Home Again?

It seems we have been driving for hours. This is my life now, moving from place to place with the knowledge that I will never again been safe--that I will never again have a home. This is the third time I have been moved in the three months since my parents were torn from my life. Whether they somehow managed to escape the dragons or not, I know I shall never see them again. And my Leda? I don't know what has become of her and Neesa will tell me nothing. Surely, they know, yet they keep all these secrets.

My heart is as empty as this desolate landscape. It reminds me faintly of old movies about aliens hidden in the desert. Dry, reddish sand stretches off into the infinity of the horizon. The world of green forests and rushing waters that I knew is far behind me. It, too, may have been swallowed up by the sallow, sunken dryness of this wasteland. Big Ogre leans over his seat to pat me gently on the head. His granite face is broken by a warm grin, but I can not return the smile.

"So, aside from the dolls, how was Germany?" He says.

I stare at him and cross my arms. I can feel my lower lip pouting like a petulant child. I guess I am still a child on the inside though I have the height and form of a mature woman. They still treat me like a child, so I can justify behaving like one. If they are not going to answer my questions, I am not going to answer theirs.

"Still mad that we won't tell you about Leda and your parents?"

I glare at him. He doesn't crumble and melt away under my gaze, but I am hoping it is only a matter of time. I know that my powers don't include turning people to dust with a look, but in moments like this, I almost wish they did.

"Bella, baby, we can't tell you just yet. I told you. It's complicated."

"Well, we're glad Innocenta took good care of you. She is doing well in case you're interested," Big Ogre tries to change the topic to one that is apparently open for discussion.

"I know. Everyone told me that over and over," the scathing words are out before I can clamp my mouth closed on them.

"You really should cheer up, darling, we're almost there," Neesa says.

My eyes dart back to the empty stretch of highway and the barren land that lies before us. I gasp, realizing that it is no longer so devoid of signs of civilization. It looks like we are driving toward an amusement park. Granted, it looks like it stopped being amusing before even my parents were born, but the resemblance is there. Dilapidated roller coasters stand at both ends of the park. Their wooden frames wobble with every breeze. Empty vending booths have been boarded over. The paint that labels them as the Pretzel Palace, Ice Cream Igloo, Snack Shack, and other such delicious locations has weathered away in the harsh sun.

We drive past these on a narrow walkway that is barely wide enough for Neesa's car to slip through. We seem to be driving straight toward a man-made mountain in the center of the park. As we near it, I feel the car gaining speed.

"Neesa?" I question, watching the red stone drawing closer and closer.

She just laughs. I close my eyes, not wanting them open when the car collides with the immovable creation in front of us. I don't realize that I have also dug my nails into the seat of the car until Big Orge gently pries them free of the soft leather. I wonder how long we have been stopped. I also wonder how long it has been since I breathed. I inhale sharply, feeling the air fill my burning lungs, alleviating the pain.

"You really should trust Neesa more. She is an excellent driver," he says as he releases my hand.

I open my eyes in time to see him giving her a wink over my head. I look around me and see concrete walls surrounding us on three sides. The fourth wall appears to be a modified garage door. A warm orange glow bathes the other small cars crammed into this tiny parking lot, making it difficult to distinguish their real colors.

"Now might be the time to ask," Big Ogre says.

"Indeed," Neesa responds, drawing closer and clasping my hands in hers.

"I know it is wrong to make you decide something important right now, but every thing with you seems to progress faster than it should."

I wait for her to continue, regarding her with cold, angry eyes. I am determined to be as uncooperative as possible.

"The Council feels it is unwise to return you to the academy building. Since you have grown about twenty years older physically, it would cause quite a stir even among other superdudes. However, one of the clans has volunteered to take you under their wing."

"Clans?"

"Yes, they are subdivisions of the superdudes that band together like families to help each other attain knowledge and look out for each other."

"Family?"

I can feel my lower lip pouting outward again. I can't stop it anymore than I have been able to stop all the terrible things that have been happening around me.

"Yes. We want you to join our family, but you have to decide to do it for yourself. So what do you say, baby Bella?"