Zoey had a huge, ancient-looking textbook propped up in front of her, struggling to read it in the dimly lit cave-dungeon Doug had in place of his basement. She heard him returning from upstairs and he handed her a flashlight, apologizing for it taking so long.

“That should help a bit, let’s resume training.” he suggested, and she gave him a serious nod.

Ferris, who had been staring at his phone as if he was bored, put it away and returned his attention to Doug.

“I’ll start with something small as a warm-up.” Zoey told Doug, who just let out a breath in response.

Taking that to mean he was ready, she flipped through the book and started shouting out the names of small flowers. Doug grew and wilted the flowers almost as fast as she was able to yell the out, so she started throwing some shrubs and bushes in as well, which took him a few extra seconds.

Doug just maintained focus, looking as if he was passionately conducting a flower based orchestra. Zoey was a little distracted by how pretty the show was, and Ferris took the book.

“Faster now, Oak, Birch, Pine, Oak, Oak, Tiger Maple!” He demanded, and Doug seemed to waver, for a second, but then doubled down, and the trees came exploding out of the ground at the same pace the small flowers had previously had, nearly bursting into wood chips as he destroyed them.

Zoey was enthralled by what she was seeing, but Ferris still seemed concerned. “Are you sure this is the best way for us to train for your new powers?” he called out, in between shouting different plants.

Doug, still focused, took a second to reply, not taking his eyes off of the trees he was growing. “You heard Skyler, I can’t put anyone in danger or go around looking for hurt people to test it out on. This is as good as I have for now.” He paused again, before adding. “You know, this isn’t a bad idea, to be as good at what I can do, for now.”

Ferris still looked unconvinced. “I know you’re seeing some improvement, but I feel like you’re already really good at growing plants. Plus, your eyes haven’t glowed once.”

Zoey had to nod at this point, and Doug stopped growing trees, breathing heavily. “Okay, that’s a good point. Lets brainstorm.” He walked over, grabbing a water bottle and draining half of it, sitting down in front of them.

“If Skyler is right, its when you’re tapping into an ability that’s ingrained into you based on the dragon whose DNA you received. His theory is yours was more of a pacifist who had honed a healing ability.” Ferris summarized.

Zoey wasn’t sure what she could add at this point, but listened in case something jumped out at her. She didn’t know as much as they did about dragons, but maybe an outsider’s perspective would pick up on something they had missed.

“Which makes sense, really.” Doug replied, adding for Zoey, “A lot of the dragons who were used in the testing would have to be young or weaker in some way that JARGON could have captured them in the first place, although we aren’t certain how they did that, other than using some of the technology that Dominic’s team uses, probably. So an older dragon wouldn’t have normally been easy to catch, but if that dragon was mainly focused on healing magic, then they could have been overpowered.”

“Has anyone else mentioned something about connecting to their dragon in this way? I know you guys didn’t get to meet yours.” She asked, inquisitively.

“Not sure… other than certain moves coming easier to us than others, which could be an ability that we have or one passed down from the dragon… its hard to tell without knowing them personally.” Ferris answered, rubbing his jaw as he thought, running his fingers over the worn textbook’s surface.

“The only one that ever met their dragon, was Karver, wasn’t it? And I don’t even know how many he met, I feel like he was just walked through them to his own and Melanie’s.” Doug reminded them, recalling what Melanie had told them after Karver obliterated her living room.

“And of course we aren’t exactly on speaking terms. Though if he ever lets anything else slip we could make note of it.” Ferris remarked dryly. “We could also try to see if we notice if he and Melanie have any things they’re both particularly good at, could connect them to their dragons.”

“Oscar!” Zoey shouted, startling the other two, who looked at her confusedly. “His eyes! They glow almost constantly when he’s using his powers.” She told them, just having thought of that.

They seemed to think this over for a moment, but weren’t very convinced.

“His powers are electricity, and also extremely strong. Even if it was a connection to his dragon, it could just be because its so amplified whenever he uses them. His powers were gained from a modified light dragon, and Skyler’s eyes glow often too.” Doug told her.

“I will concede that Skyler’s eyes glow less often, as Sullivan’s go shadowy less, but both of them are less powerful than Oscar. I don’t know enough light and dark dragons either, to compare.” Ferris added, just as an alarm went off on Doug’s phone.

“Sorry, I should go now. I am meeting Nick to talk about this whole thing.” Doug told them, standing up and brushing off his pants. “Feel free to hang out here if you want, and I’ll make sure to mention our theories to him too, and see what he thinks.”

“I should be getting home, I have some homework to do, and I want my parents to actually see me working on it.” Zoey replied, and Ferris said he’d drop her off on his way to Rebecca’s.

***********************************************************************************

Doug arrived at the cafe to see Nick was already there, a few stacks of paper in front of him, tall coffee cup sitting beside him. His brown hair was ruffled after a long day at the hospital and his blue eyes flitted blearily over the papers, past his rectangular glasses. Doug hurried over, feeling nervous about having possibly made Nick wait.

“I’m sorry, I meant to get here faster. I was training at home.” Doug told him, setting down his coat on the chair, only receiving a plain-faced glance from Nick in return. “I meant to treat you to a coffee too… but you already have one.” Doug noticed that Nick had naturally picked a set of chairs far away from any other patrons, probably less due to the fact that they were about to discuss some confidential information and more-so due to the fact that he didn’t want anyone around him.

Nick grunted, “That’s fine, just get me another one now.” and in one swoop, downed the rest of the coffee, handing the empty mug to Doug and turning back to his paper.

“How many cups have you already had?” Doug started, freezing immediately when Nick looked at him. Even if he didn’t mean it, there was murder in those eyes. “I mean, right away.” Doug told him, dashing over to the counter to order them drinks. He bought a chai tea for himself, apologizing internally to Zabrina that it wasn’t her brand.

“Is your dad like, single?” The barista asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Huh?” He asked, snapping back to attention.

She motioned to Nick, looking broody in the corner. “You know, he’s kinda hot, in a terrifying way.”

“Uh, sorry, that’s not my dad, that’s my doctor.” Doug muttered, wondering how to make his debit card work faster to exit this conversation. Finally the payment went through, and he collected the drinks.

“That’s a shame. Kinda weird to buy coffee for your doctor though.” She remarked, going back to chewing her bubble gum and cleaning coffee mugs.

Doug was second guessing not just saying that Nick was his father, but then realized that he was just standing there while Nick stared at him from across the room. Well, more pointedly he stared at his coffee in Doug’s hands. Doug snapped out of it and scurried over.

“Careful, it might be hot-” started Doug, but Nick just took the coffee and drank about half of it in two gulps. Doug just decided to sit down.

“So, you’ve discovered a new talent. Skyler was describing it over the phone.” Nick began, and Doug nodded.

“I cant really use it much yet.” He blew on his tea, gingerly. “I’ve only managed it once and I have no recollection of what happened. But I… know I can’t use it if I become a doctor. Even if it’s really tempting.” His voice cracked at the end, and Nick looked to the side.

Nick wasn’t good at this thing. This is why he didn’t have a little army like Skyler did. He could never understand how his friend had managed at such a young age. How he’d kept all of them alive, frankly. He could be honest to Doug though, and that might be what he needed.

“No, you can’t. That’s going to suck, and its going to be very frustrating at times. We are going to train you though, and you are going to have a lot of skills in which to help people.” Nick told him assuredly.

Doug stared at him for a moment, wondering if they were sharing a moment, until Nick rolled his eyes and told him to drink his tea before it got cold. Despite the fact that he had just purchased them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoey shut the door to Ferris’ car, waving goodbye. He simply shot her a nod in response, and reversed back out of the driveway. She then headed inside, jumping to see her parents clustered near the door, as if they had been waiting around.

“Don’t you think you should be heading home a bit sooner with everything that’s been going on lately?” Her mother started, wringing her hands. “I didn’t even know the car that just dropped you off.”

That made Zoey feel a little guilty, not having messaged her parents, even though Ferris had definitely picked her up and dropped her off before. “Mom, that’s Ferris’ car, Doug had an appointment and he was heading this way anyway.” she told her quietly, feeling as if she wanted to reassure her mother more, but guessing that telling her to be calm would be insensitive.

Her father decided to add in, “Zoey, you can have your friends over here, as well. You don’t always have to be out. I know you want to live up your final year of high school- and you, you’ve pointed out that your grades aren’t being ignored just because you’re dating now- but this year is different.” He paused, looking fearful himself at this point. “your mother and I can’t always be around, I know. But the fact that you were kidnapped right under our noses isn’t something we can just move past.”

Zoey sighed, dragging her backpack over to the kitchen table, and starting to unpack it there. “We can keep talking about this, but I need to start on my homework soon. I think you’re overlooking all the positive changes that have happened to me this year. I’ve never had this many friends in all my years at school.” she insisted. She regretted doing so, because her parents took it as her disagreeing with them, and both began restating their worries and claiming she was being negligent of her own safety.

“You don’t hang out with Zabrina as much as you used to either, Zoey, how do you think she feels about that?” Her mother challenged, and Zoey had to take a deep breath in before responding.

She was trying so hard to not get overly upset, knowing it would do nothing to help the situation. “Zabrina and I have a mutual understanding… We talk everyday, and see each other in school everyday, but she’s dating now too along with her business-which is taking off.” She paused, but continued before her father could butt-in. “As her friend, I understand that there will be times she needs to be super busy. I couldn’t be more proud of her for what she’s accomplished, and the only thing I’ll admit is that I probably should tell her that more often.” Her father rolled her eyes, making her feel completely ignored. She wondered if Doug ever felt this way with Skyler, but didn’t think so. That might have been because they were so close to each other in age.

She realized she had started to drift from whatever her parents were talking about currently, just not wanting to hear it anymore. This could be considered another selfish moment for her, but she decided she didn’t have the emotional energy to deal with what they were worried about, even though their concern was for her. They didn’t have all the pieces to this puzzle, and if they got even more involved, it could only put them at risk more. She started packing back up her back pack, and gently pushed her way upstairs as her parents got more and more frustrated.

She could hear them discussing what they should do, but they left on another work trip in two days time, so grounding her would be nearly impossible to supervise, along with her being an adult. She didn’t want to upset them, but they couldn’t seem to believe her lately when she promised she was being careful and well-behaved. Sending a quick text in frustration to Zabrina, not going into details, she tried to throw herself into the homework.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning was Saturday, and Zoey couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning as the sun just began to trickle into her room through the window. She glanced at her phone, checking the time. It was close to five in the morning, so she decided it was better to just get up and head out, wanting to figure out her frustrations with her parents before they had a chance to start in on her again. Only problem was, it was early, and she didn’t have a car. She tugged on a hoodie, a jacket, and left her parents a message, saying she was going to Rebecca’s house. It would be a bit of a walk, but she needed the time to clear her head, and by the time she got there it would be a much more appropriate time to visit. She sighed again before leaving, telling herself to be vigilant and that this wasn’t the best idea, but she wanted some time with her thoughts.

Zoey figured her parents would be a bit more relaxed since she was going to Rebecca’s due to the fact that her parents were very protective after what their daughter had gone through, although when she got there almost an hour later, their car wasn’t in the driveway. Zoey decided the next best choice was to call, otherwise if Rebecca wasn’t home, she’s have to walk to Zabrina’s house or head home. The others were even further away, and she was already so cold from the weather. She was beginning to regret walking over, her thoughts feeling even less sorted than before. After a few rings though, Rebecca picked up, her voice heavy with sleep.

“Hello? Zoey? Are you alright?” She asked in complete confusion.

“Hey, uh… yeah I’m fine. I was just taking a walk and-”

“At 6 am? Are you joining Calder on the track team?” Rebecca interrupted, somehow sounding even more confused. Zoey could hear her getting up out of bed, and she felt a little guilty for waking her up.

“I had a lot on my mind and I wanted to clear my head… are you home? I’m kind of outside your house, if you aren’t too busy…” Zoey trailed off, thinking that of course Rebecca was busy, she was sleeping– and chastising herself in her mind. However she could also hear Rebecca sigh, and she appeared at the window a second later, beckoning her in.

Zoey jogged over, letting herself in the front door, looking a bit sheepish. “I really am sorry, if Zabrina had lived closer I would have bothered her first… if it makes you feel better she had to deal with my antics pretty late though so its like you’re a team for my mental health.” She attempted a joke.

Rebecca just gave her a tired but trying smile, and then asked, “have you eaten yet?” to which Zoey shook her head. Then she waved for her to come into the living room, while heading into the kitchen, where Zoey heard the click of an electric kettle turn on and the clinking of plates.

Zoey entered the living room and flopped down onto the floor, laying on the carpet. At least she didn’t feel too dressed down, arriving at her friends’ house, seeing as how Rebecca was just in sweatpants and an oversized sleep shirt. She contemplated how bad this looked to be having an internal crisis on her floor, however.

Rebecca returned with a plate with a variety of muffins on it, each looking perfect and delicious. “I’ll be back with the tea, choose whichever ones you like.” Rebecca told her whispily, disappearing again.

When Rebecca returned with the tea, Zoey put it to the side to let it cool, not sure what to say. “My parents… we’ve been disagreeing in ways that we don’t normally and I guess I’m not sure how to handle it.” She admitted after a few moments of silence. Rebecca watched her carefully, and took a sip of the tea. Zoey noticed the smell was one of Zabrina’s blends, although she couldn’t name which one, and was calmed by it. “They always pressured me about making more friends, and they were happy that I did, but they’re scared by what’s going on in the town-understandably- they’ve also always been so busy with their work that I don’t know if we’ve ever developed a way to seriously communicate between us, so I want to hear them out, but I can’t reassure them on anything or even tell them the truth about what’s going on.”

Rebecca took another long sip of her tea, probably unprepared for the overflow that Zoey had just laid down. The walk had actually done its job of churning up some of her thoughts and concerns.

Zoey took a lemon poppyseed muffin and began picking away at it. “I’m not going to tell them anything, but even if I did, it would just put them in more danger- I told Doug a little about this last night, but I didn’t want him to feel guilty. I feel like my parents and I should have figured out how to talk about things before now, and the town being completely corrupt is just adding another layer to it.” She bit into the muffin. “Wait, scratch that last part, that’s a little self-centred.”

“A little, but I get what you’re trying to say. My parents have been very guarded since everything that happened, and I feel guilty trying to gain independence because I cant imagine how hard it must have been on them to think I was -gone” Rebecca whispered honestly. “I think we do have a good understanding of each other though, which has helped a lot. Maybe, you could just bring up wanting to work on your communication skills with your parents, without revealing the seediness of the town’s underground?” She suggested.

Zoey nodded, and had to admit that was probably better than lamenting about the entire issue as a whole, even if it didn’t solve her problems completely. She thought now would be a good time to ask where Rebecca’s parents were, considering they were just talk about how they had been reluctant with giving her back her independence upon her return, when Ferris sleepily trudged out to the kitchen, barely giving Zoey a glance. She was completely silent as she watched him stomp back to Rebecca’s room with two blueberry muffins in one hand. She turned back to Rebecca, who was trying not to laugh and avoiding eye contact.

“I am SO sorry!” Zoey blurted, shoving the muffin in her pocket and trying to scramble to her feet.

This caused Rebecca to start laughing and she reached for her hand. “It’s fine, its fine, you needed to get this off your chest!” she told her, waving her free hand. “Don’t ruin your muffin.”

Zoey was fairly sure she already had, jamming it into her pocket.

“Honestly my parents feel more comfortable with him here. They have rules but- I don’t know, some don’t apply to Ferris.” Rebecca tried to explain, her ears turning red.

“Still, he doesn’t have to seclude himself away, I should have called first.” Zoey reprimanded herself.

“We’ve been together a long time, I’m fairly sure he just wanted to give you some privacy. You’ve had to adapt to things pretty quickly. Ben and Melanie were dating for months before he even knew Skyler wasn’t her biological father.” Rebecca reported adamantly.

This made Zoey balk for a moment. “Really? The age difference didn’t throw him off?” She queried.

“Ferris told me they just said Skyler was older and had a really thorough skincare routine.”

Zoey had to laugh at that, and spent the rest of the early hours eating her mashed pocket muffin, even though Rebecca insisted she have another one. Then, Ferris dropped her off at home, and she braced herself to attempt a level headed discussion with her parents, so they could square this away before they left again. They seemed to be open to learning how to understand each other better, but she was worried that would fall flat due to the fact that they were always away for work. Even so, it helped her relax a bit just to know she had made an effort to change how they were getting along.