Chapter 17: Waiting for a Dragon

I get woken up by Hildi shaking me awake. “Morning, sleepy head. Time to go. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“Just gimme five more minutes…”

“I have no idea what a minute is but you aren’t getting any. Get up.”

“But I don’t wanna…”

“Alright. If you’re gonna be cranky, I’ll get the baby carrier.”

“NOPE! I’m awake! I can walk!”

“Uhuh…”

“Hey, Hildi?”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna know something I just noticed?”

“Sure.”

“I don’t smell.”

“Eeeeh… Ok?”

“Like, I have no body odor. Also, I don’t seem to sweat either. My hair also stays pristine after sleeping.”

“Oh, that’s probably the Elemental in you. Or it could be the fact that you’re essentially wearing the skin of a dead human, with your soul bound into it.”

“I… I guess that’s true. I didn’t think about that part of my predicament all that hard.”

Brushing my hair out of my face, Hildi answers, “Don’t worry, Sammy. That’s why we’re going to the magic district. Hopefully, this whole thing is a lot less complicated than I think it is and we’ll get you out of this shell soon.”

“Yeah… So, Hildi?”

“Yeah?”

“In the case that it turns out once my ‘shell’ is removed that I’m a completely different looking person under it, would we still have a good relationship with each other?”

“Sure, I don’t see why that would affect things. I’m Unseelie, so unlike the Seelie we don’t care what you look like. It’s about what’s inside that matters.”

“Even if there was a Human inside?”

“Hmm… That would be a challenge. But we would have known each other for a while by then and you don’t have many Human tendencies so I guess that would be fine”

“Even if I were an overweight, male Human?”

“That… Would be very surprising and probably change my image of you but I don’t think I would outcast you. Why are you so scared of that?”

“I’m just afraid that once I get my original body back, I might be worse off than I am now. And I’m also not quite sure what my original body is like here if the things you said are true. I’m a little afraid.”

“Oh. Hmm… How about this? I promise I will not cast you out, no matter how hideous you might be.” Colors spread out from around her showing her pact being made.

“There, that should do it right?”

Giving her a hug, I answer, “Yes, I very much am glad I met you”

Petting my back, she chuckles, “You better be.”

Moving down the strawberry stairs in the pancake tower, we meet up once more with Gundola, who is standing guard at the counter. Once she notices us, she gives a crooked smile and almost yells, “Hey, leaving already huh? Glad you at least came by to say goodbye. How was your room?”

“Great as always Gundola,” Hildi says very nonchalantly as if she had said it hundreds of times before.

“Yeah, it was really cool! I have never seen anything like it before!”

“Kikikiki, well I’m glad you liked it, do come over again anytime, provided you have the coin for it of course.”

“We will consider it Gundola. Alright Sammy, time to go.”

I wave Gundola goodbye and start walking towards the door but then Hildi suddenly grabs me by my clothing and pulls me back.

“Is something wrong, Hildi?”

“Where are you going, Sammy?”

“Ehm, outside? I thought we were leaving.”

“We are but we wanted to go through the canals, remember?”

“I do remember but don’t we have to leave the inn first?”

Giving me a smirk, she answers, “Nope, just follow me.”

I wonder where exactly we’re going. Guess I’m gonna find out soon. Following Hildi, she moves along the tracks of the tea set train, downwards into a basement area.

Ooooh, ok I think I get it now; they must have some entrance down here for the aquatic people to come into.

As we get about two stories deep, I hear the chugging and puffing of the tea train. We must be close. It takes us about another five minutes of walking before seeing a light. This must be the train station. As we round the corner, I finally take a glimpse of it.

It… Is different from what I expected. Rather than some form of underwater train station, there is a pillar of water in the middle of the room, big enough that a whale could swim in it, held in place by… nothing? Weird. Is this magical water?

“Alrighty, Sammy we’re here.”

This room feels also a lot colder than I thought it would. Not that the air is actually cold but the deep blue colors and sound of water give off a certain cold feeling while the inn felt so warm in comparison.

“Sammy… Hello! Sigh, She’s in her own dreamworld again.”

It has almost an etherealness to it, the way the aquatic Fey float around waiting for their turn to be transferred into a teacup. I wonder though, is there a magical wall there or has the water just assumed this sh–

“OUCH!” There is a pull on my ear followed by the sweet but slightly threatening whispers of Hildi,

“Sammy… Be more attentive to the things around you. Otherwise, you’ll never survive the Silent Leaf. Or judging by your luck, end up getting kidnapped, lost, or dead in an accident before then.”

“I feel like I’m already plenty attentive to my surroundings but I’ll try my best.”

I don’t know what type of facial expression Hildi is giving me after that answer but it looks like some mixture of confusion and someone smelling a fart. She lingers on that expression for a few seconds before rubbing her forehead and then taking my hand, almost dragging me towards the pillar of water. Getting closer, I really get to admire the train, it has no driver and seems to work by itself.

Two Ogrin employees, wearing a red outfit with golden decorations, are currently dumping out some water from the teacups and refilling it, presumably for the customers waiting in the pillar.

Hildi clears her throat and one of the Ogrin turns around and takes off a way too small hat from his head.

“Oh. Excuse me, miss. I hadn’t seen you there. How may I help you?” The Ogrin says in a deep but cheerful voice.

“I would like an airway deluxe ticket for me and my infant daughter towards the living district twelve.”

“Alright. One airway deluxe. And seeing as your daughter is still under twenty she’ll fall into our A20 family pricing, making her ride free. One question though, miss, if I may?”

“You may.”

“Why are you taking the deluxe route to district twelve? That’s not really the sort of place you want people to see you be wealthy. There’s a lot of crime in that area.”

“I’m visiting friends there. Also, my daughter has never seen the waterways, so I want to give her a great memory.”

“I see. Well then miss, what currency would you like to pay in?”

“Winter Court coins.”

“Alright, that will be one Light, five Calm, please.”

Hildi gives him the coins and the Ogrin pulls out a small coin purse with flower embroidery, the size of his fingernail, and puts it inside. He then closes it and spins on a little handle that seems to be printing out a glittery ticket. He struggles a bit to pick it up with his big hands but then gives it to Hildi.

“If you’d like to make yourself more comfortable, please be seated in our deluxe members area. May we relieve you of your luggage now, miss?”

“You may. Sammy, go give him your bulky weapons,” she then comes a little closer and whispers, “But keep your dagger, just in case.”

I give her a slightly concerned look but then give the Ogrin my bola and man catcher. He seems a bit surprised but doesn’t comment on it. He takes our weapons and luggage and moves behind a waterfall with a sign in front of it, which I’m guessing means something like, ‘Employees only’.

“Alright, Sammy. The member’s area is behind the Stillwaterpond.”

“Stillwaterpond?”

“The pillar of water in the middle of the room. We call that a Stillwaterpond. If you look at it from the top or at its shape, it kind of takes the form of a pond but the water doesn’t flow by its own, allowing us to extend it above ground like that.”

“Huh, I kinda see the resemblance now… But how does it work?”

“There is an underground river going through this area and under the Stillwaterpond is a repulsion circle. That’s a magic circle that pushes the water up here and keeps its form.”

“Wow, so how do you make one of these circles?”

She shrugs, “I don’t know. I just know that the kingdom funded company that maintains this canal hires many people with aptitudes in repulsion magic to build, maintain and supply the magic circles with their knowledge and magic power.”

“That’s really cool! Do you think I can do magic too?”

“Yeah, most likely. Almost every Fey can do magic after some studying. We’re all born with some magic we have an aptitude for and some we’re bad at. Most people have 2-3 aptitudes and 1-2 magic schools they’re bad at.”

Curious and excited, I ask, “How many magic schools are there? And which ones are you good and bad at?”

“There are eleven magic schools. My aptitudes were in Life, Domination, and Repulsion. The one I struggled with the most was spiritual magic. I could barely even summon a small wisp for a temporary contract. But like I said, I left Pureblood school prematurely and I never liked magic, so even the ones I was good at I’m not really good at if you know what I mean.”

“I know what you’re trying to say but I still silently judge you for it.”

“It’s not really ‘silently’ judging someone when you tell it to them in the face.”

“I guess I’m just judging you then.”

“Charming,” she says in a deadpan way and takes the lead, moving behind the Stillwaterpond.

I follow her but also keep an eye on the denizens of the Stillwaterpond since they have all gathered at the edge of it and are smiling and waving towards me. I think they’re also saying things but I can’t hear them. They look friendly, so I wave back at them but they’re also a bit unsettling.

I always had this fear of deep water and what lies beneath it and these fish people… I can’t even say they look ugly. A lot of them are very colorful but their eyes are fishlike and I don’t like how wide their grins are. It’s just giving me the Heebie-jeebies. They just exude uncanny valley to me. It doesn’t make it better that they’re all just staring at me and I can’t hear them.

As I walk further by the Stillwaterpond, a three forked path comes into sight, leading to what looks like an underground lake. On the left, a bunch of non-aquatic people are waiting to get on what looks like a crowded boat with a bubble coating over it. Straight ahead, the people look a bit more well off, with more jewelry and a less crowded, more fancy looking boat, which seems to also have a small dining place.

As for on the right, where Hildi is going, there seems to be a valet stand of some kind but there doesn’t seem to be anyone manning it. I also can’t see what’s beyond it because they built a red curtain around the waiting area, presumably so the rich folk don’t have to look at the peasants while they’re waiting.

Hildi is probably going to yell at me if I’m too far behind her when she gets there so better to prevent that by running in front of her… And perhaps taking a peek behind the curtain while I’m at it. As I pass Hildi, I can already tell she wants to do the annoying turnaround of asking where I am before she surprisingly notices I’m in fact, not just behind her but now in front of her.

I give her a smug look as I pass her and run up all the way to the valet stand, before noticing that instead of the ground, there is water behind it and the curtain is just floating above the lake, making me promptly stop mid run, almost falling over in the water.

“Phew, that was close.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

I guess they have the boat right behind the curtain then. They probably skip the waiting for the expensive tickets. But why do they put this valet podium in front of the water? It’s not like anyone can stand behind it. Or maybe there is just a small piece of land to stand on behind, lemme check to make sure.

I take a peek behind the curtain.

Huh. Nope, seems I was right the first time. There is just water there. I wonder how deep it is? Hmm… Can’t really see the bottom. Kinda dangerous, basically just a complete drop from ground to endless depths. Imagine if you fall in and can’t swim. They’d sue the shit out of this company.

“Sammy, don’t hold your head over there or you’ll hurt your head.”

“Why would I hurt my head?”

“You’ll see in a second.”

Hildi hits the bell of the valet stand, heeding her warning, I put my head away from the hole, while still making sure to keep an eye on it. Keeping my eyes peeled I see a red dot. It’s getting bigger… And fas–

SPLASH

I jump back as suddenly, like a torpedo, a person shoots out of the water and stands on the surface of it behind the valet desk. She has the form of a normal Human but her skin is blue and her hair is green like seaweed. She is wearing a red bellhop outfit with black pants and golden accessories, paired with a Fez hat. She has a very fake looking, overly wide smile on her face and her movements are very exaggerated, yet she also manages to randomly be completely still in between her huge movements.

“Weeeeelcome… How can I assist you today?”

“I booked the airway deluxe, to the A20 housing.” Hildi says while giving her the ticket.

The blue woman looks at it for a second, then bites into it and puts it in her pocket.

“Greaaaaat. My name is Ka’Ren and I will be your personal Demi-Naiad servant for your trip. Please take this bell, whenever you need me, just ring it and I will be there for you in no time. Now if you may please follow me to the waiting area, as we prepare your trip.”

The bellhop lady leads us towards the curtain and it automatically departs, revealing that the entire waiting area is on the lake itself. Hildi is the first to step on the waters atop the seemingly endless abyss, in which, creepily enough, many other bellhops seem to swim in.

I guess, there is some magic over it that makes it so I can walk on it? Ok Sammy… you can do this. You might have a fear of heights and deep waters but this seems fine. Just ignore the endless depths beneath, full of unknown mystery creatures. Think of it logically. Hildi paid a lot of money for that ticket so rich people’s places are safe.

“Sammy, quit standing there and come in here.”

“I don’t want to right now.”

“Why not?”

Ok, keep it cool Sammy and come up with something.

“I’m scared and need more time to do the first step on the water.”

Damn lie detector Fey bullshit!

“What are you scared about?”

“Falling through and getting eaten by monsters lurking under us in the depth of the endless abyss beneath.”

She looks down, “Huh, I guess it is a little spooky. But see, I’m standing just fine on it,” she says while digging her heels into the surface and then jumping demonstratively.

She then holds her hand out for me and I take it. It does sooth my irrational and suddenly way more rational fears a little as I take one careful step on the water. It… feels like walking on a marshmallow. Slightly bouncy but a firm surface.

Looking down makes my heart jump again as I see the yellow eyes of a different bellhop lady look at me from underneath while smiling and having her arms stretched out.

I rationally know this is to encourage me in case I do fall but it is NOT helpful with my fear of what lies beneath the surface!!!

Ok, Sammy. deep breaths. You can do this. Using the force of the rational part of my brain, I take the other step as well and am now completely over the water. I’m still feeling a lot of fear but the rational part of my brain has now taken over and I manage to move along the surface of the abyss.

“Aaaaaaalright… Let me give you the little tour then, here we have our seasonal buffet and dining area with the specialties of all four courts as well as local cuisine. All complimentary of course. Here is our lounge area where you may relax and over here, we have our own childrens play area.”

“Oooh look, Sammy! There is a play area for you!”

Crossing my arms, I answer, “I’m way too old for play areas.”

“Quite the opposite my dear,” the bellhop intervenes, “In fact, you might be too young to enter. Are you already over ten years old?”

“I’m mentally twenty-one and body wise fourteen.”

“Then you’re going to fit riiiiiiight into our junior play area for ten to fifty-year-olds! Unfortunately, you are too young for the children play areaaaa, so my colleague would have to walk you over to the junior play area.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Sammy! You haven’t had much contact with children your age yet. It would be great for you to make some friends!”

“Don’t you think I’m a little too mature to be around Fey babies?”

“Nope. And see this attitude is why you need some friends." looking over to the bellhop, she adds, "Please go and get your colleague to bring her to the junior play area.”

“Riiiiiight away, miss!”

“But I can’t go to hang out with a bunch of babies, Hildi!”

“Oooooh, yeah you’re right. I forgot,” Hildi then reaches toward my pocket and takes out my dagger, “There, now you’re good to go have fun, I’ll call you when the dragon is ready!”

“But-Wait, did you say dragon?”

“Yep! See you later,” Hildi then moves away from me and leaves me with the weird bellhop.

“Soo… Ms. Ka’Ren, what’s a Demi-Naiad?”

“Demi-Naiads are the descendants of Naiads. Unlike them, we’re not bound to a single place of water and can move around freely.”

“Huh, ok. When you say ‘bound by a place of water,’ what do you mean?”

“They can physically not move away from it, due to their souls being bound to the location rather than their bodies.”

“Huh, that sounds horrible.”

“That’s why it’s often a form of punishment to be turned into a Naiad, Dryad or Oread. Though the naturally formed ones do not see it as a bad living.”

“Huh, interesting. So what’s an Orea--“

“Ah, there she is. My colleague is hereeeee.”

Looking around I don’t see anyone.

“I shall take my leave then, goodbye young ladyyyyy.”

And woosh, she drops through the floor and into the water. Seconds later, before I can even process what is going on, another person jumps out of the same spot Ka’ren fell from.

From the waters, a seven-foot tall lady emerges. She has hair that is as colorful as a coral reef and wears only a sea-shell bra. Her legs… Are not there. Instead, she has a long colorful fishtail that reaches partially above and partially below water.

“Are… Are you a mermaid?” I ask in awe.

“Yes, I am! You have very keen eyes! I heard your name is Sammy and you’re fourteen. Is that correct?”

“Yes, but mentally I’m basically an adult.”

“I see! Here, let me take you by the hand and we’ll go to the play area. Let’s just wave mommy goodbye first, ok?”

“Hildi look! A REAL mermaid.”

“That’s great, Sammy! Have fun!”

Whispering to the mermaid, I ask, “Hey, is it true that you guys save sailors and have a beautiful voice?”

“Ehm, yeah some of us do. Though our singing is not quite as good as those of Sirens.”

“Ahah! So, you are different then. The difference is not just if they’re friendly to humans or not.”

“No, we’re different races though it is true that Siren culture is a bit more violent than mermaid culture. We mermaids believe that all sentient lives matter, Sirens don’t. BUT, because we appreciate all life, we also make great caretakers! So, you’re in luck Sammy!”

Ok, I think I’ve checked almost all the cool mythological creatures now. Mermaids, Fairies, Bigfoot and soon a DRAGON! What else am I missing now? Wendigo, Mothman, Chupacabra, ALIENS! Can’t forget aliens. What else… What else… SANTA! Is Santa real? Santa MUST be real! I still need to find a genie, a ghost, a werewolf and a REAL vampire. Preferably Vlad Tepesh, the most iconic of vampires.

“Alright Sammy, we’re here.”

“Wait, what. Already?”

“Yes!”

Standing in front of another curtain, the Mermaid puts her hand on the velvet satin and pushes it aside, revealing a room the size of a football field with a ceiling so high I can barely see it. It’s slightly overwhelming how bright and colorful it is, it takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust after being in this damper area for a while. Once adjusted, my eyes behold the greatest play area I have ever seen. I seem to be on top of a huge slide downwards, there are multiple ball pits, beds and climbing areas on the ground. There is also a pool, an eating area and a small classroom. There are also multiple little plateaus flying in the sky with some flying Fey on them and ladders and slides connecting them to the ground.

“Are you ready to slide down with me, Sammy?” The mermaid asks, slowly sliding her fishtail around me.

It feels somewhat cold.

Despite the height making me feel queasy, I feel safe enough to slide down, knowing I’m kept safe in the hold of the mermaid. I take a deep breath and then nod my head in response.

“Alright then, hold tight.”

Alright Sammy, be cool. You’re basically an adult so put your hands up to assert dominance.

The mermaid then pushes us forward and as we start to slide, I close my eyes, put my hands up and scream, “Wooooooooh!”

However, feeling barely any movement, I start to open my eyes again noticing that we’re barely sliding. Like, this is going at a snail’s pace.

“Isn’t this fun, Sammy?” The mermaid says with a smile you’d give a toddler on their first fun ride on the lazy river.

“Ehm, not really, can we… Go faster?”

“Oooh, you’re so adventurous! Of course, we can!”

She then starts to push a little and feeling the speed pick up I close my eyes again and lift up my arms, this time waiting for the speedy drop to actually happen. “Three, two, one…Go!”

“Weeeeeeh…?”

“Look how much fun this is, Sammy!”

We… We’re still not going fast. Like, we’re going fast-er but this is still far from exciting.

It takes us at least one minute of slow sliding before we end up on the ground.

Well, fuck. Seems like I let my excitement over the mermaid and dragon get the better of my rational thinking of ‘A junior play area’ not being the most fun for a teen. I do like the look of the play area though. Feels like back when my mom left me at the IKEA play area. I was really mad when I got too old for that. I guess I could recapture some of my youth today, the old man that I am, haha.

“Sammy, you can now move around and socialize until your mommy comes back to pick you up. If you need me just go and scream very loudly for Avantina, that’s what I go by.”

“Ok, will do. See ya, Avantina.”

Alright, perfect. Ditched the babysitter already. Aaaaaaand, what do I do now? I should have brought a coin with me to do random coin flips to see where to start. I guess I'll check out the ball pit! For old times sake of course. Not because I wanna go in there or anything, haha.

“CANNON BALL!”

Uhoh. This pit is way deeper than I thought it was. Ehm, I can’t get back up. I can’t get back up!!!

“Help! Help! Avantina! I’m drowning in balls!”

Oh no, please don’t let those be my last words.

“Hey, whatcha doing?” a boys voice, says.

“I’m drowning in balls! Help me, please.”

“Ok.”

I feel a push from my butt as I get pushed upwards back to the surface. I take in a huge breath and try to swim towards the rim of the ball pool. But I don’t get far before I feel the same push again, this time carrying me to the edge. Quickly, as if seeing land for the first time in ten years, I climb on top of the edge and look towards the place that I got help from, seeing a long, pink snout with whiskers hanging out of the ball pit.

“Tha-- I’m glad I met you!”

“Well, big boys like me need to help out the lil ones.” The voice says proudly and pushes the balls around it aside, revealing a kid in the middle of a transformation between a mole and Fey. He is a little chubby and has black fur-like hair and HUGE hands with long fingernails, adorned by a deep red glowing kidlet.

I guess since he saved me, I can at least entertain the kid. I give him a big bow and ask, “What may I call my great hero then?”

“You may call me Grave Shadow.”

I cringe.

“Are you sure this is what you want me to call you? It’s not very… hero-like…”

“Hmm, you might be right… How about Sir Molius, Knight of the shining gem order?”

“I… I think I’ll stick to Grave Shadow…”

Giving me a dopey smile, he says, “Yeah, it gives me more mystique.”

“I guess it would… So… Grave Shadow…” I cringe again deep inside, “What are fun things to do here?”

“Hmm, I’d say digging in the ball pit but you’re obviously too young and immature for that. Unlike your elder, Grave Shadow.”

The cringe is now mixing with annoyance. “For your information, unlike YOU, I’m basically an adult.”

“With a pink Kidlet? Suuuuure.”

“For your information, my body might be fourteen but my mind is at least twenty-one years old! I made an IQ test and everything!”

“Ahahahaha, only twenty-one?”

“Well, how old are you, wise guy?”

“Forty-three.”

“…”

“Well, it’s different with you. I’m literally built different.”

“Ahahahahahaha, you’re cute. What can I call you?”

“Sam.”

“Glad I metcha then, Sam.”

“Likewise. Anyways, is there any place here that isn’t a death trap?”

He gives me a smug smile and answers, “I’d say the ball pit but I guess you’re still too much of a baby for it so why not go to the classroom or bedtime area?”

“Bruh, if anything, you’re the baby here, also it’s morning why would I wanna sleep?”

“Bruh yourself! Also, everyone can sleep there, Avantina makes sure of it. Her voice can make anyone fall asleep.”

“Uhuh, well she couldn’t even hear me scream for help so I doubt she can sing me to sleep.”

“Prove it then. I bet you one CeleBall you can’t do it”

“I would take you on for whatever a CeleBall is but I don’t have anything to bet.”

“How about this, if you lose, you owe me a favor.”

“Naaaaah, that’s the most exploited deal ever. I might as well make a deal with a demon if I did that!”

“Damn, smarter than I thought. Alright, how about this. If you lose, you have to go tell Avantina that you are a little baby and that Grave Shadow is super cool.”

“Fine, deal!” Colors spur from me and him in response and intermingle in the air before shortly disappearing again.

It feels somewhat like I have a burden on my heart.

“Alright, ‘Grave Shadow’. Lead the way.”

“Sure! I will!”

He then goes under the balls and digs himself towards the edge of the pool like a pudgy shark and jumps out with the grace of a walrus, sliding a little bit beyond where I’m standing. He is wearing a brown and red striped shirt and black pants, which are longer than his little stumpy legs. He then tries to stand on his own before falling over.

“What are you doing?”

“Shush Sam, I’m concentrating.”

He sits down and rocks back and forth, trying to keep his balance, his body slightly contorting as his face turns into that of a mole but his body turns more human-like, one of his mole hands becomes a human arm and he grows one human-like leg.

“Eeew what are you doing? Do you need help?”

“I said shush! This is harder than it looks,” he says with a clearly mad, yet distorted voice due to his mole head.

He rocks back and forth again, this time growing his other leg back too and going from a chubby mole like body to a lean human body and his head as well turns into that of a human with blonde hair. If I met him on the streets back in the US, I’d say he’s around twelve.

“See! Told ya I can do it!” He exclaims clearly happy at his accomplishment.

“Pfft whatever, you couldn’t even change forms right.”

“PUH-lease, this stuff is not easy. What’s YOUR bloodline ability, little miss baby?”

“I dunno, what’s a bloodline ability?”

He seems visibly annoyed, “Wha–How can you not know that and still judge me!? Your bloodline ability! The thing your mom and dad can do naturally, what is it?”

“Eh, I dunno my parents are human.”

“Your-- GAH, damn changeling children. I knew you were a dumb dumb but now I know why. Is there any special thing you can do? Like moving plants or running super-fast or something?”

“Well, I guess my arm gets black, I sometimes have super strength and I sometimes become very cold.”

“Yeah, that’s probably your bloodline ability but since you don’t even quite know what you can do, I am OBVIOUSLY smarter and more advanced than you! At least I know what I can do and do it right most of the time!”

“Yeah, but have you considered that your ability is turning into a mole? That seems not really cool enough for someone named ‘Grave Shadow’. Aren’t you making a mountain into a molehill with that name?” I say smugly to push his buttons.

“Pfft! Whatever! You’re gonna tell me how cool I am soon enough anyways! Here, let’s go to the sleeping area and see if you really can stay awake, little miss perfect.”

“Yeah! Let’s see!”

I quickly follow him to the sleeping area where he then bumps me with his hip on our way there and I bump him back repeating this until we get to a door.

“This is it, you baby. Now go inside and I wait here with my hands over my ears, so I don’t fall asleep myself.”

“Pfft, scrub,” I say, performatively pushing the door open.