Chapter 5
The Lunar Training Camp has become my home away from home, but it is better in some cases. I have responsibility, actual responsibility with people holding me accountable for things that aren’t done on time, not that I don’t do my work. We have schedules, lessons and training and chores and freedom. It’s what I love most about this place. Freedom just to be who I am, with no pressure of a birthright or the expectation to be a strong and powerful dragon. That’s the thing I like most about this place. In the three months I’ve been here I haven’t ran into any dragons in the camp, there are some in town, on the rare occasions I do venture out but here, I don’t have to be highly aware of suppressing myself all the time, something that’s gotten admittedly harder as the time has been passing.
“Hydra! We’re going down to the lake, come on.” Cally barges into my room, uncaring of my half naked self. I contemplate her offer, thinking back to the strange sensation I had the last time we were down at the lake. I had to work extra hard to suppress my dragon, or snake, and by the end of the day I was more exhausted than anything else. “Come on, put on some pants and let’s go.” She throws me a pair of jean shorts, hopping from one foot to the other. “Torren is waiting for us.”
“I have to be back to help with dinner.” I warn as I pull on the shorts and slide my feet into a pair of sandals. She grins, pulling me out of my room and into the scorching hot sun where Torren is indeed waiting for us, smoothies in hand. “You are a life saver.” I tell the dwarf who shrugs his shoulders, waving me off as he hands me my smoothie and we begin our trek to the large body of water.
“Nelly kicked my butt in training today.” Cally complains as she lifts her shirt, looking at the bruise that’s already starting to form on the side of her stomach. If there is one thing I don’t like about humans, it’s how fragile they are and as skilled as Cally is, I’m afraid she might get seriously injured one day.
“I told you to protect your side. It’s a weak spot.” I chide, wishing I could do something to help her heal. She gives me a mock salute, and I give her a playful shove. “I’m serious. You tend to not protect your lower half, and it leaves you open for an attack.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed it too. Hydra you should focus on your eye contact too. You look before you punch sometimes.” Torren mutters, kicking a rock out of his way.
“I know.” I groan deep in my chest. “I’ve been trying to work on it.” It’s something I’ve been struggling with ever since I learned how to throw a proper punch.
“I didn’t come out here to review our sparring lessons. I came out here to have a little bit of fun before dinner, now if you two could please hurry this along? We have to get this one back before dinner prep starts.” Cally pokes my cheek before locking her arms in Torren’s and mine and rushing us towards the lake.
“Did you hear we’re getting a new instructor?” Torren asks as we reach the lake. I walk out onto the dock, letting my feet touch the water as Cally pulls off her shirt and cannon balls straight into the still surface.
“For what?” She asks as she comes up for air, a big smile on her face and I wonder how she can be so at home in the water. It’s not something that has ever bothered me before my failed attempt at a morph but ever since I’ve felt weirdly out of control around water. I even have to convince myself to take a shower after every day, contemplating if I’m in the mood to waste energy to suppress whatever weird energy is forcing my dragon side to the surface.
“They’re implementing another level of training. Master classes for top students, or something. I heard Blue talking about it with sensei Meiko. I don’t think it’s set in stone yet though.” He joins her in the water, sliding in gently rather than splashing water everywhere. The conversation quickly shifts from the excitement of getting a master class to Cally begging me to get into the water, a request I decline twice before she gives in and then discussions about maybe going into town tomorrow.
A sense of contentment rises in me as I watch them try to catch each other in the water. Cally declared us friends from the day she took me to meet Blue, our camp director, and Torren and I became fast friends after he kicked my ass in a sparring match. It’s fun having them in my life. It takes my mind away from missing home. Gives me people to hang out when family day comes around and we find ourselves seated in a café in town because Cally’s family is in London and Torren apparently is out to prove to his family that he doesn’t need them. We’re a family of our own, Cally claims, the three of us.
I’m silently relieved when it’s time to head back for dinner prep. I stop by my room to take a quick breather and calm down, pushing my dragon down as far as it’s willing to go in it’s worked up state. Lucky for me I’m placed on kitchen duty, and it goes by fast as we cook the food and I can manage to escape for a little while after the buffet is set up and ready for everyone to enjoy. In the bathroom I splash some water on my face before drying myself and joining the others.
As I enter the dining hall my eyes drift over to where Blue is sitting with a man I’ve never seen before. He’s dressed in a pair of jeans, nice looking dress shoes and a flowy dress shirt, handsome from his side profile and when his gaze turns in my direction I take a sharp breath. Not only is he strikingly handsome but he’s a dragon. I quickly look away, finding Cally and Torren on the other side of the large hall, much to my relief.
Having a dragon here means I’m in danger of being discovered because while no one believes I’m human they certainly don’t know I’m a dragon. He could be from a clan and if he is, I’m as good as found at this point. I spend my entire dinner keeping an eye on him, only truly relaxing when he eventually follows Blue out of the room. I’m the last to leave the kitchen after cleaning up, glad for the silence of the night as I walk back to my room, contemplating if staying here is a good thing. The peace I have found here is now being threatened by a reminder of a world I don’t want any part of and it terrifies me to think about what’s going to happen if I’m found out.