'What exactly is a weredragon?'
Jody was surprised by what she heard. She wasn't sure if she would laugh at what the older man said, but she could see he wasn't joking when he glanced at her.
"Have you seen the beast that caused your accident?" Glendir asked.
Jody reflected on what she saw in response to the older man's question. The beast has a black body with a thick scale. It has claws and a tail, and long fingers and toes. It also possesses dragon-like wings with extended claws at the end and a dragon-like visage, and it has split backward horns, similar to a dragon's. It has razor-sharp fangs and blue eyes.
When she remembered the creature's appearance, Jody's heartbeat quickened. Jody's silence caught Glendir's attention. The girl seems to have seen the weredragon attack their car.
"The weredragon you came across is on the run. It most likely noticed your car the hours he fled," Glendir explained.
"Fleeing?" Jody asked.
Glendir nodded. "I want you to know that not all weredragons are the same as the ones you've met; all the weredragons here at Rivendell are human; they merely change physical form, but they're still human," Glendir explained. "Not like you saw; that weredragon is an outsider."
For a brief period, it startled Jody. 'Did I hear it correctly?' Jody thought.
"You heard right, Jody. About 60% of the residents in Rivendell are weredragons; you never know if you won't see them shift or if they'll tell you they're a weredragon." Glendir explained.
Jodi was surprised. She wasn't sure if the man in front of her calmed her nerves after witnessing the monster kill her parents.
"Are you...." Jody said.
"Yes," Glendir said. Glendir saw the fear in Jody's eyes. "I can understand if you are scared, but as you can see, I am not harming you. I'm helping you."
Her emotions similarly confused Jody. The man in front of her admits to being a weredragon, just like the beast who killed her parents, but despite her fear, she believes she is safe with him. She felt differently about the man in front of her than she did about the beast she saw, probably because the man in front of him wasn't a frightening monster.
"It's weird, but I'm not afraid of you like how I felt with that beast," Jody said.
Glendir smiled. "You can trust me, Jody," Glendir said. "I want to show you something, but you need strength and proper clothing."
"What will you show me, Sir?" Jody asked.
"Just call me uncle," Glendir said, smiling.
"U-uncle.." Jody said.
Glendir smiled slightly. "You'll find out later. For now, we're going to the town proper."
Their journey to town continued. Everyone passing the older man's car was waving at people as if they could see them inside. Jody turned to Glendir, but there was no expression on his face. They also circled and passed a small market. The man parked their car in front of a three-story building.
That building was a small mall, which surprised Jody. Although the building is small, it is complete with everything needed. They also have branded items, but very few are just for the wealthy few in that town. Glendir encouraged Jody to choose her dress. When she decided, the sales lady immediately accompanied her to the fitting room while Glendir and his companion waited outside.
Jody looked in the mirror and felt the wound on her forehead, but it was gone. It surprised Jody what she saw, so she undressed and looked at her flank. The wound has also disappeared. Jody felt nervous and confused.
'How did this happen? My wounds are gone....' Jody thought.
Jody took a deep breath. "Maybe I'm just hungry," Jody whispered. "It's just that I'm hungry."
Jody blew air to reduce her nervousness.
-----
After Jody had shopped, they ate at a restaurant that wasn't expensive. Although the restaurant looked simple outside, it amazed Jody at the lovely ambiance. Like her first suspicion, the food there wasn't that expensive.
"Uncle, what were you doing by the river earlier? No one was there, but you came," Jody asked.
"My pack and I were doing surveillance in the area. After your accident the day before, it was necessary to roam all of Rivendell to prevent outsiders like the one you saw from entering." Glendir said. "And honestly, I am happy that I am the one who saw you."
Jody glanced slightly at the older man. There was a hint of joy in her voice that surprised her because she was smiling now, unlike before. His face was serious, and life seemed to eat her away.
"Why are you happy?" Jody asked.
"Because you resemble my daughter. I'm relieved for you. I just saw you for the first time, and I know you're not a wicked weredragon," Glendir said.
"What?" Jody asked. "I'm not a weredragon."
"Perhaps not yet," Glendir said. "So I see no other reason for your parents to live here if you are not a weredragon; there are many better cities in the world, but why would your parents take you to a distant small town?"
Jody thought for a moment. "I told you, I'm sick."
"If you don't mind. How old are you, Jody?" Glendir asked.
"Seventeen turning eighteen this month. Why did you ask?" Jody asked.
Glendir looked at Jody for a few seconds before responding. "What symptoms are you experiencing?" Glendir asked. "Strong senses such as hearing; you can hear sounds from 25 meters away or more; strong grasp; you break almost everything you touch; fast heartbeat and difficulties sleeping owing to uncomfortable parts of the body, particularly the back and the jaw."
Jody gazed at Glendir, unable to speak, but it filled her expression with surprise and awe.
"The symptoms I mentioned that you're feeling are the beginning of your transition into a weredragon, which happens one month before the night of your eighteenth birthday. You're experiencing normal, Jody. You're not sick. You're a weredragon."
Jody was speechless. Jody paused. She wasn't sure what she'd think at that moment.
Glendir said, "I think you need to fix your hair."
Jody closes her eyes. She forgot about her hair. "Don't worry," Glendir said, "I'll recommend a nice salon to you."
"Is it okay?" Jody asked. She was suddenly ashamed of the older man. She spent a lot of money on her clothes because she wasn't used to cheap clothes, and the cuisine at that restaurant was some of the best she had eaten.
The older man smiled. "Of course," he said. "Short hair seems to matter to you, do you think?"
Jody smiled slightly.
-----
Jody looked out the car window after they left the salon. She didn't know where they were going because Glendir didn't want to talk. They were on their way to the cemetery, and she made no mistake when the car stopped, and the man opened the door for them.
"What are we going to do here, Uncle?" Jody asked. They continued walking until they reached a tomb.
Jody moved her gaze to Glendir. "They were with you in the accident; we found their bodies in the woods, and I buried them here," Glendir explained. "I placed nothing on the gravestone since I didn't know their names."
Jody suddenly lost strength at that moment. Her knees spontaneously lost strength, so she fell on the grass at the edge of her parent's grave.
Jody couldn't help herself. She cried in front of her parents' grave. She would have prevented her parents from going there if she had known the last time they met that day. Jody had so much to say and regret, but it was too late. Her chest was so complete that she didn't know how to pull it all out. Jody sobbed until her body spontaneously tired. She did not know how long she wept at her parent's grave. The older man sat in his chair as he let her cry and mourn.
When Jody stopped crying, she sat on the grass, looking at her parents 'grave.
"Thank you so much for taking care of my parents. You gave them a proper grave." Jody said, crying.
"Jody, I want you to live with me," Glendir said. Jody turned to the older man. "You have nowhere else to go. You can't go back to the city. It's too dangerous for you." said Glendir.
Jody turned her gaze back to her parents' grave. As the older man said, he had nowhere to go. And if she was a monster like the one who killed her parents, she wanted to live in the mountains. He did not want to be like that creature—the killer.
"All right, I'll come with you, Uncle," Jody said.
-------
Jody couldn't believe she could enter the older man's mansion. His father was right; Glendir was rich. She turned around. Even though she was amazed at what she saw, there was still sadness in her eyes.
'If Dad and Mom were still alive, they would brag to me about this place.' Jody thought.
"Do you want to eat first before resting? Dinner is also near .....," said Glendir.
"I'm not hungry, Uncle. I prefer to rest," said Jody.
"In that case, rest first, Jody. I'll tell you everything you want and should know when you're okay. Please don't be shy to call our housemates. Feel at home." said Glendir. Jody nodded. "Come with your Ma'am Jody to her room."
The maid nodded and looked at Jody. "Follow me, Ma'am Jody."
"I'll just rest for a while, Uncle," Jody said.
"Take your time, hija," Glendir said with a smile.
-----
Jody followed the maid, and they went up the stairs. She took them to a room, third to the room on the second floor. When she went inside, she was amazed because that room was so beautiful. The room was feminine; it was also fragrant and clean. Her room in the city said almost nothing. However, Jody is not in the mood to go around. She felt exhausted.
"Would you like to take a bath, Ma'am Jody? I will prepare your bath." the woman said.
Jody looked at the woman. "What is your name?"
"I'm Liza, Ma'am Jody," Liza said.
Jody looked at the woman from head to toe. "Are you also one ..." Jody couldn't finish what she was going to say because she had already restrained herself.
"What, Ma'am Jody?" Liza asked.
Jody nodded. "Can you leave me? I want to rest."
"Just press the button on the top of your bed if you need me," Liza said as she left the room.
When the woman left the room, Jody went to bed and lay there. She cried again until she fell asleep.
------
Jody woke up because of the loud noise coming from the door. It was as if someone was trying to open it and would break down the door because it couldn't open it. She was correct. Jody heard the creaking sound of the door. She immediately hid inside the blanket despite the dark room because only the lampshade served as its light. Jody slowly peeked out of the blanket and noticed someone approaching the bed, but before he could get close, he knelt on the floor and laid his head on the carpet.
"Zera ..." the man whispered.
A few moments later, Jody heard the man crying. His sobbing penetrated her heart, and she felt the pain it was carrying in his chest because they both felt the same way at those moments; she also cried. Jody sat on the bed and cried with the man.
When the man heard Jody's voice, he looked at her. Jody stopped crying when she saw his serious reaction as if he would kill her. When Jody noticed that the man stood up, she immediately pressed the buzzer Liza was saying. Jody was startled as the handsome man pushed her onto the bed. He grabbed her and leaned over, looking into her eyes like he would kill her. It was the same as Glendir's facial expression when he first saw it.
"Who are you? What are you doing in this room?" the man asked curiously.