The Dragon Mage Collection Read online

  The chair nearly tumbled backward when a knock came to the door, and the knob squeaked as someone entered.

  I glared at Mitch when he stepped into the room. “You know it’s polite to wait until someone invites you inside,” I grumbled.

  Mitch shrugged and sat on the corner of the bed. “I figure there’s not a lot you could be doing that would be that private.” He smirked. “I mean, unless you’re one of those guys I can leave and come back in, what? A couple minutes.”

  “Shut up. How about just having privacy in general,” I snapped.

  Mitch scoffed and actually rested his head on my pillow! Frozen in the chair, I didn’t know how to react—fighting other students wasn’t allowed, after all. “What makes you so angry, man?”

  “Do you mind?” I huffed, ripping the pillow out from beneath Mitch’s head. My blood was hot in my veins when my fingertips dug into the cotton stuffing.

  “I don’t mind at all, in fact, I’m here to listen. Tell me your troubles,” Mitch muttered through a smile. I made sure I tossed the pillow extra hard at his face.

  “You think you’re funny, huh,” I snapped, turning back to the journal.

  “A little,” Mitch said lightly. “Look, I’m just here to see how your first twenty-four hours have gone. It can be a bit of a culture shock. I mean I’m from Seattle, so coming to Wyvern Willows blew my mind with how small it is.”

  “I’m fine.” Now I sounded more like I was growling.

  “Sure, you sound like it. You’re mad at the world, right? Think it owes you something. I’ve seen it a lot here. Let me fill you in: the world doesn’t owe you anything.”

  “That’s not it,” I snapped, my cheeks flushed with heat when I realized I’d just about crumbled one of the inner walls through Mitch’s prying.

  Mitch raised his dark eyebrows and smirked. “Then what is it? The sooner you figure it out, the faster your time here will pass.”

  “Did Sapphire send you in here? Because I don’t need your help getting thoughts out.”

  “Oh, still struggling with the journal?” Mitch questioned, pointing at the notebook. “I had a hard time when I first came too, but it gets easier and it does sort of feel good to get things out. But no, Sapphire didn’t send me. I happen to like making friends. I’ve been here for a while, and I’d like to think I can help someone else ease in easier than I had it.”

  “How noble of you,” I said, rolling my eyes, but my teeth dug into the tip of my tongue. It was hard to admit, but I sort of felt bad for snapping at Mitch. He probably didn’t deserve my wrath; he was just trying to be nice. “Sorry,” I mumbled not meeting Mitch’s eyes.

  “It’s cool.” Mitch paused for a time, staring at the bare ceiling like he was lost in deep thought. Finally, after I’d gone back to tapping the pen on the desk, Mitch rolled over and talked to my back. “So, what is it that makes you so mad that you’d go joyriding? Not enough love at home?”

  “I have enough, probably more than I deserve.” Sighing, I set the pen to rest on the desk and sat backward in the wooden chair so I could face Mitch. “I don’t know why I’m angry. I just am—all the time. I’ve never felt like I belonged anywhere, and I don’t. I don’t fit in with people. There’s just always been this thing inside me, like a storm’s about to burst any second. And I go joyriding to drown out the noise, okay? How’s that for your session, Doctor?”

  “It’s a good start,” Mitch chuckled.

  “What about you? Why are you still here?”

  Mitch grinned, but he definitely had a slier look. “Well, I kept stealing after I came. The judge wanted to send me to juvie, but Sapphire went to bat for me and kept me here for an extra program length.”

  I huffed through a grin. “Alright then, what’s your deal? Why do you steal? Not enough love at home?”

  Mitch was still smiling, but not as playful. “Well, I don’t really have a home.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m homeless, man. Oh, don’t give me that pity look, there’s people who are worse off,” he muttered when my smile fell into oblivion. “Look, my mom, she has some problems, and we lost our house like three years ago and ended up on the streets. My dad went in and out giving money, but I guess he never wanted to take his son back home. Eventually I just ran away. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I went out on my own. Well, I didn’t have a lot of skills, but I was good at sneaking around. So, stealing kind of became my thing to earn a living. I’d pick pockets, you know, small scale at the mall and stuff, but I got caught one day. I guess possessions mean so much to me since I don’t have any that after I came here I thought all the stuff would disappear or something. So, I started hoarding it. I never sold anything I stole from the house, I just kept it.”

  “That sort of sucks, Mitch,” I said sincerely.

  Mitch shrugged it off. “It’s cool. I’ve got this place until I graduate. I actually have good enough grades I think I might score a scholarship if they seal my record and all.”

  “They will,” I assumed, actually hoped for his sake. Mitch seemed to be a decent guy who’d been handed the worst. It sounded like he wanted to make something more of himself, and I couldn’t help but hope the past wouldn’t get in the way for Mitch.

  “Yeah, I think so too. Listen, tomorrow at school I can show you around if you want. It’s good you’re coming only a week into the start—won’t be so bad. Do what you want, of course, but if you don’t want to wander around alone, stick with me and Graham.”

  I nodded slowly, eyeing Mitch as he finally abandoned my bed and moved toward the door. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. You’ve only got fifteen minutes, dude. Just write something,” Mitch laughed and trudged down the hallway out of sight.

  Tapping the desk with the pencil eraser, I turned back toward the notebook and continued staring at the lined paper. After a few moments, I formed a few short words on the paper.

  I like the forest. I guess I’m angry and don’t know why. I wish I could tell Aunt Liz I’m sorry tonight.

  I quickly slammed the notebook shut. “There Sapphire, that’s all you’re getting,” I grumbled to no one but the empty room. There were slings all the students were supposed to hang the notebooks in and place them on the outside knob of their doors so Mr. Sapphire could collect them after lights out. I didn’t like it. Anyone could read the journals, but it was a little consolation that there were more staff at the house patrolling the halls and watched the slings like a bank vault. Maybe no one cared to read other personal thoughts enough to risk getting caught out of bed.

  With one minute to spare, I slipped the notebook in the sling and placed it outside the door. Already, Bart, a goofy-looking guy with a massive receding hairline, was trudging down the hallway knocking on doors for the five minute curfew signal.

  I closed the door, hoping to avoid any interaction with Bart, not because the guy was unpleasant, just that he kept looking at me like I was some broken thing that only a solid hug could fix. No thanks.

  I flipped out the light and was readying to pull the blinds over my window, but stopped. Mr. Sapphire was outside on the lawn, just where the trees began. He was talking to someone. Leaning against the glass, I battled against the darkness to get a better look. Sapphire didn’t want to be disturbed by the way he was expertly avoiding the lights from the wrap-around porch and how he kept his guest concealed by the outreach of the forest. He was shaking his head, talking a lot with his hands, and looked notably distressed after a few minutes. Whoever he was speaking with must have said something he hadn’t wanted to hear, and was still completely concealed by his massive form.

  My forehead chilled when I pressed my skin against the glass. Sapphire started pacing, uncovering his shadowy visitor. I was offered the perfect glance, and it was chilling.

  My breath sort of hitched in my throat—it hadn’t ever done that before. She was young, and fiercely attractive, even in the pitch night. The longer I studied her, as silly as it sounded, I foun
d I was practically awestruck for about five heartbeats. Whoever she was, her hair was golden, and shimmered in the starlight like it was woven with silver. I couldn’t see specific features, but from where I sat perched against the window, her skin was bright and absolute perfection. She was slender, but looked like she would know how to handle herself even against a guy like Sapphire. But even stranger than Mr. Sapphire talking to a teenage girl in the dark, was the strangling sensation building like cinder blocks in my stomach. There was a definite pull to be at her side—almost like I deserved to be a part of the tense conversation. What was Sapphire doing meeting a young woman late at night right along the edge of the trees? It was sketchy at best, and super creepy at worst. I watched for ten more minutes—how could I turn away? Until the girl nodded briskly at something Sapphire said and then, without warning, was devoured by the depths of the forest.

  The skin around my eyes pulled tight when they widened as I searched for any sign of the girl. She shouldn’t be alone, not in any way should she be alone. The drive to be with the mysterious girl mounted like a flame in my chest. What was Sapphire thinking sending her into the woods, what sort of man did that? I was forced to bury my head beneath my pillow, fighting the nauseating twisting in my stomach. Where was this feeling coming from? One thing was certain, Mr. Sapphire was breaking some sort of rule—and I was going to find out what it was—and absolutely find out anything I could about the girl with golden hair.

  Chapter 4

  The sun could be a miracle after a tumultuous night. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, embracing the warmth of the rays over my cheeks. The clock on the nightstand was blinking. Blinking that it was midnight! I shot up in bed, shaking the old-fashioned machine. Sending curses to the ceiling—at some point the power must have gone off during the night. This is when I wished more than anything the rules allowed for cell phones. I spilled out of bed, the sheets tangled around my waist as I dug through the tiny closet for some clothes.

  There was a pounding at the door, followed by Mitch’s voice. “Teagan, come on. The bus is leaving in five minutes.”

  “I’m coming!” I shouted back, ripping a black T-shirt over my head and slipping on the best jeans I could find. Wobbling around, I bounced into the hallway with my shoes, moving toward the shared bathroom area. The other students were all shuffling toward the stairs, their backpacks and books ready to go. I didn’t even know if the school schedule was in my bag. Great.

  The bathroom was massive. Remodeled to hold five sinks, three showers and two stalls. I held my toothbrush between my teeth while with one hand I finished tying my shoes. Normally my hair settled in waves when it was longer, but this morning it was just messy and seemed grungy. I slapped water along my scalp hoping to correct the awkward sandy wave sticking up in the center of my head. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I worried more about making sure I smelled presentable than the messy hair and ripped back toward my room. From the window I saw a white school bus with rust spreading like a plague along the edges rumbling on the drive. Cursing a little loud, I snatched my backpack from the floor, taking the stairs two at a time until I burst out the door.

  Mr. Sapphire was waiting like a muscle-packed sentinel on the porch stairs, and I was suddenly brought back to the secret meeting in the dark with the girl.

  “Calling it close, Teagan,” he shouted.

  “Yeah, well there were things by the trees that kept distracting me,” I replied with meaning. Sapphire must have suspected, because I had to admit, I enjoyed the way his brow lifted too much. “Check your power, it went out last night.”

  I jumped onto the bus right when the door folded shut. The driver was a plump woman with curly orange hair who scanned me as though I was some sort of cockroach and nodded her head toward the back of the bus.

  “Find a seat, I don’t have all day,” she grumbled.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” I snapped.

  Mitch waved at me. Graham nodded his greeting then turned back to staring out the window when I slipped into the adjacent seat.

  “Sleep in?” Mitch laughed.

  “No, the power went out, my clock reset during the night,” I said.

  Mitch furrowed his brow. “Weird. Mine was just fine. Well, you made it at least.

  “Yeah, oh happy day.”

  “Hey, it’s not so bad. Really, you’ll like the school. I’m not lying when I say this, man, some of the girls here,” Mitch whispered and held up one thumb in satisfaction.

  “Yeah, that’s great except Sapphire seems to think mixing girls and guys will damn us all.”

  Mitch chuckled. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to look a little.”

  I almost said something about the girl in the trees last night, but when the words formed on my tongue they seemed to evaporate. Something inside decided to keep that to myself, though I didn’t know why.

  Wyvern High School wasn’t anything special. It looked a lot like my last school, except like the rest of the town the grass was a rich green, no brown spots, the trees were perfect as if they’d been sculpted and planted in the ground. Was everything perfect here? I trudged slowly behind Mitch and Graham through the front doors and paused briefly when a stone statue of a grisly dragon peered down at us from the perch above the entrance. My gaze halted on the structure, a chill raced down my spine as the white stone beast seemed to read my very thoughts.

  “These people really love their dragons,” I whispered.

  “Well, when you live in a town with the word wyvern in the title, what do you expect the mascot to be? A turkey?” Mitch chuckled, waving farewell to Graham when he drifted into a separate door.

  Mitch stuck with me, and though I’d never admit it, I was glad Mitch had the same first two periods. There were a few students in algebra class who intentionally sat two seats away from me and Mitch, and a few more who gave us steely glances. In the end I crossed my arms and sat back with a snarl painted on my face.

  “Don’t let it get to you,” Mitch said after class. “We’re the reform kids—the criminals. Part of the program is to get us to integrate with our peers naturally. Not everyone loves the idea. You didn’t think everyone would be cool with a convicted thief and a wild boy in their precious babies’ classes? Come on, the parents talk and some kids keep their distance. I prefer it that way if you ask me.”

  “Wow, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard a hint of bitterness in your voice,” I said, shoving Mitch’s shoulder.

  Mitch laughed and spiraled down the stairs with me in tow. “Maybe a little. I’m awesome, but I’m not perfect, Ward.”

  “I think I like the imperfect version a lot better. It makes the rest of us thugs feel better.”

  Mitch stopped and pointed to a door with a big welcome back sign still strung up over the window. “Well this is Tiddel’s English. Your third period. We have the same lunch hour. If you want, Graham and I usually eat outside at the football field. Want to meet us after?”

  I nodded, feeling even more grateful there was someone to talk to today. Everyone at my previous school knew my reputation and either accepted me or didn’t. I’d grown up with those people—this was all new, and without sounding like a wimp, it was intimidating.

  “Don’t worry if people avoid you. So what?” Mitch said when I paused outside the door a little too long.

  “I’m good,” I insisted, through a swallow. “See you later.”

  Before Mitch could tease me about bravery, or manhood, or something else, I pushed my way into the classroom. The front two rows were already filled with students and most of the third.

  “Excuse me, you must be Mr. Ward,” the woman I could only assume was Mrs. Tiddel said from behind her desk. She was taller than me and as thin as bones. Her nose was sharp, but her eyes were kind behind her round glasses.

  “Teagan,” I said inching closer to her desk.

  “Good to have you, Teagan,” Mrs. Tiddel said with a toothy grin. “We keep it loosey-goosey in this class and pick our own seats. It ke
eps it fresh, and helps me memorize names, not just assigned seats. Makes my mind work.”

  I chuckled and actually felt at ease around Mrs. Tiddel. “So, just sit anywhere?”

  “Yep, the classroom is your oyster.”

  Glancing about, I thanked my good luck that most of the back row was open, and quickly rushed toward one of the back corner seats. A few students had been in my other classes and eyed me with suspicion. Taking Mitch’s advice, I kept my eyes low and focused on a cartoon masterpiece on the top of the desk left by some former student. There was a shift in the air, almost like an electrical current running through me forcing me to lift my gaze back to the front of the room. A ball like tangled yarn built in the back of my throat, and it seemed my heart jumped out of place.

  She walked like she was floating.

  Her golden hair still glittered, even without the moonlight. Now, the sunlight revealed the crimsons and copper color instead of the silver. The girl from last night, I’d never forget her face, was coming straight at me.

  In all my experience with the opposite sex, I’d never been so caught off guard—so at a loss for words. I only stared like a fool. Something about the perfect roundness of her face, the way her lips rested in a cheerful smirk, the way her slender fingers gripped the strap of her black shoulder bag—no, perhaps it was her eyes. They were like a green sea, and I was swimming. She looked right at me, those emeralds sparkling and curious. I waited for her to stop and turn away, but she kept coming. It was only after she took a seat directly at my left that I noticed she was followed by two brooding guys. One, with hair that reminded me of flames, narrowed his eyes in my direction. He studied me as though he were trying to flip me inside out with his gaze. The second had smooth brown skin and hair down to his shoulders, but it wasn’t wild in the least. It was some of the most groomed hair I’d seen.