“Is she up yet?” Rose asked. “She used to like to sleep until noon given the chance, and yesterday was a long day.”
“She and Cheryl are upstairs getting ready together,” his mom said. “From what I saw, they’re already the best of friends.”
“I think I’ll go find her, if that’s okay,” Rose said, getting to her feet. “The sooner we talk the better.”
“Up the stairs and to the right,” he said, pulling her down for a kiss that made a blush spread across her cheeks before he let her go.
***Rose***
Rose could hear Chloe laughing and giggling with Malcolm’s sister as soon as she got to the top of the stairs, and it warmed her heart to hear her so happy after what she’d been through the day before. She followed the sound down the hallway, then knocked and waited, smiling when she heard them whispering and closing cabinets before they opened the door.
Chloe was grinning behind Cheryl, but her face fell when she saw Rose. “We don’t have to leave yet, do we?” she asked, stepping out of the bathroom. “I was thinking maybe I could go to school with the other kids today, you know, just to see what it’s like.”
“You don’t want to go back to your other school?” she asked, surprised. “I thought you loved it there.”
Her sister shook her head. “I hated it there, all the other girls did was make fun of me, they called me the pretender, it was awful, I just said that to make you happy,” Chloe said. “Chet said you would be upset if I didn’t stay; he said it was your idea, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Oh, Chloe, he was lying, I just want you to be happy,” she said, giving her sister a hug. “I don’t care where you go to school.”
“Rose, what’s going to happen to me?” Chloe asked when she pulled away, her eyes full of tears. “I’m scared of Chet, I don’t want…”
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to let him get you,” she said. “But we’re not going to be able to do that alone, we’re going to need some help, and Malcolm knows some people who can help us.”
“You mean his clan?” Chloe asked, perking up. “Cheryl says the clan can protect me, but I didn’t really believe her. I thought she was just telling stories to make me feel better.”
“How much did she tell you?” she asked, then saw the guilty look on her sister’s face. “You weren’t supposed to tell me that you knew, were you?”
“She swore me to secrecy; she’ll be really mad if she finds out that I slipped up already,” Chloe said, then sighed. “I really like it here, I don’t want to screw up.”
“I don’t think telling me counts.I already know about Malcolm and the clan,” she said, putting her arm around Chloe’s shoulders. “But how about we pretend that I told you, and that way you won’t be in trouble with Cheryl.”
Chloe sighed with relief, then looked over at her. “So, it really is true,” she said, then leaned in closer. “Malcolm can turn into a dragon.”
She nodded. “And he’s not the only one, but it really is a secret, so you can’t tell anyone,” she said. “Cheryl is also right about how we can ask his clan for protection. Chet belongs to a different clan, one they’ve been at war with for a long time. It could get messy, but we’re not going to give up until we’re both safe.”
Her sister thought about that for a long time, then shrugged. “I like it here, they’re really nice and the shifter thing is kind of cool,” she said. “Are you in love with Malcolm? Are you going to marry him? Will you turn into a shifter?”
“Hey, slow down,” she said, laughing, one question at a time. “Yes, I’m in love with Malcolm, but we haven’t talked aboutmarriage. I think there’s enough going on already, and no, I won’t turn into a shifter if I marry him.”
“Okay, but if you do, I want to be in the wedding,” Chloe said, then looked over at Cheryl who was waiting patiently. “So, what’s the deal? Can I go to school with Cheryl or what?”
“I don’t see why not, as long as the school doesn’t care,” she said, shaking her head at the resilience of teenagers. “But we’re going to be talking to some of the clan elders today, and I thought you might want to be here.”
“Do I have to?” Chloe asked, shifting from foot to foot.
“No, you don’t,” she said with a sigh. “Go on back to Cheryl. I think it will be fine if you go to school with her if that’s what you really want.”
“Thanks, Rose,” Chloe squealed, throwing her arms around her. “You’re the best. I hope we get to stay here forever.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said, shaking her head, but relieved her sister was okay. “I don’t think Margaret will want to take on another teenager.”
She was greeted by silence and questioning looks when she came back into the kitchen. “She’s getting ready to go to school with Cheryl. I explained everything that’s going on, but she’s more concerned with her hair right at the moment, so I think she’s going to be just fine,” she said, then shook her head. “She’s got it in her head that she wants to stay here forever.”
“We’d love to have her,” Margaret said. “One more wouldn’t make that much difference.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean… that’s very generous…I couldn’t,” she stammered, a bit overcome with gratitude.
“We can talk about it later,” Malcolm’s dad said, giving her a big smile. “But Margaret is right, one more wouldn’t make much difference if she really wants to stay.”
