Dragon Girl by Melissa Nichols (best interesting books to read TXT) 📖

head for support while the other traces shapes on my right arm. I take comfort in hearing his heartbeat and the feeling of his touch. I wrap my left arm against his side and try for a prolonged half-hug.

 

While I love the silence, it has a drawback - sharpened hearing. And with my ear pressed against his lungs, I would have heard it even if there was a train roaring just inches away from the car.

 

"I love you."

 

My heart stops.

 

"Josie?"

 

Oh, he meant to say that? He meant for me to hear it?

 

I sit up and look deep into his eyes, and I gently stroke his cheek, remembering our many moments together. And just like that, I know what I feel and what I need to do.

 

I love him back, with my whole heart! But I can't say it yet.

 

"Josie, what -" He pauses mid-sentence as he sees I'm smiling my best 'over-the-moon- happy' smile. He smiles too and then he kisses me.

 

I wish I could stay silent and keep my true nature a secret for the rest of my life, but I have to test him before I tell him I love him. I need him to prove that he could handle the real me before we go any further. Oh, Ryan, please pass! I can't survive without you!

 

"I have to show you something." I whisper to him as I open the door at my feet and climb out, Ryan hesitantly following behind without a word.

 

Our spot is already secluded, being a back-alley with only one working light. No one passed by without me hearing them approach. It's a great stage.

 

I stop and turn to face him, finding Ryan right on my tail. If he's that close when I reveal myself, he'll get hurt.

 

"Can you back up?"

 

With a confused look on his face, he obliges. Poor guy doesn't know what he's in for.

 

"I have to show you something, and I need your promise you won't tell anyone."

 

"What?"

 

"Please, tell no one. Not our friends, not your parents, not even your counselor. Not a single soul. Ever."

 

"Why? What could be so secret it'd warrant a promise like that?"

 

"Please."

 

"All right. I promise not to tell a soul about your secret. And that's a promise I'll take to my grave."

 

"Thank you. And, after this, remember that even after what you're about to see, I'm still me. I'm still Josephine, your girlfriend."

 

"Honey, you're scaring me."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

I take another step back into the only light in the alley. Without another word, I reach down and take off the dress, revealing my bikini. Thank god I had decided to wear it!

 

I take off my necklace and heels, and gently lay everything to the side. When I look at him again, I'm dressed only in my black bikini. Ryan narrows his eyes and cocks his head in a confused way. Why was my bikini such a secret?

I breathe deeply once, close my eyes and begin my transformation, searching out the heat that resides in my stomach. I find the hot energy, will it to expand in my belly, then I open the floodgates to my limbs and allow the heat to spread.

 

Starting at my fingers and working its way up my arm, the heat flows through me, transforming me with every inch it touches. My pale skin turns green, hardens and cracks into scales. My fingernails grow into claws, my fingers lengthen and thicken, and my palms shift into a paw. Bones shift and grow, muscles move, organs re-position themselves. As the transformation reaches my back and legs, the changing bone structure pitches me forward onto all four paws.

 

I growl as my vocal cords, neck and mouth change. My teeth grow sharp and long, my jaw and nose elongates, horns sprout from the back of my head. My hair shortens, then fix themselves into the horns that line my spine. My limbs grow longer, making my body grow so I tower over Ryan. A tail and wings emerge from my back and I flap to help ease them into position.

 

As my transformation ends, I open my eyes and find Ryan frozen in place, staring at me with a mixture of shock and horror. His eyes are huge, mouth gaping, his chest moves slightly with every stuttering breath.

 

The longer I watch him, the more his eyes widen. He takes a half-step back. Knowing I'd lose him if I didn't do something, I whimper as I bring my head to his level.

 

 

He remains still... until my breath hits him in the face and ruffles his hair.

 

He suddenly jerks backward.

 

And he screams, much louder than anything I've heard before.

 

 

Startled by the sudden noise, I scramble backward. But in the next instant, I can only watch as he turns his back and runs as if the devil will swallow him whole.

 

Chapter Two

 

Ryan’s scream echoed through the alley, a sound that followed him as he ran for his life, away from me. My chest burned as the undeniable truth sunk in to my shattered heart.

 

I really am a monster. Tears welled in my eyes, fogging my vision and leaving a sting. Without even thinking, I de-phased into my human form as I listened to Ryan's scream growing faint in the distance and taking any chance of happiness with it. I wrapped my arms around myself, a physical action to keep the emotional pain at bay, as I took an unsteady step forward.

 

 

 

I arrived home with barely a thought about directions. I didn’t make any conscious decisions; all I could see was Ryan's horrified face, his scream still echoed in my ears, drowning out all thought.

I came to the door and, on a whim, looked inside the half-pane of a window that was next to the front door. I could see my family sitting around the dining room table, laughing and enjoying themselves. It shouldn’t have affected me so much, and I knew that I normally wouldn't care about anything they do. However, nothing made sense anymore, nothing mattered. Even as I told myself that, I still felt that crack in my chest, widening the chasm that Ryan had already carved out.

 

I leaned against the wall quietly, feeling tears stream down my face as I took in several gulps of air. Unbidden, fury rose within me, burning my heart and drowning out my pain. I clenched my fists and fought to breathe as emotions converged, and the reality I’ve been running from my whole life finally took root in my heart.

 

What hope did I have to be normal? What was the point of everything I’ve been doing, forcing myself to fit in and rejecting the other half of my soul? Why have I been so stuck on not leaving until graduation, on following the rules? Rules that only apply to humans. I'm not human, I’m a dragon! I should be flying free, hunting alone and looking out for myself. I shouldn’t pretend to be something that I’m simply not, and I shouldn't stay in a house that never wanted me around. It’s time I grew up and accepted that.

 

My spine stiffened as determination flooded my veins, hot like lava. I could feel the dragon growling and stretching her claws as if preparing for battle. I took a step down the driveway, feeling the energy burning within me, on the edge of my transformation. Then an image came to my mind that made me stop in my tracks.

 

My friends. They’ll be worried about me.

 

I pulled out my phone and started a group chat, excluding Ryan.

 

I’m leaving. The text read. Don't look, you won't find me. I'm sorry. I love you, and goodbye.

 

I hit the send button and waited for the confirmation symbol, then - finally allowing myself to use the full force of my strength - I crushed my phone in my palm and dropped the pieces on the cement. As the broken parts clattered to the ground, I heard the screech of chains and the clank of shackles being unlocked. The dragon gave a roar of victory. Freedom at last.

 

I ran out into the street, beginning the shifting process as my heart leapt into the sky. It was less than a moment before I was leaving the human world behind me. My wings pumped through the air; the wind blew past my face constantly, and the air grew colder as I climbed higher into the sky. The air was so clean, so crisp - like a morning after heavy rainfall. For the first time in my life I felt like I could breathe again. I took a deep breath and let myself appreciate how easy that simple action was now, how fulfilling it felt. It helped me push my emotions to the side, forget about this disastrous night. I focused on gliding in the current, feeling the wind rush past me, the freedom the dragon savored. It had been too long since I’d let myself enjoy flying; it felt like coming home after a long vacation.

I’m free. I’m finally free!

 

As I evened out under the white puffs, I scanned the area, clearing my mind of these blissful thoughts. The time for celebration was over, for now; I needed to find a place to call home.

 

Where should I go? I asked myself, relying heavily on the dragon’s answers. I’m gonna need shelter and food. I can find food in just about any habitat so the real trick is going to be finding shelter. A cave sounds nice. It's gonna be cold, wet and hard to find but that sounds the most...comfortable? Caves are usually in mountains, right? Hey! There’s an old mining town just to the north.

I looked to the right. In the distance, about sixty miles away, I could see the stony peaks rising from the earth, piercing through the clouds.

There are bound to be some entrances to the mines that I can fit through. They're abandoned so no one will go near. And, if I need to run from something, I can just hide in the tunnels. Okay! Here we go!

 

I shifted my course, bearing a sharp right. I flapped my wings a few times to take myself above the clouds, focusing my sharp eyes on the distant mountains. An hour was all it took for me to get there.

 

I gently descended and hovered over the ground for a moment before I de-phased; the tunnel was too tight for my dragon form. Creeping cautiously, I moved inside, pausing at the foreboding darkness that made the dragon sigh in comfort. This darkness was different than the blackness of night. It was a void that was absolute, with no light anywhere but at my back, and the size of the tunnel made it feel confining, like I was stepping into a cage. Under my feet, I could feel the mountain tremble. The ceiling above me could give out at any moment and I’d be crushed before I’d have a chance to phase to protect myself. 

 

Even so, I stepped forward and let the darkness envelope me.

 

The moonlight didn’t penetrate far, but it was enough. The tunnel was cold and moist, echoing every noise that the mice made as they scurried around. My human side wanted to turn back and stay outside, but the dragon edged me forward, closer to the darkness. 

 

I found abandoned carts that were now