Headquarters?”
The Nevada mall sprawled out before them had presumably seen better days. The store signs were crumbling, and colorful graffiti had been splashed over almost every available surface. Tall weeds poked defiantly from cracks in the pavement, and the sidewalks were lined with rusty shopping carts from days gone by.
Caleb looked at her with piercing eyes. “Is something wrong?”
Trinity shook her head. “Sorry, I guess I just didn’t expect the secret headquarters of a dragon-worshipping sect from the future to have a JCPenney.”
He snorted. “The actual mall went bankrupt five years ago, princess, after a developer built an open-air shopping center a few miles down the road. The Dracken were able to scoop it up cheap. It’s actually the perfect home base if you think about it. Lots of space. Lots of bathrooms. They’ve spent the last two years converting it. The outside’s just to scare off the tourists. Wait till you see what’s beyond the front doors.”
He shot her an excited grin; he’d been in a good mood all morning, becoming more and more animated the closer they got to their destination. As if he couldn’t wait to introduce her to his world and his friends. She, on the other hand, felt more than a little apprehensive about the impending meet-and-greet with the Dracken. Unfortunately she had little choice in the matter. While Caleb didn’t treat her as a prisoner, he also wasn’t about to let her go.
They parked the car and headed into the mall’s main entrance, Caleb triggering some kind of special sensor at the door that pricked his finger and matched his DNA before unlocking and swinging open. As he gallantly suggested “ladies first,” Trin gathered her nerve and stepped into the belly of the beast.
The two-story mall was dimly lit and more than a little dusty, the entryway caked with cobwebs and littered with debris. Just more props to scare away potential intruders, Trin wondered, or were the Dracken simply lousy housekeepers?
At first glance, the place seemed deserted. At the same time, she got the uneasy feeling of being watched as their footsteps echoed down the hall—by a hundred pairs of unseen eyes. The whole thing was unnerving to say the least. Even more so when the doors behind them clanked shut with a booming crash, effectively sealing them in.
“What, no welcoming party?” she managed to joke, shoving the fear down her throat. “You’d think for the Fire Kissed they’d at least spring for a few balloons. Maybe some chips and dip?”
Caleb smirked. “Just wait, princess,” he replied. “You’ll get all the welcome you want. And then some.”
Sure enough, not a moment later, Trin caught a mop of blond curls poking over the mall’s second floor railing. “He’s back!” the girl shouted, her voice echoing through the empty corridors. “Hey, guys! Caleb’s back!”
The mall sprang to life, dozens of people spilling out in every direction, rushing toward them with wild abandon. Soon Trinity found herself completely engulfed in a sea of excited faces, all babbling over one another, trying to get her attention.
“You’re here!”
“You’re finally here!”
“We’ve been waiting so long!”
“We’ve been dying to meet you!”
“Where’s the egg? Has she hatched yet? Did you bring the dragon?”
Overwhelmed, Trin took a hesitant step back, shooting Caleb a “help me” glance. He laughed, then clapped his hands together loudly.
“Hey, hey! Back up!” he commanded the crowd. “Let the poor girl breathe.” As the multitude sheepishly complied, he turned to Trin. “Guess I should have warned you,” he said with a sly grin. “You’re a bit of a legend here.”
Trinity’s eyes darted around the crowd, trying to take it all in. The group standing before her appeared to be all kids around her own age, dressed identically in navy blue sweats, white T-shirts, and matching tennis shoes. But the similarities ended there. Some were tall; some were short. Some were athletic, while others were fat or thin. Male and female, fair-skinned and dark—seemingly from every country under the sun. As if someone had managed to gather up an entire teenage United Nations under one roof.
“Are these the Dracken?” she asked hesitantly. “Are they all from the future?” The idea that all these kids had traveled back in time together was hard to believe.
Caleb shook his head. “These are the Potentials,” he explained. “All from your time.”
“Potentials?”
“Potential Dragon Guardians,” he clarified. “For the last two years the Dracken have been busy combing the world, looking for kids born with the gift. The ones they find are brought here to be tested. If they pass their initial trials, they’re initiated into the organization. Eventually each one will be assigned a dragon to bring back to his or her country. It’s the best way to make sure everyone gets to enjoy the dragons’ gifts in a peaceful, ordered way.”
“Right.” Once again, Trinity couldn’t help but wonder what the dragons themselves would think of such an arrangement. Would they get to choose their country or just be randomly assigned? Like, what was the poor dragon stuck shivering in Siberia going to think of his friend happily firing things up in Fiji? There were still a lot of unanswered questions to the Dracken’s master plan.
Before she could ask, a tall girl with smooth, olive skin and large, golden eyes stepped out from the pack of Potentials. She offered Trin a wide smile, then, without pause, threw her arms around her in a big bear hug. Trinity stiffened at the sudden spontaneous display of affection, but somehow managed to stand her ground.
“I’m Rashida,” the girl said as she pulled away from the hug. “May I be the first to welcome you home.”
But this girl looked so happy. In fact, they all did. Every face in the crowd glowing with enthusiasm, as if completely thrilled to have Trin join them at last. She found she didn’t have the heart to disappoint them.
“Well, there’s no place like home,” she declared, flashing the Lollipop Guild a smile she didn’t feel. Now if only she could score some ruby slippers…
As Rashida retreated back into the crowd, a sudden rumbling echoed through the mall. Trin’s eyes lighted on an elevator at the center courtyard, its doors yawning open with a loud groan. The crowd immediately parted like the Red Sea as a man and a woman stepped out and made their way toward Trin and Caleb.
They were dressed simply—not unlike the rest of the Potentials. But something in their manner—something fluid and graceful—made them stand out from the pack. They were also older. The man was probably in his late fifties, black hair speckled with gray. The woman’s age was harder to judge; she had a seamless face but dark, serious eyes and long blond hair cascading down her back like flowing water. They glided through the crowd, and the Potentials bowed their heads one by one as they passed.
These had to be the Dracken, Trin determined. The real ones who had come back from the future with Caleb.
“Welcome,” the man said, his voice warm and rich, a blinding smile spreading across his clean-shaven face. He reached out, pumping Caleb’s hand vigorously while the woman opened her arms, enveloping Trin into another hug. These Dracken people certainly were touchy-feely. She shot a furtive glance at Caleb and realized he was smiling broadly.
“Trinity, I’d like you to meet Darius and Mara,” he said. “Darius is Master of the Dracken and Mara is our Chief Birthing Maiden.”
“Um, hi,” she managed to spit out, not sure the proper Miss Manners etiquette for greeting visitors from the future. “Nice to meet you.” She realized her hands were shaking and shoved them behind her back.
Thankfully the Dracken didn’t seem to notice. Darius turned to Caleb. “You have done well,” he told him. “Even with the extenuating circumstances. I am very pleased.” He gave him an approving smile and Caleb beamed back happily. From the way he was acting, Trin got the feeling the Dracken leader must be some kind of father figure to him.
