Fugitive

A Strange Discovery

"Get up, boys! Time for school!" The loud call resonated through the dormitory. I groaned and rolled over in my small bed, brushing my chocolate brown hair out of my face. I gazed around the boy's dorm room of the orphanage, where several other young kids were waking up and preparing to go to school.
"Hey, Jordan, get up!" At mention of my name, I raised my head and saw Tom, another kid, waking up all the boys. He was a really responsible kid, helping everyone out. With a sigh, I got out of bed and began to get ready.
You see, I'm an orphan. My parents were killed when I was young, and now I'm in an orphanage in British Columbia.
I stumbled out of bed and got dressed, then went downstairs for breakfast.
"Jordan!" A loud voice yelled my name as I entered the mess hall. I looked over to see Meredith, a large raucous woman who was head of the orphanage, coming over to me.
"Hey Meredith." I nodded at her, rubbing sleep out of my light hazel eyes.
"Jordan, can I talk to you for a moment?" She peered at me with her green eyes.
"Um, sure..." I cast a longing look at the long tables laden with breakfast, my stomach growling, as she lead me over out of earshot of the other kids. "Uh...so what's up?" I rubbed my hair and frowned. She had a distant look in her normally laughing eyes, but at my words she snapped to attention.
"Jordan, listen," Meredith began. "You're twelve years old. You understand how the world works, and you're maturing so quickly."
"Uh huh...." I eyed her warily. This wasn't another godawful puberty lesson, was it?
"I think, after school, I can tell you more about your parents and relatives." My heart began beating intently. I didn't know much about my family. I'd seen pictures of my parents, but everyone had always thought I was 'too young' to know many details. I hardly knew their interests, or friends, or anything. This was great!
"That-that would be great, Meri." I grinned, now more awake.
"LOVELY!" Meredith clapped her great hands together, showing her usual spirit. "Now go get ready for school. And get some food in you, or you'll never get meat on your bones!" She poked my skinny arm. I shot her a smile and headed off, renewed vigour in my step.

I passed through the school day with the usual boredom. Math, essay writing, the works. At least until recess. That's when everything changed. My friends and I were kicking a soccer ball around when it bounced into a clump of bushes.
"I'll get it!" I called, scrambling forwards. I reached in, moved aside a leafy bramble, and there it was. A shining, round, large blue egg was peacefully nestled in the plants, hidden perfectly from view against a thin sapling. I stared at it. How had no one shuffled aside the bushes and found this?
"Hey, Jordan! What's taking you so long?" One of my friends started heading over. I jolted back to reality. Something told me to not let anyone see it. Quickly, I snatched the soccer ball and bolted from the bushes as if I'd found a murder scene in them. For the rest of the school day my mind whirled with thoughts of that strange blue egg. What bird laid eggs that big? It was about a foot tall! It was so mind boggling that by the last period, I had made the decision I would go to it after school.

As the final bell rang, I snatched my bag and bolted for the door, waving a hasty hand goodbye to my buddies. My long, lanky legs carried me to the clump of bushes quickly as I pulled the hood of my dark blue sweater up, then reached tentative fingers towards the egg...
No. There were too many people who might see me. I felt...no, I knew that this discovery was secret, and had to remain that way. So I stepped back and suspiciously glanced around the suburban neighbourhood that surrounded the school. Cars lazily swerved by, people opened their windows and gazed outside, and kids tore down the streets on their bikes. I knew what I had to do...I had to come back later, under cover of darkness. I began to walk home, shoving my hands in my pockets and contemplating the events that would take place this evening. It's just an egg, my mind told me. No 'events' will happen. But it was a giant bright blue egg. So, a little different.
As I strolled to the door of the orphanage, I hesitated at the doorknob. Was I really going to sneak out at night, and worry Meredith, just for some weird thing at school?
I answered my own question. Yes.

So later that night, at around 8:30, I snuck out the door while Meredith was busy with the other rowdy kids. I ran as fast as possible, streaking down the street in my desperation to find out what that odd egg was. I entered the un-fenced schoolyard, the street lamps casting long shadows through the pale orange beams of light. I slid over to the bushes where the egg was, glancing around to see if anyone was about. No one. Conveniently, the egg's location was shrouded in darkness, a couple metres from the stretching tendrils of light from the street lights. So, hunched over in my dark blue hoodie, no one would notice me. I moved aside the bushes, desperate for it to be there. It was, casting a faint blue glow.
"I'm just gonna touch it..." I told myself. I'd give it a slight poke, look it over, then leave. So I extended a steady finger towards the egg. Closer...closer...

I touched it.

Instantly I jolted back, oddly paranoid, but the egg had other plans. Because as I drew my hand back...
The egg followed.
It somehow attached itself to my lone finger, despite slightly touching it. I yelped and tried to pull it off, but it stuck to my other hand. I put my hands on the ground, in the attempt to rub it off, but it stuck firmly. To make matters worse, as I silently panicked, I heard a quiet cracking noise. I fell silent, and stopped my pathetic attempts to remove the egg. Peering closer at it, I realized that it was growing starbursts of zigzagging lines across its surface, cracking apart. It was hatching! I watched in confused terror as blue eggshell collapsed around me, and as it fell apart, it lost its weird stickiness and fell off my trembling hands. And as the shards collapsed, they revealed a tiny blue lizard!
At least, I thought it was a lizard. Looking closer, I saw it wasn't quite that. It had a smooth blue hide, and a tail that looked like a Night Fury's from those How to Train Your Dragon movies. Its eyes were orange, cute, and sparkling. The thing had two fins where there should have been front legs, and no back fins at all. A long, wavy frill ran down its back, and two little cheek frills flared out from her face. The webbing connecting all these appendages was orange. Its belly was orange as well.
I WAS HOLDING A SEA SERPENT!
At least, that's what I though until two glorious dragon wings unfolded from its sides. They were orange on the underside, and pure blue on the other. As it did this, I noticed two tiny fins underneath the wins, with the same coloration as its other appendages. Was this...a dragon?
"Sqwark!" It declared passionately. I whimpered, dropped it, and fell back. It gurgled, and adorably waddled towards me, wriggling its rump and flopping its flippers. I blinked. It was really...cute. It reached me and tried to hug me, nuzzling my leg with its stubby little snout. I slowly reached out and stroked its head, earning a gurgle of adoration. I slowly picked it up, standing. It cheerfully blinked at me.
"Gwurr..." It snuggled up to me.
"Um...hi..." I finally found my voice, staring at the tiny dragon in disbelief. I was so amazed, I ignored the feeling of being watched. I wondered if Meredith would let me keep it. But suddenly, I felt a strong gust of wind rush over me. I looked up, frowning, and before I knew it, I was yanked into the sky by powerful, rough appendages so quickly I nearly dislocated my arms.