The Changes

Part 11

    

    As we flew over the many hills and mountains of America, I held on to one of the spikes on Ashton's thick, scaly, skin. After Ashton turns back into a human, I'm going to remember to make fun of him. Ashton the Dragon? That was almost as bad as Thomas the Train.

   I could hear Barry and Ethan whooping from the back of the dragon. I rolled my eyes. I heard them pointing our random things and playing Eye Spy. I looked behind me. Marissa's face had a greenish tint to it since she wasn't a fan of heights. Amber and Leyna pointed out the cool sights and Amber nearly dropped her backpack off Ashton's back, which would've been bad, because we would lose the magical crystal that it contained. It was fun to hang out with my friends even though we were miles from home and I really missed my family. 

   Suddenly, a black flying object interrupted my thoughts. I was about to call UFO, but if it was any alien spaceship, after it saw Ashton's teeth would've turned back. The wind rushing at me made it hard for me to pick my iron rod off the giant dragon's back. Then, it flew at us again. Marissa seemed to have noticed it too, because she started to point at it, her eyes wide with shock. She looked around, trying to be ready for combat, but I could tell that she was in no condition to fight. 

    "Ashton!" I called over the roaring wind. "We need to land!"

    Ashton roared in response and started to descend, the flapping of his wings slowing down. I grabbed on Ashton's spike tighter as we started to go down, my knuckles turning white. Marissa wasn't doing much better with the sudden change of altitude. She turned a sickly shade of green.

    "Uh, are you okay?" I asked.

    She nodded and tried to keep her eyes off the ground. We headed towards the ground, the wind blowing more lightly. We landed in a (thankfully) empty park and we all got off. Luckily no one saw Ashton the dragon heading straight into a park. That would've raised a few eyebrows.

   Then, I noticed Marissa next to me. She looked ready to burst. I rummaged through my backpack and poured the contents out of my lunch bag. I handed her the paper bag and she nodded in thanks, then went to sit on a rock.

   "We're finally here!" Ethan got off Ashton's back and laid down on the lush green grass. His blue T-Shirt was really getting filthy, his jeans ripped and his hair was messy, as if he didn't brush it for days (which he didn't).

    I looked down at myself. There was dirt all over my shirt and my jeans had grass stains on them. My head was really itchy and when I scratched it, I felt tangles in my hair. I looked around me and everybody else looked about as filthy as me. Barry had taken off his shoe and started to rub his foot against a rock to calm his itch. I wrinkled my nose. We smelled.

   "You know what we really need?" Amber asked, scratching her arm. "A shower."

   Ashton had morphed back into a human and sat on a log. He was breathing heavily and looked exhausted. I noticed he looked cleaner than all of us since he was stuck in a tree for days. Lucky him. "We should find an actual shelter," he suggested as he looked at the grey clouds in the sky. "We're going to get a really cold and uncomfortable shower if we stay here." 

    Suddenly, I saw it again. The dark silhouette that I had seen before. "Guys, get up." I was starting to worry. None of us had the energy to fight. 

    "Why?" Barry shot back. "Is it just because my feet smell?" He grinned and held up his dirt stained shoes. I wrinkled my nose.

    "No, though that is a good reason. I saw something. I think we're being watched." Everybody went quiet.

    "Nah, you're just being paranoid," responded Marissa casually. "We need to rest."

    "We should stay vigilant just in case," Amber replied. "What if Veronica is right?"

    "For now though, we should find a good place to stay," said Ethan dreamily. "I just need sleep, and a warm bed, and food, and food and more sleep!"

    "And some internet connection," agreed Leyna. "I need to listen to Seventeen's new song! I came out on the 14th. Wait, what day is it today?"

   We all looked at each other. "Uh, I dunno," said Barry, scratching his head now.

   "Whatever," said Marissa. "Let's head to the city. It's almost dark."

    We nodded in agreement and headed towards the city.

----

    As we walked on the concrete pavement, nobody spoke. We were all to tired to speak.

   But Ashton, being who he is, broke the peace.

   "Guys, how much cash do you have on you?"

   We all stared at him. "What do you want to do, gamble?" I snorted.

   "Actually, no. We need money for a place to stay, right?"

    "Wait, where even are we?" asked Leyna. She was right. We couldn't be in D.C. already. We had flown only for about 2 hours. We even took a few breaks along the way.

   "Um, we're in Texas. I think." Ashton's cheeks turned pink.

   Right on cue, a man with a classic cowboy hat jumped out from a shop nearby.

   "You kids visiting? Ya need a place ta stay?" He said with a spot on Texan accent. 

   "Actually, we do." Amber answered. "But, how much will that be for one room for one night?"

   Cowboy guy named the price, and Amber handed him a roll of cash. "Great! That'll be enough for a meal for all of y'all too!"

   We stared at Amber. "Where in the world did you get all that cash?" I inquired.

   She shrugged. "I always have some handy."

   We followed the cowboy (cowman?) into a building. It was a decent little building, with a low ceiling and dining tables. There was a counter where a customer was paying the cashier. The lighting was dim and I saw a lot of couples. The shiny wooden floor almost cause me to slip.

    "Careful," the guy warned. "We just swept them floors."

   "Thanks, uh.. Bernard," I said as I read his name tag. I almost burst out laughing. Bernard? Classic.

   He lead us up a wooden staircase and gestured towards one of the many rooms. "Here are yer keys," he said, dropping a key into my palm. "Whenever you're ready, come down and eat."

   "Thank you!" Amber called as he climbed down the stairs. He tipped us cowboy hat at us and disappeared down the stairwell.

   Just as I stuck the key into the keyhole, Ethan tripped.

   "Are you okay?" I asked.

   He shook his head. "Guys, look that way." He pointed behind me. As I turned around, yellow gnarled claws came at me.