Page 19 of Escaping my Dragon

“Ever heard of a dinosaur more than a mile long?” I retorted. “See, I did the math. A T. rex had, on average, a five-inch eye, and they grew to be about forty feet long. Something with an orb ten feet or more in diameter? You’re talking a few dozen T. rexes. No possible way.”

“Hold on, you actually did the math for an eyeball you saw in a dream?”

I shrugged. “I mean, after the third night in a row, I got curious.”

He shook his head and laughed. A first. “You are something else, Miss Jenkins.”

“Isn’t it time you started calling me Velma?”

“Only if you’ll call me Noah when I’m out of uniform.”

“I think I can manage that.” I couldn’t help a smile. “What time do you want us ready tomorrow, Noah?” I liked the way his name rolled off my tongue.

“When the sun shines will be fine.”

“Wait, did you just make a joke?”

“Not a very good one, apparently, since you didn’t laugh,” he said with a wry twist of his lips.

“Some say I’m too serious.”

“I’ve heard the same stated about me.”

Someone exited the rec room and I instinctively shifted closer to Noah to give them room to pass. Even once we had the hall to ourselves again, I didn’t move away. I remained in his space looking up, our gazes locked, neither of us speaking. A moment fraught with possibility broken by a yell.

“Captain Harrison! Glad I found you. You’re urgently needed.”

Instantly, a stony mask dropped into place as if we’d not almost just kissed. “What’s wrong, Corporal?”

“One of the helicopters has gone missing.”

“What?” Noah barked. “How?”

“I don’t know, sir, but you’re needed right away.”

Without so much as a glance or a goodbye, the captain strode off.

I almost followed. However, covering theft wasn’t part of our mission, and I didn’t want to get on the captain’s bad side lest he send us packing.

Still, I had to wonder how and why anyone would steal. It wasn’t as if they could take the helicopter far. For one, nowhere to refuel, and second, once it landed, where would the thief run? Or was this a case of seasonal affective disorder—or, the more fanciful nickname, midnight sun syndrome? Having the circadian rhythm thrown off by a sun that didn’t set could induce psychosis, AKA manic episodes.

Hopefully this would be a story that resolved without a death.

That night, for the first time, I didn’t dream of the ice cave or the giant eyeball. I stood at the foot of Erebus, the top of it wreathed in fog. I didn’t even have time to scream when it suddenly exploded!

Chapter Seven

I awoke from the nightmare shivering in my bed, the blast of heat from the volcano and the intense rumbling of the ground still fresh and terrifying.

Realistic enough that I fought the blankets to escape the bed, and stumbled to the window, yanking aside the blind and curtains. A dense fog outside hid everything from view. Not exactly reassuring, however, the fact I didn’t hear any alarms and no one pounded on my door screaming to evacuate probably meant Erebus hadn’t erupted overnight.

Needing to make sure, I skipped a shower that morning, choosing instead to wipe myself down with a wet cloth. Stuffed in my heavy snow gear, it wasn’t as if anyone would be able to smell me. I’d shower before dinner.

On my way down to the first floor, I passed a few people, none of them seemingly panicked. I still went right outside for a sniff to ensure the grayish mist smelled of fog and not ash.

“Dare I ask what you’re doing?” The low drawl from behind startled and I whirled to see the captain with a cocked brow eyeing me.

“I had a dream Erebus blew its top,” I muttered.