The Dragon Queen

‘Welcome To Cadence Point’ the sign read as mum took the exit off the main highway. I sighed wearily and rested my head on the window, we’d been driving all night and I’d just only awaken a few moments ago from yet another strange dream. The same dream I’d been having for the past few weeks of a voice calling out my name, saying it was time. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the echo of the airy voice as we arrived at what mum said was going to be our new home, our last home.

The scenery shifted from concrete to open fields, and soon rolling mountains. It was pretty, and my hands itched to draw it while my fingers ached to capture the moment through the lens of my camera.

I turned to check in on my little brother, Henry, in the back seat. A small smile graced my lips as I took in his face, he’d long lost the battle to sleep. His little hands slack on the book he was reading. I smiled again he was just so darn cute when he was like this; unlike when he was awake and being a huge pain in my butt, but it was moments like this that reminded me of how precious he was as well.

I turned my attention back to the changing scenery outside my window, and sighed again.

“Okay Gabbs I get it, you’re not happy. But do you think you could keep the sighs down to a minimum?”

I looked over at my mum, who by the way looked gorgeous even after driving for over eighteen hours straight, whereas I probably looked like crap. Her auburn-red hair fell in perfect loose curls down her back, her hazelnut skin clear and devoid of any blemishes while her hazel-gold eyes sparkled.

I hated her in this moment, she just looked so perfect. Mum would always say that I was gorgeous and I’d make some man happy someday. I’d snort laugh and tell her she was biased and only that she said those things because she had to as I was her daughter. She’d then laugh, pulled me close and hugged me tight. Then proceeded to kiss me all over my face till I ended up giggling and laughing and begging her to stop.

I was a realist. I knew I wasn’t drop dead gorgeous like her. Don’t get me wrong though I had some great qualities, like my hair for example; mum always said that I got it from my dad. My hair was white to the point of silver, which on a good day glittered and when the sun hit it just right it refracted the light and looked like I had a million and one diamonds were strung through it. It wasn’t flat either-no, it was waist length, voluminous with large loose waves and curls. I loved my hair!

Where mymum’sbody was lithe and athletic, I was more on the curvy side with ‘child bearing hips’ my friend Jennifer used to call them. I’d laugh and jokingly respond: ‘whose child though?’

“Gabby, Gabby,Gabbs!”

Mum’svoice shook me out of my mind musings. I did that a lot, I lived in my head, apparently another trait I got from dear old dad.

“Huh,” I responded . She chuckled and shook her head; “Did you hear anything I said? Or were you mind-musing as usual ?” She asked.

“Uh… the latter of course, you know how interesting my head can be,” I responded with a cheeky smile.

“Don’t I know it,” she said cutting me a glance from the corner of her eye as we continued our drive into Cadence Point. The beautiful scenery had since given away to residential plots and buildings.

“I was asking if you were excited to start a new school?” She asked, bringing my attention back inside the car.

Now let’s be honest, starting a new school in your final year in a strange new place, with no friends was bound to be a blast. Yeah right! Says no one ever, I thought. I couldn’t help snort laugh at my internal monologue, I was just too funny for my own good.

“You’re doing it again,” Mum said

“Huh, oh yeah I’m super excited.” I said with fake enthusiasm.

“Sure you are,” she repliedsassily.

“Just promise me you’ll keep and open mind okay, you never know it could be amazing.”

“You know me Miss Optimistic!”

I was a take everything in stride kinda girl. After being on the run for as long as I could remember, I’d learn to be optimistic and look on the bright side of things. That was until I turned eighteen, then I could go off to college and do whatever the hell I wanted, which meant staying in one place long enough to put down some roots.

I honestly didn’t know any other life than that of constantly moving. The longest we’d stay in one place was for almost two years. Mum had met a guy, had a one night stand that turned into my little brother being born. She tried to make it work with Henry’s father, but he just wasn’t interested in raising a son apparently.

Then one night; right after Henry turned two, mum came home in a panic told me to grab my go bag, she got Henry in his car seat, and we hightailed it out of there and never looked back.

I didn’t bother to ask her why we were moving again. By that time I had learn it didn’t make much sense asking why we constantly moved, especially once I’d turned seven.

The sound of the indicator switch brought me back to the present. I looked around and notice we’d driven unto a main road. On either side of us was a quaint, bustling small town. With gleaming store fronts, and quiet a good amount of foot traffic.

“There’s the school,” mum pointed out through the window. I turned and looked out my window to the right as we passed a red brick building, with a high arch and ivy covered front walls. An iron arch loomed over the entrance with the words Cadence High engraved on the front. There were kids about, some walking into the main building, some on the lawn and picnic benches that doted the front. They all looked so bright and preppy.

I had to admit, it didn’t look any way I thought it would. To say my expectations were low was an understatement. This was the first school that I might actually like attending.

“Are we there yet?” Henry’s small voice asked from the backseat. Shifting my attention from the school to Henry, who was just waking up. Mum looked into the rear view mirror and smiled.

“Well hi there sleepy head. Did you have a good nap honey?”

Henry nodded as he yawned wide rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Are we at our new place yet?” He asked.

“Almost there hun”

I returned my focus to out of the window as we continued on what I figured was ‘Main Street’. Mum drove out of town and hung a left unto a side road. The view shifted again. Welcome to suburbia, I thought. The houses were nice, clean but too uniformed for my taste.

However mum continued driving until we came to a fork in the road, she indicated right and we took the turn off unto a less densely populated road, where the houses got bigger and further a part.

“So I have to tell you guys something,” she said.

She looked nervous but I couldn’t fathom for what reason.

“Okay… is everything alright?” I asked.

“Yes of course honey, I just forgot to mention that we’ll be moving in with your grandparents”

“Wait what…. we have grandparents?” I asked in shocked surprise.

“Of course you do, why’d you ask that.”

“Umm… maybe cause you’ve never mentioned them or any other type of family ever, my whole life! And I’m sixteen and a half. I’m sure I’d remember grandparents, aunts uncles….” I looked over at mum incredulously.

She sighed; “Don’t be so dramatic Gabby.”

I gave an exasperated eye roll.

“Of course you have grandparents and aunts and uncles. I’m sure I mentioned them.”

“Uh no you didn’t” I interjected.

Mum looked over at me with an exasperated stare. I shrugged, what can I say I can be difficult when I wanted to be.

“Well okay, I may not have mentioned them, but yes you do have a family. We had a falling out when I was eighteen. Then after I left for college I never went back home, I kind of cut off all communication with them. But I’ve decided that it’s time you both got to meet your family and see where I grew up.” She explained.

“You grew up in Cadence Point?” I asked surprised again. Yet another thing she forgot to mention.

“Yes, for awhile at least, although I didn’t go to the high school we just passed. I uh had a different educational upbringing than the norm,” she cleared her throat nervously.

Huh-I thought. I wondered what she meant by that.

“And what about dad?” I asked curiously. Hoping that for once she’d finally share some details about him, about his life.

“Your father wasn’t from around here,” she responded emphatically, letting me know that was all she’d say on the matter.

Eventually we pulled up to a large security gate, mum rolled her window down and pushed the buzzer on the box beside the car. Shortly after there was a voice; “Yes, state your name and purpose for being here”

Mum cleared her throat nervously again and leaned out the window and closer to the box; “Uh my name is PatriciaHeagenthal, I’m here to see my mother…?”

“Of course MistressHeagenthall, please come straight through,” the voice responded.

Mistress Heagenthall…what? Our last name was Bright, wasn’t it? Wow maybe I didn’t know mum as well as I thought I did.

There was a buzz and the gates slowly opened. Mum inched the car through and we proceeded up a winding path. Soon the top of the house came into view.

“Whoa are we going to be living here?” Henry asked.

It wasn’t a house it was a mansion, surrounded by well manicure lawns, tended by men with clippers and rakes. To the left in the distance was-wait, was that a tennis court, and a pool? And a pond too?

“Mum you grew up here?” I asked incredulously.

“How could you not have told me we’re rich!”

Mum sighed; “We aren’t rich Gabby, my parents are” she replied tiredly.

I couldn’t believe it. I mean we weren’t hurting for cash, some of the places we’d lived in were okay, but some were down right sorry excuses for a house or home.

Mum drove around the pond and came to a stop in front of the main entrance of the house. There two large black doors with gold dragon heads as handles stood surrounded with Grey and white stucco bricks.

Mum put the car in park, and turned off the engine, then leaning back in her seat she released a quiet sigh as she looked out the window towards the front doors. With another reluctant glance and a heavy sigh at the mansion, I heard her whispered; ‘Welcome home Pat, welcome home.’

‘I can’t believe I’m going home,’ I thought as I passed the sign welcoming us to Cadence Point and drove down the off ramp. Apprehension had me tightening my grip on the steering wheel, up until this point I had somehow convinced myself I could do this with no true feelings, but that was proving to be very difficult as I steered the car towards Main Street.

A quick glance in therearviewmirror assured me that my son Henry was still asleep, his small hands clutching the RickRiordanbook he’d been reading since we leftMellvile, almost twenty hours ago. His face was so serene and innocent; as he slept, my heart clenched as the reality of what I was taking my children into slammed into me. Sweat broke out on my forehead, as my heart speed up a little. I took a deep breath calming myself, it wouldn’t do any good if I got all worked up and showed up at my parents house distraught and out of sorts.

Gabby, my daughter, sighed again and I chuckled internally. She wasn’t one to not let her feelings be known at all, and I said as much as we turned onto the Main Street of Cadence Point. As we drove down Main Street I pointed out the High School where they’d be attending. Henry woke shortly after we passed, asking if we had arrived at our new home as yet. The question was innocent but sent me spiraling internally yet again, causing me to lash out at Gabby as she argued that I’d never mention anything about grandparents or family.

My stubborn daughter was right of course, I hadn’t. My mate; Nickolai and I, had agreed to keep everything about who we really were; dragon shifters, a secret. We wanted them to have as normal a life as possible, and it had work until recently whenNickolaihad to dispatch yet another druid assassin; the first in over a year, sent by thewyvernsect that sought to steal our daughters life.

“And what about dad?” Gabby asked curiously.

“Your father wasn’t from around here,” I replied emphatically putting an end to that line of questioning from Gabby. Zara rumbled in my head, letting me know her displeasure at my persistence of denying our children the truth about their father; especially Gabby, who’d asked a lot after him. It always broke my heart when she got that furlong look on her face as she tried to weasel nuggets and snippets aboutNickolaiout of me.

The secrets had piled up over time, yes out of necessity but still it ate away at me on the inside how everything had turned out so far. That stupid prophecy-I grumbled in my head. It had robbed me-no us of the life we should have had. But hopefully now that I was back in Cadence Point things would change, and we could have a little of the family I’d always wanted for my kids.

Hope swelled in my chest as I came to a rolling stop in front of the security gates outside my parents mansion.

“Yes-state your name and purpose for being here,” the voice through the intercom instructed, forcing me to focus on the matter at hand.

“Uh my name is PatriciaHeagenthall, I’m here to see my mother…?”

“Of course MistressHeagenthall, please come straight through,” the voice responded.

The drive up the winding driveway brought back memories, the car turning as if on auto pilot, my muscle’s memory kicking in even after all these years. The large black doors with their gold dragon head handles loomed, separating the past from the future; if only for a short while. Cutting the engine I sat back in my seat with a heavy sigh, berating myself internally as I worked up the courage to merge the two.

With another reluctant glance and a heavy sigh at the mansion, I placed my hand on the door handle as if to open it. With a confidence I didn’t really feel I said; ‘Welcome home Pat, welcome home.’