Page 29

The Forgotten History

Elite: Alice

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I fall on something . Something really hard.

My hair blows ferociously in the whipping wind as I sit up on the uneven surface that’s keeping me in the air. The dark sky brightens to bleed pastel rainbow streaks as the momentum of the surface beneath me ascends, bringing me out of the airy cool pockets of wet fluff.

Emerging from the clouds, my gasp is lost when I realize I’m riding on the back of a dragon!

We’re high enough that I can’t even tell what’s below me because it looks pixelated. The dragon is long, bearded, and wingless, keeping its back leveled enough so I don’t slide off. It circles in harmony with another bearded, wingless dragon across like the perfect pair. The second dragon carries a waking Rio from whatever state he was in. His eyes flutter open in a whirly confused expression I felt a second ago. He hasn’t noticed me yet but watching the carousel of emotions hit and his mouth drop douses me in a cool rush of goosebumps.

When his eyes meet mine, there’s brightness that outmatches the moon. He smirks and nods, but the dragon he’s on is so iridescent with every metallic shade of violet that it hurts my eyes. For a second, I almost believe I see a smile creeping through the fuzzy, green beard of Rio’s dragon.

“We did it!” Rio shouts through the wind as our hair flies in our faces. “We saved them!”

“Yes!” I scream back. Thrill of a completed mission soars in my chest, or maybe it’s the rush of my high from riding a dragon. For a moment, I forget that I let Mildred go and that’ll haunt me for a while.

I’m overwhelmed with chills from the wind and goosebumps overcoming my body. We’re engulfed in a tornado of soft colors swirled in the moonlight with clouds in attendance. More dragons occupy the sky and breathe different elements into the space. Each dragon blows the color of the magic that matches their scales, twisting the sky into more playful colors. Rio’s dragon groans, inhales, and joins in, beaming violet water that mixes into the trails of orange, pink, silver, and green.

I meet Rio’s eyes again as he finishes observing the whirlwind of elements we’re in. His face is shiny until he wipes it, and then I notice the slight crinkle in his chin.

He sniffs. “It’s just... so beautiful.”

“What the hell? You’re gonna start crying NOW?!”

“YES!” he sobs loudly.

He’s not wrong, though. It is beautiful.

Of the many experiences I’ve had in these nineteen years, this moment is by far the best. Dragons in bliss, free without a care in Zeala. The magic is energetic, and how can it not be? They breathe the very life in Zeala, and we’re lucky they allow us to coexist with them.

My throat hurts from the convulsing it’s doing to get that lump up as the hot tears roll down my cheeks. The dragon I’m riding takes a turn at blowing black rays of light.

We sit like little kids as our dragons twirl us around in a perfectly leveled spinning wheel while we cry, smile, laugh, and look at the changing colors of the air and clouds. It’s a dome of soft pigments shifting into neon colors from the luminous magic blasting.

Reality bends as our dragons disintegrate from underneath us into particles that reform into smaller shapes in front of us. Rio and I float in the void of hues, facing humans and holding their hands.

Rio’s person faces him with a chartreuse glow to their skin and a long train of violet hair flowing further than my eyes can see. My savior has gold skin accompanied with a short fuzz of white hair and eyebrows. The human forms of our dragons wear black tunics with gray harem pants and colorful beads around their necks.

“I am Stena.” the entity with Rio says. Their voice reverberates in the space. They gesture to the person I’m floating and holding hands with. “And this is Donven.”

“Who are you?” Rio asks. Even his voice resounds around us.

“Did you know the first humans to walk on Zeala were also dragons? Because of this, the first Superiors were dragons who took on the form of a human,” Donven says. “We are the last of that kind.”

“And we wanted to personally thank you for saving us,” Stena adds.

Gravity must be out of shape because my hair is just floating in all kinds of directions right now like I’m underwater while my mind is reeling. Rio’s eyes look unnaturally huge, but that’s probably just his face.

“I don’t understand,” I whisper. “Humans and dragons are two separate species now, and you’re telling us there was a time when the two forms were one?”

Donven looks down. “It’s forgotten history. The Light of Judgment created this world from nothing; the first species it created was dragons as you already know. What you didn’t know was that dragons were created with the ability to shift into humans. The only problem was we were created with a price for being too perfect. We carry the life of the world in our bloodstream. All pure dragons and human shifting dragons do.”

This is a time where I’d think I’m on an awful psychedelic trip and want to wake up, but no matter how many times I widen my eyes, nothing changes.

Rio glances around, eyes wider from whatever the hell he’s thinking about.

“At some point that connection was broken, and dragons were born without the shifting gene, and humans were born with no ties to being a dragon,” Stena explains, biting their lip. “It was probably evolution and the dilution of the gene, but the history became lost with those changes.”

“Drake...” Rio whispers. No one pays him any mind.

“But if the first Superiors were dragons, wouldn’t that be common Superior knowledge? Each successor absorbs the memories of their predecessor, so the memory of all of this would be in there, too.” I scratch my cheek gingerly.

“That’s true, but have the Superiors said anything to Zeala about it?” Stena asks, surveying both of us. “No, right? Just as I thought.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, we’d like to ask for a favor,” Donven says.

Rio and I briefly eyeball each other.

Stena smiles. “We haven’t connected with pure humans in a while, except for one young girl. We’d like to ask if you can revive this ancient knowledge. If you need our help as proof, please let us know. At the rate the world functions now, it’ll only be a matter of time before Zeala truly dies.”

I nod, hair and clothes waving in every direction possible.

“We’ll do everything we can,” I tell her. Amongst other things on my list, of course.

Like finally beating the crap outta Rio and pulverizing Ultima.

The entities nod simultaneously.

“Thank you!” Stena squeals, quickly catching and collecting their excitement. “Believe it or not, despite everything we still adore humans and will do anything to keep them safe. If you ever need help, please call upon us.”

“How do we do that?” Rio dumbly asks.

Donven and Stena smile widely and reach to poke right below our collarbone.

Look within your hearts.

My last blink shifts the whole scene and I’m back on Donven’s back. We slow down the circling flight in tune with Rio and Stena, so our descent begins.

The dragons finally disperse, and I honestly don’t care. We didn’t think about where they would go. Some were pets and I have no clue who the owners are, and some were found in the wild, so they’re free again. Rio and I hold on tight to our rides as they stop and nosedive back to the gray blob of Sapphire Island. I’m holding onto the yellow crooked horns of Donven, and Rio has clawed his fingers onto the scales of Stena as their downward speed picks up.

Just when I think we’re never going to stop and burrow right into the ground, the dragons halt suddenly as I anchor my grip, so I don’t fly forward. We’re back in front of that nasty hotel.

They land with a quaking thud that sets off alarms in several nearby cars. There’s enough space for them without causing damage to buildings or people, but Sapphire has always been an empty void of space to do things... like tame dragons.

I pat the horns of Donven and go the front route to slide from between their eyes and down their snout. I catch myself on the dusty ground and watch Rio lose his grip. He falls probably ten feet before quickly shifting into lightning to break his landing.

Stena and Donven take flight, joining the other dragons flying about around the island.

Rio wipes his clothes and approaches me with a warm smile, but reality seeps in the closer he gets. The last few months have been hell because of him. We may have worked together, but he will always be my rival. My biggest hater.

“So, wanna go hunt some cult members with me?” he asks. “We make a great team.”

Ha! As if.

“Will you stop ‘recruiting’ Elite members? If not, then screw your teamwork.”

“Teamwork is essential for success, Alice.”

I narrow my eyes. “Do you rehearse that to yourself in the mirror every morning or something?”

His mouth twitches. “Maybe.”

“You didn’t answer my other question. Will you stop? If not, then kick rocks, dude.” I’m a little antsy because I’m hungry and my bladder is gonna burst.

Before Rio responds, another dragon jets by and stops near us. It’s Poppy. She lands and folds her wings, buffeting us with a gust of wind.

“Alice!” Fae’s squeal surprises me when she slides down from Poppy’s tail and rushes over. I brace for her forceful embrace and almost fall over from the impact. “Poppy said she saw you guys free them!”

I groan, relaxing my constricted muscles. Fae pulls back and cheeses at me with a radiant smile.

“We did, but Mildred got away. What’re your plans? And what’s gonna happen with the dragons?” I suppress a yawn, hoping for more sleep.

Fae scratches her cheek. “Well, most likely these guys will fly to the closest forest. Nothing we can do. I’ll figure out how to get some of them back to their families. I saw the warehouse clearing out with loads of Guards.”

I swallow the guilt and cross my arms. “There’s... something you should know about the dragons.”

“The forgotten history, right? You both look how I felt when I learned about it a year ago.” Brilliance disappears from her smile as it carries the forlorn weight of reality at the corners of her mouth. “I was worried I’d sound odd going around telling people about it.”

“You’re not. We witnessed it ourselves.” I look over at Rio scratching Poppy’s chin. He’s so distracted it’s strange. I thought he would’ve started attacking by now since he wanted to capture me so bad like the true obsessed fool he is.

“It’s magical, isn’t it?” Fae asks, lime eyes gleaming under the flickering streetlight. “Anyway, are we finishing our stay at the hotel or going our separate ways?”

“Come with me, you need somewhere to stay,” I offer, but my eye twitches, stopping me from saying the next wild thing about her safety. I’m not that absurd to expose my concern.

Fae shakes her head. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

I’m not surprised, but my heart sinks low in displeasure anyway.

I have to get back to Elite. My phone is dead, and I don’t want anyone to worry. I trust Fae will deal with Mildred and her cult, but I have a feeling we may need to help her.

“I’ll check the room out for us.” Rio gives one parting look in my direction and nods. He’ll surely come after me again when he’s not drooling over a dragon, or maybe come after all of us. But that’s okay because he should know he isn’t safe either.

“Stay outta trouble,” I say to Fae, patting her shoulder.

She squeezes my hand. “Thank you for everything.”

The sun is rising, and I’m relieved to grab food on my walk to the station, but there’s disappointment again—my burger is dry and chewy.

I sit on the train, eager and edgy to return home. I’m not sure how I feel about partnering with Rio, but I’m happy to help Fae. Sadly, who knows how much of Mildred’s operation we slowed down, but I hope it was enough for the world to recover the balance. Nicholas’s fate is still in question. Rebecca’s, too.

Mildred may have killed them, and I let her go. She—

My body aches and throbs from the fight. I hope my powers recover quickly. I quiver while coping with the high speed of the train making a slight curve probably from a mountain.

Now that the end-of-the-world shenanigans have come to a halt, it’s time to return to my regular schedule of tearing down Ultima and laughing maniacally after. I guess I should see if I have a job to return to first and if Guards are waiting for me.

As I step off the train, I notice most of the blood rain has washed away and more Guards posted, so I boldly walk up to one who’s practically auditioning to become a statue. He’s staring up at the sky, not paying any attention to me. This is probably dangerous, considering they’re searching for me, but curiosity is truly the thief of my wellbeing, and I can’t hide forever.

“Yes, ma’am?” he says, still not looking at me.

“Can you look at me, so I don’t have to look in your nose?”

“Excuse me, miss, who do you think you’re talking—”

“I’m Elite’s Special Agent, Alice Reid.” The Guard looks down. I’m expecting contempt but am met with a worn expression.

I hate the weird rift Spirit Users and Guards have. We can’t be Guards due to possibly having an advantage from our powers. Guards put their whole lives into the job, so Superiors seldom Trace them, otherwise they’re automatically fired. Rumor is that some people purposely become Guards to avoid being Traced and becoming “freaks.”

“So, you decided to show your face,” he mumbles, gripping his crossbow. I can’t find a branded A on his hand. “Whaddaya want? Turning yerself in?”

“I could. What’s happening? Is this still from yesterday?”

“No, a suspect. He’s been prancing around for a while, but we got word that he’s somewhere here,” he replies. His eyes shift as he scans pedestrians walking by. “We are still dealing with Wave Riding Season and... your meltdown. It’s bad enough people look at us good guys in petrified horror now. Half the force is missing and probably compromised.” He nods at greeting citizens, almost half distracted. “You know there’s a warrant for your arrest for violating the terms of the agreement, but we’re spread thin, so this current situation is our priority. King Remington doesn’t want Elite involved unless it’s serious.”

I guess I don’t need to expect Guards waiting at the base for me then.

“I see. We won’t step in unless you ask.” I turn on my heels.

“P-Please be careful. There’s been another murder. We have a serial killer on our hands here. This suspect may be our guy, but we’ll know more once we nab him,” he admits. “I gather the sense that you mean well and can take care of yourself, so I won’t say anything about seeing you. If you see him, notify us immediately. He has dreads, a nose piercing, and is pretty tall. Who knows, maybe it’ll free you of some of the guilt you probably carry. Just... stay sharp.”

Another murder? That’s the nineteenth one this year.

By the time I make it to Elite’s steps, I’m shivering. I lost my favorite jacket, and my stomach is pissed off from that burger. Billie is already waiting with a few boxes next to her on the top of the stairs. Her energy is low, nothing is even radiating toward me.

Oh no.

“Billie, did you get—”

“You and me both, girl,” she says. “Some of this is your stuff. Master Azul told me an hour ago. Our rooms are cleared out. I’m waiting for my parents to pick me up.”

My heart drops as I look over at a forlorn Stacy talking to a security agent by the doors. She gives a sympathetic look, the volume in her headphones nonexistent.

So, I’m homeless, jobless, and likely to be arrested once the Guards catch this murderer. Oh, and I may be sued for my tantrum. I can add Rio potentially coming after me again on that list if I want.

I take a seat next to Billie; her hands are folded between her knees with her feet slanted toward each other. She looks a lot like herself when I met her on her first day of Elite.

“I told Rachel to let us know when Evangeline wakes up,” she murmurs.

I can’t think of anything coherent to say as I stare at the despondent pond across the street, still a helpless crater of itself.

“There was another murder,” I mumble. “Guard told me when I got off the train.”

“I’m assuming the mission went well? Any sign of Nick?”

“Yeah, we freed a buncha dragons, but I dunno.”

No sign of Nicholas. Or Rebecca. They’re not our problem anymore as Elite members.

Stacy clears her throat and walks over to us. She’s entering an uneasy scene but she’s icy pale. Her breathing is ragged and uneven with a quivering chin.

“What’s up, Stace?”

“Um, I know this doesn’t concern you anymore, but... Natasha was found... dead,” Stacy whispers. “Strangled to death.”

Billie gasps and covers her mouth.

So, she’s the nineteenth victim. She’s truly gone now. Oh, Natasha.

If this just happened, then Mildred’s cult is probably still operating until she’s in a safe location again. I wanted to catch everyone up on the atrocity our world is living in and should’ve asked Fae about the slaughterhouses.

But what does it even matter? I potentially saved the world, and it just spits back on me. Maybe I thought I was too special for this to happen to.

No amount of redemption can save me. Not with my list of crimes.

And Billie. She can’t go home. Her family practically hates her and worships Brooke.

Stacy goes back inside the building, leaving the two of us to ourselves. I wish I could run back in and see Evangeline one last time, at least for a while.

I turn to Billie. “Run away with me.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s run away. You’re gonna have to trust me on this, but I have somewhere we can lay low for a while,” I tell her.

Billie cocks an eyebrow up. “O-Okay.”

I push our packed boxes back inside the Elite building, prompting Stacy to order the security agents to bring them by her desk. She questions our motives, but for our safety, I just can’t tell her.

With the remaining coins I have left, I walk to the main street with Billie and flag down a taxi to take us to the last place I ever thought I’d go to. If it means taking down Ultima by getting stronger another way, then so be it. That will always be my priority. Azul is a coward for not facing me with this news.

Billie is pale when we step outside the taxi.

“Alice, th-this is King Remington’s estate.”

“Trust me.”

Just like before, as soon as we step on the stone path, Roon comes nearly sprinting out with ostrich feathers now adorned to his pink headband. He’s accompanied by another tall guy with dark dreads.

And a nose ring.

“Hello, hello lovelies!” Roon greets, hands on his hips. “King Remington is—”

“Sick, I get it. We’re not here to see him, actually,” I snap. “I need to get in touch with Mildred Anguine. You know, your gigantic leader I fought earlier. I’m sure you heard all about it.”

Roon smiles and gestures to the guy. “My, my, where are my manners?! This is Logan. He’s a former attendant to the King.”

“I’m Alice Reid and this is my friend Billie Castor.”

Poor Billie hides behind me like a timid little bunny instead of her highly energetic self. She peeks over my shoulder and shyly waves.

“What makes you think Mildred wants to speak with you?” Logan asks.

“She told me to seek her out if I needed her and . . . I do. I need her.” I swallow some of the apprehension down my shaky throat. “Let us join you.”

Roon shakes his head. “Wow, how the mighty have fallen. Zeala messed you up that fast, huh? I mean, I knew this day would come, but not so soon.”

I cross my arms, tapping my foot.

“Well? Is there room for us?” I ask. “I’m very desperate and will be Mildred’s lapdog if I need to be. I just... I just need somewhere to stay to grow strong enough to take down Ultima.”

Logan steps forward, smirking at Roon. They share some silent conversation with their stares at each other and small chuckles, it’s irritating.

“Well, well, Mildred will be pleasantly surprised to hear this,” Logan’s deep voice chuckles from behind Roon.

“Indeed, indeed,” Roon adds.

My head is heavy with fear and a rush of heat. Logan’s lips form a sly, creepy smile as a cloud of darkness seeps into his eyes.

I just wanted to be free, but it looks like I’ll need to wait a little longer for that.

Roon outstretches his hand toward us. “Alice Reid. Billie Castor. Welcome to your new future.”

THE END