When they reached home, it felt crowded. Not that it was a bad feeling that settled under Max's stomach, it was rather a feverish tickle. Like butterflies blossom. It was a good feeling to have company.
The times it was just the two of the sister's made the quietness insufferable.
Bondita always played the hero to break the silent air with whatever activity she was up to. Be it turning the volume high while watching her India Soap operas, or listening to Bollywood music or simply watching cartoons. Giggle every now and then whenever Robin made a fool of himself in Teen Titans Go.
They would be lounging around on days that aren't school nights. Oftentimes, they would flank school as they pleased when they did not feel like it, coming up with well-thought excuses the next day. A benefit for not having an adult figure constantly in your company.
It would of course, be their little secret. They wouldn't dare tell Jake about it less they wanted a long and fruitless scolding from Jake.
Max watched a wondering Daemon with a gleam, giggling every now and then as he took in their apartment, scrutinizing every speck of detail within it. Whilst the Jake kept a vigilant eye on him.
Bondita grasped Daemon's pinky with her little fingers, leading him to their medium fish tank: where their little fishy companions swam about.
The Targaryen man had not seen anything like it, he was bedazzled as the girl introduced him to her and her sister's pet. "This is Gilly and this is Nemo. They are Clownfish, isn't that cute?"
She then rambled on how eager she was to show him the Pixar movie of Finding Nemo. And all other funny cartoon of hers.
Max lent Millie a few of her clothes to which she showed dear gratitude for but she waved her hand. She planned on making a friend with her, it's been quite the while since she's ever had a real friend.
The last friend she had was a girl she lived with in the orphanage in Greece, Tatiana. Every time she glanced down at her friendship bracelet, their memories together cloud her head and spirit her away into a daze.
"It is only natural to want things that others have," Max was rambling again, the words in her head running around as she told her pouting sister. "But your project was spectacular to me."
"It got twenty-one stars, Max." Bondita folded her arms. "And Amy had fifty! Fifty!"
"Would you rather have your project littered with golden stars or let it shine under just it's mere creation?" The younger girl huffed in annoyance: Max always finding a way to be right with her blunt statements.
Max separated her midnight crown into two sections, weaving two braids that fell swiftly behind her back.
The three girls were sat on the light pink soft carpet padded floors of her room, having a girl talk as Daemon and Jake ‘got to know each other’ as Jake puts it.
As dinner rolls in, they found themselves sitting around the dining table. A grey cloud hanging over their heads, tension cuts the air like lightning during a thundering night sky.
Although, outside you could the light pitter patter of reign, unmatching the storm within the apartment building.
Bondita never thought a home could be this quiet, especially with guest at that!
"So, how is school?" Jake was the first to cut the tension filled air with a random question that set both the sister's to frown.
"It's a Saturday." Bondita politely reminded him.
"Sarah Miller was bullying and tormenting me again during lunch-break." Started Max with a shrug, all eyes turned towards her as she plays with a depression broccoli on her plate.
"When our swimming classes rolled in, each two students were tasked with playing the role of the victim and the saviour. And she chose to be the victim, a very wise choice." She continued her take, eyes casted on her food growing cold by the hour.
She couldn't help the curve swiveling it's way on her lips as the images rolled back. "Because after she bragged about her ‘great acting skills’, I let her drown."
"Such wanton behavior." Daemon commented with a smirk of his own.
"Why?" Jake let out a defeated sight as Bondita and Milly stared at the auburn haired girl in both shock and amusement.
"I can't swim." Max stated bluntly.
When Daemon could not hold in his posture any longer, he let out a wholesome laugh. The mere image of the girl standing with a blank stare at the swimming tutor whilst her task-partner drowned had him in a fit.
"Don't encourage this, you moron." He earned a growl from Jake momentarily before he too, began to chuckle.
The table fell into soft laughter, and from then on they began telling tales of funny situations they've been put under. Yes, Max revived the air as she knew they would need it for the days to come.
-
Max went biking under the night sky.
It wasn't like any other night, the stars twinkled even brighter and she swore she could almost catch sight of shooting stars gliding into earth's atmosphere. A meteor shower.
She rode along the coastal shores with a blissful smile on her lips.
After the nightmares and demons in her head forcing her to stay awake, she felt trapped and suffocating in her apartment. No matter how much time she tried to delay sitting in the balcony, so she took her bike and rode to the beach.
As she strolled aimlessly after parking her bike, the earth shook sudden and a gust of window almost knocked her out of her feet if it weren't for the pole beside her, bearing warning signs.
She blinked furiously, staring at the predator sleeping by the shores.
Instinctively, she hid under the tall grass watching it's every movements.
The dragon was a pale white, crimson rubies glittering on it's pure scales as it rested on the beach side. Ash and sand loft into the the air, giving off a mystic eerie air. With each breath the beast took in it's slumber, it gave a deep rumble.
Max thought momentarily it was shaking the earth but then it was the sand blowing against her feet as she hide behind a bolder.
Fear was at the back of her mind as she marveled the slumbering creature. It had scars, dreadful scars displaying it's harsh life-story filled with nothing but survival.
The girl's heart tightened, feeling closer to the beast than to anyone else on the earth. Similarly, her life has been full of nothing but survival. If not physically then definitely mentally.
Her heart throbbed harshly in the restraints of her chest as she approached it. She was not scared: she kept reminding herself.
All consequences of even being this close to a predator were thrown away into the ocean, her eyes cloaked with the faintest expression of serene. Could one find more in common to a beast than another human? She found herself inwardly asking.
Her cold hand lays on it's bright, surprisingly warm scales and a fire ignited within her.
She did not even know there even was a fire residing within her. Her childish temperaments and anger outbursts were nothing compared to the fire igniting her whole being in this moment.
At the touch, the dragon's eyes snapped open to snake-like golden eyes. She flinched as it caught on her scent, scrutinizing her defiantly.
The handsome beast, long as it was wide, sturdy and hardened from years of battle of survival growls dangerously. Grey smoke came from it's snout, embracing the fifteen year old omitting throaty coughs.
A bright orange flames ignites from the back of it's throat, bearing shark-like teeth as the beast was ready to burn her alive: Max scrambled.
She clambered on it's wing joint after an inwardly decision battlefield in her head. Knowing it would not burn itself and she could not outrun it with it's large leather wings, and fire out to kill her in a second.
However, Max was right about one thing. The creature was intelligent, one step ahead of the girl approaching him with stoicism and solemn eyes.
It stood from it's lounging position, shaking the sand of it's scales and spread enormous leather wings. With every power flap, Max was ambushed by a gust forcing her to grab onto the scales tighter as she began to rethink her idiotic decision.
The creature ambles carelessly down the shoreline, her breathes came out ragged as the dragon gave a short shriek before launching itself in the air, taking off go flight and she let out a gut wrenching scream. "Ah!"
The silver beast flew over a cliff side, turning it's direction towards the ocean. Max hugged the raging ruby glinting scales, crying as fear settled under stomach, eyes shut closed.
She felt blood rushing through her ears, fire coursing through her vein with each thundering flap she heard as they flew higher and higher into the clouds.
Max shivered under the midnight air as they glide among wispy clouds. The horrified girl spares herself a peek: the white halo of the moon glistens along the neverending blazing waves of the azure sea. If she had not cracked her eyes open, she would not see such a beauty sight in a more brighter light.
She felt the world... wasn't as dark as it seemed to be.
The unruly beast shrieked once more, letting out a piercing whistle as they glide along the waters of the ocean. Raging waves crashed against the dragon's knees and she couldn't almost feel droplets of salty water splashed against her flushed cheeks.
Letting out an unexpected exuberant laugh, feeling something pull at her heart's strings. Something she's longed for so long. Warmth and freedom.
Up here in the cotton mist skies, she felt free. She felt nothing could stop her, she felt a certain power edged at the tips of her fingers. This was a dream she would never forget.
She wanted to remember everything when she wakes up the next day, from the battle scars the dragon had, it's rogue serpant-like golden eyes to the exhilaratingly wistful feeling that overtook her thought whole flight and how her hands slipped from it's hold.
The dream ended uncertainty with her falling into the ocean and being saved by a life-guard walking around for the last patrols.
* * * *