The Last Dragon Shifter

Chapter Two

"We know what it is. We just don't care," Martin said.

"You don't care? You don't care about joy? Dancing? Cotton candy and—better yet—candied apples?"

"Yes, exactly," Martin said, whirring the saw. Orin stopped him by getting in his line of sight, making silly facial expressions.

"He's right. You don't care about your safety." Naomi laughed.

"We can't close. There's too much to get done," Martin said.

"We can close a wee bit early. Go out for a drink. Naomi, you want to go out, don't you?" Orin turned to her for support.

Well, he's made a better opening than Naomi ever could.

"Actually, Jessica did invite me to a...group thing tonight."

"The girl from next door?" Her father's eyebrows went up in attentive surprise.

"Yes. Can I go?"

"Who's going and where is it?" he asked skeptically.

She hit a blank. Jessica hadn't elaborated on who all was going.

"Just a few friends from class. It's going to be at one of their houses. Lisa's." Naomi lied about the pub and pulled a random girl's name out of nowhere. She didn't know any girls named Lisa.

"You've never mentioned a Lisa before."

Damn.

"She's new at school. Nice though."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but Orin let out an exasperated sigh.

"Martin, for the love of the gods, let the girl go. You know she has no social life." 

"Excuse me?" Naomi took affront.

"Oh, come on! You know how you are. Sixteen years old, and yet, you never go out and get wild."

"I go out," she protested, but his face was filled with the same pity as Jessica's had been.

"Out to the grocery store does not count." Orin shook his head.

"I may not go out all the time, but it's not like I'm some recluse who stays home knitting with her twelve cats."

"Oh please. I've seen you eyeing the calicoes at pet stores." Orin chided. "Fight for your chance to have fun. Throw your father some doe eyes and he'll say yes."

Naomi looked at her father, trying to pull off doe eyes. However, she had the sense she came off more as bug-eyed than doe. Still, he wavered slightly, then nodded.

"Okay, you can go. But keep your ringer on you at all times, and I want you home by ten."

"Ten?" Orin scoffed.

"Ten thirty." He acquiesced to Orin's peer pressure. 

"Thank you, Papa." Naomi smiled and gave him another kiss on the cheek.

"I'm ONLY letting you go because I know you're responsible. I can trust you to make the right choices, can't I?"

"Yes," she promised. All the while, guilt sliced through her that she hadn't mentioned the pub. Yet, what had been done was done. She was going.

Since Martin was being lax about needing help in the shop, Naomi escaped to her room and called Jessica on their house line. All of Tyrra's communication technology worked on magical energy wavelinks, also known as "tech-energy." It helped connect Naomi's line to Jessica's.

"Hey Jessica," she said, hoping she sounded casual. "I was thinking about it, and I think I will go tonight." Naomi didn't mention the fact that her dad had said yes. She'd probably think Naomi was a kid for having to ask for permission.