skepticism. “It’s so dark I can barely see my hand in front of my face, never mind a fire-breathing beast hiding out in a barn.”
Scarlet shrugged, not sure how to explain. Truthfully, she had no idea how she knew—just that she did, without a shadow of a doubt. Almost as if she’d been gifted with some kind of crazy dragon-homing device directly implanted into her brain. Had the dragon’s blood connected her to the creature in some weird psychic way, letting her know where it was at all times? That was, of course, how these things always seemed to play out in the fantasy novels she’d read, where poor peasant girls of no consequence bonded with dragons and became heroes of the realm.
But this wasn’t a fantasy. It was real life. And how this was all happening was a complete mystery. But it didn’t matter, she told herself. The important thing was they were there. They’d get in, they’d get their video, and they’d get back to the football game before anyone knew they were gone.
“Why would a dragon be hiding out at the Old McCormick place anyway?” Rebekah added, looking doubtfully at the neglected yard, strangled by weeds. “You’d think a creature of myth and legend would choose someplace a little more…I don’t know…glamorous?”
“Maybe the Four Seasons was booked for the weekend,” Scarlet suggested wryly.
“Or they just couldn’t afford the fire insurance premiums?”
Scarlet giggled, gesturing for Rebekah to follow her as she left the tractor and crept toward the barn, careful to keep her footsteps light and not make too much noise. The last thing they needed was to scare away the dragon before they could film it.
Just one shot. One really good shot, Scarlet told herself. That’s all we need.
She still admittedly felt a little guilty about the whole thing. Like she was some evil paparazzi, stalking the poor dragon in order to exploit it for cash. But she made Rebekah promise they’d remove the identifying geotags and not tell anyone where they filmed the footage. This way, the dragon couldn’t be tracked down by anyone else who might have a more nefarious purpose in mind.
No dragons will be harmed in the making of this video, she reminded herself. And no mothers will be either…ever again…if all goes to plan.
She imagined her mother’s face when she presented her with the check. It didn’t have to be the millions that Rebekah had bragged about—just a few grand for a security deposit and a U-Haul rental. Enough to pack their bags and drive out to New Mexico, to get a place on the reservation near Grandmother and start a new life, just the two of them. Leaving the monster behind for good. He was too lazy, too unorganized, and, of course, too broke to follow them that far. And she was pretty sure out of sight meant out of mind.
Somehow she managed to reach the barn without tripping over any rusty farm equipment. Rebekah joined her a moment later, flicking on her cell phone and shining it at the front doors. The dim light revealed a large, imposing padlock, securing the doors in place. Damn. Scarlet felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was locked from the outside. Which meant there was probably no dragon squatting on the inside. Had she been wrong?
“Maybe someone locked it inside the barn?” Rebekah suggested, a little too kindly, as if trying to spare Scarlet’s feelings.
“Yeah, maybe,” she muttered, walking around the barn with her own cell phone shining, standing on her tiptoes to try to look in the windows. Unfortunately, it appeared as if they’d all been blocked out from the inside with dark blankets. She sighed, returning to Rebekah, disappointment dropping like lead in her stomach.
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “Maybe my sixth sense was just a side effect of today’s Salisbury steak special…”
Rebekah gave her an exaggerated shocked look. “Are you saying you’re already thwarted, Scarlet-in-the-library-with-the-revolver?” She
Scarlet shrugged, not sure how to explain. Truthfully, she had no idea how she knew—just that she did, without a shadow of a doubt. Almost as if she’d been gifted with some kind of crazy dragon-homing device directly implanted into her brain. Had the dragon’s blood connected her to the creature in some weird psychic way, letting her know where it was at all times? That was, of course, how these things always seemed to play out in the fantasy novels she’d read, where poor peasant girls of no consequence bonded with dragons and became heroes of the realm.
But this wasn’t a fantasy. It was real life. And how this was all happening was a complete mystery. But it didn’t matter, she told herself. The important thing was they were there. They’d get in, they’d get their video, and they’d get back to the football game before anyone knew they were gone.
“Why would a dragon be hiding out at the Old McCormick place anyway?” Rebekah added, looking doubtfully at the neglected yard, strangled by weeds. “You’d think a creature of myth and legend would choose someplace a little more…I don’t know…glamorous?”
“Maybe the Four Seasons was booked for the weekend,” Scarlet suggested wryly.
“Or they just couldn’t afford the fire insurance premiums?”
Scarlet giggled, gesturing for Rebekah to follow her as she left the tractor and crept toward the barn, careful to keep her footsteps light and not make too much noise. The last thing they needed was to scare away the dragon before they could film it.
Just one shot. One really good shot, Scarlet told herself. That’s all we need.
She still admittedly felt a little guilty about the whole thing. Like she was some evil paparazzi, stalking the poor dragon in order to exploit it for cash. But she made Rebekah promise they’d remove the identifying geotags and not tell anyone where they filmed the footage. This way, the dragon couldn’t be tracked down by anyone else who might have a more nefarious purpose in mind.
No dragons will be harmed in the making of this video, she reminded herself. And no mothers will be either…ever again…if all goes to plan.
She imagined her mother’s face when she presented her with the check. It didn’t have to be the millions that Rebekah had bragged about—just a few grand for a security deposit and a U-Haul rental. Enough to pack their bags and drive out to New Mexico, to get a place on the reservation near Grandmother and start a new life, just the two of them. Leaving the monster behind for good. He was too lazy, too unorganized, and, of course, too broke to follow them that far. And she was pretty sure out of sight meant out of mind.
Somehow she managed to reach the barn without tripping over any rusty farm equipment. Rebekah joined her a moment later, flicking on her cell phone and shining it at the front doors. The dim light revealed a large, imposing padlock, securing the doors in place. Damn. Scarlet felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was locked from the outside. Which meant there was probably no dragon squatting on the inside. Had she been wrong?
“Maybe someone locked it inside the barn?” Rebekah suggested, a little too kindly, as if trying to spare Scarlet’s feelings.
“Yeah, maybe,” she muttered, walking around the barn with her own cell phone shining, standing on her tiptoes to try to look in the windows. Unfortunately, it appeared as if they’d all been blocked out from the inside with dark blankets. She sighed, returning to Rebekah, disappointment dropping like lead in her stomach.
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “Maybe my sixth sense was just a side effect of today’s Salisbury steak special…”
Rebekah gave her an exaggerated shocked look. “Are you saying you’re already thwarted, Scarlet-in-the-library-with-the-revolver?” She
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