Dragon Born: Book I of the Tendaaren Chronicles
Chapter 9: The Beginning of the End

"Beware the Kindness of Strangers

Beware of the kindness of strangers

it may be a minute too late

ah, you have a lightbulb moment

just a minute too late

that they were just users

and, Lions in wait

when you replace out the danger

of trusting others

who desire your favors

ah, Just a minute too late

justifying all of their hate.“--Kirsselle S. Cosgrove.

Aagi returned sometime later while Aly lay awake staring off into the distant woods. He quietly shuffled into his bedroll and went to sleep. Aagvardak slept, well, unlike the Aly who was serenaded by his thunderous snores. Most nights she would have minded the interruption, but not after what she had just learned. One question played on repeat in her mind as she watched his red beard rise with each dormant breath, how could this jovial guy have suffered so much? She thought to no one in particular.

It is because he knows the deepest of sorrows that he tries so hard to make other people happy. He knows what it is to feel true pain and darkness and he wants no one else to feel the same if he can help it. Roxanne’s voice purred into her mind knowingly.

Aly looked at Aagi with a deeper understanding of him.

“oi girlie stop staring at me its creepy” Aagi yawned and rolled over.

Aly was left alone with her thoughts as she watched her companions under the guise of sleep, while her wakeful mind rushed with memories. Alyenna understood some of his pain, not all of it but she had a deep well of comprehension for the pain of his loss. She had a blissful childhood. Her parents fought as everyone else’s does, but overall there was a lot of joy. Though, they moved frequently following her father’s military career. By high school, she had learned to adapt quickly to new surroundings. An ability that served her much better than she would have appreciated back then.

Aly had plenty of after-school activities to keep her busy in preparation for college. She took karate for sport, got straight As, and volunteered weekly at an animal shelter. As a teenager, she was an academic ‘poster child’ for college. Alyenna smiled as she thought back to that time, she was not necessarily an outcast, but she was not picked first for prom queen that’s for sure. Like you wanted that nonsense anyway, she chuckled to herself. No, Aly was her very own breed of ‘weirdo.’ She had her circle of friends, of which she was quite protective. Friends were a rare treasure in her nomadic life, and she was not about to let anything get in the way of their happiness.She cared nothing for the typical high school drama that took place around her.

Aly felt grief contort her face as the memory turned black. It was her junior year, she had spent the night in SAT prep, and her nerves were on fire. The vice principal pounded on the classroom door. She spoke in hushed tones to the teacher of her class. The teacher looked alarmed quietly called Aly over and sent her out of the classroom.

Aly waited in the principles office for someone to tell her what was going on. Whispers were surrounding her in every corner. Teachers looked at her with deep pity in their eyes. She shuffled uncomfortably in her chair waiting to be called into the principles office, searching her memory banks to replace something anything that might clue her into what was going on.

It took what felt like years for the principal to call her into his office. His secretary hurriedly closed the door behind her, and he gestured for her to sit. Aly folded her hands in her lap fiddling with a torn up sweat dampened piece of paper. She eyed the principle nervously. He looked at her and got up from his desk unable to look her in the eye, as he stared out of his window. Alyenna in a desperate frenzy searched her thoughts thinking of something anything she had done that would warrant being called to the principles office.

“Aly,” he said “you’re such a brilliant student. How are your classes?”

“Fine, I guess . . .” Aly shifted uncomfortably in her seat her heel tapping the floor anxiously.

“Aly let me start by saying how hard it is for me to tell you this. Your parents.” He paused Aly suddenly fearing the worst paled. “There’s been an accident Aly. We aren’t sure what happened, but your parent’s car was involved. A tanker truck lost control on the highway. It flipped and took out several cars in its path. Including the one with your parents with it.” He paused and took a deep breath, “They did not make it.”

He continued to talk, but Aly heard nothing. His mouth moved but the sounds in the room just merged. Her eyes became blurry as she blinked rapidly trying to clear the vision she lost all control. She fell to the floor supporting her torso with her arms splayed out. She curled up into a fetal position weeping. Her heart began to rip itself apart. Her vision went black.

Nothing made sense anymore.

The next couple of weeks went by in a blur. There was a lot of black clothing and black things. A lot of strange people tried to talk to her, To shake her hand, to wish her well. Who cares? What did they know? Their practiced hollow well wishes meant nothing to her its, not like any of them were planning to help. She was a 17-year-old orphan. College was no longer an option she could never afford it, and she was facing a whole year in the foster care system. She stared at her room at her house trying to memorize it. This house was not hers anymore. She sat trying to imprint the memories as she knew this was goodbye. A for sale sign was nailed in the driveway. She remembered his poison words as they drove away. “How would a seventeen-year-old girl going to pay for a house?” He laughed at her “with volunteer work?”

A week or so had passed, and the line of visitors, social workers, neighbors, and real estate agents paraded in front of her. Her friends tried to cheer her up, but she locked herself away from the world. Only one of the strange people didn’t go away.

She remembered staring out her window, and his hand rested on her shoulder. Still, in a daze, he spoke to her, but it sounded as if it was in tongues. All she understood was that he was her Uncle?

He moved her to the other side of the country. To a house deep in the woods of Oregon. He promised to make sure she was able to graduate even if she was moving away from her high school.

He ‘homeschooled’ her. She never got to walk with her class and as the time passed the pain of the loss faded. Paul was so nice initially, he warmed her heart with laughter and gifts, and he joined her on her morning running ritual as the sun rose in the morning. All of that had lulled her into a dangerous sense of security.

After about a year that changed. It started with the things he would say that didn’t feel right but didn’t feel wrong either. It was things like “No one will understand your loss like I do.” When she would bring up seeing her friends, he would say, “They are all just going to use you, Aly. I am the only one who appreciates you. No one will be able to care for you as I do.” At first, she would fight it with infallible logic. However, as time passed his words became true, and that was when her fresh hell was born.

“Wakey, wakey eggs and snakey!” Baellnar beamed as Aly squeaked in surprise as she woke out of her dream. She apparently had been rolling around under her bedroll and was covered with leaves with small sticks pushing out of her hair. She hurriedly brushed herself down and glared at Baellnar.

“Well, at least it wasn’t a bucket!” With that, he whistled happily busying himself with tasks for that day’s journey.

Aly looked around. The sun had barely kissed the tops of the tree, and already most of the camp had been packed up. A small breakfast of eggs and what she could only guess was a snake. She ate it begrudgingly the memory fading away with the morning dew. Paul was worlds away now she was at least safe from him.