Phen was breathing out worried puffs of cold air as Britney cuddled the small demon in her arms. She was still wimpering and shaking, curled up in her bed with Phen as she sniffed and attempted to hide herself under the covers. The little dragon had been in a state of whimpering and sniffing ever since the three girls had brought her home. Kristeen had done her best to calm down the child, but Britney finally shut herself in her room with Phen and curled up in her bed, refusing to come out until her brother returned home. Now it was dark out, and she could hear Ray's voice downstairs talking to Kristeen, but still the little dragon didn't want to move from her spot on the bed. She and Phen listened to the footsteps moving around downstairs before the demon sighed quietly.

"Hi ho, Britney, ho. Your brother's home now, it's okay..."

"It was so scary though..." The dragon shivered. "And it hurt so much... there was fire everywhere..." Britney gave out a little sob and Phen began to pat her cheek comfortingly, letting out a few more "ho's" as he helped the dragon calm her crying. The two remained huddled up together as the sound of footsteps started up the stairs. Britney let out a startled yelp and both she and Phen looked up as her bedroom door opened suddenly and Jason could be seen standing in the doorway. The windian looked down at Britney and Phen for a moment before pointing to the little ice demon.

"You." He jabbed his finger at the demon and then motioned over his shoulder to the hallway. "Out. Now. I need to talk to Little Bit."

Phen gave a small 'hi ho' and hugged Britney reassuringly before hopping off her bed and rushing out the door. The windian watched him leave before closing the door and making his way over to the side of Britney's bed, stuffing his hands in his pockets uneasily as he approached the little dragon. The windian stared at her for a moment as he mentally tried to find the words he needed to say.

"Britney... look.... about what happened today..."

"It was scary..." the dragon sniffed. "There was fire everywhere, and I saw a bird in the flames..."

"Yea, about that." Jason sighed as he sat down on Britney's bed and turned to look at her, a concerned expression on his face. "Listen, Little Bit, remember when I told you that I wouldn't let anything happen to you? I said that as long as I was around, nothing would hurt you..." the dragon nodded weakly and Jason sighed. "What happened today... the thing that you saw, you don't need to worry about it, because it won't do anything to you. I promise you, Britney, I will never let it hurt you..."

"Jason..." Britney sniffed and looked up at the windian. "What was that?"

Jason sighed and rubbed his left hand uneasily as he thought for a moment. "It... was a bird, that's all. Just a bird, alright?" The windian looked down at Britney who nodded just barely. "You don't have to be afraid of it, it's not going to do anything to you, alright? I promise you, Britney... I won't let it scare you."

Britney let out a quiet sniff and nodded before suddenly reaching out and grabbing a hold of Jason's arm, hugging it tightly. "I won't let it scare me 'cause you said you wouldn't let it hurt me..."

"That-a girl." Jason patted her head lightly, causing her blue pigtails to bounce. "Just don't worry about it, alright? Anyway, it's late, and you need to get some sleep for school tomorrow." He carefully slipped his arm out of Britney's grip and stood up. "Sleep well, alright? And if you have any nightmares just call for me or something." Jason watched as Britney nodded and layed back down in her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. The windian gave her a slight smile as he headed towards the door. "Night, Little Bit."

"G'night Jason!"

The windian opened the door, waiting as Phen rushed back into the room and hopped back up onto Britney's bed, crawling over next to the little dragon before the two cuddling up together again and prepared for sleep. Jason made his way out into the hallway and closed the door quietly behind him. He wasn't at all surprised to see Ray waiting for him. The dragon gave him a studying look and Jason simply shook his head.

"Not yet, Ray. I'll tell you later, but not yet." With a few quiet mutterings, the windian made his way down the stairs and settled down onto the couch, ready for yet another sleepless night with the feeling of the Presence as he rubbed his left hand uneasily.

Back to Main | Back to Chapter Index