Birth of the Dragon

Mel

On the far side of town, set against the backdrop of the tall dark woods and the bright blue sky, there lived a small community of women. They were old families, said to have been some of the first to settle in the small town of Hillford, which had once been nothing but a small clearing. And although they mostly kept to themselves, their odd customs hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the town.

To any stranger who walked past the little community on Willow Lane, they would be greeted by a multitude of stray cats, the constant smell of smoke from several chimneys, and the sight of rare herbs grown in fenced-up gardens. Often, some of the younger girls could be spotted playing outside with the kittens, or gathering bundles from the gardens, but the elderly and the parents were rarely seen.

To Melanie West, this odd little grouping of humble houses and mix-matched gardens was home. As she headed back to her own house, carrying a bundle of herbs, she spotted her cousin, Jemma West, waiting at the door. Jemma was a promising young girl of twelve, five years behind Mel. The two were basically sisters - raised in the same home by Maureen, their Grandmother, and Merry, who was Jemma's mother and Mel's Aunt.

"That was quick," Jemma said as Mel approached. She held a small black kitten in her hand - the latest addition to the West household. "We're going to be early."

Mel carried the herbs to the kitchen and dumped them on the table. "I know, are you packed?"

"Of course." Jemma released the kitten and left the room to get her bag.

Mel began sorting the bundle while she waited. The kitten gently brushed up against Mel's ankle, but she was distracted by her concerns for Jemma. It was getting harder for Jemma to stay loyal. Unlike Mel, she was a natural beauty. Her black hair and bright green eyes gave her an enviable complexion. Because of this, Mel could only watch as Jemma had begun to gain popularity in school, and although she had been taught the ways of the community well, Jemma couldn't help but make friends. Her social life wasn't necessarily forbidden, but it was frowned up. Friendship made it difficult to keep secrets; and they had a big one.

It had been easier for Mel. She was probably considered plain by most people's standards. Her black hair and brown eyes were nothing special in the community or to anyone else. But Mel didn't mind that she didn't have any real friends at school. She had Jemma, and the cats, and the rest of her family here. It was enough for her.

"There are rumours that someone in your grade is planning a party." Jemma reappeared with her hair up and her backpack on. She was grinning widely. "You know you have to go."

Mel took the keys and began walking to the car. "I don't have to do anything."

They hopped in, and Mel started the car. "Yes you do. Unless you want to end up like Esmerelda." Mel remained silent. Jemma leaned over, studying her. "Does eternal youth mean nothing to you?"

"Ah, yes. To be forever young. Always going to high-school, never graduating, never being legally able to drink. Thank-you, Jemma, for reminding me of what I have to look forward to."

They lapsed into silence.

"Did you just roll your eyes?" Mel asked.

"I - no. How could you possibly know that? Eyes on the road, please."

"They are. I can just feel you rolling your eyes - like I can feel the judgement oozing from you."

"Oh please."

After parking near the school, Mel and Jemma split ways. There was a nice quiet spot where Mel had begun to spend her free time, back when she had started high-school. It lay behind a block of classrooms, between the back of the school and the start of the woods. Mel sat in the shade of a tall tree, just inside the boundaries of the school, reading. Her book, 'The Various Properties of the Mint Leaf', was one she had borrowed from her Grandmother's collection.

Voices brought her out of her reading. A group of guys from Mel's grade were approaching, though they seemed unaware of her. They were laughing and pushing each other around.

"Shut up! Who're you taking then?"

Frustrated, she glared at the loud group, willing them to leave. One of the speakers she recognised as Ryan, a boy who had grown up in Hillford like Mel. She hadn't bothered to learn the names of the other ones.

"I wouldn't mind taking Selina, if you know what I mean." More chuckles. "I think I have a thing for her kind."

And Jemma expected Mel to go to a party with these kinds of people.

"Her kind?"

"Cheerleaders, mate. It's like they dress for us."

"You want to back off there, bro. You could end up getting bashed by Cody," someone else taunted.

Mel didn't think that would be such a bad thing. They were a bunch of hormonal idiots; suckers for a pretty face like Selina's. Unable to bear anymore of this torture, Mel decidedly slammed her book shut and haughtily stood. The group grew silent as they all suddenly realised she was there. She glared at them for a second, before stalking off.

As the midday break started, Mel rushed back to her spot, hoping desperately to find no-one else there. The place was thankfully deserted. As she approached her tree, she spotted something that hadn't been there before. Someone else had been here. A missing poster had been stapled to the trunk of the tree, showing a picture of a teen girl, and underneath listing details about her.

Mel was eager to continue her book, so she resumed her familiar position and flipped it open. Not five minutes in, she heard voices coming from the woods. This intrigued Mel more than it annoyed her, because people didn't usually like to go into the woods. It was part of the reason she had kept her spot on the border of the woods for so long.

"What the hell are you doing?" a voice shouted. It sounded like Ryan.

Mel stood and took a few quick steps into the woods, brandishing her book like a weapon. She quickly spotted the two schoolboys standing further in, but neither of them had noticed her. They stood apart, Ryan looking on in shock at the other one. But Mel couldn't see the other one's face, nor did she recognise who he was, only another member of that idiotic group that had been bothering her earlier.

He gave an animalistic snarl. Mel froze with fear. The back of his school jumper ripped from the inside out, and thick, black, membranous wings burst out, spanning tall and wide. Then, the bat-boy folded them behind him and emitted a bat-like screech.

The effect was instant on Ryan. Mel only had to cover her ears, but Ryan had doubled over and was screaming in pain. The other circled Ryan as he continued to moan in pain. His hands were covering his face, and Mel thought she saw claws growing from his hands. She took a frightened step back. Though her step was relatively quiet, the bat-boy seemed to pick up on it. He spotted her through the trees instantly. His face was contorted - black eyes shining and canine fangs showing as he snarled.

Mel took another hesitant step back, then as he began to walk towards her she turned and ran. Low branches brushed past her as she ran, but she ignored the stinging. She burst out of the woods and ran a few more metres before turning. No-one had followed her.

A million possible theories sprung to mind, but she knew there was only one place she would get answers from. Picking up her bag, Mel fished out her keys and headed for her car. School could wait.

Selina

"Ryan Evans."

No-one in the class responded.

"Has no-one seen Ryan?" the teacher, Mrs Sains, studied the room full of students over the top of her glasses. "And where is Renwyn Wayne?"

Selina was sitting at the front, in her usual spot. She knew something was wrong. Renwyn and Ryan had occasionally skipped class before, but something had seemed off about Renwyn this morning before school. He was just another friend to Selina, and not a close one, but she couldn't help noticing how he seemed to be extremely worried about something.

It was feelings like this, however, that she had learnt to ignore over the years. People always seemed easy to read to Selina, and over time all of the depression, struggles and worries that she could feel others hiding no longer got to her. Whatever was going on with those two was not her business.

Someone knocked on the door to the classroom. Mrs Sains answered the door to a young man. Selina, along with probably everyone else in the classroom, instantly perked up. There was something inhumanly attractive about him. He stood with his hands in his pockets, with slightly ruffled formal clothes on. His sleeves were haphazardly rolled up, and his wavy hair was dishevelled. His gaze shifted across the room until it rested on Selina. She couldn't help but feel put on the spot.

"I'm here for Selina." His voice was youthful, soft, and low.

Mrs Sains just stared at him, clearly star-struck like the rest of the class. After a few seconds she managed to form a sentence. "I - I can't just let her go. What do you need her for?"

The boy broke gaze with Selina to glance at the teacher. He tilted his head at her, and Selina felt an almost imperceptible peace wash over the classroom. "Please," the boy said softly, "it's very important."

Mrs Sains seemed to relax. "Well, of course you can."

Selina felt the eyes of everyone in the classroom on her as she stood. Without her usual grace, she picked up her bag and followed the boy out. As she passed Mrs Sains, the woman took a startled breath as though waking up, but didn't say anything more.

The boy walked ahead of her, not even glancing back to check if she was following. With his long, quick strides, she had to walk fast to keep up. They soon reached the edge of the school grounds, near the tree line and the back entrance.

He turned suddenly, so Selina came to a hesitant stop in front of him. Startled by their sudden closeness, they both took a step back. Selina was intrigued and worried. She had no idea what he wanted, but she couldn't help feel excited by it all.

He scanned around them as though checking for someone listening. Seemingly satisfied, he met her eyes again. "In exactly a week you turn seventeen, correct?"

Taken aback, Selina nodded. "My birthday is in a week, yes. How did you know?"

He didn't answer her question. Instead, he reached into his pants pocket and produced a business card, handing it to her. She noticed he was careful not to touch her. The card read Michael and Co. She had never heard of it.

"Normally I would do this with your mother present, but with her current state of mind I thought it best - "

"My mother? I'm sorry, what is this about? And who are you?" She folded her arms, now properly concerned.

He didn't seem to react to this at all. In fact, gone was the politeness from the classroom. He was still heartbreakingly handsome, but he also seemed cold now. Selina found this most odd - in fact, she couldn't get a reading on him at all. And she usually found it extremely easy to read someone.

"I come from the company that your father and brother work at." He nodded at the card in her hand. "You probably haven't heard much about it, I’m sure. I can answer all of your questions in time. But for now, just know that we are offering you a position with us. Your brother is visiting, he will explain the basics to you. We expect an answer within a week."

"Excuse me?"

"A yes or a no, on whether you will come to work with us. Talk to Nathan, he should be the one to explain things to you."

"I'm sorry?"

The boy frowned. "Are you deaf?"

"You know my father?"

"Michael, yes."

"And if I do this - if I say yes - I can see him?" Warmth blossomed in her chest. She knew her father, but had only ever met him once a year for Christmas. Her mother never talked about him, and her father never explained anything either. All that she knew was his name, and that he and her mother had never married, but everything they owned was paid for by him. Selina had often questioned her mother, and her brother when he was recruited, but they had both remained silent.

The boy nodded.

"Then yes." It was an easy answer. Nathan had been recruited in his last year of high-school too. And while he had immediately left, never finishing high-school and leaving all of his friends behind, only visiting every few months, he was happy. Selina didn't even know what it was he did at his work, but she knew she wanted to be a part of it. Especially if it meant spending more time with her father.

He shook his head this time. "This isn't a decision to go into lightly, Selina. You must talk to Nathan first, and, I suppose, your mother should also be a part of your decision," he seemed to adopt a more annoyed tone here, "so you can hear both sides. I hope you'll say yes after Nathan explains. Your skills would not go to waste."

"Um, thanks. I should probably get back to class."

He nodded to the card still in her hand. "Hold on to that."

She smiled and pocketed it.

The rest of school was fairly boring. Mrs Sains barely acknowledged Selina when she returned to class, but the rest of the students were clearly interested in what the mysterious handsome boy had wanted with her. After school, it was a rush of goodbyes and friends demanding that Selina tell them everything. She broke away from the group of friends with only vague explanations.

Selina had her own car, thanks to her absent father's money, so she was able to drive home immediately. Her house was more of a mansion, one of the few in the richer part of Hillford. It rose two stories and took Selina's mother several days to completely clean it.

She found her mother scrubbing the fireplace in the downstairs living room. "Afternoon," Selina greeted, dumping her bag and perching on the edge of a couch. Her mother, an aging woman who was once beautiful, turned to Selina from her position in the fireplace. Her face was covered with ash.

"How was your day?" she asked, going back to scrubbing after she had briefly appraised her daughter.

Selina shrugged. "Good. I met this guy today."

Her mother's only response was "Hm."

"He told me he was from my father's company."

Selina watched her mother's reaction carefully. The woman stopped scrubbing for a moment, but quickly reassumed her work. "Tell me you said no."

"No to what?"

"Don't play dumb, Selina. I know what that boy wants. He wants to take you away from me, like he did your father, and my boy."

"What is it that they do?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with."

"Why don't you agree with it? Why do you hate it so much?"

"Why do you think? I barely get to see your father, and Nathan we have been seeing less and less of! I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't show up for another year, like your father!"

Selina narrowed her eyes. "Where is Nathan? I know he's back."

Her mother sighed. "In his room." Selina picked up her bag and began to walk out. "I can't stay here by myself, Selina. You can't leave me too."

It wasn't worth responding to. Arguments with her mother never worked out. Sometimes, Selina thought as she took the stairs, it was like she was the adult and her mother the child. She couldn't tell whether her mother wanted to let Selina loose or keep her locked away. Lately, it seemed like the latter. But with no curfew, no rules at all, her mother had never enforced any sort of control over her life before. Selina had been allowed to throw as many parties as she wanted. Her boyfriends, no matter how messed up, didn't worry her mother at all. And Selina had tried to pick boys her mother wouldn't like. Nothing had seemed to faze her until now.

She found her brother, Nathan, in his room. He saw her reflection first in the floor-length mirror and smiled. If Selina and Nathan weren't so far apart in age, people would probably mistake them for twins. They both had blonde hair that always seemed to sit perfectly. Their complexion was tan, but in a natural, sun-kissed way with a few freckles. They both had tall, lean statures - though Nathan had filled out quite a bit while working with their father. Their appearance was almost entirely from their father's side.

"Selina, hi." He turned and walked over to her, giving her a big hug. She couldn't help but smile; it felt so good to have him home again.

As they broke apart, she tugged on his shirt. "How come I never see you in your work clothes? You've got to wear a suit, don't you?"

"As usual, you are the Queen of being subtle." He grinned and took her hand, leading her onto the balcony of his room.

The day was still bright, but there was a slight breeze that softened the heat. They stood leaning over the balcony wall, looking out at their magnificent garden. Their mother took care of that herself, too. It occurred to Selina that if her mother was so paranoid about being left alone, perhaps she should hire a gardener. The place was overgrown, because despite their mother's best efforts, it was too much for her to handle on her own.

"You need to be honest with me." Selina turned to face her brother. She pulled out the card. "I received this from someone who visited me at school today. Who was he?"

Nathan nodded. "That was Jacob. He's my supervisor, of sorts."

"He is very…" Selina took a breath, but didn't finish the sentence. A bit of heat rushed to her cheeks.

Nathan chuckled. "Don't go getting any ideas. He's not interested in dating, as far as I know."

She frowned, but nodded to indicate that she understood. The boy - Jacob - confused her in that way. Ever since Selina was old enough to know what dating was, the people her age had flocked towards her. Nathan had the same situation when he was at high-school. Something in their genes, Selina supposed. But Jacob didn't seem to react to her like everyone else did - in fact, he seemed more like Selina and Nathan than the others. He turned heads, drew people towards him, just like they did, or maybe even more so.

"So Jacob said that you would explain everything?"

Nathan nodded. "You might want to take a step back."

She stepped back. "Why?"

"Okay. Don't freak out." He then proceeded to jump onto the balcony wall ledge.

"Nathan, what are you doing? You could fall, get down!" A fall from a second-story balcony probably wouldn't kill him, but it could seriously hurt him.

He turned around to face her, back to the rest of the world. He had a casual grin on his face as he shook his head. "Nah," he said simply, before letting himself fall back.

"NATHAN!" Selina screamed, lurching forward to grab him, but he had already fallen out of reach. She could only watch in horror as he plummeted down for a second, but before he hit the ground, something large and white burst from his back. Big, feathery wings spread out, spanning two metres either side of her brother. They softened his fall, and he landed on his feet, before he beat his wings twice and was lifted back into the air, landing gently on the balcony wall again.

He stood with his wings spread, blocking the light. Up close, Selina could see the details of the feathers. They were mostly white, but there were subtle flecks of gold that glimmered every now and then. The feathers rippled in the light breeze. All Selina wanted to do was brush a hand through them. She stepped forward and raised her hand, but Nathan flinched and drew his wings in behind him, before stepping off the wall and onto the balcony. "Don't," he said, and she lowered her hand. "It's not polite."

Then, the wings began to fold in on themselves, growing smaller and smaller until she couldn't see them at all. Nathan didn’t seem to register her shock, as he took off the remains of his shirt with a sad expression. "I really need to start wearing clothes that accommodate wings more often."

"Nathan." Selina stood there, unable to say more.

He gave her a half smile, looking almost guilty. "So, you're a half-angel. Surprise!"