An Unexpected Adventure Read online

  “Yes, Mr. Behr.” Chace stood taller. “I will.”

  The bell interrupted our conversation. With dragging feet, we headed to our lockers.

  “Now I have to see this egg,” Cherise said.

  Chace and I nodded in agreement.

  Chapter 5: An Egg Hatches

  Despite our promise and best intentions, it didn’t happen. Life did as it tends to do—run together from one busy task to the next. Track season finished out. We won districts, and I beat my personal record. It was awesome. The others were busy with miscellaneous things. Chace had the farm. The dry spring led to an early summer, so his days were filled with duties that normally happened after school got out. The crab shack kept Will busy. Cherise bugged us to no end, but none of our schedules coincided.

  We had only three weeks left of school when I was able to convince Karis to drive Will, Cherise, and me up to Chace’s place to swim. Normally, Myrtle River is too cold to swim until July or August, but with the unseasonably warm weather we had had, we figured the river would be fine. Karis dropped us off with instructions to be ready when she came to pick us up.

  The water was perfect for swimming, but our attention was elsewhere, and it wasn’t long before we’d all dried off and started meandering toward the barn. We stood in the hayloft. Dust motes floated in streams of sunlight where it filtered through old nail holes. I wondered how the roof held up in the winter rains. For now it was perfect—warm, dimly lit, and quiet.

  Chace bent down and began to clear the hay away from one area. I could tell he’d done it before, because his movements were tender and practiced. As he piled the hay off to one side, the sandy shell came into view, and we moved in closer, seating ourselves around it. Cherise leaned in with a soft sound of awe, reaching out to touch it, moving as if she were petting one of her dogs. Her motion disrupted my momentary paralysis, and I stretched out a hand to rest on the egg. Chace, too, lay a hand on the shell. That left a spot open for Will. Without a word, all three of us looked to him. He nodded. His hand reached out slowly, as if he was afraid of being burned. The moment all four of us made contact, we heard a faint knocking sound.

  I shared a double take with Chace. He gave me a minute shake of his head in answer to my unspoken question. The knocking grew louder until we heard a shattering noise, almost like glass breaking. Startled, we all jumped.

  Looking down at the egg, I saw a thin line, almost like purple ink, spreading across the yellow shell. A gasp escaped my mouth, but I didn’t have time to say anything. The crack exploded before my eyes, and an amethyst-colored claw poked its way out. We all sat mesmerized as a thin, jointed appendage revealed itself. Another loud retort reverberated through the shell and into our hands. The limbs twitched, showing a thin membrane of the same purple shades. I thought I had seen Cherise’s eyes as wide as they could go, but a glance up proved me wrong.

  “This is no dinosaur,” she said in a quiet voice, so as not to startle the creature hatching beneath our hands.

  As if to prove her point, the joints extended and the membrane suddenly stretched wide, revealing their true nature—a wing. Another claw followed, a rending crack appearing right in front of Chace’s hand. With his typical nonchalance, he repositioned it so the next wing would have room to escape its prison, which it did a few moments later. There was a pause, probably as the creature rested from its exertion, its two wings still partially spread. Cherise continued caressing what was left of the shell. I stole a glance at Will. His eyes were wide with wonder. Gone was the fear from before. He gently rubbed the piece of shell left in his fingers.

  A few moments later, the wings gathered together, and then thrust forward and unfurled to their full span. At the same moment, the loudest crack yet resounded through the hayloft. Will scooted back as a long, barbed tail broke free. Chace held his ground when a horned, serpentine head rose up to meet him. The eyes were like amethyst crystals I’d seen in a gem store, and one was looking directly at me. I couldn’t move, transfixed, gazing into its depths.

  A sound of air escaping from Will broke the spell. The eye and the rest of the head turned away from me and toward Chace and Will. I looked from one to the other as the little baby took us all in.

  Never had I seen anything like it—not even when I saw Will’s rabbit give birth. A feeling of peace, loyalty, and safety began in the corners of my heart and seeped out into every fiber of my body. Looking round, I saw the same feelings on the faces of my friends, clear as the evening sun reflecting from the ocean.

  A miniature explosion from the dragon (there was no denying the fact) caused the remaining pieces of shell to fall to the hay. The dragon stretched first her neck, then one foot, and then the other, much like a cat waking up from a nap, working out the kinks. With a feeble flapping motion of her wings, she arched her back and pushed off. I held my breath. Her body didn’t leave the ground, but a dust storm billowed out around her, and shortly after, a flurry of sneezes and coughs.

  How I knew this violet hatchling was a girl was beyond my comprehension. I just knew it, as clearly as I knew my name was Harley Meagher, in the same way I knew I had to protect her and that she wouldn’t hurt us.

  Having failed at flying, the little creature began to move her feet, which I was surprised to see were dainty and evenly proportioned for her size. We regarded her in silence as she began exploring, snuffling around the loft and occasionally floundering in the deep hay that had been her nest.

  Cherise was the first to speak. “I told you it didn’t have to be a dinosaur.” Her brown eyes never left the small wonder before us.

  “We should’ve believed you,” I admitted in a hushed tone.

  “What now?” Will shook his head. “What do we do with a dragon?”

  Chace followed the creature with his eyes while his hand ran through his hair. I could tell his mind was working as hard as if Mr. Behr had given him an Algebra II problem.

  When the dragon turned back toward Chace, she paused and looked him straight in the eyes. It was almost like she was trying to say something. After a few seconds, she resumed her search of the hayloft.

  “She’ll stay here for now.” Chace surprised me.

  Will seemed shocked. His voice cracked as he exclaimed, “What? How can you do that?”

  “I’ll make a guard for the ladder area, and I’ll make sure I feed her and check in on her before and after school.”

  “What will you feed her?” Will asked. Whatever had clued me in about her gender, apparently we had all noticed it.

  Chace considered. “For now, I can use some chicken grain. Later, I’ll figure out what she needs.”

  “What are we going to call her?” I tore my gaze off the little dragon to look at my friends.

  “Her name, of course!” Cherise stated in her matter of fact way.

  “Which is?” Will looked over at the dragon scratching and sniffing in the hay.

  That was a good question, and I didn’t have an answer. Obviously, Cherise and Chace did, though, for they responded in unison, “Steria!”

  The moment the word hit the air, the dragon paused in mid-stride and turned to look at us.

  “Steria?” I half called, half asked.

  She nodded her head and came toward me. “Hi, girl. I wish you could tell us how you came to be on the shoreline.”

  I do not know, a soft, melodic female voice resonated in my head. Only darkness until. . . she trailed off and looked around.

  Sunlight filtered through the dust Steria had stirred up, and a fly buzzed in the corner. We stared at her, dumbfounded. Will scooted even farther away.

  What? she thought at us, glancing at each of our faces.

  “Um... you can talk,” I stammered dumbly.

  You do.

  “Yeah, but...”

  Chace cut me off and said, “You said you only knew darkness until... until what?”

  Until you came and woke me. The light poured in, and I had to move and meet you face to face.

  I
stared at her amazed. We had awakened her? But how?

  Will? she asked.

  He peered at her quizzically.

  Ah, you first disturbed my sleep. Then you, Harley. She turned to look at me, her eyes almost glowing with an inner light. You believed from the first. I had to wake up.

  I stared amazed at her words. I had encouraged her to awaken? She turned again. This time I saw tenderness come into her eyes, almost like a puppy looking at its owner.

  Chace. She stepped forward to his outstretched hand. A pang of jealously flickered through me. Do not worry, Harley, whispered in my ears, and I knew instinctively that no one else had heard Steria’s words to me.

  She laid her scaly head into Chace’s palm. Thank you for protecting me.

  “Aw, it was nothing,” Chace replied, but a shy smile flickered across his lips.

  She lifted her head, flicked her tail, and flapped her wings. With fluttering hops, she moved to Cherise.

  From the first, you knew who I was. Maybe because we are both female, we share a different bond.

  She paused and looked around as if searching for something or someone. But there was one more. Her voice was confused. Where is he?

  My eyes met Chace’s. He shrugged just as puzzled as I was.

  “Who, Steria?” Cherise asked.

  A man, jolly and kind.

  “Mr. Behr!” Will’s face lit up with understanding.

  I nodded. “That was our science teacher, Steria. He’s at his home.”

  A sadness touched the emotions coming from the little dragon. She seemed to process the thought, and then moved away from Chace. A fly darted in front of her. Quicker than I thought possible, she snaked her neck forward, and chomped, but came down on thin air. With a shake of her head, she ran after the fly. I smiled. It was so much like a kitten.

  Cherise laughed out loud. “That’s like Finn chasing the laser light,” she said, referring to her black lab.

  “Harley!” Karis’ voice drifted on the breeze blowing between the chinks in the boards.

  “Quick!” Panic seized me. “Will come with me. Chace, get Steria and keep her safe.”

  I didn’t look to see if anyone else moved. I had to keep my sister out of here. She couldn’t see Steria. I took the ladder, but my feet barely touched the wooden rungs, and I felt the slivers pile up as my hands slid down the sides. I reached the bottom and headed for the door in my best track run. Reaching the empty doorway, I about ran into Karis.

  “Harley Meagher, where are you?” she called, her voice echoing in my ears.

  “I’m right here.”

  She jumped with shock. “Where’d you come from?” Her hands, having first gone above her head in fright, now settled down on her hips like a buzzard landing.

  “We were helping Chace with a chore,” I said, surprised I could think straight enough to not lie to her, but still not say what we were really doing.

  She looked at Will, who nodded agreement. I held my breath. Would she accept it? Slowly, her stance changed.

  “Where’s Cherise? It’s time to head home.”

  “I’m right here,” Cherise’s voice made me jump; I hadn’t heard her come up behind us.

  Karis shook her head and eyed me suspiciously, but thankfully, she seemed to think little enough of it that she turned back toward the car

  “Come on, then. Let’s go.”

  The ride back home was quiet. I occupied myself plucking the slivers out of my hands, which was no easy task in the bouncing car. The wood had sunk deep into the flesh. I counted twenty thin slips of wood that I pulled out of my palms and fingers by the time we made it back to town.

  Karis dropped Will and Cherise off at their homes. As the car pulled into the drive, she turned to me.

  “Harley, I don’t know what you’re up to, but if I find out you’ve lied to me, I’ll tell Mom and Dad.”

  “I didn’t.” I was glad I could answer her truthfully.

  “You weren’t doing any ordinary chore. Your friends were too guilty looking.”

  “It was a project,” I amended my earlier statement.

  I saw the question coming in the lift of her eyebrow and stalled it by saying, “It’s a science project for Mr. Behr.”

  She smiled and nodded. “Is this anything to do with your eighth-grade project? Why didn’t you say so?”

  She climbed out, leaving me speechless. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Steria could fit in biology. For once my sister had helped me out, even though she hadn’t planned on it.

  Chapter 6: A Science Project

  “You have a what?” Mr. Behr’s face was as red as I had ever seen it.

  None of us had expected that reaction. All four of us had gathered in his classroom first thing Monday morning, eager to tell him about Steria. It was Cherise who seemed to calm him down.

  “Mr. Behr.” Her dark eyes shone in a way I had never seen before. “You should have seen it. The egg cracked and her eyes were like your amethyst geodes you’ve shown us. But she knew you weren’t there. She asked about you.”

  He stood back, his arms crossed and resting on his belly. I could see his mind spinning.

  “She asked about me?”

  “Yep!” Cherise nodded. “She wondered where you were.”

  “Okay, I guess I’ll have to meet her before I make any judgment calls. My instinct says all of this is crazy, but... I heard her just as clearly as you all have seen her. I thought I was just hearing things.”

  “You could come over after school,” Chace offered.

  As if finally giving in, Mr. Behr nodded his head. “Okay. Do any of the rest of you want to come along?”

  Of course we all did. School couldn’t let out fast enough.

  ***

  Mr. Behr made us all call our parents to get permission to ride with him out to Chace’s place. Chace rode the bus home, but Cherise, Will and I crowded into the blue Ford F150 double cab and buckled up. Energy buzzed through us as if we were hyped up on candy.

  Finally, the pickup pulled to a stop beside the barn, and we all piled out. Chace met us.

  “Dad’s not home yet, but Steria’s up and eager to see everyone.”

  He led us up the loft ladder where the sunlight no longer reached. Our eyes had to adjust. When they did, the hay was all we saw. I was puzzled. Where was the little dragon? Mr. Behr sucked in air and then gave a thready whistle.

  “She’s beautiful!”

  I followed his gaze and found her, standing on a railing with her wings outspread as if to keep her balance. Her gem-like eyes regarded Mr. Behr.

  Welcome, her gentle voice echoed in my mind. Thank you for coming, Mr. Behr.

  “I had to see for myself.”

  Am I real? the dragon asked teasingly, jumping down into the hay and making her way toward us.

  Mr. Behr shook his head. “My eyes say yes, but my mind still says it’s impossible.” He bent down, and Steria rubbed up against his leg. He laughed that deep, sonorous laugh. “You feel hard as a gemstone.”

  All dragons have hard scales, Steria stated.

  Mr. Behr stood up. “Chace, what are you feeding her?”

  “Fish and grain for the chickens.”

  Mr. Behr nodded. “Then for now she’s okay up here. When she gets bigger we’ll have to figure out different arrangements.”

  After another fifteen minutes of disbelieving queries and exclamations, Mr. Behr threw up his hands. “I’ll never manage to ask everything I want to in a single afternoon. Why don’t we come by after school each day? We can check in on Steria, and I can satisfy my scientific curiosity.”

  ***

  Thus began our very late eighth grade biology project. Mr. Behr made sure we were taking field notes on what Steria ate, how much she grew, and her abilities. Chace’s dad was rarely at home. With the unseasonable heat, logging had been shut down except for early mornings, so his afternoons were spent on the fishing boats. Cherise’s folks didn’t seem to mind the extra hours she was spending with
the boys, but I wasn’t sure if she phrased it that way or if she said that she was working on a school project. I’m not even sure if Will’s parents even knew his schedule was any different. My sister was the most curious of all the ‘adults’ in my life.

  “Harley,” she said one night around the dinner table, “You never said what you’re studying for your science project.”

  I was thankful for the hours with Mr. Behr, as we’d worked out a truthful answer to give her.

  “It’s a lizard we found.”

  “What kind?”

  I did some quick thinking and didn’t miss a beat. “A dragon lizard.”

  “No way!” Karis said. “I bet it was one that was a pet and got away.”

  I let her think what she would. “Since it’s a special kind of lizard, Mr. Behr is helping us and letting us all work on the project.”

  “Well, you’d better do a good job. When I had to do my project, we didn’t get Mr. Behr’s personal help. He made us work for it.”

  I nodded and hurried away from the table, mumbling about homework.

  ***

  When we showed up the next night, Steria wasn’t in the hayloft. If it wasn’t for Mr. Behr, we would have panicked. He made us look around and then call to her. We searched the whole barn.

  “Steria!” we all shouted at various levels of stress. “Steria, where are you?”

  I didn’t hear anything, but it was almost as if something told me to be still. I stopped. That same nagging thought told me to listen. I was surprised to feel—not hear—laughter. It was coming from. . . I turned around and looked up. There, tucked into the cross braces of the roof, sat the purple dragon.

  Shh, she said into my mind. There was a chuckle blended with her warning.

  I shook my head. How had she gotten up there? Confounded, I watched as she swung down and glided to the floor at my feet, her movements much like those of a bat. Then she rubbed her head against my leg. I stood stunned for a moment, then dropped to my knees and petted her hard, scaly body.