The Last Dragon Shifter

Chapter Four

"Oh, come onnnn." Orin pouted. As he eagerly peered at Naomi, she attempted to hide her annoyance.

"Orin, I said no," she said for the fifth time. She then redirected her attention to the sword hilt she was working on, desperate to end their conversation.

The man had spent the last thirty minutes trying to get Naomi and her father to go to the Unity Festival parade, and it was starting to grate on her nerves. After Naomi's disappointing yet eventful night the day before, she had no desire to go put herself out there again on the second day of the festival madness.

"But it's the Unity Festival!" Orin whined as he snatched the sword hilt out of her hand. As Naomi managed to take it back from him, her father pitched in.

"Every year you do this, Orin, and every year we say no. Shouldn't you have taken a hint by now?" Martin said.

"I'm doing it in your own best interest. The two of you have a social life that is disturbingly lacking. Do it for your daughter, Martin. She needs a dose of human contact. And I promise that if you go this one time and you hate it, I'll never ask again." Orin held his hand over his heart as his pledge.

"I don't—" Martin began but Orin grabbed hold of Naomi once again.

"And you! What happened to all that party pep yesterday? When you were soooo excited to go out with your school chums. Huh? You were all about the festival then."

Naomi darted her eyes down to the ground. He was right. She had been all smiles about the festival yesterday. Maybe her nonchalance and resistance today would seem suspicious.

She traded a quick look with her father, and he was indeed looking at her curiously. Perhaps if they went along and had a terrible time, Orin would stick to his word and leave them alone. Naomi silently answered her father's glance with a consenting nod. He laid down the star he was still working on and stepped away from his station.

"All right, Orin. We go for one hour—and that's it. Then it's back to work."

"Wonderful!" Orin said. The man almost skipped as he headed back to the front door.

"You'll see," he told them, bouncing on his toes as Martin closed up the shop. "It'll be magical. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

Naomi tuned out the rest of Orin's cajoling as the three of them stepped onto the street. By this time, the city walkways were packed with people preparing for the festival. Even more decorations were out today, with the taller, more modern buildings having changed their lights to red and gold. Next door, Tech City, was also festively decorated. With a Unity Festival sale, customers emerged with the latest technology, from high-end e-Mecha laptops to expensive ringers with excellent call service. In the window, Naomi caught the store owner, Jessica's dad, Mr. Davis, gleefully watching his merchandise sweep off the shelves. Thankfully, Jessica herself was nowhere in sight.

Great sales prices wouldn't be the true highlight of the day. Later on, there would be a parade throughout Patria by the royal family as it visited the kingdom's boroughs. Well, on a traveling dais. Close, but not close enough as to be touched by the baser public.

"Well, here we are," Martin said, stopping several feet outside his shop.

"Here? No way. We're going to Springwell Square. That's where all the action starts," Orin said.

He didn't wait for Martin to argue. He looped his arm through Naomi's and led her toward the nearest PATS station a few blocks away. When they reached Springwell Square, the popular plaza was busier than ever, since the royal family would begin its journey here. In the middle of the square, the floating dais was already in place. It was surrounded by attentive royal guards, outfitted in their signature scarlet and gold uniforms. The arrival of its sovereign passengers was all that was missing.

"See, you two? The fresh air, the bustling crowd, the tantalizing aroma of chili hot dogs. This is living," Orin said as they settled into a prime spot near the street gate.

"It is pretty lively out here," Naomi's father admitted.

"And that hot-dog smell is killing me. Marty, go grab us some. I want a chili dog, ketchup and mustard, extra onions—oh, and some cotton candy. Remember the cotton candy."

"I'm not your errand boy, Orin," Martin said.

"I'll go grab it," Naomi interjected.

"I don't want you getting lost in the crowd. Orin can go on his own." Her dad's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's okay. I'm hungry too. I'll be back soon," Naomi insisted. Even though she didn't want to attend the festival events anymore, she had to at least act like she was excited to be here. Otherwise, her father would catch on.

She moved through the crowd before he could protest again. Traversing past the different stalls, Naomi kept an eye out for the ideal stand. A variety of vendors left plenty of options, offering everything from cold drinks, ice cream, and other sweets, to meat skewers and more. Eventually, Naomi spotted the right one a few feet away and joined the line, relieved that it wasn't too long.

"I'd like one chili dog with ketchup, mustard, and extra onions. Another chili dog with ketchup and pickles. Oh, and some cotton candy," Naomi said, rattling off her list once she'd reached the front of the line.

"Blueberry, mint, or sugar flower?" the vendor asked.

"Sugar flower," Naomi said, figuring Orin would love a sugar rush. The flavoring came from sprite-grown flowers and was popular among those with a sweet tooth. The curt restaurateur grunted and started to make her order.

While she patiently waited, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Glancing over, she found a smarmy salesman peddling his wares. His cart was full of Unity memorabilia, including flags and festival hats. The festival hats were particularly offensive as some held sentiments, like "No Dragons Allowed." As the slogans unpleasantly turned her stomach—so much so, she no longer wanted her cotton candy—she shrugged the man off.

"No thank you, sir," she said as politely as she could. He pushed a bit more but she shook off his offerings until he got bored. Once he was finally tired of her, he latched on to a nearby festival-goer.

"Hey kid, you want a hat?"

"No thanks, I've already got one." At the boy's response, Naomi perked up in attention. She'd only heard that voice once but she recognized its lyrical tone immediately.

"Max?" Naomi asked, incredulous at seeing the man in the flesh again, red hat included. 

*** Huzzah! Naomi and Max meet again! Will they be able to rekindle their missed connection? Find out in Chapter Five!