Rainbow Magic (Dragon Rider #1) {EDITING}

Out of the Bathtub

The name was unfamiliar.

Sora didn't recognise it in the slightest, but a little niggling sensation became known to her. It was there in the corner of her mind – something telling her she should know exactly who this Sophia was... and yet another little voice in her head told her to leave it.

Why was her identity that important?

Would it help her in some way?

She shook her head, pulling herself away. It wouldn't do any good to keep her thoughts focused on it. Not when she didn't have a clue about what was going on.

The statue loomed above her, the face barely visible, concealed by the hood of her cloak and she couldn't take her eyes off it. Her teammates were in a similar shape, each of them staring up at one statue in particular with matching expressions of sheer confusion.

Sora pulled her towel further around her, stiffening as Silver wandered over towards her. "We heading back?" she asked, eyeing the silverette curiously.

"I'd say we've stayed here long enough..." Silver said, shrugging as Raelynn moaned in protest. "Next time we ought to bring some clothes though," she mumbled, eyeing Callum's beet red face. "Our honorary girl doesn't seem to be enjoying herself."

"We can make him?" Beatrice smiled, looking oddly innocent.

"No, Beatrice... just... no..." Sora mumbled, not liking where her train of thought was going, swiftly changing the topic from their innocent teammate. "Shall we see if the opening is still there?"

"It'd be awkward if it was closed..." Callum said, shuffling away from his clingy companion.

"It'd be just us," she said dreamily, wrapping the poor boy in a hug. "Forever."

"Well, until we die of starvation," Silver muttered.

Raelynn grinned, pulling the silverette back towards the pool of water. "And on that cheery note, let's head back," she said, diving into the murky depths seemingly without a care in the world. So much so, she didn't seem to realise she'd left behind something rather important in the waters on their side of the portal.

Her towel.

It floated in the water, the clean white standing out sharply against the dark waters which had swallowed their friend. Silver simply sighed, hooking it under one arm, before swimming down far more gracefully than the blonde had. She left a sputtering Callum in her wake, and Beatrice decided it'd be a good idea to follow them – if only since her dear friend wasn't trying to escape her hold.

Sora followed quickly after, knowing the twins weren't the two she needed to worry about.

Callum and the redhead on the other hand...

That was a whole different story altogether.

She swum through the waters, noting with relief the portal was still wide open. She'd guessed it had to be – where else would her teammates be going?

Warm water surrounded her, telling her she'd remerged into the baths, the twins popping their heads up out of the water only moments after.

A rumble of stone sounded, and that was the only warning they received as the floor sealed itself back up after them. Another quick glance upwards told Sora the strange markings – their cloak's markings – had also disappeared from the ceiling. There was no proof of what had just happened... well, aside from Raelynn's very naked back as she climbed out of the warm pool of water.

Sora blinked in shock, her eyes narrowing as she reached towards the other girl, but Silver reached her first.

"Put your damn towel on, idiot!" Silver hissed, glaring at her. "We don't want to see."

Raelynn smiled sadly. "Yeah, it's kind of ugly, I know..."

Silver stiffened, finally spying what had her almost in tears.

The scar was rather long, and from the smooth neat line Sora knew it'd been made by a sword. A very sharp one. Though that wasn't what made the others so tense. No. It was the fact it was at most millimetres from her heart, if that.

Someone had tried to kill Raelynn.

And they'd almost succeeded.

"I wasn't going on about that!" Silver all but yelled. "I was going on about... those..." she muttered, face flaming as she pointed at the girl's chest.

"Oh these," she said. "I've had these for a while..."

"Shut up and put your damn towel on!"

Callum gurgled in what Sora assumed to be agreement.

"OK, mum," Raelynn muttered, pulling her towel back around herself.

Silver socked her over the head.

"Don't imitate Oz, copycat!"

The silver-haired girl sighed, punching her again, before she turned her attention to the far more serious topic at hand. "Who gave you that?" Her eyes blazed.

"You really care?" Raelynn grinned, watching as the silverette squirmed.

"Hardly... I just want to know in case we come across them again..." she muttered, folding her arms, staring away determinedly.

"He's dead... so don't worry about him, OK?" the blonde spoke softly, evidently trying to steer the conversation onto safer grounds, but curiosity got the better of them.

Sora's voice was barely audibly. "Who?"

"My brother."