The Dragon Princess

My Decision

I dropped beside him lost for words. I struggled awkwardly to roll my arm over his shoulder and bring him close. I didn't know what to do I'd never comforted someone before, it was bad enough he was crying.

I had only seen his mother a few times, but whenever I saw her she was very quiet. Though not mousy and meek like my mom, she walked with confidence and had a demeanor about her that garnered respect. I always found it odd because she lived in a shelter, it wasn't necessarily Hollywood. She was polite and kept Hakeem very close and on a tight leash, in fact it was odd that she allowed him to go to the river today.

"What happened?"

He wiped his face and took a deep breath. He moved my arm from over his shoulder and stood up shaking his head. "Don't worry it's not your problem, it's mine!"

"Hakeem, if someone kidnapped your mom we need to let the police know..."

He shook his head trembling. "Look, it's not your problem anyway, they just want me..."

"Why!" I stood up tired of the games. He snapped back with widened eyes, throwing his arms up as if to protect himself. I sighed and pulled his arms down. "Why would someone kidnap your mom...and why do they want you?"

He looked around and grabbed my arm. He dragged me out of the room and pulled me down the hall until we came by the janitor's closet. He opened the door to the small four-foot-wide by four-foot-deep space and pulled me in, pulling the thin chain that clicked the light on.

I nervously stared face to face with him and felt a strange feeling in my stomach. The tight space was starting to get to me and I began to feel the flicker of flash backs of that night with Charlie. My hands began to sweat and tremble, I shoved them in my pockets.

"Look, I'm sorry I know this is awkward, but I don't know who to trust...I...I think I can trust you but. It doesn't matter now," he shook his head his eyes searching the ground, he was really out of it, more then usual. "I'm really not from this world Rai,"

I sighed losing all respect for him. And just like that my angst, fear, and nervousness was gone, consumed and overwhelmed by the fact that I wanted to strangle him. "Are you kidding me, this again!" I lunged to push him.

He stopped me as his hands began to change. The sound of muscles popping and snapping, and his finger nails lengthening into claws, put me on my heels. He looked up with large amber eyes, larger than a human's. He was starting to sweat fighting a change that I knew for a fact I wouldn't be able to take.

He began taking deep breaths as his body slowed and the change began to revert him back to his normal self. His eyes became dark brown again and the hand that reached out towards me became his small thin hands.

"WHAT...WHAT THE HELL!"

"SHH...Rai, shut up," he looked around the closet like they were in a large auditorium filled with people who could have heard them. He peaked out of the closet and slowly snapped it shut again.

"You need to explain to me now, what the hell is going on Hakeem...what are you?" I whispered.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry I freaked you out, but you're the one that didn't believe me, remember?"

I shook my head and opened the door to the closet. He grabbed my shoulder as I immediately shrugged it off. "Don't touch me!"

"I'm sorry...can we please go somewhere quiet?"