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Untitled Document
Amita, wake up.
I felt his thoughts lance through my head like
salt across a wound; my skull pounded painfully and my temples throbbed.
The ship's passengers are getting off, Amita.
You need to get up.
Groaning, I opened my eyes. I winced from the
sudden, blinding light and rose from the floor. With confusion, I studied the
floor I had been sleeping on. It was in the corner of one of the rooms on the
ship. I glanced at Shard, the question in my eyes.
Remember last night? he reminded me.
You collapsed after you let your hate almost consume you.
What? I thought dully. Yesterday…
Hyacinth… working with the amulet… the people…
Did I hurt anybody?? I demanded, almost
panicking.
No. I got to you before you could.
Scenes were waking in my mind from yesterday,
and I shivered. However, once I got to the last part, shock grew.
You're an ice dragon?! Why didn't you tell
me?!
Shard sighed, Yes, I am an ice dragon, but
you can't tell anyone.
I shook myself and glanced at him suspiciously.
Who are you?
Nothing you need to know right now.
Annoyed that he wouldn't tell me, I probed through
his mind, searching for the information that he refused to give me. After ten
seconds, he shoved me out fiercely.
Don't you dare go through my mind like that!
Glaring at him, I lashed my tail and stalked
off the ship. He followed.
The day was much cooler, an eerie mist hanging
in the air. The clouds blocked the sun, and the sky was a sickly grey. A breeze
blew by and I shivered.
Accepting Shard, who hopped on my back, I glanced
intently at some of the direction signs. So, where do you want to live?
He chuckled at the nonchalant way I decided
where to live. Someplace cold. I'm sick of the heat.
Plus you're an ice dragon, you should love
the cold, I said resentfully. He didn't respond. Guess we could go to
Terror Mountain?
It's a plan.
* * *
After many days of hard trekking, we finally made it to Terror Mountain. Wintry
winds blew about, and snow got in my eyes and deep in my fur. The cold dipped
down into my very soul.
Well, I suppose this is going to be our home
for a while, until we get sick of it. I said reluctantly.
After wandering around for a bit, and seeing
the large community of Neopets and people, we decided to check into the ski
lodge with the abundance of money I had earned. Perhaps I could set up shop
here as a healer too.
The ski lodge was a pleasant hotel, though a
bit chilling after we heard its unique history. It was heated excessively, the
air warming us immediately. The large front hall spread upward extensively,
rooms on each floor.
"May I help you sir?"
The voice made me jump and my hackles rose automatically.
I calmed however when I realized it was only a Lenny at the front desk - he
was looking at us with wide, blue eyes and I could tell that he honestly wanted
to help us and was not simply doing his job.
"Yes, actually. May we… I have a room? I'm not
sure for how long it'll be but it will probably be a while."
"Certainly sir. Our policies request a payment
every week however."
"That's fine."
He began to lead us to our rooms, passing a
group of three excited skiers: a "human" girl with long brown hair, a starry
Shoyru, and a striped Scorchio. They were warming by the fire, drinking hot
chocolate, their cheeks glowing. When we passed however, the Scorchio instantly
sobered, turned around, and stared straight into my eyes. She had dazzling sapphire
eyes… and soon I felt like there was nothing but those eyes staring at me, staring
deep into my soul…
"Sir? Your room is this way."
His voice cracked through my subconscious and
I turned abruptly away from the prying eyes. Walking briskly, I caught up with
the puzzled Lenny, clutching my pack. Our room held a single bed, whose clean,
white sheets was a sleeping arrangement better than I had seen in a long time.
There was a desk on the adjacent wall with flowers, a plate of oatmeal cookies,
and a map of the hotel. On the wall opposite to the bed, there was a television
- a luxury I had not been able to afford my entire life. The floor was carpeted
in a fluffy beige material, and a closet was on the same wall as the door. A
ceiling fan hung from above and outside of the lavender curtains was the slopes,
skiers whipping down the mountain.
"Thank you," I told the Lenny. He nodded his
acknowledgement and proceeded to tell me where the restaurant and swimming pool
was. I thanked him, and he left. Jumping on the bed, thoughts traced back to
the Scorchio and I unintentionally projected my thoughts at Shard.
She's an Empath, he said casually. An
after-power of having a very powerful magic, like you and your healing. I doubt
she has the powerful magic anymore; I'm not sure what happened to it.
That made sense. An Empath was a person who
could sense emotions, and explained why she had the peculiar effect on me. She
could sense the amulet radiating off me subconsciously and proceeded to dig
further, curious to where the extreme senses of pain and fury came from.
Yeah, well whatever. I was still angry
with him, and every time I thought about his secret keeping, I got angrier.
He knew everything about me - he had already read my mind like a book! Why could
he not let me know about him?
I brusquely stalked out and headed for the swimming
pool, only stopping to sample an oatmeal cookie, which was quite good.
Upon entering the pool area, humidity increased
ten fold. I felt like I was breathing water, but it felt good in my dry lungs.
Breathing deeply, I plunged into the pool. Clean, cool water swirled past me
and cleansed my soul. Swimming around underwater made me feel much better, and
I'm sure the sugar in the cookie also helped. The amulet was getting worse everyday
and was now giving me a headache constantly.
After I was done with some laps, I pulled myself
together and dried off. What was I going to do? Could I even do anything with
my life? Sighing, I trotted wearily out in the hall, cool dry air smoothing
back my disheveled fur.
It happened all at once: a striped Scorchio
walked from behind the corner and I, not seeing her, collided head first with
her. I realized with shock it was that Empath I had seen earlier in the day.
Quickly, I picked up my things, apologized briefly and walked out, hiding my
face. At a last glance, I saw her confused face, trying to work out my mystery.
I refused to let her.
When I got back into my room, Shard was sleeping
on a little bed he had made for himself on my desk with a pillow and a pillowcase.
Tumbling into the fresh, fluffy blankets myself; I only felt a quick breeze
playing across my face from the ceiling fan before I fell asleep.
* * *
"Amita," the Scorchio said and I looked up at her from the tornado that
was the amulet. "Amita, I can help you," she repeated. I looked back into the
maelstrom of pain.
"No you can't," I said dully, lashing my tail.
"No one can. This burden is mine to carry, and mine alone. Please stop trying
to do something you can't."
She walked over to the swirling emptiness.
"How can you live your life like this?"
"What do you mean, how can I? This is what
I was built for - this is why I exist. If I can't take it then who will?" I
looked at her face then and she looked back. Those sapphire eyes consumed me,
and for once, I let them. I wanted to be comforted. I wanted to be helped.
Abruptly, I turned away, disgusted with my
lack of will. I had to deal with the amulet alone, and no one could help. No
one.
"You can't run forever," she whispered, but
her voice was as clear as ice above the howl of the amulet. "You can't run from
the help you need."
"Watch me," I murmured back, walking into
the maelstrom I always did when I woke.
Suddenly I woke up, with a pounding pain behind
my eyes. Shard's breathing was deep and slow - he was still asleep.
Why did she care what happened to me? I couldn't
deal with sympathy; I couldn't deal with help. Why did she insist on intruding
on business that was mine and mine alone?
* * *
Over the next few weeks, I slowly deteriorated in condition. I was too sick
to move several days a week, and when I did move, it was always through a veil
of headache. The amulet consumed more and more everyday, controlling my emotions
and playing on my weaknesses. Even my relationship with Shard was slipping,
with me holding a festering rage against him. I kept seeing the Scorchio in
the hallways, and she would seem to be looking for someone. However, upon seeing
her, I would always bolt in the other direction, hiding my face from her prying
eyes.
One night however, I had dreamless sleep for
the first time in my life. I couldn't feel anything in the pit of black numbness
I was in, and got restful sleep for once. The next morning, I felt better than
I had in a long time, my head blissfully pain free. I could still feel the amulet
roaring in my head, but it's effect seemed lessened. Not even lessened… more
spread out… and I was bearing less of its brunt.
Shard, we have to talk. I was determined
to fix our relationship this morning - this morning that seemed to be going
so well.
Hm? What about? he replied sleepily,
though I detected a hint of resentment under his thought, lingering from my
long held anger.
You know everything about me. You know more
about me than anyone else in my entire life. I know you're an ice dragon… but
that's all! I don't think it's fair that you could know so much about me and
I know absolutely nothing about you. Who are you, Shard?
I felt surprise blossom in his mind. That's
what's been upsetting you for so long? he sighed, then continued, I suppose
it's only fair that you know.
He waited for an answer, but I refused him the
satisfaction. I'm several hundred years old. During the war long ago, Neopia
was very outnumbered with its enemy. Leaders were sure they were to be wiped
out, but before the enemy arrived, the ice dragons did.
They were honoring a treaty made long ago, that Neopians had long forgotten.
Due to the dragon's long lives, they had not. Fighting with the Neopians, they
defeated their enemy. However, even though a dragon is immortal, it can still
be killed with swords and magic. Every single dragon was killed in that battle,
fighting for an ally.
Nobody knew however, that one dragonette had a dragonlet at home, safe.
The last ice dragon to ever walk the earth. Me.
I was found and raised by that Poogle who "gave" me to you. He knew everything
about me, and hid my identity from others. When I needed healing, it was a test
for you. You passed the test, and so I never saw the Poogle again.
He turned a tearful face to me. Do you see why I didn't tell you? You don't
know the sadness of being the last of a great species in the whole three dimensions.
It was my sadness to bear, mine alone. I didn't want anybody to know!
I felt sympathy toward him as he wept with silent tears. Reaching a comforting
thought into his mind, he grabbed at the love and courage I projected toward
him and clutched it to his mind like he would never let go. He rocked himself
back and forth, and I eased his mind into sleep.
So this was the reason Shard had hid his identity from me. I felt empathy
toward him and understood his choices. However, one thing still bothered me.
Did he know how close his words were to mine? My sadness to bear, mine alone.
Did the Scorchio have a right to know? Would relying on her even accomplish
anything? Shard had the path I had not yet had the courage to cross. Would I
ever have the courage?
To be continued...
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