Amara found herself absently wandering the gardens of the neighborhood. So many flowers in different hues, things she had not seen often as there was no greenery inside the city. Anything too easy to burn was thrown to the wayside. Lush comforts, especially for the Daughters, were a waste of time and resources. She could not remember a time when she was hunting that she stopped and took a moment to appreciate the trees. Even the air felt fresher in New Chicago. Athena was advanced, so were the filtration systems within city limits; there just was no real way to find the human nature to pollute. Even her enhanced body felt the weight of the ever growing smog deep in her chest.

“I was wondering where you were,” Joslyn sidled up behind Amara.

Amara jumped, startled out of her thoughts. “Do you people ever announce yourselves, or is that just a creepy trait only you possess?!”

She did not answer, only followed Amara’s gaze to the bright orange tiger lilies. “You still think your home is so much better than mine?”

Amara found herself not quite sure how to answer. On one hand, yes, it was a beautiful place. She could see herself having a peaceful existence there, though it would never be a possibility. On the other hand, New Chicago was filled with crackpot zealots that she wanted nothing to do with. 

“No smart retort this time? I gotta say, I thought a prodigal Daughter of Athena would have a lot more fight in her.”

Amara gritted her teeth, her hands balled in defensiveness. “I told you before, I don’t kill humans, though you are very close to giving me a reason to do so. My home was better, before you went and blew it up. I have nowhere to go. Fighting you, killing the lot of you wouldn’t change that.”

Joslyn kicked out her leg, hitting just behind Amara’s knee, knocking her to the ground. In a lightning fast moment, Amara was pinned. Her strength far outweighed that of Joslyn’s, yet the more she fought, the harder it was for her to get up. Her head buzzed, her wrists stung, and slowly her body stopped moving all together. Amara tried to fight back with magic, with any spell she could think of—nothing worked. 

“You couldn’t kill me on your best day, understand that now and quickly. You think you’re the only one here with power? Not by a long shot.” She sneered as she looked down at Amara’s frozen body. “Attacking Athena was a first step, it does not stop them from attempting to rebuild. What you fail to comprehend is that no one is coming to save you. No one knows you’re here because you aren’t supposed to be here. That communicator in your arm? Worthless, just like the bullets in your gun.”

“Then just kill me now. Get it the fuck over with.”

Something akin to an evil cackle escaped Josyln’s lips. “I wish I could. Unfortunately, I have been overruled. From this point on, consider yourself an indentured servant. Not a refugee, not a friend, not an ally–you work with us or you die, plain and simple.”

Joslyn released Amara’s wrists and stood. She loomed as the feeling returned to Amara’s body. 

“You see that house across the way?” Joslyn thumbed at a house behind her. “That is where you will learn our ways. Then you will join in our operations as you have more inside knowledge than the rest of us. That is your only use.” She pulled Amara to her feet forcefully.

“And I have no choice?” Amara dusted herself off, fighting the urge to kick Joslyn in the stomach.

“Not one.” 

Amara sighed, while raging on the inside. She studied the house, it was much larger than Joslyn’s but in far worse condition. White paneling, dirty and falling apart–the roof missing more than a few shingles but was surprisingly still standing. Joslyn stood, arms crossed, waiting for Amara to move. They glowered at each other for a moment before Amara walked towards the house. Deep down, she was afraid. Josyln’s power seemed to rival her own in ways she never expected. For the first time since she arrived in New Chicago, she understood the gravity of her situation. Her survival depended upon her playing the game and playing it well. 

She stepped onto the derelict porch, wood beams creaking beneath her. A tall, lean man stared down at her from the doorway. His dark skin and cropped fade caught Amara by surprise. His hazel eyes, a stark contrast against the color of his skin. He wore ripped jeans and a black t-shirt, both hanging loosely on his body. She found herself staring at him a little too long. 

“You must be Amara. Come in.” He stepped to the side, gesturing for her to enter. 

She surveyed the space, stepping over the raised door frame. The main floor of the house was furnished with gym equipment. There were mats covering a majority of the floor and not a single piece of furniture in sight. 

“I’m Emery. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He reached out to shake her hand.

Amara did not shake it, unaccustomed to the gesture.

“Well, okay. I figure we can start with simple stuff. You don’t need physical training, so we will bypass that,” Emery said before jogging up the stairs.

She followed him–so that’s where all the furniture was. “What is it that I need to learn, Emery?” 

“For starters, the ways of the Sacred Scales. You have been created to destroy the very thing we care for. We have to change that. Once you have been instructed in our ways, you will then be brought up to speed on the missions we have planned.” Emery finished speaking but did not move away from the top of the staircase. 

Amara was stuck between him and the top stair, it annoyed her. Did men here not care about whose paths they blocked? Emery did not look like he planned to move any time soon. So, Amara shoved him out of her way. Emery hit the floor with a thud, a shocked and wounded look on his face. 

“What the hell was that for?!” He rolled over to stand back up.

Amara stepped over him before he could and walked into the middle of the room. “You were in my way. I don’t like having my path blocked by anything or anyone.”

Shaking his head with a look torn between irritation and amusement, Emery sat down at the table. “I will do my best to remember that.” 

Amara did not sit with him.  She eyed the maps and photos all over the walls. They looked like people who worked for Athena in different capacities but most of them were individuals she had never met. She recognized the Head Instructor of the Daughters, Ms. Nita. Several scientists she saw in passing during her routine testings were also displayed, but she did not know their names. There were maps of Athena and other cities, and the map of Athena’s headquarters had a giant X through it. So many faces she had never seen and places she had never been. Would she get to go to them now? She gazed back at Emery who was staring out of the window beside him. How did he end up with the Sacred Scales? He looked young enough to have been born in New Chicago. 

“So what now?” She broke the silence.

He sighed. “Now, you learn.”

It had been two days of going over Sacred Scales literature and Amara was about to lose her mind. So many stories she did not care the slightest bit about. Emery droned monotonously, to the point that Amara had dozed off several times. However, there was one thing that kept her interested and it was not the literature. Amara had never had the chance to be so close to a man alone. A man that was not performing tests on her or escorting her somewhere–a man that spoke, commanded a room even. Watching Emery’s full lips move as he spoke excitedly about the history of his home and his people captivated Amara. Awakened feelings inside of her she did not know she was capable of having. His brown eyes sparkled when the sun hit them and his skin glowed. The way he looked at her, the way his hands grazed hers when he handed her a book or a piece of paper. All of it ignited a fire in her belly and brought heat to her face. 

He was an attractive man, there was no doubt in that. Amara tried hard not to allow his attractiveness to distract her. She needed to focus on the task at hand. A way to break the Sacred Scales from the inside so she could return home without the risk of bringing trouble with her. It was difficult considering Emery’s desire vibrated all over Amara’s skin. He was attracted to her, she could tell. But the desire she felt sprang from something else. An unknown desire that made her uneasy. She did not like Emery much, though she had grown to tolerate him in the small amount of time she spent with him. Amara wondered what his lips felt like, what a kiss would feel like. She constantly fought the urge to act on the thought. She would risk too much getting emotionally or physically involved with him. Her training forbade her from that and even though Emery was attracted to her, it did not mean he wanted her. She was still a creation of Athena. Still seen as an enemy and an abomination in the eyes of the Sacred Scales, which meant his eyes too.

“Alright, I think that is enough history for now. You don’t seem like you are going to start worshipping dragons anytime soon, which is fine.” Emery stood up to stretch out his legs. “Our next mission is to head back to Athena and make sure no part of Headquarters was left standing. Since you lived there, we may need your expertise.”

Amara avoided eye contact. The last thing she wanted to do was fight people from her home, her creators and keepers. “What makes you think there is anything left? Joslyn seemed pretty convinced you killed everyone.” 

Emery looked at Amara with annoyance. “Do you really think they would give up so easily? The first attack was a message, this time we will end it for good.”

She wanted to vomit. She wanted to scream, cry, and punch Emery in the face. If Athena was sufficiently wiped from the planet, what would be left for her? She could not spend her entire life with the Sacred Scales. 

“I want to know about the cave. What are the drawings in there? Is that where the dragon lives?” She broke the silence, redirecting the conversation away from Athena. 

Emery avoided looking at her, which told Amara he knew something. She studied his face to see what his expression would give away but found him unreadable. He had told her she needed to learn the history of the Sacred Scales, so why not tell her about the cave? 

“It is mostly legends and fables. The Sacred Scales used texts from hundreds of years ago and believe most of them to be true. Although I do not believe they are anything other than works of fiction,” Emery cleared his throat, “Some believe dragons were around long ago. Far before the attack eighty years ago. The Sacred Scales believe, from the lore, that there were dragon riders, women who were supposed to be powerful enough to ride and control them. These so-called dragon riders raised and cared for the dragons and in turn the dragons helped us.” 

The story sounded like something straight out of a wild daydream. Women who could tame and ride dragons was not something she had read about in her own dragon studies, though she supposed that kind of information would not have been available to her. If dragons had been to Earth before, why did it seem like no one knew that? Amara did not think it was possible for them to have been here long ago. Surely the history books would have mentioned it, should have mentioned it. If Emery did not believe in these fables, then he was much different than Joslyn. Maybe she could trust him.. 

“So if they were here before, where did they disappear to?” She leaned in closer, eager to hear the answer. 

Emery shifted in his seat. “No one really has a definite answer for that. Some believe they just disappeared, much like the Mayans. Others believe humans are the reason behind the first dragon extermination that was meticulously covered up. There obviously is no record of such a thing but there are always conspiracy theorists no matter the time period.” 

Conspiracy theorists were, in fact, everywhere–and Amara just so happened to find herself kidnapped by a group of them. She found it ironic that Emery thought this way but still worked with the Sacred Scales. She hoped at some point she could make an ally out of him. It had been a long day and the sun faded beneath the horizon. Amara stood and left without saying goodbye, deciding that Emery looked rather preoccupied with his own thoughts anyhow.