Dragon Dreams

Chapter 18: Uncontrollable Forces (1/3)

I woke to the sound of birds. Memories of the night before brought a smile to my muzzle even before I opened my eyes. Then, I shuddered as I remembered Ares' words. As my mind wandered before falling asleep, I must have accidentally reached out my spirit to communicate with him. "That's what Rofar was telling me about," I thought. "The spirit, or athka, or whatever. Ares used it to speak to me directly in my mind." After his intrusion into my dream and the taunting message the night before, I was even more eager to avoid unwanted contact in the future. These lessons Rofar had promised me couldn't come soon enough.

Turning my thoughts away from the unpleasant subject, I stretched and got ready to go back into the house. Jackie had the TV on when I came in. She was standing in the middle of the family room and staring intently at the screen, where big letters proclaimed breaking news. "Hey, Josh," she said when I came in, giving me a brief glance before pointing to the image in front of her. "Look at this. It's not far from here."

Curious, I walked over to get a better look. There, on the news, was a dramatic live feed of a massive mountain with thick, black smoke issuing from its peak. Text on the bottom of the screen read, 'Mt. Cayley shows signs of volcanic activity.' There was an aerial view from a helicopter as well, showing the towering plume of ash stretching like a great shield over the rugged terrain below.

Jackie turned away and walked back into the kitchen. "Apparently, they think there's nothing to be scared of. There's no lava or anything super destructive. Just smoke and ash."

"That's good."

"But it's a bit odd, they said, since it was supposed to be dormant. It looks like there was a small earthquake and it triggered some activity."

I pulled myself away from the screen and joined her in the kitchen. "Those myths or stories have anything to say about volcanos?" I asked.

She shook her head and replied, "Nothing good, I'm afraid. Volcanic activity is seen as a symbol of the evil forces at work in our world. I mean, it makes sense that they'd associate that stuff with evil. They had no other explanation. I mean, if I saw ash and lava spewing up from the ground, I'd think something sinister was behind it, too. But I don't actually believe in all that, you know. I just think the stories are interesting bits of culture, not that they're true."

"Evil forces," I thought. Once more, I pondered my decision to keep things from Jackie and Wes, and also my own family. The visits from Ares were my secret. I didn't want anyone to worry about me, but was it a mistake to think that way? Could I really hope to avoid any more encounters with Ares and the Khovn Vrost? I really just wanted to keep to myself. It was starting to seem like hiding these things was suggestive of my own denial. "Regardless, this is pointless," I thought. "I'm not going to drop any bombshells right before I leave. When I come back, I can decide what I need to do next. No more denial." Spending time learning from the other dragons would give me more perspective, I hoped.

As I was lost in thought, Jackie said something to me about breakfast that snapped me back to the present. I shook my head, turning my attention back to her as she got some plates down from the cabinet. She pointed to a drawer and asked me to start setting the table. I pulled it open to find the silverware and did my best to extract the proper pieces with my claws. It took a few moments, and Jackie looked over when she heard the clattering of my struggles. She laughed before saying, "Sorry, I should have known better. You want to fill the glasses instead?"

"No, I got it," I said, flinging a fork into the air as it slipped from my paw. "That was an extra one anyway." We both smiled as I mercifully laid the armful of forks and knives on the table. She went back to washing fruit as I got the table in order. "By the way, what are we having this morning?"

"Well, it's your last day here for a little while, so I thought I would make something special. It also happens to be Wes's favorite: French toast with berries."

"That sounds pretty good to me, too," I said.

"I'm glad. I'll go see if he's up." Before leaving the kitchen, she picked up the remote and clicked off the TV.

The table was pretty much set by the time Wes entered, and I sat with him as his mom made breakfast. The food was even better than the day before. Fluffy slices of toast coated with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and fresh berries. Wes insisted that I receive a generous helping of whipped cream, which he claimed was necessary to complete the dish. He wasn't wrong. I hadn't tasted sweet berries like that in a while, and I savored each one. Everything on the plate was perfect, and I licked mine clean three times as Jackie kept offering me more hot toast from the pan. I felt like the luckiest dragon in the world to have this kind of food lavished on me.

After breakfast, I had to get ready for the video call with my family. I brought my laptop and phone into the kitchen and got everything set up on the table. Opening my laptop, I got all the programs I needed running and made sure I had an internet connection. My phone showed a number of messages from Scott and Roderick. I read a few of the texts, which went something like, "Why aren't you telling us what's going on?" or, "Seriously, can you respond? This is getting really weird, man," and, eventually, "Alright. You're not going to say anything until the call? Whatever. I'll see you then." Apparently, my parents had succeeded in getting them to join for the group conversation.

My phone buzzed with a text from my sister telling me they were ready on the other end. I took a deep breath and started a voice call. Once I made sure my friends and family were all ready, I would turn on the video and go from there. Taking every precaution, I placed my thumb over the tiny camera just in case it activated on accident. At home, they answered, and the speaker crackled as the audio went live. No video on my end, although I could see them all sitting in my kitchen back home. So far, so good. I took my thumb away and cleared my throat quietly.

"Hey, can you hear me?" I asked.

"Yes, Josh, we can hear you," Alex replied.

"Can you please tell us what's going on?" Scott said, sounding equal parts concerned and annoyed. "And why does your voice sound weird?"

"Does it?" I tried to downplay the issue. "Huh. Anyway, I'm going to tell you what happened after I turn on the video. My family may have prepped you a little about this, but you have to try not to freak out, okay? It's just me."

Roderick cut in with, "Can you cut the crap and just tell us whatever you're hiding? We're supposed to be your friends, man. We're not gonna freak out. If you say it's just you, then why don't you just get on with it?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah," I said slowly. "Okay. Here goes. I'm turning the video on now." Inching the cursor up to the icon on the screen, I hesitated. I saw my mom's hand in the corner of the frame, how she tightened her grip on my dad's. I saw my sister twisting hair through her fingers nervously, stealing glances at Scott and Roderick to gauge their reactions. Then, I forced myself to click on it, and my image sprang to life in the corner of the screen.

Scott leaned a little closer to the screen, squinting in confusion. "What?" he whispered. "There's something wrong," he said louder. "There's a...an I-don't-know-what-it-is on the screen. Where are you?"

Clearly, they would need a little more convincing. Not a surprise. I raised my paw and gave them a wave. "Here I am. This is me, guys."

"You're hilarious," Roderick deadpanned. "So, you got some job with costumes or something and want to mess with us? Come on! We're sick of the games. We were really worried about you!"

I sighed. This was what I was expecting, but I needed them to catch on. "Can you tell them, Alex?"

My sister grimaced slightly at being put on the spot. "Uh, yeah, that's Josh. And he's...changed a bit, but he's still my brother, and still your friend. It's been almost impossible for us to believe it, but it's all true."

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