Dragon

VI

After she had confessed her name, along with a very crucial fact, she stopped talking once again. She stayed in the infirmary for the most part and sat on the bed with her head between her knees, day and night. She didn't lift her head or look at Drake any more which had only made him restless.

"Frank," Drake called, interrupting another lovey-dovey moment between him and Charlie. 

"Drake, your cock-blocking skills are impeccable as always," Charlie said, chuckling to herself. "I'll go ahead and give you two some space."

Drake stood there, staring at his president and the man who was closer to family than what he ever had in his entire life, until Charlie disappeared. "What's wrong."

"She has a name," Drake began, his eyes hard and expression stoic. It was odd for Frank to see him that way, the last time Drake had ever made that expression was when he picked him off the sidewalk and saved him. 

"You don't mean--"

"I do."

Frank let out a breath. "What does this all mean, Drake?" Frank asked genuinely. 

"She was with them the entire time," Drake said, his eyes turning stone cold. "Fuckin' Purgatory is back, they're fucking back. And those sons of fucking bitches are alive. I thought I killed them all, engulfed them in fucking flames--" He stopped mid-sentence, taking a deep breath. At just the mention of that gang's name, Drake's vision went red and the distorted voices of his demons screamed in his head. "If they're alive then that means Beastein is alive too."

Frank stood, placing a hand on Drake's shoulder. "You haven't had that look in your eyes since the night I picked you off the side of the road."

Drake gulped, his head falling. "I was fourteen years-old and by then I had watched my parents burn alive, watched my foster parents be gunned down like animals, was treated like a slave in a gang called Purgatory of all things and killed more than a dozen men by the time I had stumbled my way to this side of town."

Frank scoffed. "Even if you doubled that number, it wouldn't be even close to the number of kills I had by fourteen," he mumbled, taking a seat and crossing his arms over his chest. "I know what you went through the minute I looked in your eyes, Drake. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I know a broken man when I see one."

"Frank..." Drake's head lifted, showing the terrified expression.

"Dragon."

"I don't want to...I don't want to be called by them again," he said quietly, the voices whispering in his ears, beckoning him to return back to the place he thought he destroyed. 

"Remember who gave you your name now," Frank said, looking at him through his mask, his eyes boring into him. "Don't forget that, Drake. Keep me updated, if it's a battle that involves you, then we're all involved."

"I won't run away," he said with confidence although he knew, deep down, that if things began to get rough for the club he would leave.

"Now, tell me, how did that girl get a name from Purgatory?"

"Beastein only gives names to the best kids, those who show great skill and promise," he said, leaning against a Ford truck, his arms crossed over his chest. "But, if a kid is given a name and begins to show too much skill, he will plot to dispose of them. She was in the process of being disposed."

"What do you mean disposed?"

"He kills them, right after he takes his time tormenting them."

"And I'm guessing this Beastein guy is the leader."

Drake nodded. "He's not too happy with me."

"What did you do besides burn his organization to the ground?"

"I burnt him."

Frank scoffed, shaking his head and fighting the urge to laugh. 

"It's not funny, the guys gonna kill me," Drake whined, rubbing his temples. 

"No wonder you got that Dragon on your chest," Frank said, looking up at Drake. "You're mighty fine with fire, huh."

Drake shook his head, chuckling to himself as well. "You don't even know."

They stayed silent for a moment, Drake just standing there, getting lost in thought as he had been the last couple days. 

"You should go see that woman," Frank said, catching his attention once again. 

"Ah, she doesn't talk to me anymore," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

"Because you know her name," he pointed out. "You did the same thing when I found out your real identity and look at you now." Drake let out a breath, nodding to him. It was true. "She's gonna need your help."

"Alright, alright. I hear ya." He waved Frank off, turning and leaving the Garage once again and heading to the infirmary.

Just as he was going to open the door, it swung open and there stood Michael. "Well, look what the cat dragged in, you haven't been here at all today. I'm surprised."

"Is she alright?"

Michael narrowed his eyes slightly at him, stepping aside to let him in. "See for yourself," he said. "I'm going to go smoke for a while."

Before Drake could ask any more questions, Michael left, leaving him to stand in the doorway, nervous to fully enter the room. Taking a deep breath, he entered, allowing the door to shut behind him. He saw her there, sitting in the same bed, in the same position. 

He sighed heavily and pulled up a stool beside her bed, taking a seat with his hands folded in his lap. "I know you're upset and still probably scared," Drake began, twiddling his thumbs like a little kid. "But, this same exact thing happened to me when I told the first outsider my name after leaving that place."

She did not move, not once. 

"I reacted the same way. I shut myself off, refused to talk to the man who had saved my life all because I had told him that name," he continued. "But, you wanna know how I am able to sit here today, the way I am?"

She faltered slightly, her head moving but not lifting. 

"He gave me a new name."

Slowly, her head lifted and she looked up at him, tears pooling in her eyes. He smiled softly at her.

"How would you like a new name?"

Without hesitation, she nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hm, then how about...Lucy?" he questioned, watching her eyes sparkle and more tears fall down her cheeks.

To his surprise, she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and crying into his shoulder. He sat there frozen for a moment until he hugged her back, rubbing her back soothingly. 

Hello everyone!

It is my first day of class and being the rebel I am I wrote this chapter during one of my class meetings...whoops ':)

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this book a lot and diving into Drake's turbulent background brings me a lot of joy. I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am as well. 

Until next time, please continue to vote and comment, it helps me out a lot.

With care,
D. M. Brightwell