Fire Born Dragon (Rule 9 Academy Book 1) Read online

  “So, how long are we staying here, and where is here anyway?” I changed the subject.

  Thomas continued. “Dawn, it’ll be safe then and I’ll walk you both back.” Then he spread his hands to take in their surroundings.

  “And this is my home. Dad, me and five other irritating sisters and brothers. And the livestock, of course; can’t forget them. Whatever is out there has been preying on our cattle and horses.

  Sirris piped in. “I live in town. On Rosewood street with my, dad, Jerry Waverly.”

  I nodded and settled back to wait, exhaustion catching up with me. Daybreak couldn’t come too soon.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Someone was knocking on the front door. I pulled the pillow over my head to block out the sound, waiting for mom to get it. I opened one bleary eye to catch the time. The clock read 8:56 in the morning and I groaned. Mom wasn’t home. She had another interview and had already gone. I sat up and heaved the pillow across the room in bad temper, hissing as my warm toes contacted the icy hardwood floor. The knock came again.

  “All right already. I’m coming!” I shouted, pulling on a pair of shorts from the floor and pairing it with the first t-shirt I pulled from my drawer. Hello Kitty and hello world did not fit my mood.

  I trudged down the hall, yanking my hair out of the twisted hair tie, holding it in place and fluffing the snarled strands with my fingers.

  I yanked the door open and blinked.

  Sirris stood on my doorstep smiling. She’d pulled her silvery hair back in a neat ponytail and her aqua eyes shone bright and—awake, dammit. I glanced at the clock on the mantle to confirm I hadn’t lost my mind. Nope, just past 9:00, and I’d been asleep for less than three hours since Thomas had walked us into town and I’d fallen into bed.

  “I’m positive we said 12:00. As in noon. We argued about it, remember? I wanted no sooner than 2:00?” I left her standing in the doorway to follow or go; not sure I cared which as I moved towards the kitchen. Coffee. Please God, let there be some.

  I sighed at the half full pot and that little red light that said the auto shut hadn’t activated yet and it was still hot. I hauled a cup down and filled it up, adding a solid shot of hazelnut creamer from the fridge. The first sip made my toes curl. I might live.

  Sirris had followed and plopped her butt on a barstool at the counter. I waved my cup in her direction in question.

  “Nope. Got my own.” She chirped, pulling a bottle of OJ from her hoodie pocket and waving it back.

  I stared at her cheerful self and wanted nothing more than to climb back in bed. I rubbed my eyes to clear the sand.

  “Again, you’re early. Why?” I asked, knowing I was being rude, but well damn.

  Sirris nodded, smile faltering. I felt like I’d kicked a puppy.

  “I’m sorry. I want to hike up the mountain on Hollowtop Lake Trail. I hope to make it to Deep Lake. It’s quite a trip, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with. It’s a fair jaunt if we plan to make it there and back before dark. We can dip our feet in the water if you can take the cold.” She grinned, cheeky.

  “How cold?” I asked, intrigued despite the hour as the coffee invigorated my veins and I woke up.

  She just smiled. “Just say yes. I’d love the company? It’s a hike, I won’t lie. About six miles straight up. We gotta drive to the trail-head.”

  I straightened away from the counter and refilled my cup, stretching a kink out of my back as I did. I was sore in places I didn’t want to think about. Still, the thought of the unknown and adventure got me every time.

  “I don’t have a car.”

  Sirris waved a set of keys. Her eyes had landed on a paper towel by the coffee maker, several left over slices of bacon mom had left me. I grabbed two and nodded to Sirris—already reaching for a slice.

  I took a huge swallow of coffee and sat my cup by the sink, looking at it in regret. “Give me ten to get dressed and pack up.”

  IT TOOK ME FIFTEEN. I packed extra socks, several water bottles, and at least a half dozen protein bars. In the kitchen I slapped a quick sandwich together. It paid to be prepared. I thought about grabbing the bow, but I changed my mind and settled for my bowie knife, strapping it to my waist. I’d miss the bow, but a six-mile hike uphill seemed a long way to haul it.

  The last thing I grabbed as we shut the door behind us was my cell phone. I wanted to keep track of the time.

  THE TRAIL-HEAD ENDED up being a quick drive from where we lived, and we pulled into it within fifteen minutes. I noticed the sign for Pony, Montana, another town I’d never been to. Sirris unloaded her own pack, similar to mine, from the back. She had a knife as well, and the staff she used as a walking stick. We hit the trail and passed other hikers, taking their time to admire the view. We had too far to go to dawdle.

  An hour later we both shed our hoodies, already sweating. We walked through stands of spruce and quaking aspen and past open meadows brimming with wildflowers in blues and reds and yellows. I couldn’t name them all, but I recognized more Indian paintbrush, yellow Arnica, and groundsel. The trail was rocky, and we took care to watch our step. We saw fewer hikers as we climbed, only occasionally passing other die-hards like us. Many seemed intent on reaching Hollowtop Lake. Deep Lake was located further yet beyond it.

  We reached Hollowtop at noon, breaking to admire the shallow clear lake shore, littered with boulders and rocks. I admired the glass like surface clear to the other side, the tree lined shore reflecting off the lake surface in inky silhouette. At the moment we had the lake to ourselves, wandering along the shore until we found a recessed hollow of mammoth sized boulders, forming around a decent inlet to the lake. I stopped beside a cluster of flattened rocks and sat my pack down, snatching my water bottle free and draining half. I yanked out the one-piece suit I’d packed and looked up at Sirris and froze. I’m certain my mouth was catching flies.

  Sirris had folded her clothes in a pile beside her on the large flat rock she stood on, poised over the bay’s frigid waters. But she had forgotten the suit. She stood naked without conscience, staring down into the blue water with something akin to hunger on her beautiful face. Then she was up and in the air, diving in a perfect arc to split the surface, disappearing beneath its crystalline surface. I waited for her to come up.

  I was just starting to worry when she surfaced some fifty yards from shore. Drops of water spun off her hair as she turned, laughing, and looked at me.

  My eyes narrowed. No one was going to say some slip of a girl that barely reached my shoulders had outdone me. I shoved the suit back in and yanked my clothes off. With a hasty glance around me, I ran across the strip of smooth round stones, and climbed the same rock Sirris had. Before I could talk any sense into my head, I dove in.

  I was not near as graceful, hitting the water with a loud smack that sent a flock of nearby geese into squawking flight.

  I came up gasping and shrieking loud enough to wake the dead.

  “Shitfire, this is COLD!” I yelled, my arms wrapping around my shivering body as I treaded water and tried to push down the goosebumps.

  Sirris nodded, looking relaxed. “Yup, spring fed. It’s lovely.” She looked at my blue lips and frowned. “I forget that humans are more sensitive to the cold than we are.”

  The cold had to be affecting my brain. And the water in my ears.

  “What?” I asked.

  Sirris shrugged and looked away. “Never mind. You get used to it if you stay in long enough.”

  “If I stay in long enough, I’ll just be dead.” I muttered, shivering.

  She was right. At least my teeth stopped chattering after a bit; but I was still cold. We swam in a shallow pool only ten feet deep, and I had to admit it was a beautiful spot. Still, I managed a bare ten minutes before I headed for shore. I sat in the sun on the large flat rock watching Sirris swim as I air dried before dressing. It amazed me how long she could stay down.

  Detritus and silt stirred up from the bottom clouded where she swam. Seve
ral times I thought I saw a flash of silver following her. Fish, I figured, though I tried to remember what fish had scales that iridescent rainbow color? I opened my bag and pulled out my sandwich as she pulled herself up out of the water and flopped over on her back beside me. I scooted sideways to avoid the water that pooled around her as she sunned herself dry. She didn’t seem self-conscious about her nudity at all. I offered her a granola bar, but she shook her head and wrinkled her nose. Instead, she dug around in her own pack, pulling a foil wrapped pouch free. The musky scent of smoked fish made my nose wrinkle. Sirris opened the foil and reached in to snag an enormous piece of whitefish, shoving the entire piece in her mouth, licking her fingers clean and chewing with open-mouthed pleasure.

  I stared at my new friend until I caught her eye. Hers widened, and she slowed down, picking at what was left. I laughed; I couldn’t help it.

  “Don’t slow down on my account.” I waved my granola bar in her direction and took a large bite. “Bon Apetit!” I mumbled. Sirris giggled and finished her fish.

  We finished and packed up, finding and continuing along the trail to the other side of Hollowtop Lake and beyond towards Deep Lake. Along the way, I wondered why we swam in Hollowtop if we were going to Deep Lake. Then we reached its forbidding shoreline, and I stopped wondering.

  If Hollow Lake was lovely, Deep Lake surpassed it for sheer wild beauty. The shoreline rose on all sides, the thin sliver of rock lined beach almost nonexistent. From where we stood, you could see clear to the bottom in some spots. others areas appeared far deeper. I watched Sirris face, a pensive expression skittering across it before she turned away. We’d only been there a matter of minutes before we headed back. I glanced at my phone. No signal, as I’d figured, but the time said quarter past 3:00. It was time to go.

  “What were those things last night? I mean, what; part bear, part man, part what the heck. If you tell me I saw Sasquatch, we’re done being friends.”

  Sirris glanced back at me, looking nervous for the first time since I’d met her. “No, not Big Foot. Something, though.” She took a drink of her water and capped the bottle with unnecessary force.

  “Sadie, do you believe in werewolves?”

  What kind of question is that? “That would be a no. I believe in what’s real and what I see with my own two eyes.” A frisson of unease moved along my spine. Where had the sun gone?

  Sirris nodded. “Yup, what I can see. Agreed.” She hopped over a fallen log and lifted a low branch out of the way.

  “I wish I had a better answer for you, but Thomas and I aren’t sure what they are ourselves. What we do know is that they’re dangerous to hikers and campers to the park. They’ve been getting bolder. Could be they are Sasquatch.” She added, shrugging.

  “I made that up. They don’t exist either.” I watched her shoulders tense.

  “Well then, sure. We’re just hunting a new breed of bear that walks like a man and holds conversation in a foreign language. Oh, and that bleeds tar for blood.”

  I couldn’t miss the disdain in her voice. It shocked me into silence. We hiked another couple hundred yards before she spoke again.

  “Sadie, I’ve lived here a long time and you haven’t. I’m not saying you’re wrong. Just... keep an open mind and make up your own when you see one in the light of day for the first time. You can call them whatever you want to then, okay?”

  I didn’t know what to say. She sounded so earnest. “Sure, Sirris. I can do that.”

  WE SETTLED BACK IN the seat of Sirris’ father’s car with groans of relief.

  Sirris glanced my way as she started the car. “Any blisters?”

  “Left toe; outside. I’m blessed if that’s all.” We headed out, our bags stowed and thankful for something to rest our bums on besides a rock.

  “Mind if we swing by my place on the way back to yours? I’m heading to Thomas’ place after and I have to grab a fresh change of clothes. Oh, and the cookies. I promised some for Thomas’ dad for after dinner.”

  “Sure, do you go there a lot? I mean, are you and he like a thing or something?” I watched her cheeks blush pink.

  “No. Been friends since we were kids. I love it out there; the horses and cattle; and Thomas. I can talk to him about anything. Thomas doesn’t have a lot of friends in school. Most don’t see beyond the chubby exterior and the awkward manners. I see something more.”

  No, I didn’t have a friend like that. I wondered if I had just found one.

  SIRRIS’ HOUSE WASN’T large from the outside. A little boxy, red-brick, two-story house that sat about halfway down a side-street about four streets over from mine. I made out a small fenced-in yard in the back with a rusted swing set and a small tool shed. She parked on the maple lined street out front and insisted I come in to meet her father and see her room. I think she just wanted the chance to take a quick shower.

  I didn’t want to sit in the car alone for that long anyway, and I followed her up the sidewalk.

  The inside of Sirris’ house was well-lived in. My way of saying messy but comfortable. I had figured out that Sirris’ mom wasn’t in the picture; it was just her and her dad. I saw the signs of a bachelor household. I could see Sirris imprint there too in the number of watercolors decorating the walls; all of them landscapes featuring water of some sort.

  I couldn’t see anyone else when we entered. Sirris didn’t seem surprised as she dropped her bag on the table, next to several piles of half-folded clothes and a cereal bowl from that mornings breakfast. She grabbed the bowl with an eye-roll and tossed it with a clatter into the sink with several others waiting to be washed.

  She looked in my direction with a wry smile and reached for what I guessed to be the basement door. She opened a panel in the wall beside the stairs and hit an odd combination of buttons and spoke into an intercom.

  “Dad! Dad, you down there? Someone up here I’d like you to meet.” Jerry Waverly answered shortly.

  “Now? I’m kinda busy...”

  “You’re always busy. Get up here and be social for once.” A slight pause and a clatter of something metallic.

  “Okay, on my way up.”

  I didn’t know what I expected, but the man who came out of the Waverly basement wasn’t it.

  Tall. Jerry Waverly had to top out at around 6’6”. He stooped to clear the basement door. He looked at me with an affable if preoccupied smile, squinting through the half-inch coke-bottle glasses perched on his thin nose. His clothes-sense was terrifying. And were those bunny slippers on his feet? One of them had a missing ear.

  He seemed to struggle to focus until he remembered and reached up to remove the glasses, rubbing the red mark on the bridge of his nose.

  Before I knew what to think, he reached out and snagged my hand, pumping it up and down.

  “Nice to meet you?” He looked at his daughter, who jumped in.

  “Dad, this is Sadie Cross. She’s new in town. We hiked up to the lake this morning.

  Something private passed between father and daughter. He turned back to me.

  “Sadie, it’s nice to meet you. I hope we can count on you to come to dinner some night with us?”

  I saw what I had missed. Sharp intelligence glittered in the light brown eyes that assessed me. This man was more than a sum of the parts he presented.

  He turned to his daughter and pulled her into a hug, pulling a small branch from the back of her hair like it happened all the time and tossing it in the trash. His eyes slid to the basement door. Sirris laughed.

  “You are awful. Niceties are over; you’re excused.”

  “Sorry. I’m right in the middle—”

  Sirris interrupted him. “When aren’t you? It’s alright. I’m just stopping by to change, anyway. I’m heading out to Thomas’ house.”

  His eyes sharpened. “Stay the night if it gets too late.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I will; I promise. Love you Dad.” His gaze softened on his daughter. “I’ll be busy most of the night down there. I need
to get back before the Weis escape their cages again. Mean little buggers before they’ve eaten.”

  Jerry nodded once more in my direction and then the basement door closed behind him. I turned to Sirris, the question already forming as my mouth opened. She beat me to it.

  “He’s German; sometimes he uses German terms.” I knew the moment she said it she had lied. The trickle of alarm that tickled between my shoulder blades told me. I’d always had an uncanny bullshit detector.

  Her next words distracted me from my thoughts.

  “My dad is the quintessential mad scientist; always tinkering with this or that in that basement lab of his. I keep waiting to find Aunt Ethel in the freezer.”

  “Aunt Ethel?” I asked, horrified.

  “Joking! Just joking. Come on.”

  I laughed back as I followed her up the stairs. “So, that’s it. He tinkers in the basement. What does your dad do for a living, really?”

  At once Sirris froze, looking back over her shoulder to hit me with as serious a look as she’d ever given me.

  “He tinkers. Only... what he messes around with? Well, sometimes it bites back.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Summer break in the middle of August before school started was a busy time for the only ice-cream parlor in town. Popular with the teen crowd; it was one of only two places to gather in Breathless. The other was the movie theater. Everyone who was anyone had seen both of the two movies showing at any one time.

  So, to Sirris at least, having a hard time finding a seat was no surprise. I hung back. She was familiar with the crowd—I wasn’t.

  Chaos reigned as groups mingled; or didn’t. Booths filled to over-flowing. Most of them had multiple chairs gathered in a semicircle around them to round out the larger groups. The volume came in at a shade below a scream as glass bowls clanked and spoons moved substantial quantities of ice-cream in 32 unique flavors—as boasted on the marquee out front.