I trudge along with the group through another stupid assignment. If what I write form this current excursion doesn't lead me to front page news then I am going to have to find another station to work at. I have spent too many years doing the grunt assignments. Another curse leaves my mouth as I trip over the root of a tree sticking out from the forest floor. It feels as if we have been walking for hours.
As I look around everything looks the same. The only things that lets me know that we have main any progress through the density of the trees is the winding trail behind me slowly disappearing. "How much longer until we make camp?" I ask as my breathing grows heavy from the journey once more. "It should be just around the next bend of trees dear" Bernard says. As he speaks he turns his head to let his eye drift over my form. I quickly look away from him not wanting his attention. For four years I have been working at the station. Countless times I have denied his ways of showing affection. After dealing with it for the first year and him not taking no for an answer, I finally tried a different approach. I pulled the oldest trick in the book by telling him that I was seeing someone. Yup, that's right, I lied. I have even gone as far as making up stories of the elaborate dates we've gone on and made my made up boyfriend, Lee, sound like an intimidating person. I have no idea what Bernard even sees in me. My skin is a warm coffee color, and it is without blemishes. My hair is long and coyly and no matter what I do it tends to fan around my face like a lions mane. My eyes however are my best future. Depending upon my mood they can go from a warm grey to a dark hazel if I'm mad. My body is okay. I'm definitely not drool worthy. My hips are too wide and my midsection kind of fluffy. Put that together with my height at 5'4 and you get the picture. I don't miss many meals and me and a gym will never be acquainted. I take a sigh of relief and lean against the boulder on the side of the campground where everyone seems to have stopped. As the group talks about who's tent will be placed where I take a look around the clearing. I can see obvious signs of where other have had campfires and I see the benches in the distance of where they must eat their meals. A tap on my shoulder breaks me from my discoveries and I meet the eyes of the only other girl in the group my best friend Julia. She quietly pulls me to the side. Her eyebrows are raised, and her lips are pressed together in a thin line. Crap, I must have missed something important. "You always have your head in the clouds. You missed discussing the sleeping arrangements and now our tent is next to his." She says berating me. "Next to who?" I ask thinking that I already know the answer. She stops a few feet away from everyone else and looks at me with her hands on her hips. "Really? How did you let that happen?" I ask her now mirroring her irritation. "When we all turned to look at you for your opinion, you stayed silent for objections to the arrangement. Everyone in the station know that these trips are used for people to hook up. He has had his eyes on you since we started" She warns me once more. "I know. I know." I say thinking. Everyone else in our group still stands talking as Bernard watches our exchange closely. Everyone has already become suspicious about my mysterious boyfriend who they have never met. Julia has always backed up my stories but since we went to college together and work at the same station it may not carry enough weight to be believable. Then an idea hits me. "Julia, you know you are my best friend right?" I say as I give her my best smile. "What are you looking at me like that for? What do you want?" she ask looking at me with scared curiosity. "Your ring." I say as I grab her hand in mine. "What? No.......it's my grandmothers ring. You know how much it means to me" She says the last part a bit too loud. "Shhhhhhh" I say leaning against her side. "It won't be forever love. I promise. I only need it while we are in the woods this week. If I have a ring then I am a promised woman and Bernard is bound to leave me alone. Please I will give you something in exchange. It will be an even exchange" I plead with her. She seems to think it over for a moment as she twirls one of her dreads around her index finger. It's always her move when she I strongly considering something. I start to get giddy inside know thing that there is something that she wants. "Come on, there has to be something" I say trying to goad her. She looks at me up and down as her evil grin spreads to her face. I pale knowing what she is going to ask for. "I get your Keurig for a month" She says with an award winning smile as I feel my face pale. "What? You know I am nothing without my coffee. How could you go for the thing I love most. You're supposed to be my best friend?" I whine. "You want to fake engagement so badly, you got to part with your baby then." She says as she blows a cool breath across her perfectly manicured fingers with a shrug. I told my arms across my chest knowing that she has me backed into a corner. I could always use some of my budget to buy coffee or stop at her house on the way of work to get some. "Fine but you have to follow my cleaning instructions and you are buying your own pods" She claps her hands in glee as she gently pulls the ring off her finger and hands it to me as she shakes my hand. Her hand clasp mine tightly as she leans closer. "Just remember that that baby is mines for a month and not to be used as an excuse to show up to my house every morning" she says still holding on to my hand. With a long sigh for how much this is going to cost me I shake her hand in agreement and quickly slide the ring onto the proper finger. We step away from leaning against each other and turn back toward our group with large smiles on our faces. We walk over to our group and fall in to step behind Bernard as he chooses the plot where his tent will go. "You ladies will be right there" He says gesturing to the plot just to the right of his. I look from where we are and realize that these are the two tents furthest away from the others due to a set of trees growing. Julia and I exchange a look as we both drop our packs and begin our set up. A long while later when we are done setting up the tent and placing our belongings inside of it. I step out to find that the sun has nearly gone down and some of our crew has already built a fire. Julia steps out of the tent behind me and sighs as she wipes sweat from her brow. "Food, I'm totally starving right now." She gushes. My stomach rumbles loudly agreeing with her statement as we make our way to the fire. I do have a few snacks that I brought along but the smell of the hotdogs sound way better than my granola bars. Besides, we still don't know what the assignment is about. We both grab sticks that someone has taken the liberty to pile and grab a few hot dogs to roast too. After the three hot dogs I roasted are done I look around for the buns that I saw earlier. I spy them across the fire next to Bernard. When he catches my gaze he pats the seat next to him calling me over. I shake my head and gently nudge Julia. Her head snaps up and she looks at me quizzically and I clear my throat. "Did you still want the buns?" I ask her. She raises an eyebrow in question, and I cock my head toward Bernard in answer. She looks in his direction and I can see the moment she understands my meaning. "I thought we were doing a low card diet" she says with extra honey in her voice. At that statement it's my turn to frown. Why in the heck would I cut out my carbs. Then in my epiphany moment I catch on and reply with a smirk. "Right, I do have to fit into my dress after all" I say with a chuckle. I look at the buns longingly once more and take a bite of my first hot dog. "Dress. What kind of dress?" Bernard ask as he sits higher on his log. His gaze sweeps back and forth rapidly as he waits for one of us to answer. "Her wedding dress of course"" Julia answers as she holds out her hands for the buns. "Your marrying the guy!?" He ask incredulously as his face turns red. Trying not to chuckle at his reaction I nod my head. I hold my hand out in front of me and wiggle my fingers showing off Julia's ring. His face pales at the sight and he rises from the log. He drops the buns into Julia's lap and continues walking off into the trees. "I need some air" He shouts as he retreats. I look at Julia to see she is barely containing her laughter. The other four people in our group watch his retreating figure as it disappears into the trees with frowns on their faces. I sigh with relief gladly at the thought that I will finally be done with him hitting on me. He was really starting to give me the creeps with how much he stared when he thought I wasn't looking. "Well, before we all retire for bed I think it is time that you learn what your assignment here is." Anthony out team lead begins. He rises to stand and dust his hands on his cargo shorts. "We have received many reports from this area of coming into contact with strange creatures. Some call them supernatural's but others refer to them as people with interspecies DNA. You job will be to gather information and see if you can get an interview to back up your claims. Any questions?" He ask with a yawn. "Wait, are you talking about the dragons?" I ask. As the question leaves my lips several people snap their head in my direction. "Yes, they are among some of the species here. Have you seen them before" he ask as if he is extremely interested in my answer. I squirm in my seat as I get uncomfortable under everyone's gaze. I receive a brief flash of the monster I saw in my childhood nightmares and shake the image away before I answer. "Yes I have. I saw one when I was a little girl. Why would we need information about them?" I question him as I barely hide the note of fear in my voice. "No one has reported much on them since the year of their birth. To get an interview with one as an adult would be headline news. Now that we have reports of other species as well, we want to be the first to get in front of it. This is the only place on the globe with reports of sightings for all the species." He says in fact. Stunned by his answer I begin to have many questions swirling in my mind as conversations continue. What other species could he mean? Is it possible that the boy I friended so long ago is one of the dragons here? Why is everyone interested in this now? As my mind races goosebumps spread across my skin. This is dangerous. They have no idea what these beasts are capable of. They haven't seen what I have seen. As my heart races I look around the forest into the trees in a panic. Could they be watching us now? I sigh in relief when my gaze doesn't see anything. I tune back into the conversation. "We can talk more about this in the morning. Just know that you are safe, and we have been assured that they are peaceful creatures" he says with a wave as he heads to his tent. Everyone in our little group watches his retreating figure as if they truly can't believe what they have just heard. I can feel the tension in the air as I look at the fear on the face of my colleagues. If only they knew true fear. They have never seen one of these monsters standing only a few feet away. They haven't even truly see what one is capable of. I shake out of my fear from the past and rise from my seat on the log. As I approach my tent I am stopped by a hand on my arm that cause me to release a yelp as my hand flies to my rapidly beating heart. As my gaze meets Bernard's I quickly snatch my hand arm away from his embrace. "What?" I question him in my anger. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you. I was just wondering if you had a moment to talk" he says looking around. I take a step away from him as my eye search to find Julia. I meet her gaze as she peers over from the group and give her a subtle nod. I look back at him and see that he now looks at my body. Seeing as I caught him he quickly brings his gaze back to mine and smirks. "Just say what you need to say Bernard" I huff wanting to retire for the night. "I just want to make sure that you are making the right decision. I mean you are marrying someone that you barely even know. Is this guy even good enough for you? This Liam fellow?" he says with a clenched jaw. I feel my anger rising under his gaze. I lift my chin in the air and take a deep breath before I speak. Afterall I must still remember that he is my superior. "LEE is good enough for me. He is all that I deserve and more. I have known him for long enough for us to take the next step in our relationship. You have no right to question what I do in my personal life." I spit. He raises his hands as if to ward off my anger. "I wasn't trying to tell you what to do in your time Em. I care about you, you know this." He says taking a step closer. "I was just shocked that you suddenly announced this. You don't even know what your other options are. Don't you want to find out?" He ask as he licks his lips. I make no move to hide the disgust on my face at his blatant invitation. Hurriedly stepping back from him my back leans against one of the lines on the tent and I panic at the thought that he has me cornered. When I meet his gaze I realize that he has followed my retreat. My breath quickens and I rush to try to step away from the tent. "Is everything all right over here?" Julia says a bit too loudly. With a sigh of relief I step around him to go to her side. I glare at him as I answer her. "Everything is fine. Bernard was just retiring for the night." I say with final conviction. He pursues his lips as he frowns not liking my answer. "Very well then. Goodnight Em. Julia" he says. He gives me a lingering gaze and then goes into his tent. When he is gone from sight and I see he zipped his tent, I finally relax and loosen my stance. "You need to be more careful. I can't always be here to save you" Julia says to me in warning. "I know. I won't let it happen again" I say as I grab her hand in thanks. "I think we should retire for the night too. That long hike here has made me more tired than I thought." She says as she releases a large yawn. "I'll meet you in the tent. Just give me a few moments and I will be right behind you" I say as I push her toward the tent. I do a little potty dance letting her know the reason why we will be separating as she throws a cautious glance toward Bernard's tent. "I can wait a few more minutes. Just let me grab the bag." She says rushing into the tent. When she comes out with the bag, I snatch it and run into the nearest part of the forest. "Just stay right outside the trees, I promise not to go far." I shout as I walk. I walk the few feet into the tree line. I can hear as she starts to sing a song in the distance. I chuckle at the rule we came up with on our first trip into the wilderness. We learned that singing is an effective way to drown out the sound of someone doing their business which is already embarrassing when you are used to indoor plumbing. I use the bathroom in a rush. As I am replacing the supplies, I grab the bottle of hand sanitizer and quickly put some on my hands. As I rise from my crouched position I hear something behind me snap. My head swings so fast in the direction as I hurriedly pick up the bag that my eyes have trouble focusing. I scan the line of the trees as I slowly retreat back to where I entered into the forest. I squint my eyes when I thought I saw movement off to the left. Unconsciously my feet pause. When I blink once more there is nothing there. I look in the direction of Julia singing, and I can just make out her figure. I turn my gaze once more to the forest and I freeze in fear. In the spot that I saw movement before I can see a pair of eyes. The irises are so dark that they blend in with their surroundings. The whites of the eyes are the only thing that are visible as I watch them blink. They slant to the side as I look at them and my body trembles in fear. Suddenly they start come closer, and I scream as the world around me goes black.After that meeting this morning I should have known that this day just wouldn't be easy. My job usually never is. At times like this it almost makes me happy that I don't have Xander's job. If I had to deal with all the species on a daily basis and their so called disputes, I would have left a long time ago. For once I thought I might have been able to walk the perimeter of all five clans and then return to my cabin to be alone. Just as I was leaving the last sector I was stopped by a whistle. I whip my head towards the water to glare at the thing that decided to call me like I'm some common household pet. For a second I consider flashing behind the asshole and strangling him. However, last time we got into an altercation I didn't like what the fishy fucker was able to reveal about me. He rises out of the water with a knowing smirk on his face. I watch as his fins slowly dry to reveal a pair of legs matching the rest of his shiny skin. I fold my arms against my chest and take up m
It is comfortable here. I stretch my toes in my shoes and find that I am happy with the new sleeping bag I purchased for this trip. Wait why would I fall asleep in my shoes? As I have the thought I am suddenly jolted on the platform in which I lay, and I feel myself bounce. When my eyes shoot open I find that an exceptionally large figure is looming over me. in my frightened state I scream as loud as I can and begin to hit the figure so that I can rise from what I have now seen is a couch. As I swing and fight for my life I notice that I am not in my tent but instead am in some sort of cabin. I quickly push the figure when I spot the door and try to make a run for it. Suddenly, what I now see is a giant man appears right in front of the door. I look back at the couch and then look at the door in shock. How the hell did he get here so fast. "Just let me go. I will fight you if I have to" I say with a false bravado that I don't feel. I clench my hands into fist as they rest again
For once my endless nights of darkness don't come. Sleep seems to have alluded me. The scent, her alluring scent of warm honey is choking me. Trying to rid my nostrils of her smell I take the chance of breathing through my mouth. I groan allowed at the taste of her on my tongue. If I weren't peering up at the ceiling of my own cabin I would have sworn that she and all her curves were right here in front of me. Just go to her. Your tossing and turning is making me batshit. I turn over once more trying to ignore the voice in my head. After ignoring it for years the constant prescience of it grates on my nerves. For a moment I contemplate putting up a shield once more in my mind. Suddenly my body flares with heat and my skin pricks as if a thousand needles have hit it at once. I gasp trying to get a grasp on to some kind of control. The pain is like nothing I have ever felt. It borders on a line that I'm not quite sure I want to cross. A long groan leaves my mouth as the
Shit. A dragon. You have got to be kidding me. I knew believing what he said was too good to be true. I should have just taken my chances and made the journey back to camp last night. I slowly take a step away as my body prepares to run to get away from the monster in front of me. "Why are you afraid"? he questions me. I snort because the reason has to be obvious. I take another step backward toward the front door. When he steps forward with his hand held out my heart starts to race in pure panic. "Just stay right there. I don't want any trouble from you. Just let me go and I will pretend like we never met" I say trying to remain calm in the face of a monster. "I thought we had a deal. What about me being a dragon frightens you? I have done nothing wrong." He says as he remains in the kitchen. "Maybe you haven't. Who know? But I know that your kind eats my kind. I would like my head to remain very much in tacked thank you very much" I grit out as I continue backing toward the
I pause as I exit my cabin. I make to take a step but instead of doing so I find that it's hard getting my feet to move. I look at the door, wanting to go back but know that I am supposed to be leaving. I close my eyes and shake my head. This already too complicated for me. Us. We are in this together. With I chuckle I enter the ether and head to Xander's office. First things first, I need him to approve my leave. If I can't spend time with her then doing the other things on my list don't matter. "You better be ready to put on a show. Make it believable. But don't go overboard" I warn him as Xander comes into view. To convince him I will have to come forward. We must convince hits beast too. Shit. I forgot about this part. I watch as Xander's back stiffens in his chair, and I know that I am out of time. "You better give me back control when it is time. I won't be pushed aside easily" I commend him. However, before I even finish my statement he jumps to the foref
I'm breathing so hard I can hardly think. It almost feels as if I am burning alive as he surrounds me. In pure panic I start to thrash as memories of someone holding me completely still flash through my mind. If I don't fight this time I know I am going to die. There is no friend to protect me this time. I got myself into another situation with one of these monsters, and now I need to get myself out.His arm moves to trap my hands so that I no longer have movement of my elbows. I hear him telling me to stop but I just know that I cant. I can't go through this again. I don't want to be the reason someone else dies. So I beg him to let me go as I feel the tears start to leak from my eyes.I just want to go home. I want to see Julia again. I want to see my mom again. I want to get married and someday have babies. I can't die here in this place where no one knows where I am. This is a mistake. I never should have come here. As he traps my legs my energy wanes. I know that I am losing thi
The trip to the cafeteria has done nothing to clear my head. More than anything I want to find a way to stop her from leaving me. I find this odd feeling in my chest is so hard to comprehend. I have haven't felt this way since Magma showed up at the clan. There I was at the age of fifteen. I was invincible and I knew that there was no way that anyone could beat me. I knew the other dragons wouldn't be able to compete with someone they couldn't see. The humans that they placed here with us had no idea how to handle us. We could always scent there fear. For weeks this place completely reeked of the scent. All of us were uprooted from our lives. Even those who had no life to speak up. All of us were alone with no family. There was no one to lead us. We were just a bunch of kids who could never find a place for us in this world. I think at the point we arrived; the government finally got tired of all of us just roaming around pretending to be normal.So, figuratively they cut our wings
I would never hurt her.I scream at my human wanting him to realize his stupidity. He may not like the measures that I take but in the end he will understand. She is mine. Since he could not get her to stay I will. Seeing that the dummy is finally quiet I exhale in relief. When my breath inhales twice in its rhythm I freeze at the scent of fear in the air."I won't cause you harm mate. I just wish to speak with you." I say to her as I watch her frozen against the counter. She jerks back at the sight of my reptilian eyes and blinks slowly. Feeling his hunger I pick up the fork awkwardly and start to eat my food. After missing my mouth twice I give up on the stupid utensils and start to eat with my hands.At her chuckle, my head flies up and I tilt my head looking at her quizzically. What does mate find funny? Needing to know I decide to ask her. "What? Is there something on my face?" I ask as I bring my hands up to check. At my actions she only seems to laugh harder. Feeling a bit sel