"Sam! Sam! SAM!"
"Who's that?" I ask, into the darkness, while putting my hands ahead of me.
"No speed is enough… you cannot escape him."
"Whom?"
The voice doesn't reply, and I feel anxious. When did I come… wherever here was? Last thing I remember-
"RAHAMBOSE!"
I wake up to the door knocking -replacing the screech, and sit-up, breathing heavier.
Just a nightmare. After yesterday… that was the least that could be expected… with the most having to be avoided… somehow.
I get off the bed, and attend the door, which was getting knocked at, at little intervals of time, as if to subtly wake us up.
I find Mrs. Blesthe at the door, in a violet nightee… was she wearing the same last night? I wasn't sure. But her smile… was still the same as the warmth of the sun, like ever.
"Good morning, hope you both had a good sleep," Mrs. Blesthe feels like an angel, as her black hairs shine and feel red, orange, and brown, because of the sunlight falling through the nearby window.
"Yes, Mrs. Blesthe. Good morning," I say.
I hear Max get-off the bed, behind me.
"Was it a beautiful night?" Mrs. Blesthe grins. "Don't answer me. Just teasing. Max and Ivor speak highly of you… so I know, it wasn't… I mean, not like it'll mean anything, -like in a bad-way, you know."
I just, stand there, smiling awkwardly at her.
"Good morning, Mom," Max says, in a sleepy and hoarse-tone. That totally wasn't how he sounded usually.
"Good news is that: you both don't really have to go to college, if you wish so. And the bad news is: Sam, you'll have to stay here until your father returns, or Rusty does. Neither of us three, and I believe Max too, would want you to stay here alone."
"I love it here, it is good news," I say.
"Okay great, and you both change to something comfortable. Sam, you can find some clothes in last night's closet, I had bought some recently, which could fit you. And Max, you pick your clothes in your wardrobe, uniforms near the washing machine, please," Mrs. Blesthe briefs us, and I realise that we are still in uniforms after everything.
"Mrs. Blesthe, did my dad leave?"
"Not yet, none shall leave until breakfast. You both get ready, and have your breakfasts too," Mrs. Blesthe says, and walks away.
Within an hour, Max and I bath, separately, and dress-up finally. Max wears a red shirt with black squares on it, whereas I find myself a half-sleeve cream-yellow long gown, with a knotted cloth-belt, which I fall in love with, around my waist.
"You look very beautiful," I say to Max, while giving him my warmest of smiles.
"And you look gorgeous," Max smiles, looking charmed by me.
"Thanks."
In his eyes, I could see that he remembered last night. In his eyes too, I could see the fear, of something bad happening.
Rahambose. In the end it is always Rahambose. That was the phrase.
The phrase we two would be responsible for, eventually… in one or the other way. So what had to be done?
***
After last night, even Mr. Villers had learned silence at the dining table, as he stays silent throughout the whole breakfast. And even silently goes away, by bearly just smiling as a goodbye to Sam.
Sam's eyes felt displeased by her dad's greeting too, like many other events lately. And she asks to take a stroll outside the house, for a while, leaving me and Mom at the couch.
Why did it feel awkward with Mom too, now?
"So… you got a girlfriend," Mom answers my unasked-question with that.
"Mom…" I sigh.
"Well… CLEARLY you want to let something out. How about a friend moment?"
That was when she turns into a friend, with all her heart, and no lies, no judgement. And it was basically like her Mom-self never talks about the incident, ever again. Of course, even she shared to me, many-a-times.
"How many ever weird things happened… I always have you, but this…"
"Weird things as-in that first kiss with-?"
"-let's just never mention that, even at the friend moment, deal?"
"Roger that," she says, like a little kid. "Max… in my life, and I speak with decades of experience, I have seen much weird stuff. Things just… are that way. But I have never had it better, by keeping things dumped in my head. So please…"
"I… don't know. Me and Sam have been in a relationship for about an year." Her eyes shape: in surprise, but she doesn't say a thing. "The dragon thing… whatever happened there, yesterday, has changed our mindsets. That is all I can tell about it."
"Changed how?"
"The… kiss. Well, it wasn't exactly that. I mean… we tried, sure, like-"
"-chill buddy. I have kissed more guys besides your Dad."
"Don't reference being the Mom, gets harder."
"Not like only your Mom would have kissed him," she says through her teeth.
I just, agree, with respect on my face. "We have never done anything… intimate. Have dreamed of course. Talked about it even. Hugs, yes, she is just a hugger alright, could even hug 'Pompey'. But… between us, things feel harder now. As I said, the dragon thing."
She gets up, with a worried expression, but sits down again, after a little thought.
"Max… what you are saying isn't enough for me to understand but, the way I see it: everything in this world makes the same sense, when you think about it. Maybe you would always have felt it as awkward. Maybe it is the dragons. It is hard to know. Or maybe it indeed must be crystal-clear to you."
"Almost is. And… I have no idea how to feel about it. I can see the same in her eyes."
She nods. "Then the answer is crystal-clear, Max. I'd have thought or said directly that you need to understand each other. But, I see you two… and I think you are doing fine. But even in awkwardness, you only have the option to communicate, how much ever longer you put it aside."
"Really wish it were simpler."
"Sam is great, Max. But you don't communicate with her, she's probably going to go away. And I don't want to decide for you but, I wouldn't let her go, for whatever the reason regarding the dragons is. If she understands you… she is a keeper, it is that simple."
She didn't understand… but she wasn't wrong.
As we have a normal conversation, away from Sam, or the dragons, or the prophecy, or Rusty, or the military… Sam returns.
"Mrs. Blesthe," Sam says, right as she returns, surprising me and Mom, just by a bit, in the same way. "I want to pursue the dragons… for my brother. And for… other things. Which I can't tell you."
"Wow, you too, Brutus?" Mom laughs, confusing Sam.
"I suppose none of you adults are ready to talk to us about dragons. But I least expect you to understand that we… need to do this."
Wow, what was she on about?
+
"Sam…" the voice says again.
I was just on the street, where-why was I here, again?
"Your brother… he'll perish in my hands. And so will you. How dare you measly humans try to take it away?"
I fall on the ground, after seeing something… something which was horrific, but unexplainable.
The ground… I couldn't see it. I couldn't see anything. But where it was… was a bit familiar.
"Fara?" I ask.
I don't get a reply.
"Stay away from Max!"
+
"Well, I deserve that: for being an adult. But I can't stop aging you see," Mom shrugs. "But you have no idea about me, or the dragons."
…huh.
"Dragons are, possibly, another evolution for a few humans out there. They have two forms: one of a normal human, and another of the huge reptilian creatures which have been sighted many-a-times."
That was a… common gist.
"Their power seems to come through unique coloured-stone-gems which are engraved in their chests. Given to them by an entity existing no-where… the Crystal cave. Which grants them each a coloured-stone-gem, which in-turn grants the new-owner different sets of ability to be used, in each of their forms. Common one being… breath of fire."
Now that… was something only the dragons knew.
"But I suppose you already knew all about it. So must we rather move to the prophecy? The prophecy of… Rahambose."
I just stare at Mom, as if my soul has left my body. I look at Sam, and her jaw has dropped.
"Oh, know that too? A bit sensitive of a topic. So I suppose… you have a dragon friend there. No wonder Rusty stayed with them. Or all of you would have struck together, even when in captivity."
"Mrs. Blesthe…"
"You clearly have picked a side I suppose," Mom gets up. "But I'll let you make peace with it, and think it out."
Mom walks away, up the stairs, to her room's side, leaving me and Sam here. We look at each other, and make up our minds… but I couldn't bear the silence.
"I love you," I say. "And I can't bear that… I need answers."
"Me too." Sam comes closer and touches my forehead, pushing it lightly with her index finger. That was a sign of 'I love you', in between Rusty and Sam. They didn't know when this little silly sign of theirs had started, but, it was a familiar thing to me… but it was the first one on me.
We go, at the same pace, towards my parents' room.
"I just added a little sugar, Max, don't worry," Mom says, almost spilling out the coffee she is sipping, as we barge-in. "God, I didn't think you'd come so soon." She wipes her mouth with a napkin lying nearby, as Sam stares ahead. "Thought you'd go back to your room, talk… and, you know."
"Mrs. Blesthe, you make your coffee in your room?" Sam stares at the huge coffee-maker in front of Mom, on the table. "That is so cool."
"And huge. She uses it only on the Saturdays."
"Gets the work done," Mom says. "So… you guys didn't take long, what did you decide?"
"We need help, with going to the dragons. Can you… help?"
Mom laughs. "I did not just live for about fifty freaking-years and not learn connections, Sam. Of course, I have a way."
Mom opens the drawer at the cupboard besides the coffee-maker's table, that says 'not makeup'. And inside lies a box, whose ring seems to be inside the ring attached to the chain around mom's neck. Inside lies a grey-ish stone, which looked like a tool of sorts.
"Who is that?" Sam asks, looking at the picture attached to the box's top's inside, a black-and-white picture of a man with a funny shape and uneven-amount of moustache on his face.
"Somebody whose reaction to this, I'd like to imagine…" Mom laughs. "He'd be so happy, you'll see. He's going to help you both get to the dragons."
"How?" I ask. How is that possible?
"Because… he is THE Buster Fabula," Mom says, smiling at me, and looks back at the photo. "Tarragon Tahlsmen."