“C’mon , like seriously?” Milo laughed. “I thought you were better than that.” We sat at the table scrutinizing my drawing. “What is it? A lizard?”
“It’s a dragon, stupid.” I stuck my tongue out at him. Milo and I had been practically inseparable for the past few months. “I think it’s pretty good.”
“Challenge accepted,” Milo turned to some kids playing on the floor of the playroom nearby. “Hey Gemma, Crystal, Johnny: Come over here.” My 9-year-old sisterr Crystal, my 7-year-old sisterr Gemma, and Milo’s 7-year-old brother Johnny came over to our table. “What do you guys think?”
“Really?” I rolled my eyes. “This is your judging panel? Hardly fair.”
“Who said life was fair?” Milo shrugged.
“What is it?” Johnny asked.
“A dragon.” Milo replied.
“Awful,” Crystal turned up her nose. She was quite lovely, with her blond hair. I envied her and Gemma for their light locks. “Did you draw it with your feet?” she inquired. Gemma and Johnny laughed.
“Well whatever,” I glared at the children.
“It just doesn’t look like a dragon,” Gemma informed me.
“Well how would you know?” I said. “Have you ever seen a real dragon; in real life not in the books?” They paused: this was a good point.
“Maybe someday,” Gemma sighed.
“Don’t be silly,” Crystal said. “Dragons aren’t real.”
“Well I don’t know about that,” Milo said.
“What do you mean, Milo?” Gemma and Johnny’s eyes grew wide.
“I personally think there may be some dragons in other parts of the world.” Milo told them.
“No there’s not,” Crystal said.
“No?” Milo looked up at her. “Have you ever been outside of Manhattan?”
“I was in Brooklyn!” Johnny exclaimed raising his hand.
“Yes,” Milo said. “But I think there may be a dragon in another country. And I intend to see it one day.”
“Wow,” Gemma murmured. “Can I come?”
“Only because you have the best name.” Milo laughed. He loved Gemma’s name.
“Yippy!” Gemma squealed.
“Nonsense,” Crystal said. Then she turned and marched back to her spot. Johnny always followed her. Gemma turned to Milo.
“Pinky promise you’ll take me?” She held out her little pinky.
“Pinky promise,” Milo said. Gemma threw her arms around him. “How could I leave behind the special Gemma?”
“You’re the best, Milo.” Gemma giggled.
“You know, she told me why she hates me,” I told Milo after Gemma had scurried off to join Crystal and Johnny.
“Gemma doesn’t hate you,” Milo said.
“Alrighty,” I rolled my eyes. “She said I’m ‘hogging you’”
“What does that even mean?” Milo asked.
“She likes you,” I grinned. “And I spend too much time with you.”
“Huh,” Milo said thoughtfully. “Does that mean you don’t like me?”
“Oh, I hate you,” I said.
“Okay I thought so just wanted to make sure we were on the same page,” Milo said. We held each others’ gaze for a while then we burst out into laughter. As we often do.
“You know if we ever get mad at each other I won’t be able to take a fight seriously.” I said.
“Well then let’s not fight,” Milo said.
“Brilliant,” I applauded. “Did you mean what you said when you told Gemma you’re going to leave the country?”
“Of course,” He said. “I would never lie to Gemma. I’m out of here as soon as I’m old enough.”
“Five more years,” I murmured with content.
“Yup,” Milo nodded. “After that, I’m going to get out there and find some real adventure.”
“Oh?” I leaned forward. “And what sort of adventure is the great Milo going to find? A possible better dragon drawing than mine?” I waved it in his face. “Because that doesn’t seem possible.”
“Well no that’s far too difficult a task,” Milo shrugged. “I guess I just feel like I’m meant to do something better than this, you know?”
“Like what?”
“Well like make a difference,” Milo said. “Like- I don’t know. I’ve always felt like I’m meant to do something better than this.”
“I feel like I’m going to rust in here,” I said.
“Exactly!” Milo said. “I feel like a belong somewhere else. I don’t know where but I’ll know when I find it.”
“Well let me know when you find it,” I said.
“Are you kidding?” He laughed. “I’m not looking for it without you. We’re partners.”
“Well if you need anyone to draw,” I stuck my tongue out at him. “You may have to find a new partner.” He laughed.
“I’ll take care of the drawing, Shea.”

It was good to dream.
But dreams are frightening.
Once they’re real.

“Shea,” Gemma said one night when I came in to say good night to her Johnny and Crystal. “Can Milo read us a story?”
“Yes, please!” exclaimed Johnny.
“Well maybe I’ll read a story tonight.” I said.
“We asked for Milo,” Crystal said.
“Well aren’t we pleasant tonight,” I shot Crystal a look and she buried her pretty face into her blanket quietly. I was sitting with the three children in Crystal bed in the girls’ bedroom of the orphanage. Gemma was curled up in a ball on my lap and Johnny lay beside Crystal in bed. It made me smile to see them together. They were like a little happy couple.
“Did I hear my name?” Milo sauntered into the room, book under his arms.
“Milo!” Gemma leapt from my lap and ran to greet him.
“Hey, Gems,” He scooped her up. “Would you like a story?”
“Yes, please!” She squealed. He carried her over to the bed and lay beside Johnney with her on his lap. I lay on the other side of Crystal and she curled up to my chest. She was sassy but I knew she thought of me as a mom.
Sometimes I feel like she still remembers the fire. She was old enough to. As though the fumes only affected me. I was the one who saved her and Gemma. Or so I was told. When the firefighters arrived they told me they had found me: coughing, sputtering, staggering out of the burning building, dragging behind me my three-year-old sister and carrying my one-year-old sister in my arms. The firefighter had rushed to me, taken Gemma from my arms and I blacked out. Or so I was told. I had no recollection of the event.
“-And the dragons soared overhead,” Milo was already almost done with the story.
“Raaaaaack! Raaaaaack!” Johnny and Gemma squawked like what I suppose they thought dragons sounded like. Crystal tried to look annoyed but I saw the corners of her lips twitch into an almost smile. I snuggled her closer.
“-And the people all cheered-,” He looked at the children, he knew they knew this part.
“Hurray! Hurray!” Gemma, Johnny, Crystal and I cheered. “There go the dragons! They’re flying away.” We all burst into laughter. Along with the other children in the girls’ room who had gathered to hear the story.
“-And so thanks to the brave knight: the princess was safe and the villagers were never bothered by the dragons again. The end,” Everyone clapped as Erica burst into the room.
“What is all this noise?!” She rolled her eyes when she spotted Milo and I. “Of course. Now how many times have I told you?” She wagged a finger at Johnny, Milo, and I. “You can’t be in this room. And what’s this?” She yanked the picture book out of Milo’s hands.
“A story Milo was reading us,” One little girl in the room said.
“About dragons,” Cried another.
“It was so cool!” said another girl.
“Enough!” Erica roared. Erica was old and round. With loose grey hairs flying out of her bun and her clothing bursting at the seams. She was angry, rude, and had almost no patience. I still don’t understand why she works at an orphanage. “These books are poisoning you children. You don’t realize that once you get into the real world. There are no dragon, no knights to come to your rescue, and no happy endings!” The children gasped.
“Really?” Milo said in mild amusement. “This place you speak of the ‘Real World’ sounds very interesting. Wouldn’t you agree, Shea?”
“Very interesting indeed,” I nodded. “Perhaps we could take a field trip there?”
“Field trip! Field trip!” The children cheered laughing.
“Enough!” Erica picked up Johnny and threw him over her shoulder. “To bed, girls! Lights out!” The other little girls scrambled into their bunks and buried themselves under their sheets and pillows. Erica reached down and grabbed me painfully by the arm and Milo by the hair and dragged us out of the room. She slammed the door shut and stormed down the hall then threw another door open and threw me inside where I landed painfully on my butt. She was strong.
“Pleasant dreams, Shea!” Milo called as he struggled to free his hair from Erica’s grasp. And that’s how I arrived in my room: on my butt, my arm all bruised, and holding my sides in pain from laughing so hard. I looked up to see the other girls in my room staring at me. I share a room with teenage girls with no sense of humor, personality, or originality, or anything really except good looks something I didn’t have.
“Really, Shea?” One girl rolled her eyes. The other girls giggled behind their hands as I got to my feet and crawled into bed. I buried my head in my pillow, defeated yet again by the stupid Barbie dolls.

If only they could see me now.

Milo,” Gemma said, approaching us one day. “Will you build me a castle?”
“Gemma we’re doing our homework.” I snapped.
“But I need one!” She whined. “Johnny keeps trying to take Princess.” She showed Milo her old doll. It was mine and I gave it to her once I grew out of it. All the toys here belong to the orphanage and thought she should have something. I’m not sure how the doll survived the fire but she did and I loved her very much. She was the only thing connecting me to my parents.
“Her name is Indy,” I pointed to the faded black marker on her shirt. My mother must have written her name on it when I was little. “For the millionth time.”
“Well I like Princess better and she’s my doll now,” Gemma said.
“Well that’s too bad her name is Indy.”
“Whatever I just need a castle before Johnny comes back.”
“Okay, okay, Gems,” Milo said. “We’ll build you a castle.”
“Except we won’t,” I said. “Go away Gemma we have homework.”
“Oh like you care about homework.” Milo smirked at me then hopped off his chair. I glared at him but followed.
Milo dumped out the bin of blocks Gemma had given us and began to build. I crouched down beside him and helped.
“You owe us, Gems,” I said.
“No I don’t,” She stuck her tongue out at me. “I actually-”
“Gotcha!” Johnny came up beside her and grabbed the doll’s arm. There was a loud tearing sound followed by two children standing a few feet apart, one holding a doll, the other holding the doll’s arm.
Then there was crying.
Gemma’s face got all scrunched up and she squeezed her eyes shut as water poured out of the corners. “Johnny!” She sobbed and sobbed. Johnny looked down at the arm and hurried back to her side.
“Gemma,” He extended the arm to Gemma who had dropped Indy and was now rubbing her eyes with her fists as she cried.
“Johnny!” Milo got to his feet.
“Children,” Crystal came over to us after hearing Gemma cry.
“Indy,” I stooped down and picked up the doll. She was badly ripped. Johnny handed me her arm staring at his shoes as Milo scolded him. Crystal reached out to comfort Gemma but she pulled away. Then she buried her face in my legs. She’s never done that before. Crystal only looked surprised for a minute then she joined Milo in scolding Johnny.
“C-c-can you fix her, Sh-sh-shea?” A blotchy-faced Gemma looked into my eyes.
“She belonged to Shea when my mother was alive, Johnny,” Crystal said angrily. “It’s the only thing that survived the fire.”
“I’m really sorry, Gemma,” Johnny said quietly.
“Can we fix her?” Gemma asked ignoring Johnny and refusing to meet his gaze.
“Of course,” Milo said.
I just stared at the doll with pain and emptiness. The last connection to my parents was torn. I looked down at Gemma’s tear-stained face looking up at me. What am I thinking? This doll isn’t my last connection to my parents. My sisters are. I knelt down and faced Gemma.
“Yea, Gems,” I said quietly. “Milo and I will fix her good as new.”
“Of course we will,” Milo agreed. He nudged Johnny.
“I’m really sorry, Gemma,” Johnny said, still staring at his shoes. “I didn’t mean for you doll to rip, I promise.”
“It’s okay,” Gemma dried her eyes with the back of her hand. “Shea and Milo will fix her.” She gave me a quick hug around the legs. “Thanks, Shea.” Then she scrambled off with Johnny.
Crystal and I looked at each other with surprise.
“Well that was odd,” she said. “I’ve never seen Gemma treat you like that.”
“Me neither,” I said quietly.
“Can you really fix the doll?” She asked.
“Sure,” Milo said examining her. “If we can get a hold of a needle and thread.”
“Well I have some homework,” Crystal turned on her heal and walked off.
“C’mon, Shea,” Milo sat down at the table and went back to homework. I followed him but turned my head to look at Gemma. She was off in another part of the playroom with Johnny and some of the other children her age playing a game with some old plastic cars.

I’d never seen Gemma treat me like that. At the time I convinced myself that it was because the doll had ripped and she wanted me to fix it since I was the oldest or maybe she felt bad about it because the doll was really mine. But now I know that it was because she knew. Somehow, something inside told her and she knew.

She knew that that was the last time we would ever see each other.

“So this doll is from when you were little?” Milo asked. We walked down the hallway together on our way to bed. We were one of the last two awake in this hallway and we walked alone; the patting of our bare feet echoing down the empty hall.

“Yup,” I replied. “The only thing that survived the fire.”

“That’s very odd,” Milo said. “I mean it’s so fragile that my little brother ripped it easily, how did it not burn when an entire house burnt down?”

“Well firstly because the doll is much older now,” I said. “And secondly I didn’t see the doll survive the fire. I told you I have no memory of it. The firefighters said that they went through the rubble looking for anything that could have survived. Any sort of documents, photos, anything that could help them figure out who we were or a way to contact our other relatives. Our neighbors didn’t even remember our parents too well; just that my father was notably attractive.”I laughed but Milo wasn’t laughing. “What?”

“It’s just too weird,” Milo shook his head,” How similar we are, I mean. That’s practically the same as my story; including the part about your dad being attractive. My neighbors said mine was too. It’s just too weird to be a coincidence.” After a pause we looked at the doll at the same time.

“They pulled her from the rubble of my house,” I said quietly. “She was the only thing intact.”

“She’s no coincidence either,” Milo said. “Shea how many orphans do you know that lost their parents when they were seven years old and don’t remember them? That lost their parents in a huge fire at the house that destroyed everything in it? That have no relatives or friends coming to claim us as their own. That remember nothing from their past accept their names and their siblings?”

“What are you saying Milo?” I said, even though I knew.

“I’m saying we’re no accident,” he said. “The fire was no accident, our memory loss is no accident, and this doll is no accident,”

“Milo that’s-that’s-that’s crazy,” I said. It was crazy but he was right our pasts were too weird to ignore. I took the doll from him gently. “So you think this doll might have a clue to our pasts?”

“Yes, I do,” Milo murmured.

“Well,” I examined the doll with trembling hands. “All it says on here is ‘Indy’.”

“Okay,” Milo said slowly. “Maybe Indy is one of your parents’ names or maybe your last name or...or…”

“Or the name I gave this doll as a child?” I said. “C’mon, Milo. It’s a cool idea but I think Indy was probably just under a bunch of stuff or something.”

“Believe what you want,” Milo said. “But that still doesn’t explain what happened to us.” You have to admit it’s crazy.”

“Well,” I slowly nodded. “It’s weird; yes. But what are we supposed to do about it? It’s not like we can try to figure out what happened to us.”

“Can’t we?” Milo looked at the doll again, almost hungrily.

“Dude,” I snatched it away from him.

“Please, Shea?”

“What are you going to do?” I said.

“What if…?” He looked down.

“What? Milo, What?”
“What if there’s a reason my brother ripped her?” Milo said quietly. “What if there is something inside her?”
“Are you crazy?” I said, looking at the doll in wonder.
“Honestly?” Milo murmured. “Yea, Shea. I think I am.” I sighed. It sounded crazy but there was a curiosity I couldn’t push out of my mind. Our pasts were strange. And identical! What’s up with that? Maybe this doll would tell us what happened. Maybe this doll would have something inside of her. Like a picture or something.
When I handed over my doll to Milo that day I thought I knew exactly what would happen. I thought Milo would take out the stuffing. Find nothing. Then put the doll back together and we would go our separate ways to bed. Then wake up and continue to live our boring lives.

Boy was I off.

“What’s this?” Milo’s eyes widened with excitement. I pressed my head over his shoulder.
“You found something?” I exclaimed. “What? What is it?”
“I’m not sure,” Milo showed me. “Looks like a chain. Maybe for a necklace or something? But it’s stuck,” He pulled on an old looking gold chain hanging out of my now stuff-less doll.

“Careful,” I warned. “Don’t break it.” The chain finally tore free and came out in Milo’s shaking hand.

“See?” He said, trying to keep his voice calm. “A necklace, like I said.” At the end of the chain was a smooth round charm-like object.

“That’s a locket, Milo,” I told him. “You open it and people put pictures inside.” He turned the locket over in his hands. It was silver and glistened in the light. I could hear our hearts beating in our ears. Why was this locket here? What was in it? Was Milo right, did our parents want us to find this?

“It’s inscribed,” Milo said. “The print is very small,”

“Can you make it out?”

“I think so,”

“What does it say?”

“Umm…” He scrutinized the locket. “Looks like ‘Zaybxc’. So, I guess I can’t make it out,” He laughed weekly.

“Can I see it?” He handed it to me. It felt smooth and warm. I tried to read the inscription also. Milo was right: I could’ve swore it said Zaybxc. But that’s not a real word. Is it?

“Maybe it is a real word,” Milo said as if reading my mind. “We’ll look it up in the encyclopedia.”

“And some foreign dictionaries,” I added. “It could be a word from a foreign language.”

“Yes,” Milo said. We stared at the locket for a few more minutes. “Sh-should we open it?”

“I really want to,” I said.

“Do you-?”

“No, Milo. You open it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Very sure,”

“Alright, then,”

“Alright,”

“I’ll just open it then,”

“Yes do that,”

“Okay,”

“Any time now,”

“Right now?”

“Do you have something better to do?”

“No,”

“Then open it,”

“Very well,”

“Alright,”

“Shea?”

“Milo?”

“I’m nervous,”

“I’m terrified,” In one quick motion, I took his hand a squeezed. “But we have to do this.”

“You’re right,” He nodded slowly. “Okay, here I go,”
He stuck his fingernails in the little crack and pried it open. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Chapter 7
“Shea,” He murmured. I opened my eyes to see that he had opened the locket. The locket was empty save for a large purple light bursting out of it. The locket was held in such a way that the purple light was projected onto the wall before us. On the wall was a big purple circle of light that had come from the locket. It was like the locket was a flashlight…a purple one.
“It’s a flashlight?” I asked, unsure.
“A very bright one,” Milo said. I reached out to the light, to touch it, I’m not sure why but I felt like I should. “What are you-?” Milo began but stopped in surprised as my hand met the light on the wall.
And went right through it.


Like it was a hole in the wall. It felt cool and wet. I pulled my hand out in surprise. I turned to Milo who stood holding the locket in one hand and my doll in the other, his mouth gone slack. I had a million questions in my head and I intended on finding out the answers.

“I think we should…” I nodded at the purple circle.

“Yea,” Milo said. “We should.” He walked over to me and the light from the locket quivered a little as he moved but it still remained in the same place. He came up behind me and clasped the locket around my neck. I looked down at it, then at him.
“I have a feeling we’re going to need to keep that.” I nodded. “And I’m not going to wear it,” He added quickly.
We forced nervous smiles at one another and turned to face the purple circle.
We stared at it for a long time.
It felt like an eternity.
We didn’t understand it.
We didn’t know what it was.
Or what was about to happen.
And we were terrified.
In one swift motion Milo grabbed my hand.
“Ready?”
“No,”
“Me neither,”
“Good,”
I squeezed his hand.
“Let’s go,”
And we jumped.

There was a pounding rhythmic pressure in my head
Thum-thum
I felt like I was trapped in the crashing waves of the ocean.
Thum-thum
Being turned over, and over without being able to stop myself.
Thum-thum
I couldn’t breathe, or think.
Thum-thum
I even lost hold of Milo’s hand.
Thum-thum
I don’t remember closing my eyes but I suppose I did and I couldn’t open them again.
Thum-thum
The pressure grew louder and louder; faster and faster on the sides of my head.
Thum-thum, Thum-thum, thum, thum, thum, thumthumthum THUM, THUM THUM!
CRASH!

“Oof!” I landed roughly on my chest and the wind was knocked out of me. I opened my eyes to see I was face down in the dirt. I moaned in pain but before I could even attempt to get up, Milo came crashing down after me, hitting me painfully in the back with his leg.
“Oh, man,” Milo grumbled in pain. “Sheaaaa?” He whined into the dirt.
“I’m here,” I groaned back.
“Are we dead?” He moaned.
“Probably,” I replied. “We should get up now.”
“Brilliant,” Milo said, pushing himself to his feet. I rolled over than pulled myself up after him.
Then we froze dead in our spots and our eyes widened with shock.
“No. Way.” Milo breathed. We were in a large landscape. It was cool and grey and full of dying plants and trees. We saw large mountains in the distance. The mountains looked like they had caves in them.
“Where are we? How did we get here? What is going on?” I said looking around in sheer shock.
“Shea, I have no clue,” Milo sighed. There was a clap of thunder and a spark of lightening. “But look it’s going to rain so let’s just head towards those caves to keep dry, okay?”
“Or we can open the locket and get back to the orphanage,” I said. This whole place made me scared and confused and I wanted everything to make sense again.
“What happened to my fellow adventurer?” Milo smirked.
“She was waiting until she turned 18,” I said.
“So five years early,” He shrugged. “I can handle it,” and with that he turned and walked towards the caves. I sighed and followed.
We had to step carefully over the littler on the ground. There where cracked egg shells for some type of large bird (pause to nervously scan the sky) and many dead plants. The rain came pouring down as we arrived at the caves. That’s when we heard the voices, up high on a raised dormant volcano. (Volcano?! Nervously check for active ones).
Our eyes met in fear. There are people here. But who are they? And can they help us figure out what was going on? There was only one way to find out. So we began to climb up the side of the mountain towards the voices. We were surprised to find it was very easy. Areas to place our hands and feet safely just seemed to appear out of no where. We finally reached the opening with little trouble. We looked at each other one last time for courage then crawled to the edge of the opening and peered in.
Luckily I was too scared to scream. Because those weren’t people, they were giant lizards. They were huge scaly creatures as big as a block of skyscrapers in New York and as tall as two skyscrapers stacked up. No wait, they had wings. Wings? These weren’t lizards. They were…
“Dragons,” Milo whispered. But they spoke English. There were eight of them. One of each color of the rainbow and a gold one.
“Yes,” The gold one was saying. “These are trying times for our people. But we cannot interfere with the balance.”
“What balance?” The green one sighed. “It’s been thirteen years we’ve lost all hope. It’s time to take matters into our own talons,”
“Here, here!” said a few other dragons nodding.
“You know we can’t do that, Greenumand,” The Indigo when said, gently. A female voice, the first one in the group.
“So we should sit and watch our people die off, Indy?!” Greenumand said.
“Indy?!” I whispered to Milo. His eyes widened with surprise. The doll. What did this she-dragon have to do with my doll?
“Oof!” Milo said, as a rock under him gave free. He slid down the side of the opening which was thankfully not a very long or steep way down and landed in the middle of the circle of dragons. I scrambled down after him. We’re dead, so very, very dead.

The dragons and Milo stared at each other in fear and surprise for what seemed like an eternity than the Indigo one; Indy finally spoke.
“Uh…” She said. “Hello?”
“Hi,” Milo said nervously. I came beside him as he got to his feet.
“You-you can speak-?” Greenumand said. But another dragon nudged him to be quiet.
“Um…” Milo looked at me in confusion.
“Hmm,” The gold one murmured thoughtfully. What was he thinking? “And where do you come from?”

“Uh, Manhattan?” Milo said. “Look, um, we’re a little confused right now. We, uh, we don’t know how we got here or like, uh, who you are like you’re like a dragon and…”
“Where did you get that?” The gold dragon leaned forward a little bit and pointed one talon at my locket.
“We- we found it,” I managed. I felt foolish that Milo was doing all the talking and I was standing there shaking like a leaf. “It was stuck in my doll. Her name was Indy,” I looked at the indigo dragon who smiled. “Where are we?” I asked her.
“My child,” she said. “What does it say on your locket?”
“I’m not sure,” I examined it. “It looks like ‘Zaybxc’.”
“Yes,” Indy grinned broadly. “And so you are,”
“We’re in…?” Milo said.
“Zaybxc,” Indy said.
“And where is Zaybxc exactly?” Milo asked.
“It’s in a completely different world from Manhattan.” One of them said.
“Wait a different…?” I tried to process what they just said.
“Well let’s not say world,” The gold one said. “Let’s say dimension. Yes, you are in a different dimension. That’s where the locket took you. The locket is a portal, you see?” I did not see. I didn’t understand anything that was going on. We were in a different dimension? I was carrying around a portal in my doll this whole time? My doll is named after a dragon?
“Why are we here?” Milo asked. “And how? And….I have so many questions.”
“Who are we?” I said quietly. The dragons looked at each other for a few minutes. It’s the sort of expression I used to get when I had food on my face at dinner and the other girls would be giggling and when I asked them what was so funny, they gave each other this look: should we tell her?
“You are Sheeah Hana and Meelo Gandro,” Indy smiled. “The Chosen Ones.” Milo and I looked at one another in shock. Chosen Ones? And our names… the names they presented were so close to our own.
“What does that mean?” Milo asked.
“It means that we have been waiting for you for a long time,” the blue one said.
“Oh happy day!” The orange one smiled widely at us. “We’re saved!” My jaw went slack and I wondered when I would wake up from this crazy dream.
“Gentlemen please!” The gold one said.
“Yes, let’s not overwhelm the poor dears,” Indy said. “They just arrived here. Remember they haven’t the faintest idea what we’re talking about. Right?”
“Yes,” Milo said as I nodded. “We’re very confused.”
“Well they found the locket,” Greenumund pointed out. “They must know something.”
“What do you know about your parents?” The gold one asked gently.
“We know…” Milo looked at me and I nodded. Go ahead; what do we have to lose? “We know that they’re dead. We know they’ve been dead since we were seven years old. We know they died in a fire. And…that’s really it actually.” After a pause the gold one spoke.
“I am King Zilon, this is my wife Queen Indigrandona,” The gold one gestured a talon towards Indy. Who bowed her head and seemed sad that we didn’t know who she was. “And this is the Dragon Council, we are here to serve and rule over the Land of the Light here in Zaybxc. The Land is a good, happy, peace-loving place.” A pause. “Well it was. You see Zaybxc is not all happiness, there is danger. That danger comes from the Dark Side. Usually, Zaybxc is half Light half Dark but not since the passing of your parents.” The dragons bowed their heads in respect. “There are a certain breed of people that are neither humans nor dragons and they are much more powerful than both…probably combined. And those are the Chosen Ones.”
“Us?” Milo croaked.
“That’s correct,” King Zilon continued. “Each side: Dark and Light has Chosen Ones that are raised in your world. That is why they are so powerful; your world possesses powers that our world does not. However there are only a select few in your world capable of possessing such powers, you see?”
“Yes…no,” Milo sighed and I shook my head. “Not really, sorry,”
“In time, you shall.” The Queen said.
“But, Indy,” The blue one said. “We have no time.”
“Our people are dying!” said the yellow.
“They must fight at once!” exclaimed the red. The others cheered.
“Silence!” King Zilon said. “They have no idea of the power they posses. How can we expect them to fight so soon? They must be trained.”
“Trained?” My voice came out in a squeak. “Fight? I’m sorry you-you have the wrong girl. I’ve never fought before in my life. I’m-I’m small and weak. I cannot help you.” I reached up and unclasped the necklace. “I’m so sorry,”
“Shea, please,” Indy said quietly.
“Shea,” Milo grabbed my arm.
“Take care of them, Milo.” I dropped the locket into his hand. “I know you will. Goodbye.” And I turned and fled down the side of the volcano because I knew if I thought about it anymore I would stay.