The Dragon's Daughter

Chapter 9

"You don't get to talk to her, David!" My mother threw up a finger in a "no-no" motion like she was scolding a child, "You lied to us both."

"Daddy isn't who he said he was, sugar. As crazy as it sounds, he isn't even our species."

"She's half my species!" My father tried again, pointing at me, while talking to my mother.

Mom covered my ears like my father was cursing.

"Shut up, why don't you?" my mom screeched.

"I will not!" he shouted back. I dislodged my mother's hands from my ears. They were clearly both banana balls right now.

"Will you both just shut up?" I yelled for good measure.

"Hey, hey!" Hector chose this moment to raise his own voice for reasons unknown. Once he had all of our attention, he lowered his tone. "Does anybody know if being a dragon has anything at all to do with why I can't read his..." and here he pointed to my dad "mind? I mean, I'm new to mind reading and dragons so..."

Both my parents just gawped at him.

"What the what?" my mother finally asked, "speaking of, I've never even seen you in Raina's circle of little friends before. Who are you, even?" I guessed she'd been too busy in the car giving Dad the silent treatment to ask or care.

"I'm Hector." He stepped forward with his hand outstretched, but my father stopped him before he could finish his introduction.

"Hey, kids, Listen. I have an idea. There's something I want to show you. The reason I brought everybody here. Let's all head down there, and then Tina, you and I can finish this conversation privately. Sound good?"

My mother sniffed. Which was probably close enough to a "yes" that my father turned on his heel and led us back toward the little kitchen area.

"What is this about you being a dragon, dad? Is that like a gang? Are you part of one of those secret societies?" My mind was grasping for what "dragon" could mean.

"No, princess, he means literal dragon." My mom said from where she was walking behind us.

I had no words.

"I know this is not my business, but you know he has no scales or horns or giant dragon teeth or whatever dragons are supposed to have, right? I mean, everybody here sees Mr. Brandt is still Mr. Brandt, right?" Jess was sounding concerned.

"He still looks like dad to me." I offered. If she was checking to see who was hallucinating, I wasn't on the list.

"Oh, no," my mom explained, "he's in human form and has been for like several thousand years or something. It's ridiculous and I would have already driven him to a psychiatric facility for a seventy-two hour hold, except he showed me a bit of magic I couldn't deny. Then he turned into a literal giant dragon. And I had to call my friend Karen and borrow some of her pills. Those little ones that calm you down. You know?"

I did not know, but it certainly explained my mom's behavior if she was on some kind of relaxant. All the quiet in the car then the yelling when we got here.

I nodded and gave my dad a look. He gave me a sheepish half-smile and a shoulder shrug.

"All families are complicated. Some more than others, sweetheart," he added.

My mother gave a low growling sound that she made when she was holding back her words. Typically, she made this sound only after a phone call with grandma. So it was a safe assumption that Dad was in some shit.

My father turned again without another word and walked a few steps to the door to what I assumed would be the pantry. It wasn't a large door and we were all squeezed in close. I, being the shortest in the crowd, was at a disadvantage. It wasn't until he stepped back and said, "in you go." That the pathway parted for me.