Chapter 33 (Julias POV) Dragons

I looked at him for a few moments, I knew that he understood what it was that I had been trying to get at. I mainly had been getting at it, because I had been quite a bit lonely in the last year or so, however long it had been since I had actually seen someone my age.

It had hurt me, when they had told me that he was more than likely dead, as they had said that they were going to meet us somewhere, and if they did not than it was most likely because they had been killed. It was now important for them to keep his sister alive, until she turned 18.

It was a bit different not having someone around me that I loved. I just sat around most of the days taking care of the crops, or reading books. I had made a bit of a friend with Mariah a long time ago, but it was different when you compared it to someone that you were in love with.

I knew that he had every right to not love me back, so I felt like I should not push him any more, and I should go ahead and tell him the story, that me and his sister had gone through since he had been gone. As I then nodded to him, after we had just been sitting there for quite a long time. I then went ahead and began to tell him my story.

"It begins like this... Once you had left, me and Mariah were alone..." I began to tell him, recalling back the memory, and all the fear that I had been in with his sister as well. He did not look as tired anymore, as he was clearly paying full attention to what it was that I was saying.

I looked at the book that I had been reading. I had been trying to read it for a week now, as I knew that Joseph was madly in love with books. I wish I could be the same, as I loved to hear stories, but it was hard for me to sit down, and read a bunch of words that were on a page.

At least as was lucky to even know how to read and write I suppose, as I knew plenty of people who could do neither. I shook my head though, trying not to think too deep into all of it at the moment, as I then closed the cover to the book.

He had been trying to get me to read the book for quite some time now, as it seemed as though he was just madly in love with books. I closed my eyes for a few moments, trying to shake out all of the thoughts that were going through my head at the moment.

It was a bit hard to, as it swarmed through my head like an arrow to the heart. I wished that I could say the same about him loving me. It was my own fault though, what had happened that night at the bar. I should have expected it, my boyfriend at the time was quite a bit abusive to me.

I should have known that he would go after Joseph, he knew he was not the biggest kid around the block. It came as a big surprise to me the night that he had come home with a bloody nose, and a black eye. I had been quite a bit worried for Joseph when he had told me he was going find him.

When he came home, he through me out of the place right away, but to my surprise he did not hit me on the way out. I could only imagine the pain that Joseph had gone through, having to find out that his mother had died the exact same night as well.

I was lucky too, because if not, than he most likely would not have let me back into his place. He needed someone to help him through the pain, even if it had seemed as though I had betrayed him. To a certain sense, I kind of had as well, I should have told him that I had a boyfriend.

I was just hoping to let all of that slide by, but I did not expect him to run out of the house to go and fight him, I shook my head though, as I knew that it was all over with now, and I knew that he did not blame me for any of it either.

I had to stop beating myself up at times, it really was not healthy for me. I opened my eyes, as I looked at the little sofa that Mariah was standing on with me. She was not reading a book at the moment, as I saw that she had her head to the ground, as it was clear to me that she was thinking about something in her head.

I walked over to the bookshelf, with the book in my hand as well, and then I put the book right back from where I had gotten it from in the first place. I looked at the bookshelf for a few more seconds, before I then turned my head back over to where Mariah was still sitting on the couch.

I looked at her for just a few more moments, before I then squinted my eyes at her at the same moment. She seemed to notice me do that as well, as she then turned her head away, a bit embarrassed, as I wondered what it was that she might be think about in the first place.

It was none of my business though, and I felt like, if she wanted to tell me, than she would have done so already, but I was a bit worried for her still. I knew that she had not been the same after she had lost her mother, and she had a few fits from time to time as well.

She wanted to blame her father so badly for it, but at the same time, she kept saying that it was impossible for him to ever do that to her. It did not help that Joseph always had something to add to it as well. I wanted to say to myself that it could not have been their father either, but all of the stuff that they had told me about dragons, it still did not seem real to me.

I knew that Joseph would never lie to me, but I also knew that dragons were just some sort of funny story that people liked to tell their kids at night, or a story that people would like to write books about. I felt bad for not believing it still, as I knew that Joseph swore his life on it.

I just told myself that he was going crazy because he had lost his mother, and it was just some sort of thing that was just happening to him in his brain. It was as if he was having some sort of misfit. I shook my head though, as I realized that I had been looking at Mariah for quite some time now.

I had not meant to do it, but I knew that it had gotten to her head. I looked at her a bit upset at myself, as I saw her with her eyes closed, and her head to the ground. I went ahead and began to speak to her, before I made her feel any more tense, and made it seem a bit less awkward in the room as well. She opened her eyes and looked at me, as I began to speak to her.

"Things are going to be okay, I am sure that nothing will happen, and that Joseph and your father David will be okay." I said to her. It did not seem to make her feel any better though, as she then went ahead and went back to what it was that she had been doing a few seconds ago, as she closed her eyes and looked at the ground again.

I looked at her a bit sadly, as I wish that I could not blame David, and say that it was not him, but it was just too hard for me. I thought that he deserved to be locked up for life, but that was just me, I knew that Joseph would be a fair bit upset at me if I said that.

I shook my head once again, as I stared at the wall in front of me, trying to drown out all of those thoughts from out of my head. I then looked back over to Mariah, as I could tell that she was not just in pain, but she was also scared at the same time as well.

I was not sure what it was that she might be scared of, but I felt like I should try to make her feel at least a slight bit better, as I thought that maybe it would be best if we just had a girl to girl talk. I then sat down right beside her on the sofa.

She did not make a move, nor did she open her eyes to even notify that she knew that I was there beside her. She did put her hands on her face, as it was as if she was trying to wipe away tears from off of her face. I felt bad for her, so I put my hand on her shoulder.

It seemed to relax her a bit, as it seemed as though she was no longer as stiff as she had been just a few seconds ago. After a few more seconds as well, she then opened her eyes, and then she looked at me before she then nodded to me as well, and then began to to speak to me too. I listened to what it was that she had to say as well, with my heart, and my mind open to whatever it was that she had to say.

"Julia... I am not hurt, I just... I feel like something is going to happen very soon, and I just am so worried. I just don't know what it is, but it seemed as if it is just smashing my head back and forth, over and over again." She said to me. I looked at her a bit surprised, as it was not what I had expected her to say at all.

I knew that she was going to in fact be worried for her brother and her father, but I did expect it to be in that sort of context. I did not know what to say back to her at the same time, as my mind was drawing a blank at the moment, as I was still just trying to take in what she had just said to me.

This time it was me who looked at the ground, and then closed my eyes. I did not know what to say, and I did not want to say the wrong thing to her either. I thought about not saying anything at all, and just sitting there with my eyes closed.

Surely she would walk away at some point right? If she went to go to the bathroom, or get something to eat, I could just go hide in the bedroom. I knew that she was not hungry though, and neither was I. We could not eat until Joseph came back, and we found out the news.

I just sat there for a few moments more, as I did my best to think of something to say to her, but just as I was thinking about that, I heard someone knock on the door at the exact same time. I opened my eyes, and I looked up, a bit confused as to what it was that might be going on.

I saw the same confused look on the face of Mariah, as I realized that I in fact had heard someone knock on the door, and I was not going crazy. I thought of who it was that it might be in the first place. Was in Uncle? Did he have to say something to Mariah?

I knew that Joseph would have gone to say something to him before he had gone to the courthouse. I saw that Mariah was not going to be getting up from the sofa any time soon, so I decided that I was not going to leave the person at the door hanging.

I got up from the sofa at the same time, and then I looked at Mariah, as she was still just staring down at the ground, but this time she had her eyes opened. I looked at her for a few moments, as I knew that she was wondering who was at the door as well, so I went ahead and began to speak to her.

"I am going to check and see who is there, you just stay here." I said to her. She sat there for a few moments, as if she had not heard a word of what it was that I had just said to her. I knew that she had heard every word that I had just said though, and she was just thinking it through in her head.

After a few more seconds, I heard the person on the door knock one more time, but this time, it was a bit louder than before, as it was clear that they wanted to speak to whoever it was that was in here, and that they knew we were in here too.

I looked at Mariah for just a few seconds longer, as once she had heard the same loud knock that I had, she then lifted her head up at me, and then she nodded to me to go ahead and walk over, and see who it was that was at the door in the first place.

I nodded back to her, as I went ahead and began walking through the hallway that went to the front door, walking past the kitchen on the way there, as I thought about just looking through the window to see who it was that was there in the first place.

I shook my head though, as I did not want them to see my face, just in case it was someone that I did not know, and they did not have a good intent in being at our place. Once I was near the front door, I then looked through the little peephole at the same time.

I looked at it for a few seconds, as it took a few seconds for my eyes to get adjusted to the surroundings. I then saw what it was that was standing at the front door. It was a man and his wife, but it was not Uncle and his wife though.

Normally I would be a bit worried to, that there were just some random strangers at our front door, but these random strangers were in fairly nice clothing. Maybe it was someone that Joseph and Mariah knew, or maybe they had come to the wrong place.

It did not make sense though, it would be bad timing and on the wrong day for some random people dressed up nicely to just pop up at the front door on a day like today. Surely they had to be here for a reason... Where they lawyers? Where they late for the party?

My mind went off of all of that at the same time, as I heard Mariah step up, and speak loudly, which I did not blame her for, because I had not said a word yet, nor had I opened the door at the same time as well. I turned my head over to it, realizing that her yelling to me, meant that the people at the front door would hear it. I listened to what it was that she had to say anyways, as I knew that it was too late to stop her now.

"Who is at the front door? It's not Uncle then right? You haven't opened the door yet." She said over to me. I gulped, as I was not sure yet if the people at the door had a good intent or not. If they did not, than it definitely was not good to hear a young girl speak up to talk.

I then looked back over at the door for a few seconds, as I did not dare look through the peep hole. I sat there for a few seconds, as I was about to step up and speak back to Mariah, but the man at the front door spoke up before I had the chance.

"Is there a Mariah here?! We need you to come with us now! It may sound crazy, but we have reason to believe that you are in danger, and the city might be under risk of being attacked by dragons."