I struggled in wild, chaotic fear. “No, no, it’s fine- Nixxi won’t hurt you.”
I didn’t listen. It was huge; it wanted to eat me. My heart fluttering like a injured bird, I spazzed, trying to free myself of his grip on my shoulders.
“Ssush, human! You are fine.” Said some foreign voice in my own mind.
“Who are you? Get out of my head!” I screamed.
“I can’t understand you. Think in words, not numbers.”
“What the hell?” I demanded, using one of the many curse words learned from my father.
“Better, but I got only one word: what. Speak in words. I see your thoughts coming in numbers.”
I didn’t shake anymore, since I was paralyzed with fear. “We’ll have to ride the dragon.” Said my companion. “Quickly,
Quickly!”
He climbed up and threw himself onto the dragon and held out a hand.
Once again, the same though entered my mind: Do I dare? Do I?
I do dare.
He hoisted me onto the dragon’s- Nixxie’s- back, just in time as she took off.
“Well, this is not what we planned.” Admitted Nixxie.
“No. Not at all.” He replied as we were pushed forwards by the wind.
This was quite strange. My mouth opened as if I was screaming, yet, of course, I didn’t. I shook my head repeatedly, thinking only one thought:
“Get me down, get me down, get me down, get me down!”
“Fine, jeesh!” Replied Nixxie, a tad offended, as she floated downward. We reached the ground in some sort of park, or reserve, or something. It hadn’t seemed as if we had flown that long, yet even I could tell we were far from my house.
And, of course, it started to rain.
So there I huddled, in the dirt, shivering in the rain.
“Do you want to keep going? Nixxie can shelter us.”
I shook my head, hugging my knees for the second time today.
“Do you want to find a hotel and rest there?”
Again, I shook my head, hoping my tears would be thought as rain.
“Do you want to go home?”
I shook my head even more violently this time, brown, shoulder-length hair flying around me. I sat on the ground, the pine needles poking my thighs.
“I can say something to him, if you want.” Acknowledged the dragon.
I nodded. “Tell him I just want this to be over. I just want this dream to end, since it is no doubt a dream. Tell him that I just want to wake up. I want to wake up from everything- the beating, the pain. I just want to be in a nice home for once, that doesn’t shun me for being different.”
The dragon nodded, conveying my wishes.
He sighed.“No home is perfect, Pascale. But there are better homes than yours. We’re going to bring you home, I promise.”
“And ask him what he is, and what his name is.”
He chuckled when Nixxie relayed my words. “I forgot that, didn’t I? Well, I don’t want to freak you out or anything- but I bet you’d expect nothing else than the unimaginable.” He looked at me, as if I were about to get up and run. “I’m an Elf. My name is Vhane.”
My heart skipped a beat. An Elf! A real, live Elf! I only had heard of their strength and finesse in legends. They weren’t
supposed to exist! Neither were dragons, or even monsters like my father.
I nodded silently and, without another word, curled up in a ball on the floor, trying to process the day’s events. Nixxie waddled next to me and flopped on her side, using her wing to spread over me and keep me from the rain. The last thing
I remember as I drifted off to sleep was snuggling up on Nixxie’s belly sub-consciously, and Vhane coming under her wing as well.
“Good night, Pascale.”
But I was already asleep.
