Dracosapiens: The Birth of Half Breeds, Final Chapter Part 1

(Cody: Jake's younger brother)1

Chapter 20: The Unhappily Ever After (Jake's Perspective)2

Mountain Top Oasis, Porters Mountain Range, Sheridan Outskirts 5.41 pm October 16th Thursday EST3

Charging forward, I had to convince myself that Ella's death wasn't real. Nothing but an illusion created to get us from one point to another. But her pain was real, her screams were real. The look of total desperation in her eyes as she fell, lifeless into the pond, that was real. Did that make me a monster?4

“I don't understand,” Adriana screeched, halting me in my tracks. I ducked behind a large, knotted tree to listen, forcing myself to remain calm. 5

It felt nice being out in the open air once again; I was starting to feel very claustrophobic jammed inside that rock. Not that I wasn’t grateful for Roxy creating it; natural props were all part of the plan. 6

The air was clean up here - moist, refreshing - and the oasis seemed to stretch on for at least half a kilometer on either side. Trees grew tall and lush up here, the flowery bushes blooming fragrantly. It was amazing what once missed when locked inside a boulder for an hour.7

I looked over at it, astonished. From the outside, it seemed impossible to figure that somebody had been hiding quietly inside, biding their time for the right moment to jump out. The rock, no longer whole, just caved and broken from where I had escaped, seemed out of place in our current surroundings. I was amazed that Adriana hadn’t suspected anything.8

It was obvious that the Magiks had been here several times before, weaving their spells to nourish the earth and plant life around them. There was no way such a place could grow freely on its own. Certainly not on a mountain top, although the cooling, misty air no doubt helped it along.9

We were so high up here, I was getting nauseous just thinking about it. Thankfully, at least if I fell off up here, I could always just sprout some dragon wings and land safely, as appose to snapping my neck on the pleasant journey down.10

It seemed as if everything was going along perfectly. The warlocks had actually let slip their true intentions with Ella and now that we knew them, I was that much more grateful for substituting her with another. We knew that Ella was going to die here either way, but for the Magiks to take it one step further and destroy us all at once…not that they’d get the chance to today.11

“Why isn't anything happening?” Adriana howled, looking frantically between her followers. “Why hasn't she turned into ash? Why haven't her powers been relinquished?” Her eyes were growing wild and bloodshot as the sun began to set, crimson eyes flashing like an unstable maniac. “Damn it to hell! Why hasn't anything changed?”12

The peaches and rouge sunset behind her, told me that it was time to act. We had to strike, now, before nightfall. “Because you killed the wrong Ella,” I goaded, stepping out from my hiding position. “Too bad you just killed an illusion. A girl with no powers, no dragon spirit and no transformation. She may look like the real thing, but trust me, you stuffed up big time.”13

“YOU!” Adriana growled, gnashing her teeth together in fury. “What are you doing here, boy?”14

“Watching you fail,” I responded casually, resting one palm against the tree. “My friends and I have been here the whole time, listening to you babble on about all of your secret plans.” 15

I rolled my eyes at her for effect. “Didn't anybody ever teach you not to spoil the ending?”16

“Don't get cute with me,” she jeered. “Now where is the true demon brat? I don't know how you managed to trick us but do not think that your actions will go without consequence.”17

“She's safe,” I answered, still uneasy about what we had done to the real Ella. “And as to her location...well, only I know that.”18

“Then I shall pry the knowledge from your cold dead fingers!” she yelled, scrambling forward. 19

That's when she stumbled over a deadened mass that made my stomach crawl. A bloodied head - without a body attached to it. Wost of all, I knew that woman's face, I knew it well. It was Ella's mother, cut into pieces so that not even I could save her. I was horrified. From what I'd heard, Adriana had simply killed them, and that wasn't a big deal. I saved people's lives everyday. But I couldn't fix separated limbs...Ella's parents were as good as dead. Tyson and I had let them die.20

Adriana noticed my stiffened reaction and smiled. “Yes, I doubt the little princess will be pleased. You should have listened harder. Perhaps you could have saved them...or not.”21

“You...knew about the...didn't you? You knew I couldn't heal them if you did that!”22

Adriana's smile grew wider. “Yes, that's right. And what a shame it will be when you have to break the news to the real one. Just imagine the look on her face when she realizes you didn't save them. Oh this is glorious!” she laughed. “She won't blame me at all! She'll blame you! And then, when her blood is boiling and both mind and spirit are broken, I shall hack her into little pieces and bring about the apocalypse of your world!” 23

Bardock laughed derisively. “Something to look forward to then.”24

What was I going to do? I wondered regretfully. Ella would never forgive me for this. She'd be outraged, devastated and broken all at once. How was I going to tell her that our plan had failed?25

Tyson and I had thought long and hard about what we could do to save Ella and her family. We knew all too well what Ella was like, if it meant saving her mother and father, she would walk in front of a moving train if the situation demanded it. But Ella was our leader, and I loved her with all my heart. I refused to let anything happen to her.26

So, Tyson and I had devised a scheme. We stole some of his father's sleeping pills from the bathroom cabinet, held Ella to the floor and forced them down her throat. When she had finally passed out, we tied her to a chair and left her in one of the cupboards. Cruel but, what other choice did we have at the time? Surely it was better than the alternative?27

The next idea was that meeting in the mountain top and although Fake Ella would be suspicious, since Alexis wasn't present, she couldn't possibly suspect foul play. Luke, in secret possession of Alex's powers was effectively the perfect disguise.28

The problem with clones however was that they were quite literally identical to the originals, in both mind and body. Fake Ella knew something was off about us right away and since she possessed all of Ella's real memories, she was angry at us for trying to pull such a stunt. Of course, she had no idea that stunt had actually occurred. I still remembered the look on Ella's face as we forced those pills down her throat. Her eyes said one thing, and one thing alone...traitor. 29