Everything Dragon: Chapter 3 - Everything Dragon

When Zeke woke up, he let his eyes stayed closed for a few minutes, feeling that he was laying in a bed which meant that this was not part of the dream that he just had. I finished it, he thought quietly to himself. Smiling slightly, he opened his eyes to see the ceiling programmed for all of the football team records, circled in their respective team colors were the Belgons and the Starsers team records, along with Luke's and his brother Jerry's records. Good old Luke, thought Zeke. He always loved football. Zeke sat up slowly, looking around. Starsers and Belgons posters were plastered everywhere on the maroon wallpaper. There was a dresser just off to his right and the closet door was slightly open off to his left. The carpet was thick and colored a dark gray. There was a wooden chest at the end of the bed. The door to the hallway was across the foot of the bed and wide open. Downstairs he heard his friends talking about the chill they had all just felt.
Suddenly, his dream and Sémaj's request came back to him. He immediately got out of bed, but grabbed the dresser as he swayed. His body swaying caused the floor to creak below him. He heard his friends stop their conversation and, almost instantly, appear out of thin air at the foot of the bed.
“Zeke?” said Jade, sounding concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so, Jade,” said Zeke with a small smile. He felt a little dizzy still but he didn't want to worry them and complain. Besides, he thought. I can rest later. I have to do what Sémaj asked me to do.
“Sit down, Zeke,” said Kiro with a mother-like tone in her voice. “You are looking really pale. We don't want you fainting again and getting knocked out for another hour.”
Zeke did as she requested, surprised. “I was out for an hour?” he said, feeling better as soon as he sat down, feeling some of the color come back to his face. The others nodded.
“So, Zeke,” said Lucky quietly, speaking for the first time. “What happened? One minute you're standing there talking with us about the pendants. Then, the next thing know, our pendants shine brighter than I've ever seen them before. When we could open our eyes, we saw you laying on the ground, knocked out cold. We hauled you up here then went downstairs to talk for awhile. All of a sudden we all feel a weird chill and then hear the floor creak up here to tell us you were awake.”
“Dragonlyer's Cave,” muttered Zeke softly under his breath.
<Don't forget to get everyone who has a dragon-star pendant to Dragoon Lake in two days time. The full moon, Zeke. Find the portal at Dragonlyer's Cave,> said a voice in his head. Startled, Zeke looked around but all he could see was Jade's, Kiro's, and Luke's faces looking at him expectantly. Well that was slightly odd, he thought to himself.
Kiro cleared her throat, getting Zeke out of his thoughts. Haltingly, he told them all that had happened leaving out the detail that Sémaj was Jimmy's twin and the part about the ghosts. “Now I have until Wednesday to get everyone to Dragonlyer's Cave and into Markan,” he concluded. “Sémaj will meet us at Dragoon Lake.”
“Are you sure you just didn't dream all of this, Zeke?” said a deep voice from the doorway, making them all jump. Zeke looked over in the direction of the doorway to see Luke's twin, Jerry, standing there with a puzzled look on his face.
Jerry looked a lot like Luke. They both had green eyes, dark brown hair and the same friendly smile. They both loved football as well and trained hard for it. Jerry, however, was different than Luke in a couple of ways, even though they were twins. Jerry's muscles showed more than Zeke's, making him look more buffed, and he was slightly taller than his slightly older twin. Lucky, on the other hand, was skinnier even though his muscles showed, making him look more like a runner than a football player.
“I was coming up the stairs when I heard your voice, Zeke,” explained Jerry. “When I heard you mention the pendants, I listened in because I have one too.” He pulled a maroon dragon-star pendant out from underneath his shirt. It was strung on a black cord like Jade's, Kiro's, and Luke's.
Luke looked surprised. “Where'd you get that, Jerry?” he asked. “I don't ever remember you having that before.”
“I bought it at a card shop in town. It was the last one,” answered Jerry, not looking at Luke as he added to Zeke, “So, are you sure that this was a vision and not just a dream, Zeke? I mean, I've been around Dragonlyer's Cave. The people who live closer to it tell everyone not to go in it. It's a source of dares for most kids: how far they can go and how long they can stay in.”
“Yes, Jerry. I am sure,” replied Zeke with a note of finality in his voice. “It was like a vision. I seem to be more sensitive to these pendants than you guys are. Now, let me ask you something. Have you been having any weird dreams lately?”
Jerry blinked, surprised. “I have,” he answered. “It's one with a greenish light that calls to me. Why do you ask and how do you know that?”
Lucky nodded. “I've been having the same dream,” he said.
“As have I,” added Kiro. “What's this all about, Zeke?”
“Sémaj was trying to reach all of you,” he said. “The only one who didn't have that dream was me. I've been having the dream about the tunnel, but every time I got close, someone would wake me up. I've been having it for about a year. That's was this was about today. I'm most likely the only one he got through to.”
“A year, Zeke, really?” said Kiro. Zeke nodded. “Well, I should say that you are sensitive, Zeke. I mean, fainting at the first sight of the four of them together. What are you going to do when there are more?”
Zeke shrugged as Jade asked Jerry, “Who else do you know that has a pendant?”
“Miron, Cole, Marco, and Dave,” he answered. “They showed me theirs when I showed them mine. Apparently, they got theirs and left about half an hour before I did.”
“I think Sitka, Ivan, and Genryu have them,” said Zeke. “Sitka gave me a funny look that day I talked to Jade about it. I think Jimmy and Zach have them as well.” He wasn't telling them the whole truth, but he knew that they had to hurry and as long as they were convinced, then that was all he needed. He didn't want to have to explain the ghosts as well. “Okay,” he added, sounding like the leader of a search party. “We need everyone who has a dragon-star pendant to get to Dragonlyer's Cave on Wednesday. If you guys see the people we just named, ask them if they could come play paint-ball with us on that day around five P.M., okay? Also ask them if they know anyone else who has a dragon-star pendant. I don't want anybody left out.” They all nodded.
“What about you, Zeke?” asked Kiro suspiciously. “You seemed to have left yourself out.”
“I'm going to take another look through your book, Kiro,” he said. “Maybe there is something in there to explain why this is affecting me so much.”
The others nodded although Kiro seemed unconvinced. “Well then,” she said. “I guess we'd better get moving. Wednesday is only two days away.”
Zeke got up slowly and found that it was easy enough to stand without swaying around. He felt a lot better. “Alright then, I'll see you guys at five on Wednesday,” he said. When they nodded he half-turned on the spot and vanished into thin air.
“Well,” said Jade after Zeke had gone. “At least it looks like he recovered quickly.”
Luke and Jerry nodded, Kiro however, remained silent, looking after the way Zeke had gone, thinking privately to herself, There's something he's not telling us.
“Are you okay, Kiro?” said Jerry. “You are awfully quiet, even for you.”
Kiro looked at Luke, Jerry, and Jade who were all looking at her and blinked. “I'm fine, guys,” she said. “I was just thinking, thats all.”
Jade nodded. “Well, I might as well go home,” she said. “I have some stuff to do if we are going to Dragonlyer's Cave on Wednesday. Hey, Kiro, why don't you come over tomorrow and we can talk for a bit? I have some things I need to talk to you about.”
Kiro blinked, surprised, because Jade didn't usually invite her over. “Sure, Jade,” she answered. “How about three?”
Jade nodded then waved good-bye to everyone and left in the same manner Zeke had. Kiro sat there thinking until a tap on her shoulder made her snap back from her thoughts. Jerry and Luke were looking at her. “Yeah?” she said.
“You look a little preoccupied, Kiro. Is something on your mind?” asked Jerry. “Luke asked you a question twice.”
“No, I'm fine, guys,” she answered, a little untruthfully. “I should probably be getting back to my parents' house. We all know my dad doesn't like it when I go over to boys' houses for long.”
Jerry nodded as Luke sighed softly. Kiro waved to Jerry as Luke led her out. When they had reached Kiro's bike, Luke looked at her. “Kiro, what's really wrong?” he asked. “You've been acting really strange since Zeke woke up.”
“It's nothing Lucky,” she answered. “I'll be okay. I'll see you on Wednesday.”
Luke sighed softly again, giving in because he knew how stubborn Kiro could be. “Goodbye, Kiro. Please be okay,” he said, waving as she hopped on her bike and rode out of sight on the five mile ride back to her home.