PART 1: MONSTERS AND MURDER - Chapter One

PART 1: MONSTERS AND MURDER

~CHAPTER 1~

1 year later...

Fireburst landed at the peak of the Jade Mountain Academy. She looked around, and saw other dragonets on the landing, being hugged by their parents. She got a sickening feeling of sadness welling up inside her. She bit it back.

To her left, she saw a bouncing RainWing dragonet. Her scales were overflowing with excitement. Fireburst snarled with envy. It’s not fair. SHE doesn’t have any worries in the world. And I have all of the problems.

Be calm, Fireburst. Stop making grudges against harmless dragonets.

Still ignoring the RainWing, she twisted to her right to see a SkyWing dragonet. He giggled and nudged his sister, and they broke into a little playfight, squeaking happily. Like the way I used to play with Redstart…

Forget about Redstart. There’s nothing you can do about it now.

Fireburst took a deep breath and stepped forward into the vast entrance cave.

I can make friends here, she told herself. None of them need to know…

      .             .               .    

Endwhisperer hurried along through the entrance hall.

Oh, mother, why did you have to take me here? If my secret is revealed, what will they think? she wondered. It had been six months since her mother died, and End’s heart hurt like a dragon had come and hacked it out of her, skewered it, and then placed it back inside, incorrectly.

She could feel her eyes watering. Stop it. I will NOT cry on the first day. Or at all.

As she edged along, a couple dragons turned to stare at her. Their thoughts hissed in her mind like a nest of upset vipers.

Look at that lying, deceitful NightWing.

She looks so conceited, so stuck up.

Untrustworthy. She looks like the dragon that would snap a promise in two if she was offered one.

The other dragons’ thoughts echoed in Endwhisperer’s mind, replaying over and over again like an endless circle. She tried to brush them aside.

Wait. Her eyes are RED. Is that a normal NightWing eye color?

A single voice broke through the wall blocking up all the other thoughts, leading a flood of them into her mind.

She looks like she’s hiding something, whispered a voice in End’s head.

Does she have a secret? Another hissed.

The last one was barely audible, but it buzzed in her ear like an angry bee.

Is she a… vampire?

As soon as Endwhisperer heard that thought, she turned and ran. Running, running, running away.... where no one could see her, and no one could suspect...

They will never learn that I am half-vampire. Or a mind reader. Never! And if anyone thinks that I am, they’ll get a nice bite in the neck, End thought fiercely.

“Oh, hello! My name is Fatespeaker. And yours?” Endwhisperer looked up to see a smiling black NightWing.

“My n-name is… er… End. Endwhisperer. Nice to-uh, meet you?” End said.

“Wow. I like your eyes. Anyway, here’s a map to the mountain. Your sleeping cave is…” Fatespeaker frowned and flipped through a scroll.

“Aha! Hello, Endwhisperer. Your cave is five tunnels down, seventh cave on the left. I hope you like your clawmate.”

“Oh. Thanks.” replied Endwhisperer.

Clawmate? Good grief.

Endwhisperer stopped at her cave. It was very dark, which she liked, as her vampire senses adjusted to the deep, earthy feeling. It was peaceful, not the loud, bright, sunny caves up above. Suspended from the ceiling were lots of fire-globe lamps, spilling beautiful colored light in the tunnel.

End stepped in the cave. There were two beds- one was a bare rock ledge, which was already occupied by a bright reddish-orange SkyWing, and then an empty pile of soft leaves. End sunk into the warm bed, curling her tail around her legs and wrapping her wings around like silver-and-black blankets.

Then she realized that the SkyWing was staring at her.

“Hello,” the strange dragon said. “My name is Fireburst.” Her tone sounded grouchy, like most SkyWings, but End looked into her mind and saw a lot more.

An explosion, radiating heat across the sky. Black dragons overhead, throwing flaming cacti and burning dragons alive. A whole village, in ruins. Fireburst, alone, scarred and bleeding, crying out for her family, who would never return.

Then it was all sealed up and gone.

“Um… My name is Endwhisperer. But you can call me End.”

NightWing, the SkyWing thought bitterly. NightWings killed them.

But she couldn’t have. She’s only a dragonet. My age… Fireburst argued with herself. And I need to make friends. Look, a friend right here. If only I can figure her out. She looks like she’s hiding something…

Endwhisperer felt pity for Fireburst. Her whole family, killed when she was only four? But… why?

“Well, uh, I’ll see you at the winglet meeting.” said the SkyWing, walking off.

Oh no, the winglet meeting! Endwhisperer thought, alarmed. Three moons, the stress! I need to go read a scroll...