Dragonrider Academy: Episode 1 Read online

  Although now, I had come to realize that I didn’t care about any of it. As I pedaled past the dwindling mansions that led to the single blue-collar neighborhood in Oakland for all of the resort’s employees, I knew that none of that really mattered. Not the events, not the luxuries, and certainly not the snobbish people who only cared about the numbers in their bank account.

  All I wanted was to see my dad again—a wish that would never be granted.

  None of these brats knew how lucky they were. None of them had lost their father to the lake, drowned trying to save me when I’d gotten caught in an undertow.

  My mom said that it was a blessing that I was too young to remember. Nobody needed to relive something like that and she often showed me pictures of my dad holding me as a baby just to remind me how much I’ve always been loved.

  I knew that, but it didn’t change that it still felt like my life was in limbo waiting for something that would never happen.

  It was time to change that. I made up my mind to stop being afraid, to stop being isolated as I rolled into my driveway.

  Parking my bike against the rusty garage, I didn’t bother locking it because the neighborhood kids wouldn’t want to steal a bike that could barely keep its chain on. The Resorties had much better rides they often left outside and were too lazy to report if one or two went missing.

  Still, I patted my trusty steed goodbye before heading on inside.

  “Hey Mom,” I said, immediately taking note that she was in the exact same position that I’d left her in this morning. She hunched over her desk that doubled as our dining table, surrounded by papers strewn about. She gave me an absent wave that showed off ink blots all over her fingers.

  “Hey, Vivi,” she said without looking up. “Have a nice day?”

  “Mhmm,” I murmured as I went to the fridge and began pulling out the groceries I’d bought yesterday. I placed chicken and some vegetables onto the counter before I dipped under the sink to scoop out a cup of rice. If I didn’t cook dinner, my mom would go without eating for days, and I couldn’t live on Slim Jims forever.

  I whistled an old tune while I worked, chopping up the chicken and throwing it in a bowl to mix with some spices.

  My mother finally looked up from her work and narrowed her eyes with suspicion. “You sound happy. Something go on at school today?”

  My whimsical mood cut short as I realized I had no idea how I was going to tell my mom about the party. She wasn’t like other moms. She wouldn’t care about it, and she’d probably be happy for me.

  But the lake?

  That would be a big fat “no.”

  “Uh, yeah, actually,” I said, folding the chicken over on itself with the spices. “I was invited to a party and I was thinking about going, if that’s okay.”

  Both her eyebrows shot up. “A party?”

  “Yeah,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I turned on the burner and coated the pan with coconut oil—my key secret ingredient. “It’s across town,” I lied.

  She thumbed her pen, popping the cap on and off. Telling her about the party was a risk if she knew there would be a bonfire next to the Resort, which if she ever went into the office she would likely be aware of. One glance at our kitchen table with papers strewn about and yesterday’s coffee mug assured me she hadn’t left the house for days, which was no surprise, given she preferred to work from home. She didn’t like to go into the office, given Silver Lake Resort was so close to where we lost my father.

  “Well what are you doing cooking me dinner, then?” she asked, making my shoulders relax as she smiled. She brushed her hands on her pants and joined me, taking the spatula out of my hand. “Go on. Pick out something to wear and take your time for once. I’ll finish up here.”

  The party wasn’t for another couple of hours, but I liked the quirky smile on my mom’s face. I pinched her cheek. “That looks good on you,” I said.

  She smirked. “What? You mean two-day-old makeup?”

  “A smile,” I remarked on a laugh. After the daily crap life dealt us, smiling was something too far and few between around here.

  She turned over my chicken even though it hadn’t cooked enough yet, but I didn’t comment on it. “Well, seeing my little girl happy puts a smile on my face.” She grinned. “Will there be boys there? What am I saying, of course there will be. Do you have your eye on any of them?”

  “Mom!” I gasped. “I so do not want to talk about this with you.”

  She sucked in a breath as if she was twenty years younger and we were to besties talking it up. “There is a boy!”

  I waved her off as I turned to escape upstairs. “I’m not talking about this with y-ou!” I reiterated in a singsong voice.

  Her laughter followed me up the stairs as I ran into my room, but I had a smile on my face. I closed the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath to steady myself. Maybe I was really blowing this all out of proportion and he just wanted to see me. Even if giving me attention was just to make his ex jealous, I didn’t care. I would enjoy it no matter how long it lasted, because I wanted to indulge in this new life where I didn’t have to hide in my invisible bubble anymore. A life where Max Green invited me to a party and wanted to talk with me, laugh with me, maybe even kiss me.

  My cheeks turned red and I covered my face. I didn’t want to become some lovesick teenager, and maybe Max had an ulterior agenda and I shouldn’t be getting so worked up about it in the first place.

  A gentle peck at the window brought me out of my hormone-induced dilemma. I scampered to the end of the room and popped open the glass, letting the humid breeze come in, along with a flittering golden-speckled finch that chittered at me in greeting.

  “Hey, Solstice,” I said, not able to get the goofy grin off my face. “Are you going to help me pick out something to wear?”

  He landed on the raised end of my bedpost and quirked his head at me, looking at me with his beady black eyes.

  I frowned. “Don’t look so judgmental. It’s just a party.”

  I didn’t know if birds could have preferences when it came to people, but Solstice seemed like he didn’t like Max. He chirped again when I opened the closet in a low, disapproving pitch.

  Ignoring his protests, I rummaged through my clothes and wondered what on Earth I was going to wear. I ran my fingers over the same wardrobe I’d had for the last couple of years, since I’d finally stopped really growing. I didn’t care what I wore. Who did I have to impress?

  Tossing out items onto the bed, I started to feel deflated until I came across a cute tank with sequins that my mom had bought me for my birthday. I didn’t know where she thought I’d wear it. Maybe she had hoped this day would come where I’d finally take the leap into the socialized world.

  Pulling it out, I drew in a deep breath and held it up to my chest. “What do you think?” I asked Solstice, only to find him perched on my dresser glaring at me.

  Solstice bounced on the edge, chittering at me with warning.

  “Come on, Solstice,” I complained, propping one hand on my hip. “What’s your problem?”

  He chirped again, and this time it sounded exactly like Stay.

  “I’m not staying,” I enforced, tossing my shirt onto the bed over the pile of clothes before stalking up to the tiny creature. “I’m going to this party, okay? And if you’re not going to be supportive then you can just flutter right on out of here.” I pointed at the window. “What’s it going to be?”

  Solstice bounced a few times, chittered his discontent, and then flew out of the window, crushing my spirits as the room seemed to darken without his presence.

  Trying to ignore the sting of rejection, I snatched open the dresser and rummaged for one of my good bras. I found one with the tag still on and I snipped off the overpriced number with my teeth. My mom was definitely not like other moms.

  “He’s just a bird,” I grumbled to myself, but even I knew that wasn’t entirely true. Solstice had been with me all my life, at l
east what I could remember of it. I liked to pretend that my father had sent him to me, a well-meaning spirit to watch over me since he couldn’t be here anymore.

  If Solstice didn’t want me to go to the place where my father died, perhaps that was a warning I should have listened to.

  But I didn’t.

  Wind rushed around my ears and swept my hair from my face as I sped down the dark streets on my bike.

  Today, I didn’t care I didn’t have an expensive ride, because I was on my way to a party that Max Green himself had invited me to. Nobody could say I wasn’t welcome, because this was his party, near his father’s place, and even if I wasn’t naive enough to think he didn’t have a secondary agenda, I was going to enjoy myself—and indulge in a secondary agenda of my own. Because if I found myself in my dad’s old office at the resort by the end of the night and uncovered secrets the resort was trying to hide, oopsie, my mistake.

  Streetlights glimmered around a sharp curve of the road where I normally turned back. The scent of lakefront fresh air gave the breeze a welcoming component and I found myself indulging in a rare smile of my own as I increased my speed.

  Going far too fast to stop, there was nothing I could do but brace myself when I heard a wild revving of a corvette that was only growing in my side mirror. I’d recognize that engine anywhere. It didn’t matter that I had reflectors and lights strapped all over my bike and my body. All my safeguards managed to do were to give Julie a target.

  I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see the convertible swerving toward me, but not to hit me. Julie and her friends cackled, their laughter swept away on the wind, as a massive wall of black mud shot up into the air.

  Crap.

  I swerved and nearly lost my balance as the wave hit, drenching me with cold, wet grime as the corvette screeched off, Julie waving and blowing me a kiss on her way to the lake.

  Managing to stop my bike, I shuddered in a breath and tossed my bike down. I flung my fingers and splattered mud to my feet. I looked down to see that my sequin top was impossibly ruined and mud quickly matted in my hair.

  Tears threatened to come, but I pushed them down with ruthless determination.

  “You aren’t winning this one today,” I vowed, and ripped off my shirt and my ruined shorts.

  I’d worn a bathing suit underneath my outfit and it clung to my curves, luckily not touched by the grime, and instead glimmering with moisture that added a pleasant shine.

  What to do about my hair, though, I wondered. I turned my shirt inside out and scrubbed my head as best I could, then tugged up the loose strands into a messy ponytail as I pulled over a hair-tie I kept permanently wrapped around my wrist.

  Yanking up my side mirror from my bike, I appraised my appearance, tucking away a few more loose strands of hair.

  Satisfied, I wrangled my bike and began walking, my rage too raw to be able to trust myself on any sort of vehicle right now.

  The rest of the fifteen-minute walk gave me enough time to cool down and I stowed my bike in the trees before I stepped out onto the beach.

  I spotted Julie in the distance pawing at Max, although he didn’t seem very interested. He nursed a beer as he leaned against a table. The roaring flames reflected pleasant gold and copper tones across the sharp angles of his face and I found myself mesmerized as I took my time with my approach.

  He must have felt me studying him, because he glanced my way, then did a double-take.

  I noticed that everyone else was fully clothed. I’d entirely forgotten that it would get chilly today, even though we were in summer the coast could sometimes get cold bursts. Although being the freak that I was, I never got cold, no matter what. It was a problem, really, and my mom constantly had to remind me to wear a jacket so I didn’t get sick—even though I couldn’t remember a time I was sick, either.

  Yeah, a whole bunch of things were wrong with me, which made it clear why I didn’t get along very well with other people. I was too much of a freak and normally, I was invisible to them and I roamed through crowds without anyone noticing me.

  Tonight, I definitely didn’t have that problem. I locked my knees to keep from allowing them to buckle when so many eyes landed on me at once. There I was, practically naked in front of half of my school bundled up in sweaters and scarves.

  “Now it’s a party!” one of Max’s dude buddies shouted, whooping as he ripped off his shirt. “I need to catch up to where she is! Bring on the beers and let’s get this party started!”

  The crowd cheered and Julie glared so hard I thought she might just melt a hole in my chest.

  Max grabbed one of the red party cups and filled it from a keg. He marched over to me and handed me the drink. “Well, you sure know how to make an entrance.”

  My mouth bobbed open on a silent sound, something in-between “thanks” and “oh my God I’m going to die of humiliation.”

  Luckily, Max couldn’t decipher my meaning and chuckled as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He surveyed the crowd who had started chugging beers and taking off articles of clothing. “I knew you’d liven up the party. I was bummed a cold front was coming through tonight.”

  “Yeah,” I managed to chuckle against my dry throat. “Weather can be unpredictable out on the lake.” I glanced out at the dark waters on reflex, my heart skipping a beat as I thought of my father.

  “You going to drink that?” Max asked, cutting into my thoughts. He bumped my drink with his. “It’ll loosen you up.”

  I gave him a raised brow. “How can you tell I’m not, uh, loose?”

  He chuckled and lowered so that his lips brushed my ear, making goosebumps shoot across my skin. “You might have everyone here fooled, but I know you’re about to bolt. Take the edge off, Viv, and relax. This is a party, after all.”

  I gave him a nervous chuckle as I considered the drink again. It probably wouldn’t affect me, given how weirdly I reacted—or rather, didn’t react—to things. So I took a long gulp to satisfy him before I gave the dark silhouette of Silver Lake Resort a glance. If I got everybody drunk, then maybe I could slip away undetected, since clearly I was not invisible tonight.

  “That’s my girl,” he said then whooped to his friends before knocking back his drink. “Turn up the music!”

  The party ramped up from there, music pumping and everybody having fun. Of course Julie and her friends continued to stalk me and glare holes in the back of my head. Max didn’t take his arm off me the entire time, keeping me pinned to his side, and it felt kind of nice to be wrapped in a jock sweater for the night.

  “What’s this, a tattoo?” he asked, running his fingers over the white swirl on my left shoulder.

  I could almost feel Julie seething as he touched me, but I kind of liked it. “It’s nothing,” I said on a nervous laugh as I buried my face in my drink again.

  “Is it a tattoo?” he asked, running his fingers over the elaborate swirls. “Although I don’t think I’ve ever seen a white tattoo before, not with ink, but it’s too intricate to be a birthmark.”

  “There are so white tattoos,” I said, the lie my mother had taught me rolling right off my tongue. It was actually a birthmark, but who would believe that? “They just require more aftercare.”

  He hummed thoughtfully, his fingers tracing the mark again. “Well, it’s beautiful.” He smiled, leaning in to press a light kiss against my hairline. “Just like you.”

  I held my breath and was almost grateful when Max’s friends interrupted us and started swapping stories. And by swapping stories, I mean I sipped my latest drink while the guys talked about how awesome they all were and who was the fastest track runner.

  Julie must have seen the kiss, though, because she stalked up to us a few minutes later.

  “So you’re a slut now?” Julie snapped as she crossed her arms, plumping up her breasts to show off her cleavage. She had taken off her sweater and now had jeans and her bra as a top, but the pebbles across her skin betrayed that she had to be freezing.
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  “Exluse… uh, I mean, excuse me? You’re one to talk,” I said, surprised by the slur in my voice. Well, maybe alcohol did affect me a little bit.

  She smirked at my clear inebriation. “Maybe I should tell your daddy that you’re underage drinking,” she said, then covered her mouth. “Oh, that’s right, I can’t. He’s dead.”

  Every muscle in my body went stiff as I resisted the urge to punch her in the face. A few more beers in and I just might have let go of my control.

  “Julie,” Max said with a warning tone. “That’s enough.”

  She tapped her chin. “Didn’t he drown, oh I don’t know, right over there?”

  My vision went red and somebody screamed. I didn’t realize it was me until I had dived onto Julie and clawed my fingers into her hair as I slammed her head against the ground.

  Luckily we were on a beach and the sand wasn’t too packed in this area, or I might have actually hurt her, but in the moment, I didn’t care if I hurt her or not, I just wanted her to stop.

  Strong arms ripped me off of the girl as I snarled, turning wild. It was something I hadn’t had to deal with in a long time. As a child, I would go into my “primal fits” as my mom called them, a sort of steroid-level temper tantrum when I felt out of control. It only happened when I felt justice needed to be served, or that I’d been deeply wronged. At least, that’s how I had tried to explain it to her, but she’d just said I was a horrible child to raise and she didn’t know how she would have done it without my father to keep me in line.

  Now, there was nobody to keep me in line, which was one of the many reasons it was best I stayed away from people in general. I bit down on a hand that strayed too close to my mouth, only to hear a male growl as I was dragged away.

  “You don’t have to bite,” one of Max’s buddies complained as he shook his hand.

  Max chuckled as he steered me away from the fire and toward the water. “I told you not to grab her like that.” He rested a light touch on my shoulder, making me flinch. “Hey, you okay? I’m sorry about her. She’s just mad I won’t take her back after I caught her cheating on me… and she can get nasty when she’s told no.”