These next few moments were a blur so I'm going to try to explain them as currently as I can. As I look at my midnight black hands, I feel an aching throughout my entire body. I mean, nothing, nothing was not aching. As if by nature, my body does something not even I predicted, it started running for the hills, literally. I stop running for fear that one of my body parts would pop off. As I'm resting, I hear Mom and Carla in the distance. I feel like I'm about to run until something happens that stops me like Medusa, my back feels like it's on fire. I scream in pain. As I feel something coming off my back, I notice my hands, they're, they're hardening! Turning my skin into something like scales! What is wrong with me! Is this a dream? This is just a dream, this is just a dream. As I am repeating that, the pain in my back sharpens. Okay, it's not a dream. Then as if it were and I just woken up, everything stops hurting. Ahh... relief. But wait, something, something isn't right. I'm lower to the ground than I usually am. Hello? I try to say, but to my surprise, a small growl comes out. What is wrong with me? I growl. "Ah!" I hear a scream behind me. Turning around, I see Carla on the hilltop, frozen in fear at something. I'm looking around and see nothing to be scared of. But just then

I realize what, or who, she's scared of. Me. I slowly inch my way to her, trying my best, despite me walking on both hands and feet, oddly, trying my best to seem curious. As I inch forward, she inches back. "Stay away from me, you, you THING!" I'm stopped by her words. Carla, what are you talking about? Yet again another growl. I guess she must have saw the look in my eyes, because after I stop, Carla says "Oh, I'm sorry, fella," Oh, I forgot Carla's an animal lover, and I am dating her, but why would she call me a thing? Thinking back to that and the few hours that went by earlier, I feel something different about my body. Wings! I'm making my way up the hill, Carla is making her way down to me. We meet halfway down the hill, she puts her hand out to pet me. She flinches as I move my head into the open palm of her hand. "You're not to scary, now that I am up close," as she pets me, I can't help but let out a light, almost purring like, growl. "I can't help but think I meet you before," I look up at her. I must have had one of my loving looks because she stops petting me, just looking at me. She looks frozen in fear again. Same as earlier, she comes in for another hug. I saw this one coming. She gives me another hug. As she hugs, her grip tightens in a soft, comforting way.

"You're warm," she says, again. "Oh, Shawn," Carla says. "I can't believe it," Believe what? I growl. "I can't believe- wait, did you just growl? You just growled, but I understood you," Okay, well, this just got a bit more weird. I growl. "I know how you feel. I mean, I just can't get over the fact that I'm dating a dragon. I am actually dating a dragon, now," Wait, what? Dragon? That's what's been happening to me? I'm a dragon? "Shawn? That you? Where are you, Shawn?" Mom! Over the hill! I growl. "What was that?" Mom says. She didn't hear me. "Wait, how come I can hear you but she can't?" Carla says. "Carla? That you?" "Yeah, I'm over the hills, with Shawn! But be careful," "Why? Did something worse happen to Shawn?" "I guess it could go both ways," Both ways? This could go both ways? "Carla! Get away from that thing! It could hurt you!" Mom is over top the hill. "It's okay, I don't think he'd hurt me," Oh, thanks Mom. That hurt. I let out a deep growl. "Shawn?" Mom looks shocked. It's okay, Mom. Carla's right, I wouldn't hurt her on purpose. I growl. "Shawn, do you know how this happened?" I shake my head no. "Okay then," Carla, tell Mom that I'll be back, can you do that for me? I growl. "I heard you, Shawn," Mom says. "Just be back soon,"