Tonya stood six-stories off the ground, white hair dancing in the wind around her face, feet crunching the gravel of the Mackenzie Residence rooftop. Red signs on the brick enclosure around the stairwell forbade students from lingering on the roof, but a smattering of cigarette butts proved Tonya wasn't the only rebel.

She trembled, toes curled around the metal edge of the roof, fighting the same internal battle. One deep breath. Two. From this height, she could see where the Loon River fed the western end of the lake. Boats near the island looked so small, they bobbed on whitecaps like water striders. 

Stop staring at the water and relax. You're going to love this.

Hatch (she called him Hatching) whispered inside her head in a raspy voice voice. He'd nagged her since July, tempting her to surrender like a narcissistic boyfriend who lived in her head.

Don't you want to fly?

"You mean fall."

Don't worry, Human. If you die, I do, too.

"That's Tonya, not Human." Tonya wanted to ignore the voice and live. Last fall, they released her from prison on parole, and ordered her to study magic at summer school wearing a prison anklet that blocked her powers.

She'd mainly learned how to endure bullies.

This December, she had her best friends back and could perform life magic again. Luck was finally breaking her way, except for this.

Let go once. You'll never look back.

"People can't fly."

All summer, she'd resisted Beau's greedy desires and mostly succeeded. A few times, she'd broken down and gorged on extra rare beef. She'd avoided passing the jewelry store after that one time she found herself glued in place, staring through the window for an hour, a drop of drool escaping her lips, fighting the urge to smash the glass and carry off the treasure.

Humans have yearned to fly since they climbed down from the trees. 

"You are lecturing me on evolution? Foolish hatchling."

Focus and learn, my deluded host. Dragons live for hundreds of years, but I'm maturing faster than any dragon before. Think of me as a teen who can access your memories.

"Stay out of them."

 You're so foolish. Why didn't you beat the blood out of that bully, Marta Ashton? You're twice her size.

"That's not how high school works."

 Such sorrowful memories. Beau hissed. Let me erase them.

Tonya retreated to the bulkhead and tried the door.

Locked.

She couldn't even break the window in the door. It was reinforced with metal mesh.

Relax. I knew the door would lock.

"You did?"

Trust me, it's going to be fine if you relax and let me control our body.

"No."

You know you want to.

"No."

Fine, but it will be ages before somebody comes onto this roof, and I'm starving. Aren't you?

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Low-grade hunger had accompanied Tonya everywhere since Beau had melded into her body. But at his suggestion, stomach grumbles roared into a gnawing pain. She had to eat, now! Bloody steak, raw roast, ground hamburger. Her mouth watered, and her stomach ached for raw flesh!

That's my girl. Ready to taste freedom?

"No. Making me hungry is a dirty trick, and I'm not falling for it." She crossed her arms across a raging bellyache.

Hours later, stomach pain unabated, the sun burned her arms and blistered face. She could be trapped on the roof for days without food or water. On the verge of heat stroke, Tonya relented. "You win, Dragon Boy. Give me water." 

Release control. Allow me to move your body.

"How…" The moment she had that thought, he bent her limbs into a crouch. Her hands and knees sank into the white grit that covered the rooftop. The heat flickering inside her body powered down, and she flopped onto her stomach, unable to move. Pain stabbed deep inside her arms and legs as bones and flesh melted, shifted, and reformed in a symphony of agony.

The sharpest pains forced a shout from her lips. Her body morphed, her limbs lengthening, neck stretching, face splaying as her cheeks rose and expanded. Along her back, pain jabbed a line along her spine as scales and fins pushed themselves through her skin and grew across the surface of her expanding body.

"Stop!" she shouted, but her cry came out as a shattering roar.

People would hear, people would see. They could kill her and plead self defense.

In July, dragons had terrorized Loon Lake. The Ashtons had invited renowned dragon expert, Paloma Alvarez, and her family to support Ashton Security with a pair of so-called giant fire salamanders.

By the time the Ashtons realized Roberto Alvarez had tricked Priya into magicking the baby dragons to maturity overnight, it was too late. Mother Dragon had magically lulled a handful of tourists to sleep, slashed their abdomens with a scalpel-sharp claw, and deposited her eggs inside. Tonya had awoken with a swollen belly and a magically healed scar—just like the others.

Blocked from using magic on the island, Tonya and her friends rescued the innocent tourists by boat. The moment they arrived in Loon Lake, Tonya's powers flooded back, posing a dilemma. If she used magic, it would forfeit her powers forever.

One-by-one, before the monsters could hatch, Tonya drew life energy out of the eggs. If she hadn't, the creatures would have hatched and eat their hosts alive.

When the final tourist was free, Tonya could save herself, but Mayor Donna trapped her and used the Staff of Storms to capture Tonya's powers. To finish her off, Donna reversed Tonya's powers to speed the egg's development. In minutes, the ravenous creature hatched and started gnawing on Tonya's. It was eating her alive, until Tonya spoke to the dragon telepathically, and struck a deal.

Imagine the Loon Lakers' reaction if they found out Tonya made a deal with a dragon to save herself. For a tiny thing, it had driven a hard bargain. Wasn't that the way with magical creatures? They could save your life and make you regret it.

Despite the agony, Tonya kept her toothy snout shut during the final transformations. The only thing worse than the pain was getting caught. Shakily, she stood, claws sinking deep into the gravel covering the asphalt roof.

Allow me.

Her gait was shaky, but Beau could go barbecue himself before she'd let him take over again. From the edge of the roof, everything looked tiny, but her vision was unnaturally clear, as if she'd traded human eyes for the eyes of an eagle. Rustling in the dead leaves by the lake shore, a tiny mouse sniffed the air. Drool dripped from her massive jaws, the pain of transformation replaced by hunger.

Breeze filled her nostrils with algae smells and her ears pricked up, alert for any whisper of prey. She scanned the watery horizon for signs of fish.

Must eat. It was all she could think of.

Tonya leaped off the side of the building, flapping her wings.

She sank, flapping harder in her panic and getting her right and left wings out of sync.

She skimmed the grassy lawn, headed for the rocky shore. If she crashed, she'd probably break something.

Allow me.

No.

Suit yourself, but the ground is coming up fast.

She glanced down. They were going to hit rocks before they reached the water.

Ugh. All right. But just for a moment.

Beau took control of her movements, wings flapping in a smooth rhythm that carried them into the sky. The island moved closer below, but droplets from clouds smacked against her face and got in her eyes. Still, Beau climbed higher.

"Put me down!" She roared, but he only laughed inside her head and climbed higher.

How can humans survive on the dark, depressing ground?

Tonya fought to point her nose down until every flap brought her closer to the water. She could crash land on water without hurting herself, right?

It only took a moment of distraction.

Beau regained control of her wings, and they pulled out of the dive. The steep climb made her head spin. She couldn't look as their somersault sent air rushing around her.

Put us down!

He didn't answer.

Spawn of a Turd! I'll feed you nothing but lettuce if you don't land, now!

Above the clouds, Tonya couldn't look down, mustn't. Her head spun and she trembled with fear of heights.

Beau angled into a power dive. He wanted to kill them!

The ground rushed up to meet them and Tonya closed her eyes.

No, you don't. Beau forced their eyes open.

Air riffled her scales and long grasses tickled her chin. Beau pulled up at the last-minute, performing an enormous vertical loop that slammed her with G-force.

Tonya saw black.

#Writeathon #Dragons #urbanfantasy #mystery #witchymystery