Mum and The Dragons

“There weren't always dragons in the Valley.” He gazed at all the children's eyes transfixed on his face. “Would you like to know how they arrived?” Every head vigorously nodded and they inched in closer.

The chase had lasted for blocks but she was steadily gaining on her quarry. As she rounded the corner she phased back into her normal self and fired at his back, the courtyard flooded with light as it happened. As her victim crumpled to the ground she felt rather than saw the dozens of police guns snap into position on her, most of the officers forgetting the bank robbery they were attending as they were confronted with an impossible truth. Raising her arms high, her mind racing with possibilities of getting away, a tall officer strode forward and cuffed her before leading her to a squad car surrounded now by a large group of officers. Bewildered and unsure of what this interlude was or meant, the Captain reassessed the robbery situation and noticing that the robbers were also absorbed by these events, called everyone to attention and safely arrested the thieves.

She needed to settle herself, find out just how bad things had become. Had any of them actually clocked her change? Or did they merely believe her a murderer? (As bad as that was!)

She allowed the officer to guide her into the back seat and drive her back to the station house, catching her breath and quieting her mind during this time.

She sat cuffed to the table in the interrogation and started looking at this officer, now guarding her more closely. He was full of conflicting emotions, staring back at her, she realized that they had all seen her change. But somehow this young man wasn't just amazed and bewildered, he was curious.

“You have questions?” she asked softly.

“Are you a werewolf?” it was a lot more matter-of-fact than she had been expecting. “No” was her simple reply. “Shape-shifter?”

“No.” She tilted her head slightly, “You seem uncommonly happy to accept supernatural characters, Why?”

“We saw you come around that corner on 4 paws and then suddenly be human and drawing a gun. Supernatural is the only logical explanation.” He leaned in, excitement starting to show in his eyes.

“Why did you shoot that man?”

Deciding suddenly to go with the truth she let out a long breath and simply stated “He was a werewolf.” Her eyes stayed fixed on him trying to read any changes that could become threatening. And anyway as much as this man might be willing to believe her, she was sure no one else in this station was likely to be as forgiving. She had to start looking for a way out, Galiston, The Life-Giver, was going to be so mad......

But all of a sudden he was moving around the table, “We'd better get you out of here before they get themselves ready to question you.” Uncuffing her wrists he tugged her to her feet.

“They'll know it was you, I can't....” she started but he interrupted as he stepped to the door.

“No, I'll just tell them that you put a spell on me, forced me to let you out” He turned suddenly at the door so that she bumped into him. “Just promise me one thing in return...” his grin almost split his face in half and the excitement he was extruding was almost overwhelming.

As she looked at him questioningly he continued “to tell me your name and to meet me at Dave's Diner, Pinehurst Ave, Hudson Heights at 10 am tomorrow.”

She took a deep breath, “Alright then, it's Molly” she smiled briefly and then was shown promptly to the back door where she easily blended into the dark night and vanished.

He watched her disappear and moved back into the station to go back to his normal duties but his mind was too full of what he'd just witnessed to do anything other than join the other officers and share suspicions and theories. The Captain stood just off to the side, realizing that it would be some time before he could get them back to the task of questioning and locking up all the criminals caught that night. So he settled for trying to gather ideas about what exactly it was that they had witnessed.