CHAPTER 1: Take Me Away

“I’m not trying to hurt you Aqua,” That’s what he said after he broke up with me, not that it helped at all. “You’re just too submissive and that’s not really what I’m looking for.” Maybe he was right, but I wish I knew before I wasted all that time with him. “I thought it was hot at first but I'm a little bored with it now. I had a good time with you, but I can’t picture this going anywhere.” They always get bored so why do I bother dating at all? Maybe because I thought love would save me from my depressing life.

I couldn’t help the tears and he couldn’t help wiping them away before he walked out of my life for good. Later that week my therapist had to dive deeper into the situation in every way. I didn’t have much to rely on now for happiness but that’s nothing new. I thought things would look up soon because I was with him, but you can’t put all your hope in a relationship. My parents knew it wouldn’t last but that’s because they didn’t think everyone was cut out for relationships. I was one of those people to them.

When I came home from my therapy appointment, we had guests. No one I’d ever seen before, but I didn’t think too much of it since I didn’t know all my parent’s friends or co-workers. I was supposed to be on my way to class, but I dropped out of college a few weeks ago. I didn’t tell my parents since I didn’t really drop out, well not officially. I just stopped attending my classes and a few already dropped me. Sometimes I wondered what this was all for because I don’t know if I was living for myself or just to fit into social structures and economy. Maybe it was my ADHD that made me feel so disconnected or maybe it was more than that. “Aqua, you should join us,” my mom said when I almost slipped away to my room. 

It seemed like they were arguing before I came in, so I wasn’t going to bother introducing myself. I walked into the living room where they were all seated on two separate couches. On one were my parents and on the other were two oddly dressed men. One looked a little older than me and the other could have been his father easily. The older man looked familiar but distantly. “I’m Aqua, their oldest daughter,” I introduced myself since nobody else wanted to speak first.  

The younger man muttered, “That’s up to debate.”

A faint sigh came from the older man in response to the younger. “I’m Konn and this is my son Cade.” They seemed different than anyone I had met before and I wasn’t only talking about appearance.

“We should tell you something first, Aqua.” My father blurted out. “I’m ashamed we haven’t already had this discussion. We should have had it in private a long time ago.”

I didn’t want to have this conversation because I already knew. “You mean about how you found me when I was a baby-” I wanted to get straight to the point since anticipation was frustrating for me. 

“You know, but how?” my mother cut me off as usual. “We made sure you wouldn’t know… we’ll not this soon.” I never suspected until I was fourteen or fifteen. Somehow, I knew but I was hoping every kid felt that way. It’s not like I looked that different from my parents. Sure, we didn’t look identical but from what I seen not all families did.

Konn stepped forward. “It’s the intuition. We don’t have much time approved, so I have to cut to the chase.” He looked down at me. “I’m your birth father and I left you in this world nineteen years ago. I didn’t plan on coming back but now I don’t have a choice. I must bring you back with me. I can’t say anymore in front of them.” It shouldn’t have felt as real as it did. 

“Father we need to leave, we don’t need anyone's understanding or permission.” Cade looked down at his watch nervously.

“Of course, you need permission, we raised her.” My mother wasn’t going to just let me go with them but it’s not like I was a minor. If I wanted to go I could, in fact I felt drawn to them. “You don’t have any proof that she’s your daughter. You’ll get a test done then we’ll figure the rest out.”

Konn didn’t pay my adoptive mother any attention. He looked at me as if It was my decision. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he said he left me in this ‘world’ as if he lived in another. A lot hit me all at once and I wasn’t even over my breakup yet. “Can we slow down?”

Cade scoffed. “No, we can’t.” He started to pace. “They told us we had an hour to be here and back with the possible holder of the almost lost abilities. The outside world is already insufferable enough.” 

I’d be crazy to disobey my adoptive parents and go along with them wouldn’t I be? I would be stupid, naive, and gullible. I turned to my parents and really saw them. I saw what they represented in this moment and how I never really felt a family bond with them. I had my chance to start over somewhere new. If someone asked me now, why I was even considering leaving with these two strange men I’d smile and say I had nothing to lose. I’d say nothing could be worse than existing the way I was in an empty day to day life where I couldn’t feel whole or even barely satisfied. I looked away from my adoptive parents and up at Konn. He looked like a clean responsible type and not like someone I’d even get along with. If what he was saying was true, then he abandoned me with no plans to come back. The only reason he was here now seemed to be an order from someone they saw as important. For some reason I knew I’d be fine, call it ‘intuition’ like Konn did but I knew. “Get me out of here,” I said with exhaustion.

Konn simply nodded and my parents followed us outside yelling. My mom went back in after threatening to call the police as if I weren’t over eighteen. “Aqua, I’m so disappointed in you for leaving like this, you don’t care about your siblings, us who raised you, or anyone else but yourself!” I’d be lying if I said those words my adoptive father said didn’t hurt. I didn’t reply to what he said because after feeling a heavy wind, the ground shake, and a loud noise I turned around to see two large… dragons in our front yard. Thankfully, we lived outside of town and there wasn’t another house for miles, but they wouldn’t have even believed their eyes.