Chapter 11: Tagged

The Dragons sit around me as I recount my tale to them, their constant murmurings echoing in the darkness. I can tell none of them believe a word that I am saying, even though I am close to breaking again.
"Please, this is pathetic." I can hear Neil's distinct whisper over the din.
"Yeah, he's just doing this to get attention." Clair says clearly so everyone can hear.
It is enough to push me over the edge, and my composure crumbles. Between my bouts of sobbing I hear everyone get up to leave. One set of footsteps stands out from the rest, instead of shrinking away, they grow. I can just imagine the owners face, her sarcastic smirk ready to tear a new river of tears.
"Hey get up Wyrmling, crying like this ain't gonna get people to listen." I am so in shock that I stop, the tears vanishing along with her ferocity. For once, Clair's voice came just over a whisper, a miracle in its own right. On top of that she wasn't tormenting me, something I thought to be impossible.
"Thanks, I guess." I say weary of the sudden change.
"Yeah, well don't you ever pull something that stupid again got it pip squeak." She says, clearly too the rest of the Den. With that she stomps away, probably to spar with Jay.

The night creeps in and I can hear the sounds of sleep echo through the Den. I am the only one up as far as I can tell, haunted by visions of my family, of Sal and Joshua getting eaten by demons. Their eyes growing dim as their life is slowly drained away.
I hear a shuffling at my side and jump.
"Chill out, it's only me." Neil says, I can tell he can't sleep either.
"You startled me, I say, I thought you were one of the ghosts."
"Oh yeah them." He says, "I was meaning to ask you, did any of that actually happen? I promise I won't tell anyone if it was just for the attention."
"Yeah." I reply, "It was real."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
With that he falls silent, and the sounds of sleep resume, the soft snoring creates a white sound that surrounds me like a warm blanket. I fall into a daze, and it is only when I notice an orange glow on my shoulder that I snap to attention. The furnace kicks in and the sound sends me over the top, I jump up and smash my head against the top bunk of my bed.
"Whoa easy, Seth calm down." Neil whispers as I settle back onto the bed. "What's wrong?"
"Can't you see it?" I ask. "The mark on my shoulder."
"No, I don't see anything. What does it look like?
"I'm not sure, like a paw print I guess, with long pointed toes."
"Weird. hey do you hear a buzzing?" Neil asks
"I think it's the furnace."
"We don't have a furnace Seth, that's why it gets so cold at night." I can hear the unease in his voice, like the feeling that has settled into my bones.
"We should wake everyone."

Reviews

[Lucy Morningstar &heart..]

The difference between the two parts is a bit random but I still like it a lot :) You have a gat sense of diction and I just love the story overall