KJ Viajar and the Inubara Dragon

Chapter 1 – The Only Survivor

At 1924 Miller’s Place, there was a loving family of three: John Langley, the father; Eliza Langley, the mother; and Cassandra Leigh Langley, the daughter. However our real story starts on a dull gray wet Monday morning. Mr. Langley gets up and gets ready for work. He works at a nearby Walgreens Pharmacy. He eats his breakfast, kisses Mrs. Langley good-bye and attempts to kiss Cassie good-bye on the head but misses and chuckles to himself all the way to work. Mr. Langley was a manger, so he yelled at a few employees, made some phone calls to other Walgreens around the state of Mississippi, and yells at a few more employees before leaving for home at three that afternoon. When he got home, Mrs. Langley had just put Cassi down for an afternoon nap. Mr. Langley turns on the tv turns down the volume so as not to wake his three year old daughter.
“Well,” he started, 3 hours later. “Nothing to really worry about unless you want to worry about the people in cloaks and the owls. I am hungry. Let’s eat then see what’s on before bed, shall we dear?”
Mrs. Langley nodded and left for the kitchen.

After the meal was eaten and Cassie sent to bed for the night, and a few hours later, Mr. and Mrs. Langley went to bed themselves. Yet before Mr. Langley could get comfortable, he looked out the window to see a large fox like creature sitting at the end of the drive way with a strange marking around it’s neck. He shook his head muttering to himself and crawled back into bed. A few minutes later, a small displacement of air was followed the appearance of an averaged height, slender, well proportioned woman next to the fox that was already there.
“Hello, Sherryl,” she said.
“How did you know it was me?” asked a young woman with a cross and chain around her neck, for that was the strange markings around the fox’s neck as well.
“I never remember seeing a fox with a cross and chain marking around its neck, dear girl,” came the distracted reply. “Would you care for some Runts candy? They are a non-magical sweet that I am rather fond of if you get my drift.”
“What?! Medira, please try to stay with me,” Sherryl pleaded. “When is Ossi going to get here with the Viajar child? And no, Medira, I am not going to eat anything that has been in your cloak pockets for hours on end.”
“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” Medira replied.
Sure enough, a small barley noticeable breeze blows across their faces and a barely audible pop is heard. There stood a large man in a pale green cloak holding a darker green bundle in his arms.
“Here’s the child, Professor Andrews,” he rumbled from beneath a plaid muffler stretched across the lower half of his face to ward off the cold.
“Thank you, Ossi,” Medira answered.
Slowly she made her way up the driveway and arrived at the door. She set the child, a girl of 3 years, on the front step before reaching into an inner pocket of her cloak to withdraw an envelope that looked parched and yellowed with age. Medira gently tucked this envelope into a fold of the dark green blankets before turning and leaving the child. Upon arrival at the end of the driveway, she nodded to her two comrades and one-by-one-by-one, they disappeared without a noise except for the three faint pop’s that echoed down the street.

(Little more than 8 years later)
“Come on, KJ,” Aunt Eliza said through the door. “We don’t have all day to wait for you to get up and make breakfast for Cassie’s 11th birthday. After breakfast we are dropping you off at the neighbor’s.”
“Alright,” KJ mumbled, rolling off her bed.
KJ yawned as she yanked a brush through her still damp hair. For as long as she could remember, KJ had always slept in the smallest bedroom on the first floor of the two story house she shared with her aunt uncle and cousin. Every year on Cassie’s birthday, after the age of five, KJ had made breakfast before being left at a neighbor’s house for the rest of the day. However, little did KJ know that today would be different. Today, she would be accompanying her remaining family to the Jackson mall 15 minutes away. As she finished brushing out her hair, KJ went to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. Just as she was about to get the eggs from the refrigerator, KJ noticed a parched brown envelope addressed to her. It even had the place where she slept at night, which was shock in and of itself. Before she started cooking, she grabbed the envelope, tore it open, and started to read the letter inside with vigor.

Dear Miss Viajar,
You have been cordially accepted at Micaderm’s School of Basic Witchcraft and Wizardry. Term starts on August 20th. Your list of supplies is enclosed as is your train ticket to get on the train that will be leaving from platform 8½ at the savannah train station at 9 in the morning. I expect you to be there!

Professor Sherryl Jackson

“So you found your letter,” Uncle John said from behind his newspaper at the table. “When you’re done, you can start cooking breakfast for Cassie’s birthday. Now get moving before I have a temperamental fit about it!”
KJ scampered off to her room with her letter. She set it on her dresser and raced back to kitchen to start breakfast for her cousin. Upon her return, KJ found her cousin, Cassie, wrapped in a black satin robe over red and black pajamas, also satin, sitting at the table, yawning. KJ immediately set to work on the 5 scrambled eggs, 3 pieces of soggy bacon, and 4 slices of buttered toast and pulled 3 sodas from the fridge for Cassie. How she ate it all and still stayed so thin was a complete mystery to KJ.
“It’s Thursday,” Cassie said around a yawn. “It’s also my birthday. Where’s my birthday present, Mom? Daddy! I want my presents and I want them now! Where are they? Mom!”
“You’ll get them, you twit,” KJ mumbled.
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Uncle John smiled, “just be patient. Mommy will have it out here for you in a few minutes. And quite mumbling over the food, KJ. It’s impolite as it is. Now hurry up I am sure that my little pumpkin is getting really hungry.”
“Sorry, Uncle John,” KJ answered obediently. “I’ll make sure to never do it again. If I do I will go to my room until the next meal is to be fixed and eaten.”
“Good girl,” he confirmed.
KJ put the plate of food with a fork and knife in front of Cassie before finishing the cooking and setting the rest of the foodstuffs on the table. Just as this happened, Aunt Eliza walked in with a small square package wrapped in bright silver paper and topped with a black and red bow to match Cassie’s pajama’s. Aunt Eliza sat it down in front of Cassie, who squealed in delight. She quickly downed her breakfast before tearing the paper off with practically inhuman speed to reveal two stacks of three DVD’s each.
“Oh wow!” she breathed. “The first season of Yu-Gi-Oh! Just what I’ve been wanting for a while! Thank you, Mom!”
“This is from your father,” Aunt Eliza said shortly.
Another package was handed to the 11-year-old girl. This one was wrapped in green paper with a blue bow poorly taped to the paper. The wrap job was poor as well for that matter. KJ almost laughed out loud but caught herself and decided to chew on her lower lip instead. This paper was also ripped off with inhuman speed.
“The Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie! Totally unexpected. Thank you so much, Daddy.”
“I got you a card,” KJ said quietly, “and a gift card from your favorite store inside of it. I hope you like it cousin.”
“Oh thank you, Klynelle,” Cassie said knowing just the button to push.
After the envelope was opened and the card read, Cassie had a look of complete shock on her face. In her hand, Cassie held a $100 Hot Topic gift card. KJ kept her head bowed low with embarrassment. It wasn’t a bad embarrassment but rather a pleased one.
“How long did it take you to save up for something like this, KJ?” Cassie asked.
“A couple years I guess,” KJ replied. “I always knew you wanted a Hot Topic gift card but I could never remember how much you wanted it for so I just got a $100.”
Cassie shot up out of her chair and quickly pulled KJ into a rib-crushing hug, slowly and unknowingly squeezing the breath out of her cousin.
“Cassie, let me breathe,” KJ gasped.
Cassie let go of her cousin and sat back down, staring at her gift card. Aunt Eliza and Uncle John ate their fill of breakfast before they allowed KJ to make a jelly sandwich with the two remaining slices of toast. KJ also fixed herself an egg, 2 pieces of extra crispy bacon, and grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge. She popped the top on the canned soda and wolfed down the breakfast foods. KJ chugged the soda. She cleaned up the kitchen after Aunt Eliza, Uncle John and Cassie left the dining area and to sit in the living room. the phone rang and Uncle John answered it. A couple minutes later, he hung up the receiver.