Voices of Dragons

But those watching the live video could see what was happening without the chatty commentary. The dragons—the mottled one first, then the green, then the blue—roused themselves. They shook their heads, stretched their necks as if waking from a sleep—had they really been asleep all that time? Turning their pointed snouts to the sky, they spread their wings wide and launched. They seemed to fall off the rock gracefully, like divers. Then their wide wings caught the air, and they sailed, one after the other, spi

They were so beautiful.

She felt a hand on her back and turned, startled. Jon was at school today. He glanced at her then returned to watching the TV.

They were all thinking, What will happen now?

“You okay?” Jon asked.

“Yeah, just a second.” Kay pulled out her cell phone and called her mother. They weren’t supposed to use their phones during class hours, but none of the adults stopped her. In fact, a few of the teachers and kids watched her anxiously. Small town—they knew who her parents were.

She wandered a few paces and turned her back to them to try to get some privacy.

Her mother didn’t even say hello. “Kay, are you okay, is everything okay?”

“I was going to ask you that,” she said. “I’ve been watching the news at school.”

“I don’t know anything. Malmstrom Air Force Base isn’t returning calls. Honey, I have a call waiting on the other line. I only took this call because it was you. If I find out anything I can tell you, I’ll call, I promise.”

“Okay, Mom. Thanks. Be careful, okay?” That was a stupid thing to say—her mother wasn’t actually doing anything dangerous except talking to bureaucrats.

“I love you,” her mother said, and clicked off the line.

She turned to the eager faces looking back at her and shook her head. “My mom doesn’t know anything. Sorry.”

Now, the scene on the TV screen was empty. No jet, no dragons, nothing happening. The news repeated video of the jet speeding past, the diamond-shaped craft flying at low level, close to the mountain where the dragons sat, wagging back and forth as if to tease them. Then the reporter came on-screen, his face a determined blank, and started talking, saying little in particular.

Students and teachers drifted away. Kay didn’t know what to think. If anything was going to happen, it would happen soon. Maybe they’d hear the alarm, and maybe it would be for real this time.

Then again, maybe the military was right. Maybe the dragons wouldn’t do anything. Nobody had any way of knowing. Kay just about decided then and there to go over the border that afternoon, on the chance that Artegal may be there.

She sneaked into first period late. The teacher gave her a look, but didn’t say anything. Kay pretended to pay attention and not worry.

But that afternoon, Kay’s mother called her. Kay had left her phone on and took the call in class. Math this time, and Mr. Kelly gave her a dirty look, but Kay said, “It’s my mom,” and ducked into the hall.

“Hi, Mom?” she said, leaning against the wall in the hallway.

“Kay? Kay, I want you to go home right now. Go home and stay there. I need to know where you are.”

Somehow this was worse than the siren, worse than the drills, worse than thinking about the worst that could happen. Kay had never heard such concern, almost panic, in her mother’s voice.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

She took a deep breath, a tense pause, and said, “Three more jets crossed the border.”

“Why?” Kay said, confused. It was the first thing she thought. It made no sense. Not unless they really were trying to start a war.

Mom didn’t bother answering. “Until we know what’s happening, I want you to go home.”

“School’s not out for another hour.”

“I know, but I need you at home. If anyone tries to stop you, have them call me.”

“But what about Dad? Dad said that if I stayed home people would panic—”

“I’ve talked to him, and he agrees with me.”

Kay hadn’t really been scared until then. “Okay. Okay, I’m going right now.” They hung up.

She went back to class. Her face burned, because she felt like everyone was watching her. She stepped carefully, as if the floor were made of glass. Tam looked at her, brows raised, questioning. Kay shook her head and gathered up her books and things.

Her voice seemed small when she turned to Mr. Kelly. “I have to go.”

The teacher called after her, but she ducked out before anyone could ask any questions and ran out to the parking lot.

The skies above Silver River were clear.

14

At home, she tried to call Jon, but his phone was off. She left a message. He called her back twenty minutes later.

“What do you mean you went home?” he said.

“I mean my parents are freaking out and made me go home.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

But it did, because she was watching TV—had been for the last hour—and this time the news shows were saying things like “bombing.”

“I’ve got the TV on right now, and it looks bad,” she said.

“You’ve been watching way too much news.”

She couldn’t argue. The TV just kept saying the same things over and over. It all sounded awful. “It’ll be okay,” she murmured. “It has to.”

“Do you want me to come over? I can ditch school.”

Even though seeing him would make her feel better, she wasn’t sure even he could distract her from the TV, make the news stories go away, and make her worry less. He’d only worry more, when he saw how bad she felt. “That’s okay. Your folks are probably worried.”

“Naw,” he said. “My mom’s only called four times in the last hour.”

She chuckled. “Sounds like she wants you to go home.”

“I’ll stop by on my way,” he said, and that sounded like a good compromise.

Both her parents called to check in. Her father was first.

“When are you coming home?” she asked him. If she needed to stay home, where she’d be safe and where everyone would know where she was, why didn’t they?

“I may be out all night,” he said, not sounding concerned or a

“Can you come home for di

“I’ll probably grab something on the go. I may meet Mom if she isn’t swamped. We’ll call to check in later.”

“Dad—” She didn’t like the way her voice whined, making her sound like a little kid. “What’s going to happen? I’ve been watching the news. Everyone says it’s bad. How bad is it?”

“I don’t know. All this press is making it worse, making people panic. I’m hoping it’ll blow over. If we don’t panic, it’ll blow over. How does that sound?”

“Okay, I guess.” But he hadn’t sounded confident. He was just saying it to make her feel better.

“Kay, I have to get going. Be good, all right?”

Not “be careful.” That was something. It had to mean things weren’t so bad.

Then Mom called. “I just talked to Dad,” Kay said.

“Me too.” She sounded better, as if as long as they were all still in contact, all was well with the world. “We’re going to grab di

“I’ll be fine.”

Jon stopped by for a hug and kiss and asked for news.

“My parents are doing okay. If they don’t sound worried, things are okay, right?”

“Yeah. Probably.” Then his phone rang. It was his mom, wanting to know where he was. “I guess I need to get going. Call me if anything happens, okay?”