We suddenly shot up and ran into the town, where we saw a bunch of humans running around. Dragons chased after them, and some other humans kept dodging their swipes.
Scryion turned to us. "Do whatever you need to do to capture them, but do not let them escape," he said firmly.
We nodded and joined the chaos.
The humans in the cage were reaching out to another human, who was trying to unlock the cage
"OH HECK NO," Flihkfhur yelled when he saw what was happening. He shot toward the human and lifted it up by the collar.
The human and the ones in the cage screamed as Flihkfhur tossed the human in the air, and said, "Dragons! Catch the human!"
They fell all over each other trying to be the first one to eat it. The human landed right in front of Phyline, who snapped it up.
I glared at the humans in the cage. "You are not escaping your prison." I took it, flew up, and placed it on a building roof. Then I went back down.
There were still humans all over the place, and it was getting annoying to grab them. (Seriously, they were like mice: hiding in small holes and being afraid to come out.)
Eventually, Ghitpethal came up with a plan. When she announced it, dragons sat in front of her and gave us some space to be with them.
"What's the one thing humans like most?"
"FOOD," the dragons cried.
"Mmm, close. Think... think rich. Wealthy. No matter the situation, what are they ALWAYS looking for?"
The dragons glanced at each other, trying to figure out the answer. Then Phyline stood up and said, "Money."
"Exactly," Ghitpethal said. "So what we need to do is lure them."
One dragon raised her wing. "Um... how, exactly, do we do that?"
"Simple." Flihkfhur stood up. "We put the money in front of the place they're hiding in, then we wait for them to come out."
Scryion nodded. "I like that idea. We capture them without it being messy."
"Is everyone in agreement with this?"
All the dragons nodded; some volunteered to get the money.
Scryion had a hungry glint in his eyes and a wide grin on his face. "Let's go catch ourselves some humans."
The Misfits were beginning to get really annoying.
As soon as I went to the cage, they immediately began to beg Carlos to see Andrew.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. It doesn't matter if you don't see him."
Grabbing the cage, I hauled it outside with Carlos following me.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" he asked for the second time.
I shot him an exasperated look. "Carlos, you know perfectly well I can carry this."
"I just don't want to feel useless."
"You're responsible for showing them Andrew, so you have a role."
He didn't say anything else. I took flight with the cage and went down into the forest.
I heard Carlos land behind me.
When the Misfits saw the forest, they began to get excited.
"Don't be excited for long," I said. "You wanted to see someone, didn't you?"
Parker grabbed the bars. "Yes. Where is he?"
I turned to Carlos. He went up to her.
"Do you really want to know what happened to him?" he asked.
"Yes, of course. He's my brother."
"Really sure?"
Parker narrowed her eyes. "What kind of game are you playing?"
He shrugged. "None. I'm just wondering why you want to see him."
Another girl came to Parker's side. "We want to know what happened to him."
"Suit yourself," Carlos said with another shrug. He snapped his fingers, and almost immediately something began thundering through the trees.
A moment later, Andrew- or what used to be him- jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of Carlos.
The girl gasped, while Parker stared at him. The crooked figure, the weird arms, the glowing eyes- no wonder they were horrified.
"What did you do to him?" Parker whispered.
Carlos looked shocked. "Me? I didn't do anything- this is your fault, Parker. All of this would not have happened if you didn't plan on doing what you wanted to do. I'm merely showing you the consequences of your actions."
"CONSEQUENCES?" The girl snorted. "This isn't being punished, this is torture."
"It's the same thing," I said. "You couldn't mind your own business, so we meddled in yours."
Parker, by now, had tears running down her face. She collapsed to the ground and started sobbing.
The girl glared at Carlos. "Look what you did to her, you monster. First the cult, now us? Will you ever stop killing?"
This is what I told him when we had that fight. But I didn't mean it; it was said in the heat of the moment.
Carlos kills for the same reasons as me: the fun of it. There's something... oddly satisfying about taking someone else's life.
But nobody talks to him that way. I was about to give her a piece of my mind when Carlos grabbed her by the throat.
He raised her up until her head was hitting the roof of the cage. "Say that one more time," he said softly.
The girl thrashed and tried to pry his hands off her, but he had a steel grip. "Remember what I did to him," Carlos continued. "I could easily do this to you, but I choose not to. You know why?"
The girl's face turned red.
"Because I'm saving it when I actually come to kill you," he growled. "I don't mind if someone insults me, but when a person like you- who planned on domesticating the wildest creatures in history- says something like THAT... well, I'm sure you can see the irony in it."
The girl's face turned purple. Her thrashes were getting weaker and weaker.
"Let her go," Parker said. She shakily got up to her feet.
Carlos narrowed his eyes at her, then looked at me.
I hesitated, then gave him a slight nod.
He dropped the girl to the ground, where she started wheezing and coughing.
Carlos turned to Andrew. "Now, my little servant, you know what to do. Go ahead and slaughter everyone except Parker and Evelyn."
I guessed that Evelyn was the name of the other girl.
Parker looked at Andrew. "Andy, this isn't you; please don't kill us. You aren't a killer."
But Carlos's mind control was too strong. With barely any effort, Andrew widened the bars.
Carlos grabbed the coughing Evelyn and Parker and dragged them outside.
Once they were out, he dropped them. "Now, Parker, you will see your brother kill his own group because of your selfishness."
Andrew let out a guttural growl and dove at the Misfits, who all swarmed toward the newly created hole. But he didn't give them a chance; as soon as they got close to it, he would dig his claws into their neck and cut through it.
They began dying and trying to breathe. Andrew was about to do another blow before Carlos stopped him.
"You have done enough," he said. "You fulfilled your purpose; you may be free."
Carlos pointed at him, and I watched as a magical mist covered Andrew. I saw him get taller, his limbs straighten. When the mist was gone, he was back to normal.
Unbeknownst to them, Carlos didn't need Andrew anymore. He already had millions of servants, scattered throughout the world. Losing one wouldn't do anything.
Andrew stared at the dying Misfits, then stared at Carlos.
He smiled. "Andrew, you did a marvelous job killing them. It was crazy to think you were once a cocky twelve-year-old."
"Why am I back to normal?" he asked quietly.
"Well, I don't need you anymore. And now that you'll be Parker's other companion, you'll need to... comfort her."
"Wait." Parker stood up. "What are you going to do to them?"
Carlos looked genuinely confused. "Why, burn them, of course."
"WHAT?" Andrew screamed. "Haven't they suffered enough?"
"By your hand?" Carlos shot back. "Yes, they have. But it'll be lovely watching them catch on fire."
"This is all your fault, you know," I added. "If you didn't think about doing it, then none of this wouldn't have happened."
Andrew threw himself at Carlos, who smacked him aside.
"Your Majesty," he said to me. It felt so weird hearing my best friend call me that. "Would you care to do the honors with me?"
"And me," a voice interjected.
Sam was standing behind me, a vengeful light in her eyes. "I want this group to pay for what they have done."
"Gladly," I said.
We surrounded the cage and stared down at the bodies.
Carlos began to glow as he levitated into the air. A ray of light shot out of him and into the cage.
At the same time, orbs of light surrounded the cage and quickly began to spin. An aura of green fire blasted into the cage, heating up the metal and turning it red-hot.
All three of us glowed- both with power and revenge.
It was like a fireworks show: multiple colored lights shooting and sparkling. Except this time, the fireworks weren't flying into the sky.
The bodies smoked and sizzled as Parker, Evelyn, and Andrew cried. They were the last ones of their group, and would be left alive with the Catwings hunting them.
The lights and fire and glow subsided. Carlos, Sam, and I floated down toward the ground.
"That was fun," Sam said. "More of this, please."
"When the time comes," I said.
Carlos breathed in deeply. "Do you smell that?"
"What?"
"Charred flesh." His eyes glinted. "My favorite smell."
I expected to see the three outcasts, but they were gone.
"Stop," Carlos said, grabbing my arm before I could go after them. "They won't do any harm."
"How do you know that?" I demanded.
He looked out into the forest. "The outcasts don't have the courage to do that. With luck, they'll die in a couple of weeks. If they don't, the Catwings will hunt and cut them down."
"I was going to tell you something," Sam interjected, "but when this opportunity arose... I couldn't refuse it."
"You can tell us now that we're done," Riley said.
Sam looked me in the eyes. "It's Marissa."
I felt my heart flutter. "What happened?"
"It's nothing bad," she said. "But she's bedridden because, well, her stomach is getting bigger."
Relief was immediately replaced by worry. "Is she okay? How is she? Can I see her?"
Sam gave me an amused smirk. "She's fine. But she's asking for you."
"I need to see her." I dashed off before she could say anything else.
My buddy Carlos burst into the room, sweat dripping down his body.
"You look like you ran miles," I commented.
"I did," he panted. He bent over with his hands on his knees. "Jesus, I didn't have time to breathe."
Marissa smiled at him. "You're here."
"Of course." He went to her side. "How are you feeling?"
"Better now that you arrived."
"I'll give you guys the room." Carlos shot me a grateful glance as I left.
The pain in my right side came back. I winced, rubbing it.
Not right now, cancer, I thought.
Star Tail gave me cancer- long before I met the Catwings. I assumed it was either a plan, or he did it for fun; and knowing the Catwings, that doesn't seem far off.
I remember Carlos pulling me aside and explaining the whole situation.
When he finished, I stared at him. "So what you're saying is that I have a cosmic Catwing to blame for my sickness."
He nodded grimly. "It was way before you arrived here- he said that he'll take it away, but you'll have to feel pain for a few months."
I grinded my teeth as I remembered what he told me. If I ever left the island, the cancer would advance and I would die.
Even though I'm chronologically an adult, I didn't want to die young. I was afraid of missing so many things: the birth of my niece, watching Haphmoun's new litter grow up, seeing the five siblings get into mischief like always.
As I'm writing this, the cancer is, thankfully, gone. I've had it my entire life; it didn't prevent me from living it, but it did stop me from doing a lot of things I've wanted to do.
I carefully walked down the hallway, waiting for the pain to go away. It slowly subsided, and I could breathe normally again.
I looked up at the sky. Right now, Star Tail was doing who knows what. I felt mad at him for giving me a sickness that has taken millions of people over the years.
I thought of my girlfriend, Riley, who was wherever she wanted to be. I had a crush on her since I first met her, and I don't regret it.
She has a round face with small lips and a cutely small nose. She has long, wavy, black hair that comes down to her butt. Her skin isn't too brown, but not too white.
What I first fell in love was her eyes. They were a gorgeous hazel that had blue specks floating in them.
I'm not going to lie, when I first saw Carlos with her, I felt a flash of jealousy. At the time, I didn't know they were best friends; I thought they were dating.
Once I got to know her friend group more, I slowly began to realize why she likes Carlos so much.
In addition to being a psychopath, Carlos is a very, very loyal friend. I'll admit that he's probably THE most loyal friend I've ever had.
He's compassionate, kind, clever, and brave. He is not afraid of confrontation and will gladly fight someone if he had to.
Marissa fell for him because he's good looking. I'm not going to hide the truth- he is handsome, and I fully recognize that.
He has brown skin with curly dark brown hair that used to be swept to the side but eventually just turned into a mess of tangles. He's the same height as me- a year younger- with buff arms and legs. He has deer brown eyes which always make me feel good around him.
Fourteen years old and already a king. If he lived in the same neighborhood as I did, we would be going to high school together.
I heard the door open behind me. Carlos stepped out of the room and went towards me.
"Doing alright?"
I nodded. "What do you want to do? I'm bored."
He shrugged. "I don't know, man. I thought we could just hang out together like we always do."
"That sounds pretty sweet," I said.
His gaze was far away. I knew that look. "Thinking?"
"Yeah."
"Riley?"
"I'm just wondering if she's doing okay," he said. "I mean, I've taken care of her my entire life. I feel like it's my duty to protect her, you know?"
"Yeah, of course." I felt the same way. Since I was little, I've always had to watch over Marissa, since our parents always worked and didn't have time to hang out with us. I mean, they still took us places, but not in the same way. What I'm saying is that I had a good childhood, but because my parents were so focused on their jobs, I basically had to raise my little sister.
When I heard she got pregnant, I wasn't too worried. I was worried she would DIE giving birth, but I wasn't worried about Carlos being the father. He has all the qualities of being a good one, and I stand by that statement.
"It's kind of cute how close you are with each other," I said.
He raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
"Of course." I smiled. "You've clearly been a wonderful friend to her- and she's very comfortable around you."
"Oh. Yeah. I'm a year older than her, which means that I've always been on the look out for her. Especially when she turned twelve."
"Why? What happened at that age?"
He whistled. "Dude, you have no idea. Puberty hit her hard; I mean, like, she threw things at her mom whenever she got mad. I remember her mom calling me to tell me that she was sobbing in her bedroom. At the time, she wouldn't eat anything and eventually went to the hospital. I was always in her hospital room, making sure that she was okay."
"Damn," I said. "So you saved her life."
"I don't see it that way. I was just being a good friend; even if I did save her life, I would have done the same thing for Sam."
"Wait, when's your birthday?"
"August 12."
"And when is Riley's?"
He looked up, thinking. "Uh... November the 8th."
"What grade was she in?"
"She was supposed to be in 7th, but because she's so smart she got bumped to my grade." He laughed. "Our classmates didn't like that very much."
"Why? Because they were jealous of her?"
"That, and the fact that she's very beautiful."
A few millennia ago, that would've made me severely jealous. But now, I knew that it was just a best friend complimenting another best friend.
"When's your birthday?" he asked.
"October 20th."
"Damn, so you are, like, two years older."
I shrugged. "I don't think about that too much."
He stretched. "That's fair."
"So what do you want to do?"
"I guess just go see what's going on."
"Sounds like a plan."
All the dragons were crouched on the rooftops, waiting anxiously.
My siblings and I decide to hide with Scryion, who moved over to give us some more space.
The gold coins glinted in the sun. It seemed like a waste of money, but it was worth it if we caught some humans with it.
I heard a shuffling noise and saw one human creep out of the hole. It looked around, probably making sure that there wasn't anything to kill it. But we were too well hidden- it didn't see us.
It took the bait, and Phyline snaked his way down the building and grabbed the human by the collar.
It screamed and tried to wrestle out of his grip. But the dragon was too strong; he simply took it over to the open cage.
The gold was in the human's hand, so I wrenched it out of its grip. I shook it and tossed it to Kuione, who caught it.
Humans who didn't see Phyline grabbed the other bait, but they were grabbed by the dragons before they got back into their hiding places.
"Nice," Scryion said. "We got a majority of the ones that escaped. I think that's enough for today."
"But what about the others?" I asked.
"They'll come out in their time," he said offhandedly. "But we captured at least twenty, which is more than fifty percent. Good job, everyone."
As the dragons went back to their usual day, Scryion turned to me. "When are you planning on leaving? You've been here for a couple of months now."
"I... I don't know, honestly. It's been so good here, and it's acted like a getaway, almost."
"Okay," he said. "I'm just asking, you know. I'm not pressuring you or anything."
"No, yeah, I know," I said. "I'm just... I need to think about it and talk with my siblings. However, I have a feeling they'll say that we leave when we explored the entire island. There's so much we haven't seen."
And they did say that. In those exact words, actually.
We talked it over, and we all agreed to leave in a few months' time; although, we secretly hoped it would be a few years.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, but the next day was probably one of the most fun times of my life.