Fire Scarred *Un-Edited Version*

Chapter Fourteen

Later that night, I called Noah and appologized for not hanging out with him earlier that day. After I'd finished my homework and did my chores, I had som free time and invited him over. I was just running my brush the last time through my hair when the knock sounded at the front door. With one last glance in the mirror, I dashed out to let him in, nearly colliding with him as he closed the cabin's door. 

"Hey," I breathed. "I was coming to let you in." 

Noah gave me a funny expression. "You always tell me that I know how to open a door and to let myself in. Only knock as a curtousy." 

"Well, I was trying to be polite." 

"Since when?" he scoffed, an obveous smile playing at the corners of his full lips. 

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Since now. Now, sit on the couch and pick a movie to watch before I decide to kick you out." 

"What happened to being polite?" 

I scowled, only half way meaning it. "Okay, okay. Whatever." 

"So what happened to Mr. Stalker?" Noah asked while surveying the room. 

I began to look around, too. "I don't know. He was in here while I was studing earlier. I guess he left when you came," I told him with a shrug. "He's weird like that." 

"Hmph. So we went and watched that new Spider Man movie again." 

"Still hate it?" 

"Yeah." 

"Is it because Andrew Garfield is way hotter than you?" I plopped down on the couch next to him. It was such a lie. Noah had him beat a million to one, but I couldn't let him know that. "'Cause if it is, it's a loosing battle, hun." 

He scrunched up him nose in distaste. "You see, Cor, this is where we're different. I don't care about how good people look unlike you. I mean, if I did, why on earth would I be dating you?" 

"Jerk!" I whacked him across the chest, then snuggled back into him. "Be happy I like extremely good looking guys." 

"Yeah. . ." He said, voice trailing off in the end. 

"What?" 

When I was nine, Noah ten, we'd decided it'd be fun to go out and catch an snake. Like any two young kids, we had our adventurers stage, only ours involved a rope, a pit, and a dead rat. We figured we could lure the snake into our pit and somehow tie the rope around it like a leash. Yes. Stupid. We didn't expect our plan to work, and when it did, we didn't expect to find a water mocosin waiting for us. Later, we learned not to set any kind of trap for a sneak near any body of water. Never. We didn't know that simple fact at the time, though, nor the fact that midnight black snakes with skiny tails are deadly dangerous. Because we hadn't known either of those things, Noah jumped down into the pit with his rope at the ready. The snake coiled into a S shape with it's head drawn back. It had it's large mouth gaping to reveal its fangs and snowy interrior. The cotton white contrasted majorly to the dark scales framing it. The sight, a curious thing to a nine and ten year old, drew both of us in like in a trance. Noah's small hand reached out to the opening, only wanting to feel the inside to see if it felt as cool as it looked, he said later. At that moment, its trap shut, its coiled body lunged, and Noah screamed. His eyes were the size of saucers, his whole body stiffened, and his mouth hung agape. I had latched onto his stiff forearm and pulled on him in my desperation to get him out. That one motion on my part launched him into action. His body contorted into his dragon form the fastest I'd ever seen him. I chased after his flying figure to where he landed at the Hall holding his snake bitten calf.