Dragons in our Midst

Aurora shook hands with him, then looked ahead. "Oh, there's my house." She smiled and waved at Eric. "Well, it was great meeting you. I guess I'll see you later. Bye!" She walked to her door.

Eric waved good bye and walked home. He opened the door and narrowly missed some tossed beer bottles from his father. He dodged his mother and ran straight for the attic.

Aurora walked through the door and saw her father sitting on the couch, reading a book. Upside down.

"Dad, I don't think that book helps with hiding."

Her father, Derek, chuckled and sat up, looking at her with dark brown eyes. "Maybe I like to challenge myself. You know I already love to read."

Aurora chuckled also and said "Eric, they guy who I was talking to, is cool. So no worries. And besides, we've just met. Nothing's gonna happen."

"Doesn't hurt to be wary." He nodded at the soccer ball. "How did the game go?"

"Went great! Lots of fun! I need a shower though, so that's where I'm headed." She kissed her father on the cheek and went upstairs.

----

As soon as she was upstairs Derek felt his cheek that was recently pecked by her lips. It felt very warm. Too warm, even after a game. He sighed to himself. I guess it won't be long now.

Draco knocked on the door of an old friend's... aquaintence and sighed.


((He's knocking on Derek's door))

The shower had stopped. Aurora was out of the shower. Derek heard someone knocked on the door and answered it. "Yes? May I help you?"

Draco smiled politely and extended his hand, saying "hello, my name is Draco Carmine. Are you Mr. Robin? Is so I must speak with you... privately"

"Dad, who is it?"

Derek turned around to notice his daughter standing at the top of the stairs, changed and a towel around her neck. "Just stay in your room. Mr. Carmine wants to talk with me alone."

Aurora shrugged. "Alright." She went to her room. As soon as she closed the door she pressed her ear against it. She was too curious for her own good.

Derek looked at Mr. Carmine. "Have a seat in the living room."

Draco nodded and thanked him. He took a seat and said "I'm sorry to inform you... but the slayers have begun the hunt," he looked Mr. Robin in the eye and continued "I am going against orders telling you this... but, in interest of any fairness to this situation, I felt I must tell you this. Once I leave this house I shall be your enemy, but I want you to know that I shall never attack you in your home, or any other place your kind holds sacred. I can't say anything on behalf of my compatriots. Again, I truly am sorry"

Derek started at this man. The slayers. He thought that they were gone a few centuries back, or at least not anywhere near here.

He cleared his throat and made sure his voice was low. Knowing Aurora, she would want to know what's happening. "Well... I don't know what to say. You're definitely the... fairest slayer I have ever met. And I... thank you?" It felt a bit weird to say that, since this man was a slayer.

Draco looked away and said "please don't thank me. I-it doesn't feel right" He got up and said "I must go before the others get suspicious. Please take this time to prepare. I hate fighting an unprepared opponent"

Derek nodded and opened the door for him. "I will be keeping an eye out."

Aurora pressed her ear harder on the door. She could barely hear them. What the heck were they saying? She couldn't even open the door a crack, knowing her father would here it. He always had good hearing.

She was now bored. She grabbed a mirror and blew on it. She didn't do it in the bathroom because of hearing that someone was at the door.

The mirror didn't fog up. Again. A whole week now her breath has been bad. She noticed it getting warmer a few weeks back. She couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe she should tell her father now.

Draco smiled sadly as he left.

Derek ran to the door and grabbed Draco, turning him around. Keeping his voice low he said "Wait... do you know if any other slayers know where I am?"

Draco frowned and replied "yes... but they won't make a move until they are well prepared, so that should give you a few days"

Derek let go of Draco and let him walk away. [i] Like I'm going to wait a few days for them to attack. I need to get me and Aurora out of here, and tell her why...[i] Since he probably had a few days, so Draco said, it should be enough time to tell her and hope she understands.

He felt his cheek again. [i] At least now I have something that she can't deny. ...I think...[i]

Eric sighed as he listened to his parents fight downstairs. He rolled his left shoulder and winced, saying "it feels like my bones are breaking apart..."

Aurora heard her father walk up the stairs and went to his room. She decided to just leave him alone right now. Besides, she was blowing lightly on the ends on her hair to dry them. She needed to wait a few more minutes until she left, making it seem her hair dried naturally. She didn't have a hairdryer.

A knock came on Aurora's door. She opened it to find her father standing there. "Aurora. I need to talk to you about something."

Curious, she let him in and they both sat on the bed. "Um... so what is it you need to talk about?"

Her father looked at her, then in front of himself, then back at her. "Aurora," he began, looking at her with his strong brown eyes. "Have you noticed your breath feeling warm?" he asked calmly. "Warmer than usual."

Shoot! It must have been when I kissed him on the cheek! Oooh I wasn't thinking... Well, I had to tell him sooner or later. She nodded. "Yea, really warm. it's been like this for weeks now, just getting warmer and warmer by the week."

"Do you have any idea what might be causing this?"

"Um... I was guessing some kind of germ. I didn't want to tell you because I thought it would go away."

"Well, I do know what it is."

"You do?"

"Yes," He looked away from her, looking like he was collecting his thoughts, sighed, and looked back at her. Without blinking or any hesitation he said "It's because your sort of a dragon."

Aurora blinked a few times, then started to laugh. "Oh wow, nice to know I'm a dragon. Thanks for the cheer up before the real news." When she looked at her father though, he had a serious face, no sense of humor in his eyes. "Dad? You are kidding, right?"

He shook his head. "No, and your sort of a dragon because... I'm a dragon. A dragon turned human."

This time she caught on to his seriousness. So serious she couldn't laugh. He wasn't trying to make a joke. "But... how?"

Derek laid a hand on her thigh and held her gaze. "I will tell you more later. Right now I'm going to let this sink through before I explain more." He got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Aurora just stared ahead. She wasn't sure what to think. Her father... a dragon?

((Sorry for the huge post XD had a lot to say. and do you want to do a school day where Aurora and Eric talk? (though Aurora won't tell him about the dragon thing XD)))

((Okay, we'll have 'em talk. Do you want to have her meet his father again? XD))

Eric sighed as he read the note stuck to the fridge:

Gone for weekend.
Mom'll be back.
Paws of my booze

He grabbed a powerbar and gathered his things. When he got to school, however, his shoulders started to hurt more than ever.

((Heck yes. That was funny XD))

Aurora went to school, but wasn't like herself. She didn't go to her friends like the usual mornings she had. Nothing was usual right now.

Being told that her father was a dragon shook her, especially since he wasn't joking. He was way to serious for it to be a joke. But how is it possible? Her father didn't get the chance to tell her more yesterday when he was called in for work. He was out too late for her to stay up and fell asleep, even though she really wanted to know more.

What frustrated her more was that, however possible this is, he didn't tell her before! ALl those stories about dragons that he had told her all these years were true. That would've been easier. But no, he waited for so long. Too long in her opinion.

She was actually a bit angry at him. She was rarely angry at her father, but right now he was frustraiting.

Not looking where she was going, she bumped into someone. "Oh... sorry."

Eric flinched when he felt someone walk headlong into his shoulder blade. He turned to see Aurora, annoyed by the looks of things, so he decided to ask "what's wrong?"

Aurora looked up to notice she had bumped into Eric. She shook her head. "Oh... nothing. Nothing really."

((Do you remember in the old rp how my character found a drawing in Eric's sketchbook? You want to do that again? Just to make Aurora more annoyed? XD))

((XD Okay, but how do we explain how we did it? Can he have rare moments of 'past-sight'?))

Eric looked puzzled, then realized he dropped his sketchbook!

((Sure, and maybe for this one we don't count it as a dragonic power? I'm just asking cause I know you have many ideas for your character's powers. What do you think?))

As Eric walked away Aurora noticed a book at her feet. She picked it up. Hmm... a sketchbook? Wait! This is his!... Well, his drawings are cool, so I'll take a quick peek. Maybe it'll help calm myself down a bit.

She walked to an empty classroom and sat down. She flipped passed the drawings she had already seen to look for new ones.

She flipped through the incredible drawings, seeing a few new ones, till one make her freeze, and feel... freaked out.

There was a drawing of her... sitting in her room... with a mirror in her face... breathing on it.

.........WHAT THE HECK?!

She stormed out of the classroom and bumped into someone again. She looked up to notice it was the same person she crashed into earlier, but this time, instead of being mopey, she felt furious.

Before another second passed, she pushed the drawing of her in his face and shouted "WHAT IS THIS?!"

Eric stumbled a bit and replied "A freakin' drawing! What the hell!"