Chapter 22 Dane's house

We were sitting, enjoying the sunset, when I suddenly remembered Raven. Oh, man, I am in soooo much trouble! What kind of a best friend am I?

I stood up, and Dane started. He had been staring at me. Again.

I crouched. "I have to be somewhere, like, five minutes ago. I'ts not that I don't like talking to you, but this is... kind of important. I'll drop you off at your apartment."

He grinned sheepishly. "Uhm, that's actually not my apartment. I, um, don't have an apartment"

"Well, then, I'll drop you at your house."

He shook his head. "I don't have a house, either. Don't really have a place to go."

I stared. "You're homeless?"

He blushed and muttered something, which to my sensitive ears sounded like, 'I didn't used to be'

I sighed. "You can come live with us for awhile."

He looked up sharply. "Us? There's another dragon?"

"No, at least, not that I know of. But I do have a normal person living with me. At least, normal as a teenager with attitude problems can get. She's the one I have to go pick up... ten minutes ago now."

"Oh." He looked dissapointed for a moment, the smiled wryly. "Sounds like we better get going."

"Definitely."

He clambered on, and I took off in a cloud of dust. "You ready?" I roared back toward him.

"For what?!"

I grinned back at him, then dove. I could feel him clinging to my neck. To his credit, he didn't scream.

This time, instead of snapping my wings open, which almost certainly would have sent him flying, I opened my wings gradually, turning the freefall into a fast glide over the Chicago skyline. I searched for the street I wanted with one eye, while checking on Dane with the other. He seemed to be enjoying the ride, sitting up and grinning, though he looked a bit pale.

I saw the street and fluttered down to the roof of a nearby mall. Raven was waiting, arms crossed. I ducked my head.

"Where have you been?! I know you wanted to enjoy your little date, but I really need to get this stuff home." She motioned to a collection af packages, which looked like they mostly contained canned and instant foods, of the sort that would keep for awhile.

I hope you like eating canned food, because I didnt..." She trailed off as she finally saw who was on my back. Her eyes widened.

Dane cocked his head. "So, you're the dragonfriend." He seemed amused.

I raised my head again. "Raven, we're going to have to make a third bed. This poor old homless person is going to be staying with us."

"What?!" Raven nearly dropped the food she was carrying. But does he know-"

"That we live in a barn?" I interrupted, giving her a warning look. "No. but that's better than living on the street, right?" I turned my head to face him.

He shrugged. "I don't mind. I figured you would probably have to be hiding somewhere like that. You wouldn't fit in a lot of other places. No offence." He said quickly when Raven and I both gave him the death glare.

I turned back to Raven. "Shall we go?"

She nodded, and Dane jumped down from my back and helped load the groceries, hanging the bags on the spikes running down my spine. "No fancy flying!" Raven warned as she clambered up behind Dane. I nodded and slowly lifted off from the rooftop.

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We arrived at the barn, about an hour later. Dane and Raven dismounted, and I followed them into the barn, carrying all the food.

Dane went up to explore the loft and make himself a bed, while Raven and I put the food on a shelf in the corner stall. We had decided to use it as the kitchen area, since there was an old, relatively clean watering trough we could use as a sink, and a hay rack we had laid a board across for a counter.

As we were putting the new dishes and foods in a trunk, Raven glanced cautiously toward the loft, the leaned toward me and whispered, "How are you going to live here if you didn't tell him about you-know-what?"

I turned to Raven. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I think, for the moment, I'm going to remain a dragon. At least until we know we can trust him."

Raven nodded, and turned to go up the ladder. I walked over to the stack of straw bales and began spreadng myself a new bed. I had grown some more, so now my shoulder stood about seven feet off the ground. I feared that before long I might not be able to fit in the barn at all. As it was, I had to duck to avoid hitting my head.

I curled up in a ball, feeling surprisingly comfortable in that position. I rested my head on the bedding and sighed deeply, reveiwing the day in my head. I realized I would have to tell Dane about my secret eventually. I couldn't stay in dragon form forever.

I sighed again, and closed my eyes, slowly drifting away into slumber.