Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4) (36 page)

“What is hard?”

“Taking orders from him. He didn’t want anything to do with me whatsoever and now he wants to know my every move. I can’t do that.”

“Elena, he is your dragon. And he needs to know about all these meetings.”

“Why? I released him Becky. He is free to do whatever the hell he wants.”

“Yes, he is, Elena.” That’s all she said and left for the bathroom.

Don’t, just don’t
. If he Dented, and that is a big if, everyone said he had, then it wasn’t real. None of it was real.

I went to the library and froze when I saw him and Tabitha sitting at a computer. She was laughing at something he said. Their backs were turned to me and I decided to hell with maps today, I wasn’t going to sit in the library while the two love birds were doing their homework. It was disgusting how he used her to do his.

No, he didn’t Dent. This was something else. What, I wasn’t sure and I knew I shouldn’t really care either.

THE NEXT COUPLE of days were just plain weird. It was nothing like Becky and George. Blake didn’t follow me like some love struck puppy, in fact he was still next to his precious, at lunch, in all of the classes, making jokes and laughing.

Why it even bothered me was beyond my knowledge. I really didn’t care, I didn’t want to care but here I was, wondering….

Maybe the Dent wasn’t as special as everyone thought and they could choose to love whomever they wanted? Well that seemed to be the case in my situation. Still shouldn’t care, but here I was thinking those exact same words and glancing every odd minute in their direction. He wasn’t protesting either as he used to, in fact he participated in so many classes, and started to remind me of Riley just a tiny bit as they were always the only two that knew everything.

It was weird seeing him like that.

“Elena?” Sir Edward asked and I jumped slightly in my chair breaking my gaze from the love struck couple. Every one stared back at me.

Becky started to giggle next to me, which was followed by George’s shaking body.

I buried my face in my hands. This was so embarrassing. They were going to get the wrong impression. “Sorry, I should pay more attention.”

“You should.” He turned around and scribbled on the board again.

“What, no more of that famous little line of yours?” I said and everyone laughed again.

He chuckled too. “No, Elena, no more.”

I knew Blake wouldn’t understand, as he hadn’t been here that time they kept saying it.

“This time, I think it’s getting you onboard.”

Everyone laughed again, Blake just smiled and I hated that so much, it would give him hope that would never come. I knew the idiot wasn’t stupid, he could put two and two together. Why did I have to open my mouth? “I’ll pay more attention,” I said.

When the bell rang I followed everyone to the next class as they were making their way to Aviance.

I stopped as Becky and George walked in front of me with Sammy and Dean. Blake and Tabitha were way up ahead with Peter. Something I never thought I would ever see either.

I turned around and walked back to the library. I wasn’t ready for this class, even though I would have loved to be in the clouds again.

“Hey, where are you going?” Becky yelled.

“I’ll see you at lunch.” It was all I said and rushed up the stairs that led back to the building.

“Elena, you can’t run from this forever.”

I ignored her as George and Dean just laughed.

“She’s making progress, Becky. Just let her be,” George said.

“She should speed her progress up a bit,” I heard her say as I slipped through the door. “Have you seen how—” The door closed and killed the rest of her words. I rushed back to open it slightly again.

George and Dean just laughed, and I completely missed the rest of her sentence,
shit
. They’d seen my little moment staring at the idiot. It wasn’t like that.

“She’s making progress,” George said again and I could hear Sammy clapping her hands excitedly together with a small chant, like only she could do. I had to say, a part of me really missed them so much. I wished I could just feel better about everything and go back to how things were. I listened to how they entered the Coliseum.

“Sorry big guy, your little damsel rushed her legs off,” George said.

Your little damsel?

“Next time,” Blake answered.

I pushed the door as hard as I could.

What the hell? His little damsel!
I was furious all of a sudden. I wasn’t anyone’s damsel, especially his.

It was those stupid dreams. The dreams where he suddenly appeared being what I had always wanted him to be.

He was never there for crying out loud.

He even appeared in one of my other dreams, the one where Seymour pushed me against the wall. I remembered that day so clearly whenever I had that stupid dream.

The Rubicon showed up again, and grabbed Seymour. He was no match against him. He would burn everything and then grab me in his paw and fly away with a jolt. I would always wake up right at that precise moment. If only it had really happened. Then maybe we could’ve had a chance at this arrangement, but he hadn’t been there.

The only dream that was Rubicon-free was that last one; the one that took place inside the woods.

I spent the entire day just looking at maps upon maps again.

I was making progress with this too. I was busy with Elm, even though I knew Elm was a waste of time. I hadn’t traveled in Elm’s direction that night.

Still, I had to rule out all three of the Provinces.

At lunch I waited for everyone at a table.

Blake entered, hardly looked at me as he rushed to the buffet. I just stared at his back and jumped again as Becky and the rest plopped down at the table.

I tried to pretend that I wasn’t staring at him again. This had to stop.

I could see George mouthing something to Becky whose eyes were boring into my soul.

“What?” I looked at George who was smiling.

“Nothing,” he said with a smirk and I stared at Becky who was just smiling.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“It’s nothing,” she whined a bit and got up to get her food.

I sighed. I knew why they were smiling. “It’s not what you think, okay,” I said to George.

“What are you talking about, Elena?”

“I know you guys saw me staring plenty of times, it’s not what you think.”

“Staring?”

“Just stop it. All I’m saying is it’s not what you guys think.”

“Whatever you say, Princess.”

I giggled. “Stop calling me that, okay.”

He chuckled too.

“ARE YOU SURE they’re the right numbers on the barcode?” Tabitha sounded tired. It was like eight and I’d promised the librarian that I would lock up.

I grunted. “Yes, it’s the right numbers. Check again.”

“Blake, believe me I’ve checked through everything I possibly can. I’ve hacked into five systems that could get me into serious shit.”

“I told you I’d take the blame. Not to worry.”

“What is this for anyway? If I know what it’s for…”

“You holding back?”

“No. But sometimes the old barcodes are of things they don’t make anymore, if it’s discontinued or a better one comes out and they all get new barcodes. When the system gets too big, well, those barcodes are the ones that go first. Just tell me what it is, and I can find out if it’s something like that.”

“No it has to be that one or it’s nothing.”

“Well, then I’m sorry to say, but I can’t help you further.”

I ground on my teeth. I knew she wasn’t holding back. She would do anything to spend more quality time with me. But I couldn’t tell her.

“What was it?” She asked again.

“Something I really want.” I couldn’t believe I’d said that, but it was the truth.

“I’m so sorry, again. Well maybe if you are ready to tell me what it is, I’ll try again. But I can’t.”

“Thanks Tabitha. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Still no luck with her?” She had hope in her tone.

“I won’t give up,” I said and left the library.

TWO WEEKS FLEW like that. I didn’t stare at Blake anymore. I came to the conclusion that he didn’t want me, thank heavens, the way George wanted Becky. I also ignored him completely again and the others didn’t think that it was funny this time.

Around the end of the week in Professor Pheizer's class, Master Longwei’s voice filled the entire system.

“Will Blake and Elena please come to the office?”

I froze, as I’d never heard both our names in one sentence like that, ever. I saw Blake packing up his bag and putting away his books. He looked nervous too, but I didn’t stare.

Why on earth did he want to see us both?

“Elena,” Blake said a bit loud and I jumped out of it. “Let’s go,” he said and threw his backpack over his shoulder.

I put my stuff away and threw my bag over my own shoulder.

Blake had already left through the door, and I was glad that he wasn’t waiting for me.

I kept my distance. I really didn’t want to speak to him about anything. I really just didn’t know why Master Longwei wanted to see us both. I hoped that it wasn’t another meeting.

When I entered Master Longwei’s office he was already waiting, sitting on one of the two chairs in front of Master Longwei’s desk.

I took the other one.

“What is this about?” I asked, just wanting to leave.

“You two need to sort out your differences. Irene is feeling ill. She said it’s this foretelling both of you are linked to.”

“That time hasn’t passed.”

“No, but if you can’t work together, Elena, we might as well kiss Etan goodbye and I have to say, I have family in Etan so I’m begging you to work though this, both of you and do what it is you two are supposed to do. Before that time comes.”

“That’s it?” Blake asked.

“Yup, the board needs to have a meeting with you soon Blake. Elena I need your answer of what it’s going to be. Do this once, like you said a couple of months back before you went missing, and be done with it.”