Chapter 6

            It is deadly silent in the forest. I always keep a look out for soldiers out of sight. Lia is walking beside me. Unconsciously, I start to hum a tune which the band and I made up a few days ago. Or was it yesterday? Lia keeps glancing at me. It isn’t long until she says, “What is the name of the song you’re humming, Anthony?”

            I stop humming, stunned by the sudden question.

            “It’s called ‘Stranger in the Bistro’,” I answer her truthfully. Chase thought up of the name since he dedicated this song to Charissa. Zack was pestering Chase all day to bring Charissa to our home one day.

            “Bistro?” Lia asks in confusion. I feel like kicking myself at my stupidity.

            “Forget it,” I mumble. She still looks confused but didn’t say anything.

            It is awkward. Usually, Lia and I will joke around in the forest. Now it’s like both of us have never met each other.

            I decide to end the tension by saying, “It is nice not having you talking for once.”

            From the corner of my eyes, I can see her rolling her eyes. “You’re lying. You miss my voice.”

            I smile. “Yes, your voice that sounds like a croaking of a frog I miss so much.”

            She hit me in the arm playfully. “This is the voice of your future queen. How dare you compare my beautiful voice to a frog’s?”

            “Apparently I do.”

            She shakes her head but I can see her lips threatening a smile. “You’re odd, Anthony.”

            “Thank you!”

            “It’s not even a compliment,” she states with annoyance.

“I take it as one then,” I reply.

            Before we know it, it’s getting dark. Lia looks as white as a sheet of paper. Is she cold? It is a shame that I didn’t have the time to grab a jacket.

            “I have to go. Keep walking north. I’ll join you in the morning,” Lia announces out of the blue. My eyes widen. Is this woman crazy?

            “It’s getting dark and dangerous. I’ll go with you!” I say.

            “Stay away from me, Anthony!” she warns.

            She starts to walk away from me. I run to catch up with her. When she is out of my sight, I start to call out her name. It is already dark. I can’t even see my own hands let alone Lia. What on earth am I going to do?

            I take out my smart phone from my small bag which I still carry and switch it on. The light is not that bright but it is enough to see. Luckily, I put a box of matches into my bag. I take a thick stick and light it up. The phone is now safely in my bag again. Again, I call out for Lia.

            There is suddenly a loud roar. I jump in surprise. It doesn’t sound like any animal I recognize. Great, I’ll be eaten by an animal. It didn’t stop me from looking for Lia.

            Why did she leave, like she did every night? I know that I’m not supposed to look for her due to the king’s order but I have to protect her. It is my duty after all.

            “Lia!” I scream, getting worried as time passes by. I don’t care if the animal decides to eat me as long as I find Lia.

            What if she doesn’t return as she promised? I’ll be in so much trouble. The king and kingdom will be disappointed at me. The royal family in my time won’t exist. Who knows that my time will change into a darker place?

            Then, I hear a twig snap.

            I quickly conceal myself behind a bush, extinguishing the fire. Moonlight makes the surrounding bright so I don’t need the fire anymore.

            I peek to see a huge animal in a meadow. I can’t see it clearly because it is black in colour. It is huge as well. It is stands as tall as the ceiling in my room back in my time. It has a long neck and tail. The four-legged animal has scales and long talons. When it turns to look at my direction, I choke at my own spit.

            I’m looking at a dragon.

            My body freeze in shock but a curse escapes out of my mouth.

            “Bloody hell,” I curse.

            The dragon’s head snap at my direction. My instincts screams, Run, you dumb ass! That’s a bloody dragon!

            I take my instinct’s advice and break into a run. I keep cursing as I run as fast as my body capable to go.

            The dragon roars at me. I feel a sudden breeze from my back, knowing that the dragon is flying towards me. The dragon lands gracefully in front of me. I curse again, turning around. The dragon quickly surrounds me with it’s tail blocking my exit.

            It’s yellow eyes stares into mine. It doesn’t look dangerous at all. However, I don’t dare to take the risk. I start to pray that the dragon is not hungry.

            The strangest thing happens. The dragon writes something on the dirt with it’s sharp claws. I make out the words ‘Lia’ on the dirt.

            I take out my sword and point it at the dragon.

            “What did you do with Princess Lia, you beast?” I yell at it. I know I sound like a Kyrian but I’m sure you’ll do the same thing if you’re in my shoes.

            My eyes seems to be playing tricks with me because I swear I see the dragon rolling it’s eyes. Does it think this is a joke? Does it even understand my yelling? What is the point in yelling at a dragon? Why did I even yell at the creature?

            My hands are shaking in cold and fear but I keep a steady hold on my sword. “I ask you again, beast, what did you do with Princess Lia? If you eat or harm her, I will rip your heart out without a second thought!” I yell again. It is surprising that my voice didn’t break.

            The dragon points it’s talon at itself, then at the name a few times. It finally dawns to me that only one person in this century rolls eyes at me.

            “Lia?” I ask, unsure.

            The dragon nods. My eyes widen in disbelief.

            How did Lia transform into a dragon? My thoughts run wild.

            “How . . . What . . .” I stutter, not sure how to respond. Lia moves so she is no longer surrounding me. She covers her face with her two upper arms, as if to say ‘Don’t look at me, I’m ugly’. I pace towards slowly and carefully her. Lia removes her arms to watch my movements. She sighs when I touch her hard body. I remove my hands away from her to feel my own soft hands as she tense for my reaction.

            “Is that really you, Lia?” I ask the dragon.

            The dragon nods again. I can see tears filled in her eyes.

            “Please don’t cry,” I soothe her. Her eyes widen like she is surprised that I’ll still comfort her even if she is a dragon. I am surprised myself. This dragon is still Lia, my best friend.

            I take a few steps back to see her fully. She has black hard scales and her long leathery wings folded behind her. She is sitting on four legs, her belly on the floor. Her long neck stretches as far as the height of a lamp pose. Her huge head rests on the forest floor and her yellow cat-like eyes stares into mine.

            “How did this happen?” I ask.

            Lia opens her mouth. Instead, a groan comes out which makes me understand that she can’t speak as a dragon.

            I sigh in disappointment. Questions fill in my head.         Including ridiculous ones. I want answers.

            “Are you born like this?” I look at her up and down.

            She shakes her head. Instead, she writes something on the ground. I turn my head slightly to see she has written, ‘Cursed’.

            My eyes widen. Is she like me? Cursed at ten years old?

            “Did you start shifting at the age of ten?” I ask, dreading for her answer.

            Her eyes widen in surprise and nods. I’m sure she’s wondering how I guessed it quickly. I’m not ready to tell her my curse yet.

            “When will you shift back?” When she shifts back into human, I can tell her face-to-face.

            She stands up on all four, staring at the moon directly above her. Now it clicks everything. She had to hide to shift into a mythical creature every night.

            “In the morning?” I guess.

            She looks down at me and nods.

            I stand up and start to pace around, thinking of the similarities of our curse. It started when we were both ten years old. Her curse happens at night as mine once in a few days. What else do we have in common? It is luck that we met each other. Maybe she can answer some of my questions that I wanted to know all my life.

            It hits me like a falling meteor just hit my head; no wonder she looked so afraid yesterday when I told her of the Kyrian newcomers. They did claim that they are dragon slayers. Does this also mean that there are more dragons out there? More cursed ones like us. 

After seven years of time traveling, I have never been so desperate to know the answer. I can’t wait for the sun to rise for my answers.

Lia is curled up, looking at me walking in circles. I can see that she is concern for my mental health.

I bet that she is surprised that I’m not running away from her. She is still the princess and it is still my duty to protect her. I wish that I can read what’s going on in her mind. She glances at me constantly, seeing whether I’ll run away or not.

I have been sitting on the same spot for hours, not being able to sleep. Who would be if there’s a dragon sleeping in front of you?

Can I actually free myself from my curse and live a normal life? Just as Anthony Weinbach, the Rebellious Lads’ lead singer. That’s all. Sir Anthony Johnson will cease to exist. That is if I find a way to end this curse.

Lia suddenly stands. I stand along with her, looking around for danger. The sun is starting to rise. Behind me, a human scream erupts. I turn to see the dragon slowly transforming into human. A few more minutes of screams later, Lia is lying on the floor as a human, panting hard.

I hug her as she starts to shake.

“Why do you still touch me? I’m a monster,” Lia whispers.

“A monster is evil. You are not evil,” I tell her.

“I am still cursed to be a monster.” She slowly sits up; I hover opposite of her and sit down too.

I am not ready to tell my curse yet. I have to know the answers to my question and then I’ll tell her.

“Now can you tell me how it all started?” I ask, staring into her yellow eyes which are slowly turning brown.

It all started when on Lia’s tenth birthday. Only the king and queen celebrated her birthday without anyone’s knowledge. She started to burn, like fever. The king and queen were so worried that the king carried her to her chambers. That’s when she turned into a dragon. The king and queen were shocked to see their only daughter turned into a dragon. It was even more shocking that Lia was still in control of herself. Ever since that day, she always disappears into the forest at night. No one except the king and the deceased queen knows of her curse.  

“Wow,” I finally say when she ended her story.

She looks down at the floor in shame. “I’m sorry for not telling you, Anthony. You’re the best friend any one can ever have.”

“Is there a cure?” I ask. Hope fills in me.

“I don’t know if there are any. I don’t even know why I was cursed,” Lia says sadly.

She grabs my hand abruptly. “Please don’t tell anyone about this. Promise me, Anthony!” I look up to see her eyes are now brown as usual.

“I promise you, Lia, that wouldn’t tell a soul about this matter,” I promise her with all my heart. I don’t know if this promise includes my friends in my time.

I nearly confess until my vision turns black and white. What a bummer. I can’t tell her now! I’m not ready!

I check to see that my small bag is still at my back. I stand up which makes Lia to stand with me.

I grab both her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. She is startled by my action.

“Listen to me, Lia. I have to go just for a few minutes. Keep heading north,” I instruct her. Now I sound just like her yesterday before she left.

“What? Why? Is it because of my curse? You don’t want to be with me any more?” She starts to have tears in her eyes. How can she think that I would leave her just because she turns into a dragon? I would have run away last night if she thinks that I do.

“No! It’s just that. . .” Before I can blurt out the truth, my sight turns black. I have forgotten that I am still holding Lia’s shoulder.

I’m back in my room, with Lia by my side.

“Anthony! I’m sure you’ll be back by now! I receive a phone call that we have a gig . . .” Gabriella yells, barging into my room. She gawks at Lia as Lia stares back at Gab.

“Shit,” I curse.

Gabriella got over her shock pretty quickly because she hit my arm many times. “How could you bring a princess to our time, you dumb ass!”

I shield my arm from more abuse from her. “Gab, stop. It was an accident!”

“Yes! An accident that can change both our present and future! You can be so irresponsible sometimes!” Gabriella scolds me.

Lia, on the other hand, watch the scene silently. She looks very confused. “Are you Anthony’s spouse?” Lia asks finally.

Gabriella and I choke on our own spit at her question.

“I can assure you that we are not, your highness,” Gabriella says politely. I nod in agreement.

“How did we end up here, Anthony?” Lia asks calmly. She takes this situation very calmly unlike me who pointed a sword at her.

I turn to face her. “You are not the only one who is cursed, Lia.”

Now her eyes widen.

My room door opens with a loud bang, in comes Chase, Zack and Daniel. They are arguing about something until they see Lia. The room is now filled with tension.

I clear my throat. “Guys, meet Princess Lia.”

The band stares at Lia as if she is the only extinct animal left alive. Daniel quickly holds Gab’s hands. Lia seems to realize that Daniel and Gab are together.

“Lia, meet Chase, Zack, Daniel and Gabriella,” I continue introducing.

It is quiet for another minute until Zack says, “You look so much different than we Googled you.”

Gab slaps his arm hard, making Zack whines in pain. Lia looks even more confused.

“Guys, can you leave us for a moment. I have to talk to Lia about my curse,” I tell them. They murmur in agreement and leave my room.

Lia looks at my room in fascination. I’m sure to her, it looks so modern.

“Lia, maybe you should sit down,” I advise. Wordlessly, she sits on my bed, waiting for me to speak.

“I’m cursed to time travel,” I begin. She looks like she is going to faint.

“Which year are we in? 1700s?” she guess.

“2013,” I answer. She looks so surprised.

“That’s why your accent is different. Your accent sound just like your friends just now. The way you spoke with them is as if a modern Anthony appears out of nowhere. Is your name really Anthony?”

I rub behind my neck nervously, answering, “Yes. The name I was born with is Anthony Weinbach. I just adopted the name Johnson in your time.”

She nods in understanding.

“You’re not the only one keeping secrets, Lia,” I say quietly.

“I’m glad. We’re now even,” she states.

“I agree. I’m glad you know, Lia. It’s getting difficult to lie to you,” I say honestly.

She smiles. “Now, tell your tale.”

I tell her everything about my curse, how it started and how it works. I take out my smart phone to check any missed calls or texts. Lia stares at my phone in fascination. I hand her the phone to observe.

“What do you call this?” she asks, touching the smooth screen.

I grin. “It’s called a phone. You can communicate with anyone around the world. You can also text and e-mail.”

“Text and e-what?”

I start to laugh uncontrollably.

“Stop laughing at me! It is not even funny! I am from the past, after all!” she exclaims.

“You’re taking this situation awfully calmly. I’m impressed,” I tell her.

“If you ask me, I prefer time traveling to shifting into a dragon for a curse. It would be fun to learn something new,” she says, her face falling.

I frown at her. “I would prefer to turn into a dragon. I mean, you can fly!”

Our conversation is cut short when Gabriella comes in to check on us. I tell Gab to change Lia into the 21st century clothes. Gab is so excited that she literally drags Lia out of my room. Gab looks so happy to see another female around. After all, she is the only girl in the house. I change into my jeans, white button-up shirt and Polo shoes. Downstairs, Zack and Chase are lying on the floor of the living room, playing video games. 

I sigh in exhaustion as soon as I plop down on the couch next to Daniel.

“Dude, you looked like you didn’t sleep all night,” Daniel comments.

“That’s because I didn’t. Gab was so mad that she punched me about ten times at my arm,” I complain, rubbing my sore arm.

 Daniel chuckles. “I can never understand women nor will I learn to understand them.”

“So do I, man.”

Daniel suddenly snaps his fingers, “I forgot to tell you! There is going to be a gig tomorrow.”

I groan. “Where?”

“At Eli Park.” To clear your confusion, we named a park after King Eli, Lia’s father. A famous architect built a statue of King Eli in the middle of the park.

“So what are we going to do with the princess until you travel back?” Chase asks me, without turning. 

I shrug. “I have no idea. To be honest, I haven’t thought of it until you mention it.”

“We have school tomorrow. Are you going to skip for a few days until you send her back?” Daniel points out.

“Maybe,” I muse with a smirk. “It is my duty to keep an eye on her, even if we are 545 years apart.”

Zack starts to laugh like a maniac. Chase pause the game as the three of us wait for Zack to recover to explain why he laughed without a reason.

“Man, she’s like 500 years older than you!” Zack exclaims, starting to laugh harder until he drop the controller. Chase cast me a glance before punching Zack’s arm. I give Chase a thankful smile.

“Why is everyone punching me today?” Zack whines. “The Chase, Daniel and Anthony I used to know have changed ever since they got themselves a girl.”

“That’s because we grew up, unlike you,” Daniel answers.

Chase and I chuckle at Zack’s glare at Daniel.

“Guys?” Gabriella’s voice asks. The four of us turn to see Gabriella and a very-modern looking Lia. Lia stares at me as I stare at her. She is wearing jeans and a flowery blouse. She looks very different from the last time I saw her, which was merely a few minutes ago.

“So what do you think? She looks pretty, doesn’t she?” Gabriella asks. I look at Gab to see her smirk at me. Confusion is displayed on my face.

Lia give a smile at me. The smile is infectious that I had to smile back at her. I know that she is nervous from the look on her face. I look at my watch to see that it is going to be dark soon.

No matter which century she’ll be in, her curse will still be active.

I walk up to Lia and announce to my friends, “I have to bring Lia somewhere. Don’t stay up late for us!”

The guys and Gabriella gives me a Cheshire grin. “Good luck, Anthony,” Zack says with amusement in his eyes.

I didn’t have the time to glare at him as I guide Lia out of the house.

“How do you like modern clothing?” I ask with a teasing grin.

She looks down at her attire. “It feels weird. All my life I have been wearing dresses and gowns. It’s nice for a change. You have a beautiful castle,” Lia compliments.

“Thanks. It’s actually called a mansion, Lia,” I explain, entering the garage to see five sporty cars in front of us. Lia didn’t have the time to stare at the cars because I pull her into my Nissan. I open the door for her as she slides in. Glancing at the watch again, I find that we have another 15 more minutes until the sun sets. After I fasten both our seatbelts, I ignite the engine and press the button to open the garage doors automatically.

We zoom away from the mansion with full speed. Lia stares at the scenery through the window.

“What do you call this thing we’re sitting in? It looks like an alien transportation,” she says.

I chuckle at her description of cars. “It’s called a car. It is invented in the 1900s.”

She nods, her eyes glued on the tall buildings. “Are we still in Elopura? Or does the name change over the years?”

“We are still in Elopura and we still call it Elopura. However, the prime minister rules the country though your descendants still exist,” I tell her. Now we are no longer in the city. The green surrounds us.

She turns to look at me. “If the royal family still exists, then why does this prime minister rule our kingdom?”

I sigh. “It’s rather difficult to explain how our country works in this time. I’ll tell you later.”

“What’s the name of the current king and queen?” she questions curiously.

“King Philip and his wife, Queen Alexis. They have only one child named, Prince Edward. King Philip and Prince Edward is your direct descendant.”

Her eyes widen bigger than ever. “Then who is my future husband?”

I looks at her for a second before turning back to face the road. “That is a mystery no one seems to know. What I do know is that you’ll have two children.”

“How did you know all this? You can’t travel at will, can you?”

“No. I only travel to your time. You see, in this century, we have Internet. It is where we can look for information, communicate with people anywhere and work.”

Lia looks overwhelmed with all this information.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly apologize. “Am I going too fast for you?”

“No, it’s just that the future looks so much interesting than the time I’m living in. Where are we going?”

“We’re going to a protected forest nearby. Don’t worry! No one comes to the forest at night. Don’t ask me why. I heard that there are ghosts of the Elopurian soldiers wandering around so the locals are deadly afraid to enter the forest at night,” I reply.

She nods again. “How long do we have until we travel back to our time?”

 I shrug. “It depends. The longest I have ever gone is a week.”

She stays quiet for a minute before asking another question. “Are you really 23?”

I stiffen, did not seen that one coming. “No. I’m 17, just like you.”

She looks at me in surprise. “You look older than your age.”

I give her a half-smile. “I get that a lot.”

We finally reach the forest. In three minutes time, Lia will shift into a dragon. As soon as we are both out of the car, I pull her into the forest aimlessly, not caring if we get lost. The forest in my time and the one in the past are different so it is difficult to find our way in the forest.

Not long later, I hear a crack which sounds more like a bone snapping.

“Anthony,” Lia moans in pain, knowing the shift is nearing.

I continue to hold her hand while running to a meadow. Her hand is becoming bigger and I can feel her claws against my skin. I turn to witness Lia transforming into a mythical creature. She let go of my hand. I look at my hand to see blood flowing out of the claw marks she made.

“Sorry,” Lia is able to say before an animal whine escapes through her gritted teeth. She is growing taller every second. I witness Lia shifts for the first time. She cries as her leathery black wings growing from her back. She looks like in so much pain that I can’t do anything except watch.

A long tail is formed, surrounding us in a circle. She falls on the ground with a loud thump.

“Lia!” I yell, running to see her face. Her eyes are closed but her breathings are deep and uneven. I put my palm on her huge cheek.

“Lia,” I say again, which makes her yellow eyes snap open. I take a step back, startled. She slowly stands up.

I grin at her.

Instead, she looks at my hands with a sad moan.

I look to see the damage she accidentally made.

“It’s okay, Lia. It’s not that bad,” I assure her, touching my hand. I wince softly in pain which makes her drop her long face in shame. “There is nothing to worry about, it’s just an accident. You can’t stop your curse.”

She nudges me towards the direction of my car. I stand still, crossing my hands over my chest. “I am not leaving you here alone,” I say stubbornly.

She sighs in defeat, sitting on four legs. I walk towards her and sit, with my back leaning against her scaly stomach.

Since it is so quiet, I decide to talk. “Tomorrow I have school but I’ll ditch school to show you around the new Elopura. The guys and Gabriella can go to school without me. We even have a gig tomorrow. Would you like to come with us?”

I turn to see her yellow eyes, confused. I smack my forehead when I remember that she is from the past.

“A gig is like a performance. The guys and I are in a band. We are quite famous. Remember when you asked me which instrument I played? Well, I play the electric guitar. Are there guitars in your time?” I ask. She shakes her head in reply.

“I’ll show you a guitar if you want to come, of course,” I say, waiting for her reply.

She nods in agreement. I can’t help but smile in happiness. Her thick lips are also curled upwards, a dragon-like smile.

“Can you do anything else, other than fly?” I ask, bouncing up and down in excitement. She rolls her eyes at my childishness. She stands up and inhales a small breath before fire blows out of her mouth.

“Wow,” I say in amazement. “You’re a fire-breather dragon! That’s awesome!”

She sits back down but I, on the other hand, am too excited to sit.

Lia and I hear music coming from my pocket. The ring tone is a rock song. Lia looks at me with fear in her eyes. I take out my phone to see an unknown number, which I know it’s Jared’s.

“It’s just the phone, Lia,” I mumble before talking on the phone.

“What do you want, Jared?” I ask in rage. Lia flinch at my tone. She has never seen me so angry before.

“Is that how you talk to your father, son?” he asks from the other line. Lia’s eyes widen in shock. I’m surprised that she can hear my conversation. I didn’t tell her about my family yet.

I start to shake in fury. “You are not my father, Jared!”

He sighs. “Look, son. I’m sorry for what I did for the past seven years.”

“Sorry is not enough, Jared. Hell, I don’t even know why I still respond to your calls. If mum was still alive, she would have divorce you long ago,” I snap. “Now why are you calling me?”

“I just want to apologize,” he says in a soft voice.

“And I don’t believe that. Now tell me the real reason why.”

Jared didn’t say anything for a few seconds before saying, “Betty returns to me today after she bailed me out. We found out that Jen is pregnant.”

“What?” I scream at him.

His voice becomes softer as he continues saying, “We are planning to give away the baby as soon as Jen gives birth.”

“How dare you!” I snarl at him. “It’s an innocent child that Jen created and now you’re planning to give it away!”

“What else can I do, Anthony? It’s too much for us to handle! Jen is still a teenager! She’s not ready to become a mum.”

“That is Jen’s fault, Jared. The press is going to find out about this. I am ashamed to admit that I’m a Weinbach!”

He sighs. “What is there to do, Anthony? The first thing that Jen told me when I met her today was, ‘I want to get rid of this thing inside of me.’ And I promised that I would.”

I sigh in frustration while massaging my forehead with my free hand. Why did I even get into all this troubles? Didn’t I have enough problems in hand? “Do whatever you want Jared. From now onwards, don’t contact me anymore. I’m sick and tired of all the problems you cause. I want nothing to do with your family.”

“You’re my family,” Jared whispers.

“I was your family,” I correct him. “That is until you married that witch. Never call me again or else I’ll have to change my number and get a court order for you to stay away from me. I have many lawyers on my side so don’t try anything funny. Do you understand, Jared?”

He didn’t answer me until he agrees, “Okay.”

Without hesitation, I hang up on him. Lia stares at me, waiting for me to explain. I sit back down against Lia.

I begin telling her of my family, explaining how different life is in the past and present. I fall asleep when I end my story.

I wake up to the sound of an animal roar. My eyes adjust to see a dragon slowly turning into a human. The roar sounds more human. I can barely make out Lia’s dragon form anymore. When the transformation is over, I hug her small human body. She shakes so violently that I’m shaking along with her. She wears the same jeans and blouse she wore before she shifted.

“Anthony,” she mumbles.

“I’m here, Lia. I’ll always be here for you,” I tell her, hugging her closer to my chest.

She slowly sits up. Again she looks at my wounded hands before bursting into tears. “I hate this curse. I’m able to hurt the ones I care about,” she cries.

I calm her down by tracing circles at her back. When her cries lower down, I pull myself away to look at her.

“Don’t ever think that way, Lia. Just think of it as stepping on my foot accidentally. You didn’t mean it,” I say.

She sighs. I grin and stand up, pulling her up with me.

“Let’s go and explore your country in the future, shall we, your highness?” I ask.

She grins back, forgotten about the claw marks on my hand.

“And so we shall, Anthony Weinbach."

I realize that this is the first time I hear Lia call me by my real name, which makes me smile at the thought.