Chapter 6

6

"Thanks for the claustrophobia," I said as we tumbled through the door and into a portal. The doorway put us through into an incredibly tight space. But we didn't have time to dwell on it because everything changed in an instant.

We were hit with a whirlwind of colors and sounds, disorienting us as we spun through a void that was both magical and terrifying. It was like being caught in a tornado during a rave party - chaotic, confusing, and way out of my comfort zone.

"Guys, what is happening?" I yelled, trying to make sense of our surroundings.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Zara shouted back.

"Can we stop spinning, please? I'm getting dizzy." Kendra looked like she was about to puke.

The sensation of falling hit me like a ton of bricks, and I realized we were plummeting from high in the air, thousands of feet above the ground. Panic set in as I looked around, searching for something to grab onto. There was nothing but an empty sky.

I tried to ignore the sheer terror that threatened to consume me. As the wind whipped past, a surge of instinctual power coursed through me. Before I knew it, my body began to change.

I gasped as my skin transformed into shimmering silver scales, my limbs elongating and reshaping themselves into powerful wings and legs. My blue eyes became piercing sapphire orbs, and my senses sharpened as I took on the form of a gigantic dragon.

Kendra and Zara stared at me, their eyes wide with shock and awe. Their expressions quickly shifted to determination as they scrambled to grab hold of my scaly back before we all met an untimely end.

"Good thinking!" Kendra yelled over the wind.

All right, ladies, hold on tight, I warned them mentally, flexing my wings and attempting to gain control over our descent.

"We are!" Zara yelled, her fingers digging into my scales for dear life.

I soared through the sky, wings outstretched, and couldn't help the thrill of power coursing through me. Still, this dragon form was daunting, to say the least. The cityscape of Philadelphia spread out below us like a smorgasbord of potential witnesses. The last thing I needed was to be exposed.

"Hailey," Kendra shouted into my ear, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I'm going to try a portal again. Fly straight, and I'll see if I can get us out of here,"

I steadied my flight as best as I could. My heart thumped wildly, both from the adrenaline rush and the fear of what would happen if we were spotted. Come on, Kendra. You've got this.

"Ready?" she asked.

Ready , I said.

Kendra's and Zara's grips tightened on my scales.

Kendra said an incantation, but despite her focus, nothing happened. No portal formed in front of us. Panic bubbled up inside me as I realized there was no simple escape this time. We were stuck in midair, exposed for all to see.

"Damn it!" Kendra yelled. "It's not working!"

Keep trying, I urged her, though I wasn't sure how much longer I could maintain my composure. She tried again with no luck.

The ground was growing closer by the second, and we had to land soon or risk causing even more of a scene.

With no other choice, I angled my wings and began our descent toward a relatively quiet spot just outside a bustling street in Philadelphia. The wind whipped past us, and I could hear the gasps and screams of bystanders as they caught sight of a massive silver dragon descending upon their city. I winced at the thought of what would come next, the accusations, the panic, the endless questions. But for now, all I could do was focus on landing safely.

Brace yourselves, I warned Kendra and Zara as the ground rushed up to meet us.

With a powerful flap of my wings, I slowed our descent just enough for a relatively soft landing. The impact sent a jolt through my body, but thankfully, my friends seemed unharmed.

"Okay, that was wild," Zara said, still clinging to me. "But we have bigger problems now."

"Like the fact that Hailey's a giant dragon in the middle of Philadelphia?" Kendra added, her tone both worried and incredulous.

This was not how I'd envisioned my night going. Not by a long shot. I focused my energy on shifting back into my human form. It was like trying to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube, awkward and frustrating. My body contracted, scales dissipating as my dragon form shrank back into the familiar curves of a forty-something woman. My clothes reformed over my body.

"Whoa," Kendra yelped as she and Zara tumbled off my now-human back, their fingers desperately grasping at the air. Zara caught Kendra just in time, both of them looking like they'd just ridden the world's scariest roller coaster.

"Sorry," I said, feeling both exhilarated and exposed. The shift had drained me, leaving me physically and emotionally exhausted. All I wanted to do was collapse onto the pavement and sleep for a week. But with a crowd gathering, that wasn't an option.

"Are you okay?" Zara asked.

"Fine." I tried to catch my breath as I pushed myself to my feet. "Just tired."

"Can't say I blame you." Kendra brushed dirt off her clothes. "You know, turning into a gigantic dragon and all."

We exchanged glances, silently acknowledging the magnitude of what had just happened. We were in uncharted territory, and it was both thrilling and terrifying. None of us knew what would come next, but we were in this together.

"Okay." I sighed, trying to sound confident. "Now what?"

Zara looked at all the people staring at us. "I vote we start with getting the hell out of here before we attract even more attention."

"Agreed." Kendra glanced warily at the gawking spectators. "The last thing we need is someone calling the cops or, worse, the local news. You just turned into a dragon, in front of everyone."

"I'm well aware, thanks," I said.

Zara said. "At least we're dryer now." She managed a sheepish grin, which did little to alleviate the tension in the air.

"Great." Kendra tugged at her hair caked with dried gelatin. "Just what I wanted, crusty hair for days."

"Okay, let's focus." I looked nervously at the bystanders who were still pointing at us. "We need to figure out our next move without drawing too much attention to ourselves."

"Any ideas?" Kendra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We can use a glamour on those people closest to us," I proposed, hoping it would buy us some time.

"Works for me." Zara looked relieved.

Kendra did a little spell and then said, "It's done, we're covered."

I took a deep breath, trying to push my fears aside. We had a job to do, it was time to put on our game faces and get to work. But as we approached the stunned spectators, ready to make a swift exit, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

I stepped forward, my senses on high alert. "Hold on," I said in a whisper. Zara and Kendra exchanged puzzled glances before turning their attention back to me.

"Something's up," I said. "I don't know what it is, but my gut says we need to be careful."

As we started toward the bewildered bystanders, I noticed how eerily quiet the street had become. The bustling city seemed to have come to a standstill as if time itself had frozen in place. I glanced around, searching for any sign of danger, but found none.

"Seriously, Hailey." Zara froze and looked around. "What's got you so spooked?"

"I just can't put my finger on it," I admitted, rubbing my temples. "But something's definitely off. Call it dragon intuition."

"Dragon intuition?" Kendra snorted, stifling a laugh. "That's a new one."

"Hey, might as well embrace my newfound supernatural powers, right?" I grinned, trying to shake off my anxiety. But as much as I wanted to laugh it off, my instincts screamed that we were walking straight into a trap.