Chapter 21

Ray

Mark was waiting for me in an empty field on the outskirts of the city. I ran through the field, kicking up a cloud of sand, a blur through the night, and skid to a stop in front of him.

“You’re late,” he said. I could pick up his accent, but still couldn’t place it. The moonlight reflected off his dark hair and leather jacket. His expression was serious, but I could see an excited energy behind his eyes.

I waited for the dust to settle. “I got attacked by a news guy, okay. I had to crush his phone.”

Mark tilted his head to the side for a moment, and then broke into laughter.

“You can laugh…” I retorted. “I basically revealed my powers to everyone there. The news guy, my brother, my mom, my girlfriend…. They’re going to think the same thing as everyone else: that I’m a freak.”

“Yes… yes they are. And what are you going to do about it?”

I lowered my gaze to the dry ground. “I don’t know.” What I did know was that I was sick of all the press. Sick of all the publicity. Sick of making up stupid stories. “I don’t know how much longer I can take it.”

“Then don’t.”

I looked back at him. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t take it.” Mark put his hands in his jacket pockets and began pacing. “Why should you? You are a Starling after all.”

“What are you saying? That I should come out with the truth to the press?”

“Yes. Why not?”

I sputtered. “Hmm, well let me think. Oh yeah. They’ll come after me with pitch forks and torches. They’ll try to suck my blood dry and use it as a cure for cancer. They’ll publish my private life for all to see. My life would never be normal again.”

“Ray, your life is not normal.” He said it slowly and paused for a moment to let that sink in. “They can’t hurt you, Ray, unless you let them. They can’t turn you into a lab rat. They can’t kill you! You’re a Starling! You’re not human. You should be a god to them!”

I was silent. For a moment all we could hear were the crickets chirping in the bushes nearby.

“All I’m suggesting is this…” He stopped pacing. “Stop trying to live a double life. Embrace who you are. You are the Dragon God.”

I stared at the ground, trying to soak it all in. Then, I stared him in the eyes. “Why should I believe you? You could just be full of it.”

He snorted. “You saw me use my powers last night, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, you have powers. But, that doesn’t mean that everything you’ve said about Draco, the Dragon God, Starlings, and immortal gods is true.” I tried to mimic his strange accent while I spoke. It was some mixture between British and Italian. “Just because you have powers like me doesn’t mean we’re instant friends. First time I saw you, you were coming at me with a knife.”

For a moment, Mark looked furious, impatient. But, then he cooled down, taking a deep breath. “You’re right. I do need to earn your trust still. Let me do so by teaching you how to fully access your powers. You will eventually see that you truly are Draco.”

I folded my arms. This guy was a headache. “Alright, teach me.”

“Very well,” he said with a nod. He started pacing again. “First, a lesson. Your Star Stone is your source of power. As you know, it can only power your special abilities if it is within range, about a kilometer or so. If you try to use your powers out of range of your stone, then your body will take over as the power source—which can only last for a few seconds before completely shutting down. This usually isn’t deadly, but it could put you into a coma if pushed too far.”

I frowned. “Good to know.”

“Keeping your stone on your person is obviously the wisest thing to do. However, you must protect it. True, Star Stones are difficult to destroy, but if damaged, your powers could be hindered or lost entirely.”

“I’ve just kept my stone in my pocket.”

“That’s good, but dangerous.” Mark kept pacing. A cool breeze tasseled his black hair. “Imagine what would happen if your stone fell out of your pocket while flying. You’d pass out and fall to your death. You need to find a way to secure your stone to you.”

“Duct tape?” I said.

He raised a lazy eyebrow at me.

“Okay, okay… I could put it in a leather pouch and connect it to my belt.”

“Better, but too obvious. Another Starling could snatch it off of your belt, make you powerless. The easiest way to defeat another Starling is to remove his or her Star Stone.”

“Why would Starlings be fighting anyway?”

Mark chuckled under his breath and gazed up at the stars for a quiet moment. “Second lesson,” he said. “Every Starling has three degrees of power. The first is the weakest, the second is stronger, and the third is the strongest. The First Degree is the same for each Starling: increased strength and speed, enhanced vision—especially in the dark—and the ability to fly.”

“What?” I stammered. “I can’t fly!”

“Yes, you can,” he said nonchalantly. “You just haven’t tried hard enough.”

I scoffed at him. “Whatever. Can you fly?”

“Why yes. As a matter of fact, I can. Or, I could.”

“Well, show me.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “I lost my Star Stone, remember? I’d only get 10 feet in the air before passing out.”

“How did you lose your stone?”

“Do you always ask this many questions?”

“Did someone take it from you?”

He narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t matter. Let’s focus on you mastering the First Degree. After your training, you will help me find my stone.”

I had forgotten about that part of the deal. I hoped it wouldn’t be too hard to find. I wondered how long he’d been looking for it. “Wait,” I said. “You didn’t say anything about fire in the First Degree.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Have you already produced fire?”

I nodded. “Only on accident. I set a tree on fire once. And I sorta burnt my x-best friend’s neck with my hand.”

Mark’s mood seemed to lighten. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you, Ray? You have tapped into the Second Degree. That’s rarely accomplished on one’s own, especially by a Starling as young as you.”

It was weird for him to talk as if there were other super humans like us. There weren’t. Maybe he was from a different planet. “So, how do I control it?”

“Patience. I’ll teach you how to truly enter the Second Degree only after you’ve mastered the first.”

“Okay, so what’s there left to master in the first?”

He maintained his smirk. “How to fly.”