The Dragon in Our Midst

Chapter 2: The dragon within

My shorts felt tight all of a sudden as something that feels like a tail frees itself and starts swinging. It feels like a part of me but I am unable to stop it from moving and slapping poor Sophia in the face. The tail was short and stubby. Much like a female snake’s. at this point I look more like a t-rex than a dragon but I’m still changing.

“How could this have Happened?” Sophia asked, quickly recovering from the thwack in the face. “I don’t know. I saw this necklace, picked it up and cleaned it off and suddenly I was surrounded by colourful smoke.” I pause to take the necklace I found out of my pocket. They oohed and aahed at the shiny object now without the swirling smoke inside. I was going to put it back in my pocket when my whole body jolted. I felt my shorts rip and my shirt become tight. Before I can react, Sharon takes the necklace then pauses, then shakes it in her hand. “How did smoke come out of this?” she asked.

I grow again, ripping my shirt and my breasts reduced in size. My neck must be longer because the ground looks further away. Sharon throws the necklace back to me and I catch it by the beads. The smoke comes back, swirling away from me back into the necklace, and with the smoke so does all the strange attributes that came with it. When the swirling colours stop its back in the necklace and I am back to my human self.

“It seems like this smoke that’s inside the necklace is a dragon spirit or something. When the smokes inside and someone touches it it releases the spirit into the person who touches the necklace and reteats when the designated person touches the beads to return human.” Sophie says. Before I can stop her, Sharon takes back the necklace and touches the beads. But no smoke comes out. No swirling colours.

Sharon hands the necklace to sophie who takes in gingerly, treating it like a bomb as she touches the beads. Again, no smoke, no colours, nothing. Sophie throws the necklace back at me and I catch the beads, immediately Smoke surrounded me and the colours returned as I drop the necklace. So did the attributes. I was back to being a half human half dragon creature. “So it only works for you. Lucky.” Says Sharon. I try and say “Yeah. Lucky” But it comes out in a roar. I grow again my clothes disappearing and scales spreading until suddenly I was full dragon.

“Woah.” Said both of my friends. I sneeze and smoke comes out of my nose. Sharon coughs and spluttered in the smoke, Sophie was just out of the way of the smoke but still coughed a little. She picks up the forgotten necklace and tosses it back to me, I catch it and return to human. I clip the chain around my neck for safe keeping.

“What the hell was that?” Sophia asked. I explained I tried to answer but roared instead. “I meant all the smoke.” I nod. “I sneezed and that explains that” Sophia shakes her head. “No that’s not what I meant either. I meant why so much smoke without fire?” I didn’t know the answer myself so I just shrugged and covered my body that the few shreds of clothes doesn’t cover. Human again, I borrowed Sophia's spare clothes since we are similar size now that I know I’m going to remain

human for a while. The necklace hanging warmly against my clavicle. It’s a little shorter than I’m used to but I feel like it’s a part of me now. Upon thinking that the chain grew and lowered down to between my breasts. Why am I not surprised? It’s a magical necklace. All I know, is now Im Awakened, nothing will ever be the same.