chapter 13- my bucket list changes for Kat

I was outside that evening, watching my kids bounce on the trampoline, laughing like the silly bunch they were. Timothy decided eating a caterpillar might turn it into a butterfly. I had to force him to spit it out, while the chickens drank from the wading splash pad until Rory chased them off. Normal kid chaos on the lawn.

Inside the house, grass covered the floors like a second carpet—though I didn't even remember the kids tracking it inside. 

Anwan had her new boyfriend scout and he was the brother of my coworker Aksel. The 17 year old, which I didn't have a problem with for some reason because he was a good person.

So she was busy texting with her other friends and life was kind of complete.

Until it wasn't.

Suddenly my neighborhood was under attack, and before I could process it, my house's system kicked in, shielding us with a shimmering barrier. Smoke filled the air as I grabbed my kids and dragged them inside as fire rained down from the sky. And then rainbow light enveloped everything and the flames were gone and so were the people.

I turned on the news.

That was when I learned that my house was just part of a fake neighborhood designed by Loki.

The screen flickered to life, showing Loki—yes, that Loki—sitting on a news panel like he belonged there.

"Yes, Debra, you're correct," he said, casually gesturing to a map. "The test neighborhood for the atomic bomb has been obliterated. No residents were home, thankfully. The government will monitor the flora and fauna for a few years before repurposing the area."

I stared in disbelief at his lies, my kids huddled behind me.

A knock at the door broke the silence. A group of men in suits entered, and with them, Loki, looking far too smug for someone who'd just announced my neighborhood's destruction.

"There was no atomic bomb." He said.

I had to evacuate the werewolves from the Estate, where I had bought my house that was all.

"Wait- werewolves?" I gagged on my water. When was I drinking water? Oh yes that was all as if it were simple.

"Yes."

"Sweet so cool!" Anwan interrupted pumping her fist. "That means scout is a werewolf!"

Of course she would think that was cool.

"What?" She said innocently, "it's cool because maybe he can bite me."

"No boys will be biting you." I said seriously. "Why am I having this conversation with my seven year old?"

"The werewolves are gone now and this neighborhood will be dedicated to the government as a military base for you to raise….kat." The government man said.

"But Loki says she won't hatch." I objected.

"Cool!" Anwan pumped her fist again. Then lowered it as I glared at her and said "oops sorry."

"The egg has been electrocuted." Loki said and my grandson has officially died, so we are actually in the reality that you will have to raise that thing….i mean my sweet angel of a great great granddaughter and she is excited to meet you I'm sure. She has imprinted on you and you cannot deter that. This will make you a dragon rider."

"But I don't want to be a dragon rider!"

"I do! I do! Take me instead!" Anwan insisted. I pushed her behind me, "I want to be a dragon rider!" She said through my arms.

"Good girl!" Loki said, "see! It's all about attitude!" Loki said smiling.

"Ok then; if you need anything just pray to the devil and I'll be there."

"I don't feel comfortable with that." I said blatantly.

"I will! If I can be a dragon rider and my boyfriend can make me a werewolf!" Anwan said as I pushed her out the door of the kitchen.

"Fine. I'll do it but only because I love Kat." I said. And with that, Loki waved his hand and the egg enveloped into flames.

My bucket list changed forever that day from hiking the Y mountain to sky dancing with Kat.

In my heart I was actually like Anwan, but my inner child had died long ago wishing for an opportunity to become a dragon rider.

My new bucket list:

Take Kat, Anwan, and the boys to see the world.

To survive the apocalypse and clean every bed and breakfast we come across I thought sarcastically.

System update goal: clean bed and breakfasts.

"What? Wait! I was kidding!" But it had already added to my list. I sighed.

Of course I would have to clean.

I would be cleaning all the way through the apocalypse even if I was a dragon rider.

————-

The egg burned for days and didn't let up.

It seemed hard for it to do.

"Maybe it's supposed to be inside it's mom when it burns." Anwan said casually.

"What? Anwan, no! That's horrible!"

"I'm just saying-." She said just as casually."

How had my daughter developed such dark humor? Or was she serious?

The bakery I worked at was gone and so were my co-workers and scout and Aksel. So I wouldn't know what happened to them for another 18 years. But anyways, five days passed and then another week and I began to be worried about the egg.

I thought Anwan was right so I said ok then maybe we can trick the shell into thinking that the mom burned.

I began to place some chicken on top of it when the door to the kitchen opened and Michael rushed in. "Evelyn! The neighborhood is gone!"

He had just come home from work to find me using Kat as a grill. He stopped and stared at me.

I had officially gone crazy in his eyes.

"Why are you cooking chicken on the egg?!!!!"

"Because Anwan thought that…"

"She's trying to hatch the egg by pretending the chicken is the baby's burning mother." Anwan covered for me. Thanks.

I looked at Michael having no other way to explain myself to him. He just looked at me and then the egg and then and Anwan and turned around sighing.

"Yep it's official my family is crazy and the neighborhood is burned down and I don't know what to do anymore. He went and sat in his chair in the living room.

I probably shouldn't ask him if he wants some chicken.

——————

I woke up to the smell of something burnt and then I realized I had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor and Michael and my kids had all gone to bed. He cleaned up the chicken and I looked outside at the empty street only to realize that it wasn't empty. I had made up all of it with the bomb and the neighborhood and I guess all of it except the chicken. Possibly I had made up the chicken.

I looked and there was no trace of the whole experience and I realized that once again my crazy dreams had gotten the better of me. Why do I have such dreams??? I thought.

It was confusing. Before me on my screen the list of things I planned to do before the apocalypse was before me. That was still undone.

Michael had been so patient with my stress. Probably it entertained Anwan.

The chicken was burned but that was in a pan in the fridge. So I couldn't tell if I had placed it on the egg in a moment of hysteria but it got me wondering if I really should hatch it.

Would I have a dragon on my plate or would it be like Loki; a human of sorts? With electrical power of course.

I did not know.

I opened my screen by swiping the air with my finger and looked at all I wanted to do with myself before I died.

Stock up on water? That was a bit grim. Maybe I should travel a bit and take my kids somewhere. That is how I determined I would indeed hatch the egg and bring kat wherever we went from now on. If she was going to be my baby then I woikd be her momma. Perhaps what Loki said was true that she had imprinted on me, so I would make an impression on her and in 18 years she would be a super successful girl for her parents.

I pumped my fist and grabbed the chicken and a bunch of wood. I lit a match and then realized that in the middle of my kitchen like in my dream was not the ideal place to cook a dragon, so I took her outside.

This got me nervous. Was she going to hatch or cook? That was the question. Gaaaa!!!! Now I made myself second guess it.

I carried her back inside.

Holding her in my arms I went back out and back in, unsure what to do.

I was biting my nails for a while in anxiety. Maybe I should clean something and think about it instead. Yeah. That would be good.