- Whisperpeak Academy for Wayward Dragons - Ch.13 P.3 - Dying Tears -

Instructions

(+)se my life would be looking a lot grander. And... The dragonet thing is kinda overrated. We like, never use it." John's adoring tone pricked my heart right after it had softened it- his words were more pity than compliment. I knew that. The naivest of people could hear the melancholy in my voice. He noticed he wasn't one-hundred-percent convincing and endearingly corrected, "You know, you just seem to be really into her arts and... You just remind me of her if she was a human. Not like I'd know- but just- your vibe." The back-tracking stutter in between his words made me want to laugh. Why did everyone have to try so hard not to hurt the sad little boy? "Great. I remind you of an easily manipulated goddess whose power got borrowed from her and used against her old cadet's-" John's eyes widened but then drifted back to the ground where they usually aimed, cold-sober and stony. There goes the friend I had nearly made. Another one of those dark thoughts sliced through all the others like an ice chip into a tiny crack. Oliver wouldn't have ruined the conversation.. I cleared my throat, now ripe with imagined dialogue, and managed, "So, you think everything will be set for when we go on rescue mission number two? It's probably gonna need some wild gear." John snorted and rolled his eyes. "Goodness, don't give Alex ideas. I already made a helicopter this time 'round." He paused and flattened the humor in his voice. "But for the most part, yes. Of course. That's my job." Back to his uncanny shoe-studying. "John! We could use your help up he-" Alex yelled abruptly, a thump vibrating into the truck as he dropped something. John sighed and bounced himself up from the side. I quietly paced towards the house while they figured that out. I always did nothing better when I was away from the chaos. "Phew, mate! You've been real patient with us." Oliver hauled the last bit of cargo - our scarce personal belongings - over to me and basically fell on it. I smiled thinly. Oliver didn't notice as he beckoned for everyone to finally go inside with him. We trudged into the ragtag home with relief sagging in our feet, only Iris walking with a lively pump. Maybe I'd need to get captured someday so I could feel the elation she is experiencing. Or, what she /was/ experiencing. She was much like me- easily, easily offended. Alex had left his giant study about the Infinity haphazardly draped out of his belongings bin. It was the one he and Oliver had been working on for ages leading up to the rescue. "Hey- what's this?" Iris pulled out the poster and journal and studied it. The more her eyes travelled, the less amused she became. Her hands grew into violent white fists, carving deep wrinkles into the paper. Anger spilled over the calm lake of her eyes, glaring at the tiny handwriting and dramatic implications. Personal, torturous events she'd gone through being recorded by a relative stranger. The moment of peace ended so quickly. Oliver was the first one to speak up as she remained deathly and silent. "Princess, we can expl-" "Explain what? That you were gonna keep this little experiment away from me forever? Is that why you all went through the trouble of rescuing me? Just to... Collect more data to add to this!" She sniffed with a hint of laughter and muttered, "You didn't even have to bring me back here. I'm sure the lab had fancy equipment to toy with." Alex's face bloomed red as he snapped, "It was running only on generators. The whole building must be dead right now." Oliver elbowed him- he would be the one covering for him after all, he would be the only brave one here. "No, Princess, we didn't save you just to go use you for this. It's something Alexander over here has been working on forever, since he thought Lexi died. It's a comprehensive study of how future Maidens can stay alive. Iris, the oldest one of your kind only made it to thirty." "That makes this better? Are you gonna take skin samples of me and put them in petri dishes and see how long it takes them to rot?" Her voice was wavering as she raised her voice, her composure slipping. Her eyes darted around the room and clung to poor Henry. "You! This must be a blast for you! Being able to continue your work just without an abusive boss!" Henry glanced defensively at Oliver. "Princess, listen to me, please. We just want to help you. /I/ just want to help you." "I'm sick and tired of hearing that! It's the same thing every time! I'm just a killing machine and a lab rat!" Her trembling fingers tore into the paper, the aged lines and scratches being undone only by her nails. The large Infinity sign in the middle turned into two circles riddled with facts, and that was no more when the paper burst into blue flames. The fringed edges of the journal(+)