Pen To Paper

Chapter 12: Wish Upon A Star

It had been almost a year since they first settled in their house, and things were going great. Neo eventually created a mechanical hand to replace his lost one. It could extend, turn into a number of tools, and could be used as a blaster. Ranger learned how to bake and enjoyed making food for everyone. Ivy's tree grew to produce hundreds of dollars a week, but she kept most of it for herself. Molten spent most of his time collecting different kinds of guns, but he never used them. He also grew a collection of Reese's Puffs boxes, but he could never eat them due to a peanut allergy. Skeli's broken leg eventually healed, but his eye stayed more or less the same, a hollow, sensitive mess. He liked listening to music and playing video games online. They all enjoyed frequent days at the beach and liked walking through the city on the mainland. Every Friday, they would go to the arcade and play games through the night. Today, they decided to go to the forest for a camping trip. 

"Today, the meteor shower happened a year ago," Neo said grimly, sticking a marshmallow on a pole that came out of his hand. He let it onto the fire, then watched as it burned. "I thought it would bring us luck last year, boy was I wrong. None of our wishes came true. I'm sorry guys." he said. Molten put a hand on his shoulder. "Ah, it's alright, man. My life has been one whole downward spiral," he reassured him. "Let's just make one more wish," Skeli suggested. They all held hands in a circle, the fire burning brighter than ever. "Make this year something special," Neo began. "Let us stay friends through thick and thin," Ivy added. "We'll always be there to support one another," Ranger added on. "Help us grow more like friends and family," Skeli said aloud. "And help us put our past aside and look to the future," Molten concluded.  As they finished, the stars twinkled, giving them light to sleep under.

At about two in the morning, the sky let out a scream, like a firework being set off in the heavens. Neo lept out of his tent. "What was that?" He cried. The others stumbled out of their tents, also confused at the sound. Moments later, one last comet appeared, this one red with fire. The flaming ball soared across the sky, and it was coming right at them. "Scatter!" Skeli screamed, and everyone ran away from the site. The fireball fell to the ground, skidding across the trees and setting them ablaze. Molten motioned to the fire, put it into the air, and let it die out. "What in the name of sweet sister cinnamon was that?!" Ranger asked, walking towards the rock. "It's an alien spacecraft!" Neo jumped to conclusions. He got even closer, admiring its size. It was smooth and black and had strange markings on the side. 

Neo brushed his metal hand over the markings and a faint click was heard. The front of the rock opened up, letting out a stream of smoke. After it had cleared, they peered inside and were amazed at what they saw. It was a kid, someone around their age. He coughed up the smoke and flopped out of the doorway. He was shaking, his eyes wet with tears. "Whoa, are you okay?" Neo asked. "Help me," He wheezed, then stopped shaking. "We gotta get him to the house!" Molten shouted, picking him up and flying away. The other three packed up their stuff and hurried after him. When they arrived home, they laid the kid on the table in Neo's room. Now, they could get a closer look at him. His head was square, and he had long black hair that covered most of his face. His ears were square as well, with purple and black color. His eyes were slanted, slightly sharper than anyone else's. He wore a black hoodie and purple pants, which were both shredded and covered in blood. His exposed arms were like Molten's but were black at the top and white at the ends. A thick, spiky tail sprung out from behind him, and he had massive purple wings that were about the size of his body.

"A dragon!" They gasped. The dragon groaned in pain on the table and squinted his eyes in the bright light above him. His pupils were a deep black, and his eyes were slightly red. Neo took out a roll of bandages from his cabinet and wrapped up every cut he saw on him. His arms were the worst, but he had many on his legs and back as well. "What happened to you?" Neo asked. The dragon lifted his head slowly. "I was stoned, okay?" Molten reeled back in laughter. "HAH! We've all been there, buddy, lemme tell ya!" he howled. He lowered his eyes. "I meant with rocks, stupid," he corrected. Molten stopped laughing and slapped him across the face. "Molten, stop," Skeli held up his hand. "What's your name?" Ivy asked. The dragon rubbed his head. "Uhh, Kage Tan-" he began. He jumped up. "Oh shoot, I'm on Earth. Uhh, Shadow. My name is Shadow." he corrected himself. Neo held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Shadow!" he greeted. Shadow grabbed his hand. "Whoa! That's so cool!" He said in awe. Neo sniffled and looked at the others. "See, I told you people would think it's cool!" he yelled. 

Shadow began to stand up but sat back down. "Is there a bed anywhere?" he said sleepily. Neo pointed to a cot on the side of the room. You could sleep there if you'd like!" he said. Shadow slumped into the bed and put his face into the pillow. "Thenk you," he mumbled. Neo nodded and clapped his hands. "Bedtime," he stated. They all headed to their rooms, still wondering about their new houseguest. Was he good or evil? Why did he come here? Is he an alien? No one got that much sleep, because they were worried about him.