An encounter with Raina (Part 1 of 2)

Michael Vanen was eighteen now, just about a man. And yet he didn't feel like it. Michael felt like everything was all wrong; that he had stumbled into the wrong time and place.

Ever since he was a boy, Michael had a love for the ancient beasts that roamed the lands in ancient times, be they real or mythological. Dinosaurs, prehistoric cave tribes, massive ruins... Michael loved them all. So naturally, Michael wanted to become an archaeologist. It earned him a few teasing remarks here and there. His brother Richard in particular liked to call him "Fossil Boy". But Michael didn't let that stop him.

And of all the things Michael enjoyed about archaeology, there was one subject in particular that fascinated him the most: Dragons. From everything Michael learned, dragons were the epitome of evolution in their time. Wings for flight. Scales as hard as steel. Talons and horns that could tear through anything. And a mastery of the ancient power known as "magic". Sure, there was little trace of dragons to be found in the modern world apart from rare fossils found in various parts of the world. But that was all the motivation Michael needed.

Michael had a dream: He would one day become an archaeologist, to rediscover the lost fragments of dragon history.

Michael had just graduated from Northwood High School a few months ago. He had a superb 4.0 grade point average, and graduated at the top of his class. So naturally, Michael won himself a scholarship to a distinct college just outside the state. Everyone in his family was so proud of him. His mom and dad fantasized of "Dr. Michael." Richard started calling him "Fossil Man". Yes, everything was looking up for him.

And then came the car crash.

Michael and his family were driving home from the theaters one night. But what they didn't count on was that drunk driver who ran a red light. The next thing Michael knew, he was waking up in a hospital bed with a broken foot and countless cuts and bruises. But the physical pain was nothing compared to hearing what happened to his family.

Everything was different after that. Unable to pay for the family home without his parents, Michael had to move in with his Aunt and Uncle. All of his family's possessions were put into storage until they could figure out what to do with them.

And as for the scholarship to that college? Well, Michael had lost his motivation. Even after his aunt and uncle pressed him to continue on with his future plans, Michael didn't have the strength to move on just yet. And how could anyone? The loss of loved ones is a pain Michael wouldn't wish on anyone.

Two months after the accident, Michael's foot no longer hurt when he put weight on it. So now at least he could do more than mope around his relatives' house. Michael didn't want to just live here for the rest of his life. And he had no reason to give up on his dream of becoming an archeologist. But there was still quite a bit of time left. But what was he to do until then? The one thing Michael knew for certain was that he couldn't stand being cooped up in the house day in and day out. He needed a change of pace.

And so it was on a Friday morning that he'd get the change of pace. Michael was in the kitchen with his Aunt Vena, enjoying a plate of toast.

"Hey, Michael..." His Aunt Vena said. She was a short and rotund woman, but was friendly enough. "Your Uncle Rob and I are heading  out of town for the weekend. Would you like to invite anyone over to spend some time with you while we're gone?"

"Uh... no, it's fine." Michael said, waving his hand.

Aunt Vena looked at him with increasing concern. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I could use some privacy. I've got a lot to think about. I  might even go for a walk around town sometime during the weekend."

"Michael, honey, I'm not sure if you should be all alone." Aunt Vena insisted. "Your Uncle and I care about you, you know."

"Aunt Vena, I'll be fine." Michael said with a frown. He hugged her briefly before letting go to put his plate in the sink. "I'll see you guys again on Monday, right?"

"Yes, Michael." Aunt Vena sighed. "As long as you'll be alright..."

And so Aunt Vena and Uncle Rob packed up and shipped out of town for the weekend. Michael was left to his own devices. Having been stuck indoors for two months, he finally decided to give his recently-healed foot a test-run of sorts. He was going to walk around town at first, but something about the multitude of cars driving down the streets made him increasingly uncomfortable. No, Michael decided that he'd instead go for a brisk walk through the forest outside of town.

Michael didn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere if anything bad happened to him again, so he brought along a cell phone. He also preemptively called a few friends to let them know where he'd be going incase they swung by his Aunt and Uncle house unexpectedly. With those safety measures taken care off, Michael stepped out the back door of the home, locked it, and ventured forth into the untamed wilderness of the forest.

There was a lot of pleasant scenery. The trees were tall and healthy. The grass was a verdant green and spread out for miles around. There were a few dirt paths that snaked around through the trees, which of course Michael stuck to for safety. And no matter how far into the forest he traveled, he always keep track of where the city limits were behind him. Throughout Michael's walk, he breathed in the clean forest air. There were no bustling cars or clamoring crowds. Instead, birds chattered happily overhead. A few frogs hopped to and fro in nearby ponds. Ah, it was so peaceful...

So why wasn't Michael relaxed?

Had Michael grown too accustomed to the cramped confines of his bedroom? Did he spend too much time away from his dreams of becoming an archeologist? Or maybe he just couldn't get over the loss of his family. Well, standing here moping some more wasn't going to help him relax, that was for sure. Michael just had to keep on walking. Keep on keeping on...

The sky was a pleasing orange color as the sun began to set. Michael turned around to begin his venture back down the forest path to return to civilization. He took a moment to look around at the trees before venturing on home. But just as he turned around, he spotted something he hadn't before. Layer of smoke was rising up from the trees. Michael paused in alarm; had the forest caught fire?

No, that couldn't be it. The rising smoke was narrow and slow, as if it came from a campfire. Was someone camping in the forest? Maybe it would be neat if Michael went to say hello. He just had to be sure he didn't take too long before heading back.

And so Michael followed the smoke towards its source. He had to venture off the beaten path, so he'd stop to mark the trees with chalk or twigs every now and then on his way. He soon found the source of the smoke, but it wasn't from a campsite. There, in the middle of the forest, was a mansion!

The mansion looked to be about the size of a castle. The stone walls and towers made it look like it dated back to the Middle Ages, and the decrepit state seemed to advertise as such. But how was that possible? There weren't any European castles in these lands. How could there be an entire castle sitting in the middle of the forest in the 21st century?

"What in the world...?" Michael muttered. He took a few steps forwards, but then stopped. Part of him wanted to explore within this mysterious structure, but another part of him had reservations. It looked dark and abandoned. Would stepping inside really be a good idea, considering his bad foot? But then again, he'd discovered a rare find in the middle of the forest. Some strange structure that nobody had noticed before. Who knows what kind of secrets lay hidden behind it's decayed halls.

Michael made up his mind; he would explore the interior of the mansion. Taking a deep breath, he grasped the handle of the front door and pulled it open. He expected it to barely budge, but instead he went flying backwards as the door swung right open. Michael climbed back to his feet, dusted himself off, and curiously peered inside.

Michael couldn't believe what he was seeing. The interior of the foyer looked just like that of a modern day home. The carpet was bright red, and the floors were tiled like marble. The room was illuminated by modern-looking light bulbs on the ceiling. The walls were lined with dressers and cabinets, and large flower pots were placed beneath windows. Windows that didn't exist when he was outside. Michael quickly stepped out of the home to look at the exterior. From the looks of things, the layout didn't match up at all. In fact, was the interior... bigger? How was that possible?

Michael backed up and looked at where the smoke came from. It seemed to rise up from a smokestack somewhere to the side of the mansion. That had to mean that someone was home.

"Hello?" Michael called out into the house. He looked around in hopes of seeing someone. "Is anyone there?"

He waited for a few minutes, waiting for someone to speak to him. It seemed like nobody was home. But something just wasn't right. The doors were unlocked, and he could swear that music was playing somewhere upstairs.

"Hello?" A voice called from the staircase. "Is someone in the foyer?"

"Uh... yeah." Michael said awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry for barging in uninvited. But I thought this castle was abandoned, so I... uh..."

Michael stopped talking as someone descended the stairs. He was stunned, his eyes bulging out. The home's resident walked upright like a human, but it clearly wasn't. She stood at least seven feet tall, and was covered from head to toe-talon in gray scales. A pair of leathery wings were folded over her back. Two black horns crowned her head. She wore a skimpy blue bra and thong combo, and wore sunglasses.

"Y... You're a..." Michael stuttered. His mind was flooded with confusion, surprise, and a bit of embarrassment at the almost-naked figure. She tilted her head down to look at him over her sunglasses. She seemed surprised at first, but then her eyes tilted and she smirked.

"Well, hello there." She said warmly. "I wasn't expecting guests. Especially not a human one."

"Dragon!" Michael finally said as the shock faded. "You're a dragon!"

The dragoness was a bit put off. "Yes, I am. Though I do have a proper name. And you do too, unless you'd prefer it if I called you Hugh Mann."

"Uh..." Michael scratched the back of his head. It was a dragon, a race of creatures he'd though long-since dead. And yet she was talking to him as if it were a regular occurrence. Was Michael dreaming? Had he taken too much pain medication and was now suffering some kind of hallucination?

"Hey, you alright?" The dragoness asked as she poked Michael in the forehead. "Earth to Hugh Mann. Are you there?"

Michael blinked in surprise. He must have zoned out. "Err, sorry about that. My name is Michael, by the way."

The dragoness giggled. She offered a handshake to him. "I'm Raina."

"Uh, hello." Michael awkwardly shook her hand. "Again, I'm sorry for barging in here. But it looked like the castle was old and abandoned on the outside. I didn't expect... THIS."

"Well, that's magic for you." Raina chuckled. "It makes the whole place look deserted on the outside. For the most part it spooks people away."

"But why?" Michael asked. "What's the point of that?"

"Oh, there are a number of reasons..." Raina shrugged. "One of the big ones being 'humans are scared out of their wits by dragons'."

"Ah... Right..." Michael said. Of course, that very fact got his mind racing. "But hold on, how is this possible? How can you be a dragon, living in the middle of a modern forest?"

"Well, Michael, that's a bit of a story." Raina clasped her hands together. "Too long to talk about while we're just standing around in the foyer. How about coming on a little tour with me through the castle?"

"Well... I suppose that would be neat." Michael said. "But didn't you just say you wanted to keep humans out?"

Raina smirked. She leaned down to look him in the eyes. "Humans who are scared of dragons, that is. And you don't seem too scared of me. Maybe a little nervous..."

"Right..." Michael felt his face growing warmer; he was blushing. Rather than draw attention to that, he nodded his head. "Lead the way, Miss Raina."

"Just Raina is fine." She smiled.