The Dragon Realm

Chapter Two

I WAS PLANNING both of the days before my birthday, of which I also went to school and blankly paid attention, but I didn’t think of any successful ideas. It was bumming, but I decided I couldn’t act like that for my birthday; I didn’t want them to think something was wrong.

I had a paper full of the ideas I thought of:

“• Surprise party

• Special dish

• Bake a cake

• Flat out tell her

• Write a note

• Complement her more”

God this is more difficult than I expected…

I put the paper away in my binder for school, where nobody would go searching through, and walked down the stairs.

“Happy birthday, Pumpkin!” Dahlia exclaimed, she was making waffles, bacon, and eggs in the kitchen.

“Thank you!” I replied. I knew I was going to get that a lot today.

I then got picked up from behind, and I squealed, “Alia, you’re standing right in the doorway,” expressed dad, “I had to move you.”

I scrunched my face up at him when he put me down. “Maybe I was trying to get in your way, dad, if that’s even your real name,” I tormented. We would butt heads like this all the time. It was nice.

“For you, it is,” he pointed it out, then burst out laughing, and I joined in. I liked these moments best.

“Alright, then, come on, breakfast is nearly ready,” laughed Dahlia.

We composed ourselves the most we could, and we sat down at the table in the dining room. Our house was nothing special; three rooms, two baths, and stuff like the living room, dining room, kitchen, and the basement and attic.

Dahlia put the largest stack of waffles in front of me with two pieces of bacon and an egg. “Happy birthday, hon,” Dad said, patting my back, “now eat up! You’ve got a full day ahead of you.”

I smiled and took a bite of bacon. “This is really good! Amazing job, Da- mom,” I said, remembering she wanted me to call her mom. It was weird for me; she was Dahlia, not mom, but I still didn’t want to make her feel invalidated.

She smiled back at me, “Thank you! I tried,” she added.

“You don’t even have to try to cook amazingly,” I complimented.

She blushed and shifted her standing position, a sway that seemed to stop halfway through; the twitch I recognized.

I finished eating with Orella, then I went to change in the bathroom. I looked similar to Orella, but not exactly. I had wavy light ashy brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a button nose.

I changed into a plain grey t-shirt and jeans, brushed my hair and my teeth, put on deodorant, then put on my shoes then was ready for the day.

“I don’t understand,” Orella slumped her shoulders, “why are you always so ready for school? Every day! Even on Monday!” she whined.

I smiled, “I don’t know; maybe I just like learning,” I lied; I knew the reason I was pumped for school every day was for Journey. She was in my grade; I had almost every class with her, and she was good at everything. I admired her, and I was crushing so hard on her. She was beautiful, smart, and she… she was way out of my league. I’m a less than average teenager with a dead mother, and my best friend is my younger step-sister. She had a normal life, and friends that weren’t her siblings. Still, I couldn’t help but notice her… every single day and I’d imagine us together, hugging, cuddling…

Journey was my unintentional motivation for every school day; I couldn’t wait to see her, and I’d be worried if she was late or gone. I’d fallen hard, but I didn’t really mind it.

We rode our bikes to school; it was a fairly cool day in September, and the weather wasn’t getting too cold quite yet. The air was a mixture of humid yet crisp as autumn was creeping up on us.

I pedalled faster, signalling to Orella I wanted to race her to the school, besides, riding fast on a bike had always been exhilarating to me.

“Oh, you’re on!” I heard her yell at me in response, then I saw her trying to catch up with me out of the corner of my eye.

I contemplated letting her win, but decided against it unless she actually passed me; I wanted her to climb up to the top, not be given a helping hand to first place.

It was a close call, but I still won. I slowed down and parked my bike at the bike rack, locking it in place. Both Orella and I had locks for our bikes, ever since we biked our way to school.

Orella closely followed; I could tell she was bummed out about losing, but nobody else really could. She had a way of trying to hide her emotions, but I could see them.

“Hey, it’s alright, you’re getting better! Did you see how close you were to win? I think a little more practice and you’ll be able to beat me, no problem!” I encouraged and patted her on the back.

“Oh… thanks,” Orella smiled lightly.

Together we walked into the school. There was nowhere for her to leave me, and I never wanted her to leave. Whenever she even went to the bathroom before or after school, someone would find her and bully her. We were outcasts, and bullying was easier in smaller towns because everybody knows everybody and their parents. As outcasts, everyone joined in because nobody was our friends.

Well… everyone except for Journey and her friends. Of course, she’d never help us out, but she’d never join in, either.

I was protective over Orella; she never deserved any of the crap people do or attempt to do to her. I can take it better than she can. I also knew everyone’s mom, so I could ruin their acts of bullying by one simple phone call.

I never understood how older folks could adore me, but kids around my age seem to hate me.

“Hey look! It’s Journey’s stalker, everybody!” A kid yelled. I don’t know who, but it got my attention. I didn’t realise I was looking at Journey, but apparently, I was. And someone noticed.

I looked down, not trying to cause any trouble; if I did, I’d get in major trouble, and I didn’t want that.

“Her little pudge of a sister is with her!”

I instinctively looked up.

“No, Mahalia.. don’t. It’s okay. I know I’m a little pudgy. It doesn’t affect me,” Orella noticed my defence was raised when they mentioned her.

“By the way, she’s not a ‘little pudge,’ she’s beautiful and smart. Unlike you,” I corrected in the direction of which the verbal abuse came from.

Lot’s of sarcastic ‘oooh's and such passed by us as we walked faster through the damned hallway. We went to the library which was mostly abandoned except for other outcasts and the nice librarians.

“Hi Cristy, I like your hair. Did you just get it cut?” I asked my favourite librarian. We liked the same books, had similar music taste, and she didn’t hate me for no apparent reason. We were friends.

“I did, actually!” She smiled, “Thanks for noticing. It was a small, simple change, but I like it.”

“I do, too,” I smiled back at her.

Orella walked off to find more books while I continued to talk to the librarian. She got a book to read for a few days, then we went on our way to the rest of the school day. Because we were a grade apart, we didn’t have any classes together, unless you include lunch as a class. I was a sophomore, she was a freshman.

It was a normal day because nobody really knew it was my birthday. I sat in the back of every room and glanced at the back of Journey’s head every now and again. During lunch, I talked to Orella, not being able to glance at Journey because she always went off campus for lunch with her friends.

As the school day ended, I went to my locker and put my stuff in my bookbag, and was about to walk away, but Journey was right there.

“Oh-!” I almost bumped into her, but I jumped back.

“Hey! Sorry for scaring you,” she laughed to make things less tense.

“Oh,” I laughed nervously along with her, “it’s okay.”

“So, my friend told me today was your birthday… is that right?”

I wanted to know how her friend knew it was my birthday, but I answered honestly, “Y-yes… it is.”

“Well, happy birthday! I never knew that.”

“You’re not the only one… well, I’m sorry to cut this short, but I-.. I have to go find my sister.”

“Wait… It’s Mahlia, right?”

“Mahalia,” I corrected, “It’s Hebrew.”

“That’s cool! I would love to have an interesting, unique name. I got stuck with Journey,” she laughed again, “You’re sister’s name is Olivia, right?”

“You’re kinda close,” I laughed, “It’s Orella. A Latin name.”

“Man, your parents are really into unique names, huh?”

“I was actually named after my great-grandmother. I’m not sure about Orella, though... but I really have to go,” I told her again.

“Oh, right! Sorry to hold you up!” She ran off, as though to go to her locker. I walked down to find Orella.

That wasn’t difficult… talking to Journey… I should try to more often…

I found Orella.

“C’mon, Ella, let’s go.”

“This day was amazing!” She exclaimed as we were walking out of the school doors.

“Really? What happened?” I asked her.

“I met this boy. He’s new here, and I talked to him. He’s really nice. You should meet him sometime,” she said.

“Oh, you met a boy, huh?” I elbowed her in the arm. “When’s the wedding?” I joked.

“Haha, very funny,” she was very good at sarcasm, she learned it from me. “Honestly, I was thinking he was more of your type. Still, I think he could be our friend.”

“Well, you’ll have to show me to him some other time, let’s head home,” I ordered.

I forgot I never told her about how I like girls, too.

I guess I’ll have to tell her before she introduces me to this boy…

We rode our bikes home as always. I stopped by Miss Haperton’s, where she had baked me a cake as a treat for my birthday. I thanked her so many times, it was a little too much, then went home.

After I talked to my dad and Dahlia a little bit, I went upstairs to finish up some homework before we did anything else.