Anada (Book #3)

Needing Answers

I rode in the trunk of the Hummer. I could see Elias following us in his car. Luckily, the windows were darkened and nobody could see me in my dragon form. I still don't know how I'm going to stay like this for two weeks. It will be a struggle.
The team drove to the nearest town, and got some burgers at a fast food restaurant. I easily devoured mine.
Westen laughs, "Maybe we should've got two more. I don't think one is going to fill a dragon."
I put my head over the backseat and say, "As long as I get a bite to eat, I'll be fine."
Alex then turns on the radio, and we listen to it until Alex drives up to a motel. They get out as I sit quietly in the back of the Hummer.
It was getting dark outside when they returned a few minutes later.
Elias opens the trunk and says, "It ought to be dark enough to make it to the motel room without being seen."
"It should be safe for her, because I can barely see in front of me." Neil says.
I then jump out of the trunk, but I regret it when it jars my broken wing. I hiss and run to the room that Reina is staying in.
The others come in and close the curtains. I examine the room's interior. It was nicer than most places we stayed at. There was actually a flat screen TV and a radio on a small end table. There were two beds with yellow comforters on them.
This was the room that Reina and I would share. The guys would be staying in a separate room of their own, but for now we just hung out in the same room.
I went and laid on top of one of the beds. My broken wing rest by my side while my left wing was spread out across the bed. Elias grabbed the remote control and flopped down on my bed.
I nearly fall off as the bed bounces up and down violently. As I balance myself, I accidentally thwack Elias in the head with my left wing.
Everyone starts laughing at our clumsiness. I start to laugh too, but I hold back when my broken wing starts to bother me again.
We soon settle down and watch Elias flip through the channels on the television. He doesn't stop until the team decides on a good station. My mind is elsewhere though. I'm thinking back at today's events.
I sit up and tell Elias, "Can you turn that down. I have to say something."
"Sure."
I clear my throat and ask the others, "Do you think Leon Escapade intended for us to fail the mission?"
They all went quiet and Alex finally says, "I hate to admit it, but I think he did want us to fail. He seemed upset when Anada refused to join one of his 'special' teams. Maybe this was a way to get back at her or prove to her that she should join one of these teams."
"Why would he want to do that?" Westen asks.
Neil crosses his arms, "Leon really wants to create these new teams, and I have a feeling that it's for a bad purpose."
"We need to talk with him." Alex says coldly.
Elias growls, "He nearly killed us by assigning us that mission. You want to talk with him?"
"I think it's the only thing we can do. Maybe he didn't intend for this mission to be so dangerous, and we're just confused about the situation." Reina tells us.
"Well, I can't go until my wing heals." I remind them.
They nod and Westen says, "I think I'm going to sleep. It has been a hard day."
Westen, Alex and Neil leave and go to their own room. Elias stays with me as we watch the television. He keeps going through the channels. Something on one channel catches my eye and I tell him to go back.
When he does I notice a reporter talking about some sort of scientific project.
She announces, "New lab results show that certain high-pitched tones can cause animals to act strange and unnatural. Their behavior changes along with their reaction to stress. This is still being studied and only a handful of people are allowed to know the full details of this operation."
The advertisements then come on and I turn to look at Elias, "That sounded weird."
"You could say that again." He replies.
We watch more TV, and then Elias leaves to join the other guys. I didn't realize that Reina was taking a shower until I heard the water running in the bathroom.
I laid on the bed like a cat. My head was resting against my crossed arms. I enjoyed having an excuse for staying in my dragon form, but I wanted my wing to heal as fast as possible. I wanted to have my freedom of flight back.
And with that last thought, I drifted into a restful sleep.