Dragon Deep

Chapter 23 - A Choice

“Wh-What are you doing here?” I gasped out, my heart still thumping. Drey smiled slyly and settled down beside me.

“I just wanted some peace…People just keep bugging me to do the teleporting again.”

“Oh…I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s not your fault. What are you doing here? I didn’t think you were the kind that climbed trees or be alone.”

I thought about that for a while. I normally wouldn’t climb trees. I would have been lying on the bed with Ren, staring at nothing. I reached out all of a sudden, expecting to feel Ren’s soft silky fur but no, there was nothing. I let out a small sigh before replying.

“Well, what kind did you think I was?” I cracked a smile.

“I don’t know. The kind that socialised with people a lot? To talk about mindless mumbo jumbo girl stuff?”

His words stung me in a way I had not expected them to. Was I really like that to other people? Did Bain see me like that too?

A hurt expression must have shown up on my face because Drey faltered and stopped smiling.

“Uhm…I didn’t mean it that way. I mean, the real you isn’t like that, right?” He laughed nervously.

“Yeah. I guess.” I forced myself to look at him and smile, but doubt continued to plague my mind.  

“So what are you doing here? Escaping from somebody?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Who?” Drey was genuinely curious.

“Not really a ‘who’, more like something. Everything, in fact. And nothing at all! Well…it’s not really that either so…” I wasn’t really making sense, so I instantly shut up.

“I get what you mean actually.”

I looked at him, surprised.

“I’m kind of like you in a way, so I understand. I guess people of same personalities just know that instinctively.”   

“You’re right.” I blinked. I did always feel comfortable with Drey around.

“So, little squirrel monkey or SM for short, what’s troubling you?” He grinned at the nickname. I, on the other hand, glowered at him.

How could I even tell him anything? How would he understand? Did I trust him? With everything that is happening, could I really trust him? I looked down, seeing the empty place beside me. What would he have said…? Drey broke the silence once he knew I wasn’t going to be talking, shifting closer to me. I looked away and felt my heartbeat accelerate.

“Since you don’t want to talk about it…I can talk.” His voice had weakened and I stole a peek at him. Was he sick again? He looked perfectly fine.

“Okay.” I shifted, swinging my legs.

“Back in my home, I had a friend. He was a really good friend of mine. We played all the time, every day without fail.”

My mind wandered to Olyrir when he said that.

“I was about ten. We snuck up in a tree to watch the Masters train. We wanted to learn from them, to improve ourselves. They were fighting with their bonded weapons. It was beautiful, their dance, the techniques, the footsteps. But it wasn’t allowed to watch the Masters train. The Masters would only allow their apprentices and each other to watch. Breaking this rule entailed serious punishment. My…friend. He leant out, trying to get a closer look and…the branch broke.”