Mena and her friends sat outside the hospital ward, reclining in cloud chairs in the hallway. Both May and Janus were strangely quiet, and Mena figured they were giving her space. Her mind was half flooded with questions pertaining to Ashlan, and the other half was feelings for Tal. “I can’t believe I really did that…” Mena said at last.

“Did what?” May and Janus both asked.

“I can’t believe I went out on a limb to save BOTH Tal and Ashlan,” Mena said.

May sat up, giving Mena a dimple faced smile. “Friendship will do strange things to a person…”

Janus smirked. “I think it’s more than friendship…”

Mena held her hands to her face, her heart started throbbing wildly. She remembered what she had said when held in Tal’s dragon grip.

“Did you guys hear what I told him…”she said, pushing two fingers together. “When he was in the big, skeleton-y dragon form?”

“I didn’t,” May said.

“I don’t have ears,” Janus said wryly, causing both Mena and May to glare at her.

“How do you hear us then?” Mena growled at Janus.

Janus crossed her leg-bones in her seat and leaned back. “Touché.”

“But anyway,” Mena responded. “I told him I love him.”

May leaned forward in her seat, gaping at Mena, “Say what?”

Janus merely eased further back on her cloud. “Ain’t that obvious to everyone,” Janus giggled. “Unless you got rocks in your head.”

May turned her head sideways, causing a small pebble to fall out. “Stupid gym class,” she muttered.

“So what should I do?” Mena asked her friends. “Should I admit to Tal that I wasn't lying?” She looked down at the ground…”If he pulls through, of course.”

Janus pulled out a sheet of paper from her uniform. “I still don’t see him on my daddy’s To-Kill queue, but let us cross our bones, just in case.”

Everyone crossed their fingers, and as they did, May and Janus smiled at Mena. “I think you should tell him,” they both said, and May added, “Plus you guys are kinda like Romulus and Julianna. Couldn’t hurt to have a little off stage chemistry too.”

Mena nodded, and clasped her hands at her chest. She sighed. “Please pull through, Tal,” she prayed. “I want you to be my real life starcrossed lover…only not a dragon that wants to kill me.”

An hour passed before Stellaris emerged from the hospital ward. She had a serious look on her face. "It's done," she said to Mena and her friends. "The operation is over "

And…" Mena said, nervously biting at a hang nail

"There's some good news and some bad news," her teacher said

"Good news first," Mena swooned dramatically. "I can't bear to hear anymore bad news today!"

Stellaris smiled. "Prince Tal pulled through."

Mena immediately leapt up from her chair and started doing a happy can-can around Stellaris, but the teacher frowned at her.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"The bad news is, he'll be incapacitated for several weeks which will be a serious detriment to our play and the war against Anguish."

"I don't care about that!" Mena exclaimed causing everyone to widen their eyes at her. "Right now at least. Please can I see him?"

"Be my guest, honey," Stellaris said and opened the door gently. "He's been asking to see you for the last hour or so anyway."

"He is?" Mena gasped. "Wowie zowie! I must be his life force, helping him pull through!"

She ran inside. In the dark ward, the only glow was the light was shining on Tal. He was back to his handsome brooding self, but he sported a large bandage wrapped around half his body...and a weary expression to match.

"Hey Miss Shiny Teeth," he said coolly and looking quite winsome.

Mena screamed his name and plunged into a hug but Tal immediately winced. "Oooooh,.." he groaned and Mena realized her mistake.

"Sorry," she said with a rosy blush "I was happy to see you "

"Not a problem," Tal smiled back.

A moment of silence passed before Mena interjected, "So what happened to you back there...I didn't know you were secretly a dragon."

Tal chuckled. "Well, I'm not really a dragon. Up in the dark mountains where I used to live these beasts occasionally appear. An enraged Shadragon attempted to lay waste to my town and my dad used his shadow powers to seal it inside of me as a baby…"

Tal moved the locks of hair off his face. "He believed as the future leader of our tribe, I could handle it."

"Wow…" Mena said stunned. "Were you annoyed by that?"

"When I got older, very much," Tal said. "It only made me more full of angst than I already was… but not only did it inspire me to write beautifully dark poetry about my condition, but it saved my life when that scum, the Phantom Lord massacred our town and my tribe. It was a blessing in disguise."

"Sounds like it," Mena said softly. "I'm happy you're ok though…"

"I am…" Tal said with a gentle smile. "But that scornful lion really did a number on me."

Mena was silent again, not knowing how to respond about Ashlan's behavior. But now that she knew that Tal was stable, another passing matter flashed on in there head "

"So Tal," Mena said, twirling a finger through her thick hair. "When you were a dragon, did you hear me tell you some very important words…? I may have been using them to distract you but I still meant them!"

Tal shook his head. "Fraid not. I kind of blacked out after I was wounded "

Mena looked around nervously. "Ok" she said, taking a step back. "Never mind."

"Wait," Tal said pulling his hand out of the sheets. "What was it you said?"

Mena took two steps back; shaking her head. "It was nothing…"

Tal grimaced. "So you can tell me when I'm in a near death delirium, but not now? Great Goddess! The only thing more moody and unpredictable than my own teenage hormones are yours, Mena."

The darkness of the room surrounded Mena, threatening to swallow her whole. It was now or never. She confess her love for real or she forever hold her peace.

"Well," Tal said, basically scoffing at her. "Guess it isn't important then."

Mena turned bright red, closed her eyes and threw her head forward. "I SAID, I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

Tal flinched. Somehow even a prince of the shadows was intimidated by a teenage girl admitting her feelings to him. "Do you really mean that?" He asked.

Mena went from red to bedsheet white. "I do…" she murmured. "Do you?"

Tal put his good hand behind his head and eased back. "Miss Shiny Teeth, you knew that from the moment I kissed you at homecoming! If it wasn't for this play business I would have asked you out earlier."

A gawky, wide grin spread itself across Mena's face. Her eyes went half lidded and she slowly walked over to him. "I don't think there's any play business right now...big fella."

"Very well," Tal laughed. "Would you like to go out with me, my silver toothed goddess?"

"The answer is," Mena said, passionately inflamed by his words. "You can bet your zowie on it!"

Without warning, Mena pounced on him, unleashing a hail of kisses on Tal's face. She had to admit, after kissing a wooden dummy last semester, his lips were the perfect aphrodisiac. She planned on kissing him until he felt as lightheaded as her but their make out session was interrupted by a loud theatrical voice, "You little hussy! Take those flaming lips off my student before I pry them off myself!"

Mena immediately turned around with a hazy look on her face. Though she planned on making Tal feel dizzy, she was disoriented from kissing Tal's lips so passionately. But she could still make out that it was Electra with her big hands on her hips.

"Good," Electra said, shaking her head. "Now that we got that out of the way. Phenomena Willow, you are required to attend an event next week of maximum importance…"

"What is it?" Mena asked, her face bright pink and her eyes straining to focus.

Electra held her large manicured hands apart. "To testify at the trial of the century, that is. Your fellow student and accused murderer, Ashlan O'Ryan is up on trial for destroying our theater and play and attempting to end Prince Tal's life!"