The Falling Rider

Chapter 10

As we start flying west, I start to think about my parents. Do they even deserve to be called my parents? I don't understand why they hate me so much. Why am I such a disappointment to them? To the kingdom?
"Please don't think about it too much, Adira. Just enjoy some time with Gallagher. Also, I'm making you tell me what happened with him tonight if you avoid it." Storm comforts.
"Thanks, Storm, and don't worry! I'll tell you later." I reassure.
"Ok. Just promise me you won't think about your parents." He says.
"I promise, Storm. Thanks." I thank as I pet his neck.
"No problem, Adira." Storm comments and leaves the mind link, probably to talk to Rain. They would be a cute couple.
"I heard that." Storm growls.
"Oops. Sorry, but I'm not wrong. You two would be adorable together!" I exclaim.
"Stop please. I'm gonna try to talk to her. You should talk to Gallagher. He's staring." Storm growls. He's staring? I look over to Gallagher to see him watching me and smiling warmly at me. I smile back and decide to break the silence.
"So, where are we going?" I ask.
"You'll see, but I think you'll like it." He says as he pats Rain's neck. They start to fly closer to the ocean and we follow them. As Storm and Rain get right above the ocean, they swing their spiked tails down and make large splashes and waves as we keep flying. Storm and Rain look at each other mischievously and I start to get worried.
"Uh, Gallagher?" I ask.
"Yeah? What is it, Adira?" He asks worriedly.
"The drag-" I get cut off just as our dragons dive into the water. Luckily, I breathed in some air before they did. They swam at super speed as they spiraled through the water. They lifted their necks up slightly so we could get some air. Gallagher and I gasped for air when they did. We looked at each other and smiled just before we get pulled back into the water. They quickly swam through the water and I was losing air. Storm swam faster as he could sense my struggle. A few seconds later, we flew into an underwater cave. We flew out of the water and onto the cave floor. I gasped for air as he landed.
"Sorry, Adira. Are you okay?" Storm asks.
"Yeah, I'm okay." I say as my breathing returns to normal. A few seconds later, Gallagher and Rain fly out of the water. Gallagher gasps for air just as I did. Once his breathing calms down, I speak up.
"Are you okay, Gallagher?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you? I noticed Storm swim faster than us. I figured you were losing air faster than I was." He said worriedly. I nodded as I got off of Storm.
"Yeah, I'm fine, and yes, I was running out of air." I say as he gets off of Rain. The dragons walk to a corner of the cave and sit down, waiting for us to continue into the cave. I walk over to the water we flew out of and squeeze the water out of my hair and clothes as much as I could.
"Good, sorry about that. I told Rain to tell Storm about going underwater to get to the cave." Gallagher says as he runs his fingers through his hair.
"It's ok. That was pretty fun." I say, smiling. I look at the cave floor so see it's a very small space. The rest of the cave floor is filled with water, deep enough for our dragons to swim through. I look up at the ceiling and gasp. Many swirls and patterns run along the ceiling. Dips and curves in the ceiling make it look like an illusion.
"It's so... beautiful." I say, still staring at the incredible cave ceiling.
"I knew you would like it." Gallagher says, smiling at me. I look back to him and smile.
"Ready to explore the rest of the cave?" He asks as the dragons walk into the water, leaving out their tails so we can get on them.
"Yeah!" I shout enthusiastically as I walk up Storm's tail onto his back. Gallagher chuckles and gets on Rain. The dragons walk deeper into the water and swim slowly through the tunnels of the cave. I stare at the amazing patterns and smile. I turn back to Gallagher to see him staring at me. He smiles at me and I smile back as the dragons swim faster. We soon enter a room with beautiful blue crystals in the ceiling. I stare at them with wide eyes, my mouth slightly open.
"Wow..." I whisper. A smile appears on my face and I turn back to Gallagher who's still staring at me.
"Cave crystals? How did you know?" I ask.
"I don't know. I guess I just thought that you deserved to see something as beautiful as you." He says as he looks up at the crystals. My eyes widen and I feel kinda confused. I know he changed, but I didn't think he changed this much.
"He likes you." Storm says.
"Yeah, I noticed. He's only a friend, so don't bite him please." I say.
"I won't. I wasn't thinking about that anyway." Storm reassures.
"Good. What were you thinking about? Was it Rain?" I tease.
"Shut up." Storm growls. I almost forget about Gallagher being there and what he said.
"Oh, uh, thanks." I say as my cheeks burn. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Do I like Gallagher? No. No, I don't.
"Adira? You okay?" Storm asks, probably hearing the argument my mind just had.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I say back.
"Ok. Just tell me if something's wrong. Ok?" Storm asks.
"Ok. I will." I say as I look back at Gallagher. I take notice that his brown hair is quickly drying. It looks so soft... What the hell was that? No clue.
"Adira?" Gallagher asks, looking back at me.
"Hmm?" I hum in response.
"Wanna play 20 questions?" He asks as a smile appears on his face.
"Sure. How do we play?" I ask.
"Each of us ask 20 questions about each other. I'll go first. What's your favorite color?" He asks.
"Blue. What's yours?" I ask.
"Blue. When did you connect with Storm?" He asks. I look at Storm as he croons. I pet his neck and look back at Gallagher.
"When I was 5. When did you connect with Rain?" I ask.
"When I was 4." He answers, thinking about his next question. As the game continues, it's more comfortable to ask questions. We get to the last question.
"When did your parents stop treating you like their own?" Gallagher asks and my eyes widen. I hear Storm growl at him and quickly place a hand on his neck. He stops growling as my eyes start to water.
"Great. You're sad now. He's gonna regret asking that." Storm says as he glares at Gallagher.
"Don't, Storm. It's okay. Don't hurt him." I say as I calm myself down.
"He asked you a personal question. Why? Why does he need to know?" Storm asks no one in particular. I quickly hug Storm's neck, my arms engulfed by water as I do.
"When I was 13." I answer as a tear rolls down my cheek.
"He's making you cry." Storm growls.
"No. My parents make me cry. My memories of my parents make me cry. Seriously, Storm. It's okay. Please, calm down." I say. I feel his anger decrease as he stops growling.
"I'm sorry, Adira. I'm so sorry." Gallagher apologizes.
"Don't be. It's their fault, not yours." I say, letting go of Storm and sitting back up. I pat Storm's neck and he croons.
"I know, I just wish I could do something." He says as he looks down at Rain's back.
"I wish I could, too." I say as I look down at Storm. I feel arms wrap around me from behind. I turn around on Storm and look up to see Gallagher hugging me. I hug him back as he sighs into my hair. Being in his arms make me feel safe. Heat rises to my cheeks as he hugs me tighter.
"If you need to talk about anything, just come to me. If they hurt you, tell me and I'll deal with it. If they try to hurt you, I'll protect you. I promise." He says and my eyes widen.