I didn’t want to get out of bed. Last night, I’d stayed up late reading a fun book while soaking in the hot tub on the roof. My brother had left soon after I’d opened his present. He wasn’t one to hang around for long, so I hadn’t been too surprised. The only time he’d seemed to relax was when we were in the middle of nowhere camping, and I only knew that because after begging for ages, he’d taken me on one of his camping trips in the mountains.

It had been an experience that’d showed me camping was not my thing. It was his, but not mine. I loved hot water, fresh food, and fancy coffee, as he put it.

I snuggled under the blankets and cuddled with my pillow. A dragon landed on the bed near my foot and slowly made her way toward my head. At least, I assumed it was Indigo. If not, today was going to be a strange day. As soon as I thought that, a purple head came into view, and she nuzzled me while almost purring.

“Morning, Indigo.”

She chirped softly once and curled up next to me on my pillow. I didn’t mind. The sun was barely coming in through the skylight, making her purple scales almost glow in the dark room. I smiled as I closed my eyes again, letting my thoughts wander.

Sleeping in was amazing.

A couple of hours later, I finally sat up and stretched. I needed coffee and something tasty for breakfast. Indigo still slept on my pillow and didn’t wake even once I got up. It wasn’t until I was dressed and opening my door that her head snapped up.

She blinked a few times, then flew after me before landing on my shoulder. I’d forgotten to ask Lady Borsel if she should sleep so much, or if it was another growth spurt. The shop was quiet as I made my way downstairs, so I detoured by the front for a quick latte.

Then, into the kitchen I went.

Sitting on the island was the Cat. He had an empty bowl next to him, and a box of cereal. “Good morning, Sable.”

“Morning, Cat. Did you eat already?” I asked. Cereal sounded good. I hadn’t had any in a while, and the crunchy honey version on the counter was one of my favorites.

The Cat nodded. “Yes, some of the crunchy stuff.”

I nodded and pulled out a bowl. “Do you want some?” I asked Indigo. She shook her head and jumped off my shoulder to the island. It took a few moments for her to curl up in a ball, and then she was out again. I glanced at the Cat as I pulled out the milk. “I think she’s going through another growth spurt.”

Stolen story; please report.

The Cat stared at her and slowly nodded. “Probably. She is learning new ideas from the dragons, and that helps her kind grow.”

“I wonder if I’ll notice the changes,” I mumbled as I took a bite.

“Last time she only grew an inch or so.” The Cat stared at her some more. “Plus, she grew smarter, her language changed, and the edges of her scales deepened in color.”

I paused, my spoon halfway to my mouth. “I noticed the physical growth, but she talks more? I hadn’t really realized.”

“It will be more like that this time,” said the Cat. “Physical growth depends on age and surroundings.”

I chewed and motioned for the Cat to continue. This had not been in any of the books I’d been able to find, and read, on dragons. Maybe it was in some of the ones in languages I didn’t understand, but that didn’t help me much.

The Cat’s tail flickered back and forth. “If she wants to stay small, she will stay small. She likes her dragon tree and her hideaway, but those are tiny spaces. Even I wouldn’t be comfortable in them, but she is. Plus, even dragons that want to grow big do so over centuries. ”

I nodded, thinking about it because I hoped Indigo stayed small, but not if it would mess with her development. I finished off my bowl of cereal sitting quietly with the Cat, just thinking about Indigo growing bigger.

Eventually, the Cat turned to look at me. “What are your plans for today?”

I smiled, and my hands cupped around my coffee mug. “Not much. I’m going to relax and chill in the hot tub, and maybe finish that book I started last night. I need to call my mom and thank her for the cupcake. Did you like the cake?”

The Cat nodded. “It was tasty.”

“Indigo dived into her slice.” I chuckled. “She needed a bath after eating it.” Indigo had gotten cake and icing under her claws, and even some in one of her ears, somehow. It had been absolutely adorable. Though, I wasn’t sure how much she’d actually eaten. I sipped on my coffee.

“Have fun reading,” said the Cat as he jumped off the island.

I put my bowl in the sink and picked up Indigo. She remained out, but I didn’t want to leave her behind since she had stuck close to me so far this morning.

The dragon slept through making an iced coffee, changing into my bathing suit, and then heading to the rooftop deck with a book. I placed her on a fuzzy towel in the shade and climbed into the hot tub. Steam rose from the warm water, and the sun was only a soft glow overhead with a cool breeze. Basically, the perfect weather for what I wanted as I flipped open the book.

By the time my iced coffee was empty, and I’d finished the book, Indigo was up and swimming in the warm water. “You sure you don’t want anything to eat?” I asked again, for the third time.

She shook her head and dived under the water in response. I climbed out of the tub, ready to shower off and get back into some real clothes. My stomach growled and I kept going back and forth in my head about what to order for lunch. Chinese food was always a good choice, but maybe some BBQ would be good, to change things up.

Once I’d showered and changed back into normal clothes, I stepped out onto the balcony, ready to track down the Cat.

“Hey, Sable, do you have a moment?” asked the Cat. He appeared in the center of the shop down below. “I have something I want to show you.”