Dragons in the city

   Tony lived in San Francisco with his mother and two older brothers, Carlos and John. He was a very quiet kid who enjoy spending most of the time by himself. His best friend was wiggles, his dog. Wiggles always waited for Tony by the door every day at the same time and they would walk to the park after school. His older brothers were about twelve years apart from him and two years apart from each other. They spent most of their time together and left Tony behind.

  One night, Carlos and John had a pizza night with a couple other friends. They had invited a few girls to the gathering and wanted to impress them. Tony was in his room when John barged in and told him to go for a long walk with wiggles. It was getting really late and their mother was working. Normally she had a sitter for Tony, but the two boys convinced her it wasn't necessary. Tony knew he'd be in trouble and refused not to leave. Then John tossed a flashlight and a leash at him, "you're in high school now, do what regular freshman do, explore." Tony looked at the leash and flashlight, then got up from his bed. Wiggles was laying on his bed and got up as soon as he saw the leash. They both walked out and began to go to the golden gate park which was not far.
   When he reached the park he saw a few kids playing around by the Stow Lake. The place was already close, but no security had passed by to kick them out of the site yet. Then one of the boys recognized Tony as a freshman and yelled "Freshman!" All four of them ran to grabbed him. Tony ran away and then into the bushes. He had turned off his flashlight just before he hid so the light wouldn't give him away. Then he heard run passed him. One of them was complaining about the other's speed, "he got  away because y'all are too slow!" "You weren't the fastest either," yelled out the other. Then the third who called him out in the first place yelled,"come on freshman, were not going to hurt, just maybe shove you a little. hahahaha"
   Minutes had passed and Tony still hid with wiggles in the bushes. Then he decided to try to find his way back with the flashlight off and through the bushes. He kept bumping over a few barks and tripping over stones. Wiggles began to start whining a little because he was hungry. As Tony looked down to shh him, he bumped into a huge boulder. Then he turned on his light to see how big it was. It was was enormous, about the size off a truck laying in the ground with no wheels. He began to go to his left when something blue caught his eye. He shined the flashlight at it and couldn't see it. Then he turned of the light and the blue thing tinkled again. He couldn't see it any more, but when the sky cleared from clouds it lighted it up again. The moon gave away its location. He climbed on top of the boulder and crawled to the middle. Finally he spotted it. It was covered in dirt mostly, but then he cleaned it off with his shirt. He had found a blue stone stuck in the middle of the bolder. He looked for something to remove it, like a stick or something sharp. He then thought of adding water to clean the cracks from dirt so he could then try to scoop it out.
   He ran to the lake and opened his flashlight, took out the batteries and placed them in his pocket. He then ran back with wiggles and poured the water on the stone. The water made the stone shine even more. Tony was so amazed by the color that he felt he had to touch it. He touched it with his fingers and then had the urge to place his palm over it. Once he placed his palm over it he sense that there was heat coming from it. His heart rate began to raise and as it raised his heart pulse became stronger. Then the unexpected happened. As his heart gave a large beat one more time, it sent out a strong pulse from his heart, to his arm and then right to his palm. That pulse sent a bit if electricity into the stone that it shocked Tony back. He went "Ouch," and looked at his palm. Wiggles started to bark at the stone when Tony jumped up. Tony then noticed that the Blue stone was no longer a blue color, it was now a fire red. As Tony moved in closer to look at it he noticed that it did have small flames inside. Wiggles was barking the whole time and Tony shouted at him, "Wiggles calm down, you're going to get us in trouble."
      Tony jumped off the bolder and grabbed wiggles by the snout. Wiggles stopped barking and began to whimper. Tony began to apologize to him, "I'm sorry wiggles, I didn't mean to hurt you." Just as he was saying it he then heard cracks coming from the bolder. He took out the batteries from his pocket and shook out the rest of the water from the flashlight. Then he tried to quickly put the flashlight together again. He heard more and more cracks coming from the bolder. When he finally turned on the flashlight he pointed it to the stone. The cracks started from the stone and moved all around the boulder. Then one final crack sounded and the stone broke into small pieces and dropped like sand. Beneath, was a large dragon that was sleeping. It began to breath and move a little. With its eyes still closed it started to raise up. Tony had only seen the bolder shaped like a truck, but it turned out to be only its head. The rest of the dragons body was hidden away beneath a hill. The dirt just came off like it was recently placed there.
   Wiggles hid behind Tony's feet as the dragon awoke and stood up. It's face had a smooth surface and its horns were combed back. It's claws where a ivory color and the scales all over the body changed colors as the moon shined it's light on the dragon. The wings spread out and it scared wiggles even more. The dragon looked at Tony and sniffed both of them. "Who are you child?" said the dragon in a deep voice. Tony held his flashlight close to his chest and said, "Tony." The dragon looked up and then flew away, with in a minute he returned. "What year is this? Are you a sorcerer?" asked the dragon. "Its, its its... 2000... and no."
   Security began to approach with their flashlights. Tony then turned his flashlight off and picked up wiggles to be quite. The dragon looked at the security and a green light shined from his stone located on his forehead. The light surrounded the three of them. Security passed by without noticing any of them or the dragon. Tony took a deep gulp and asked, " Are you going to eat us?" The dragon looked at him and opened his mouth. Tony closed his eyes right away, but opened them once he heard the dragon laugh. "No boy, I only require the sun and plants to keep me alive. Why would you think that?" Tony smirked a little and put wiggles down. "because all of the stories I read about dragons say you eat meat," said tony as his voice thinned. "That is a story we made up to keep sorcerers from trying to stealing our stones and scales. We don't die, we simply become one with the earth and rest. If our gem or one of our scales is removed before we completely turn, we are reborn." responded the dragon. "What are your stones good for?" asked Tony. "For value!" yelled out the dragon. Tony jumped a little and fell on his back. "but only few can harvest the magic inside, sorcerers or sentries"
   Tony got up and looked at his watch. His mother was about to be home within the hour. He grabbed wiggles leash and looked at the dragon. Not knowing what to say to him, he stood there for a few more minutes. Then the dragon said, "you have to leave, I understand. This world is new to me and I have many questions still. I shall go with you." "but you're too large to go through the back door," said Tony. Then the dragons stone gave out a white light and the scales on his body turn varies colors. Soon they began to take a different shape and the dragon had shrunk to a small lizard size. He could fit in Tony's palm. Tony placed him into his sweater pouch and walked home.
   When Tony got home his brothers began to interrogate him. They wanted to plan out what story they would all give to their mother. Tony just agreed to go along with them. Once their mother arrived Carlos and John began to tell their story. Tony just decided to go up to his room along with wiggles and let them figure it out.
   In his room he placed the dragon on the table and locked the door behind him. The dragon flew around the room a few times like a race car then he landed back on the table. The dragon sat down and faced Tony.
"I am Draco and I am thousands years old. My kind have been here since the Triassic era. Our mother gave us birth before she gave birth to the continents and seas. I have scouted your room to look for clues of what the world has become. Many things have changed I see. Tell me, what have you heard from our kind?" Tony turned on his computer and logged on to the internet. Draco walked closer to the screen and said, "I see you found a new way to replace crystal balls." Tony looked at Draco and pointed at the monitor,"This is a computer, It is connected to the internet and the internet is what we use to look for information or videos." "this internet, is he a dangerous sorcerer?" asked Draco. "No, Its something created by many smart people. I  think its connected to supercomputers that receive and distribute information. They really don't teach us how it's created in school. Its more how to use it," explained Tony. "Hmmm, I see. Let me try something," said Draco as he got closer to the computer. His tail reshaped to a plug and connected to computer. Then his stone gave out a small purple light and it traveled through his body and through the computer. Draco closed his eyes, the computer began to change screens quickly.
   After a few minutes, Draco finished going through every page and disconnected from the computer. He laid down as if he was hurt. His eyes began to tear and he said slowly, "so much destruction around the world, it's a wonder how some of us still sleep through this. Our mother is probably keeping us dormant until balance is restored." Draco then sat up and looked up. He then began to exhale fire which changes color like Christmas lights. Then he bowed his head and sat quietly. Tony then worked up the courage to ask him questions. "What was that? and how come your stome changes colors every time? how were you able to get so small? where does your magic come from." "My, you have are a curious boy?" replied Draco. He flew to the window and signaled Tony to come see. When Tony walked over he only saw the trees, bushes and flowers his mother had planted. Not knowing to say, he simply took a deep breath. Draco tapped his hand with his tail and small lights crawled from his hand to his eyes. Tony blinked and looked again. This time he saw tiny little specs of lights going through every plant and tree. He looked at Draco and then looked back, but this time he saw it ordinary again. Tony frowned a little and ask, "How do I know you're only making me see what you want me to see?" chuckles came from Draco, "I gave you what mother wanted you to see. She  granted you with the vision of seeing where the magic comes from. How do you think flowers get their color? why do trees grow so high? and why do you think certain people are known to have a 'green thumb?' It's because mother has the magic to turn a green leaf to brown, to grant magic to caring people to grow their crops and to cause a storm by moving her oceans around. You know her as mother earth, others as planet earth. The truth is the she inherited what her sisters couldn't, to give life," said Draco proudly. "I can change to any form I please with my scales. They are made of the same magic as my stone. The color changes depending on the spell I am using or my emotions." Draco looked outside the window. "you mentioned 'us' how many dragons are there?" asked Tony. "We are hundreds. Many are dormant and I notice a few of us like their picture be taken. You know her, she is known as Nessie. She always did enjoy pranking humans." Tony looked at the screen and the picture of Nessie was up.
   It was passed Tony's bed time and he started to yawn. He changed into his pajamas and got on the bed. Draco was still looking outside the window when Tony fell asleep.Tony woke up the next day and looked at the window to see Draco still sitting. It wasn't a dream he thought and got up to brush his teeth. Then he changed and sat down next to Draco.
  They both looked outside the window for a few minutes. Then Tony asked, "what's is going to happen? are you going to go back to sleep?" "No, but the world is not ready to see me. I must stay incognito for sometime. There are still sorcerers looking for stones such as mine and will go through great deals to find my brothers and sisters. I must protect them for the good of your kind." Tony dropped his mouth and quickly asked, "There are still sorcerers? But where?" "Do you think that large earthquakes are just caused by the earth shifting? They are the consequence of using a great deal of power by a sorcerer." Then Tony remembered learning about the San Francisco earthquake in 1989 and asked Draco if that was a sorcerer. Draco took his tail  and tapped Tony's forehead.
    Tony then saw himself in on top of a roof. He looked around and saw the city, then he saw a dragon fly past him fast. It flew up to the sky and was whipping its tail at a ball in the air. When Tony focused his eyes, he then notice that the ball actually had a man inside and it was some kind of force field. The dragon kept trying to penetrate the force field and finally it cracked a little. The earth began to shake and Tony grabbed on to the chimminy. He heard Draco's voice, "don't be afraid. This is only a of a memory of my dear brother before he went into sleep." The sphere began to crack even more as the Dragon flew away and dove down with force. The man didn't seem worried at all, he kept chanting and giving out this dark smoke from his hand. The houses around the area began to crack and crumble, streets and bridges were cracking. Then as it looked like the man was almost done, the dragon finally broke the sphere protecting him and grabbed the guy with his claws and tossed him on the ground. Once the man hit the ground the black smoke that was surrounding him in the air went back inside him. The dragon dove down and lifted him back into the air wrapping him with his tail. He opened his mouth and let a white flame out. It covered the man completely, but the black smoke protected the man. The Dragon kept giving out the flame and once it got passed the smoke the ground began to shake even more. The man was crystallized after a few minutes and the dragon was done. Then the earth opened up and the dragon dropped the man in the crack. Then white smoke came back up and the crack closed up again. Draco and Tony followed the Dragon to the San Francisco mountains, known as the San Francisco Peaks, it was there where the Dragon landed and laid down and green light from its stone surrounded the entire dragon. Within minutes the dragon turned into stone and trees grew to cover him.
   Tony looked at Draco, before he could ask, Draco said, "His name is Igneous. He gave all his energy and magic to stop the sorcerer trying to slave all of the living creatures from the world. It is a battle no human can see unless they are blessed with magic. Humans are born with magic but very few retain it. They are brainwashed to disbelieve in it. Those blessed by mother are chosen to be magical sentries. If its not for them, dragons would be dormant while the world is in crisis." It was then when Tony looked at his hands and realized that Draco was also referring to him. He looked at his hands and he then focused on his palms, then an inner glow began to shine. Draco continued to talk, "Every time a human worthy of becoming a sentry a  meteoroid shower happens. It won't be long until a sorcerer finds you, they will try to recruit you or destroy you." Tony gasp and asked, "how will I protect myself and my family? what do I do as a magical sentry?" "As a magical sentry you are gifted with sight and magical powers transmitted by our mother. When you set foot on land, touch a tree or plant, they allow her to charge you up with powers. You can protect your family with her powers and with my help. Only a sentry can locate a dragon and can connect with mother to use her  powers. Sorcerers have tried to power up by using mother, but are unsuccessful because nothing grows with their negative energy. Plants die before a sorcerer can make a connection with mother, which is why they will come after you." After a long pause of silence Tony asked, "has any magical sentry ever joined forces with a sorcerer?" Draco looked down and closed his eyes, "Yes, it was the reason the earth went dry and it caused the largest  heat wave. Thousands died and mother was hurt. Her energy was drained for a few hours and it cause part of her to give up. It was the awaking of all the dragons and the joining of the remaining magical sentries which kept our world safe. If a sorcerer takes over mother, it means her sisters in other realms are not safe. They are all connected, together they hold unimaginable strength and power." "But why do sorcerers want all the power of the world?" interrupted Tony. Draco looked up at the sky, "There are many worlds out there, all connected to us, we only see as far as mother lets us, but make no mistake that there is more. There will always be more. Sorcerers do it for vanity and greed. They want to be the center of the universe, but it is too large to control simply on mothers powers. Their greed never ends; it is a bottomless pit. There is one sorcerer that uses his apprentices as lab rats. He is known as the shadow puppeteer, you saw one of his apprentices in action nearly succeeded against the battle with Igneous. I feel he is getting closer to his goal, but we have searched and searched for him with no hint of where he is. That is why he is the shadow puppeteer."
     The first day of training began the next day. Tony wasn't sure how he would be able to sneak out and practice at the same time. He met with Draco in the park and looked at his watch. "Are you concern about not being home?" asked Draco right away. Tony nodded and then Draco blew a green fire at him. Tony flinched and covered his face. Then when he realized he wasn't burning he opened his eyes and took a look at what happen. He was in his room and in front of him he was sitting in his bed reading. "We are in your mind, you are actually doing the things you need to do to not show any difference. Magic is not physical, its in your mind. You actually never left. You only believed you did, but I only helped you reach your auto mode. We are in a place you created when you first access your sentry form. Take a look and see, anything familiar?" Tony looked around and he was back in the park. It was as he saw it the night he met Draco. Then he asked Draco, "well if I created it, then I can control it right?" Draco nodded. Then Tony said to the water to rise up, but it didn't move. "You have to believe it will move because you command it," said Draco. Then Tony closed his eyes and began to speak to himself, "okay, I met a dragon not to long, it just blew fire at me and I didn't burn, so water I do believe you will rise for me because I have the magic in me, so rise!" and as he said it a little louder the water began to rise. Draco asked "what next?" Tony looked at him and the water dropped all over Tony. Draco managed to get away right before it hit Tony. Then from above he yelled at Tony, "concentrate."
    Day and night they would practice moving the different properties. Tony was able to move trees, dirt, water, sand, anything naturally made. Draco thought it was time to remove themselves from the mental phase and apply it to the physical world. They flew far and into the woods. They found a quite place and began to practice. Tony moved boulders and trees out of his way. He began to reshape the area in which he was working. Then Draco said, "Stop! now place them back as you found them." Tony looked at him confused, how was he going to remember everything he did step by step? He began to move back the last thing he moved which was a tree, but the tree moved back to the wrong spot. Tony looked at Draco, " I said place it back, that tree was seven inches away from its original spot." Tony yelled, "Are you serious?" and Draco laid down on a boulder to watch him. Tony began again, but the tree was still repeatedly moving back to the wrong spot. "Concentrate," said Draco. Tony closed his eyes and thought," this is insane, I can't go back in time to look at the original lay out of the forest. If only these trees can talk. That's it! maybe they can". Tony sat down and he place his hands on the ground. "Can you hear me? Respond yes if you can." Then a thousand voices said "Yes." Tony open his eyes, he then said, "Move to your original form." The ground began to shake and trees began to crash into each other. Tony was knocked over and when he touch the ground again and yelled "stop! One at a time, from the last one to the first one I moved." Then tree by tree and rock by rock they moved. When everything stopped moving Tony got up and searched for Draco. Draco was still on the same boulder, but in a different place. He then said, "Well done! you have discovered your true power. The power to speak to your surroundings. One day you will learn to speak to them without having to connect to them." Tony asked, "What do you mean true power? don't all sentries have the same power?" They got back home and Tony asked again about true power. "I didn't respond right away because you will soon know what that means. For now, your lesson is over."
    Tony was done with school and he was free to practice even more on his sentry powers. He got home and noticed that everyone was in the living room. His mother crying and his brothers trying to console her. He asked, "what's going on? is there something wrong?" The news was on and they were talking about a great natural disaster in Hawaii. It was such a small state he thought to himself. Then he remember how his mother's friend that would visit often talked about going to Hawaii for a trip. He was suppose to go about this same time. He looked at his mom and brothers shocked. His mother looked at him and said, "He was on the phone with me when it hit, I didn't have time to tell him how much I appreciated him." Tony felt as if something had just ripped out his lungs and he couldn't breath. He then sat next to his mother. After a few more minutes, his mother got up and took a deep breath. "There's no more point in crying about it, I need to be strong for my children. I just needed to vent and release my agony. I love you all for trying to cheer me up, but its time for you guys to continue as you were." Tony's mother stumbled a little, but picked up her pace and went to her room.
     Tony jumped on his bed as soon as he got to his room. He was thinking about the disaster in Hawaii. "It has begun, his next apprentice is ready. We must go," said Draco. Tony jumped out of his bed and looked at Draco. "You mean that the disaster was from the Shadow puppeteer's apprentice?" "Yes, last night while in your sleep I saw rays of lights in the sky. They appear to be meteoroid showers, but it is the power of the apprentice traveling. He is searching for something, I fear he has found it or has gotten very close to it."
    They set of and headed toward Hawaii. When they arrived the place looked very quite. The trees were ripped apart, water flooded the houses and a search rescue was going on. Tony closed his eyes and began to concentrate on the trees still in tacked. "Please, one at a time. Which way did this start from?" He asked them. Faint voices responded, "it was so fast, it came that way, that way, from the other side of the island." Draco moved faster and landed on the beach. "why would it be from this side when the water came from over there? wouldn't it be in the water where it started?" Tony asked Draco. "do you remember when you commanded the water to rise for the first time?" replied Draco as he looked around. Tony looked back and forth to try to pin point the source of the power. He then closed his eyes and asked his surroundings, "where is the sleeping dragon of this area?" At first he didn't hear anything and then he heard snores. He then began to follow the noise. It was leading into the water and so Tony commanded the water to rise. He heard the snores louder and louder as he walked in, but they began to fade again. He went back to where he heard them the loudest. He realized he was probably on top of the dragon and that's when something attacked him. The water began to dropped quickly, but Tony was able to command it to stop. He knew he would cause a tidal wave again. Again something attacked him, this time it shocked him with electricity. Draco grabbed Tony and lifted him up to the sky, as Tony commanded the water to set down slowly. As they reached sea level lightning hit Draco and they were knocked into different directions. "Draco!" yelled Tony and he looked up at were the lightning came from. There it was, floating on air. The sorcerer was cloaked in black clothes with a hood and a scarf covering the face. The sorcerer then stroke Draco again as he tried to get up, but a huge wave protected Draco. The man looked over at Tony and directed lightning to him, but another wave shielded Tony. Draco and Tony then began to go under water. The water was moving out of their way and down to sea surface. Tony then ran toward Draco as the water moved out of his way. Draco was unconscious. Tony then thought of dragging him to safety. Just before he said it the sand shielded him and carried him away. He had reached his true power he thought, everything I think my surroundings will do.
     A few seconds later he then saw the man under water. The water did not move for him but it seemed as if he didn't need to breath. Then the man moved toward him fast like a torpedo. Tony place his hands and thought of an under water tornado and it took form right before his eyes. It took the man away for a few seconds before he returned again. Then this time he thought of the tornado and freezing him. Once the man was frozen, he began to melt the ice with his body heat. Tony took a step back and said to himself, "this is no regular man. Is there a way to stop him?" Then Tony thought of more layers of Ice would buy him some time to think of something else. The man started to laugh as his temperature raised. Tony ran in the direction of the snores. Once he got their he placed one hand down and said, "awaken! we need you." Sand began to accumulate and then he saw it, the stone appearing. He looked back to see if the man was done unfreezing himself, but water was to shallow to tell. Then he asked his surroundings to let him know when he would be done. The mountain of sand began to take the shape of a dragon. Just when the stone gave out a light he hear the underwater plants call out, "he's coming!" He turned around and saw him moving toward him, this time dodging his underwater tornado. Tony then thought, there has to be rocks down here. Right after rocks started shooting at the man like bullets. It slowed him down a little and one got him in the eye, but he kept moving toward him. Right before he was about to strike him with a dark lightning bolt an invisible shield stopped it. The man stopped and Tony looked behind him. It was the sea dragon fully awake. She was larger than Draco, much more scary looking. She then attacked the man right away and both his tail and bolts clashed. The sea dragon then gave out a white light from her stone and three of them appeared. Just as big and scary looking at the first. The man gave out multiple bolts as the dragons fought in unison. Then one by one he was able to make the duplicates disappear. There was only one left, which was the original. It was then, when Draco appeared and fought along side with the sea dragon. Tony then thought he too should join. This time when he thought of a ice bullets, they appeared and every hit froze a portion of the man body. Only this time he was unable to melt it and that's when he shot out from under water and retreated.
     Tony couldn't understand why this time his powers were stronger and much more faster, but he was grateful. They gathered by the beach and dried themselves. The Dragons just blew fire from their mouths and flew right into it fast. Tony concentrated on the water leaving his clothes and back to the beach. Both dragons landed beside Tony. "Thank you Tony, the bolt was strong. One more and I would have been asleep for a very long time or drained for my energy. Great thinking in waking up Adalena." Tony looked at the other dragon and nodded. Adalena approached him and looked at Tony straight into his eyes. Her eyes were blue, but then a small fire appeared in her pupils. The fire was blue at first and then it turned white. Adalena then looked at Draco. Draco nodded  and a light came from his stone. It covered all of them and took them into Tony's world. "Why are we here?" asked Tony. "Do you know why the enemy came for me first?" asked Adalena. Tony looked at her and then multiple dragons appeared. All replicates of Adalena and they spoke at the same time. "I have the power of replicating up to a 100 times, but my power is divided 100 times as well. A sentry that has access to my power can multiply 100 times without having to divide their powers 100 times as well." "Do you mean, the man who attacked us was a sentry?" asked Tony right away. Adalena closed her eyes and looked down. She took a deep breath and then continued.

 " After the last attacked from a sentry turned, we took precautions. Mother blesses the sentry and during her blessing she also places a lock spell. This spell activates when your body and mind are tainted with dark magic. It only prevents the sentry from using mothers power, but not ours. That sentry has been tainted with dark magic and was searching for me to drain my energy and use my power. The reason he couldn't find my actual layer is because I had used my power to set false locations of where I was. Only a sentry with a pure heart can find me. I can see your pure heart, but he tainted you a little. It must have been during the battle when you were caught off guard, but don't worry I have already burned that darkness inside you. It would have grown if undetected. If the darkness inside is too strong then mother chooses a replacement sentry and you would have to be destroyed"

   Tony placed his hand over his heart quickly once he heard he could have been tainted. He thought when did that man get to him. Then it came to him, it must have been when he felt something attack him for the first time. Then he remembered his question, "Why were my powers stronger?" he asked Adalena. "You accessed the dark energy that was within you. In time it would have gotten stronger," responded Draco. "Your true power is your strongest source of power. You used it without having to say it, "added Adalena. "Is that why everything I thought of happened before I could say it?" said Tony. "Yes, it is very useful.  Your surroundings did as you thought because you can communicate with them. It allows you to know exactly what happens around the world because every vibration, movement and change in the earth can be reported back to you. It takes great concentration to accomplish that. Every sentry has a different connection to mother, but  yours is also connected to all her children." replied Draco.
    Tony didn't even notice when Adalena left, but when she came back she found a crystal. It was in the shape of a snowflake. She handed it to Tony. At first the snowflake was 12 inches and then it reduced to two inches. The crystal changed colors before it finally stayed in white. "This is your medallion, it allows you access a dragons power. When using a dragons power it unites with our stones and we disappear. We only return to our shape until you command it to release us. The medallion can only be found here, in the world you created. Sometimes you stumble upon it right away or a dragon can help you find it. Put it on, you may need it someday."
    They returned to the beach and noticed the sky turning grey again. They looked at each other and had the same thought, another disaster was going to happen. "Adalena, we must go in search of Nagendra. I believe she is the next target." They flew off right away. Tony noticed how Draco arrived minutes before Adalena, that must be his power, speed. Draco sent out a light from his light and it circled the lake then it returned. "No sign of Nagendra, did she get taken?" said Draco worried. "Not a chance!," said Nagendra as she appeared from behind a little rock. She was the size of a lady bug. Tony wanted to pick her up, but before he could bend over she grew large and into the same size as Draco. "I put up a good fight and took a chance on tricking him, which worked! what a fool! to think, I had to give up a scale for the first time. Just look at my back! one missing. Man, that's going to take a century to grow back. I used my shell to create a stone shield of me. Then I quickly shrunk into this size before he blew my stone figure. I hid behind rocks until he was convinced he had destroyed me. What a dumb ass! Hi by the way, I'm Nagendra, but you may now me as Nessi, you can call me Nessi. I know Nagendra is weird." She shook Tony's hand with her tail.
    "Nagendra can shift into stone, fire and wind. It is a strong offense and defense power. Both equally effective," said Aladena. "Oh hello, Aladena, great to see you with the awake. How long have you been up? And please, use Nessi, much more catchier," said Nagendra with a smile. "I was awaken a few hours ago. Just in time too,' replied Aladena.
   After a few more minutes of briefing Nessi on what was going on they set off to awaken the next most powerful dragon they know, Igneous. Igneous was the dragon that defeated the previous apprentice. when they arrive the sorcerer was already in the same location. This time he had located Igneous using his amulate. It was in the shape of a spider and black. It hit the mountain and a shadow of the dragon was imprinted. Then the stone shined light and healed the mountain. Draco rushed over to cover the stone before the man got it. Tony thought of a rock slide and Nessi turned into a fire dragon. Just as the duplicates of Adalena appeared a second sorcerer appeared and attacked her. Nessi joined Adalena in the fight against the second sorcerer while Tony and Draco tried to stop the first sorcerer. Draco was dodging bolts until a third sorcerer appeared and hit Tony. Draco managed to catch Tony  before he fell down and placed him behind a tree. The three dragons were fighting a sorcerer each. Tony was recovering when he heard, " Three more are coming." Tony got up and ran to awaken Igneous. He reached the stone of Igneous and placed his palm over it to awaken him. The ground suddenly began to move and Igneous body began to take shape. The other three sorcerers arrived and attacked Igneous right away. Tony created a stone wall to stop the bolts. Igneous was not done transforming when one bolt got trough the wall. It hit him on the chest and it slowed down his transformation processes. The wall broke and one of the sorcerers shot at Tony, but the bolt stopped half way and reflected back. Then all three shot together and this time one did hit Tony out of the way. They each took out an amulate the shape of a black spider and shot out spears. Igneous was done transforming, but too late. They began to drain his power. Igneous began to fade right before Tony's eyes. Then Tony remembered his crystal and pulled it out. Please Igneous, allow me to access your energy. Igneous was then pulled into the crystal. The sorcerers looked at Tony in surprise. Then as they turned over to him, Tony called upon the other dragons who were fighting. Then they too allowed themselves to be pulled into the crystal.
    It was now six against one. The sorcerers surrounded Tony right away. Tony closed his eyes to focus on talking to the dragons in his crystal. He heard Adalena say, "Allow yourself to be cleansed in order to use our full power. When Tony opened his eyes there was small white flames in his pupils.
   The sorcerers began to shoot bolts at him, but none of them hit Tony, he was too fast. Then Tony multiplied into six of him; Two were in the form of stone, two were in the form of wind and two were in the form of fire. They began to fight, Tony hit them quickly as hard as he could but they were strong. He kept going and one of them managed to hit him back. That one hit was like a metal punch to Tony's face. That's when he realized Igneous power must be strength, probably the power of stone or metal, but metal and stone weaken with heat. He then turned himself into fire and surrounded the sorcerers into one area creating a tornado of fire while they were inside. Each one began to slow down and one by one fell onto the ground. When the last one dropped Tony stopped. He notice each one had a letter on their amulet. It was in the center of the spider. W, A, O, S,H, D were the six letters.  What did they mean he asked himself. Then it came to him, it spelled Shadow. Then before Tony could remove one of the amulets, they turned into smoke and disappeared with the bodies.
   Minutes later he pulled out his crystal and released the dragons. They appeared, but Igneous was still very weak. He looked like a ghost laying down on the ground. Tony fell to his knees because he felt like a failure. "Don't, he was ambushed. But there is still away to recover him. It's risky because he will be vulnerable to attacks and if he is, his stone will detach from him. When it does, we can no longer bring him back." Tony got up and asked how. Nessi said, "You  must speak to mother's children and ask them to connect with mother to allow her energy flow." Tony closed his eyes and asked them to save their brother. Then roots from trees began to reach out to Igneous. He began to appear and disappear. Tony looked at the rest, "Whats happening?" "He is stabilizing, it will take a week before he is completely recovered. I will stay with him to keep him company and protected him from those sorcerers," said Nessy. Tony then asked the trees to give her a signal before sorcerers arrive so that they can have time to escape.
     Draco, Adalena and Tony set off to find other sentries and dragons. They witness that the sorcerers discovered a way to drain a dragon completely. They need to find as many sentries to join in order to cover more ground.
    The next sentry found was in India, his name was Raj and his companion turns into lightning. Raj is much older than Tony, He is 20 years old. He was activated when he almost drowned in the river. He thought he was done for it when he felt his strength leave him. Then when he tried to grab onto a branch, he missed it and instead held onto a boulder. That's when a shot of lightning generated from the stone and went into the sky. Soon after, Naga appeared and saved Raj from drowning. Raj and Naga told them how they went in search for two other dragons and failed to save them. They were attacked by three sorcerers at once. Raj had a scar the shape of a star in his chest. Naga could not stop them from taking the dragons, but was able to escape with Raj. Then once they reached safety Naga used his lightning to travel into his body and purify his heart again. Naga was also able to recover the stones from the dragon so they would not be used.
   The next sentry was in Africa, Ade, She was hiking and got lost. Ade got injured from her leg and took refuge in a cave. That night she was suffering from a laceration caused by a sharp rock she slipped off as she was tumbling down the hill. As her fever grew, she heard someone calling her. It was a woman who sounded very much like her mother, she knew her mother was miles away. As she moved deeper into the cave, her laceration hurt a little more. She then looked up and noticed crystals giving off light. She reached over, but they disappeared. Ade laughed because she knew that now she was hallucinating. Then she stumbled on something soft. She couldn't see very well and was out of battery from her flashlight. All she could do was feel her way back and also figure out what that soft thing was. As she tried to feel what it was, a warm feeling from her chest traveled through her body and on to the soft thing. That's when it lighted up and gave off this bright green color. It is then that the dragon, Orphicus, appeared. He was really bright and silver. Orphicus blew a blue fire at Ade's laceration and it healed. Ade's thought she was still hallucinating for weeks, until she used her power on physical land. They too have been attacked by the sorcerers, but they put up a good fight. Ade had a scar on her palm and down her wrist. It looked like a serpent. Orphicus wanted to heal it, but Ade liked it and it served as a reminder of what the enemy would do.
     After hearing Ade's story of her serpent scar, Raj also showed his chest with a star scar. They both admired each others scar. Tony looked at his hands  and at his chest. Draco then whispered to him, "It's not about the wounds you receive in battle, but the accomplishment." Tony nodded.
    They set off to Indonesia to find the next Dragon and possibly a sentry. When they arrived the wind was blowing and it was raining. They felt the darkness coming. The dragons set the sentries down and shined their  light at them. Armor appeared on the sentry, It looked made out of scales. Ade raised her hand up and from her palms a light source came out. She had created a floating island from out of no where. Raj flew into the air and then he lifted the sentries into the air with his mind. Tony thought, Raj's true power is mind control and levitation. Ade's true power is creation, how cool.
   When they set off into the ocean it was not long before they saw three sorcerers. They were so close to the beach. They were fighting twin dragons, Viper and Vipress. The sentries quickly pulled out their crystals and the dragons joined with them. Tony recieved Adalena's and Draco's power. Orphicus went with Ade and Naga went with Raj.
   The sorcerers gathered together and paired up. Then they shot out some kind of goo which Tony, Raj and Ade moved out the way. The goo landed on the island and it began to burn. Two of them shot out a liquid which quickly turned into spears. Again the sentries dodged them and when one hit a tree it turned black, then into smoke. Raj shot out lightning at them and one almost fell. That is when Tony quickly knocked him out from the group to separate him from the rest. Looking at the sorcerer he noticed a strand of hair coming out of from the hood. Tony looked into the eyes of the sorcerer with the letter A. They looked blank. as if in auto mode. The sorcerer shot liquid at him,but Tony was too fast. Then he duplicated himself into four and surrounded  the sorcerer. Tony thought, they must be stronger united because the shots were slower. The sorcerer tried to reunite with the group and Tony got in the way. Then he wanted to see if they had a pure heart beneath the darkness. Tony's eyes began to light up like Adalena's and the fire in his pupils began to turn black. "no, there is no pure heart beneath, oh wait." Suddenly the color began to turn red and the center showed a hint of white. Tony was caught by surprise when Raj yelled, "watch out." Just in time Tony moved out the way from the goo shot right to him. The sorcerer who carried the Letter S had noticed what Tony was doing. Then he hit a black bolt at the sorcerer with the letter A. A woman's scream came out from the sorcerer with the letter A. She was in pain and when she looked at Tony. Her eyes were no longer blank. A black shadow covered her body and right before it covered her face she managed to say, "heal us." Her black spider was releasing the shadow and once her eyes went back to blank it stopped. Raj hit all of the sorcerer with a strong lightning. They all united and dark smoke came from their amulets. It covered them and turned them into one big dragon with a large amulet that spelled SHADOW.
   Tony, Raj and Ade looked at it and at each other. They knew that this was going to be a tough battle and it wasn't going to be easy. They began to throw everything at this larger dragon. Tony concentrated on Raj, "Raj if you can here me, please hear my plea. We must not destroy them, only weaken them so we can heal them. They need to be healed. I saw her, she is under his control. It is those amulets. They are keeping them on auto mode. Tell Ade not to destroy them." Raj responded, "I heard your plea, I will let her know too." Minutes after two more sentries showed with four dragons. They had caught on to the signs as well and were in battle armor. One turned into a dragon after using her crystal and the other girl dived under water. Now it was four sentries and one dragon against the larger dragon. The black dragon shot out bolts at all of them. It hit Raj and Ade. Then it shot out ice at the two newer sentries. They managed to dodge it, but didn't mange to dodge his bolts. Tony caught all of them as they fell and had the beach take them to safety. Then he went back to face the shadow dragon. 'Right before he got back, he saw the sentry who turned into a dragon get hit multiple times with a bolts. It was then tossed to the side like a rag doll. The shadow dragon laughed and said, "look at your friends, they are gone. What can you possibly do? They are mine and under my control if you think you can heal them."" He's not alone!" shouted Nessy. It was her and Igneous flying into battle. Igneous look regenerated. Tony smirked and joined them side by side. The Shadow dragon shot the liquid at them, But tony was able to use the invisible shield from Adalene. Then without having to ask Nessy allowed herself be pulled into the crystal. Tony through fire at the shadow dragon as Igneous turned into steal and began to fight him. Then Tony remembered fire and steal are probably not a good mix. He then created a stone sword and went for the amulet. As he was going for it, the tail of the shadow dragon hit him, but he was able to shield himself. Then he proceeded. Tony broke the word shadow and the dragon turned into smoke. The sorcerers fell unconscious straight into the water. Tony caught them one by one and set them on the beach. Igneous landed next to him. "They must be awake for you to look into their pure heart or you must posses the healing power of Orphicus." Tony got excited because he knew who possessed it at the moment. Before he could ask the beach to bring back his friends a deep black hole appeared from beneath the unconscious sorcerers. They were sucked into the black hole and a voice came from within. "You have discovered me, but next time I will not make it so easy to defeat my ponds." Then the hole closed as fast as it came. Tony tried to reach for the hand of one, but only caught sand in his hands.
    When the rest awaken, looked at Ade straight into her eyes and burned out the darkness growing in her. Then she released Orphicus and Vipress. Orphicus casted a white light on all of the sentries. They all looked back to themselves again. The two new sentries introduced themselves as Olivia and Noah. They met half way to the battle. They have been training and where also attacked days before the battle. It seemed as though the sorcerers where not only trying to use the dragon energy, but to also destroy the sentry with them. Tony was relieved to meet more people, but it made Draco and the rest of the dragons feel unease. They knew something that the sentries don't know, but they did not want to share. Still they celebrated their most fierce fight. Igneous spoke over them as they tried to exchange stories, "We must search for the last sentry. The longer we wait, the more time we give our enemy to get stronger again. This last sentry has not  been activated and he will not be easily found. We must travel together and incognito." They set off into the sky and went on to their next journey. Tony couldn't help but wonder, why is there only six sentries and why don't the dragons want to say anything. He looked at Draco who shrunk to smaller size and was on his shoulder. Draco knew Tony had questions and said, "It will all make sense soon, the answers you seek will soon appear." They went into the night and disappeared into the clouds like a plane does when its too far.

Diamonds

Diana had invited her friends over for the first time. Her friends were all sitting in the living room awaiting for their snacks. Her mother Iris called her "little diamond, what do your friends like to eat and drink?" Diana answered, " juice and pizza!" Then Diana turned to look at her friends to see if they agreed. They all nodded and smiled. Diana got up to pull out her collection of DVDs and board games. She sat down with all her stuff and asked them, "which movie do you girls want to see? I have more that my mom can bring out and here are some board games we can play after the movie. Then one of her friends asked "Diana, why do they call you little diamond?" She smiled and looked over to her mother who was just entering the room with everyones drinks. Iris placed the drinks down and began to hand them out. Then she sat down with them, "Well, I already called for the pizza. Do you all want to hear how Diana got her nick name little diamond?" and they all nodded.

   It all started when she was born, I was in labor and she had some trouble coming out. She was not ready, but something happened that forced her come early. It was a tough, very though night for her and I. Wow, was she a little stubborn child. After labor I held her in my arms for only a few minutes because she was in a very weak. She had trouble breathing and needed help from the doctor. Then she was kept to another room. A private room were they keep all the babies that need special care. I was so scared because she was a little baby. Her father and I were anxious to take Diana home, but we had to be patient. Then the doctors told us that she was not going to be able to walk because her spine was weak and underdeveloped. That meant she didn't have the strength to walk. Her father and I were sad and happy at the same time, but we loved our little one. She was a gift, a blessing. She began to learn to talk and ask questions. The first time she said a complete sentence it was to ask why she couldn't walk. It broke my heart to hear her ask that because I knew it was going to be asked more than once. I told her what the doctors said and she looked down. She didn't cry, instead she smiled and said, just like me birth it will take time. And every morning she asked me to help her get up and move her feet. I took her swimming and hiking and to the park and any place that required us to walk. She then was strong enough to use crutches and move without me. I didn't know that every night she practiced on her own to walk. It was to our amazement that on her seventh birthday she wished out loud to be able to walk. I said to her, "honey, your supposed to make a wish and keep it to yourself so it comes true" and she said, "but momy, It already has". That's when she stood up in front of all our family. I cried of happiness and held her in my arms so tight. It was that moment when I called her my little diamond, because they are made in the darkest, deepest part of the earth. Under so much pressure and so much heat. It is those combinations which allow diamonds to be made. Diana is definitely a diamond because of the pressure she felt to walk just like the others, the fire that burn inside her to keep going and her desire to keep practicing even in the dark. She is truly my little diamond.

   

Akmos and Pharaoh's Dagger

   It was a cold and windy night; in the palace were cries of a newborn, Akmos. Surrounding him was his father, mother and older brother, Kamos. Akmos and Kamos were sons of the king of Thebes. Kamos was ten years older than Akmos and was excited to have a new baby brother. The night was still young, but a darkness was upon them. Egypt was invaded with foreigners who threatened to take over all of Egypt. Their northern enemy was Hyksos and their southern enemy was Nubia.  
   The next day the king began to prepare for a war to keep his family safe. He was tired of how low his kingdom had fallen. He was in his room putting on his armor when his wife walked in with their newborn. She rocked Akmos back and forth in her arms. "Dear what are you doing?" she asked him while looking at Akmos. The king signaled his servants to stop and turned to face his wife, "I am preparing to defend my kingdom. My sons will not be raised in a kingdom that is invaded by these intruders." His wife sat down and took a deep breath. "Can't you send someone else?" she asked. The king signaled his servants to come back. "And where is the honor in that? A war without its king is for cowards," yelled the king with a straight face. Just after, Kamos walked in with a wooden dagger. "What's this boy?" asked the king as he took the wooden dagger away. "I am going with you, into battle," replied Kamos as he tried to take back his dagger. The king pulled out a real dagger from his waist and handed it to Kamos. " I need you to fight a different battle, one that is most important. Kamos, your mission is to stay behind and protect your mother and brother." The king hugged his sons and wife right before he left.
   A week later the royal guards returned and from far away Kamos noticed the chariot  He was running back from the fields to greet his father home. With his father's dagger held tight in his hands he rushed back, but was stopped by his mother's cries. She was kneeling on the ground while one of her servants was trying to help her back up. He slowly walk toward his mother and the guards. "Where is father?" asked Kamos. "Your father was murdered," replied a guard. Kamos dropped the dagger. He looked down to pick it up. As he lifted his father's dagger, his last words came to mind. He walk over to his mother and placed his hand on her shoulder.
   That same night they began the burial ceremony. Kamos stayed in his room silently until he was notified that his father was going to be taken to his tomb. Kamos had not shed a tear since he heard of his fathers death. He walked over to his father's casket with the dagger in his hands. He stood next to it and finally his eyes began to water. He looked at the dagger and said, "with this dagger I will do what was done to my father, my king, my pharaoh." From that point on he demanded training in battle. Every morning he began his fitness training and then went on to battle training. In the evenings he would study military tactics. As years went by, Akmos began to walk and run. Akmos watched his brother, Kamos during his intense training. Akmos tried to play with him a few times, but he was always rejected. Kamos would repeat the same thing, "we are at a war and its up to us to finish it."
   Kamos was 20 years old by the time he felt ready to avenge his father. He consulted his military chief and every time he was in a meeting he held his father's dagger as a reminder. The time came when Kamos felt he was ready to take on his father's work to restore Egypt to its glory once more. Suddenly two guards returned from their nightly watch. They had capture a messenger running to Nubia from Hyksos. They planned to take over all of Egypt together. Kamos sent out word to his army to prepare for battle that same night. Just like his father before him, he stood in his chambers getting ready for war. Akmos walked in with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Kamos looked at his brother and approached him as he pulled out their father's dagger. Akmos dropped his sword and took the dagger. Kamos then repeated his father's words, "I need you to fight a different battle, one that is most important. Akmos your mission is to protect our mother and our kingdom. I will capture our enemy and bring him to justice within egyptian walls." Then Kamos set off into to the darkness to fight, leaving his brother behind. Kamos stood watch until his brother was just a small dot in the open field and then he was gone.
    Akmos began to train for war the next morning and like his brother he kept the dagger with him at all times. He trained day and night until his body couldn't move any more. Every morning he would send a guard to hear if there was word from his brother Kamos. A few months later he finally got a message from his brother. His first battle was a success and he was going to move on to the capitol. Kamos told Akmos in a letter how he was victorious.

   "Brother, it was as the gods had told me in my dream. We captured a spy and learned of the locations of our enemies. It was as if the gods had sent them to be placed under my mercy. We had the advantage over the battle. During the fight the gods blessed me with their godly power and made me invisible  I was the fiercest warrior that gobbled up any enemy standing in my way. I moved forward and with the slightest movement I won the battle. We are preparing to move on to the capital to finally show Egypt's true strength. I will write to you once more with my next victory. The gods are with us and victory is ours brother."

   Akmos was proud of his brother's victory and celebrated. He walked into his mothers chambers and let her know of their victory. His mother was a very quiet person since her husband was murdered, but she always had wise words to say when she did speak. "son, this is only the beginning, true victory is when our enemies are kissing the very ground they once took for granted." She took Kamos wooden dagger he held once when he was a boy and showed it to Akmos. "This has been replaced with real weapons, I will celebrate when it is restored." Akmos just stared at it for a few minutes and then excused himself.
   A few months later he was in the sun training and he heard chariots ride by. Expecting to see a messenger with good news he ran to greet them. To his surprise it was his brothers chariot and a few soldiers. He searched for his brother among them and did not see him. His heart rate began to rise and he began to sweat. A sense of fear suddenly hit him. He looked at the chariot and saw his brothers body wrapped in bloody sheets. Before any of the men spoke he raised his hand to stop them and signaled them to go. They walked away and left him alone tearing by his brothers body. Then he took the dagger which his brother passed on to him and cut a piece of the cloth which covered his brothers body. Akmos then tied it to the dagger and walked away.
    Years passed and Akmos was determine to complete his father's and brother's legacy. He took no part in ceremonies or feasts. He studied his lands and had his army scout the enemy nightly. Every night he developed a new plan and every morning he destroyed it because he thought it was not good enough. He always took time to enjoy the smallest pleasures in life like the river. He admired the land and bathe freely. It was here where he found the idea how to win his war and were he also met his love.
   She was retrieving water for a bath. As she was walking back to the palace he bumped into her. She apologized right away and bowed. It was the first time he laid eyes on a lady because he spent most of his time studying. She was tanned with long black hair. Her eyes were an almond shape with dark eyelashes. Her lower lip was slightly thicker than the upper lip. Akmos stared at her for a few minutes and then walked away without saying anything. He returned to his study area and wrote down his grand idea to defeat his enemy.
   Akmos knew he needed a larger army. He recruited and drafted every eligible man or young adult. He gave them time to train them for battle. He pushed his military chief to train them from sunrise to midnight. The army was beginning to look unified and were properly prepared after a few months. He planned out a root and then finally gave the order to depart. As he was getting ready he notice the girl walk passed the door of his chambers. He then ran after her until he caught up to her. She turned around shocked and confused. She bowed and ask, "how may I be of service my king?" He stood quiet for a moment, then he said,"you may answer three questions for me. The first, are you married?" She looked up at him for a second and then quickly looked down again. "I am not, I have just reached the proper age." Then Akmos asked his second question, "Is your heart loyal to a man?" She answered, "No, It is not loyal to any man yet." He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. With his other hand he lifted her chin and asked his final question, "will you wait for me?" She took a deep breath. He could feel her heart pulse vibrating throughout her body and through her hands. Then she said "Yes," and he kissed her. He then excused himself and walked away.
   Akmos made camp every night and planned a new route so the spies would not be able to guess where they were headed. It was expected that he would attack from a frontal position, but Akmos took the least path taken and went through a very narrow entrance. It was this that caused them to surprise their enemy. They had snuck in between the cracks of his enemy's walls unnoticed. With all his army finally through the wall, he charged into the city. He took out everyone in his path and kept moving forward. His army was like a sandstorm devouring anything in its path. Akmos had reached the palace walls and found the king. He charged at him with such great force. With every blow he remembered his father and brother. He could see their faces in his mind. Flashbacks of his brother's body brought a few tears while he fought the king. Finally he disarmed the king and had him on the ground. Akmos guards then entered and lifted the fallen king up. Akmar looked at the king and pulled out the dagger he kept close. "You shall not die an honorable death here, instead you will died in my kingdom like a slave."
   Akmos returned to Egypt with his prisoner and presented him as the fallen king. He then publicly marked the fallen king with the same dagger his father once carried. He gave him the mark of a slave and had him thrown into prison without treatment. The fallen king only lived for three more day because his wounds became infected. Egypt was united once more and Akmos was now free to take a bride. He finally married the girl he met by the river and also pronounce himself as pharaoh.
   A year later his wife had their first newborn and we was an excited father. Akmos rocked his son back and forth in his arms for the first time. Then he handed him back to his wife and pulled out a dagger. This dagger was no longer the one he carried for years, it was the wooden dagger his mother showed him a few years ago. Akmos mother watched as he presented the wooden dagger to his baby. Akmos mother smiled and walked away slowly into the darkness. Her wish to restore the wooden dagger to its original purpose had been fulfilled. Akmos was known as the warrior prince and the great pharaoh. The palace once again was surrounded by the cries of a newborn, the new prince of Egypt.





 

A Series of Kindness; hiding behind a smile

    It was getting late and I heard the bus go past my house as I was getting up. I jumped up like a ninja and went to the bathroom to wash up. My eyes were still heavy and my belly rumbling because I skipped breakfast. I knew not to take the car because it had no insurance, but I did anyway. I got in and pulled out quickly because my exam was only a few minutes away. Last night it rained and it was still sprinkling in the morning. I was ten minutes away from school and traffic was unbelievable. As I was waiting in traffic I kept reciting vocabulary and formulas. The light turned green and I proceeded to move forward, then suddenly the person in front of me stopped. Thankfully I had given myself enough space for me to stop in time and not hit the car. I couldn't say the same thing for the person behind me. The lady smashed into my car, a 1996 Camero! I sat in the car and the only words that came out of my mouth were, "oh god, my exam! I don't have time for this." I was still in the car when the police knocked on my window. He said "pull over to the side, you're blocking the traffic." I pulled over and got off crying because I just realized a car just crashed into my Camero which I worked really hard for over the summer. My next thought was now my car was going to be taken away. I didn't have a license as well; to make the situation worse. The officer asked me to step to the side while he checked that everyone was okay. I was still crying when he got back to me, He then asked me why I was crying and was it because I got injured. I paused and looked at him, "I know I'm in trouble, I just got this car and I don't have the paperwork you need. I'm also late for my physics class and now I'm going to fail." He replied, "This wasn't your fault and I saw all those books on your passenger seat, I know you're not a bad kid. This is for the police report in that lady's insurance."  He handed me a ticket and drove off. I was standing there for a good five minutes to see if he was going to come back. I ran to the car and drove off to school almost 20 minutes late. I walked into class and showed the ticket to my instructor. He handed me a test and began his timer.
    After the exam, I was drained. I was sitting right outside of the library when my English instructor approached me. In her hand , she had a few sheets of papers that she handed me to sign. I looked at them and read "poetry contest." I looked at her with a smile and began to fill them out. For days now, she had been talking to me about submitting some of my work. I always procrastinated because I felt my work was still underdeveloped and I needed more practice. There was an excitement in completing the entry form and a scared feeling because I feared the criticism.
   I drove back home and got ready to go to work. As I was getting my things together I looked over old mail. I saw an unopened enveloped and read the return address. It was from a writer's scholarship and it said that I had been nominated to submit my final piece. I knew that the only person that would nominate me was my instructor. I jumped up a few times while reading the rest of the letter. Then I threw it my bag. I walked outside and noticed my car was gone. I couldn't believe it! I had the keys with me the whole time and then remember my sister had the spare. I dialed her cell right away and she didn't answer. I rushed to the bus stop and searched my bag for change. It couldn't belive it, I had no change left for the bus. I had bought a pastry for lunch with the idea that I'd be driving to work. I began to walk to work and called them that I'd be running late, literally! There was no bus stop for another 10 miles and I was walking briskly because I was tired of running. Then out of nowhere, a bus pulled over next to me. The bus driver asked "where are you going?" With sweat on my forehead I looked at him and responded "Work, just a few more miles ahead." "Get in," said the bus driver. "It's okay, I can't pay you. I have no money, " I responded and kept walking. He moved forward and stop again, "don't worry, get in." I smiled and ran inside saying multiple times ,"thank you soo much!"
    I was on the bus and on my way to work. I was not too late thanks to the bus drivers goodwill. I looked at my phone and checked the time. There was a text message from boyfriend, "I need to talk to you." I thought something bad had happened to him and called him right away. I must have called him three times before I got a second message, " I can't talk on the phone, lets text." I text him back, "what's wrong? are you okay?" He replied, "yes I'm okay, I've been thinking that we need to take time off." My heart sank, I didn't know how to respond to that. I called him right away, I needed to hear it from him. He sent me another text, "I'm with a few friends, I can't talk." I felt my face get hot, my fingers get cold and my heart taking a big hit. Tears began to push themselves out as I tried forcing the whimpers back inside. I then text him, "If a break is what you need, then that's what you will have, but don't expect me to wait around. I don't understand why you need it and why in this way. I deserve an explanation " I waited for a few minutes and as they kept passing by, my strength began to decay. I fell into tears and looked at the time again. Five minutes late, I ran into work and wiped my tears off. I kept working non stop and refused to take a break for the fear of what kind of reply I was going to get.
    At the end of the night I checked my phone and no messages from him. I looked up at the sky and began to walk home. I called my sister to see if she will finally answered. She answered and told me that the car was taken away. I was quiet for a few minutes, then I said, "its okay, I'll call you later." I hung up and pushed my pain back inside. I began to look at the text history and tried to find where things went wrong. He was beginning to get in patient with me because I had not moved in with him. I kept putting it off because of work. I knew that wasn't the only reason, It was something else that was bothering him but I couldn't see what.
    My eyes were puffy from the previous night. I no longer held my head up high and my heart was in pain which didn't seem to have an end. So this is what it felt to have your heart broken I thought. The tears on my cheeks had dried already. "Next guest please," said the barista. I stepped up and orders my drink and handed him my money. He was about to reach for it when he paused for a few seconds. Then waved me no.  "You're going to be okay," he said and he handed me my coffee. I looked at him and he smiled at me. I smiled back and walk away thinking, "he is right."

    I clocked into work and focused on doing the best I can. I was humming a song while I worked alone. I had to remind myself a few times "you are at work, you need to focus." My eyes were dry and irritated from all my crying. I didn't have any tears left to replace the moisture of my eyes. As I was helping client by client I forced my mouth to smile and for my eyes to not give out the sadness with in. One of the girls who currently worked with me asked me what was wrong. I answered "nothing" and smiled at her. Then when I was just heading out she gave me a card. The card said "you know you are in the presence of a strong woman when they are deeply hurting and she still says she is okay with a smile."
     For some time my roommate complained about my family always visiting and she had finally had it. When I got home she told me I had to move out because her name was on the lease. I was shocked and couldn't see her point of view at the time. I was furious at first because I was thinking of all the things I was already going through. Then I became very sad because I didn't know where to go. Who would take me in with a dog. Many times before I had trouble finding a place because they preferred someone with no pets. I was beginning to worry, I had just had a trip for my friends wedding and now I was broke. I had to pay deposit and first month rent again. I spoke to my sister and to my surprise she was also looking for a new place.
     It was the last day of the month and we still had no place. I prayed that morning and headed into work. During lunch I received a call from my mom, she had found us a place. I shouted with joy and told her where the spare key to my apartment was. She was moving all my stuff while I was at work. I smiled for real in a long time. A co-worker walked in and said "Hey, its about time. Now that's the type of smile I missed." I looked at him and asked him, "What do you mean? I always smile." He replied, "you always smile, rainy day or not, but I know when its real." I hugged him and gave him a small punch on the arm. "Get to work, ain't nobody got time for that!" and he clocked in as we both chuckled.
     Things were not easy at work either. I had a few coworkers that kept busy with gossip and doing small things to irritate me. I ignored most of it and tried to coach them in a different way. It became a challenge when the person you were trying to coach was above you. I didn't mean to step on her toes, however, from a business perspective I knew I was following guidelines and doing the right thing. That day she confronted me about it. I simple recited regulations and kept emotions out of the way until my character as a person was being attacked. I always pride myself in being courteous and fair to everyone, when I felt I was attacked as an individual I cracked. Tears rushed from my eyes as I tried to explain myself, "Its not easy maintaining a straight face, keep your cool and carry the weight of others while trying to keep yourself from drowning. Everything I've done are always with the best intentions and not to insult you, its all in the guide. If I tear now its not a sign of weakness, but a sign that above all I am still human." I looked away and concentrated on my breathing. The conclusion was not that I said anything or did anything wrong, but that they didn't like my tone. The next day I received an award from corporate for my hard work and dedication to the company, followed by a client's service complement. It was the best way to cheer me up. Someone had recognized me and wanted to let everyone in my store know it. 

   I changed the way I relayed information by doing less explaining and more bullet points. I did my best in asking less questions and did my own observations. I couldn't say the same thing about the other person, it was as if my efforts meant nothing. It hurt because I did my best to do what she asked of me, but I kept a smile on my face. I had a conversation with my boss of what I should do, her words of wisdom were "continue to do your best at work, we don't always get to choose who we work with, but we can choose if we let it affect us." With that said I kept doing what I did best, work. Weeks later she decided to quit because she was just unhappy. I wanted to wish her good luck, but I just said "that'll do piggy," just kidding, I said "you have a good day." Then I smiled at her.
   As I closed and locked the doors I was asked by some of my crew member if I'd like to grab a bite. I said yes and we all went off to the nearest restaurant. It was a little past midnight when we all decided to go home. Finally I got home really exhausted. I turned the light on to see where I was stepping because sometimes my nephew left toys on the floor. As I was putting my stuff down my nephew woke up. With sleepy eyes he said, "Tia is that you?" I answered, "yes, papi." He jumped off the bed and walked over to the table. He pulled out a plate covered with another plate on top. Then he uncovered it and grabbed a fork. It was salmon my sister made earlier. "I saved this for you, I know you didn't eat." I smiled and kissed him on the forehead, "thank you papi." I sat down and ate with him.  
   Sometimes its  difficult to focus on the good things that happen to us, specially if we are already hurting. We keep getting pushed down, but its not about about how difficult the situation may get, it's about how many times we get through it and keep moving. We tend to forget how to recognized the good things that happen to us, but if we take a second look we will find the magic in the series of kindness we receive from others. Remember to thank and appreciate those who have shown kindness because its more like you attract more good things to go your way.

Diary: Tales of my first kiss

Dear diary,

   These are the tales of my first kiss with my significant other. The world is becoming common, and fairytales are a fragment of our imagination that we once knew in a time where media was not our natural teachers. Books were our technology and music was still sung with a story. My first kiss with my few lovers were all too bland, but one. I write the memory of these kisses with my own take on the magic and what a first kiss should be.
   I was around seven years old. Curious of what the world was made up of and if the stories of true love's first kiss were real. The sun was out, the family was cooking out in the park and everyone around my age was playing. I had met this boy in the park, he was wandering by himself. I was playing hide seek when he tripped over me. As he tumbled down the hill I first yelled "ouch," then I started to laugh. Once I heard him moaning in pain, I ran over to him to help pick him up. He got up and asked "why did you trip  me?" I quickly let go of him and crossed my arms. He slipped and fell again while I said "You tripped over me!" He got up and cleaned his hands off on his pants. "Why were you hiding in the bushes?" "why weren't you watching where you were going." I snapped back. He looked around and it made me look around too. "What are you looking for?" I asked. Then he kissed me right on the lips! I couldn't believe it and so I pushed him off after I recovered by the shock. "eeewww, why did you do that for?" I yelled as I rubbed my mouth off. " That's what my dad does when he makes my mom angry or sad," he replied confused. Seconds later I hear my cousin yell out "I found you!" That right there was how my first kiss was, a stranger had stolen it from me.
     Years later I tried to remember of how the warmth of someone else's lips against mine felt like. It had been seven years since my first kiss. I had begun to start dating, but not ready to kiss. I really wondered how it felt and if I would even like it. The boy I was currently dating was my neighbor. We didn't go to the same school, but we saw each other almost every day. Every time when I played with my younger siblings on the yard, front or back, he was always out making eye contact with me. We wrote notes to each other and left them stuck between the gaps of the wooden fence. We developed a plan to spend alone time to meet at least for a few minutes. every night we would find things to throw away and take the trash out at the same time. There was a back alley where the trash was put out and picked up. As soon as I saw the time getting closer, my palms would get sweaty and my heart rate would rise. We met every night and spoke for a few minutes but not too long or our parents would start looking for us. One night he dropped the trash on the floor and I started to help him pick it up. As we were cleaning it up, we both leaned in and kissed. I started laughing because the smell of the trash was getting to me. We got up and said our goodbyes. Then I rushed in to wash my hands. When I was done washing up, I laid on my bed and replayed our first kiss over and over. That night I went to sleep with a smile on my face and woke up smiling.
   Years later my family moved and I lost contact with that boy who I snuck out to meet. One of my friends invited me to a party and thats were we met. He and I locked eyes as I was entering the room. At first it was curiosity which made me wonder who this guy was. We exchanged numbers and began to talk to each other from that point on.  On our first date he tried to kiss me, I said tried, because I looked away right before our lips met. The next date he tried again, and again he failed to kiss me. On the third date he attempted right away when I got in the car. I simply moved away and kissed him on the cheek. He looked a little sad, but not defeated. We went to see "anger management" that day. We got to the entrance and I went in front of him. The guy in charge of receiving the tickets looked at me and smiled. He then said "enjoy," as I walked ahead. I looked back and noticed the look on my boyfriends face. He puffed his chest out and walked straight passed me. I caught up to him and asked him what was wrong. He didn't answer me, but he grabbed my hand. We watched the movie and I began to reference a scene where the therapist pretends to french kiss the main characters girlfriend. The main character was first confused and then a rage explodes. I told my boyfriend that his reaction to the ticket guy was one step away from being similar. We were already outside of the theater and by a fountain that was in the front center. I was walking on the fountain when he tugged on me because he was trying to go back to tell off the guy. I was trying to stop him and so I pulled him back. As I was trying to pull him I slipped and almost fell into the fountain. Luckily he caught me in time. As he pulled me closer to him in his arms, he kissed me. This time I didn't prevent it because it was the way I was hoping for, romantic and unplanned.
   I was in college and my high school sweetheart was no longer with me. It had been a long time since I was out in the dating field. I had met him through a friend. At first we flirted and joked a little. We always spent our breaks together studying and chatting online. People began to ask us if we were dating and we both kept responding no. We finally decided that maybe we should go on a date, but in secret because we didn't want to make things awkward with our friends. We drove to twin peaks and looked at the view for a few minutes and decided to take pictures of us trying to climb the wall. We saw a few teenagers making out and felt a little pressured by the ambiance. We hoped in the car and drove off towards the golden state bridge. while we were in the car we joked about how youth rushes to kiss the girl or boy, but never really know how to enjoy it until a few practices sessions. Then he reached out to hold my hand and kissed it while he was pulling into the parking lot. He made me blushed and I got off the car as soon as it stopped. I ran into the darkness while yelling "catch me." He ran after me  and as I reached the edge I turned around to see if he was right behind me. He was fast, right before I completely turned around he already had his arms around my waist and kissed me. I placed my arms around him and kissed him back. It was as if the site was reserved for us, there was no one around. It was as I had imagined a first kiss should be, private and a nice outdoor setting.
   We fell in love with each other through letters, the last letter I received said " I can't wait to see you!" He had returned from his training and I was anxious to kiss him, yet there was no kiss. instead we went home from his release station. He asked me to get ready for dinner, I wore my red dress I bought for this special occasion.  I was still not done but he was already knocking at the door. He showed up with a bouquet of violet flowers, my birth flower, how thoughtful.  He greeted me with a hug and introduced himself to my family. Then he asked for my mother's permission to take me out on a date. As we headed out he opened the front door  and the car door. What a gentleman I thought to myself and I sniffed the flowers in my hand. He got inside the car and leaned over, which I thought was for a kiss, but It was because he was reaching for the glove compartment to put away his phone. We got to the restaurant where he walked me inside with my hand around his arm. After we had dinner and some wine, we walked back to the car. Then he suddenly stopped me and kissed me in the middle of the road. We must have kissed for a long time that a car honked at us to get out of the way. Wow, what a night of romance. After being separated for a long time he still took his time in making our first kiss memorable.
   A turn of events changed the ways things played out in life. I found myself single again. I was with my sister at a local place that played music every weekend. I went out, ready to just have fun and get back out as I once did before. I heard this song I loved and just pulled a random stranger from the side to dance. It was as if I had pulled a fish from water. I was embarrassed for the guy, but I kept dancing so he wouldn't feel like such a stranger to the dance floor. As the song was ending I said thank you for the dance and walked away. shortly after, another guy had been paying attention to me the entire night. He asked for my hand and signaled me to the dance floor. I took his hand and pulled him to the dance floor. I thought to myself, " you want to dance, I'll show you how its done." Surprisingly, he knew the steps to the type of music that was playing. We danced for the rest of the night. Right before the place closed we headed back to where my sister and I had parked. He tried to pull me into a different direction and I hesitated because he was a stranger. I then compromised with him that i'll walk him to his car a say goodnight. Right before we reached his car, he started to walk extremely slow. I asked him, "what's wrong?" He looked at me and said "I don't want to say goodnight, maybe if I walk really slow we can spend more time together." I smiled and said "there will be other nights, don't you worry." He got really happy and hugged me. He lifted me off my feet and sat me on top of a random car. My phone started to ring and I knew that I really did have to go because it was my sister looking for me. As I jumped off he helped me down and I landed straight into his arms. It was there when he took the opportunity to kiss me. It was just as if I was back in the park. The strange boy who kissed me that day had found me at a different time and location. I didn't feel disgusted, but I did pull away and said goodnight. Our hands were still in contact until the distance was too great to stay in touch.
   Time had passed since that magical night. He had gone as quickly as he came. I spent the rest of my days enjoying the blessing in my life and not thinking of when my next first kiss would be.  But the thought began to linger because my family started to ask me when I planned to settle. My plans are never public and nor are my feelings regarding the situation, however, it was a topic which I did wonder myself. I decided to put myself out there, but also be cautious about it. I don't know if it was luck, coincidence or fate, but we came in contact with each other. We started off by writing to each other every now and then. Finally we exchanged number and began to talk. Talking lasted for hours and time knew no boundaries. Then when we finally met, it was as if we knew each other for a long time, just like our phone conversations, the day went by fast. We didn't plan for it to go by so fast but it did. After our dinner and the fun activities of the night we drove to a quiet place just off the shore. It was there that we stood outside and looked at the stars for the first time again. We both complimented the sky's natural beauty, and then still in his arms, he turned me to face him. He kissed me softly and with tenderness. I kissed him back with the same affection. A kiss beneath the stars was the icing on our date. Right before I went to sleep that night I thought about that kiss. The very first kiss in such a long time and it was amazing.
   Diary, I don't spend too much time thinking about my first kiss with someone I really like or care deeply about. I think more about the time when I will receive my last kiss and hope that our life spent together is monumental for both of us. I know exactly what I want and where I want to be, but I am unsure of the details. That is up to fate, karma and the good nature in those I meet. I only hope for the best and nothing more.

The Morning Song

  Scarlet befriended a bird once, she was at school and saw it flying around the campus. He was a lonely bird and very quite with  feathers so bright blue, you would think he was a funny looking flower. Scarlet began to say hello to him every day as she walked passed him and went to class.  For many days he was in the same place. Scarlet wanted to name him and started to call him Gideon. One day she saw Gideon struggling on the floor.  He had a broken wing and was crying for help. Scarlet lifted him up and placed him back on the tree. She feed him a few times because she cared about him.
   One day, she took him home to protect him from the weather when it got bad. Every night, she talked to him about her day and always said "If you only knew what I was saying and talk back to me". One night as Scarlet slept, she saw Gideon flying over her in circles. He sang for the first time. The stars got brighter and Scarlet saw herself lift up. She was floating in the air on top of her bed. Sparkely lights began to float around her whole body. They tickled her and got brighter. It was so bright that all she saw was white and her eyes began to hurt a little. She closed her eyes shut and when she opened them, they were both flying next to each other. Scarlet looked at herself on the mirror next to her bed and saw she turned into a bird. She dropped like a rock because she had put her wings on her face. Scarlet looked at herself with her eyes wide open and her wings stretched out at the same time. She had very bright blue feathers on her back and teal feathers on her chest. The tip of her wings and tail were a light silver.
 Gideon landed next to her and said "Its okay, I made your wish come true."
 "What? Oh my god, Gideon, you talk! what do you mean? I'm just dreaming." said Scarlet and she ran around the bed looking for a way to get out.
"this isn't a dream Scarlet. You're a bird now, just like you asked," responded Gideon.
Scarlet looked back at him and said "but all I wanted was to hear you talk."
"And now you will Scarlet"
"how can this happen?" She asked as she walk closer to him.
"I sang in your sleep, you have to be calm and very quiet for the magic of the song to work. That's why people feel so relaxed and happy when they hear us sing, but they don't turn to birds because, one, there awake, and two, we don't want them as birds."
 "I don't know what to say Gideon, what about my family? they will miss me, and my friends?"
"you have me Scarlet, I'm your best friend!"
Scarlet looked down and said "I guess I can give it a try."
"listen, If you want to go back you just have to eat those berries," Gideon said as he pointed at a few raspberries growing on a bush right outside the window. Once he said that Scarlet spread her wings and said " well, what are we waiting for?"
"wwwhhhaattt?" Gideon squealed out while he jump back a step. "I mean lets start flying." replied Scarlet.
Scarlet started to flap her wings quickly, but couldn't fly. Gideon walked next to her and said "you have to jump high and the first flap has to be strong because that's your take off, then after that you can take it slow. Like so," and he began to show her. He jumped and flapped so hard the first time it made Scarlet blink a few times because of the wind.
  After a few practice take offs Scarlet finally learned to fly smoothly. Then as they flew past the puddles of water Scarlet stared at her reflection and still couldn't believe she was a bird. The air felt so good between her feathers. She was happy and scared. What was going to happened after she asked herself. They flew to the campus where he showed her the places he always visited. Every morning he took her out to show her a new place. They flew over mountains and large bodies of water. Her favorite part was going up as high as the clouds. It was a different world with new adventures to explore. When she was in the clouds there was no noise for minutes. But if you tried really hard, you could hear other birds in clouds flying very far from them. It was colder up there and so Scarlet flew down. She wanted to see how it felt to dive down and so she did. She dove like a bullet, the earth got closer and closer. Then sswwwoooosshhh, she opened her wings and they pulled her back up just a little. Her wings acted like a parachute and landed slowly on a tree. Her heart was beating really hard. Gideon caught up and said "be careful! you could get hurt." Scarlet was still excited from the dive that she ignored him and took off again. 
   One day Scarlet saw the rest of the birds singing and flying around in such a fancy way. She dove in and began to fly in all different directions. Scarlet was having so much fun that when She looked back, Gideon was not there anymore. She looked for him from tree to tree and branch to branch. The rest of the birds called to play, but Scarlet kept looking. Finally in a low dark corner she saw Gideon laying down. Her heart felt like it dropped as she rushed to see what was wrong. She landed and quickly placed her wings over him.
"Are you okay?" She ask as she tried to catch her breath.
"why yes, why wouldn't I be?" he answered as he jumped out from her wings.
"I just thought that maybe you have gotten injured or something. You're just here all by yourself."
"I'm sorry, did I interrupt your fun?"
Scarlet tilted her head as she responded, "I thought you were right there along side with me."
"I wasn't, I went the other way and when I looked back, you had already flown toward them."
"I'm sorry, I thought that it would have been fun to see what they were up to."
"fun for who?"
Scarlet looked down and turned around. Then right before she took off Gideon jumped in front of her.
 "I'm sorry, I wasn't prepared to see you around other birds. I was so used to us. lets, lets go do something that will cheer you up. Come on I know just the thing, You'll see."
   They flew to the zoo and went from cage to cage. Scarlet was so excited because she has never gotten so close to other animals and past the visiting bars. As they kept flying around the zoo, people began to notice them. The zoo keepers began to talk to each other through their walkie talkies about the two birds. They were impressed with the beauty of Scarlet, her feathers were so shiny and colorful. Gideon and Scarlet were making their last visit to the flamingo habitat and landed on the visiting bars. There was a small boy not too far from them. He waved at Scarlet and said "hello birdy." She hopped over closer and sang for him. The boy jump and giggled. He tugged on his mother to show her his new friend. He then pulled out an animal cracker to try and feed it to Scarlet. As she stared at the little boy, she was caught by surprise with a net. Gideon flew up right away making the zoo keeper missed him. Scarlet started to cry for help. The little boy started to cry and ran toward the zoo keeper. At the same time Gideon flew back to peck at the guy while the child pulled the net from the mans hands. In the middle of the struggle Scarlet broke free and flew away with Gideon. She looked back at the child and wanted to yell thank you. The words didn't come out but the little boy understood what she meant to say. As they flew away to safety the mother was apologizing to the zoo keeper.
    They had reached home safely. Gideon began to apologize quickly
 "I am so so so sooo sorry. I just thought it was going to be fun and we wouldn't be bothered and.."
"Don't bother apologizing. It was the best adventure of my life and the scariest moment too."
"you're not upset?"
"no, but I wouldn't do it again"
"are you sure you're okay?"
"yes, thank you, I had fun today"

   A few days later they flew back to her old home. They flew around the house and over to her old room. Scarlett's mother was sitting in her bed looking at pictures and crying. Scarlett had a sudden urge to console her and flew straight toward her. She was stopped by the window which was closed. Her mother turned around and noticed the bird. She opened the window and said, "poor little bird, are you okay," While she lifted her up. Gideon flew away to give them time alone. He flew past the living room and right by the kitchen window where he noticed a slice of pie. He smelled it and it smelled delicious. He looked around to see who else was around, but then noticed a basket of raspberries. It must be a raspberry pie then he thought. He flew out again and back to Scarlett's room. While the mother was caressing Scarlet, he over heard her say, "you are so lucky to be a bird, your parents expect you to leave the nest as soon as you begin to fly. My daughter just disappeared. I never saw it coming." Gideon noticed the sadness in Scarlett's eyes as her own mother placed her back outside. They took off and she still had a tear in her eye. He then said "you know, your mom makes the best cherry pies." Scarlet looked at him as he dove back down to the house and then followed him. They both landed on the kitchen window and walked in front of the pie. He nudged her, "go on, take some, I'll keep watch. do it for good old times." She took a bite and savored it. she thought hmmmm raspberry pie, her favorite each summer. "Wait, raspberry pie?" She said out loud as she looked back at Gideon.
"I know how much you miss her and after getting really close in loosing you I don't know how I could live on like that. This is for the best okay."
"But what about me? why didn't you ask me how I felt about it?"
"I knew you would have a hard time making a decision"
"and so you took it from me?"
"lets not see it that way, at the end of this night you will only remember us a dream."
"what do you mean?"
"It means that everything that happened never happened because the spell was reversed."
"so will I see you again?"
"I'm sorry, I cannot stay with you anymore."
"that's not fair."
"I will still sing for you, just look deep into your heart?"
Scarlet started to cry, "It's not fair, It's not fair. you are being cruel."
"what I didn't tell you is that I to go when the spell goes, its an energy trade of nature. My life for your life back as a human."
"That's even worse! Why did you do it?"
"Because I love you,"
"I love you too bird brain! but why did you do it."
"I would have rather died a hundred times before, just to keep you alive and happy, than risk your life and your freedom. But I will still live with in your heart, You will always hear my song every day you wake. Someday, when you are ready to leave your human world we will be reunited"
He placed his wings over her and stayed there for a few minutes, then they waited together while the night came. Scarlet promised not to fall asleep, but was so tired from crying her eyes out. Her eyes got really heavy and gave up. When she woke up the next day, as promised, there was a song for her. From that moment on it was as she never left, not one of her classes missed; or rainy day. She woke up every morning with the same song which lifted her spirit up. One night she wished upon a falling star and said "Give me a sign that you were real once." The next day as she woke, right by her pillow was a single feather and an animal cracker. She lifted them both and held them close to her heart as she thought "even the smallest animals have the largest hearts."
    Many years past and Scarlet grew old. She fell in love with another man she met shortly after college, Louis, and married him. Years later she had two beautiful children, a girl named Hope and a boy, Anthony. Every morning though, she still heard that beautiful song which kept her memory of Gideon alive.
   She had gotten very old and as she rested in bed, her time came to leave her body and give up her life in her human body. The doctor walked over to Hope and Anthony; Louis was already gone. He had died in battle serving his country as a soldier. "Your mother has passed away, Did you want to say your goodbyes?" The two of them walked into the room with their heads down. Once they were by her bed they heard two birds singing. They remembered the story of "The Morning Song," their mother always use to tell them at night and looked at each other. Then they knew, Her life as a human was over, but her life as a bird continued along with Gideon. Hope and Anthony waved at the birds with smiles on their faces because they knew it was their mother Scarlett and Gideon. The birds greeted them with song and flew away into the  trees to live as birds together.