Mari Mancusi - Scorched

For the first time in her life, she felt whole. Complete. And she would do anything to keep this baby dragon from harm.

Two nights later, there was a massive celebration—all the Potentials, all the members of the Dracken gathering together to celebrate Emmy’s birth. The tables and chairs at the food court were cleared away and a few of the Potentials who were musically inclined set up a makeshift stage and blasted out the tunes. Aiko turned out to be quite the talented singer, belting out hit after hit to the cheering crowd. Even Trevor got into the spirit, asking Rashida to dance. And she didn’t even tease him before saying okay.

Through it all, Trinity sat in a special seat of honor at the head of the room, gaudily decorated with green ribbons and bows. She was too drained to dance or join in with the festivities, but she was having a blast watching everyone else. And little Emmy, sitting proudly on her shoulder and wearing a red ribbon, wasn’t bad company either.

“She’s so cute!” Malia cried, coming over with Rashida and Aiko during the band’s break. They’d been allowed to change out of their training uniforms for the night and each wore sparkling emerald cocktail dresses in honor of Emmy.

“It’s hard to believe she’s really here!” added Aiko. “I feel like we’ve been waiting forever.”

“Some of us never believed it was going to happen at all,” added Rashida, giving Trevor a knowing nudge. He rolled his eyes and blushed.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. Then he turned to Trinity. “She’s brilliant, Trin. Truly brilliant. Good work.”

Trinity grinned with pride, reaching over to stroke Emmy on the nose. The little dragon danced and purred happily, causing the Potentials to crack up. Malia reached over, daring to touch her tiny nose and Emmy rewarded her with a big slurp of her tongue. Malia screeched in surprise, yanking her hand away, then laughed sheepishly and reached out to pet her again.

“I can’t wait to get one of my own!” she cried. “It’s going to be so amazing.”

Trinity nodded happily, a strange sense of contentment washing over her. It was strange. In some ways, nothing had changed—she was still technically trapped here, still unable to walk out the front doors. And yet now, with Emmy here, she wasn’t all that sure she’d want to even if she could.

It wasn’t easy taking care of a newborn dragon, and it didn’t take long for her to realize she had no idea what she was doing. Thankfully, the Dracken had been endlessly patient, showing her how to feed Emmy, to bathe her, to keep her warm. Not to mention babysit her at times when Trin just needed a few precious hours of sleep. And most importantly, they showed her how to use her gift to communicate with the dragon, to ensure Emmy not only felt safe but loved. That was the fun part, actually—to spend hours just cuddling her dragon while whispering in her mind all the things they would do together. Trinity found she never felt happier than when Emmy was in her arms.

She tried to imagine what it would have been like if she and Emmy had been out in the world when the dragon was born. The creature probably wouldn’t have made it through her first night—or have been able to hatch at all. The Dracken had made it all happen, continued to make it all happen, and Trin found herself left with a grudging sense of gratitude and respect for the ragtag team of time travelers and orphans. And she felt bad for being so suspicious at first.

It still wasn’t home, but at times it felt pretty darn close. And it would feel even more so, she knew, when her grandpa joined her at last.

Wait until you meet him, Em, she sent. You’re going to love him as much as I do. The little dragon bobbed her head excitedly, and Trin tried to imagine her grandpa’s face when she presented Emmy to him for the first time. The moment he would realize, without a doubt, that he’d been right all along—that all his lifelong dreams had finally come true.

She looked up just in time to catch sight of a dark figure skulking across the back of the room. Her heart snagged. Caleb . She hadn’t seen him since their little trip to the Nether. He hadn’t even shown up with the others after Emmy’s birth. After all the work he’d done to bring the little dragon here, he should have been first in line to greet her. But instead he stayed away, lurking in the shadows. And she was pretty sure she knew why.

She sighed. Time for an apology.

“I’ll be back,” she told her new friends. The girls gave her knowing looks and smiles as they followed her gaze.

“Take your time,” Aiko teased.

“Yeah, no rush at all,” added Rashida with a wink.

She shot them a weak smile—at times, they really did seem like sisters—then pushed across the dance floor. It took a while to cross—everyone wanted to talk to her and meet Emmy—but finally she managed to reach the edge of the food court. Spotting Caleb trudging down the darkened hall some distance ahead, she picked up the pace.

“Wait!” she cried.

He stopped, stiffened, then turned around slowly, his face unreadable. “What?” he asked.

She faltered, words failing her as her eyes caught his, flashing and cruel. “About what happened,” she started.

Caleb waved her off. “Please. Don’t embarrass yourself on my account. It’s really no big deal.”

“But—”

“I was in the mood. You were ready and willing. It happened. Now it’s over and done. Let’s move on with our lives, shall we?”

His words stung. Badly. Even though she was the one who had pulled away. But that wasn’t because it hadn’t meant anything. It was just—

“What, do you think you’re the first girl I took into the Nether?” he scoffed, catching her anguished expression. “Please. I’ve had half the Potentials in there. Nothing like a good dragon race to get a girl all hot and bothered.” He snorted. “You should have seen when I took Aiko in there three months ago. She was practically ripping off her shirt before I could even manifest a single marshmallow.”

Trinity’s throat seemed to close up. “Oh,” she stammered. “Wow.” She no longer had anything to say—at least nothing she could force past the huge lump that had formed in her throat. Her mind flashed back to the cliff side, to Caleb’s tormented face. The story that had broken her heart. Had it all been an act? A signature move honed and perfected over the years to lure Potentials in? Make them feel sorry for him so they’d agree to hook up?

“Now why don’t you go back to your little birthday party and your little friends?” he added with a sneer. “I’ve got things to do.”

“Yeah. I’m sure being a full-time douche keeps you pretty busy,” she retorted, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She turned and walked away before he could see them fall. Thank God she’d had the sense to break things off first. How far would he have taken it if she’d lost herself in his arms?

She stalked down the corridors, no longer in the mood to party. The happy, carefree faces of the Potentials would only serve to torment her. Had Caleb really taken Aiko into the Nether? Had he broken her heart too?

Not that her heart was broken, she reminded herself. Like Caleb said, it was no big deal. Just a kiss. Nothing more. And not even a good idea. She had enough going on with her newfound mission to save the world to be wasting time on some doomed romance. She was the Fire Kissed, after all. She didn’t have time to be some guy’s girlfriend too.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

Don’t cry, Trin.

She gave the dragon a rueful look. Emmy gazed back at her with concern deep in her blue and golden eyes. She reached out a hesitant paw and brushed Trinity’s cheek, swiping away a tear. Trinity gave the dragon a sad smile. At least she had someone who cared.