Code Name: Draconis [Ace Draconis - ON HOLD; see my updated profile for info!]

Chapter 16: Welcome to the Jungle (Part 1)

Chapter 16: Welcome to the Jungle

I blinked, still stunned even though I saw it coming. "Damian? But I thought you said you didn't want to send him on missions, if he got hurt, not a full dragon-" My words didn't make sense at this point, since my mouth couldn't keep up with the thoughts racing through my head. Somehow, John understood what I meant.

"Yes, that's what we said. But that was before we were threatened by this hacker. We can't afford to take chances and guess at this stage in the game, Ace. See you at the woods at dawn tomorrow."

And with that, he speeds away in his sleek black car, leaving me to stare blankly at the seemingly endless void of space before me, filled only moments ago.

The bell rings, breaking the vice my thoughts seem to have imposed on my body. I mechanically make myself walk to my locker, somehow asking a kid in my math class what I missed. I don't really process what I'm doing, but within the next 10 minutes I've gotten the math homework and an extra lesson sheet from my teacher, gone to my locker, and returned to my room.

I wait for Borgos. I figure I'll finish my homework later. I only have some textbook reading to do, and mercifully, only about a page of math. Hopefully that equals only an hour or two of homework.

Walking to the kitchen, I begin to heat some leftover pizza. I steel myself for what I have to do. I'm going to have to be ready to run. Borgos won't mind, he's probably getting bored of the place anyway. But I can't until we find these crystals. I don't trust John. After all, he did blackmail me into working for him. But what will I tell Clarissa? Can I run from Clarissa? I lean against the wall, and stare at the ceiling.

I'll have to tell her I'm going on a mission of course. At least I don't have to lie to her anymore. I can tell her the truth, no matter how brief it is. How long will she be willing to trust me though? It's true I haven't really gone on a mission for a while...but how much patience can she possibly have? And what if this hacker gets a hold of my records, and discovers what I am. What if he or she comes after me? What if he or she finds out about Clarissa? Borgos can fend for himself, but Clarissa? She wouldn't know what to do...

The microwave beeps.

I'm retrieving my pizza as Borgos walks in. I hear the door close, the thump of his backpack as he tosses it onto the couch, and his footsteps as he walks into the room. He swipes a slice of pizza from my plate, chewing thoughtfully. When I don't make a move to fight him for it, or even yell at him, he frowns.

"What's eating you?"

I force myself to just tell him. "We may have to move again."

He shrugs. He doesn't care, "We always have to move. Why are you so upset?"

And then it hits him, and I see the concern on his face. He doesn't even need to voice it aloud. The word hangs between us unspoken like a tangible thing.

Clarissa Swanson.

Suddenly I want to tell him everything. Everything that's happened. How John blackmailed me, how the hacker is a threat. So I do. The words are spilling out of my mouth before I know what to do with them. I'm practically tripping over myself to get it all out. I don't care that John made me promise not to tell anyone. The others are at risk because of me; Borgos has a right to know. I tell him about the crystals, how my first mission was in a volcano. He raises his eyebrows at this, but doesn't interrupt me. I tell him about my second mission, the horror of the undead, the problem with my wing. He seems pleased that he was able to find the blue crystal that day, but again, he doesn't interrupt me. Finally I finish telling him about the events of this morning, and I'm startled when the clock on the wall reads 8pm. We're sitting on the couch in the living room, a plate of empty pizza crumbs between us.