Fledgling Read online

Chapter Four

  “Aiden,” Austin whispered. She didn’t dare turn her back to Dustin, but she wished that she could look at her best friend as she talked, “It’s Chelsea. Sh-she’s dead.”

  “I know,” he didn’t reveal any emotion in his voice, but his hand tightened around her shoulder. He was upset.

  After he had helped her to her feet, Aiden stepped around her. Austin suddenly found herself being protected, but she didn’t know what to do about that. She didn’t need to be protected.

  “I haven’t seen you in a while,” underneath Aiden’s heavily concealed sadness, Austin could tell that he was happy—a crazy kind of happy, “Well, this is familiar, isn’t it?”

  “Unfortunately,” Dustin shrugged. It shouldn’t have shocked Austin that the two knew each other, but it did, “You didn’t hide her very well, you know.”

  Aiden ran a hand through his bright red hair and leaned to his side, “Well, at least her last name wasn’t Johnson or Smith.”

  “At least when she was in my care, her name wasn’t one of the first in the phonebook,” Dustin snorted. He sobered, “It’s almost like you wanted me to find her.”

  He was speaking about her as if he’d been looking, as if they’d known each other for more than fifteen hours. Austin was firm in her response, “You’re delusional.”

  “We couldn’t have known that you would go after her,” Aiden said, his voice as smooth as ever. Austin could never tell when he lied, but apparently Dustin could.

  “What are you talking about?” Austin hissed, grabbing at Aiden’s dark shirt. He ignored her.

  “I will always find her, Aiden Fer,” Dustin took a step forwards, making sure not to step on the corpse or blood, “And I’m not going to lose her ever again.”

  “Kai, take Austin outside,” Aiden ordered, not having moved an inch. He seemed intent on shielding her as long as there was immediate danger.

  “Yes sir,” Kai said, sounding disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to stay and witness whatever was coming next. Austin felt her fingers being pried off of Aiden’s shirt, and thin arms looped around her. She was dragged away from the kitchen.

  “What did you mean?” Austin fought against Kai’s arms, but they held her like a vice, “Tell me right now!”

  “Later, sweetheart,” Dustin said, just as Aiden replied, “Later.”

  The thin but strong arms pulled her out into the hallway, where a group of kids were laughing and holding red plastic cups. Even though they were so close to the kitchen, it was clear that they had no idea about the events that had just transpired.

  Kai pulled her away from them and soon cold air was biting at her skin. She shivered. Chelsea was still inside and wouldn’t be coming out in anything but a body bag. She was dead, and nobody could do anything about it.

  “Why didn’t anyone come to help?” Austin asked. Kai’s hold loosened, but he kept an arm around her shoulders just in case she tried to run. To anyone else, it would look like a comforting gesture.

  Where had her fight gone?

  “Aiden told them to stay away,” Kai kept his eyes in front of him, his jaw set as he fought to keep his poker face. They kept walking, even after they had gotten out of Kai’s neighborhood, but Austin barely noticed, “With his mind.”

  “Oh,” she nodded, accepting it readily. Her lab partner had just been violently murdered. Compared to that, mind control was pretty normal.

  “I’m not human,” his eyes flickered to her as they crossed the street, obviously expecting a reaction. How was she supposed to react? Was she supposed to scream?

  “Is Aiden?” she asked, briefly meeting Kai’s eyes. It’s not like it mattered. She would have asked about Chelsea, but that mattered even less.

  “No one in that kitchen was,” Kai told her solemnly. That meant that Chelsea was different, too. Everyone was.

  Austin had only one more question to ask, “Why did he kill her?”

  “Where we come from, everyone is basically at war,” Kai was leading her down a dark street, already in the downtown. She hadn’t realized that he lived so close to here, “There are some whose only jobs are to come here to scavenge for new recruits.”

  Austin wondered if they were aliens. Would that be such a big stretch for it to be true?

  “That was what I was, then,” Austin nodded, the pieces fitting together, “A recruit. I was Dustin’s assignment.”

  “You were a special case, actually,” Kai was saying, then corrected himself, “You are a special case, I mean. He’s been obsessed with you ever since you were an infant. I think he’s fooled himself into thinking that you’re family.”

  “He’s only eighteen,” Austin said, though she had no way of knowing if that were true or not. Still, even if he was a twenty something year old pretending to be younger, he couldn’t have been more than an elementary schooler when she was a baby. Kai’s story didn’t add up, and she wondered if this was all some big prank they were pulling on her.

  “Our body ages slowly once we hit eighteen. Aiden says that Dustin is thirty two, but the he still has the mental maturity of a boy,” Kai paused, stopping her in front of the back entrance to a used computer store, “Austin, there is one thing that you should know.”

  “Yeah?” she mumbled, still stuck on the whole age thing. That meant that Kai was way older too, and Aiden…oh gosh, Aiden looked about twenty. How old did that make him?

  “You’re not exactly human either.”

  “I think I would’ve noticed if I wasn’t,” Austin said, shaking her head. She would have laughed, but she wasn’t in the laughing mood. After all that had happened, they had the wrong girl.

  “Our records are always correct,” Kai said, his gloved hand brushing at something on her jacket. His touch lingered, and he frowned before pulling his hand away, “More than that, you look exactly like your mother.”

  “You knew my-“ she cut herself off with a breathless shout, clutching her head. She stumbled into Kai, and his hands went straight to her forehead. His gloves ran across her skin, checking for injuries. Austin knew they wouldn’t find any.

  Pressure was building from the inside out, threatening to burn anything in its way. That was what it felt like, really. Burning. Her entire head was scorching hot, and worse, she didn’t know why, “Make it stop. Kai, make it stop.”

  “I can’t,” he said, fear reflected in his voice, “Sorry, they told me this might happen. The sudden pain and all is practically textbook for memory recovery.”

  “What does that even mean?” she asked, her voice rising. She clutched at Kai’s jacket, since that was the only thing in range, as she stumbled forwards. He tried to catch her, but too late. She tripped and fell to the ground, losing consciousness after she let go of his jacket but before she hit the ground.

  “We’re all descended from one family. They weren’t really related, but that’s what they thought of themselves. A family,” he smiled faintly, shaking his head.

  She could see him now. She was young, much younger than she was now. Aiden was sitting on the other end of the table, smiling at her as he told her this story.

  “Oceana, the youngest sister, was fragile. She was often too weak to walk, so she spent her time swimming through the likes and oceans. That’s how she got her name.

  “Emmett was the second youngest. He was strong and usually took care of Oceana, but when he wasn’t looking after her, he was working.

  A new voice brought her to the surface, clearing the memory, “Austin, you’ve been asleep for too long. You need to wake up.”

  Something hot –a hand- brushed along her cheek, but that wasn’t enough to keep her from slipping away. The memories were too strong, demanding to be seen. Minds weren’t meant to be repressed, like hers had been.

  “The second oldest was Fern. He had a temper and often tried to work by himself, but he still cared for his family. I’m told that I l
ook like him, but it’s probably just the eyes,” Aiden’s emerald eyes looked away from Austin, as if he was embarrassed.

  He continued, “The oldest of the family was a girl named Arianna. She saw Emmett and Oceana as her children and Fern as her best friend. She was kind.”

  “What about K?” she asked, interrupting him.

  The memory was again interrupted, this time as her body was moved. Her head no longer rested on a hard pillow, but now on something warm and rough. Jeans. Aiden’s hand moved to brush strands of hair from her face as he held her tight.

  “She tried to drown Oceana,” Dustin said, obviously in awe, “She held the girl underwater for so long that the Oceana would have died, if not for a miracle.

  “Held underwater, Oceana struggled. Mind you, she was the weakest of them all. She held her breath for as long as she could, but basic instincts always take over. Her lungs opened up to breath and water flooded her mouth. A strange thing happened. She could breathe.”

  “Arianna found them, and her anger unleashed something wonderful. Long before she had reached the two, strong winds hit K and flung her into the air. Oceana’s fear had unlocked something magical in all but K. They had abilities that they never would have dreamed of.

  “After they had locked away K, they experimented. Fern found that he could start a fire at a single touch. Emmett was stronger than he had ever been before, and his footprints often left cracks in the earth. Oceana could glide through the water faster than any other existing thing. Arianna was bothered, though. Despite the amazement they had with the discovery of these powers, she could see that they were a danger to the world that they inhabited.”

  “They, in their dragon forms, were too powerful. Arianna had the sudden wish to be something more controllable, something like the animals that existed beneath them,” Dustin took her hand, “Her wish came true.”

  “In front of her family, the air whirled around her like a tornado. The others tried to reach her, to help her from the strange event, but the winds wouldn’t let them get close. Before their very eyes, Arianna shimmered and changed into something a third of the size she had been.”

  “Something new was laying on the ground before them, but they somehow knew that it was still Arianna. The thing was smaller than the boulders they used to hide behind during their games, and it had no scales. Long threads hung from the thing’s head, the color of dust. When it opened its eyes, as if confused, it looked around.”

  “Arianna was a she,” Austin poked him, her fingers not even as long as the length of one of his short sleeves, which revealed swirling tattoos underneath, “Not an it.”

  “But her family didn’t know what she was. Arianna was an it to them,” Dustin explained, “When she stood up and unsteadily walked straight to Fern, stroking his snake like head in a way that only she did, they knew it was her.

  “After a few days of Arianna dancing around on her thin, spindly legs, the family grew discontent. They were so used to Arianna taking care of them. Even though she still acted the same, she could no longer speak their language and she couldn’t act like she once did.

  “Oceana split away from the ground one day and did what she always did when she was confused or upset. She swam. When invisible tears rolled out of her cat likes tears into the water, another miracle happened. She felt herself being pulled down to the bottom of the lake, and she felt her body change. Her sandy scales disappeared and she seemed to shrink. Soft strings grew out of her head and floated around her like a halo. When she crawled out of the lake, exhausted by the transformation, the others saw her.

  “Arianna, filled with joy, raced to her sister and crooned in her soft voice. Fern walked over to them both and stared at the new Oceana. While she looked so different, much like his Arianna did, he had no doubt that this being was his little sister. Paying so much attention to Oceana, no one saw Emmett transform.

  “It must have been spectacular, but Emmett never told anyone what his transformation was like. He simply stood next to Oceana on two steady feet and stroked her light hair, eventually moving so that he held her hand. Arianna simply smiled once she was the intensity between the two.

  “Fern found himself as the last one to turn. He was different. Still nuzzling Arianna’s neck, his body temperature rose until the sand turned to glass under his feet. Arianna jumped away, making a loud, pained noise as she fell to the ground. She was burned.

  “Fern backed away in shock. He had never hurt his Arianna before. He couldn’t believe that he had burned her. When they were both the same, that hadn’t been a problem. He dove into the lake to cool himself off, but the water evaporated at his touch. He was enveloped in mist for the longest time, and he felt his scales tingle. He didn’t want to be a danger to his family.

  “At his wish, his scales turned to fragile skin. Hair the color of fire covered his head. His eyes were the only thing that he recognized when he saw himself in the reflection that the lake provided. When the mist evaporated, the family found him sitting at the lake’s edge, staring at his new self.

  “Fern heard a voice in his mind, using a language that he was only now able to understand. Don’t be afraid, the voice spoke,” Aiden’s hand was still gripping hers tightly, “In their new bodies, they were unable to fully control the elements. Only in times of great need could they summon up the power for that. Still, their power found new outlets. Instead of manipulating the wind, Arianna could read and talk with her mind. Instead of starting fires, Fern could manipulate and shape minds—something that he did very rarely. Oceana could heal herself and others. Emmett was still the strongest of all, and found great skill in sparring.

  “They also found that, in these new bodies, they could not be killed by the element that they belonged to. Oceana still could not drown. Fern could not be burned. Emmett was immune to the poisons that their territory was full of. Arianna was the most at danger, but she was smart. She never put herself in danger.

  “After a few centuries, when they no longer resembled children, they paired up. Arianna found her place with Fern, and Emmett found his with Oceana. Oceana was the first to bear children. Her eldest was a girl named Emma, and the youngest was an infant whom they called John. By this time, they had forgotten about K.”

  Austin had forgotten about K, too wrapped up in the happy tale that Aiden was feeding her.

  “Trapped for so long that she went even more crazy, K had succumbed to the darkness that bound her. Like the rest of them, she had transformed. She had found an exit that was too small for her to enter, and her wish to be smaller was fulfilled. Lost in darkness, it became her element. The black threads wove around her like a cocoon and when she had finally immerged from her prison, she found that she had black hair that reached her knees, and eyes as purple as the scales she had once had.

  “K wanted revenge. She wanted the family to suffer just as she had. So, on a night with no visible moon, she snuck into their camp. She was surprised to see that the others had taken on bodies just like hers, and that there were new additions to the family. Slowly, she crept to the small body closest to her. A small girl with curly blond locks was sleeping peacefully, snoring quietly. That was Emma.

  “Unable to help herself, she touched the sleeping girl’s cheek. The darkness flowed from K to Emma, but neither was aware of that. They might have guessed it if Emma had been awake, but she that wasn’t the case. Behind her sleeping eyelids, her eyes turned the same color as K’s.

  “Arianna woke up, feeling the presence of a mind that was not her family. When she laid eyes upon K, she screamed and, though she was nine months pregnant with a child of her own, ran forwards to protect Emma. K ran away, but not before gravely injuring Arianna.

  “They all woke up at once, rushing to her side. Oceana placed her hands over the bloody body, but for the first time, her powers didn’t work. Tears were dripping down her face as she tried to save her o
ldest sister.

  “Emma, though she couldn’t understand why, could see perfectly in the dark. She saw Arianna’s brown eyes clearly as they locked on her own. Somehow, Arianna could see Emma’s eyes, too. She was surprised, but not scared. Run, Arianna commanded her. Not knowing why, but used to following orders, Emma ran.

  “Once Emma was out of sight, Arianna died,” Aiden said, giving her no extra details on that front, “Fern was out of control, and felt hot tears running down his own cheeks. He had just lost his partner and child.

  “Except, he hadn’t. Oceana was struck with an idea,” he smiled grimly, “And that’s how the first C section happened, actually. Fern was handed his bloody, screaming child. He had seen K run off into the forest, but he had let her escape. He had raced to Arianna’s side. It was K’s fault that she was dead. From then on, the family held no compassion for those who bore darkness in their hearts.

  “K and Emma stayed hidden for many years, and our history believes that they were together during this period. Every so often, they would find a new descendent of the family, and that descendent would be turned. That was their ability, to place darkness into whoever they wished. There are some who are descendents of K, but most Chaos are first born to another element.”

  She felt a hand brush along her cheek. Aiden’s hand. His voice filled her ears and at first, she couldn’t make out the words he said.

  He kept talking. Half of what he said were pleas for her to wake up, the other half being random things. He would talk about last week, how they had gone to a fall festival and drunk apple cider together. Then he would switch topics and tell her that Uncle Demitri knew she was okay. His voice steadied her, but it still wasn’t enough. The memories pulled her back under.

  Aiden was still talking, “I was the one to put Chelsea on this assignment. I wanted her to protect you. You needed to be around girls. You probably won’t understand any of this. You won’t understand.”

  He sucked in a breath, “Chelsea was starting to be your friend, wasn’t she?”

  Chelsea.

  “She was my lab partner,” Austin heard herself say, and then, it was over. She no longer felt lost at sea. She was safe from her mind.

  “You’re awake,” Aiden laughed hysterically, “I was starting to lose hope, you know.”

  “I remember a lot of things,” she informed him. She opened her eyes and sat up, noticing that Aiden was sitting well within her bubble of personal space, “And I know a lot of things, too.”

  It was strange. She seemed to know a lot of things that she hadn’t known yesterday. Had it only been yesterday? “How long was I asleep?”

  “Two days,” he exhaled slowly. Austin could read the unspoken words clearly on his face. He had been worried about her, “Kai must have overwhelmed you with information. I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s…okay,” she found herself nodding. It wasn’t really new information, now that she had her memories. Even though she couldn’t remember why she had been in contact with him at such a young, impressionable age, she could remember each story Dustin had told her.

  Every story revolved around dragons, and the way between the chaos and other elements. Except it wasn’t a war. It was a slaughter.

  “So you know?” Aiden let go of her arm cautiously, waiting for her to say something.

  “I know that I’m half dragon,” she stared at him evenly. She didn’t feel anything but apathy. This was what…it was. This was what she was, “And I know that Dustin kidnapped me when I was a kid. I know that my parents are dead, though I already knew that. And I know that I might not have any special abilities, since my dad was a hu-“

  “Don’t say it,” Aiden stopped her, his voice soft, “Our world doesn’t tolerate mixed blood, Austin. I have a duty to put down any mutts I find, and if you say it-”

  “My dad was human, Aid,” she used the nickname she had created for him back when she was a kid. She was the only one allowed to call him anything but Aiden, “What’re you going to do about it? Are you really going to kill me?”

  “I’m important there. If anyone but me finds out –and no, no one else but me knows- I would kill you. I would,” he said, almost begging for her to understand. Almost. Aiden doesn’t beg.

  “Why not do it now, then?” she dared. She trusted Aiden, but didn’t understand a word that he was saying.

  “I don’t want to lose you,” he squeezed her hand, “Don’t make me lose you.”