, of course, Sisu followed suit, knowing full well the energy was dying down for the day, so why not also turn in for the night as well. Once these two were both in the teen's room, Jamie quickly locked the door so that Sisu could transform back into a dragon without the risk of anyone walking in on them. Jamie would've started prepping for bed if he hadn't seen a fluffy blue body suddenly taking up half the mattress.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"What does it look like?" Sisu replied, equally confused, "We're supposed to be going to bed, right? I'm just a few steps ahead, is all."
"That's what the sleeping bag is for."
"This thing?" Sisu pulled up the sleeping bag with one hand, "I thought it was a hefty blanket so we wouldn't have to share."
"It opens up to encompass your entire body."
Sisu looked over the length of her entire serpentine body before shifting attention back to the sleeping bag, which was clearly meant for a regular-sized person, "I don't see that working out."
Jamie groaned in response.
"Hey, it's all good," exclaimed the dragon, "I don't need my entire body on the bed to be comfortable." She showed how the lower half of her body was dangling off the mattress, "See? There's plenty of room."
"I'm sure."
"I swear." She again assured, "You won't even know I'm here."
Again, Jamie groaned while prepping for bed. He would've changed out of his day clothes if a certain furry reptile wasn't staring at him, "Do you mind?"
"Oh, sorry!" Sisu rolled until she was facing the opposite wall and placed a hand over the exposed side of her face to obscure her sight.
"Sure, I shouldn't have you wait outside?"
"I won't look!" Sisu retorted, "I wouldn't want to embarrass you and make things weird between us."
"Because you're doing such a great job so far." Jamie said sarcastically.
"Besides, as I told your mother, you're not my type."
The teen already had one leg through his pajama pants before curiosity got the better of him, "If it's not important to ask, what is your type?"
"Another dragon." Sisu plainly stated.
"Why was that so hard for me to figure out?"
"Don't get me wrong, there are dragons who are attracted to people. I'm just not one of them." Sisu remarkably continued this conversation without turning over or taking a quick look to address Jamie, "Now my older sister, Pranee, on the other hand, is one of these dragons. I'm sure she'd find you quite dashing. In fact, if the two of us were switched, I'm sure she'd be…"
"Sisu!" Jamie interrupted, just now putting on a loose T-shirt. You're making it weird."
Though with his limited prep for the night, Jamie went under the covers to finally put the day behind him. Even with the bed now lopsided, Jamie buried his head in his pillow and tried to drift off to sleep. However, what really kept him up was how Sisu was humming and mumbling right next to him. From the rhythmic tune, it was clear to the young man that she was humming a melody. Jamie didn't know what or why Sisu was singing, only that it was keeping him up.
"Sisu," he called, "Do you need something?"
"No, why?" Sisu moved over to meet Jamie's annoyed glance, "Oh, I was disturbing you, wasn't I?"
"Only by a lot."
"Sorry, I'm not entirely tired right now." Sisu said with a sheepish grin, "I'm just trying to keep myself busy until then."
With an annoyed groan, Jamie sunk his head back into the pillow with a, "Whatever, just keep it down."
For a second time, Jamie tried again to get some sleep with still barely any peace. Although Sisu was no longer humming or mumbling a tune, other nuisance of hers still kept him up. The constant shifting, causing the bed to creek, and the occasional snickering at something on her own did plenty to deter Jamie's sleep. Then he heard a whooshing followed by a tap going on a consistent cycle. It almost sounded as if… was Sisu tossing a baseball, Jamie's old baseball? The bed was still lopsided, so she never got up; how did she get a hand on his baseball? No, it doesn't matter. If Jamie focused too much on it, he'd never get any sleep. Best just to tune it out. That was the plane before a huge paw nudged his shoulder.
"What is it, Sisu?" Jamie didn't even bother to face her. He was so tired.
"Just wanted to say goodnight."
Finally, Jamie thought to himself, "Night, Sisu."
"Also," hearing that Sisu had more to say caused the boy to shiver under the covers, "I never got a chance to thank you for putting this roof over my head and everything else."
"Don't mention it." Jamie did his best not to sound agitated.
"And," Sisu was still going, "I'm really grateful to have met you."
"Uh-huh."
"Maybe," she thought, "If you're not too busy, you can show around this world of yours."
"Sisu!" by now, Jamie had, had enough, "I'll take you to the end of the earth and back if you would please, please, go to sleep!" he pulled his pillow and slammed it over his head.
Sisu knew she should leave well enough alone, but she still had one more thing to say, "Jamie?"
"What!"
"Love you."
"Thanks." he blurted out nonchalantly, pushing the pillow even harder against his head, hoping this would be over soon.
Regardless of whether Jamie's comment was sincere or not, it didn't matter to Sisu. She only wanted to let her new friend know how much she appreciated him. Thus, with said task accomplished, she was finally ready for sleep. With only a little amount of shifting into a more comfortable position, Sisu finally drifted off to sleep. While in her slumber, Sisu could only dream of what other wonders she'll experience in this brave new world.
Unknown location
It was meant to be a typical day for a young scientist. Walking through the halls of this government agency, he sighed with indifference when moving to the meeting room. Despite what most would believe, life in the agency wasn't as glamorous as made out in the movies. There was no spy work, no extravagant visits to other countries, no saving the world from some megalomaniac. Even if there were, it wasn't within this doctor's field to aid in such matters anyway.
Dr. Basil's primary fields of specialization were botany, zoology, and mineralogy. In fact, he was at the top of these fields. However, due to his seniority, he wasn't often put at the forefront of many projects. That might change as he entered the meeting room, but he wasn't holding his breath.
Not much could be said about the space he was in. It had the same carpet floors, with a long rectangular table in the center. At the far end sat his director, who also had a wall-sized monitor behind him. Dr. Basil took his seat as colleagues from other and similar fields also made their way in. Yes, perhaps this would be a welcome change of pace—at least he thought until he heard exactly what the director had called them in for.
Rain.
They were being called in over an account of rain. From the short briefing, said rain suddenly appeared over the state of Idaho seamlessly out of nowhere. Was this really what Brass was worried about? Once again, Dr. Basil felt this was a waste of his time. So, it rained. Was that really worth all this hassle of calling them all here? Any unpaid weather person on a teleprompter can tell you that mother doesn't always work on schedule and is unpredictable even at the best of times. But, it was not his place to dismiss the director's briefings.
"Now, normally, we wouldn't make such a big deal over simple raindrops." The director said almost jokingly, "But our meteorologists have found no signs of cold fronts passing through the area, nor has there been a speck of cloud formation in the sky prior to this phenomenon."
"Sir, is there any correlation between the location to which this odd storm took place that we should be aware of?" asked a female scientist.
"The location of the anomalous storm was in sector 59."
Now, that caught everyone's attention.
"Sector 59?" Dr. Basil spoke for the first time, "Wasn't that the area shut down after the meteor was excavated?"
"That's why we're concerned with this new anomaly taking place there." The director answered, "I brought you all here because we could use some fresh minds on top of this." The director eyed all seven scientists before him. "Dr. Basil, you'll be leading this operation."
Well, that was a surprise for him, even if the reason he was chosen was most likely due to the more senior staff being busy on more important projects. Regardless of this possible reasoning, Dr. Basil knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. This was an opportunity he was looking for, so he should take it and prove himself.
"Thank you, sir." Basil said, his face vacant of emotion, which he trained years for to appear professional, "Shall we proceed to the location of the anomaly? "
"Not yet," was his answer, "Let us keep an eye on things from here for now. We don't want to rush into a small town without pretense. Let's wait and see if anything happens, or we'll chalk it up to an act of God, a fluke. If anything else occurs, I hear Idaho is good this time of year. You're all dismissed."
In unison, the scientist exited the room to begin with their new assignment. Basil lamented his current predicament before meeting with his new team. If he held any beliefs in a higher power or the supernatural, he'd say someone had answered his prayers. But Basil never took stock in such thoughts. He was a man of science, and anything that didn't line up might be no different than fairy tales. Still, Dr. Basil wasn't to take this opportunity lightly. He waited years of hard, dedicated work to show he was worth something.
True, this project was most likely a bust to give him and the others on his team something to do. But, on the off chance that there was something going on in Greyrock, Idaho, Dr. Basil was key to finding out.
End of Chapter 3
A/N: Hello, everyone. I'm sorry about how long it took to upload this. I meant to get it on sooner, but I ended up having a health scare that took a turn during the new year. I hope to change things now that I've gotten treatment. But until then, don't forget to review; they really do help me want to continue. Till next time.