Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by MaryJanice Davidson Read Free Book Online Page B

brought home the full impact of what had happened to her.
    “All right, to hell with sleep,” she told her parents, who were rolling out large oriental rugs at the other end of the room. “I have questions, and I want answers.”
    They stopped short, dragon and woman, then blinked and nodded in unison.
    “First question. Why did you wait until
today
to tell me this? It isn’t fair! I’ve had no time—”
    “You’re right, Jennifer. It isn’t fair. We’re sorry.”
    She was stunned at how quickly her father apologized.
    “But we didn’t know this was going to happen so quickly. We thought we had years. Most weredragons don’t experience their first change until later—sixteen or seventeen years old, at the youngest. Then we saw how fast and strong you were getting, but we still thought it was all a few months away. The dragonflies at school were a complete shock—as you’ll learn, that sort of thing is a practiced skill among elder dragons.
    “As soon as you did it, we knew we had to tell you so you would be prepared. So we did. But even earlier today, we didn’t know for sure if you would turn this lunar cycle, or next, or even a year from now.”
    “So what am I doing like this, two years early?”
    “We’re not sure.” Jonathan sighed. “It’s probably because your mother isn’t a weredragon. You’re a hybrid. That would probably affect you.”
    Jennifer cringed. “So let me get this straight. Not only am a I freak among
people
, I’m a freak among
dragons
, as well?”
    “Honestly, Jonathan,” her mother hissed. “A
hybrid
? The
dog
is a hybrid. Could you come up with less insulting language?” She turned to Jennifer desperately. “Please don’t see yourself that way. I know this is hard, but…”
    “SHUT UP, MOTHER, YOU
DON’T
KNOW. YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY SEE THIS THROUGH MY EYES.”
    The three of them stood silently for a while. Then Jennifer asked her next question.
    “Dad, we look pretty different from each other. Is this
also
because I’m a freak?”
    He paused and scratched behind his middle horn, clearly dreading the answer. “You appear to have some unusual characteristics.”
    “I’ll take that as a yes. Next question: Who’s taking care of Phoebe?”
    “I called the Blacktooths with the cell phone, on the way up,” her mother said quietly. “Eddie will go over and feed the dog until we get back.”
    “Am I going to be like this for a few days?”
    “Four or five.”
    “Then I’d like Phoebe to be up here with me.”
    “Sweetheart, the dog—”
    “
I’d like her up here with me
.” Jennifer crouched down and curled into a ball. She would have thought even her parents could understand this.
    “Okay,” Elizabeth agreed. “I’ll go to get her tomorrow morning.”
    “Fine.” Jennifer stretched her neck out. “Do the Blacktooths—does Eddie—know about weredragons?”
    “No,” her father answered quickly. “As you can imagine, Jennifer, many people would get upset if they learned the truth. And we have some enemies you will learn about later. There are not many of our kind left. Those who survived Eveningstar have been hiding since. You’ll meet them once you’re ready.”
    “Eveningstar.” Memories came back to Jennifer of the early morning of her fifth birthday. “That was our home. Someone attacked the town.”
    “Yes.”
    “You woke me up, and we escaped…”
    “Yes.”
    “…over the river in a boat…”
    “Yes. Well, no. You and your mother were actually riding on my back as I swam. You seemed nervous, since you had never seen me as a dragon before. So I used my voice to convince you who I was. That worked well enough to get you on my back and over the river.”
    Jennifer closed her eyes. “There were fires all over the town. We saw them from the other side of the river. And there was screaming—I don’t remember what.”
    “It was a war, Jennifer.” Her mother was talking now. “The weredragons were very nearly exterminated.