Wings of Freedom

Chapter Twelve

I wake up to darkness; my eyelids feeling heavy like lead, reminding me of when I first woke up in the lab. I feel myself starting to panic as the dizziness hits me and sends my mind whirling. It's quite obvious to me that I've been drugged. After all, this isn't my first rodeo; and I'm not talking about being kidnapped for the lab experiment, although that did suck.

I try to remember what happened and where I am through my foggy memory. The last thing I remember was Kassie and Clarissa... They were scared. That sends a spike of fear through my heart. Are they okay?

My eyes shoot open, adrenaline pulsing through my veins. Everything around me is blurry but I don't notice as I quickly spread my wings. A strangled squawk escapes me as pain darts up my wing and aches throughout my whole body. I fall limp to the warm sand under me and my eyes squeeze shut from the excruciating pain.

After what feels like hours, I once again peek through a small gap in my eyelids at my surroundings. Slowly, the blur starts to vanish; the whirling room clearing up. Something that can be likened to a couch sits across from me. A blossom of hope bubbles up in me as I wonder if the whole dragonet thing was just a dream, an illusion created by my overactive imagination.

I turn my head to glance over at my back. Two pairs of ombré wings lie neatly on my back, the aching pain in my one wing reminding me that something is definitely wrong with it. I smile softly at this sight. I don't feel disappointment or sorrow like I assumed I would, in fact relief fills me. After all, if being a dragonet was all a dream, Kassie, Clarissa, Cami, Alissa, Lucas, everyone would all be fake, figments of my imagination.

Suddenly, my eyes widen as I remember. Lucas! He's been so overprotective lately, I can only imagine the freak-out session he's having right now. And what about Alissa? First her girls go missing, and then her best friend? Knowing her, she's probably a mess right now.

Something to my right creaks, a small sound that immediately sets me on edge. My ears perk up and I whip around with a fierce hiss, instinctively trying to hide my injured wing behind me. It's a vulnerability someone could take advantage of. What greets me isn't a ferocious predator though; it's worse. It's a Kymari male.

He looks the same as the rest; with stringy black hair and green skin. He looks genuinely surprised to see me awake, but the expression quickly becomes something similar to nervousness. That makes me cautious. Most Kymari don't show much emotion, so what does this one have to be nervous about?

I look him over quickly, my eyes flickering up and down at light speed. He's young and I recognize him as one of the soccer players. In fact, he is the leader of the red team. That immediately makes me dislike him; blue was my favourite team not red.

He hesitantly takes a step towards me, "Hello there. I'm glad to see your awake. I'm just here to check on your wing and side," He says soothingly, pointing to my hidden wing. I follow his finger and glance quickly back at wing. I'm surprised to see it wrapped in a big white bandage. A few of my scales have also fallen off my injured side, leaving irritated skin in their wake.

I turn an accusing glare to the Kymari. He had the nerve to touch me while I was unconscious! Just the thought makes me boil with fury. He takes another step towards me, obviously not getting the hint. I lash out with an angry swat of my nails in his direction. Surprisingly, I connect, more surprisingly, it's not with him at all. My claws scrape against a glass wall in front of me with a deafening screech.

I wince and pull away, panic seizing my heart as I realize I'm once again stuck in a cage to be observed. Flashes of the lab shoot to the front of my mind, the idea of life in captivity making me want to hide away. I cower back and peek around with my ears pinned to my head. Everything around me is glass walls, outside of which is an unfamiliar home of a Kymari. My breathing speeds up as I whip around to look at the Kymari again.

I stumble back with a strangled gasp as I realize he's a lot closer than before, right next to the cage I'm captive in. He must've taken at least 3 steps while my back was turned. With a calm smile, he looks down at me.

"Well, aren't you gorgeous? I hear rumours of the beauty of the lizards, but you surely exceed my expectations," He mumbles quietly as he gazes at me. I stare at him oddly. Unlike the other mindless animals who can't understand their language, I can which makes what he just said to me quite weird. Plus the fact that he's staring at me like I'm some sort of exquisite painting in a museum isn't helping.

A loud ring rattles me and I duck back, backing into one of the corners of the cage. The Kymari glances up at one of the bigger doors, his eyes quickly flickering over to my wary form. He straightens up and walks over to the door, watching as it opens. In steps another Kymari, who immediately looks over at me before turning to face his host once again.

"Hello Fenrir. I see the lizard is awake." Oh great. Not just one Kymari, but now two? And what's with calling me 'the lizard'?! Come on!

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I am so so sorry that this one is late!! I've been ultra busy lately and haven't had time to edit this, so sorry for any mistakes! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for all your support!