Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire- Chapter Nine

Once, when I was thirteen, I began having horrific nightmares that plagued my dreams each and every night. I'd made the mistake of informing Hayden of the night terrors, and he snuck over to my sleeping quarters and stayed outside, listening for the sound of a scream.

"It was fine," I responded, ignoring the quizzical vibes I was receiving from Yín sè. It was best if he didn't worry about me and we could go on with our quest. "Let's head out, shall we?"

Hayden reread the map, tracing the best route with his finger and his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. "First, we eat a small breakfast, then we can go down this street, see, it's got the bookstore, then we go up towards North through this park, then we go..." I shouldered my backpack and tugged on the strap of his, pulling him out the door with his eyes still on the map.

On the way out I caught a glimpse of us in a mirror. My visible green eye was a little red and the heavy bags beneath it indicated that I hadn't slept well. Hayden towered over me by almost a foot, pale skin contrasting nicely with my dark hair. Then I saw the bruising on my throat. I swallowed hard, rubbing my neck tenderly.

"Are you okay, Rei?" Hayden asked. He stopped us, spinning me so he could get a better look at me. My neck tingled as he brushed his fingers along the dark injury, and I breathed in a sharp gasp of pain when he pressed against a tender area just under my ear. "Sorry," he whispered, pulling back and looping his arm through mine. I shrugged it off, ready to find somewhere to eat and move on from last night.

It was still early; the streets were quite empty but for a small quantity of citizens. It didn't take long to find a small cafe that served cheap cinnamon tea. We ate in silence, and I noticed the thin scratch above Hayden's left eyebrow.

"What happened?" I asked, indicating the mark with my dry bagel. Hayden's blue eyes widened in confusion before he realized what I was motioning to.

"When you punched Clave- by this time I'd already knocked out Hardy with his own bat- he kind of rolled away from you. I think Clave was really surprised that you got in that strong of a punch while you were..." Darkness flashed across his eyes. "Anyway, I tried to take him down, but before I could he scratched me, and... yeah."

I nodded, abandoning the conversation to take another bite of my bagel. It was stale and coated my tongue like sandpaper, so I eventually ended up having only half of it. Hayden, of course, ate the rest.

The cinnamon tea was delicious, one of my favourite treats come Winter. We ended up getting a bamboo to-go thermos and filled it with the stuff. Once our treat was secure in my pack, we set out to find the Records Hall. Hayden turned out to be much better with directions than I, so I let him handle it and didn't try to make a suggestion. It was hard not being able to tell him what to do. My confident manner made me hate it when someone other than myself was right, even if said someone was my best friend.

Everywhere we went there were people out enjoying the city. The park was full of citizens, mostly families with young children that laughed whenever a butterfly flew by. Their cheeky grins, large teeth and rosy faces were enchanting, and their laughter was like its own special sort of music.

Hayden and I stuck together the entire time, exploring the city around us and discovering new things. The large, long-faced animals we learned were called horses, the tall buildings condominiums that housed several families at once. Everything was new and exciting.

Finally we came upon an ornate building that had to be the Records Hall. A massive golden Dragon twisted up a pillar on each side of a tall wooden door. And right there, right above the door, was a golden plaque: The Records Hall and The Dragon Hall; and right below it an inscription that looked like a motto: Zàilái yīgè, suǒyǒu lái, lái lóng hé nóngmín de yīzhì hǎopíng. Come one, Come all, Come Dragons and peasants alike.