Chapter 5: Frayed Heart

A little back story on Emmet, and how close he was to his dad before he died.

However, Emmet was unable to stay home from school the next morning. Yes, he was exhausted, but after finding no fever, Margret convinced him to go to school. Thankfully his restlessness had him setting up a place for the egg in his closet. Cleaning out most of his clothes and setting his small heater inside along with the family humidifier. And with the closet door being made up of slats of wood in a door frame, almost a Kresea Kingdom style. So he wasn’t too worried about the health of the hatchling as the closet wouldn’t get too hot, and would vent into the room… he worried about the egg being found. 

But to not draw attention to his unease, he tried to not think too much about it. He kept reminding himself that he mother never went into his room unless it was to talk to him and he was in the middle of something. So he just had to breathe and trust that the Egg would be just fine… Yeah… Just fine…

School started just as any other day, first walking Esther to her class so he’d remember how to get there faster if she needed him. Once that was finished and he wished Esther a good day, he walked to his locker and set his unneeded books inside, thankfully with no sign of Tony this time. He walked to his class and turned in his homework, knowing that the handwriting was sloppy due to his unfocused mindset last night.

He sat down and opened a notebook he had started the earlier night, feeling he should write down any information he could get about dragons eggs to give his hatchling a better chance…. his hatching?… 

He paused at that thought. He knew it wasn’t his hatchling. He was just caring for it until Umbris could take him home… if that's what the Shadow Dragon from the Slayers truly intended…

As he pondered this, Clair came in and turned in her homework. She looked a bit tired herself. Emmet was still lost in his thoughts when she passed his desk and saw his face.”

“Whoa, storm keep you up last night too?” Clair asked, turning to sit next to him. 

“Huh?” Emmet said, snapping back to the real world and looked at her.

Clair chuckled, her nose wrinkling as she did. “Where do you go?” She asked. “Every time I see you you’re off in your own little world.”

Emmet smiled back. “Sorry, just…. a project I have in mind. Between that and the storm last night I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Clair’s interest seems to peek and as she leaned closer. “Whats the project?” She asked.

Emmet hesitated for a moment but eventually slid the notebook closer to her so she could see. “I’m researching how Dragon Eggs incubate.” He said. “Since this is my last year in school I thought I’d study up on dragon care for Sunny Glades.”

Clair picked up the notebook and read through it. “You have some good notes.” She commented. “But I’d bet my grandmother will be able to help you. She used to work in a Nursery Den, and now and then a Dragoness would have too many eggs to watch over so my grandmother would take them in. She can help with any questions and you can compare notes.”

“That would be fantastic actually!” Emmet said. “Um.. mind if I meet her after school?”

Clair blinked, surprised at the slight urgency in his tone. But she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been wanting to get some peaches to her.”

“Great! I can walk you home if you want.” Emmet replied, smiling in excitement to talk to someone who would know first hand about eggs and how to care about them.

Clair gave another laugh. “Easy Emmet, it’s just my grandmother we’re meeting, not a celebrity. We can go over details at lunch and text our families our plans.” 

Emmet nodded again and settled in his chair as the teacher entered and the first class of the day started. But Emmet could barely focus on his work. He knew the lessons he would be needing would be taking place after school… and he was counting down the seconds.

And those seconds seemed to tick past mercilessly slow. The morning dragged on as all Emmet could think of was the egg hidden in his closet at home and the walk with Clair. Granite was right… He did like the strawberry blond. There was a classic flair to her, like how those country songs talked about young love. She looked like she walked out of one of those songs with a charming personality to boot.

At long last lunch came, and Emmet’s stomach was growling hungrily. Once they were excused from class, Emmet got out his phone and called his mother.

Seeing as he called every now and then to check up on things at home, Margret didn’t sound too surprised to hear from him. He quickly explained how he was researching dragon eggs for a school project and that Clair's grandmother had some information he could use for his study. She gladly agreed to him spending the afternoon at the elders home, but then smiled.

“Is this the same Clair who’d mother helped Esther?” She asked.

“Yep, Clair Evens,” Emmet answered. “She wanted to take some peaches to her grandmother for a while, so she invited me to tag along.”

“I’m glad to hear,” Margret said. “So, would she be joining us for dinner one of these evenings?”

“Mom…!” Emmet said, already blushing a bit. “It’s… it’s nothing like that, we’re just friends!”

“Your father and I were just friends to start with you know,” Margret said. “It was right around your age too.”

“Mom…” Emmet groaned, rubbing his face to hide his embarrassment, and starting to regret calling her. 

Margret laughed. “I know honey. You’re just fun to pick on now and then, you know that I love you.”

Emmet smiled through his embarrassment. “I know ma.,” he said. “But I should be back before supper.”

“We’ll keep the doors unlocked for you,” Margret said. “Just be safe out there and keep your phone on you.”

“I will, I promise,” Emmet answered with a smile.

“Love you, honey.”

“Love you too Ma. Have a good day.” Emmet said before hanging up. 

He smiled and relaxed. She didn’t sound flustered. She hadn’t found the egg. That took some stress off from the day. Maybe coming to school today was a good idea. It was a good test, if unnerving test, on how well the egg was hidden. 

“Wove you too Mommy! Wow, can’t stand being away from home so much you have to call mommy?” 

Emmet’s eyes narrowed. Of all people to overhear his call to his mother. He looked over at Tony and his Minor Glass Wing, who’s name he discovered was Vinca, happily perched on his shoulders, her six nearly transparent wings folded neatly at her sides. 

“Why don’t you keep your nose out of others business?” Emmet asked as he got his lunch out of his bag. He knew it was leftovers, but he didn’t mind. 

He turned to walk away to a table, hoping that Tony would get the message. Sadly his head was thicker than he expected as the dark haired boy followed Emmet and sat next to him. Emmet was too tired for this… And his patience was already wearing thin.

“Don’t think anyone hasn’t noticed that you call your mom almost every time you’re here.” Tony pried. 

Emmet didn’t answer. He just opened his lunch and started eating, not even looking at Tony. This, however, only annoyed Tony.

“Whats the matter Farm Boy?” He jeered. “Can’t handle the truth when it’s spoken out loud? Come on, admit it. Since your old man passed away you’ve almost clung to your mom’s apron strings like the baby you are.”

Emmet’s foot tapped twice. He took a slow breath, but his belly and chest were starting to heat up as if he himself would breathe a plume of flame at Tony for saying such things. When he was young, he did have a temper on him. His dad would often joke that Emmet was born with the soul of a dragon in a human's body, and it had taken both his dad and Granite to teach him how to control that blaze inside him and how to channel it. But since his father's death, he had gotten into the habit of putting himself dead last on the list of importance. His mother had sunk into a depression that lasted a year while she mourned her husband, and only snapped out of it when she saw how much her depression had burdened Emmet. For a long time, Emmet had to call his mom to see if she was okay. His grades slipped, his sleep was lost, and his at the time toddler sister needed to be cared for. For Tony to bring up a subject like that so lightly…. It was starting to crack the bottle that contained his anger.

Tony, however, didn’t seem to notice this. “Guess Mr. Fields wasn’t that great of a farmer, or he wouldn’t have been dumb enough to be out in that storm. Betcha he watched that tornado come right at him and swipe him off that Rock Head of a drago-“

Emmet had heard enough. He dropped his sandwich, pulled back his fist and punched, nailing Tony right in the corner of his mouth. Vinca shrieked in alarm and fluttered off of Tony’s shoulder and onto the table, scolding Emmet with many shrill chirps and shrieks. But Emmet paid her no mind as he stood and lifted tony by the front of his shirt. 

“You don’t know about anything that happened!” He yelled in his face, his lips drawn back like a dragons. “You have no idea what kind of pain my family went through when we lost Da! And lucky for you, you will never know! So don’t, you, dare, joke about that around me Ever again!” As he spoke he would shake Tony now and then to hopefully get his point across. He glared into the other boy's eyes, watching how Tony’s eyes widened with every shake and the color drain from his face. 

“Now let me eat my lunch!” Emmet muttered, giving Tony one last shake and letting him go, letting him fall to the floor. Emmet had to force himself to take a few breaths, but it was now he noticed how silent the cafeteria had gotten. He looked around and saw that everyone had stopped eating and was watching him… Even Clair… Emmet swallowed before collecting his lunch and going outside. He sat under a tree but didn’t eat. 

He leaned against the tree and breathed, remembering the lessons that His dad and Granite had taught him. Breathing, letting the anger go with every breath out. He’d do some katas like his dad had taught him, but later, when he got home. 

It wasn’t until he heard footsteps that he opened his eyes and saw Clair walking out with her lunch in hand. “Hey, still up to eat together?” She asked.

Emmet looked at her and blinked. “After that, I thought you wouldn’t want to.,” he said, but he scooched over to let her sit.

“Nah, Tony’s a t**d in a school suit.” She said, earning a surprised look from Emmet. He didn’t think that lovely mouth would call someone that… Even if Tony was a t**d face.

She saw his look and smiled. “Hey, I call them as I see them.” She said. “And we agreed to eat together to plan out going to my grandmothers. I already called my folks, and they said it was okay.”

“Same here,” Emmet said. “I’m clear to go.”

Clair was quiet for a moment before she looked at him. “You okay?” She asked. “I didn’t hear all what Tony said, but it really… well…”

“I’m fine,” Emmet answered. “He was just talking trash about my dad.”

Clair’s face scowled and she looked back at the school, seeing Tony’s friends pick him up off the ground and helping him out of the cafeteria, probably to the nurse's office. “Well, then I’d have done more to him if I was in your shoes.”

“Really?” Emmet asked. “I don’t think you could hurt a fly if you had the chance.”

“Many flies have fallen before me,” Clair answered, lifting her chin and adopting a tone that a noble would have. “And Tony would have wished he was among them.”

Emmet laughed. “That I wouldn’t mind seeing someday.” He said. 

Clair chuckled and looked at his uneaten lunch. “You should eat. No use starving yourself because Tony pushed some buttons.”

Emmet smiled and nodded, and slowly started eating again, Clair joining him with her own sandwich.

Author's Note

Alrighty the first part is almost finished! And I can hardly wait to see how the story goes! There's two more chapters to Prt 1, then I'll start on Prt 2. But I kinda got carried away in writing and got 2 chapters done XD So the next one is coming right up!