Chapter Five: Arrangements

Yes, there is a difference between ‘were’ and ‘where’. Indeed, I’m not always using it the correct way. Yes, I have to look it up sometimes.

So here it goes:

-Were is a form of ‘be’. It’s a verb.

-Where is about a place.

So, that’s settled then. Here comes the real deal:

“Everyone, this is our new student. Please, make him feel comfortable.”

Alea almost snorted. Yeah right. The ‘new’ kid didn’t fit in already and mister Sellion made it only worse by saying something like that.

She was not surprised that the strange boy took a seat quite close to her. But she had to wait all day before she could get a hold of him. Of course this was around the time she normally left but alright, this one time she was willing to stay.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Mayth’s beautiful blue eyes locked into hers while he smiled. “I thought I needed some education. Funny to run into each other again like this, right?”

They walked through the hallways till they were outside again, breathing the chilled air.

“They don’t really know what you do, am I correct?”

“And what would that be?” Alea said it bluntly, harsh. This strange boy was getting on her nerves.

“Well, from the looks of it you are a dragonhunter in your spare time.”

“Don’t say that aloud. They’ll make fun of you and you’ll get a hard time trying to blend in already without them thinking you’re insane. Come on.”

Alea waved her hand, making the gesture that he could come along. When he didn’t move she turned around. “What, is there someplace you should be?”

“No, not really actually,” his tone was hesitating like Mayth didn’t want to say that aloud.

After walking some time in silent Alea looked at him and smiled. “No need to worry, there’s nothing to be ashamed about. There are no parents for me either.”

The rest of the day they spend at Alea’s home. Getting to know each other and Alea introduced him to Elden the cat, and they could get along quite well.

The made some dinner together and when the night was slowly washing the sunlight away Alea said that he could stay if he wanted to.

Since Mayth had no parents and no place to go to he gladly accepted her offer. While Alea made him a bed, he collected some more firewood so they wouldn’t get cold this night.

When they were lying and both were still awake Alea whispered: “Why do you want to find a dragon?”

It stayed quiet and for a moment Alea thought Mayth was already asleep when the answer came.

“I don’t know. I just know I have to find them, or one of them.”

Puzzled by this, Alea did not answer but turned on her other side and thought about this till she fell asleep.

A fortnight later

It was a week or so later. Maybe three? Garyl had no idea. She had lost track of time since that moment she’d fled from her home.

Home.

That word seemed strange already. Time meant nothing, yet she was still capable of feeling. Alas, she felt a lot of things. Thirst, hunger, loneliness, anger, pain…

Garyl had no idea what exactly happened to her and how it could come from something in her coffee, but one thing was for sure: she wasn’t human anymore. Strange. She wanted to be something more than human for quite some time and now she was and al Garyl wished for was to go back to normal.

She laughed softly, more a chuckle really. She was far from normal. Whatever ran through her veins, it didn’t make her werewolf nor vampire. She was some strange mixture between those two. The werewolf bite must have been a sort of antidote.

She took another step forward. This was the first time she came near a town and she had no idea what was going to happen. Garyl also didn’t know she was carefully being watched.

Garyl licked her lips and tried to blend in. It was dark, so she didn’t meet a lot people but there were always some dudes out on the streets.

So was her follower.

The Man who had threatened Mech was just a couple of steps behind her, though always hidden in the shadows. He had watched her closely the last couple of days. It was interesting really. She wasn’t like him -more or less immortal- but nothing close to human either. He could use her, right?

Garyl seemed like a girl that liked to play foul games and that was just the thing he was best at.

He smiled grimly. “Keep on struggling, till the nets are too entwined to get out.” His voice deep, dark, but clearly manly.

Just at that moment when the Man whispered, Garyl stood still and turned. She saw a figure in the shadows and for just a couple of seconds they looked at each other.

Garyl’s eyes flaming bright, golden-yellow, wolflike.

The Man’s not visible, but she could feel it.

He would come for her, soon.