Dracon, Book I: Rebirth

A foreword:

A few peeps said it would be a good idea to post my story here, and I shall do so. I would request that no one posts, and I will have one post per chapter. Unless some kind of text-limit keeps me from doing that. I'll start with the Prologue, and slowly add more. Note that I have at least fifteen chapters finished (or close to).

The whole purpose of me posting this is to advertise my work and to share a story I've been working on for around seven years. If you have a question, comment, review, suggestion, idea, whatever, please PM me. I always love some constructive criticism, and look for more ways to improve. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce my work-in-progress, Dracon.

Prologue

“When all is lost, new spirits will grow. Whether by will, whether by chance, whether by fate. They shall become strong in their skills, which will be many. Doubts will lurk about them like a moon for they are not God-Children. Though they could be denied success, for they will have no knowledge of their ancestors, lest the Flame is rekindled, and the King is found. The way of the Nairo will be reborn and the people will rejoice...”

-- “Rebirth”, a prophecy of the Nairo

The dank bunker shuddered violently. Screams of war and pain reverberated from the makeshift entrance, covered by a boulder. The walls, hastily made, lost bits of dust and grains of dirt with each footfall above. A lone torch sat in its holster on the far wall, allowing just enough light to see.

Dracon Kencende's helmet lay haphazardly on the ground next to his feet. He sat alone against the wall, contemplating the best moment to jump back into the fray. Thoughts of the war, of the enemy, kept him seated. He had no desire to fight anymore. The past few weeks had been nothing more than a blur. It had all happened so fast.

Dracon glanced at his sword, lying on the ground inches from his fingertips. He hadn't received it more than a month ago, and in a way, was what had sparked this enormous conflict. It was an elegant katana, with a brilliant chrome blade, leather-bound handle, and a hilt shaped to resemble the wings of a large reptilian beast, called the Wyvern. A pair of dazzling blue gems shone at the pommel and center of the hilt, seeming to mask the sword's destructive potential. Upon the flat sides of the blade were ancient runes that, when hit by light at the appropriate angle, shone as if they were a separate component of the sword entirely. Dozens of weapons of this kind had been forged to aid the Nairo, and were handed to a select few, Dracon included. They were the Nairo's Bane, nicknamed so to fool the enemy.

For years, the Menikai had been a threat. They were once the infamous criminals of Nairoid society, cast from their home planets to the prison rock, Menicon. Ever since the invention of interstellar travel, that had always been the way things were done. But then he came.

The only one either brave or foolish enough to challenge the Nairoid Empire caused an uprising on the desolate planet. The criminals ran to his aid, “Artifice”, they called him, willing to do anything to escape the torture of life as a prisoner. The outposts and towers were quickly overthrown, forcing the guards to return to their home planets.

Once the good Nairo were gone, Artifice and his band of criminals began to build. Soon, they became lazy. They built mechanical workers of Artifice's creation to do the building. It didn't take long for their single city to span the entire planet.
Artifice brought his robotic creations and a will to fight for these people. That wasn't all, however. He brought a way of life. Dubbed by the righteous as “Menikism”, it is the belief that all natural life is obsolete and worthless. Instead of the way things were meant to be, as created by the gods, they preferred technological enhancements to their own bodies, sacrificing their flesh and blood for steel and oil. It was blasphemy.

As they became more and more dependent upon their technology, they lost one of the most essential tools of the Nairo; the ability to alter the materials around them with no more than a passing thought. It was a skill carried by all the good Nairo, and was accepted to be a gift from the gods. Oddly enough, these abilities seemed attuned to the Nairo's planet of origin.

Those from the planet Geondr were often endowed with the ability to shift stone and dirt and bend it to their will. For those on Hydrath, the same with water. On Fernitay, fire, and on Aeros, wind. For some, however, their abilities stretched further than simple element-bending. Always in addition to the simple elemental arts, these abilities ranged from a heightened intelligence to the ability to sprout wings and fly among the clouds. Those few were given gifts that no other Nairo possessed, and it was thought that the Nairo with these uncanny abilities were part of some divine plan.

Dracon allowed the shadow of a smile to flit across his face at this thought. He was one of these gifted Nairo, and was very well known for his ability.

The gods worshiped by the Nairo were accepted truth and evidence of their presence was obvious. Prophecy, artifacts, sacred ground. All of it was proof. The oracles, even more so. Each planet in the Jungan Alliance had a grand temple devoted to the rites of one of the four elemental gods. More common were the temples to the Lord Nekai Reku, god of light and royalty. In these shrines, the oracles sacrificed their earthly possessions to commune with the gods.

It was a dream many Nairo had, but only so few were capable of the task. The loss of any items one may have owned was a small price to pay for higher knowledge and divine insight. When he was a young boy, Dracon had aspired to become an oracle. His dreams were shattered when he was no older than twelve. It was customary that only one in each family is allowed to become an oracle. Dracon was competing with his younger brother, Wat'Nar.

The High Priests were examining both of them. From their appearance, to their builds, from their abilities, to their intelligence, from their wits, to their personalities. The High Priests were no doubt impressed with Dracon. They marveled at his structure. They claimed that he may fulfill a prophecy stated by none other than Nekai Reku himself. Because of this, he was ineligible. His brother, however, seemed to fit the bill quite perfectly. His abilities and intelligence gave him plenty of leeway. Wat'Nar was gifted with the ability to see the future, the past, read minds, and move objects with his mind. He was a psychic. A born oracle.

Despite their strict ways, the Nairo were a very peaceful and prosperous people. For the first few millenia, the inhabitants of the four planets had no idea that they were just one-fourth of their entire race. When interstellar travel became a commodity, they had found each other. They were amazed at the fact that they had the same customs, beliefs, everything. It was a joyous occasion marked forever as The Finding. That day became one of the most celebrated in the Nairoid year, called a “revolution”. Even stranger than the cultural similarities was the fact that each planet has the exact same rate of orbit around their suns. It was decided too much to be a coincidence. It was the work of the gods.

After The Finding, the king of Geondr, Junga Semtaver, made an attempt to unite the planets under one banner. They were all Nairo, but now they would be Nairo united. The monarchs of the other planets agreed, becoming the Jungan Alliance of the Nairoid Empire.

Recently, however, the Alliance had been fraught with unease and terror. The Menikai had made sure of that. When Artifice had declared that Menicon was to be a sovereign planet, separate from the Alliance, the Council feared their power. They sank into a continuous appeasement, feeding the Menikai like a fat baby.

They became stronger. They became more. When the Council decided it couldn't keep up the bribes, a new course of action was taken. They began to passively mobilize, assembling their forces where the watchful eye of Artifice couldn't see. The Bane were forged. And that was where the Nairo slipped. Artifice learned of the weapons, and demanded them for his people.

When King Ferren refused, Artifice amassed his entire army to crush the forces of the Empire. Artifice began his destructive path, attempting to obtain as many of the weapons as he could. A spy had given him the formula for Baneforging, He only had the resources to make two, which he used for himself. Rumor was that he had found a way to imbue his technology into the Bane.

A loud explosion above brought Dracon back to his senses, back to the musty interior he had dug out minutes ago to escape the combat and rest for a moment. Dust fell from the ceiling, adorning the shoulders of his silky purple cape. Dracon sighed. He stood up, holding his hand directly above his helmet lying innocently on the ground. He flicked his wrist, causing a small column of rock to launch the helmet into the air, from where Dracon snatched it up in the blink of an eye.

Dracon lowered the helm over his head, stifling his breath and focusing his vision. He picked up his sword in the same manner as he had his helmet, placing it momentarily in the scabbard on his belt. Turning to the makeshift entrance of the shelter, Dracon lifted both his hands, palms facing him, as if he were to engage the rock in unarmed combat. He twisted his left hand to face the palm toward the rock, and pushed forward. The rock, of its own accord, almost, followed Dracon's physical command and retreated into the battlefield, where it toppled over, spewing dust from beneath.

The setting sun cast a reddish glow into the bunker, momentarily blinding Dracon. He approached the entrance without looking back. His sword slid neatly from the scabbard as Dracon readied himself for more fighting. Dracon paused, concentrating. His eyes were closed, and the sword began to glow a light blue. When he reopened his eyes, his vision became clearer. Leathery wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, and a spiked tail thrashed behind him.

Dracon's roar echoed through the distant mountains, and he stepped into the battle once more.

Jeffrey Dorm's alarm clock beeped in his ears, and he grunted as he reached out, missed the snooze button, and hit the volume, making the alarm much louder than before. He quickly snatched it up and turned it off. With a sigh of relief, he set it back down on his bedside table and stared at the illuminated red numbers displayed on the screen. It was seven o'clock in the morning, and today was Jeff's first day of junior year. He hopped out of bed, running his fingers through his glossy black hair. He got dressed in his usual attire; baggy jeans, a light brown t-shirt, and a blue plaid button-up.

Huh... another weird dream, Jeff said to himself. He had a history of strange dreams, and his nights were frequently plagued by impossible conundrums, paradoxes, and illogical reasoning. This time was no exception. He had been attempting to unlock a glass chest full of rusty keys with a gold coin.

Jeff glanced out the window to find a brightly lit landscape before him. The clumps of trees and farms in the distance reflected the sunlight through their minute windows. The blue mountains in the distance, in the neighboring state, no doubt, were crowned with wispy clouds.
He wasn't exactly used to the view. Jeff had lived in a dense city dozens of miles from here before he and his mom, dad, and little brother had moved into a more rural area about a month ago. It was such an abrupt change, Jeff didn't quite know what to think. It was too quiet.

After a groggy descent down the stairs, and into the kitchen, he prepared a bowl of cereal. He ate it quickly, and dumped his bowl into the sink. After running back upstairs, he searched for his keys, wallet, cell phone, and his backpack. His keys and wallet were underneath a pile of half-completed job applications, his cell phone was charging on the wall, and his backpack was stuffed underneath his bed.

“Mom! I'm taking off!” Jeff shouted through his open door.

“Alright, drive careful!” A woman's voice called back. “You're taking in those applications today, right?”

“Dammit,” Jeff sighed under his breath., before calling back, “Yeah, I will.”

He turned on his heel, striding back to his desk. He picked up the papers contemptuously, and stuffed them into his backpack.
“Okay, I'll see you later!”

Once again, he stumbled down the stairs, skipping every other one on the way down. He stopped himself in front of the door, and shouted into the stairway on the other side of the house.

“Spencer, hurry up!”

“I'm coming!” a voice shouted back. A few thuds and a slamming door later, Spencer Dorm, Jeff's little brother, stood before him, ready for his first day as a sophomore. Spencer wore a blue tank top, shorts, and had spiked black hair. He had always had a sort of boyish look about him, with a round face and almost pudgy cheeks. He liked wearing tank tops, even in the cold weather, and a warm fall Monday was no exception. He practically lived in the newly finished basement, where his bedroom was located.

“Okay, good.” Jeff said, turning around and stepping out the front door. A few paces from the garage was Jeff's car, a '94 Mercury Topaz, with deadbolts holding the trunk together, and a crunched back, looking as if a rhino had sat upon it. He opened the door, and started it. Spencer slipped in on the passenger side, and threw his backpack in the rear seat.

Their dog, Tank, an obese chocolate lab, sat near the garage lazily, and watched them drive off.

In the parking lot of Stag High School, Jeff hopped out of the car and began crossing the blacktop. He stopped to stare at the building. It was a fairly large building, stretching into four wings. The largest, down at the other end of the parking lot, loomed over the rest of the school, making it feel more like a prison than a place of learning.
Spencer caught up, and stood beside Jeff. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. He unfurled the paper and squinted at the writing upon it.

“It says I'm supposed to go that way,” he said, pointing to the largest portion of the school.

“Okay... I have to go this way, so I guess I'll see you here after school?” Jeff cast a sideways glance at Spencer.

“Yeah, sure. Later.” Spencer replied, before turning and striding off toward the main entrance.

Jeff let out a deep sigh, and continued on his path. Standing near the closest entrance, a few girls were standing in a clumsy circle, chatting about makeup, and hair, or whatever it was girls talked about. The most attractive of them made eye contact with Jeff as he passed. The very instant, it seemed, that he wasn't paying attention, Jeff's feet decided to tangle upon each other. Jeff tripped, almost landing face-first on the pavement. Embarrassed, Jeff quickly diverted his glance the other way, trying not to let them see him blush. Once they thought he was out of earshot, he heard them begin to giggle.

Around the corner, the excess blood drained from Jeff's face. He looked over his shoulder, almost expecting the gaggle of girls to come after him. While he wasn't looking, he made contact with what felt like a large hanging side of beef.

“Hey, watch it!” The boy, bigger than Jeff, turned around, scowling at him. He had brown, combed hair, and a round face. His outfit was nothing more than black shorts and a black hoodie.

“Sorry,” Jeff said meekly.

A kid in a matching black attire and messy short hair standing beside the larger guy laughed. “Look at 'im! He's afraid a' you, Ryan!”

Ryan smirked a little. “Lemme handle this, Vinnie,” Ryan made a glared at the kid on his left. “You should watch where you're going, kid.” he said, turning back to Jeff.

“I said I was sorry,” Jeff protested. “And you're sorta blocking the entrance.”

“I don't like his attitude.” said the tall kid on Ryan's other flank. He wore a black hat, a dark-green t-shirt, and baggy blue jeans.

“Shuddup, Gage. I just said I'd handle this,” snapped Ryan. He turned his eyes back to Jeff. “You almost knocked me over. I don't think I should let you in.”

Jeff looked over his shoulder again, this time spotting a second entrance to another wing of the school.

“I'll just go the other way, then.” Jeff said bluntly. “The fact that I don't need to put up with this seconds that motion.”

He about-faced, starting for the other door. As he sighed with relief, amazed at his own gall, he was stopped by a yank on his backpack. Jeff staggered backwards and toppled over. Now glaring down at him, Ryan's face was contorted in anger. He picked Jeff up by the front of his shirt, and held him above eye-level.

“You want to repeat that?” Ryan spat.

“Not really,” Jeff whimpered.

Ryan tossed Jeff into the grassy lawn next to the pavement. He landed with a thud, and yelled in pain. He had bitten his tongue on the landing, and was sure he tasted a tinge of copper. Vincent and Gage laughed at Jeff's expense, and trotted toward the cafeteria. Gage stopped halfway, and picked up Jeff's backpack. Being much taller than Jeff, he half-climbed a nearby tree, and placed it among the boughs, just for added effect.

Jeff sat up and spat the mixture of blood and grass shavings from his mouth, and wiped his jaw. With a forlorn look to the backpack dangling from the branches of the tall maple, he got up and went to the office to ask for a ladder.

Upon entering the main office, the secretary looked him over, as if wondering whether he was worthy to enter the room.

“What can I help you with, hon?” she asked.
“Uh... my backpack ended up in a tree outside... can I borrow a ladder or something to...uh... get it down?” Jeff said weakly.
“What? How'd your backpack end up in a tree?” the secretary asked, her eyes widening a little, as she spoke.

Jeff knew it was coming, and decided that the last way he wanted to kick off the year at a brand new school was to be a snitch and a crybaby.

“I'd rather not talk about it.” Jeff said in almost a whisper. The secretary looked at him skeptically.
“Well, when you feel ready to talk about it, you come on down, and I'll get something set up with the counselor. Now, about that ladder,” she reached into a small basket, revealing a black two-way radio. She depressed a button, and said, “Hey, Marv?”
“Yeah?” a voice crackled back.
“I've got a kid here who needs a ladder. I guess his backpack is in a tree outside.”
“I'm on it. Have him meet me outside my office.”
“Will do,” the secretary said. She set down the radio, looking back at Jeff. “You heard the man. His office is just down this hall, third door on the left,” she pointed back out the door to the following hall.
“Thanks.” Jeff squeaked. He left the office, following the secretary's directions. The third door on the left was a rough wooden slab with a handle, not matching the rest of the school's decor. Jeff waited for a few seconds, before the janitor, Marv, showed up.

“You the one who needs the ladder?” he asked gruffly.
“Yeah.”
“Well, here, I'll get one. Hang tight,” Marv retreated into his lair, and came back seconds later with a large ladder over his shoulder. “Lead the way.”

Jeff retraced his steps back to the tree. Marv set up the ladder, and ascended it. When he returned to earth, he handed Jeff his backpack, and asked, “So tell me... how'd it get up there?”
“It's nothing. Really.” Jeff said, shrugging.

It must have been good enough for Marv, because he packed up the ladder and headed back to his office without so much as a look back.
The bell rang shortly after, causing Jeff to realize that he didn't know what his first class was. He took the folded schedule from his pocket and unfolded it. His first class was labeled,

World History 3 – Room 407

Jeff made his way to the specified room―down the hall past the custodian's office. When he got to the correct room, he opened the door, slipped in quietly, despite all the talking, and found a seat. Jeff looked around nervously. There were about thirty kids his age in the room, some were wandering around, chatting to whoever would listen, others were following Jeff's example, sitting quietly, but most were standing in circular groups, talking about the happenings over their summer vacation.

Probably the only person Jeff had any sort of history with was his childhood friend, Kellen Palder. He went to Stag High, but Jeff wasn't sure if he would see him.

On the outskirts of one of the larger groups stood a familiar figure. He wore a red hooded sweatshirt with a grotesque spider embroidered on the chest. His appearance exceeded his age; he was ruggedly handsome with a somewhat gruff face, and piercing blue eyes. He also had oddly shaped ears. They were pointed, almost.

“Kellen!” Jeff said loudly. Kellen whipped around, searching for the source of the voice. He spotted Jeff, and abandoned his position in the group.

“Hey! It's about time you got here! I've been waiting for years!” Kellen laughed, exchanging some knuckle with Jeff.
“Yeah... I'm a little nervous.”
“Oh, don't be. Everyone's real nice.” Kellen said cheerfully. Jeff rolled his eyes.
“If you say so...” he said under his breath, thinking about the leaves and broken twigs still to be removed from his backpack.
“Here, let me introduce you,” Kellen turned around towards the group he had just left. “Hey, guys, c'mere!”
“Why don't you come over here?” one of them asked.
“Because I'm stuck to the floor. Just do it, dumbass.”
“Whatever.”
Of the large group, only three of them did as Kellen said.
“Okay, guys: this is Jeff. He oozes cool.” Kellen motioned to Jeff. “Jeff? We've got Brad,” The kid who argued with Kellen waved a little. His hair was dirty blond, cut short, and spiked. His shirt was bright green, and displayed the words “stop looking at my shirt.” He wore denim shorts and black Vans.

“Cody,” the kid to the left of Brad nodded, his arms folded. His eyes were a sort of glassy black, and his hair was just as dark. He was wearing a tank top and some shorts. He looked kind of like a basketball player, Jeff thought.

“And Will.” the last kid waved enthusiastically. He stood to Brad's right, and was leaning on a desk. Will wore a brown shirt and some tan shorts. His hair was dark chestnut, and he had his bangs flipped up with hair gel. His facial features were mostly pointed, such as his chin, and his nose.

“Nice to meet you.” Jeff said politely.
“You, too.” Will said, shaking Jeff's hand.
“You're such a dork, Will.” Cody said, a little grin playing across his face.
“At least I'm polite enough to make some sort of acknowledgment to the person I'm being introduced to.” Will stabbed back.
Kellen smacked both Will and Cody upside the head. “Shuddup, both of you!”


Throughout the day, Jeff was pleased to discover that he had all but two classes with Kellen. In the two periods they didn't share, Jeff had Cody, Brad, or Will to aid him. Once the final bell rang, they all stood outside in the school's small courtyard. Jeff swayed nervously, noticing all the strange glances from other students. Being the new kid was no fun. Through the clumps of kids, Jeff spotted Ryan and his troupe, standing under the tree in which Jeff’s backpack had previously been placed. They were looking around suspiciously, as if they thought Jeff was around the next corner.

“Oh, jeez,” Jeff whimpered, hiding his face behind Kellen's backpack.
“Bwuh-?” Kellen stammered, trying to look at Jeff.
“Ryan.” Jeff whispered, pointing toward the tree. Kellen followed Jeff's outstretched finger.
“Oh... him,” Kellen scowled. “He's sort of a dick.”
Jeff laughed uneasily. “Yeah, that's what I've learned.”
“His pals there aren't much better. They'll do whatever he tells them.” said Will.
“And then some.”
“What?”
“He put my backpack in that tree earlier.”
“Who?”
“The one on the left.”
“Josh?”
“No, the other one. Far left.”
“Oh, Gage.”
“Yeah...”

Jeff looked around for Spencer, and spotted him standing alone near a big circle of emo kids.

“Spencer!” Jeff shouted. Spencer's head turned accordingly, searching for the source of the voice. He waded his way through a giggling troupe of cheerleaders, smirking a little as he walked.
“Hey,” he waved lazily.
“You ready to go?” Jeff asked, pulling his keys from his pocket.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Awesome,” Jeff turned back to Kellen and the others.”'Kay, I'm taking off. I'll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Later.”
“See you.”
“Hasta Lasagna.”
“Shuddup, Brad.”
“Okay.”

On the drive home, Jeff found it to be eerily quiet. Spencer was staring out the window, and hadn't said a word since getting into the car.

“So? How'd it go?” Jeff asked.
“Eh,” Spencer shrugged. “It was okay. Not as big as our old school, but...” He trailed off. “Yours?”
“It was fine.” Jeff felt the lump on his lip as he said it.
“What?” Spencer's head whipped around. “You're such a liar.”
“I am not! What makes you say that?” Jeff protested.
“That bruise on the side of your face. And your slightly swollen lip.” Spencer pointed out bluntly.”So what happened?”

Jeff stared ahead at the road for a second, trying to think how best to word it.

“Uhm... I'll just say that some people aren't nice.”
“What! You got beat up!” Spencer laughed. “I was hoping you tripped, or fell down some stairs or something... that would have been way funnier.”
“Thanks,” Jeff glared coldly at Spencer.
“Who was it?”
“Just these guys... it doesn't matter.” Jeff shrugged.
“There was more than one of them?” Spencer's eyes widened.
“Yeah.”
“Well? What happened? Details!” Spencer pushed.
“They threw me onto the grass and put my backpack in a tree. There. Happy?”Jeff said angrily.
“Just a little,” Spencer smiled mischievously. “So where are we going again?”
“I already told you, I have to drop off these applications.” Jeff pointed with his thumb to his backpack in the rear seat.
“Oh. And where do these need to be dropped off at?”
Jeff thought for a second, listing all of the placed from which Jeff sought work in his head.
“Pretty much everywhere in the big plaza in town.”
“Even the lingerie place?” Spencer giggled.
“No. Except that place.” Jeff smiled.

When they pulled into the expanse parking lot, Jeff jumped out. He reached in back and pulled the applications from his backpack.

“You coming?” Jeff asked, as he started walking away.
“No. I'm just going to hang here.” Spencer poked his head out of the open window. Jeff shrugged and continued.

Jeff handed his first few applications to the people manning the various desks and customer service counters. His last one was to be dropped off at a locally-owned computer store. Jeff opened the glass door, a little chime signaling his entry. The shop was laid out like an office, with computers at either end and a desk in the center of the room. There was an old arcade game set up by the door, and various computer parts and bits of technology were hanging on the walls. The man sitting behind the counter either hadn't heard Jeff enter, or didn't care. His back was facing Jeff, and his feet were propped up on a chair. A TV in front of him was set to a news channel.

The man had long red hair, tied back into a ponytail. His clothes were shabby and unkempt, and he wore thick glasses before his eyes.

“Uh... excuse me?” Jeff said. The man behind the counter turned his head a little, just enough to get a look of Jeff.
“What can I help you with?” he said, not turning from the TV.
“I need to drop off an application,” Jeff held the paper out.
“We're not accepting right now.”
“But-” Jeff started.
“Either buy something or get out!”
Jeff turned on his heel, fuming. Just as he got to the door, something on the TV caught his attention.
“-today report a strange object in space hurtling toward Earth. Scientists claim that the object or objects are too small to cause any damage, but there may a small impact. The police say there's nothing to worry about, but urge civilians to stay indoors to avoid any potential harm...”

Jeff turned around, watching the screen. His eyes narrowed, as low-resolution images of a fiery ball flew through space on the screen. He was overcome with a feeling of deja-vu, and thoughts of pain and misery welled up within him.

The man, having not heard the chime again, turned around.

“I thought I told you to beat it!” he bellowed.

Jeff shook it off, and bolted out the door. On the way back home, Jeff thought about the news report. He had no idea why he was feeling the way he was about it. Today was the first day of school. I'm under stress, he reasoned to himself.

When they got home, Spencer retreated into his basement lair, and Jeff made his way up to his room. He sat down on his bed, staring out the window.

“How was your day?” a woman's voice said from the doorway. Jeff turned around. His mom, Monika, was leaning up against the jamb, her arms crossed. She had soft features and her pinned-up hair was dark brown, which accented her blue eyes. She donned a sweatshirt and sweatpants, displaying the words “Arcadium Elementary”.

“It was fine,” Jeff lied, hiding his swollen lip while pretending to scratch his nose. “Nothing to report.”
“Alright. So did you drop off those applications?” Monika asked.
“Yeah. All except the computer store. I guess they aren't accepting right now. The guy was kind of a jerk.” Jeff shrugged.
“Well, good. I guess we'll see if any of those places need a spot filled.” Monika said in finality, before turning around to go and pester Spencer about his day.

As he turned back to the window, Jeff's thoughts began to stray. After a few minutes, he found himself thinking about his father, Jordan Dorm, who was a very important man at his company. He worked for a television studio, and was often on business trips all around the country, though sometimes visited other exotic places. Jeff remembered getting a phone call when he was about ten years old.

“Hello?” He had answered.
“What are you doing answering this phone?” Jordan said in mock-anger.
“Dad!” Jeff heart rate sped up with excitement.
“Hi, there, son. Hey, so I bet you'll never guess where I'm at right now?”
“Where?”
“I'm in Egypt!” Jordan laughed into the phone.
“Really? What's it like? Are there mummies?” Jeff asked blithely.
“You bet! There's pyramids, and hieroglyphics, and pharaohs, and everything!”
“Wow! Just like in the books?”
“That's right. Just like in the books.”

A voice from the doorway startled Jeff.

“You miss him, huh?”Monika said.
“Back so soon?” Jeff joked, managing to keep a straight face. Monika ignored this remark, and took a seat next to Jeff on his bed.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Jeff looked at his feet.
Monika wrapped her arm around Jeff's shoulders.
“I know. It's hard for you when he's not around all the time. It's hard for me, too, but he's just doing his job.”
Jeff sniffed dryly, but otherwise remained silent.
“What's for dinner?” Jeff asked finally, changing the subject. Monika's brow furrowed as she contemplated the options.
“I think we're fending for ourselves tonight,” She said. The term “fend for yourself” meant, in Jeff's family, at least, that everyone made whatever they wanted for dinner. No time limit, no restrictions, and no family-time. It was a decent trade-off. Jeff was usually too lazy to make anything exquisite. He often settled for a sandwich, or a microwaveable burrito.


The next day, Jeff began his new routine all over again, starting with groggily using the toilet, getting dressed, brushing his teeth, lighting a fire underneath Spencer's lazy butt, and starting his car before driving to school. The drive was anything but exciting. It took near fifteen minutes to get to school from the remote and lush landscape he called home.

With his car parked in the student parking lot, Jeff and Spencer parted ways. Jeff eyed his surroundings to make sure Ryan wasn't around. He pulled open the front doors and headed to the end of a small line for breakfast. Today's morning meal was a sort of corn dog, except with a sausage in the middle and pancake taking place of the corn bread.
Jeff walked toward the back of the cafeteria, and sat to eat. He listened to the conversation of a few football players who hadn't the slightest clue who Jeff was. One of them Jeff vaguely remembered, was good friends with Kellen. His name was something like Lance or Vlad. The others were typical thunder-shouldered, thick-necked, dull-witted jocks. The ones, Jeff thought with slight contempt, who always got the hot cheerleader-esque girlfriends.

Jeff had always had troubles with members of the opposite sex. He often countered thoughts of his lack of relationships with the cliché that the nice guys always finish last, and that the jerks always got the girl. Always. It didn't help his self-esteem much, but it almost seemed like a natural law. One that Jeff just accepted without question.

With his breakfast finished, and the last dregs of his watery milk downed, Jeff picked up his backpack, and started for his History class. He was slowed due to the student-to-hall-space ratio. The halls were jam-packed. Jeff didn't remember them being this crowded yesterday.
When Jeff sat down in his seat next to Kellen's, he placed his backpack next to the basket underneath the chair and waited. Kellen hadn't gotten there, yet, so Jeff pulled out a book and read for the short time he had left before the first bell rang, telling all the students to get to their classes.

A few students sat in a circle, and Jeff overheard a portion of their conversation.

“You guys hear about what Ryan did to some kid last week?” a kid in an orange sweater said.
“Ryan who?” Another asked.
“Larson,” the first one said, setting his backpack on the floor.
“Oh, yeah, what he did to that seventh-grader? That was brutal.”
“I guess he convinced the principal that the kid started it. He knows how to work the system.”
“What would a normal kids get for that sort of thing? A week of suspension?”
“No, probably expulsion. There's no way that kid can come out of the hospital without psychological scarring.”

Jeff gulped loudly. No one heard. This whole conversation gave Jeff another reason to avoid Ryan.
Kellen entered the room, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He took his seat next to Jeff.

“Yo,” Jeff said quietly.
“Hey,” Kellen greeted in return.
“'Sup?” asked Jeff, turning to Kellen.
“Uh... nothing since yesterday,” Kellen said. His eyes suddenly brightened as he seemed to remember something. “Oh, yeah, what are you doing after school today... and tonight?”
“I don't think there's anything I need to do at home, so nothing. What did you have in mind?” Jeff looked at the ceiling.
“Well, me, Will and Brad are going to a movie, and we wanted to know if you'd like to tag a long.”
“Sure, I guess. Could Spencer come, too? He hates the bus with a passion, and if I'm not going home afterwards, then he'd be stuck in hell for a forty-minute bus ride home.”
“Yeah, no problem. Cody and Will's sister might join us, too.” Kellen said.

Jeff was about to speak, when the bell cut him off, signaling the start of class.

The afternoon came, and Jeff stood once again in the school's courtyard with Spencer, Brad, Cody, Will, and Kellen. Kellen turned to Cody.

“So are you gonna come?” he asked.
Cody squinted out across the parking lot, apparently thinking. Finally he shrugged, “Yeah, I guess.”
“And Spencer?” Kellen faced Spencer, now.
“What?” His face gleaned with confusion.
“Oh, right, I never told him about it,” Jeff said sheepishly.
“Never told me about what?” Spencer said, annoyed.
“We're going to see a movie here in a bit,” Jeff explained. He looked at Kellen quizzically. “Who else was coming, again?”
“Will's sister, Angela.” Kellen said flatly.

Before anyone could say another word, a girl popped up behind Will. She had straight blond shoulder-length hair, and her facial features were softly pointed, accented by deep, penetrating blue eyes, and she wore a sky-blue shirt. Her bangs held up by a chrome head band. She was extremely attractive, Jeff thought, and he realized that she was the same girl from the parking lot the day before.

“Well, speak of the devil,” added Kellen.

Angela ignored Kellen, turning to Will. Jeff didn't know why he hadn't seen it before, but the resemblance between the two was uncanny.

“So what movie are we seeing?” she asked.
“Don't really know. I think we'll just play it by ear.” Will replied with a slight shrug.
“And who's all coming?” Angela continued.
“Uh... everyone here, I think,” Will glanced at everyone, pausing for a second longer on Jeff. “You haven't met my sister, yet, have you, Jeff?”
“Uh, no,” Jeff politely stretched out his hand to Angela, carefully avoiding her gaze. He felt his cheeks begin to burn. “I'm Jeff.”
Angela took his hand lightly, and shook it once. “I'm Angela. Nice to meet you.” she said.

Jeff heard Cody whisper to Brad, “I swear, both Will and Angela are the dorkiest people I've ever met.”
“Yeah,” Jeff replied awkwardly, glaring at Cody. “You, too.”

There was a momentary pause, in which Jeff felt like everyone was watching him, waiting for him to make the next move. The little voice inside his head screamed, Say something! Start a semi-intelligent conversation! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Jeff quickly shook off the feeling, but took its advice nonetheless.

“So what grade are you?” he asked.
“I'm a junior.”
“But... Will is a junior--”
“Me and Will are twins.”
“Oh...”
“What about you?” Angela asked, cocking her head to the side a little.
“Uh... I'm...junior.” Jeff mumbled.

Kellen clapped his hands together, and jumped into the middle of the group.
“Okay, we ready to go?” he asked.
“Uh, sure.” Cody said, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. “Who's driving?”
“Not me. My car only holds two people.” Kellen pointed vaguely to the parking lot. Jeff exchanged glances with Spencer. He shrugged as if to say, It doesn't matter to me.
'”My car can hold around five,” Jeff said with a slight shrug. “I can drive a few of us, if we need.”
“Good. So... how many of us are there?” Kellen began counting heads. “There's seven of us, so I guess I can drive. Who's going in what?”
“I'm riding with Jeff,” Spencer raised his hand a little.
“I call dibs with Kellen!” Cody shouted quickly.
“Damn,” Brad lowered his head a little. “No offense, Jeff.”
“None taken.”
“So I guess that means everyone else is riding with Jeff,” Kellen turned to Jeff “Just follow me. It's not too far, and I know a shortcut.”

The group walked to the parking lot, Cody with Kellen, and everyone else with Jeff. Spencer jumped into the front seat, shouting “Shotgun!”, which left Brad, Will and Angela to the back seat. When they were all buckled in, Jeff followed Kellen's lead out of the parking lot and down the road. He noted that it seemed oddly darker outside than it should have been this time of the year.

The pair of cars went south a couple blocks, before reaching the highway. It was a simple matter of getting on, but once Kellen had joined the traffic, it was difficult to keep up with him.

They had gone no more than five miles, when Kellen flipped on his turn signal, veering into the center lane. The indicated intersect was a clumsy dirt road, almost hewn haphazardly from the earth by an enormous knife. Kellen dodged onto the road, Jeff at his rear.

“Oh, hey, I know where we're going,” Will exclaimed, pressing his nose to the window. “The old landfill is right up here, right?”
Jeff looked at an upcoming sign. It read, “Schiller Memorial Landfill”
“I guess so,” he said matter-of-factly.

Jeff put his foot on the brakes, realizing that Kellen had come to an abrupt stop about twenty feet ahead of him. The rocks, pebbles, and dirt ground beneath the tires. The driver's side door on Kellen's car popped open, and Kellen scrambled out. Cody did the same, albeit more slowly.

Jeff rolled down his window, and shouted, “Kellen! What the hell are you doing?”
Kellen said nothing in return. He stood rooted to the spot, staring out over (what Jeff guessed to be) the landfill.

“Look,” he said finally, pointing to the horizon on Jeff's right hand side.”
Jeff followed Kellen's finger, seeing nothing at first. But then he spotted dozens of minute, white-hot splotches dangling in the sky. He pushed open his door, and got out. Holding his hand over his eyes like a visor to try and take some of the glare off, he stood next to Kellen.
“What is it?” Angela asked from the car.
“C'mere. You gotta see this.” Kellen said quietly, as if he were afraid to scare the lights away.
Brad, Will and Angela got out, and followed both Jeff and Kellen's example, watching the lights.

“What is it?” Angela repeated.
“I dunno. They look like stars.” Jeff shrugged.
“But it's only four o'clock,” Cody said, glancing at his wristwatch.
“Well then what--” Jeff started, but was cut short when he realized that the objects were getting bigger.
“They're coming this way!”Brad yelled, jumping back into the car and watching through the window.
The lights grew slowly larger. With each second, a roar boomed through the landscape, getting steadily louder.
“EVERYONE MOVE!” Kellen screamed.

Jeff jumped behind his car, along with Brad and Angela, and Kellen, Will, and Cody ducked behind Kellen's. A split second passed before the earth shook, dust flew, and the roar turned into the boom of a giant impact.

The dust was so thick in the air, that Jeff couldn't see three feet in front of his face. When it settled, his ears were ringing, though he could hear Brad behind him coughing and spluttering.

Jeff poked his head over the front bumper, allowing himself a view of the newly decimated landfill. A crater, perhaps the size of a football field, was where Schiller Memorial used to be. Motes of flame and smoke littered the landscape. It was completely and utterly destroyed.

“What the hell was that?” Kellen yelled over his own car.
“I don't know,” Jeff said, standing up. He thought back to the computer store. “No, wait... I might have an idea...”
“What was it, then?”
“It was a meteorite that scientists said probably wouldn't make an impact on the earth's surface.” Jeff explained, remembering the pixelated images of a fireball in space. He looked again at the crater. Something wasn't right about it.

“Probably not? Wow. That turned out great, then, huh?” Will said scornfully, brushing the dust from his hair. “Stupid friggin' scientists...”
“Hold on,” Jeff held a hand up to Will to silence him. “Do you see that?”
“See what?” Kellen asked, getting to his feet.
“In the center of the crater, there,” Jeff pointed vaguely. In the very epicenter of the crater were several glistening objects. They shone as if made of a refined metal.
Jeff noticed a particular twinkle in the crater, and felt compelled to go investigate.

“I gonna go look,” he said. He began walking toward the slope of the crater, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
“Dude, are you serious?” Kellen asked. Jeff turned around, glaring at Kellen.
“Yeah, I am.” he growled.
Kellen let go, and said, “Fine, then I'm coming with you.”
“So'm I,” Will said.
“Whatever. Then let's go.” Jeff said in finality. He approached the slope, and jumped down. It was about a twenty-foot slide to the bottom, which he took on his feet, like a surfer. He gestured for everyone else to follow, and they slid down the best they could. Spencer slid down on his backside and claimed to have a rock stuck where it shouldn’t be.

Kellen, rather than finding a practical way down the slope, found the easiest—and most painful. He slid down face first, hitting every lump, as if gravity liked causing Kellen pain.

“That couldn’t have felt too good,” Spencer said, looking down at the crumpled heap that was Kellen.
“Hey Kellen! I didn’t know you could body surf!” Brad yelled down after him, before following everyone else's example down the hill. Jeff, who would normally have retorted on Kellen's behalf, was walking towards the charred and desolate center of the crater. Chunks of glass were spread all over the crater, getting progressively more dense as he neared the center.

As he neared the objects, more details could be picked out. Most of them seemed to be stuck halfway into the ground, while others laid on their sides. All of them glinted with metallic qualities, some more than others.

When he got about ten feet away, he stopped. His curiosity was piqued, but he dared not go further until everyone else caught up.
“What do you suppose they are?” He asked.
“They look like...” Kellen said quietly. “They look like weapons.”
Jeff realized that he was right. Most were swords. One was some kind of an axe, another a long-shafted halberd, and another was a longbow.
“Someone go touch one of them,” Spencer whispered.

A certain glint caught Jeff's eye. That same feeling of longing and pain was scratching at his innards. His instincts were screaming at him to stay away from them, but his emotions seemed to egg him on. He took several steps forward, so as to stand directly above the sword he had spotted. Its blade was sunk into the ground, leaving the hilt, handle, and pommel exposed. The hilt was colored metallic green, and was adorned by a dazzling blue elliptical gem on either side. The pommel was tipped with a similar gem, only spherical. The green parts of the hilt were shaped to resemble was Jeff guessed to be a dragon's wings.

He reached out and grabbed the leather-bound handle. With all the strength he could muster, he pulled, and a three-and-a-half foot katana's blade emerged from the earth. No sooner than he had it in his grasp, released from the earth's grip, than a sharp blue aura radiated from the blade, traveling up his extended arm with such force as to knock him off his feet.

When he arose, he felt as if his head had elongated, and he felt that he had grown three more limbs—wings and a tail. His teeth seemed to be sharper than before, and his head felt heavier with the weight of horns. He let out a gigantic roar, and the earth trembled at his feet.

“… Hey… Jeff? Are you okay? Can you hear me?” Angela’s voice rang in his ears. Jeff opened his eyes to find himself on the ground, face up, with everyone around him, seeing if he was alright. They had looks of terror and concern on their faces.

“W-what happened?” Jeff asked. He sat up, and they backed off, as if they thought he was about to rip them all in half. He looked around, and found that they were still in the crater. It was also getting dark. He realized his clothes were torn and shredded, and were hanging limply off his shoulders. It all came rushing back to him. The longing feelings, the tail and wings… had it all been a dream? Was it merely his imagination? No… how could it have been? They were still in the crater, right?

“Well, “ Spencer started in a shaky voice. “You went to grab that sword, and when you pulled it out, you went all berserk, and ..." he trailed off.
"And what?!" Jeff shouted. He began to rise to his feet.
"Well, it may sound crazy, but..." Angela started. She exchanged glances with Will, then Kellen, before looking back at Jeff. "You turned into a...a...a dragon!" Angela said.
“What?!” Jeff couldn’t believe his ears. Was this a joke? He looked into the faces of his friends, and saw no lies in their manner. No hints of laughter, no sniggering, not even the trace of a smile. “How is that even possible?” He looked at his clothes again. It must have been true.

“Maybe it had something to do with that sword?” Spencer gestured toward the sword lying on the ground, several feet from where Jeff had been lying.
“Do you think?” Brad said sarcastically. Jeff looked at the blade, and felt those longing feelings once again. He wasn’t sure of the fact that this was really happening.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Jeff said. He reached towards the blade, hoping to ease his need. The others stopped him. “Hey!”
“What if it happens again?” Kellen asked while seeming to struggle against Jeff’s pull.
“Then run away! I’ll think of something!” Jeff said through gritted teeth. Jeff threw them off and grabbed the sword. He winced, opened his eyes, and looked around. Nothing. “See, what’d I tell you?” Jeff gloated. He paused to rub his forehead, which began to tingle.
“Not exactly,” Brad said. “What’s that on your forehead?”
“Wha-?”
“There’s a symbol on your forehead… I’ve never seen it before….” Will pointed out.
“What is it?” Jeff said, now tense, and looking as if he had a gigantic spider latched onto his brow.
“I just said I've never seen it before!” He replied. He looked around for a second, “Aha!”
Will ran to the two cars, reached into Kellen's, and returned with his rear-view mirror.

It had been loose for years, and was easy to remove and put back. He handed it to Jeff. “Here. Just look for yourself.” Jeff took the mirror, looked into it, and saw his own pale reflection gazing back at him. And, sure enough, there was a glowing symbol on his forehead. It was a single line curved into an obtuse 's', and there was a small dot on either side of the line. It looked like there was a yellow florescent light under his skin. After a moment, the symbol faded away.

“Weird,” Jeff muttered. “I wonder what it means?” Jeff looked at the various handles and blades peeping up from beneath the soil. “What if these other weapons do stuff like this, too? How many are there?” Jeff asked, counting each object he could see. “Fourteen in all. Should we take them? I mean, look around. These are the 'meteorite' that scientists thought wouldn't get this far.” He thought aloud. He glanced around, and then at the one in his hand. “I don't know about you, but I'm keeping this one.”

“I don't know, Jeff. We don't even know where they came from. They could be dangerous. I don't think I want to risk it.” Spencer said meekly.
“How will we know if they're dangerous if we don't know what they can do?” Jeff argued.
“Well, we don't know what that one does, do we?” Kellen pointed at Jeff's katana.
“Of course we do! You saw me turn into a drago-” something in Jeff's head told him that it wasn't called a dragon. A word floated around in his mind. Wyvern. Wyvern was the word.
“-a Wyvern, right?” Jeff corrected himself.
Spencer looked at Jeff. “What? What's a Wyvern? You mean a dragon?”
“Something is telling me that it's not called a dragon.”
“What're you talking about?” Angela piped up.
“I don't know!” Jeff started to get a little angry. “For some reason, I just want to call it a Wyvern.”
The others backed off.
“Okay, okay, fine. A Wyvern, then.” Spencer said smartly. “That still doesn't answer the question. What does the sword do?”
“It lets me turn into a Wyvern. I thought we had just established that.” Jeff said.
Brad sighed. “No, we knew that when you picked it up, you turned into this Wyvern, or whatever. How can you tell you can do it now?”
“I guess I can just feel it.” Jeff said. He knew it sounded like nonsense, but he felt like some wild, savage, bloodthirsty part of him had just risen from a deep sleep. “And I also feel that these weapons won't hurt us.”
Jeff received several skeptical looks.

“Can't you just trust me? What's the worst that could happen? Spencer turns into a toilet for five seconds? Come on, I'm begging you.”
Kellen seemed interested.

“I'll do it,” he said to Jeff. “I can't let you have all of the fun, can I?”
Jeff smiled. “No. It wouldn't be any fun without anyone else,” he pointed out. “Take your pick.”
Kellen walked around the crater, inspecting the various weapons. He came across the yellow longbow embedded in the ground and stared at it for a few seconds. He glanced at Jeff, who nodded in approval. Kellen reached down to grab the tip, and a spark of electricity was exchanged between the weapon and Kellen. He jumped, and must not have felt any pain, as he reached back down. He took hold of the end, and a flash light blinded Jeff. Kellen stood firm, but seemed a little shaken. His bangs were standing up on end, as if he were in contact with a large source of static electricity. His forehead also glowed with the same symbol as Jeff's had. He didn't seem to notice.

He pulled hard, and the longbow unearthed itself. It was bright yellow, and shaped like a two-way lightning bolt. There wasn't any string tied to the ends, as it had apparently disintegrated on the way down to Earth.

Kellen looked at his free hand, and he squinted in concentration. It burst into a frenzy of electrical currents. He burst into joyous laughter, and waved his hand around frantically.
“Do you see that!” Kellen yelled.
“Now make it stop.” Jeff instructed. Kellen did so, and looked at his new bow. “Now do you feel like you can still do that, even though you already stopped it?”
“Kellen looked at his hand for a moment. “Yeah... Yeah, I do!”
“See? No harm! They're perfectly safe!” Jeff exclaimed.
Kellen chuckled in excitement. “Can I take another one?
Jeff looked around some more. He counted the remaining weapons. Twelve were left.
“Yeah... There should be enough for everyone to grab two,” Jeff said cheerfully. Spencer and Brad shuffled their feet uneasily. “If all of us want to, I mean.”
Kellen jogged around some more, and stopped at a sword with a handle one-and-a-half feet long. It was tinted green and in the hilt was embedded a symbol resembling a gust of wind.

“Okay, how about this one?” Kellen yelled to Jeff.
Jeff shrugged. “It’s up to you.”
Kellen grinned, and yanked on the handle of the sword. It came out somewhat easier than Kellen's new bow. He held the sword, a long katana meant for two hands, out before him. A strong blast of wind emanated from the blade, knocking Kellen back a few steps.
“Sweet!” He exclaimed, now floating a few inches above the ground. “I can control the air!”

He concentrated a little, and spun around, ending up on his head. With a scowl, he let off that it wasn't what he had had in mind.
Angela stepped forward a little apprehensively.

“Y-you want one?” Jeff asked her, blushing a little. He hoped it was too dark to notice. She looked at the remaining weapons implanted in the ground and glanced at Jeff's sword.
“Yeah... I guess so...”
“Uh...have at it.”

While Kellen tinkered with his new abilities, every now and then shocking someone with a spark of electricity or knocking someone over with a burst of wind and giggling wildly at the repercussions, Angela perused the collection laid before her. She seemed interested, as it were, but she also seemed to take forever. When she had found a blade that felt suited to her, she looked around again, to make sure she had found the right one.

Her thoughts confirmed, she grasped a gemmed pommel, tinted blue like the depths of a clear ocean, and pulled as hard as she could. The blade lifted slowly with a groan, and she staggered a little when it was completely unearthed.

Without warning, a jet of water erupted from the tip of the blade and drenched Cody, who fell over entirely.

“Sorry!” Angela squealed. The jet stopped, and Angela squinted her eyes.
“What's wrong?” Jeff asked.
“I dunno... I feel a little strange.” Angela said.
“Yeah, thats the feeling! Does it feel like water, or something?”
“Sorta... I was thirsty a minute ago, and now... I'm not.” Angela grinned. “I like it. It's like I can make it rain.”
Jeff laughed awkwardly. “I wouldn't doubt it. Are you gonna take another one?”
“Yeah. I'd like another one.” Angela repeated her process, but this time comparing the remaining weapons to her new sword.

She came upon a spot in the ground that had been frosted over, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding glass chunks. A crystalline blade poked out of the middle of the ice.
“Oooh... I like this one...” Angela's eyes sparkled. She reached for it, gasped and pulled her hand back.

“What? Is it too cold?” Will stepped forward.
“No, it's not too cold, but yeah, it's cold.” Angela snapped. She inspected the blade from a different angle. “How am I supposed to get it out?”
“Bow chicka bow wow.” Brad laughed.
“You're dumb.” Angela threw a small piece of glass at Brad, and with a thud, nailed him in the sternum.

“So's your face!” Will joined in. He exchanged a high-five with Brad, and the two laughed ferociously. Angela grunted a curse, and went back to the sword.
“I could dig it out, I guess,” She thought aloud. “Or maybe Jeff, you could use your Wyvern claws or something?”
“What? You want be to turn back into the Wyvern?”
Angela nodded.

“But what if--?” Jeff stopped himself. He secretly wanted another crack at his Wyvern form. He thought the whole thing through. He was to turn into the Wyvern, dig out the sword, and change back. A simple enough task, as far as Jeff could tell.
“You know what? I'll give it a try.”
Jeff removed his tattered shirt, flexing a little, knowing that Angela just might be able to see the outlines of his maturing muscles, and set the scraps on the ground. He focused for a moment, trying to bring forth the feral presence Jeff now felt at the back of his mind. His forehead began a subtle tingle again, and he opened his eyes. The feeling left him, and he looked at his hands, perplexed. They were the same as they had been mere seconds ago.

“Damn... I had it,” Jeff said quietly.
“Keep trying!” Angela said impatiently.

Jeff sighed, and continued his work. He closed his eyes again. He delved deeper into the Wyvern writhing within him, and pushed with all his might to bring it out. It resisted, and tried to fight him off. In the end, Jeff felt the presence pushed out, and he felt the physical changes.

Once again, his head was elongated, and wings stretched from his shoulder blades. He opened an eye, and looked at himself. His skin had turned to green scales, and his underside had been colored gray. From his hands extended four talon-tipped fingers, including the thumb. His legs took on the quality of a dog's hind legs, with three joints before ending in clawed “paws”.

He picked up Kellen's mirror, and examined his face. It was indeed reptilian, but less so than a traditional dragon might have looked. His eyes were in the front of his head, and he had no ears to be spoken of. The weight of his head was increased by a pair of yellow horns. They poked out of his scalp and recurved slightly to look like the pincers of an insect.

Jeff smiled broadly, and bared his dagger-like teeth. His canines were the longest, and were serrated on the inside to maximize damage potential.

He set down the mirror and realized he was in complete control. A look downwards revealed Kellen staring in awe at Jeff's new form.

“See? I'm in control.” Jeff boasted in a deep, almost demonic voice. In his mind, the Wyvern was still struggling, though not quite as much as before. His grasp on the Wyvern wavered, and he understood that he didn't have much time before he would loose his grip and turn back into his puny human self.

“Look out,” Jeff growled, stepping towards Angela and the sword stuck in the frost. Angela backed up, fearfully staring at Jeff. “I'm not gonna hurt you, you know.” He assured her. She nodded, but didn't come any closer.

Jeff drove his claws into the ground surrounding the blade and pulled. A large, compacted chunk was released, and he dropped it on the ground. The dirt separated, and the sword was revealed. It seemed to be made of pure ice, save the handle, which was bound much like Jeff's sword.

In Jeff's mind, the Wyvern finally broke free, and Jeff felt himself return to his human form. Breathing heavily, he leaned against a rock and wiped the sweat off of his face.
“Nice, dude.” Kellen clapped Jeff on the shoulder. Jeff grinned, but was too out of breath to reply.

Angela stood before her prize. She thrust the blade of her water sword into the dirt, and grabbed the handle of the ice sword. She picked it up, and nothing happened.
“Awww... I wanted something to happen!” She complained.
“Does that one not work?” Cody asked.
“No... It's cold still, and I can feel ice in my head... I know it works, I just don't know all that I can do with it. Half of the fun was the unexpected burst, but this one didn't do it.”
“We'll figure it out eventually,” Kellen smiled.
“I guess so...” Angela trailed off.
“So, who wants to go next?” Jeff changed the subject abruptly. Spencer coughed, to “subtly” suggest he wanted to have a try. Jeff looked him over for a moment, as if studying his worth. “You want one? Or two?”
“Yeah!” Spencer said eagerly, his mind obviously made up. “What ones should I take?”
Jeff shrugged. “Well, what do you want to do?”
Spencer thought about this for a moment, and said, “Kellen can control the air... and Angela can control water... I wonder if there's a sword that will let me use fire?”
Over his shoulder, Jeff scanned the ground for anything fiery. Farthest from their side of the crater, almost hidden by rubble, and a particularly large hunk of twisted glass, was an obvious issue of smoke and steam, only distinguishable from the other smoke plumes because of how close it was to the center of the crater. A large red pommel glinted out of the ground at the source of the plume.

“How about that one back there?” He pointed.
“Which one?” Spencer put his hand on his brow to keep the sun's glare from his eyes.
“That one way back there.”
“The black one?”
“Does fire burn black?”
“No...”
“And you have your answer.”
“Oh, over where there's smoke?”
Jeff sighed. “Yes, Spencer. Where there's smoke, there's fire.”

Spencer wound his way through the maze of debris and weapons, and reached the intended sword. He looked back at Jeff to make sure he had the right one. Jeff looked at him as if to say 'get on with it'.

With a tough pull and a grunt, Spencer latched on to the handle, and a burst of fire flew from his fists. In the explosion, Spencer was thrown backwards and he landed on his back, his new sword clattering on the ground beside him.

“Spencer!” Jeff yelled. His heart began to pound furiously again. This constant fluctuation in his heart rate couldn't be good for him. Spencer sat up and blinked. His clothes were scorched, but he appeared to be unharmed.

“Sweet! I can't be burned!” Spencer laughed.
“We'll see about that...” Kellen giggled in Jeff's ear. Jeff nodded, smiling.

Spencer was brandished his trophy. It was a two-handed longsword with a blade almost as long as Spencer was tall. It looked enormously heavy, but it seemed that it must have weighed no more than a few pounds, judging by how Spencer held it. The pommel was a fiery red gem, and it sparkled in the setting sun's warm glow. A hilt resembling the tongues of flame crept its way up the immense double-edged blade.

Spencer laughed again, and Jeff sighed inwardly with relief. He turned to those who still had not decided whether to join in or not: Brad, Cody, and Will.

“Are you guys convinced? Six of them have been taken, and no one's been hurt.” Jeff looked over his shoulder again, and noticed Spencer examining another sword. “You've got one last chance. If you don't take it, then the rest of us will.”
The three exchanged glances and weighed the possibilities. Will and Cody said in unison, “I'm in,” leaving Brad to contemplate further.
“Come on, Brad, don't be a wuss.” Cody said carelessly. Brad glared at him, and, as if to challenge him, said, “Fine.”
“Hooray for peer pressure!” Kellen laughed.

Will and Cody looked simultaneously while Spencer examined his next choice. “I've got a good feeling about this one.” He said, bending over an odd sword with his hands on his knees.

The sword was short-bladed, but two blades stemmed from the same point. The edges of the blades were facing away from each other and the blunt faces were molded somewhat like scissors.

“Whaddya think?” Spencer asked.
“Why do you guys feel like asking me for permission? They're not mine.” Jeff shrugged. “So as I've said a couple times, it's up to you.”

Spencer looked a little deflated, but didn't lose his Indiana Jones approach to picking up his second weapon. He seemed to stall just for the sake of stalling. Jeff protested, and after a glare in return, Spencer grasped the handle of the sword.

There was a small flash of light and Spencer stood rooted to the spot. But instead of holding the whole sword, he held only half of it, as if the sword had become two separate weapons each with a blade, and Spencer had lost one.

“Whoa...” a voice said from behind Jeff. He whipped around to find Spencer standing behind him. Jeff, confused, looked back at the original Spencer, who grinned widely. “I can make two of me!”

The second Spencer brushed past Jeff, and the two Spencers examined each other. With a whoosh, the duplicate melted back into the original, and Spencer stood alone with his double-bladed sword. “Sweet,” He grinned to himself.

Will was admiring a grandiose shaft poking out of the ground at an awkward angle. He poked it with his outstretched index finger decisively. The bladed portion of the weapon was still immersed in soil, and Will looked at Jeff pleadingly. He sighed, and attempted once again to tap into the Wyvern in the back of his mind.

After two failed tries, Jeff brought it forward and dug out the chunk of dirt in which the weapon lay. Once it was entirely unearthed, Will gasped. It was an ornate halberd with a large axe head at the end. One big spike was set into each end of the shaft.

Will grabbed the halberd with enthusiasm, and it began to glow with a soft orange light. He turned around unusually fast, and sped like lightning around the group. He was a mere blur. Jeff lost track of his movements, but he could hear Will's sneakers flopping every which way.

Finally, Will stopped and stared wide eyed at the halberd in his grasp. He said nothing for a few moments, when Spencer said, “That one makes you speed up?”
Will looked at him, his eyes still wide. “Yeah... I can't shut my eyes, I was moving so fast.”
Jeff blinked, and Will was gone. Kellen shouted from behind him. “Hey!”

He turned around, and found Will with his finger in Kellen's ear. Kellen swatted at Will, and he seemed to dodge the swipe fairly easy. He giggled and disappeared, a trail of dust warping around the outside of the crater. Jeff followed the trail with his eyes, and laughed as it stopped abruptly. Will had tripped, and tumbled down the cliff side, grunting in pain.

Kellen laughed, “That's what you get!”
Will stood up and patted the dust from his legs. He was bleeding in a few places from his fall.

“Way to go, are-tard.” Angela taunted.
Will scowled. “Shuddup” He took a couple steps and tripped on a handle poking out in the shadow of a gigantic piece of glass. “Ow.”
“You're just Mr. Coordinated, today, aren't you?” Brad laughed, teary-eyed. Will ignored him, kneeling next to the handle. He grabbed it and pulled. It came out easier than any of the others seemed to. It was a single-handed battle-axe of some sort. The only blade wrapped around the end of the handle to create a circle of shiny metal.

Around Will, small pebbles rose from the ground. A bigger rock, floating like the pebbles, caught Will's eye. “Whoa! I can move rocks!”
“Is that it? Just rocks? Or like earth and dirt and stuff?” Kellen asked.
“I think all of it. Lemme try...” Will focused for a few seconds, and a decent-sized rock rose off the ground, along with a cloud of dust and a clump of dirt. “Yeah. I can do all of it.” Will didn't seem too surprised.

Meanwhile, Cody and Brad were admiring the last five weapons. Most of them were swords. One was a knife, and another was a mace. Cody inspected the mace's blunt end sticking out of the ground. He grasped it with both hands and pulled with a grunt. It came out slowly. Once he had it in his hand, He looked at it for a moment, and suddenly sunk down into the ground up to his neck. His eyes widened. Jeff ran to help him, but stopped a few feet in front of Cody. He had fallen into his own shadow.

“Dude... That's a dark mace.” Jeff smiled.
“Yeah, great, now will you help me outta here?” Cody said, annoyed.
“Oh, yeah, right.”
Jeff reached down into the shadow, but only felt solid dirt.
“Uh... I can't.”
“Why not?” Cody was getting angry.
“Because I can't do anything with darkness.”
“So what are you saying?”
“That basically, you're on your own.”
“Dammit.”

Jeff glanced at Brad, who had apparently picked up a sword like that of Spencer's fire sword. It was mostly white in color, and the hilt was carved to resemble feathery wings. But something wasn't right about Brad. There were two big lumps stretching the fabric of his shirt on his back. Brad reached back, and lifted his shirt. Two immense, feathery wings stretched outward. Brad look at them in disbelief. A ring of light appeared over his head, but he didn't seem to notice.

“Hey, Jeff! Check it out! I've got wings!” He shouted.
“Pretty sweet!” Jeff yelled back. He looked back at Cody, only to be staring at his knees. Jeff lifted his gaze and looked at Cody, who had found a way out of the hole.
“You got out?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you.” Cody said with the shadow of a smile.
“Hey, at least I tried. So are you gonna take another one?”
“Yeah, I might.” Cody looked around the crater again. Brad was searching for another, and an ivory saber caught his attention. He spread his enormous wings and glided to the saber. He picked it up, and started to glow a little. Overhead, the moon peered out of the clouds.
“So I guess this one lets me control the moon, or light or something?” Brad thought aloud, scratching his chin
“Dude...” Kellen's eyes were glued to the moon.
Jeff squinted at the last two weapons. The knife, and an interesting-looking sword with a curved hilt and a blade shaped to resemble an elongated diamond. “So Cody, which one do you want?”

Cody examined both of them, and grabbed the handle of the sword. “This one.”
Without warning, he rose off of the ground, and symbols appeared in various places on his body, like tattoos. “But what's it do?” he asked.
“If you don't know, we can't exactly answer, can we?” Jeff pointed out.
“No, I guess not,” Cody sighed “So it looks like you get the knife.”

Jeff walked to the knife, and pulled it out of the ground. Like Angela's ice sword, nothing happened. Jeff's forehead began to tingle again, but he didn't feel any different.

“What does the little one do?” Spencer asked.
“I don't know. Nothing happened when I picked it up, and I don't feel any different.” Jeff scowled. He wasn't too disappointed , though, As long as he had the Wyvern Katana, he was perfectly happy. The Wyvern inside him squirmed uneasily.

“So what are we gonna do with these?” Angela asked, juggling some drops of water in the air.
“What if we became super heroes, or something?” Spencer said, his face lighting up with the thought.
“What do you mean?” Jeff folded his arms.

Spencer sighed, as if everyone knew what he meant but Jeff. “I mean we practice our new...powers, I guess you'd call 'em, and then we fight crime and stuff. I mean think about it. We could be really good, and be heroes of the people, or whatever, and we'd be famous.”
“That would mean that we'd need to stay incognito before we know all that we can do.” Will said thoughtfully.
“Why's that?” Spencer asked.
“Well, if we can't use our powers, then we're more dangerous to ourselves. If we were to get attacked, we'd probably do more harm to ourselves than to anyone we'd be fighting. It's just a bad idea.” Will shrugged.
“Oh, right, because you read Spider Man and super hero comics, don't you?” Angela taunted.
“Hey, there's no shame in reading comic books.” Will retaliated.
“Anyway,” Spencer interrupted. “Do we have a plan?”
“Yeah. It sounds good. But I have an idea. I'm not gonna tell you guys until you come to my house tomorrow after school.” Brad declared.

Plans of going to the movies having been forsaken, Kellen and Jeff took everyone back home. Brad lived on the way to Jeff's house, so it wasn't a problem. Will and Angela lived only a few blocks from Brad, so it all worked out. On the drive back home, Jeff's mind raced. Under normal circumstances, he'd be freaking out. He didn't need this Wyvern problem to be added to the pile of other things Jeff had to worry about. Like fitting in to his new school, and the prospect of getting a job, and all the other things that teenagers worried about.

Jeff found it odd that he didn't think about it that way. It was a problem at all. In fact, it almost felt... right, like he had been able to do it all along, and had just discovered it again. Again. The word sounded funny in Jeff's head. Everything was “again”. Or that's what it felt like. Almost like a constant deja-vu.

“So I guess we can't tell out mom about this at all?” Will asked. His voice made Jeff jump as he was wrenched back down to earth.
“Uh... yeah. That would be bad,” Jeff cautioned. “If your parents learn, then they'll tell somebody, and then there'll be scientists knocking on all our doors looking for us so they can test us and conduct experiments. Not the environment I want to spend the rest of my life in.”
“I guess,” Will said.
“But what if they find out anyway?” Angela leaned forward, making sure she could see Jeff through the rear-view mirror.
“Just hope that won't happen,” Jeff shrugged.

But she had a valid point. What if someone's parents saw their child siphoning water out of thin air, or arguing with a duplicate of himself, or flying to work rather than driving? What would they say? What would Jeff's parents say? The thought sent a shiver down his spine. They were just going to have to keep it hidden as best they could.

Jeff pulled up in Brad's driveway. He came to a stop in front of Brad's house, a large rancher with an enormous garden in the front, surrounded by the looping driveway. Just as Brad opened the door and got out, Jeff rolled down the window.

“Remember to keep those hidden. And don't randomly sprout wings. As long as you do that, I don't think you'll need to worry.”

Brad nodded, waved, an retreated towards the house. Jeff drove forward, looping back around towards the road to drop Will and Angela off. About a half-mile down the road was their driveway, and at the end, a two-story A-frame with a deck circling the perimeter of the house, and a garage on the right hand side.

Jeff turned around to face the twins, and opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut short by Will.
“Yeah, we heard you. We won't say or do anything to make mom suspicious.” he said in annoyance.
Jeff nodded. “Yeah... okay.”

Jeff awoke later than he had anticipated. The buzzer must have been ringing for nearly twenty minutes. He shut it off, took a hot shower, and almost immediately left for school. He'd catch breakfast before class started, and missing one morning of brushing his teeth wasn't going to kill him. Before he left, he grabbed the katana he had leaned against the wall in his room. Something was telling him to bring it.

Jeff threw the sword safely in the trunk before moving to the driver's seat and getting in. The key dangled for a moment while Jeff sat, pondering the night before. It was strange. Not because he was a sixteen-year-old with the ability to turn into a Wyvern, but because it felt normal. It was the normalcy of the whole thing that was strange. Jeff smirked a little at the irony of it.

Spencer sat in the passenger seat, snapping his fingers, causing a small flame to spark at the tips, like a lighter.

Jeff said, “Would you knock it off? You're gonna blow something up.”
Spencer shrugged before jumping out, and heading to his side of the school. Jeff got out, locked the car doors, and walked to the cafeteria.
Inside, a fragrance of Mexican food wafted around the school. No doubt today's lunch. Breakfast was a combination of fruit juice, a power bar, a small carton of milk, and a plastic container of dry cereal.
Jeff sat down at a far table. He hung his head over the tray, and sighed.

“Today will be normal,” he told himself. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. “Nothing strange will happen. It will be like every other day.”
“You okay?” a voice said to Jeff's left. Jeff jumped.
“What?”Jeff said. He hadn't even heard Kellen sit down.
“You look terrible.” Kellen winced.
“Yeah,” Jeff paused. Kellen looked refreshed, excited, even. “You look... normal.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Kellen asked skeptically.
“Well, after last night...”
“Yeah, I know. I've decided I'm gonna embrace these...” he looked over his shoulder surreptitiously. “... these powers. I'm going to take advantage of them. How can you be so bummed about it?”
Jeff was taken aback.
“I'm not. It's... I dunno. It's weird.” Jeff sighed heavily
Kellen leaned in a little. “How so? I mean, yeah, having superpowers is strange and all, but other than that, what's so weird?”
“It's the fact that I'm not freaking out. It feels normal. And that, to me, is weird.”
“Hmmm...” Kellen rubbed his chin. “So did you ever find out what the little one does?”
“No. I played with it a little last night, but so far, I've got nothing out of it.”
“You should try lotion.” Brad said, just as he sat down. “It helps.”
“What? We're talking about his knife thing.” Kellen scowled.
“Oh... yeah, I totally got here at the wrong moment,” Brad shrugged. “Sorry.”
Brad had bags under his eyes, and looked extremely tired. Jeff paid no attention.
“I know it works, because every time I pick it up, or even touch it, that symbol appears on my forehead.” Jeff said.
“I don't get why you're complaining—I like the tingly feeling.” Brad waved his spork around.
“It's not the symbol I care about. It's the fact that I can't seem to squeeze any answers out of the dagger.” Jeff explained.
“What about you, Brad?” Kellen asked.
“I stayed up all night just practicing. I'll be lucky if I can stay awake through the day. Check it out,” Brad outstretched his hand, palm-up. Kellen and Jeff leaned in to get a better look. An orb of pure white light materialized in his palm, bobbing merrily.
“Turns out these things pack quite a punch. I knocked out my cat with one. I didn't even hit him in the head...” He glanced over his shoulder then giggled, “Watch this.”
The symbol appeared on his forehead, and he squinted a little. The orb shrunk to about the size of a pea. He put his hand over his shoulder, aimed, and launched the ball at the opposite wall, where it ricocheted off, nailing a cheerleader directly in the backside. She whipped around, looking for the culprit.

Kellen chuckled a little. “That's Josh's sister, Luca.”
“Josh who?” Jeff asked.
“The kid who hangs around with Ryan Larson all the time. He's not as good of friends with him as maybe Gage or Vincent, but they still hang out.” Kellen said.

The first bell rang, signaling to all the students that they should get to class. Jeff got up and dumped his tray into the garbage, and started off to History.
Jeff found his seat, where he sat down and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pencil. Kellen entered the room shortly after, and sat down next to Jeff.

“Hey,” Kellen said. Jeff cast a sideways glance at Kellen.
“Yeah?”
“Don't worry yourself about it. If it feels right, then it must be right.”
“I guess so...” Jeff sighed. “Does it feel normal for you?”
Kellen thought for a moment. “Yeah, it does. I mean, I think that these are gifts, and that they should be accepted graciously.” Will, Cody and Brad entered the classroom and sat down. “I think Cody's having a hard time adapting, though.”
“How so?” Jeff asked.
“Last I heard was that he's just avoiding shadows altogether.” Kellen smiled.

Jeff glanced at Cody, laughing when he saw Cody glaring at the shadow under his desk. His feet were hunched up to his chest so he wouldn't touch the floor.

Just as Jeff was about to speak, their teacher, Mr. Anderson, began one of his filibuster-esque lectures. Jeff paid no attention the entire period, doodling on his notebook instead of taking notes. He drew pictures of dragons, and chrome-bladed swords, and the symbol.
After he had filed up most of his paper with random doodles, he began to draw a humanoid figure. He thought he was just doodling aimlessly, but he didn't actually know what he was drawing. It was like his hand knew what to draw, and that he was just watching.

When he had finished, he nearly stopped breathing. The character on the page had pointed ears under his penciled-in hair, and big rounded pauldrons on his shoulders. Leggings that fitted around his waist grew bigger at the ankles and then shrunk again and were tucked into his shoes. He was also holding the Wyvern Katana.

Jeff nudged Kellen on the shoulder. Kellen, who had been in a trance-like state, jumped at the sudden contact. He wiped the drool from his mouth, and leaned towards Jeff.

“What?”
“Look at this,” Jeff whispered, handing Kellen the paper.
“Hey, I didn't know you could draw.” Kellen said, taking the paper.
“That's not important. Look at the guy, there.” Jeff pointed to the character he had drawn.
“What about him?” Kellen asked.
“Have you ever seen him before?”
“What do you mean? Like in a cartoon, or something?” Kellen's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline.
“No, just anywhere. From anything.” Jeff corrected Kellen.
“Uh...” Kellen thought hard for a moment. “No, I haven't. Why?”
“I dunno... he just looks really familiar to me.” Jeff whispered.
Before Kellen could react, the paper was picked up by a third party. Mr. Anderson stood hovering over the two, glowering down on them.
“Passing notes, are we, boys?” Anderson asked harshly.
“Uh... no, I--” Jeff began.
“Let's see, here,” Anderson looked at the doodles. “Been drawing, have you? You realize that everything I just went over is going to be on the test next week?”
“Yeah, but... wait... why're we having a test a week into school?” Kellen asked.
“Because you two weren't even paying the slightest attention.” Anderson said bitterly.
“That's all?” Kellen sighed. “I thought you were serious.”
“I am serious. And don't try any of your shenanigans, Palder. You may be able to sweet talk the other teachers, but it won't work on me.”
Anderson took the paper, tossed it into the garbage bin and continued his lecture.

When the bell rang ten minutes later, Anderson went to the back of his room to help a foreign exchange student. Jeff took the opportunity, and pulled the drawing from the garbage. It was wrinkled, but discernible all the same.
Out in the hall, Jeff caught up with Kellen.

“ 'Shenanigans?'” Jeff smiled.
“I wouldn't put any stock in him. I can't help it if teachers like me. Or most of 'em, I should say.” Kellen scowled.
“Is he always that angry?” Jeff looked over his shoulder.
“Nah. He's just a dick.” Kellen stopped at his locker. “So lemme take another look at that drawing.”
Jeff handed Kellen the paper, and Kellen squinted at every sketch.
“Hm... none of it looks familiar. I mean, at least not before yesterday.”
“Huh. Well, I wanted to see if it was just me. And it looks like it was.”
“Weird.”
“You're telling me.” Jeff shrugged. Kellen handed him back the drawings. “Hey, I'm gonna head to my next class. I'll see you Third.”
“Okay. Later.” Kellen waved haphazardly.

Jeff walked away, glaring down at the drawing. It's familiarity eluded him. As Jeff walked, some footsteps behind him grew louder. He paid no attention, reasoning that there are lots of people in the school, plenty of which were walking in the same direction as he. Jeff kept walking, and mid step, found something blocking his foot's movement. He tripped and fell, landing painfully face-first on the ground.

He rolled over and looked up, only to find Ryan smirking down at him.
“Oops... did I do that?” Ryan laughed.
“What the hell was that for?” Jeff yelled.
“Oooh, someone's angry,” Vincent smiled mischievously. “And he's got his backpack. You a narc? Huh?”
“I don't think you got the message last time,” Ryan said, grabbing Jeff by the shirt.
“Get off me.” Jeff snarled. His heart rate began to climb. A small crowd of students gathered to watch. In anger, Jeff threw up his arms, breaking Ryan's hold on his shirt. He fell from Ryan's grasp , landing on the round and backing up. Ryan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that. Jeff raised his hands to defend himself from the inevitable blow. Ryan pushed Jeff up against the lockers. Jeff pushed back much harder, sending Ryan into the opposite wall. He rebounded, coming back for a solid punch aimed at Jeff's face. Jeff ducked, and backed up some more.
“He's faster than I thought,” Gage said from behind Jeff. Jeff glanced back over his shoulder. Ryan took advantage of the momentary distraction of his adversary, and punched Jeff in the ribs. Jeff doubled over, trying to get his breath back. Ryan elbowed Jeff in the back of the head. Jeff was angry, now. His forehead tingled faintly. He stood up straight, staring into Ryan's contorted face. Ryan swung again, but Jeff was faster. His arm darted out in a side-slashing motion. There was a ripping sound, and Ryan cried out in pain. He stepped back, looking down at his shirt. There were three long cuts in the cloth.
Jeff looked down at his hands. They were becoming scaly and clawed.

No! NO! Don't change! He looked back up at Ryan's shirt. It seemed that his claws had narrowly avoided breaking any skin. Nobody else seemed to notice about his hands. Jeff turned and ran, pushing his way through the crowd towards the bathroom.

The blue door squealed as Jeff pushed it open. He checked every stall to make sure he was alone, and locked himself in the farthest stall from the door. Jeff sat and breathed deeply. The tingling remained on his brow, and his hands were still scaly.

“Calm down,” he said aloud. Nothing happened. “Calm down, dammit!”
Jeff squinted his eyes tight, reaching into the recesses of his mind. The Wyvern was becoming adventurous. Jeff pushed the beast back, forcing it to retreat. It resisted, and pushed back. It was stronger than Jeff was, and the Wyvern knew it.

This is MY head! Jeff thought loudly. The Wyvern, as if in fear, followed Jeff's command, and fell back into submission. Whether out of fear or out of spite, Jeff didn't know.

He opened his eyes again. The tingling faded, and the skin of his hands had returned to normal. Jeff wiped the sweat from his forehead, cursing his near-loss of control.

Jeff opened the stall, and stood in front of a sink. He turned the water on, splashing a little in his face. With a heavy sigh, he glared at his reflection. He was pale. Too pale. To flush some more blood into his face, Jeff squeezed his abdominal muscles and held his breath. Slowly, his face regained its color.

Satisfied with his appearance, Jeff opened the bathroom door a crack, checking to make sure no one was a round. Seeing that the coast was clear, Jeff began a brisk walk to his next class.