A Blood Red Sky. Part four.

Chapter Two

I sat on my bed in a suit of armor. Stella Ensis was in my bag. I was waiting for Hannah to call for dinner while Relicta talked nonstop to me. I looked out my window and saw the ocean. The sun was setting, making the water a bright orange.

“Dinner!” yelled Hannah. I got up and Relicta followed me. I was suddenly glad that the rest of my family couldn't see Relicta. As I walked down the stairs, my armor fell away. I got to the kitchen and sat at my place and ate in silence.

“'Becca?” asked Hannah.

“Yeah, Hannah?” I asked.

“Can you take Mom her dinner?”

“Yeah. Sure.” I said, and took the tray and carefully walked upstairs and down the hall into my Mom's room. She was lying on her bed. She was asleep. I put the tray on her bedside table.

“Mom?” I whispered. I touched her soft brown hair. She didn't wake up. Tears burned my eyes as I thought about what the Dragons had done to her. I took her wrist and and felt her pulse. It relaxed me to know she was alive.

“Rebecca?” Mom asked as she woke up.

“S'okay Mom. I'm here.” I said softly. I crouched a little and said “I have your dinner. Hannah made chicken curry. It's pretty good. And if your thirsty, Hannah made tea.”

“I'm all right. But I'm a bit cold.” Mom said. So I took the big red blanket in the closet and put it on her. I got into the bed with her and listened to her heartbeat. I almost didn't notice when Relicta said “Oh. I'm just gonna go now...”

“How's school?” asked Mom.

“It's alright, I suppose. I made a new friend. She just moved here. I can't remember her real name, but she said to call her Dell.” I said.

“That's nice.” said Mom. She dozed off to sleep. I left.

I walked to the door and went to the beach. I looked at my trap and then went to the stairs that went back to the street. I sat on the bottom step and started to draw in the sand with a stick. I then looked at it and wiped it.

“Hi, Rebecca!” I heard someone say. I looked up and saw Dell running to me waving her hand. I raised my hand for a second, but then put it down again. Dell came over and sat next to me on the stair.

“What are you doing?” she asked. She looked at my trap and said “What's that?”

“My Dragon trap. You won't want to know.” I said.

“I do want to know! Tell me!” said Dell.

“I kill Dragons. I'm the only one who can see them, so I have to kill them. Otherwise, they kill me. They leave me alone at school, but after school is over, they come after me.” I said.

“Oh. So, it's like a game?” said Dell. I laughed humorlessly.

“Game? Would you call it a game if you had to do it every day because no one else can see them. In fact,” I said. I stood up. “You shouldn't get too close to me, Dell. People who are close to me get hurt.” I walked up the stairs.

“What do you mean?” called Dell. I didn't answer.

“The next morning, I got up and dressed and went to the bus stop. Dell came over and sat next to me.

“I don't are.” said Dell suddenly.

“What?” I asked, nonplussed.

“I don't care if I get hurt. I want to get close to you. I've never had a friend before! All the people at my old school thought I was weird.” said Dell.

“But I care, Dell. It would be my fault if you got hurt.” I said.

“But I want to know you, Rebecca. I like you.” said Dell. “I want you to be my friend.”

“Even though I'm wearing an army green shirt with BIKER WEEK printed in blood red letters and a skull and crossbones?” I asked.

“Yup.” said Dell. I smiled.

Once we where at school, I got the usual bullying about my hat and ratty clothes.

“Hey, guys! What's that smell? Oh, yeah, it's the smell of Rebecca Jones.” said a girl named Jade.

“Ha ha, Jade. Very amusing.” I said. I looked at her clothes and said “Nice top. Who shot the couch?”

“Aw, shuddup, Jones.” said Jade. I sighed and said “Yeah. I'm scared of you.”

“Rebecca Jones to the principles office please.” said the announcer suddenly.

“What did you do?” asked Dell.

“Nothing, as far as I know.” I said, feeling bemused. “I guess I'll see you later.”

“Oh. Yeah. See you.” said Dell. She walked off.

I knocked on the principles door.

“Come in, Rebecca.” said Principle Gordon and so I walked in.

“Okay, this is a first,” I said as I sat in the chair. “What did I do?”

“Lot's Rebecca. Lot's. Your talk of Dragons are concerning the teachers. I would like you to see the guidance councilor once a day.” he said.

“What? Why?” I asked, standing.

“Sit please, Rebecca.” said Principle Gordon.

“Not until you tell me why. And not all the 'the teachers are concerned' stuff, the truth.” I said.

“Fine. Your sister, Hannah, -”

“I only have one sister.” I said, annoyed.

“I spoke to her and she told me that you have a severe case of schizophrenia. I would like to keep it so that you can't see them anymore. They seem to scare you.” said Principle Gordon.

“That is a complete LIE. I have always been able to see Dragons, no, it is NOT schizophrenia, and I AM NOT AFRAID ON THEM!” I screamed. “I'd never had any reason to hate Dragons until they started to try and KILL ME.”

“They try to kill you?” he asked.

“Only when I'm not in the school building. But yeah. I kill them. I have been for the last year. That's my job.” I said.

“What do you kill them with?” he asked.

“Tell me, Principle Gordon, shouldn't the GC be questioning me and not you?” I asked sweetly as poison.

“Fine. Go to the councilor after school is done.” said Principle Gordon.

“Fine.” I muttered. I walked out of the room and into class. I sat next to Dell and sighed. I looked over at Dell and she tied a piece of paper to a pencil with a hair tie and dropped in on the ground. It rolled to me and I picked it up. I untied the paper and read it.

How did it go? It said.

I looked at Dell and shrugged and then glared at the wall.

Dell looked at my pityingly. I sighed again and looked at the teacher. We where learning about algebra. But I didn't take a word of it in. I started to draw a Dragon on the back of the paper Dell had sent me with the pencil. I saw Relicta out of the corner of my eye sitting on the windowsill. I looked over at her and shot her a go-away-before-you-get-me-into-trouble look. She smiled innocently. I shot daggers from my eyes.

“Mrs. Ryann? Can I go to the bathroom?” I asked.

“Go ahead. And then you take x and you-” I got up and went to the bathroom down the hall. I saw Relicta shoot up the hall after me. I walked into the bathroom and made sure it was empty before locking the door behind me and saying “Okay, Relicta, what do you want? You know I'm off limits at school. Even the Dragons know it! So what you have to say to me better be important.”

“Magistra Sanguis, no offense, the Queen has invited you to the ball tonight.” she said. “I would be an honor to have you, Magi.”

“I'll think about it.” I said. I unlocked the bathroom door and walked back to class.

When school was over, I sighed as I walked to the guidance councilor room. I knocked on the door.

“Come in.” said a woman's voice. I opened the door and saw a woman with short brown hair sitting at a round table. On the table was paper, crayons, pencils, markers, erasers, and paint. I sat and said “So. Let's get this over with. I have things to do and not much time to do them.”

“Mm. You can call me Hope.” said Hope.

“Huh. Funny. Real cute. Your name is Hope and you give hope to kids that they'll be okay. But, thing is, I don't need hope. I need someone human who believes that I see and kill Dragons.” I said.

“Okay, Rebecca. Can you draw for me what Dragons look like?” Hope asked.

“Sure.” I said. “Which kind on Dragon do you want me to draw?”

“How many kinds on Dragons are there?” she asked.

“Dunno. I've never really paid much attention to be honest. I know there are at least ten.” I said.

“Then draw the first one that comes to mind.” said Hope.

“Okay.” I said. I took a pencil and started to draw. Fortunately, I had always been a pretty good artist, unlike what Relicta said. I drew a Tueur. With it's huge wings and it's killer black beak and it's sharp, green glittery eyes. It looked more like a bird than a Dragon.

“This is a Tueur.” I said.

“It it bad?” she asked, looking at it.

“Well, duh.” I said. I rolled my eyes. “How long is this going to take?”

“As long as it takes.” she said. I sighed and said “Can we cut this short then? I need to check on my trap.”

“No.” she said. I shot knives from my eyes at her.

“Lady, Honestly, I don't care about this. I don't have whatever mental disease you think I have, okay? You wanna give me hope? Then give me hope that we can find a cure for what's killing my Mom. The more time I spend here, the more she's dead.” I said. I kicked back and said “So?”

“I... What do you use to kill Dragons?” Hope asked.

“A sword.” I said.

“Do you carry with you?” she asked.

“Duh.” I said rolling my eyes again.

“Where on you do you keep it?” she asked.

“A bag.” I said.

“What is it made out of?”

“Stars.”

“What do you work for?”

“The Queen. Again, duh.”

“What is she?”

“A Fairy.”

“What do they call you?” she asked. I blinked. I knew that what I was called wasn't a secret. I mean, every Dragon knew that that's what I'm called, but a human had never actually asked me what I was called.

“They call me Magistra Sanguis.” I said. “But sometimes just Magi.

“Why?” she asked. I was about to answer, when I stopped. I shut my mouth the thought.

“I... I don't know...” I whispered. “They just do. From the very start.” I cleared my throat and leaned forward to her.

“You won't say a thing to anyone else, right?” I asked.

“Nothing we say leaves this room, Rebecca.” said Hope. I sighed, kind of relieved.

“Everyone thinks I'm crazy. But I'm not. I've always been able to see Dragons. But they've never posed much of a threat. I also saw Fairies too, but they never talked to me. They only ever watched me.” I said.

“What do the Fairies look like?” asked Hope.

“They look like people. They can grow and shrink. Their wings, like woven spiderwebs. They would follow me when I was little. They would fly close to me sometimes. I would try to catch them. Then once stole a picture from me that I had drawn of them. My Mom- My sister said 'Oh, look! Bye-bye picture. It's going off with the wind.' Wind. Not Fairies. I'd said 'Not wind. Fairies!' of course, no one believed me. I was little! Everyone said it was my imagination. Like an imaginary friend. Dragons would follow me too. They would always be wary of me, but they would definitely follow me. In fact...” I said. I walked over to the window and said “I see one right now.”

“Where?” Hope asked.

“There.” I said. I pointed to it and I saw Hope sigh.

“That's a pine tree, Rebecca.” she said., but she shifted uncomfortably.

“See what I mean? Oh look, it's moving.” I said. “Right at us. In fact...” I said. I looked around and said “Can this window open?”

“Yeah.” Hope said slowly. I opened the window and waited until the giant was standing right outside the window. It bent down to look at me. I took a pencil and put it in the giant's eye. It screamed and I put in another one. Blood came out of it's eye and I tackled Hope (who was standing next to me) to the ground to duck the blood drops. Blood it like acid and can burn skin. I shut stood and shut the window hastily, but the Dragon put it's fist through the window and I screamed. I pulled out Stella Ensis and I swung blindly at the Dragon. It screamed a high pitched noise and I opened my eyes. I saw blood gushing out of it's hand. I jumped onto the fingers and ran up it's arm. I pushed Stella Ensis into the forehead and it burst into flames. I jumped onto a tree that was close by and jumped back into the school building. I saw Hope gaping at me and I said “You, Hope, just saw me kill a Dragon.”

“You- I- ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” she yelled.

“That's why I'm here, isn't it?” I asked. I could tell she was trying to keep it together for the sake of this appointment. It amused me greatly, so I smiled and said “Should I go home now?”

“I- You- It- I'm- Arg! Yes! Go home. PLEASE!” said Hope. I walked to the door, but before I opened it, I said “And, Miss Hope, what we do here, stays here. Remember, or things will start to happen to you. But don't get connected to me. People I care about get killed. I'm alone, and I will always be alone. And, don't worry, I do this all the time.” I smiled and ran out.