The College Drag, Part 29

I tossed and turned in my sheets, I couldn’t sleep right. I was tired, but couldn’t get comfortable. I must have slipped into unconsciousness at some point, but I wasn’t fully asleep. All I could see was blackness, but I heard that same voice that I hate to hear.

“Ssso, you finally ssstart to embrace the dragon you truly are.” said that reptilian voice I wish had a neck so I could ring it.

“I told you to leave me and everyone I care about alone.” I growled into the darkness, “Now get out or I’ll wake up and trap you again.”

“Oh but I jussst had to sssee you like thisss.” he said with glee, “In all your magnificent glory. Although you could ussse a few of the traitsss I would have given you if you merged with me. You look rather plain.”

“Don’t care, git.” I snapped back.

“You are sssuch a party pooper.” he said. I have to admit, him saying ‘party pooper’ was kinda funny, “Fine, if you are dead ssset on doing thisss yourssself, there’sss nothing I can do. I’ll just sssay thisss before I go and it’ll be for good thisss time. With or without me, you will ssslip into the mindssset of a dragon. You can’t help it. With me, it’d be all at once and you’ll feel great and whole. Without me, your human mind will warp to fill in the gapsss and turn into a sssort of dragon mind. It won’t be a true dragon mind, but it’ll ssstill do the job.”

“I really don’t see that happening.” I told him, “I’m just not going to be ashamed of my body anymore.”

“And that’sss where it beginsss.” he replied with a deep growl, “You ssstarted by accepting yourssself asss a dragon. Then you became proud of that fact. Next came the drive to take care of your body, to make ssso it told everyone around you that you are a dragon and proud of it. You polissshed your ssscalesss and then ssshowed them off to your family. You’ll wake up and want to do the same thing for everyone elssse. You’ll want to be looked at and appreciated for your majessstic form. You’ll want to show it off in itsss entirety too. That’sss right, you’ll want to go to your classssesss and work in nothing but your ssscalesss. You are ssslipping into acceptance and it’ll continue till you finally become what you were alwaysss meant to be, a dragon running wild and free.”

“No, that’s not me.” I said, shutting my eyes tight, not really doing anything because I was in a black void anyway.

“It isss you, it will be you.” he said, sounding eager, “You aren’t sssupposssed to be locked up like thisss. Forced into a daily routine, dealing with humansss day in, day out. They are below you, nothing more than prey. You’ve become sssomething more and yet you ssstill cling to the passst like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood. Nobody isss coming to help you. You might asss well just wake up and walk out the door and never turn back. Leave thisss life behind and really find out what itsss like to be a dragon.”

I tried to stop myself, but I began to consider his words. They rang true in so many respects, but grinded against my way of thinking so much.

‘How can I leave?’ I thought, ‘I have so much work to do, so many things I haven’t done yet. My family, my friends, how could I leave them?’

“Forget them, they are lower creaturesss now.” he hissed.

He must have been looking at my thoughts and that made me angrier.

“No, a person is a person and I’m no different than them.” I snarled back into the black void, “You can’t get what you want out of me. I know that I can control myself, I’ve done it this long and I can keep going. Even if my mind does warp to fill the gaps, it’s still my mind. I don’t need you in there messing things up; I have a hard enough time keeping it all straight now. Now git!”

“Sssuit yourssself.” he said, “Jussst sssaying that one way or another, you are what you are and nothing you sssay can change that.”

“And there’s another saying.” I told him, “You are WHO you are.”

I heard a draconic snort and I woke up. It was Thursday morning, but not just any September day, September the eleventh. My clock radio kicked on and the national anthem was playing. I hung my head and took a moment of silence to mark the occasion. My heart was heavy for the people that died that day just seven years prior. I always seem to remember instantly what I was doing on that day at any time of day. At that moment, seven years ago, I was in the kitchen getting breakfast. Katie was in her room getting ready for class and Sam was a sleep. I never forget that day; it’s burned into my mind forever. Once the song was over, I climbed out of bed and went to my closet. Just like the voice side, I felt like I could just go as I was.

“No,” I said aloud, “I will not fall into that trap. It was all just a ploy. I don’t care if my mind becomes accustomed to my new body, it better if this is going to be my body from now on. But I call the shots.”

As I felt that nag again as I reached for my blue jeans, I figured out what it was. It was my curiosity, that little feeling that got me to do a load of dumb stuff in the past and probably got me to wax and buff my scales in the first place. I smiled to myself when I figured it out. It wasn’t some drive to go all wild and stuff; it was just me being curious of what it would feel like.

‘Nice try,’ I thought to myself, ‘but I know my own curiosity when I feel it.’

Since he did live in my head for a bit, it made sense that he knew my curiosity was getting the best of me by that point. I just can’t help it, I have to know. It was the reason why Mom’s old anniversary clock was taken apart as well as Dad’s old crank generator along with a number of his power tools. They learned quick to ask me what I was doing when I started to go for screw drivers and wrenches. I don’t know how many times I took my bike apart. I had three of them growing up and I dismantled them all a few times at some point while I had them.

I pulled on my jeans, slipped on my shirt, put on my socks, laced up my boots and placed my hat on my head. I put on my woodland camo jacket because I could sense the cool air outside. After strapping on my watch and pocketing my wallet and keys, I went up stairs to get my breakfast. Dad was already there and eating his cereal.

“You still look shiny.” he said as I got my bowl.

“I have a thin layer of wax on my scales.” I told him, “I’ll be that way for a while.”

“You need to get a haircut too.” he told me, “You’re hair is getting too long. You look like a hippy.”

I felt my hair. Sure enough, of the amount that poked out from under my hat, I could lose my claw in.

“I guess I’ll go to Fletch’s here later this afternoon.” I said while I poured the milk on my cereal.

Fletch had been cutting my hair, well, forever. I got my first haircut from him and I had been going there to get it cut every time for my entire life. I guess it was fitting that my first haircut as a dragon was done by Fletch as well.

I ate my breakfast, went to the bathroom to do what I had to do there, gave my teeth a good brushing, grabbed my backpack and headed out the door. I drove to class again just because I wanted too; the radio always makes me feel better in the morning unless the DJs play crap the whole time. There were a few good ones on, but nothing great. Dragula by Rob Zombie and When World Collide by Powerman 5000 were great fun to drive to. I whipped into a parking space near the Math and Science building, shut the truck off and hurried my tail to my Biology class. I got in the door just before Mr. Philips did.

“So nice to see a tail whip into my classroom early in the morning,” he said as he walked in, “it makes me think of what wonders of science will be discovered next.”

I didn’t say anything in reply; I just took my seat in the back.

“Today we’ll be exploring the various life forms and what makes a new species occur.” he said.

He went on a full blown assault on the whiteboard with his rant on speciation and how a new species could happen.

“Allopatric, Parapatric and Sympatric speciation all are ways a new species can occur within a population.” Mr. Philips started, “Allopatric speciation is when a species is cut off geographically from the parent population and can no longer breed with the parent population. Over time, they start to differ genetically as a result of the conditions in the new habitat and become a new species. If a member of the new species is put back into the parent population and it can no longer breed with the parent population, then allopatric speciation has occurred. Parapatric speciation occurs when that barrier isn’t very strong as it is in allopatric so some breeding may occur, but eventually the new population will no longer be able to breed and become a new species. Sympatric is when I genetic modification occurs within a population and there is no geographical barrier, but rather a genetic one. A new species arises from within a population and can no longer breed with its parent population.”

A guy in the front row, by the looks of him he was quite a smart guy.

“Then what would you say the type of speciation has occurred with that dragon back there?” he asked.

Mr. Philips seemed to think it over and said,

“Sympatric speciation, he has been genetically altered within his parent population and can no longer breed with his parent population. He has been isolated genetically from his parent population and become a new species.”

I shrunk down in my chair, I didn’t like being an example and I really didn’t like him telling me that I was now genetically isolated from everyone I care for.

“I’m sorry if I upset you Mr. Compas, but facts are facts.” He replied, must have read my expression, “Even if we would like to change them, we can’t.”

I just rested my head on my claws and continued to listen to his lesson. As he went on about how speciation was one of the key driving forces that made all the variety of the world, I thought about what it meant to be a different species. It was fun to be a dragon and all, but there are a few drawbacks as well. As I thought about it, I could see why a lot of dragons left their human lives behind. One, it’s painful to go back to your loved ones with a completely different body and try to get them to see that you were still you. Two, even if you did pull that off you had to live day in day out with constant reminders of your past life. Three, people will single you out and point at you. Whether its curiosity or hatred, dragons make very easy targets for finger pointing. Four, your very idea of yourself is warped. There’s the new draconic idea of yourself fighting with the old human idea of yourself and that makes for inner turmoil in spades. I’ll admit it, I see a fine looking woman I get that same feeling I did when I was human, I do not need to elaborate on that though, but I seem to get the same feeling when I see a fine looking dragoness. Two very different ideas of female beauty get the same reaction from me and that’s only because I’m caught in the middle.

As most people call it, I have a human mind in a dragon’s body. I really don’t think it’s that simple. At first glance, yes I do act more human than I do a dragon. But I do a number of things I didn’t before. I growl, I snort, I snarl, I tend to flip flop between saying hands or claws, I call my face a muzzle or a snout and tend to bare my teeth when angered. As far as I can tell, it’s my mind trying to be a draconic one. I’m acting like I think a dragon should act. To a degree, that translator mind was right. I was slipping towards a more draconic mindset, but want he didn’t bank on was that how far I slip is how far I think it should go. He tried to scare me, but I could see through his ruse. I’ll do want I think I should do, not what anyone else thinks I should do.

My biggest thing I have against having a total draconic mind set and wanting to run wild and free all day till I guess poesies fly out my butt is that it’s the twenty first century. A draconic mindset in this day in age would seem to me like a liability then a plus. What good is all that draconic instinct if one day you could walk out your cave and see a suburban landscape had snuck up on you? Call me crazy, call me a half dragon if you will, but that’s my opinion. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a modern dragon. A dragon that has accepted the world has changed and is willing to live peacefully in it. I sat in my chair thinking about that stuff till he finished his long lesson.

“Okay, the first exam is two weeks from today.” Mr. Philips said as we all got up, “Study and you’ll be fine. Don’t study and you’ll be in a tough spot come test day.”

We filed out into the hall and then came a loud noise. I dropped my backpack and covered my ears. The sound of the fire alarm going off was a deafening buzz with my draconic hearing. The shrill electronic screech that would chirp every other second was way too loud and I couldn’t think straight. I grabbed my back pack with my tail and hurried down the stairs. I almost knocked over and trampled a few people as I rushed for the nearest door.

“Watch it freak!” shouted a guy as I ran past him and the leading edge of my right wing hit him.

I didn’t stop. I hit the door and shoved it open as fast as I could. As soon as I got outside, I felt relieved. I could hear the fire alarm inside, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as inside. I felt my ears for blood, thankfully there wasn’t any.

“So, loud noises are a weak point for yours.” Mr. Philips said, “The way you rushed to get out of the building when the fire alarm went off told me the high pitched sounds are hard on your sensitive ears. Since your ears aren’t bleeding, you still have a tolerance for them, it’s just you haven’t been exposed to them since you changed.”

“My ears hurt and I have a headache now.” I told him, “I sure hope they don’t test the fire alarms much this year.”

“I’m sure they will,” he replied, “They have to. You’ll just have to build up your tolerance again. The first time anyone hears a sound like that they are sent running for the hills. Bear in mind, that’s what fire alarms are designed to make you do.”

I shook my head to try and get my senses back in order. My head ache still hung around, but my ears stopped hurting.

“Thanks Mr. Philips.” I said to him with a slight smile, “I’d better get to my art class.”

“Then you’d better hurry.” he said with that wry grin of his.

I waved bye to him and hurried to Wade Hall. I decided to shorten my travel time and fly there. It was a little glide, but it took me only a couple of minutes what was a six to eight minute walk. Once I was in the classroom and in my seat, Mr. Scott came in and said,

“Today we’ll be looking at the art of the Greeks and then I’ll give you your assignment that will be due two weeks from today.”

I sat and listened to his lecture and carefully internalized what he said. When he got to the assignment, I got excited.

“You are to go to the St. Louis Art Museum and find three art pieces.” He told us, “I want you to go through and list all the points we have gone over with the painting and sculptures in class. Media used, color palette used, what period it fits in, what is the content of the work, what is the context of the work, what style is it in and what does the work say to you. This is a fun assignment and I hope that you all enjoy it. Class dismissed.”

I had a grin on my muzzle as I walked out, I love going to museums and looking at all the interesting works of art. Mom and Dad used to drag us to them all the time, I learned to enjoy them. Maybe that’s why I put my hands behind my back when I go into a nice place? Mom always told me not to touch, so it kinda got to be a habit to put them somewhere where they couldn’t accidentally hit anything.

‘I wonder how I’ll keep my wings and tail from hitting anything?’ I thought to myself.

I went to work and signed in. It was closing night for me, so I got really comfortable in the front lab because I was going to be there a while. I had a few prize winners. There was a very quiet girl that would take two minutes to do anything I told her to do. I tell her she needed to log in; she’d sit there for two minutes doing nothing till she finally started to move her hand. She was really quiet; I had to get right next to her to hear her say anything even with my draconic hearing. Then was the guy that kept poking my arm. He’d say he was leaving to use the bathroom, so he’d come up and poke me in the arm to tell me that. That was annoying. The three stooges made an appearance. Three inner city kids that always and I mean always run in a group of no less than three, came in and sat down in the back row. They started talking loudly and so I had to do my job.

“Could you keep your voices down please?” I told them, holding my voice steady and acting professional, “We are in a library and people are trying to study.”

They didn’t really say anything; one of them just rotated his chair to look at me. The expression on his face was like nothing I’d ever seen before. His jaw went slack a little bit and his eyes widened out, but there wasn’t any tensing of the facial muscles so it didn’t look like a scared expression, more a dumbfounded expression mixed with a terrified expression and neither one was entirely showing. I can only think that it was the kind of expression that he gets when his brain locks up. It took a bit, but they eventually went back to looking at their screens. This time they stayed quiet.

It was about 4:30 that something happened. I heard a shout and a lot of fast talking coming from the circ desk.

“We have a lady that needs help!” some guy shouted, “She has a bad chemical burn on her hand.”

“Call security.” Debbi said, “Where is she?”

“She’s outside in front of the bus stop.” he told her.

I got up to go see what was going on. A quick check of the printer, made sure everyone was good for a while, they were all mostly in the internet browsing, and I was off. I hurried out front to the bus stop to see a cluster of people around a lady with blond hair, a blue t-shirt and a light blue skirt sitting on the sideway up against the stone side of Wade Hall. She was holding her right hand tightly.

“Excuse me, pardon me.” I said as went through the crowd to see her better.

“Stay away from me you beast!” she shouted, glaring at me.

“Listen ma’am, I only want to help.” I said to her calmly, “You need to get to a hospital, I can fly you there very quickly.”

“I don’t want your help.” she shot back, “Any help from you is help from a demon and that always carries a price.”

I saw a little metal cross on her necklace so I knew I was up against some hard opposition from her. Its then I notice her hand again. It was red and irritated, but it was starting to look like little lines where forming on it.

“Ma’am I can help you if you let me.” I pleaded to her.

“NO!” she shouted at me, “Dragons are evil creatures, my mother and father told me to never trust one of you. You are unholy creatures and will all be destroyed by the righteous and the faithful.”

I just shook my head. I knew what right and wrong was, but she just saw me as a monster that mommy and daddy told her to hate and fear.

“Ma’am you have a bad burn and need medical attention,” I calmly told her, “If you don’t want me to help you, then fine. I’ll just wait here till help arrives to make sure you’re safe.”

She kind of looked up at me with a half fearful and wondering look on her face and said,

“Why do you care what happens to me, I’m just a meal to you.”

“If I saw humans as food then why would I be here?” I responded, “I was human once, not very long ago. Why would I change my ways because of all this. I still have all the same morals and sense of right and wrong I did before. I wouldn’t be here attending classes to further my education if all I was going to do was eat people. I would never and I mean never eat a human being. Don’t you ever think I would because that is totally wrong in my book.”

She seemed to just look me over a bit, I guess trying to figure out if I was telling the truth. I took a glace around at the crowd, they all looked quite engaged by the scene. I looked back at her hand to see how bad her burn was. What I saw left me dumbstruck.

“Ma’am,” I asked, “How did you get that burn?”

“I picked up a rock but it crumbled in my hand.” she replied, “It must have been acidic.”

“You might want to change your opinion on dragons then.” I told her.

She looked at be in bewilderment, but then looked at her hand. She let out a scream of terror when we didn’t see a human hand, but a draconic claw.

“WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!” she screamed.

“Calm down.” I told her, holding my voice even in tone, “You’ve been exposed to one of the stones that changes a human to a dragon.”

“WHAT?!” she shouted, “I DON’T WANT TO BE A DRAGON!”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry.” I said in sorrow to her, “I don’t know if there’s a way to stop the transformation. I’ve never heard of one. Tell you truth, I never looked.”

“YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!” she yelled as she shot up and grabbed my shirt, “STOP THIS!”

“I can’t, I don’t even know where to begin.” I said to her, “I just found one just like you did and then it happened, I haven’t got a clue how they work.”

I could see her new sky blue scales growing up her right arm and then down the other. She stumbled back against the wall and doubled over in pain. The crowd backed up, but I just stood there. I knew the pain she was going through and I didn’t feel right to take a single step back. She groaned and moaned, screaming in pain every time a bone would suddenly begin to lengthen. She grew a tail out of her backside and two wings tore her shirt to ribbons. I pulled off my jacket and covered her with it. The wing slots were there, but it still was better than nothing and it covered her up mostly. The plates on her underside were a vibrant greenish blue, probably close to aqua marine. Her legs changed to a digitgrade form and her feet shifted to a three toed draconic foot. Each claw and talon was pure white, almost like fine porcelain. The scales and plates grew up her neck and lengthened it out to a more draconic one and her face pushed out into a muzzle. Her blond hair stayed and her ears elongated, but two pure white horns grew out the back of her head. She hacked and coughed as her teeth fell out and new long sharp teeth grew into place. Her tongue changed into a long forked one and flicked out only once before it went back into her jaws. As the final pops and snaps happened, I could see tears just rolled from her eyes.

“I’m a monster.” she quietly said, just barely saying it at all.

“No, no, no.” I said to her, trying to comfort her by kneeling down to her, taking her hand into mine and patting the back if it, “You are not a monster. You are who you always were. Don’t let this get in the way. Just be yourself.”

She looked up at me with tears in her slit pulped, amethyst colored eyes and just started crying as she fell onto my chest.

“Oh what am I going to do.” she sobbed, I could feel her tears soak into my shirt, “My parents will disown me and I’ll be all alone. My life is over.”

“No, it’s not.” I said as I held her to my chest, “You can get through this. I’m still trying to get my life back to normal, but I believe it can be done. All you have to do is try.”

I pulled her up onto her feet and took her inside, holding her hand the entire way. Security ran interference from the crowd as I got her to the Study Room and set her down on the couch. We have a blanket in the storage closet and Debbie brought it in for her. Once she was covered, she looked like she felt better. I put my jacket back on as she let out a sniffle and said,

“My parents aren’t going to accept me; I’m a monster to them now.”

“Don’t give up hope.” I said as I sat down next to her, “You may be surprised that your parents love knows no bounds. It’s funny, I don‘t think I ever said my name.”

“I didn’t either.” she said with a weak smile on her muzzle, “Its Bethany Edwards.”

“Ethan Compas.” I replied with a smile, “Pleased to meet your acquaintance.”

She gave me a little stronger smile when I said that. I spent a while trying to calm her down and get her back on her feet. Debbie understood what I was doing and agreed to let me off work to help her. She even talked to Liz and said I’d still get paid my full shift since I was in the library and she was considered a patron. It was when I heard a agitated voice from an older women at the circ desk that I knew something was about to happen that was really going to test what I had been trying to build.

“Bethany?” the lady said. She had an old fashioned dress on. It was blue and covered in little white flowers and it had a white trim around the bottom and sleeves. She was kind of fat and a her brown hair poked out around an old fashioned lady’s hat that had a blue ribbon tied around it. She looked like a 70s era mother, probably stuck back then in mindset as well, “Bethany, where are you.”

“Over here mother.” she managed to say, just barely though.

“Oh my Lord.” said her mother as she saw her.

She came over and looked her daughter over as best she could. Her hand was covering her mouth the whole time. She looked horrified. Bethany kept her gaze to the floor.

“What happened to you?” she said.

“I found a sky blue stone and I wanted it for my collection.” Bethany said, just sort of flatly. All the stress was taking a toll on her, “When I grabbed it, it crumbled in my hand and this happened.”

Bethany raised her head and finally looked her mother right in the eyes. I could see her mother flinch; those slit purple eyes must have been a shock to see for the first time. Various emotions played a crossed her features, going from shock, to disgust, to fear, to curiosity, to concern and finishing on anger.

“You!” she said as she pointed a finger at me, “You turned her into one of your kind so you could have a mate. Why did you do this to my darling daughter?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I said in surprise as I shot up my hands, “I would never do this to anyone. Even more to the point, I can’t do it even if I wanted to. I can’t change anyone into a dragon anymore then you can make it rain peanut butter.”

“He’s right you know.” Debbie said as she walked over, “He’s just as much a victim as your daughter. He’s offered to help get her back on her feet and on with her life. He may be able to help her get back to a sense of normality.”

“But only if you accept her as your daughter.” I finished, “She needs you, now more than ever.”

She just looked back at Bethany, her mind must have been racked by her emotions and her face tried in vain to portray the chaos of it all.

“How can I?” she said at last, but only in a whisper.

Bethany’s head sank a bit, but before it could get very far her mother said,

“How can I not see my little girl? Come here Bethany.”

The warm smile on her face just beamed as Bethany’s ears perked up. The second she saw that smile, one appeared on her muzzle as well. Bethany got up and went to her mother and the two of them held each other in a loving embrace.

“I love you Mother.” Bethany said as the tears of utter joy ran down her scaly face.

“I love you too my dearest child.” her mother said with tears running down her rosy cheeks.

I just stood there just so happy for them, the two of them managed to still find the love that never really left. I started to walk away when something popped into my head.

“Bethany,” I asked, “where did you find that rock?”

“Out in front the stairs at the front of the campus, near the large walk in entrance.” she replied, “Why?”

“Probably nothing.” I said, “I’d better go have a look anyway, if that’s alright with you Debbie?”

“Call it your fifteen minute break.” she replied with a smile.

“I’ll be back in ten.” I told her as walked out the Caldwell entrance.

It wasn’t a long walk, just two or three minutes and I was down the hall and out the front entrance. The front entrance is barely used anymore due to the fact the parking lots and most of the buildings are now back behind the main building. It’s a giant stone and concrete staircase and all the way down a red brick path, out by the road is a huge Roman style cement entrance that bears the college’s name. It’s a pretty impressive set up that sadly is way underused. I looked around the stairs and all over the path. I found nothing. I looked around the trees that were nearby, nothing. I was about to give up when a squirrel started to bark. I looked up in a huge oak tree to see his bushy tail waving and he was looking right at me just causing a ruckus.

“Okay, okay.” I said to him, “I’m going.”

Then and acorn hit me in the head.

“Hey!” I shouted back, “You little fart!”

As I glared at him, I saw something in the tree just a few branches above him. From what I could tell, it was a box and it was about forty feet up.

“No more acorns.” I said as I got to the base of the tree, “I’m not here for you, I just want that box.”

He carried on and scurried higher into the tree. I took off my boots and socks figuring I could use my talons to help me climb the tree. I sunk both into the tree to get a good foothold. For extra safety, I used my tail like a hook on the other side to keep me against the tree trunk. The squirrel just wouldn’t shut up, but he didn’t toss anything else at me. Once I was up to the right branch, I carefully climbed out onto the limb to get at the box which was about half way out.

“Talk about going out on a limb.” I said to myself, “I sure hope this branch can hold my weight.”

After a few stiff breezes that made me freeze due the swaying of the tree, I got to the box. It was lodged pretty well in between the main branch and an offshoot branch, nothing a little dragon muscle couldn’t handle though. Once I made sure the box was safe and sound in my arms, I opened my wings and glided back down. The brick path made a nice run way. I put my socks and boots back on, dusting the chucks of woods off my talons and toes first, and went back inside. I went back to the library and set the box on the student worker desk to look it over.

“What do you have there?” Molly said as I sat in the chair next to her.

“I don’t know, I found it in a tree.” I replied.

It was a small metal box with not much in the way of decoration on it. It was old and worn. It wasn’t shiny silver anymore, but worn dull. It was like an old lunch box really, but it was heavy. The lid wasn’t on very tight, I held it down carrying it there, but it was closed. The only thing I could see on the lid was an engraving of a ropy looking dragon wrapped around in a circle. I opened it and my jaw dropped.

“Oh my God.” I breathed.

Molly looked into the box and said,

“It’s a box full of different colored rocks. What’s the big deal?”

I shut the lid and held it closed.

“Molly,” I said, trying to stay calm, “These are THE stones.”

Her face went from lack of understanding to full understanding in seconds.

“You mean…” she said.

“Yes.” I replied, still not quite believing my own eyes myself, “This is a box full of stones that turn people into dragons. The same kind of stone that turned me into one.”

“Let me see that again.” she said.

I opened the lid and there they were, had to be thirty of them. The stone the Bethany found must have popped out when it hit, the rest stayed inside when the lid slammed closed. We both just stared at the contents of the box till Debbie came over to see what the fuss was about.

“What are you two staring at?” she asked.

“See for yourself.” I said as I motioned for her to come have a look.

“You have a box full of colorful rocks.” she said with a raised eyebrow.

“Not just any colorful rocks.” said Molly, “The very special kind of colorful rocks.”

“You mean these are the same kind of rock that turned you and her into dragons?” Debbie said is surprise and a little too loud.

“Shhhh!” I hissed, “Not so loud.”

“Right, sorry.” she said, regaining her composure, “It’s just a little shocking to see them.”

“Me too.” I said, “This must have been a shipment, Heather told me about these. From what I gathered they are very rare and I guess this batch got lost. Well now they’re found. The question is what to do with them?”

“Well I’d turn them into the authorities.” Debbie said, “They’ll know what to do with them.”

“I suppose your right.” I said, “Maybe they can find out how they work. Who knows what that could mean?”

“You could be changed back to a human again.” Molly said, “You’d be the old you again.”

The thought of going back was something I thought about, but never really thought it was possible.

“I guess so.” I sighed, “But you guys don’t know how painful it was going through that the first time. I don’t want to do that again. I think I like being a dragon, I seem to be doing pretty well for myself anyway. Don’t fix what ain’t broken.”

“You sound like you’ve decided this awhile ago.” Molly said, sounding a little surprised at my statement.

“I just really got used to this body,” I replied, “It took me a while, but I’m comfortable in it. It has some nice pluses and I’m dealing with the minuses. Pretty much I’m going to say I’m good if they come up with a reversal treatment. I don’t want to go through a transformation like that again. I can’t describe the pain in words.”

That seemed to get both Molly’s and Debbie’s attention.

“Sorry,” Molly said with concern in her voice, “I didn’t know it was so painful for you.”

“No worries, you couldn’t have known.” I said to them, “After my shift I’ll take this to the police station and let them handle it. Oh, where’re Bethany and her mother?”

“They’re in the Study Room just talking about what they are going to do about their situation.” Debbie said.

“Well I’ll just go and tell her a few pointers and then she should be good.” I said as I got up out of my chair, grabbed up the box to keep it safe with me and went to the Study Room.

I didn’t get very far from the circ desk when a group of people came walking from the back parts of the library. There was about twenty five or thirty of them and they all looked like I owed them money.

“Listen dragon.” said a guy with a backwards red hat and a white T-shirt on in the front of the mob, “We have decided that we can’t allow you to take that box to the police. Give it to us now and we won’t hurt you.”

“You guys don’t understand what you’re asking.” I said as I held the box closer to my chest, “You don’t want this, trust me.”

“Power, respect, the ability to fly and breathe fire, awesome body, bullet proof scales.” said another guy, “Who wouldn’t want all that?”

“There’s a down side guys, don’t try it.” I told them as strongly as I could, “Please, think about what you’re asking.”

“GET THAT BOX!” shouted someone in the back and they all rushed me.

I tried to run down the hall, but a bunch of them grabbed my tail and yanked me down. The box hit the ground and the stones rolled into the Study Room.

“NO!” I roared, “You don’t want to do this!”

My warning fell on deaf ears because I saw people trample over me to get at the stones rolling on the floor. It was like little kids at and Easter egg hunt as they scrambled for a stone. I got up and saw Bethany and her mother seeing this madness before them.

“You two get out of there!” I shouted, “It’s going to go nuts in a few minutes.”

They ran for the stacks under the Study Room. I stood in the doorway and it was mere moments before I started to hear the sounds of people shouting in pain. I knew what was going to happen next, so I turned around and went back to the circ desk. The sounds were unlike anything I’ve ever heard before or since. The huge open space of the Study Room made it all echo, the shouts and screams of pain, the snaps and cracks of bone. I felt sick to my stomach because of the unceasing sounds of men and women going through a mass transformation. Draconic roars joined with the rest of the sounds of the chaos about half way through. I refused to look; I kept my head on the desk.

‘I never should have brought that damn box in here.’ I thought, mentally berating myself, ‘That was so stupid.’

As the sounds came to a halt and slowly came the sounds of life, I looked back into the study hall. I didn’t see a single human being, all I saw were dragons ranging from anthro to twenty foot long quadrupedal dragons.

“I’m a dragon.” said one, “I’M A DRAGON!”

“Me too!” shouted another.

“This is awesome!” yelled yet another.

They all started to talk and tell each other how cool it was and how this was a dream come true. I just hung my head and thought to myself,

‘They don’t have a clue.’

As they continued to chat I got a bad feeling in the back of my neck. I looked around and saw nothing, but I certainly felt something. Then the ones in the back of the Study Hall passed out and seemed to start a chain reaction as they continued to fall to the floor unconscious in a massive wave. I saw it coming and tried to run, but as soon as I was turned around my vision faded to black and I was out.           

The deafening roar of cheers from a crowd of thousands was what greeted me as I came back to conscious. I opened my eyes to quite a sight. I was sitting the seats of only one place, the Colosseum in Rome. I had seen enough TV specials to know what it looked like. Thousands of people were in the stands with me and all were standing and cheering.

“Oh what happened?” Debbie asked.

I looked to my left and there she was, just waking up just like I did. Molly and Bethany’s mother was right next her. I saw that in this little spot was everyone from the library and they all looked like they were just coming to.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” I said as I looked around.

Out in the area, in the very center were all the new dragons. They all looked conscious and alert, but they all huddled together like frightened children. I spotted Bethany in the very center, she looked terrified.

“Welcome, welcome!” shouted an announcer’s voice that seemed to come from the sky, “You all have been brought here today to bear witness to the grandest spectacle ever brought to the public’s eyes. We have twenty nine brand new dragons and each one has two minds inside them. One is a soft and reasonable human mind and the other is a savage and vengeful draconic mind. What are we to do? There are fifty eight minds and only twenty nine bodies to go around. Your honorable lord and sovereign, Emperor Materon has come up with a brilliant way to decide the rightful owners of these bodies. May I present to you your ingenious, charismatic, handsome and muscular leader, Emperor Materon!”

Hearing that name made my blood boil, it sky rocketed went that pudgy little prick walked out into the emperor’s box seat with that disgusting grin on his face, just waving his hands like he was the most loved man in the world.

“Thank you, Thank you.” he said with the sickening high pitched voice that made my scales crawl, “After much thought and deliberation I have decided that the only way to settle this dispute of ownership of these bodies is by combat. Each mind will fight to the death for complete control over the body.”

“Hey!” shouted one of the new dragons, a red and white one, “This is my body! It’s been mine for all my life! Who are you to decide who to give it to?”

“Oh what a simple beast you are.” Materon said with his head hung low, he brought it back up as he continued, “There is another one who claims that body. Yours that you had total claim over was a human body, the body in question is draconic one and so you don’t have total claim over it yet. That is what this is all about, settling a claims dispute.”

“MATERON!” I roared, “YOU SICK LITTLE F***!”

“Oh!” he said as he looked at me with a revoltingly gleeful smile, “You finally woke up dragon, about time. I was hoping that you wouldn’t miss the show.”

“You know this guy?” asked Molly.

“Sadly yes.” I replied, “He once took my mind into another dimension along with Sam’s and a friend of mine and forced us to play airsoft against a platoon of his copy and paste airsofters.”

“Once?” said Materon, “I think not. I’ve done it twice now.”

“You mean?” asked Debbie, sounding worried.

“He’s done it to all of us.” I growled, “We’re in another dimension and he’s in control.”

“That’s right.” he said while slapping his fat little hands together, “You are all in my world now and I make the rules here. Now enough of this, time to get this show on the road.”

All the dragons in the area where dragged into different parts of the area like they had ropes tied to their tails. The screams as this happened forced me out of my seat and I started to go for Materon to put a stop to this. I ran muzzle first into an invisible wall and staggered back a few feet.

“No leaving your designated seating area till the show is over.” Materon giggled.

I hit the wall with a solid punch, but it was like hitting a concrete wall. The sound of huge doors opening got my attention. At each part of the area floor, a door was opening to the lower levels of the area. The sounds of snorts and growls echoes out of them. I stared in shock as right in front of each terrified new dragon came their feral counterpart. It was every last one of their draconic minds coming to claim them.

“Materon!” I shouted, “You can’t do this!”

“Oh but I can.” he said, “This is unlike anything I’ve ever found for my entertainment. So many new dragons in one place, I can’t pass this up. I thank you for providing the catalyst for this grand spectacular.”

“The box.” I said to myself, “Oh why did I bring that thing inside?”

“Calm down Ethan.” Debbie said, “You told them not to do it, it’s their fault. Don’t blame yourself for their greed.”

“My daughter is down there.” Bethany’s Mom shouted, “She never asked for this. Why is she just as in danger of losing her body as the rest of them? For that matter, why aren’t you down there? You’re a dragon too.”

“I can answer that.” Materon said with a grin, “He doesn’t have a second mind in his body. From what I can tell, he destroyed it himself.”

“Is that true?” Debbie said, very curious of what that meant.

“When I first changed, I felt that mind enter mine.” he said with a sigh, “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but went I got knock out in a fight that mind took over my body. I attacked Sam.”

The shocked looks on Molly’s and Debbie’s faces told me everything.

“I didn’t just attack her.” I went on, “I attacked a lot of people. Granted they all attacked me, but still. So later on that night it tried to take over my mind completely. I fought it off and destroyed it.”

“So you see.” Materon said, “His body is not in a claims dispute and therefore not an issue.”

“But they should be able to handle this on their own!” I shouted, “They aren’t ready yet.”

“Oh well,” he replied, still smiling, “To the victor go the spoils.”

The fights began. The feral part would go what it pretty much always does, attack, attack and more attacking. The human minded dragons would vary a lot. The ones that stood there in dumbstruck fear were taken down and ripped apart in seconds; about five of them did that. Turned my head, I couldn’t watch that.

‘They never even got a chance to spread their wings.’ I thought, holding back the tears.

I fought back to look again, forcing myself to see what was happening. Others would run around screaming trying to avoid the savage dragon as it trying to claw at them. Three people went that route. But the most part decided to fight back, ducking and dodging, landing punches and slashes went ever they could. Bethany was ducking and dodging, but wasn’t trying to fight back.

“Bethany!” I shouted, “You have to fight back! It’s the only way!”

She looked scared out of her mind as the feral version of her tried desperately to grab her. The other fights were decided one by one. Each time a human mind would fall, my heart would sink.

“Another one who’s dream never truly came to be.” I muttered to myself.

Molly, Debbie, Dennis, Liz, Paula, Brett and Torry all seemed to be completely in a state of terror and depression at the horrendous sight that was before them. Dragon against dragon and it was a traumatizing scene as tails were yanked, wings shredded, limbs broken, muzzles gashed and necks bitten. Bethany’s Mom and I went both intently watching her fight. So far she had been able to evade her counterpart, but hadn’t landed a single hit. More to the point, she hadn’t even tried.

“Bethany!” her mother screamed, “You have to do it, kill that demon.”

Bethany ducked a swipe and ran to the side of the area. Her counterpart charged at her and leapt into the air for a diving crush move to finish the fight. I thought it was all over once I hear a scream of pain. Her mother and I stood in shock as the feral version’s back was all we could see. Then it fell over and there stood Bethany with her right arm soaked in blood. She had used it like a spear and the thing fell on it. Her head was turned and her eyes were shut, she had done it out of reflex.

“You did it Bethany!” Her mother shouted in joy, “You slew the demon in you!”

She sat down on the ground and began to cry. I could understand, she just went through a traumatic event. The other fights wound to a close and the last few went to the human minds, probably due to the fact they seemed like they had training and really put the hurt on their would be body snatchers.

“Oh that was just glorious!” shouted Materon as the last dragon fell, “Simply marvelous. What a display of the truly worthy. The victors will be rewarded the total control of the body and the defeated shall be sent to oblivion. That is my decree and so it shall be.”

“You arrogant, self important a** hole!” I shouted at him, so infuriated to my very limits that my claws shook, “You’d better hope that I never find a way to make you pay for this because if I do, you will beg me to finish you off before it is over.”

“Oh how I enjoy your company dragon.” she replied with a smile that made me want to puke, “Till we meet again.”

All at once the world went black and the next time I opened my eyes I saw the light blue carpeted floor of the library.

“Oh my head.” I groaned as I got up.

Before I could stand up all the way, something bit down on my tail and flung me into the Study Room. I turned to face my attacker to find I had more than one.

“You aren’t one of ussss.” hissed a green and black dragon as he and his compatriots closed in on me.

Other dragons were either flung or herded into the same spot so they could trap us.

“We will make you all pay for rejecting ussss.” growled a dark blue and pink one.

They closed in, snarling and hissing at us. Every human was behind them, just in shock at the whole ordeal we just went through and now this. I saw their hind quarters tense and they were getting ready to pounce on us. I wasn’t going down without a fight, so I readied my claws and prepared for a fight. Suddenly loud crashes and bangs echoed through the halls. Shouts and orders barked as men in black uniforms and tactical gear stormed in, they were armed with some strange looking rifles. They had masks, helmets and black glasses on so they all looked the same, but they were defiantly highly trained government troops. The feral dragon whipped their heads around and roared at them. Bad idea. The men opened fire as we hit the floor as I shut my eyes and covered my ears.

“CEASE FIRE!” shouted one of them, “CEASE FIRE!”

The noise died out I opened my eyes and saw that every one of the feral dragons were lying on the floor. Tranquilizer darts were stuck on them in various places. They were still alive, just knocked out. The men stormed over and aimed their rifles at us.

“SAY SOMETHING WITH AN ‘S’ IN IT YOU FREAKS!” bellowed who I presume was their commanding officer.

“Sandy sells sea shells by the sea shore.” I quickly said as I put my hands up, it was the first thing that popped into my head.

The others said similar things and all lacked the reptilian hiss.

“They’re clear!” shouted one of the men.

“Okay!” bellowed the commander, “All dagoes get loaded up and taken back to base for questioning.” Then he pointed at me, “Leave that one.”

They quickly started to restrain the other dragons and dragged them out of the library.

“Hey!” I shouted, “You can’t do this!”

I got up and tried to walk over to the commander, but three men attacked me. I was hit the gut with a rifle stock which knock the wind out of me and two barrels were in my face a second later.

“One more word of your ugly face and we’ll just have more paperwork to fill out.” growled one of them.

I couldn’t help but growl a little, but I held my mouth shut as they took the other dragons away. I just hated it from top to bottom. All they wanted was to be dragons and they’ve been through hell ever since that happened. First tossed into a fight for their own bodies and the ones they made it through that now were captured by government agents and taken to who knows where. They dragged out the unconscious feral dragons after tying them up with metal rope. As they herded the conscious ones out, the scared looks on their draconic faces hurt me so badly. I never thought this would happen. I knew they didn’t really understand what they were asking for when they attacked me, but this was way more then I could have ever imagined. Once they were all hauled out, the three holding me back pulled out. All the while keeping their rifles aimed at me. Once they were gone, I fell to my knees.

“It’s all my fault.” I said, “I shouldn’t have brought that box in here. Why did I bring that box in here?”

I just began to berate myself for my own stupidity, I was convinced that I was solely responsible for ruined all their lives.

“Get up.” Debbie told me, “You told them not to do it. You warned them and they didn’t listen. It’s their fault, not yours.”

I sniffled a little bit, but slowly stood up.

“I tried to tell them, but they didn’t listen to me.” I said sadly, “Why is it that I get ignored so much?”

“They we’re dead set on getting what they wanted. It was greed Ethan, you can’t stop that.” said Molly, her voice was the strongest I’d ever heard it before; “I don’t think anyone could have persuaded them to do anything else but try to get that box from you. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt. You did more than anyone else could have done in your shoes, you tried to help them. You tried to stop them from making a mistake, but even so, no one can do everything. Sometimes, it’s just impossible to talk someone out of something, much less a mob. Now it’s up to them on what happens next.”

“Thanks guys.” I said with a weak smile, “I still feel guilty about my part in all this.”

“That is just another burden for you to bear Ethan.” Paula said as she walked up to me, “We all make mistakes and we all must live with regret. The trick is to not let it consume you. It’s a guide so you don’t make the same mistake twice.”

“Thanks Paula.” I told her, starting to feel better.

The sound of someone coming up from the stacks got our attention. My heart leapt for joy when I saw it was Bethany and her mother.

“You two hid in the stacks.” I said to them with a smile on my muzzle

“Yes, a lady named Reva let us hide in her office.” Bethany said.

“Ah good old Reva, she’s always such a caring person.” Debbie said with a warm smile, “You two better leave before the goon squad comes back for a second look.”

“Right,” said Bethany, “Let’s go home mother.”

“Yes, let’s go home.” she replied with a loving smile on her rosy face.

The two of them walked off down the hall and disappeared around the corner. I looked out a window to see them both get into a blue sedan and drive off. I was happy they both made it out of this mess.

“Well I guess I should get back to work.” I said, turning away from the window.

“After all that, you just want to go back to work?” Debbie said, sounding surprised, “You don’t want to go home?”

“I need to get back to work.” I replied, “It’ll make me feel better.”

“If you say so.” she said.

We all went back to work, just trying to get back to what we were doing before all this craziness broke out. I checked for the box, but they had taken it. I figured they would, but still. It was a little hard at first; the scenes playing in my head were fresh. But after a few times helping people with the computers and the overwhelming desensitizing power of the internet, I was fine. The phone rang at about 6:45 and I answered it.

“Front Lab, Reid Memorial Library this is Ethan. How may I help you?” I said my standard, supervisor approved phone greeting.

“Yeah Ethan, this is Molly. We have a problem with one of the copy machines and need you to take a look at it.”

“I’m on my way.” I replied and hung up the phone.

When I got there, Molly and a patron were hanging around Copier B.

“It won’t scan right.” The patron told me, a rather annoyed looking brunet in a pink outfit.

“Let me take a look.” I said as I looked over the readouts.

The paper size looked alright, as did the scan settings. Toner cartridge was getting low, but not bad. I found the problem; it was set to quick scan and not to a more detailed scan. I set it and she tried again. This time it worked.

“Oh thank you.” she said as she saw her paper come out like she wanted.

“Not a problem.” I said, “Let me just check the reserve paper compartment and I’ll head back to the front lab.”

I bent down to look the little storage area to see how many reams were in there when something caught my attention. I pressed my head to the floor to see under the copy machine and I saw one of the stones, a green one. It must have rolled under there and no one saw it. I reached under and grabbed in.

“What is it?” asked Molly.

“I found one.” I replied.

When I came back up, I held it in my claw like it was made out of glass.

“Wow, one survived.” she breathed, “You might want to hold onto that.”

“I will, I’m not making the same mistake twice.” I said as I put it in one of my jacket’s pockets.

“You found a colorful rock, big deal.” said the patron, “I hope it makes a fine addition to your rock collection.”

“Oh it will.” I said as I walked off.

Once I got back to the front lab, I put the stone in my backpack. It was safer there. I kept an eye on it for the rest on my shift. Once closing time rolled around and I got to go home, I quickly made it to my truck and drove home. I went down stairs and went to my bedroom. I have a small tin bank with a lock on it. Don’t laugh, it’s a Thomas the Tank Engine bank I got when I was eight, but it works. I wrapped the stone up in a wash cloth and put inside, closing and locking it up. I put it in my closet all the way in the back, out of sight and out of mind.

“There, it should be safe and sound there.” I said to myself.

I went back upstairs to get my dinner. I found a note on the table and it read,

‘Dear Ethan, your Father, Sam and I went to see a movie and will not be back for a while. Dinner is in the fridge, Love Mom.’

“Well that was nice of her.” I said to myself, putting the note back down.

I opened the fridge to find two microwaveable dishes with Mom’s hotdog casserole and green beans in them. I heated them up and just ate them right out of the dishes; I didn’t want to dirty any dishes if I didn’t have to. I nice glass of milk made the right fit for the meal. Once I was full, I went to bed. It was a long day and ahead of me was a three day weekend. I wanted to be rested and ready for it.