tugged on my tunic so fiercely that it threw me off balance and I had to kneel down.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
Obnoxious little monster.
“Are you a pwincess?”
My mouth opened, but no words came out. I had no idea how to respond to that. Caleb’s wife laughed and Mama B. smiled. I went red in the face. “No, kid,” I said gruffly.
“Huh. I fought you was.”
The boy went back to his breakfast. I tried to shake off the urge to smile as I filched a piece of bacon and quickly snarfed it down.
“Buster, she is most certainly not a princess,” said Berrett. He grinned over his shoulder at me. I tried to squelch the sensation of butterflies taking flight in my stomach.
“Maybe, maybe she’s a dwagon hunter!” said Buster.
He took his fork and made it fly around and growl.
“Yeah, that’s what I am,” I said. I took the plate that Mama B. handed me and sat across from Berrett. “Tabitha Dixon, Dragon Slayer.”
“Isn’t that a bit cannibalistic?” asked Berrett.
I glared at him and threw a piece of toast at his chest.
“Children,” said Mama B. “Behave.”
“Yes, Mama,” said Berrett. He kicked my shin lightly under the table. I cried out in disgust.
Mama B. folded her arms and unleashed a look only a mother could give. “Jordan, let the girl eat.”
Berrett frowned and turned his attention to his remaining breakfast.
I smirked, and then started counting tiny monster heads. One, two, three .. “Thought you said there were four.”
“There are,” said Caleb’s wife. She put down her spatula and shook my hand. “I’m Gwen. Sorry we didn’t really meet yesterday. My oldest is on her way to school.”
I bit down on my lower lip. “I’m very sorry to have put your family in so much danger. I’d hate to think what would happen if—”
“Nonsense. You’re safe for now, as long as we keep you under wraps. The people around here are not exactly friendly toward the SUN. You could have marched in our doors in broad daylight and no one in this neighborhood would have said a word.”
“So why’d they come here?” I asked.
“The network,” said Mama B. “The SUN has access to everyone you know, and everyone they know. It’s quite easy for them to use that information to track down anyone connected to a crime, and then threaten to harm those loved ones if the criminal doesn’t emerge.”
My eyes widened. “Did they threaten you?”
“Don’t worry about it, Tabitha,” replied Gwen. “It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
I stared at Berrett. “What can I do? I can’t just stay here and endanger you like this.”
“Help me fold laundry,” said Mama B. “It’ll give us a good chance to get to know each other.”
After breakfast, Gwen had a long list of chores that needed doing. While she cleaned the kitchen, Berrett attacked the bathrooms and Mama B. and I sat down to fold huge piles of laundry.
Mama B. laughed as she folded the small homemade shirts and trousers. “It never ceases to amaze me that someone so tiny could create such a giant trail of destruction.”
“Yeah,” I replied. The guilt woke up inside me and stretched its legs, tickling my insides with the memory of my own trail of terror.
“So, your family. Tell me about them,” said Mama B.
I focused hard on folding the clothes in front of me.
“I assume Berrett told you why we are here?”
She nodded. “Just me, though. The others know you are in trouble with the SUN, but they don’t know why. They don’t particularly care, and your secret is safe with me.” She pointed to the chain around my neck and winked.
“Look ... this is hard for me. I’ve spent my whole life trying to disguise who I am and protect what I have, and in the past forty-eight hours countless people have discovered the truth about me and the vial.”
“I know, honey, and I wouldn’t ask except it’s important for me to hear it from you. And to tell you the truth, it’s good for you to talk about something
“Can I help you?” I asked.
Obnoxious little monster.
“Are you a pwincess?”
My mouth opened, but no words came out. I had no idea how to respond to that. Caleb’s wife laughed and Mama B. smiled. I went red in the face. “No, kid,” I said gruffly.
“Huh. I fought you was.”
The boy went back to his breakfast. I tried to shake off the urge to smile as I filched a piece of bacon and quickly snarfed it down.
“Buster, she is most certainly not a princess,” said Berrett. He grinned over his shoulder at me. I tried to squelch the sensation of butterflies taking flight in my stomach.
“Maybe, maybe she’s a dwagon hunter!” said Buster.
He took his fork and made it fly around and growl.
“Yeah, that’s what I am,” I said. I took the plate that Mama B. handed me and sat across from Berrett. “Tabitha Dixon, Dragon Slayer.”
“Isn’t that a bit cannibalistic?” asked Berrett.
I glared at him and threw a piece of toast at his chest.
“Children,” said Mama B. “Behave.”
“Yes, Mama,” said Berrett. He kicked my shin lightly under the table. I cried out in disgust.
Mama B. folded her arms and unleashed a look only a mother could give. “Jordan, let the girl eat.”
Berrett frowned and turned his attention to his remaining breakfast.
I smirked, and then started counting tiny monster heads. One, two, three .. “Thought you said there were four.”
“There are,” said Caleb’s wife. She put down her spatula and shook my hand. “I’m Gwen. Sorry we didn’t really meet yesterday. My oldest is on her way to school.”
I bit down on my lower lip. “I’m very sorry to have put your family in so much danger. I’d hate to think what would happen if—”
“Nonsense. You’re safe for now, as long as we keep you under wraps. The people around here are not exactly friendly toward the SUN. You could have marched in our doors in broad daylight and no one in this neighborhood would have said a word.”
“So why’d they come here?” I asked.
“The network,” said Mama B. “The SUN has access to everyone you know, and everyone they know. It’s quite easy for them to use that information to track down anyone connected to a crime, and then threaten to harm those loved ones if the criminal doesn’t emerge.”
My eyes widened. “Did they threaten you?”
“Don’t worry about it, Tabitha,” replied Gwen. “It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
I stared at Berrett. “What can I do? I can’t just stay here and endanger you like this.”
“Help me fold laundry,” said Mama B. “It’ll give us a good chance to get to know each other.”
After breakfast, Gwen had a long list of chores that needed doing. While she cleaned the kitchen, Berrett attacked the bathrooms and Mama B. and I sat down to fold huge piles of laundry.
Mama B. laughed as she folded the small homemade shirts and trousers. “It never ceases to amaze me that someone so tiny could create such a giant trail of destruction.”
“Yeah,” I replied. The guilt woke up inside me and stretched its legs, tickling my insides with the memory of my own trail of terror.
“So, your family. Tell me about them,” said Mama B.
I focused hard on folding the clothes in front of me.
“I assume Berrett told you why we are here?”
She nodded. “Just me, though. The others know you are in trouble with the SUN, but they don’t know why. They don’t particularly care, and your secret is safe with me.” She pointed to the chain around my neck and winked.
“Look ... this is hard for me. I’ve spent my whole life trying to disguise who I am and protect what I have, and in the past forty-eight hours countless people have discovered the truth about me and the vial.”
“I know, honey, and I wouldn’t ask except it’s important for me to hear it from you. And to tell you the truth, it’s good for you to talk about something
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