Chapter 1

-Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed-

Bob Riley

I leaned back against the wall of my cushioned window seat. Looking at the ceiling with my eyes shut, I silently prayed to the sky that everything would be okay. I sighed and slowly got up from my seated position and started to get ready for the day ahead.

As I got dressed and went to the bathroom to do my makeup, I saw my reflection in the mirror. My long, dark brown hair fell straight down my back while my unusual violet eyes gleamed with a joy I did not feel. If anyone looked close enough though, they could see the sadness and hatred outlining my heart. My black clothing matched my mood that day and the only thing that wasn't black was a jade and whalebone Manaia. It represents a guardian angel, to ward off danger and protect against intruders and acts as a provider and protector over the sky, earth, and sea. The Manaia has a bird-like head, symbolizing flight of the spirit. Its three fingers are believed to represent birth, life, and death, symbolizing the life cycle of man.

It used to be my father's, and he had given it to me for my seventh birthday. The same day, we were in a car crash. I was miraculously the only survivor. My mother didn't really care. She never truly loved my father, and I could tell that she was using him just for the money. But, she was my mother and she cared about me. As unusual as that is. We had been living in a very nice Victorian house in a very nice neighborhood in Cayuga Heights, New York. And now, for some ironic reason, seven years later, we're moving out of our house into a smelly apartment in Manhattan. Don't get me wrong, there are some cool things about Manhattan, but in general, it's still a city. Still a smelly, busy, polluted, city.

I sighed and left my room to go into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat before I went exploring. When I stepped into the joint kitchen and living room, I saw a stranger sitting on the couch with my mom. He had blond hair, brown eyes, a mustache, and was wearing a leather jacket. The guy was one of those men who look like they ride a motorcycle and usually hang out in clubs and bars. A.k.a. my mother's lovers. Both had wine glasses in their hands.

My mom turned toward me and smiled. Her blond hair and blue eyes sparkled as she opened her mouth to explain the situation. I cut her off with a look. "Just, don't mom. As long as he doesn't intrude on my life, do whatever you want with him. He'll be gone soon anyway."

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell agape, "Fauve. I can't believe you."

"Right, cause you haven't already had five boyfriends in the past month."

"Roger's different, sweetie."

"Just keep telling yourself that mom. He'll be gone in about a week at most. The longest you've had a boyfriend since dad died, was two weeks," I turned around, grabbed a piece of fruit, and shrugged, "But as you said mom, Roger's different. I'm off, see you later."

Their jaws dropped and with an apple in my hand, I opened the door and headed out. Once I had walked out the door, I put my headphones on and played some music by ACDC. I bolted down the stairs, out the front entrance, and started to sprint away from what was now my home. Dodging people, I ended up somewhere in Central Park with almost no one around. At least my mom had the sense to get an apartment near a nature park. I spotted a rock and rushed over to it. Brushing off the dirt and leaves, I sat down on it and turned off my music.

After a while, my breath slowed, and I started to pay attention to the noises around me. The birds sang and the leaves rustled. I took a deep breath and brushed off the tears that I had somehow allowed to escape my mind of emotion. I still wasn't used to being in a big city and I usually have a better grip on my emotions. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw a pair of shoes come into my line of vision.

My eyes drifted slowly up the perfect build of a body before me. The guy standing there had dirty blonde hair, electrifying blue eyes, and visible muscles. You know, like a supermodel, popular, boy type. He was wearing a white shirt with a jean jacket and dark jeans that really complimented his thighs. The boy looked to be around my age, maybe a little older.

My lips started to pull back from my teeth in a snarl. "What do you want?" I asked with a vicious growl.

He looked at me with an amused look but didn't say anything. I got off the rock and had only walked a few feet before he chuckled darkly. I stopped, and when I looked back to question him, he had walked away.

~

The weeks passed by in a blur and the wind was blowing in a way that could only mean that school was about to start. I dreaded it. School meant cliques and isolation, another reason to run away and never be heard from again. And it started in two days. Forty-eight hours left of my freedom and I planned to spend it reading my worries away.

As I had expected, Roger had left after about three days. He wasn't someone to worry about. The ones you had to watch out for, were the ones who would get crazy drunk and start to abuse you. Those were the worst. By now, I had explored most of the city and had memorized a little bit of it. But all in all, I was mostly a complete stranger. At least I had a GPS with me.

After I woke up this morning, I started to head towards the bookstore that I had found a couple of days ago. Walking along the sidewalk, I thought of the strange boy I saw. Our encounter seemed like a weird dream. Maybe the pollution of the city had gotten to me. I tried to think of the possibilities of his name and what type of life he lived. The guy looked like a pretty, snobby, rich guy. I shook my head to get the thoughts out of my mind. When I looked up, the bookstore was right there labeled The Corner Bookstore.

I walked into the book smell that filled the air and went to a side aisle to look at some books. I spotted one that caught my eye, called 'Once on a Moonless Night.' Reading the description, I saw the same boy I saw at the park in my peripheral vision. I eyed him and brought the book over to the counter, not even finishing the partial summary. Once I had bought the book, I looked around and saw him at the back of the store. I had two options. 1) Go up to him and ask who he was, or 2) walk out of the store and forget about him. I chose the latter, a more sensible option. So, I thanked the women at the front desk, backed out of the store, and quickly walked away from what could have potentially become an awkward situation.

Five minutes later, I got the feeling that someone was following me. At first, I thought that it was the strange boy and my belly-flopped a little. Oh no, you don't, I thought to my heart, he is a selfish, snobby, rich, and spoiled rotten jerk. He even holds his posture like he rules the world. It was only then, that I realize, looking over my shoulder, that it was in fact not the boy. For a second, I felt relieved, but then at a second glance, I noticed that a man, dressed in all black and holding a knife with strange markings, was headed my way and shoving people as he went.

I had never been in this situation before, but at least I knew what to do. Again, I had a couple of options. 1) Hail down a taxi and get out of there, 2) Face him at a partial disadvantage (my dad had signed me up for defense lessons and my mom couldn't object, but he still had a weapon) or 3) Get someone's attention and act like they were someone I knew. The former option won. I looked around and saw a taxi pulling up to the next place in line at the red stoplight. Hailing it down, I got in, handed the driver a fifty, and told him to take a roundabout route to my apartment. When we had started to move, I looked back and saw the man stop, glare at the moving car, and walk away.

I sank down in my seat and started to relax. The driver looked at me in the rearview mirror with a questioning stare. "Creepy stalker," I said to the unspoken words.

He nodded with understanding and said, "There are too many of those these days."

"You can say that again."

He smiled, "There are too many of those these days."

I laughed and he started to as well. "What's your name?" he asked, "I'm James."

"It's nice to meet you, James. I'm Raven, but my mom calls me Fauve."

"Fauve is a really pretty name. What does it mean?"

"It means wildcat in French."

"Ahh."

We talked some more, and ten minutes later, we arrived at my apartment. He started to count out some change, and I said, "keep the change. You need it more than I do."

I smiled, got out of the car, waved at him, and walked up the stairs to my apartment while he drove away flabbergasted. He was a nice guy. A little broke, but still a nice guy. A chill ran down my spine as I got out my keys to open the door of my so-called house, I heard noises coming from inside, and hurriedly entered the room. My mom was on the couch facing the tv and away from the door. She wasn't alone. There was a man with her and they were making out.

"Ewww, mom. If you're going to do that, at least do it in your room. I don't need to walk in on that." I quickly ran to my room and slammed the door, I set my backpack down and pulled out my new book to get my mind off of what I had just witnessed.

It had something to do with the Chinese or the Buddha Statue (the book). I wasn't really paying attention. My mind started to wander off and I thought about how unusual it was to see the same boy again. Seeing him at the park was one thing. You could come from anywhere in Manhattan, but the same exact bookstore? Now that seemed a little off. What was he up to? Maybe he wasn't up to anything and I was just really delusional. I sighed and picked up my book again.

About two hours later, my mom walked into my room with some money in her hand. "Hey sweetie, sorry about earlier. Do you think you could run to the store for me? We need some milk and food for tomorrow."

I took the money, "sure mom."

"Thanks. I'm heading out tonight. If you need anything just give me a call. Alright?"

Giving her an okay sign I muttered too low for her to hear, "you always do."

I placed my bookmark in between the pages of my book and looked around for my backpack to put it in there. My room was pretty bare. It had a desk on one side opposite the door and the bed was tucked into the corner. My bookcase was in between the closet and the bathroom door. I spotted my backpack in the corner of the room behind the door. Putting my shoes on, I shuffled over to it and set both the money and book in it. I sighed, zipped up the bag, threw it over my shoulder, and left my room.

When I walked out, my mom had disappeared and the guy that I had seen earlier was in the kitchen getting ingredients out. My stomach dropped to the floor. Oh no no no-no-no. This can't be happening, I thought. My mom loved guys who could cook. And he was actually pretty good looking. He was in a light brown sweater and jeans that fit him pretty well. But I did not need a man in my life.

He started to look up at the sound of my feet, and I quickly slid past the counter when he said, "you're Fauve right?"

I froze and turned around, "ya that's me. Though my friends call me Raven."

"Raven," he said my name in a smooth, oily voice.

"That's me."

"How about you come to help me cook?"

"I really wish I could," I lied, "but I have to go get some groceries."

"Oh, then I'll come with you," he said.

"That's alright, you don't have to do that," I insisted. I really didn't want him to come.

"I'll come, and that way, I can get to know you better."

"Okay," I shoved a smile onto my face and led the way to the door.

He actually didn't sound half bad, but I didn't want him in my life. This guy would just be one more thing to deal with in my life. We headed out the door and down the stairs. He hailed down a taxi and when it came over to the curb, he held the door open for me. Once we had gotten in and my moms boyfriend had told the driver the address, we started to get moving. He told me his name was David and that he was a businessman who worked for some famous company. I wasn't really paying attention. My mind had wandered off and as I was watching the buildings pass by, a memory emerged.

It was dark and rainy. The thunder shook the top of the cab and I huddled close to my father's side. We were traveling through New York City to get back home. He had taken me to a fancy restaurant for my birthday when the clouds started their downpour. We watched the lights of the city pass by. I saw lightning off in the distance and closed my eyes tightly against the bright flash. I clung to my dad.

"Hey tiger, it's gonna be okay," he said.

"H...h...how do y...you know?" I stuttered

"Well, lightning is caused by an electrical charge in a cloud. Then the thunder is the sound the lightning makes. It's not dangerous as long as you don't go near it."

"Oh. Papa?"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me the story of the dragons?"

"Sure pumpkin."

"Once before humans were made, there was a creature so magnificent and strong that none could defeat it. It was called a dragon. He could breathe fire, water, and had many powers. His scales could change color and he was known to rule over all the animals and creatures of the land.

"One day, a specific group of animals started to roam the Earth. They were called humans. As they evolved, they became smarter and started to create weapons out of stone and metal they found in the Earth. They made civilizations and began to try to conquer different pieces of land.

"The dragon was fine with this as long as they did not control the other animals. The animals would have to agree to it or come willingly. The humans agreed to this deal. Then one day, a human found out about cow's milk and started to make cows submit to him. Others learned from him and made other animals submit.

"This behavior made the dragon angry. He came down upon the humans and started to kill them. But the humans had made weapons and tried to defeat the great dragon. They had injured him and he retreated. The dragon needed to come up with a solution and decided to consult the fates. He saw what he needed to do and created more dragons. Eventually, all the magic faded out of him into the new four species of dragons and he turned to stone. Earth, air, fire, and water.

"Earth dragons could control anything involving the earth, stone, or plants. They could also talk to other animals. The air dragons could control the air to their advantage and could create any type of weather. Fire dragons could control fire and anything involving fire, like embers or sparks and even lava. Water dragons could control any type of liquid in whatever form it was in, including blood.

"These dragons rained down on the human population. They became vicious protective creatures. The humans were losing. Desperately, they sent a brave soldier to the witch house. When he came upon the building, he discovered that it was less like a house and more like a fortress.

"He knocked on the door and it was answered by a young-looking girl about his age.

"'We've been expecting you," she said. Then she led him inside to a room where an older woman was sitting in front of a desk. It looked like she was writing on a piece of paper. The girl had vanished, and the woman beckoned him over to her. Obligingly, he walked over to her and sat in the chair opposite her.

"She set down her quill and looked up at the knight. "What is it you require?" she asked.

"'What could help us defeat the dragons?" he responded.

"'Interesting question. What were you hoping for? Poison? A creature strong enough to wound a dragon?"

"'What type of creature would it be?"

"'It's called a Zmey Gorynych. It is a three-headed dragon-like serpent," she went on to explain what they were.

"The knight stopped her and said, ''All I need to know, is if it will kill a dragon."

"'It most certainly will," she said, "but be wary, they can easily get out of hand."

"She handed the knight a jar with an oily black substance in it. "This is the Zmey. To release it, just unscrew the cap and pour it out onto the ground."

"'Thank you," said the knight.

'"The witch nodded at him and responded, "Le-shay will lead you out."

"The girl from before was standing next to the door waiting for him. He nodded at the witch once again and left. The witch smiled evilly knowing that he would not heed her advice and turned back to her work.

"Back at the castle, the knight, who was named Sir Astion, approached the king with the jar. The king looked at the substance in interest. Astion opened the jar and poured it onto the ground. A mist started to form and out of it, came a giant yellow serpent with three heads and wings. The middle head looked around, then It opened its mouth and you could see its gigantic fangs right before it blew the flame out and roasted the king alive. The other two heads blew flames to the left and right, mirroring the actions of the first.

"The Zmey Gorynych was getting out of control. The knight desperately tried to stuff part of the tail back in the jar, but all it did was annoy the creature. It turned around and roared at him, showing him the long blade-like fangs, and took a swipe at him. Astion dodged and tried to run out of the room. The flames were at his heels as he escaped.

"Sir Astion realized his mistake of trusting the witch and went to confront the dragons. Once he made it to them, he explained what had happened and begged them to save humans. The dragons agreed on one condition, once the Zmey was dealt with, the humans would have to separate themselves from the dragon's world. Astion agreed.

"The four dragon leaders stepped aside and revealed a hidden alcove in the cave they were in. Out of it, stepped a black dragon with hints of purple. It was a secret dragon that was hidden, and for good reason as well. Not only could this species of dragon communicate telepathically with others and move things using telekinesis, but it could also turn things to stone. They were called Cerebral dragons. Their abilities had to do with the mind and were the wisest of the dragons.

"All of the dragons bowed as did the petty human knight. The dragon nodded at them and took flight. The water dragon gave the knight permission to crawl onto her back. Along with the other leaders, the dragons climbed into the sky after the noble dragon.

"When they arrived at the castle, the dark scales of the large dragon glinted in the sun as he confronted the Gorynych. The three-headed serpent slowly stopped breathing flames and faced the dragon. There was a tense feeling in the air as the two were staring each other down. It was broken when the Zmey nodded and followed the dragon to the highest hill with the others following on their heels.

"As the serpent sat in the middle facing the black leader, the other dragons started to circle them and bow their heads in a mournful somber. Sir Astion had gotten off of the water leader and he watched them with intrigue. Each of the other leaders came forward and sat slightly in front of the larger dragon in a horizontal line.

"The earth dragon raised the ground the Zmey was on while the air dragon surrounded the heads with wind containing leaves. The fire dragon summoned fire on one side while the water dragon rose the water on the other side. Then, with all the dragons in place, the cerebral dragon looked straight into the middle heads' eyes and you could see, starting from the tail up, that the Zmey Gorynych was slowly turning to stone. It let out a roar, and with that, it was a giant stone statue.

"After that, the dragons were able to create an alternate reality for the humans erasing all their memories, with Astion as their king. Astion was given permission by the dragons to keep his memories and to write them down. And he made sure that no one knew about the dragons except for the legends that he was to create.

"But there is a legend. A legend that someday, the Zmey Gorynych will be able to free himself from his encasement of stone and set out to do what he was created by the witch for. To kill all humans and dragons. To have the other creatures roam free without any superior being telling them what they can and cannot do. But there will be someone, who will gain a bond with a dragon, and who will keep the peace between species."

I looked up at my dad smiling. He smiled back. But little did I know that our bond was about to end. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light. I knocked my head against the window and blacked out. When I awoke, my father had been decapitated by his seat belt and I could hear sirens in the distance. I looked out my window with tears streaming down my face and saw a flurry of wings disappear into the night.