lifeline ⇾ kai parker

49┃once upon a time

The three of them expel from the building and steer to the right. They distance themselves from the enveloping trees and into a connecting, open field, but the stomps of the dragon's heavy footfalls that shook the land beneath their feet reminded them that they were still being hunted down. Their sprinting only halts once Josie motions for Lizzie and Mila to join her behind a log. The overgrown grass of the area aided in their coverage.

While Mila caught her breath and took a glance over shoulder to see how close the beast was getting to them, the twins interlaced their hands and murmured the perimeter spell Josie had mentioned before. An energy was discharged near the end of their chant, jostling Mila's hair and whipping around the elements of the field, and the result was a force field that boxed them in and glowed before turning invisible to the naked eye.

Sensing a presence and upset to the atmosphere, the dragon roared and ejected enough fire to mark a semi-circle along the center of the moor. It wouldn't be long until the rest of the dry grass caught aflame and for the fire to spread if they kept provoking its temper. The dragon clearly wasn't favorable to their idea of hide and seek.

"There. It should uphold for at least a couple hours. It won't be able to pass through the veil we put up," Josie clarified, dropping her grasp on her sister to fiddle with her hands in her lap.

"This is by far the worst parting gift I've ever received. Ted really is a pain in the ass," Mila muttered, ducking down swiftly when the dragon's eyes and their green tint scanned their section of the field.

"Our seventeenth birthday party was less of a disaster than this," Lizzie added. The cascading light from the burning field gave the crown of her platinum hair a scarlet hue. "And Josie was wearing polyester."

"And I was overtaken by my dark side and nearly killed Hope, remember?"

"Yeah. That, too. But your outfit made you look like a cat burglar. Luckily, I looked cute for the both of us."

"So not the take away from that situation, Lizzie."

The light chuckle Mila let out from the exchange was interrupted by a round of coughing. The smoke emitting from the wildfire had reached them, swirling into the air and blowing over them with each gust of wind. Mila knew by the time they escaped this predicament that her clothes would be wafting the stench of it.

Josie pulled her sweatshirt up and over her head, offering it to Mila. "Here. You really shouldn't be inhaling smoke."

"Thanks." Mila showed her appreciation with a quirk of her mouth and reciprocating Josie's knowing look. "Me and your cousin-to-be are grateful for the gesture."

"Cousin-to-be?! Oh my god! Are you pregnant!?!" Lizzie expelled at full volume, which induced immediate shushes from the two people beside her. She opted for whisper-shouting instead, snapping her head to scold Josie. "You knew Mila was carrying Kai's spawn?!"

"I found out accidentally from Dad, okay?" Josie admitted sheepishly.

"And you didn't mention it to me?"

"It wasn't my secret to tell."

"Every secret you acquire you are obligated to tell me. I thought you knew this! We've only been sisters for our whole lives." Lizzie argued, eyes wide and mouth still parted from her offended gasps. If Mila didn't know any better, she would think that Lizzie was more upset about not being in the know than the monster huffing and puffing not too far away.