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  We walked the rest of the way to the limo in silence. This was going to be goodbye for a while, and I wasn’t ready for that. It was a little strange to me how, in just a short amount of time, I felt so close to these people. I was closer to them than people I had known my entire life. After all, now that my life had been erased, these new friends were the only friends I truly had now. This thought weighed heavy on my heart as we all stood in front of the limo. People were looking at us. After all, you don’t see a stretch limo at the park in Tucson a lot. I wondered where Johnathen got the limo. With his gift to me of seven million dollars, it seemed obvious that he was rich. I had no idea what a wizard could do to gain such wealth, or why he would even need it. I didn’t feel this was the time to ask.

  “Well, Jack,” said Johnathen cheerfully. “I guess this is goodbye for now. I know you still have a lot of questions, but they will have to be answered over time, as my questions will have to be answered over time. Fetch, take care of our friend."

  Michelle wrapped her arms around me, kissing me on the cheek.

  “I'll text you with my number. Let me know what room you are in. I'll stop by tonight and we will go out to dinner."

  I smiled as a feeling of relief washed over me. I was not expecting to see her so soon. Fetch's silver scales shimmered for a second and a puff of purple smoke floated upward. Looking at me, Michelle spoke to Fetch.

  "I would give you a hug, Fetch, but I am afraid that would draw too much attention to you."

  She let out a little gasp of surprise as Fetch, unseen, moved over and nudged her hand gently with his snout. She reached over and petted his invisible head. She had tears of joy in her eyes, and a smile that could light up a room. I looked at her tattoo again and knew how much meeting a dragon must mean to her. She turned around going to the front of the limo and got in the driver’s seat. She started the car and waited for Johnathen to get in.

  Johnathen shook my hand while looking me in the eyes. "You truly are unique, Jack. The both of you will change history in the magic world.”

  I let go of Johnathen's hand and dropped my eyes to the ground. I didn’t want that kind of responsibility. Once again I found myself thinking of how unfair this all was. I never asked for it.

  Johnathen smiled. “Don’t get too down, Jack. I know I painted a pretty dark picture. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

  “Yeah,” I said. "A light and a laughing squirrel.”

  Johnathen burst into laughter at this. He opened the door to the limo.

  "Michelle will see you tonight. I will have to wait until I am sure someone is not watching me. If you need to talk, let Michelle know and I will send out one of my bobcats. Keep thinking positive thoughts. Good thoughts have a strength that most people are not aware of. They can help you with your magic."

  He got into the limo and Michelle pulled slowly away. She had rolled her window down and was waving frantically at us. I stood there watching the limo drive away and soon it was out of sight. I stood there staring at the road it had gone down and felt alone. Fetch nudged my hand letting me know that I wasn’t.

  “Well, Fetch, first things first,” I said trying to sound cheerful. “I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat."

  A growl from Fetch, followed by a flash of scales, led me to believe that he was hungry too. We walked slowly out of the park.

  Chapter 16

  Growing up in this area gave me a good idea as to what was around here. We had crossed a street to a fast-food place. I could smell the sausage biscuits and fresh brewed coffee, making my mouth water. Fetch had stayed on the ground, walking by my side, the whole time. I was grateful for this. As long as he was around, I knew I wouldn’t feel completely alone. I whispered to him hoping that no one else would hear.

  “You want some sausage biscuits?”

  A gruff 'Huh' sound let me know he did. Fetch stayed outside as I walked in. I felt a little exposed at first, but, I noticed no lingering looks in my direction as I walked up to the counter. I knew that my all black look would draw a little attention to me. The head band and sunglasses had to make me look like a guy who might try to rob the place. I thought about taking them off, but I remembered my eyebrows and decided to leave them on. Ignoring the looks I was getting I walked up to the counter.

  The girl behind the register smiled at me. This helped me relax a little. I smiled back.

  “May I help you?” she asked.

  I froze. I had no idea how much Fetch could eat. I realized that this was going to be something I was going to have to think about from now on, unless I depended on Fetch to get us food. I still hadn’t figured out how he was doing that task without drawing too much attention to himself.

  “Uh, this is going to be a big order, “ I said. “I'm getting food for a lot of guys.”

  As soon as I said it, I knew I was going overboard with my explanation. This was still new to me. I really didn’t know how to handle ordering food for a dragon. I figured ordering twenty sausage biscuits would be a good start. If we were still hungry after that, then we could go down the road a little way and get more food at another place. I ordered the twenty biscuits and one cup of coffee. The girl gave me a surprised look. I just glanced at her thinking what would happen if I tried to explain why only one drink with such a big order. I wondered to myself if Fetch would drink coffee. Something else to discover.

  It didn’t take as long as I thought it would for the order to be ready. I had reached into my pocket, and into the pouch, keeping an image of a hundred-dollar bill in my mind. I pulled it out pleased with myself at how easy it was to do this. I paid and, not waiting for the change, walked out the door. I tried to decide if we should go back to the park or sit at one of the tables outside the restaurant. I didn’t want people seeing food just disappear as Fetch ate in camouflage mode.

  Fetch was growling. I saw the ripple of his silver scales and I knew he was trying to warn me. I looked all around, expecting to see Booger or another blue ball that would transport more nasty’s to attack me, when I spotted it. It was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. It was grey all over and fat. Large boils were covering its body, all of which seemed to have a white pus-filled head. It sat on its enormous butt, its feet sticking out in front of it. It didn’t have any clothes on. I dropped the bag of biscuits and reached for the turquoise necklace. I hoped it hadn’t noticed me yet. Fighting Booger was bad enough, but the thought of touching this pus-filled monster was enough to make me sick. As I touched the stone, I felt a tingling sensation all over my body. I prayed that this meant that it was working.

  Blobby was sitting next to the dumpster. It was twice as big as the dumpster and smelled twice as bad. It was reaching inside the dumpster and absentmindedly pulling out handfuls of garbage, stuffing it into its mouth. It reminded me of someone watching a movie and eating popcorn. It never bothered looking to see what it was eating. It just kept stuffing its mouth with whatever it pulled out. It stared off into space and every once in a while its bloodshot eyes would roll back in its head giving me the distinct idea that it was really enjoying its meal. If I wasn’t so shocked at the very sight of this thing, I would have been sick.

  Thinking that I couldn’t be surprised anymore, I got another shock as a little creature with big pointy ears and a tail stepped out of the bushes. It was wearing an oversized purple sweat shirt with a hood. Its tail dragged along the ground and its face reminded me of 'Droopy Dog'. It shook its head, obviously upset at the sight of the blob. It started to make a hissing sound waving its arms from side to side. It couldn’t be more than two feet tall. Blobby could have squashed it like a bug but instead it continued to move toward Blobby hissing and waving its arms. Blobby started to eat faster still staring off into space. As Tiny got close Blobby stopped eating. Looking at Tiny waving its skinny arms in the air, Blobby let out a big sigh and slowly got to its feet. Looking down one last time at Tiny, Blobby let out another sigh and surprisingly, for its enormous size, quietly walked away.
Tiny watched Blobby walk away and then turned and started to walk back to the bushes. It stopped for a second looking in my direction. It blinked its enormous black eyes and shook its head like it had seen me for a second, and then with a sigh as big as Blobby’s turned and disappeared into the bushes.

  I stood there for a second, not even daring to breathe. Fetch nudged my hand, letting me know I could move again.

  “That was the freakiest thing I have ever seen,” I whispered to Fetch.

  There was a little puff of purple smoke from Fetch's nostrils as an answer that he agreed with me. Somehow, I had kept from spilling my coffee. I picked up the bag of food and started walking down the side of the road, choosing to go in the opposite direction from Blobby. I remembered that Johnathen had told me I would be seeing things from the magical world now. I realized once again how much my world had changed. I pulled out the phone that Michelle had given me and texted a simple message.

  "U wouldn’t believe what I just saw…I don’t even know how to describe it."

  She texted back, "try meJ."

  After I texted a brief description, she texted me, "Troll, they like garbage, gnomes, they are like the janitors of the magic world. Any damage caused by magic, they are the ones that clean it up."

  “Well that explains why there was no damage at the store.”

  “Did you use the stone to hide?”

  “Yes”

  “Good. Get used to this Jack. You have been touched by magic. You will start seeing all that was hidden before. Welcome to the magic world hope you enjoy the ride. J"

  We made our way over to the hotel near the park. It was a strange experience standing there looking at the hotel. I had worked there a few years ago, and, as I stood at the lobby doors, I had a pang of regret for the loss of my old life. For the first time that day, Fetch took flight as I walked into the lobby of the hotel to check in. I didn’t want to take the chance of him bumping into someone or someone bumping into him in the lobby. He grumbled and growled a little, not wanting to leave me alone, but he understood why it was necessary.

  Once again, it struck me how young Fetch really was. He had hatched only the day before and was already doing amazing things. In a way, he seemed to be much older than I. It was a strange thought to grasp that we were so close. I guess in a way I owed him my life. I knew that it wasn’t his fault that he hatched, using me as an energy source to come into this world. I didn’t fully understand that whole thing. The thought that he was supposed to eat me seemed ridiculous to me now. Fetch and I were connected.

  All these thoughts ran quickly through my mind as I walked up to the counter. The man, checking people in, gave me a strange look. Walking around dressed the way I was, all in black with a bandanna on my head, is one thing, but, in a place like this hotel, I must have looked a little intimidating. Once again I wondered if people thought I was going to rob the place. I knew I was going to have to get new clothes to wear soon. I took a chance whipping off the sunglasses. The man immediately noticed my lack of eyebrows. He placed a hand under the counter. I figured his finger was on some kind of silent alarm button. I couldn’t blame him, the way I looked. Adding the fact that I was about to ask for a room by the pool for a week, without having any luggage, and the alarm bell might go off in my mind too.

  I didn’t think he was going to get me a room until he asked to see my driver’s license. I handed him the blank plastic card that Johnathen had given me and watched as his eyes glazed over when he looked at it. His whole face relaxed and he smiled pleasantly. He took back the clipboard with the information card on it that I had yet to fill out. He glanced down at it as if I had.

  “Welcome, Mr. DeWitte," he said pleasantly. "How long will you be staying with us?”

  I told him a week and paid cash for the room. He gave me the hotel spiel and told me if I needed anything to let him know. He handed back the card and for a second had a confused look on his face. His eyes glazed over again and he smiled and asked if I needed any help with my bags. I told him no. I looked at him for a second, not knowing if he was going to be ok or not. I told myself I would come back later and check on him. There was more to that plastic card than Johnathen had told me. That seemed to be the norm for him. I felt uncomfortable manipulating anybody the way the guy behind the counter was. It didn’t seem right. If this was what magic was all about I wasn’t sure I wanted any part of it. I knew a thought like that was silly. I was now a part of it whether I liked it or not.

  I went outside and met Fetch. He flashed his silver scales to let me know where he was. He seemed to be getting better at controlling when his scales would flash. We walked around the hotel to our outside room by the swimming pool.

  I was glad that Fetch was only the size of a German shepherd. Any bigger and I don’t think we could have maneuvered around to our room, without knocking something or someone over. When we got into the room, Fetch got out of camo mode and stretched. He looked tired. As far as I could tell, he hadn’t slept at all since he hatched. I at least had passed out a few times. Not necessarily a good night’s sleep, but it was something. I stretched myself and felt a familiar twinge in my hip.

  “Well what do you know?" I said. “I still have my hip problems. Guess your fire couldn’t heal previous injuries.”

  Fetch just gave me a tired look and yawned, showing rows and rows of sharp teeth. I lay down on the bed taking out the cell phone. I texted my room number to Michelle. She responded with a smiley face and a promise to see me tonight.

  I was hungry again. This worried me a little. I seemed to get hungry frequently. I had never been a big eater but now I couldn’t get enough. Ordering room service, and a couple of large pizzas from a nearby pizza delivery, barely seemed to fill me up. Fetch had drifted off to sleep and now, with a little more food in my stomach, I decided to join him. Lying on top of the bed, not even bothering taking my clothes off, I drifted into a much needed dreamless slumber.

  Chapter 17

  I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door. I jumped up and, stumbling over Fetch's tail, made my way to the door. I looked in the spyhole and saw it was Michelle. I felt like I had just shut my eyes, but it was already night and Michelle was at my door. I opened it and she quickly stepped in giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “You look like you just got up,” she said with a smile.

  She threw herself on the bed. Fetch had woken up and was enjoying being scratched under his chin. I yawned and stretched. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My bandanna had fallen off and my bald head seemed to glow in the light of the hotel lamp. I put my hands on my head as my face got red. Michelle had thrown the bandana at me. I caught it, let out a little "thank you" and began to put it on my head.

  “You know. I think you look better without it,” she said.

  “Really?" I couldn’t think anyone would be serious about me looking ok without hair. My head was shaped a little weird. One of my nicknames growing up was peanut head. The idea that I looked good bald was one I wasn’t sure I wanted to believe.

  “Trust me.”

  She got up and walked over taking the bandana out of my hands. She stuffed it into her pocket. I looked at myself in the mirror. I figured she knew what she was talking about, besides, I had to get used to the idea that I might never have hair again. I forced myself to look away from the mirror and the shiny head that seemed to stare back at me. Michelle had pulled out her laptop.

  “I wanted to show you guys something. There has been a lot of talk about your fight." She motioned me to come over and sit next to her. Fetch sat on one side and I sat on the other. The video was playing, to my embarrassment, but then the headline appeared over it.

  “Trying to find the film maker of this new popular video. People want the creator's new special effects system.”

  I looked at Michelle. “Everyone thinks it’s a fake?”

  “Yup. We are still working on getting it taken off completely, but it seems like people are not taki
ng it too seriously.”

  It was the best news I could think of, one thing I could check off my list to not worry about. Fetch blew purple smoke in mine and Michelle's faces, showing that he was pleased too. The smoke made Michelle cough a little. I breathed it in with no problems. In fact, I realized that Fetch's smoke never bothered me. I had always been sensitive to smoke. If I was around people smoking long enough, my eyes would begin to water and I would definitely cough. I wondered if it was just Fetch's smoke now or all smoke no longer bothered me. Just one more change in me. I was beginning to feel like a superhero. This was my origin story and Fetch was my sidekick. No, wait, not my sidekick, my partner. This thought made me smile.

  Seeing the smoke curl up from Fetch's snout got me a little worried. I jumped up and looked around the room. I spotted the smoke detector on the wall over the television. I jumped up on the dresser and removed the battery before it could go off. Michelle smiled.

  “Good thinking, Jack.”

  Fetch nodded his head reluctantly. I was getting the impression that he was not happy with the attention that Michelle was giving me. After sitting around for a few minutes in silence, Michelle spoke up.

  “Hey let's go down to the restaurant in front of the hotel. I saw it had a patio so Fetch can easily sit out there and we can enjoy it together."

  “Sounds great,” I said.

  It didn’t matter to me if we stayed in the room or went out. In fact, I was enjoying being able to sit in the room quietly. It was a new experience for me to have a friend like Michelle, who I felt comfortable enough with to sit in a room without saying anything, but Fetch's tail was twitching at the idea of getting out of the room. He was only about the size of a German shepherd and the room was really big, but with all of us in there it seemed a little cramped. I wondered if Fetch would get any bigger. If he did, we wouldn’t be able to stay in hotels for long. I looked at myself in the mirror, mostly at my bald head. I guess I looked ok. I mean, I still had no eyebrows, but, without the sunglasses and the black bandanna, I didn’t look as intimidating. I didn’t want to deal with people wondering if I was going to rob them every time they looked at me.