Holy crap, it's over!
XD Sorry, don't mind me. I just spent the past few hours adding finishing touches to the 3rd chapter of STNFW and I'm glad to say it's (finally) done. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get it up sooner then last time (like I promise) and I had to cut a bit of it in order to get in done in time. But it is still a freakin long read (XD) and I'm hoping it will be worth the wait.
Please R&R! =D
Chapter 3 – The Strength & The Weakness
“Hello?” Sam said, peering into the dark, empty classroom where they had been told to meet “Is anybody in here?”
She suddenly heard a snapping sound behind her and she jumped, turning around immediately and raising her arms cautiously; only to see Veronika who had just come through the door behind her. Sam lowered her arms and turned back around, searching through the room.
“Where is everyone?” Veronika asked, thinking aloud.
“I’m not sure,” Sam replied as they continued to search through the room.
It seemed like just a typical classroom with desks, shelves and a whiteboard upon a wall with markers. There was a door at the end of the room, which must’ve lead to an office or something similar. But other then that, they could safely declare that the room was deserted.
“That’s weird,” Veronika said “I could’ve sworn there were more people around here.”
“Yeah,” Sam said “I mean, there’s no way we’d be the only people on this program right?”
“No,” Veronika replied “That’d just be stupid.”
“Maybe we’re early,” Sam said, sitting down behind one of the desks.
“Yeah,” Veronika replied, as she took the seat across from her “that’s probably the case.”
The two sat in silence, gazing out a small gap in the blinds that was left open exposing a small part of the window and watched the kids walk by, chatting and getting up the belongings so they could head home.
“Do you think they know?” Sam broke out eventually, as they watched the groups of students leaving.
“Know what?” Veronika replied, looking away fro the window and over at Sam.
“Y’know, why we’re here?” She continued
“What do you mean?” Veronika asked
“Well, we’re obviously not here for the cultural experience…”
“No,” Veronika replied “I wouldn’t say so.”
“But I mean,” Sam continued “Do you think we’ve really been send to this alone?”
“It’s one dragon!” Veronika explained “There’s two of us, you do the math.”
“Yeah, but why us?” Sam asked “Why of all people would the Dragon Council send us? Besides, they don’t know anything about him. For all we know he could be dangerous.”
“I guess it was just a risk they were willing to take.” Veronika replied
“Why? Cause it’s us out here and not them?” Sam asked
”I don’ know,” Veronika said “maybe they want us to learn some things on our own? Anyway, I doubt the Dragon Council would send us into a situation that could be potentially dangerous alone without looking further into it and making sure it wasn’t going to case us any major harm.”
“I don’t know,” Sam said “I’ve still got doubts about this.”
“Just trust me, I’m sure it’s going to be fine.” Veronika replied
“That’s not what you were saying a few minutes ago.” Sam said
“Well, if it helps…” Veronika continued “Forget what I said. I was just nervous.”
Sam stood up from her seat sighing, as Veronika leant back against hers continuing to gaze out the window in front of them.
“Did you hear that?” Sam asked eventually
”Hear what?” Veronika replied, getting up from her set as well.
“Shh,” Sam exclaimed “I think I hear it again.”
“Ear of the Dragon!” Sam said as Veronika studied the room curiously, trying to see if she could spot what Sam was talking about. Sam could hear it, it sounded almost exactly like foot steps heading towards the door. Sam go down onto her knees and shuffled over to the door pressing her ear up against it.
“What is it?” Veronika asked noticed her, sitting upon the floor.
“Someone’s coming,” Sam explained eventually, before getting back to her feet and standing back as the handle slowly began to turn and the door creaked slowly open. Sam and Veronika both watched in disbelief as two teenagers, a little older then them stepped through the door. Not just any teenagers, but two they knew very well.
“Emi?” Sam said, staring back at her in shock.
“Ari?” Veronika said, at practically the same moment.
----------------------------
“And here we are back where we started again,” Lewis said as he lead them back out to the front of the school, still walking hand in hand with Ash as Liam followed along behind them.
“So, that’s your school,” Liam said, still lurking over Lewis like a shadow.
“Yeah,” Lewis replied, glancing over his shoulder quickly to acknowledge him “nothing too special,”
“Yeah right,” Liam said, sneering and getting ahead of Lewis to playfully flick at his tie as if trying to emphasis how…Let’s say ’poised’ the school was.
“Thanks…Man,” Lewis replied sarcastically, stopping and fixing it back up “But yeah, I get your point.”
"Do we really have to record all our homework and stuff in these stupid diaries?" Ash asked, looking at the one in her hand. As Liam flipped through the pages of his, which he had already scrawled and graffitied upon immensely.
"Yeah, pretty much," Lewis replied "But after a few years of doing it you pick up on certain shortcuts - Forging signatures and notes, making up homework, getting your parents to sign your diary for the whole term at the start of the year so you don't have to ask week after week... Y'know, stuff like that."
"Hang on," Liam said, gesturing for Lewis to stop. He was leaning something up against Lewis's back and scrawling at it with a pen. Lewis glanced over his shoulder and could see Liam was talking 'notes' in his diary.
"Get parents to sign diary for whole term instead of asking on weekly basis" Liam muttered to himself as he wrote it down in the 'Notes' section of his diary. Lewis rolled his eyes and Ash just laughed.
“There!” he said, snapping the diary shut and putting his pen back in his pocket
Then suddenly, there silence was broken by the sound of a mobile phone, chiming a very familiar tone. Liam looked up at Ash and Lewis with a suspicious grin, hearing the polyphonic ringtone of ‘How You Remind Me’.
“Alright,” he asked “Which one of you have the Nickelback ringtone?”
“Yeah,” Lewis said sheepishly, dipping his hand into his pocket “That would be me.”
“Shocking,” Liam replied sarcastically, as Lewis pulled it out and searched through his received calls, sighing at the number that showed up on his screen.
“What is it?” Ash asked, noticing Lewis didn’t seem too pleased by the call he’d received.
“Nothing,” Lewis replied “It just looks like I’ve gotta get going. There’s some… errands I need to attend to.”
“Oh, okay,” Ash said, as he gently peeled his hand away from hers and walked over to the bike rack, unchaining his.
“So, you’ll call later right?” she asked, as he took his helmet out of his bag and strapped it onto his head.
“Yeah sure,” Lewis replied, pulling himself onto his bike “You’ll be on your phone, right?”
”Yeah,” she said “You know the number.”
“Alright,” Lewis said “Love you,”
“I love you too,” Liam replied idiotically, not even looking up from the diary he was still reading (supposably). Ash elbowed him in the ribs playfully forcing Liam to put on a ridiculously melodramatic display of rolling around on the ground, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. Ash rolled her eyes as Lewis laughed, before riding across from Liam and tapping him with his foot. Suggesting it would probably be best for him to get up.
“Catch you later man,” Lewis said grinning, as Liam pulled himself back up to his feet.
“Yeah cya round dude,” he replied, dusting his shirt off and removing a few twigs that had gotten into his hair as Lewis began to pedal away from the school and headed down a dirt track and over an old, wooden bridge leading from the school, following it back towards his house.
He couldn’t help but smile as he continued his ride home. Even if there was a boring and tedious task waiting for him at the end of his journey, he was happy to be with two of his greatest friends who he hadn’t seen in a long time. There was so much he’d keeping from them lately. If only there was someway he could let them know.
He sighed and wiped his thick strands of hair away from his eyes as the wind continued to lash against his face, breaking his concentration and clear sight on the road ahead of him for just a second.
One second too long.
Out of nowhere, sweeping suddenly around a near approaching bend rolled a thick, rugged beast of a vehicle, like a raging animal let loose from it’s leash. The exact second Lewis looked up he was immediately blinded by searing flash of flight, flickering off of the front of the front of the truck. For whatever reason, the driver had there headlights on… In broad daylight.
After losing clear sight of the road ahead for the second time, Lewis instinctively turned sharply to the right feeling the wheels of his bike skidding against the gravel beneath him, flicking tiny pieces in all directions. The sharp sudden turn he took caused the bike to hang at a precarious 45 degree angle to the ground, as his bike slowly veered out of control.
It wasn’t long before Lewis, still temporary blinded by the flash, soon felt himself hitting the hard concrete road and tumbling through the thick fragments of gravel breaking into his skin. Hearing the sound of metal corroding as his bike crashed against the road just a few inches across from him. When his eyes finally regained the strength to lurch back open the first (and last) thing he saw was a dull, black surface directly underneath him, before he collapsed heavily against it.
He groaned in pain, clutching his elbow which was beginning to flow blood thickly from its wound until he suddenly realized he’d forgotten one crucial detail. The long, low blast of the truck’s horn awoke Lewis from his momentary lapse of concentration, and he immediately staggered up to his feet, his heart racing and stomach lurching, before shedding the last few seconds in desperation, leaping off of the road and crashing down against the soft grass at the end of it.
His timing was perfect, as soon as he’d made off of the road he could hear the sound of his bike spinning against the force of the truck’s immense speed and power. Half of it had slid off of the road and onto the grass after Lewis’s desperate turn in attempt to miss the truck, but there had still been a wheel sticking slightly over the ‘line of fire’, which felt full force of the impact.
It was battered and beaten from the collision with the truck, but not as badly damaged as Lewis would’ve first expected. Still, at that moment, it didn’t really bother him too much. He was just lying motionless on his back, against the thick itchy grass, panting and gazing upwards in disbelief over what had just consumed the past few seconds of his life.
“I guess that’s why you need to wear a helmet,” he said to himself, unbuckling the one he’d been wearing at the time “You never know when you’ll need to dive out of the way of a truck.”
He lifted his head slightly and stared up at the truck that was continuing down the road at a high pace, not even slowing down to see if he was okay after almost being hit. Come to think of it, he didn’t even remember the truck slowing down or attempt to break when he’d almost hit him. It had just blasted its horn as a warning and then mowed right through whatever stood in its way.
“A**hole,” Lewis said, as he watched it turn around the bend and began to disappear out of sight completely. It was in that moment in time that Lewis was actually to watch the truck carefully and identify it. It was a blue truck, towing an unlabeled tanker behind it. It’s license plate number read ‘22AA33’.
“I’ll make sure to look out for him next time I’m on the road,” Lewis added, as he lay his head back again and continued to slowly catching his breath from the fatigue setting in upon him due to what had just taken place. It wasn’t long after though, that he suddenly felt this feeling of exhaustion completely consume his body. Within seconds he went from gradually recovering to losing the strength to even lift his head.
His mind and vision of all his surroundings was completely spinning, and he felt as though something was taking over him from the inside like a disease. He tried to open his mouth to call out for help, but not the slightest sound was made or heard by another ear around him. Eventually, he felt his eyes grow heavy and slowly drop closed, as the one thing that had come so close to killing him that night became the very thing that may save him in any nights of peril that may follow.
A strength became a weakness.
----------------------------
“What are you doing here?” the four girls seemed to all ask at once as they gazed around the room at each other.
Out of all the people they’d expected to slide through that door, Ari and Emi would’ve definitely been at the top of Sam and Veronika’s lists. Yet there they stood right before them, within in an arms reach. But the real question was why? What were <I>they</I> doing there?
The answer itself though seemed clear. They were all dragons, they were all very aware of that fact. Were they all there for the one purpose?
“The Dragon Council…” Emi began eventually after the four had stood in silence for a moment, trying to figure this all out.
“Yeah,” Sam replied from the other side of the room, stepping forward with Veronika.
“Were you guys sent here by them too?” Veronika asked as they came forward.
“Yeah,” Ari asked “You were too?”
“Looks that way,” Sam said.
“Huh,” Emi said “Well, that’s weird…”
“Tell me about,” Veronika replied, before turning to Sam “Looks like we’re not in this alone after all.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Sam replied “It’s strange though…”
“What?” Ari asked
“Well, you think they would’ve sent some boys as well…” [A/N: My god this is horrible XD]
.:.:. Meanwhile .:.:.
Just outside the classroom, less then 15 feet away from the four girls, paced along another teenager, who just like them, had same thoughts and ambitions on his minds.
17 year old Kevin, with blue eyes, brown-blonde hair and a tall, slightly muscular build strolled absent mindedly down the pavement outside the classrooms. His Ipod hanging loosely between his fingers as he walked along,
I'm on the outside
I'm looking in
I can see through you
See your true colours “Good afternoon, it is a beautiful 27 degrees here in Gosford with few clouds in the sky-”
“What the hell?” Kevin said, glancing down at his Ipod. Something odd was going on. It wasn’t playing music anymore. The sound of Aaron Lewis’s unique singing voice was suddenly drowned out by a common and emotionless, dull voice glancing over lines of events affecting the world locally and internationally. His Ipod had somehow picked up a radio station, right in the middle of a News Bulletin.
He shook it between his finger tips and began pressing at the Menu and Hold buttons on it, trying to get some kind of response from it. But nothing happened [A/N: Ipods = always screw up. XD]. He gave up, and took his ear phones in his hands, getting ready to pull them out. When the News Reader's rambling tone suddenly broke out again, with something that made him freeze on the spot and immediately let go of the ear phones as he listened with great intent.
“It appears that in recent hours,” the voice continued “A second victim of unexpected, highly unusual murder has been declared. Ironically enough, the victim was the partner of the Paramedic who was killed in what can only be assumed was a freak accident, just over two weeks ago. Doctor John Hayward was leaving from a local Police Station when he was believed to have been brutally attacked and killed in his car. But when his body was inspected later and was declared to have contained traces of poisonous venom drawing the conclusion that this death could’ve possibly been caused by the bite of a snake or even spider. Officer P. Hanson, the last man known to have scene Mr. Hayward alive is being held for questioning as few witnesses are known in this event. This story will be updated as further information is uncovered-“
Then suddenly, the news reader’s voice faded out and the sound of Kevin’s music returned to his earphones. It was in the exact spot it had just been at a moment ago. As if absolutely nothing had changed in that time. He felt his headphones slipping from his grip and dropping against the ground, as he stood there still trying to contemplate what was going.
“What was all that about?” he mumbled to himself, pausing the song he was now halfway through playing. When the sound of the music in his ears died done after he’d lost his ear phones, the sound of the life surrounding him became clearer. The sound of several student’s voices competing, including one that he could’ve sworn was calling his name.
He looked up and around him, trying to find out who had said it, but when he couldn’t see any familiar faces he shrugged and bent down to retrieve his headphones from the ground. It was probably just a coincidence, surely there were lots of people with the same name as him in Australia too; and besides what were the chances that he was going to run into to someone he knew now?
He head the voice calling again, but choose to ignore it because he was certain it wasn’t directed at him. Yet after several seconds of repetition in the calling he began to grow suspicious. The voice was growing louder too, as if getting closer to him.
“Kevin?” he heard it call one final time, before he gave in and decided to answer.
“Yeah?” he said turning around to see who had said his name. It was a girl, a girl of about 15 years old with long blonde hair and green eyes. It was the familiar face he hadn’t expected to see.
“Ari?” he said
“Yeah,” she replied “What are you doing here?”
“What are <i>you</i> doing here?” he said, getting back up onto his feet and returning his Ipod phones to his pocket.
“…I’m not the only one,” she replied
“Huh?” Kevin asked, a little taken back “What do you mean?”
“It’s a long story,” she replied
“I’ve got time,” he said
“Okay, follow me,” she said leading him into a classroom that had been a few yards away from them.
As she opened the door and they walked inside Kevin started around utterly confused and in disbelief by what he was seeing. The room was full of three other girls, all of which he was very familiar with.
“Kevin?” they said, sounding just as confused as he felt.
“Yeah,” he said staring around at all four of them. Ari, Emi, Sam and Veronika. “What the hell is going on, what are all you guys doing here?”
“We could ask you the same thing,” Emi replied “What’s up?”
“Not much,” “Why?”
“Well, I dunno you looked a little puzzled out there,” she continued “just sitting on the ground.”
“I dunno,” he replied “It’s hard to explain. My Ipod just did the weirdest thing…”
“Oh, those things really are useless,” Ari said, looking at the one in his hand “What happened? Did it freeze?”
“No, it’s working fine… Now.”
”Oh, well… What happened then?” Ari asked
“It picked up a radio station,” he answered “Right in the middle of a News Bulletin.”
They all looked at him with puzzled expressions on their faces, not completely sure about what he meant.
“…Okay?” Veronika said eventually
“Can’t Ipod’s get radio reception already?” Sam asked
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s just phones.” Kevin said “Besides, if mine could pick up radio stations I think I’d be aware of it. Anyway that doesn’t matter,” he continued “it’s not the fact that it picked up radio that bothers me. It’s what the people on the Radio station were talking about.”
“…And what was that?” Emi asked
“Okay, well…” he gestured for them to move in closer “You know the Australian Dragon?”
“We are familiar with his work,” Sam replied sarcastically, Veronika motioned her to be quiet as Kevin continued.
“Well, it turns out there has been a follow up to the supposed murder that happened a few weeks ago.”
“…And?” Ari asked “Who was it?”
“It was the guy’s partner,” said eventually
“What?” Veronika said in disbelief “You mean the other guy who was operating on him that night?”
”Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“That’s, that’s just creepy…” Sam replied
“Yeah,” he said “In fact they even said they’d found traces of Venom in his body. Possibly spider venom.”
“But isn’t that how he almost die-?” Ari began
“Yeah” Kevin said, cutting her off before she could finish “From a spider bite.”
“Wow…”
“So, that was yesterday?” Veronika asked
“Yeah, I’d say so.”
“Hang on,” Emi said “It was Thursday yesterday, right?”
“Yeah, I think it was,” Sam said
“So,” Emi continued “Don’t you guys find it a bit too creepy that first paramedic died on Thursday and then his partner died on the exact same day, 2 weeks later?”
“That’s probably just a coincidence,” Kevin replied
“Yeah,” Ari broke in “But, who are we to say that all of this couldn’t have just been a coincidence?”
“Yeah, true,” Kevin said
“This is really weird,” Sam said eventually
“We’ve got to find this guy,” Kevin said “It sounds like someone is after him.”
“I know,” replied “These deaths that are occurring… It’s almost as if they’re all linked back to him somehow.”
“Once we’ve worked out what’s going on here, we really need to find him…”
“Yeah,” Kevin said “He could be in some serious trouble.”
.:.:. In A Nearby Location .:.:.
“Master,” said a young boy of no less then 16, his faced masked blindly behind the darkness.
“What is it, Huntsboy?” responded the older man standing across from him.
“They have arrived,” continued the Huntsboy
“Show me…” his master ordered.
The boy carefully unveiled an unusual looking gadget he’d been cradling in his arms, that (like some kind of magical projector) suddenly displayed the images of two young teens, a boy who was known to them best as the Australian Dragon and another girl…
“The dragon…” the Huntsman said, staring upon the image.
“Hey Lewis,” said the image of a 14 year old girl with red hair and blue eyes
“Ash?” Lewis said, as the girl nodded in response and the two smiled at each other.
“Hey,” he continued as she came over to him, and the two wrapped their arms around each other “What are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d surprise you,’ she said as the two pulled away from each other and continued to talk. Gazing into each other’s eyes.
“The girl…” the Huntsman continued “Who is she?”
“I’m not sure master, but she appears to have a close relationship with the Australian Dragon.”
“Yes, there is no doubting that.”
“So, are you saying they have all arrived?”
“Yes master,” the boy arrived “I’ve seen them all around. They all believe the Dragon Council sent them, just like you asked.”
“Excellent, then our plan is just beginning.”
”What do you propose we do master?” the Huntsboy asked.
“Assemble the clan,” he said eventually “We’re going after her.”
“Yes master,” the boy responded before heading off as the Huntsman turned back to watch the image of the Australian dragon and the girl with him slowly fade away, just like he planned to make happen soon enough.
”So you came all the way down from ‘I’ll Ask Her’, just to see me?” he asked
Ash laughed, “Even in real life you call it ‘I’ll Ask Her’?”
“Yeah,” Lewis replied with a grin “Force of habit.”
----------------------------
"So," Liam said “How do you like Australia so far? As good as you always imagined?”
”Yeah,” Ash said “I mean, I’ve only been here a few hours but it’s awesome! It’s almost as if I’m rediscovering why I wanted to come here so badly.”
“The opportunity to flirt with Lewis?” Liam smirked
“No,” Ash replied, rolling her eyes at Liam before continuing “I do love seeing him and actually getting to be with him right here in the flesh for a change. But…”
”What?” Liam asked,
“…No,” Ash said eventually, stopping eventually “No. You know what? Don’t worry. It’s nothing…”
“No really Ash,” Liam said “What is it? Come on, you can tell me.”
She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair hesitantly, before continuing. Almost as if she was struggling to the find the words good enough to explain what was on her mind.
“Okay, “ she began eventually “well it’s just I can help but get the feeling that something’s troubling him.”
”Yeah, you’ve got that right.” Liam replied
“I mean, just the way he left earlier today, it seemed just a little too suspicious.” She said
“Well, I dunno about that,” Liam said “he is older then us and probably had some homework to do or something like that.”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess you’re right,” Ash replied “But I think you get what I mean.”
“Yeah,” Liam said “Something really is up with him.”
“Well,” Ash looking at the time on her phone “It looks like I’ve gotta go now too.”
“Yeah,” Liam said, checking his watch “It is getting pretty late. I probably should heap back myself.”
“Okay,” Ash replied “Well, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” she said, before the two both went the their separate ways home “See you tomorrow”