The dreary rain poured down on Mark’s back. He fluttered his draigs iually on the ent hope he would be able to fly the rest of the way home. He could feel his stomach twist at the thought. Why? Why was he broken? What did he d to deserve this? His mind drifted back to earlier that day at recess. Usually, he would mind his business at recess, but today, Todd and his ies just wouldn’t leave him alone. His body ached from the rocks they had pelted him with, especially his wings. For the few stones, he was able to block with them. They were underdeveloped and still really sensitive. Mark sniffled and wiped at his tears, the only good thing about the rain. He couldn’t cry at a time like this. He had to be a man, just like Dad always told him.

  The porch of his house loomed in front of him. His walk home had e to an end. The tall wooden pilrs, the creaky floorboards and the faded green paint. It was still an unusual sight to him after spending so long with his dad in the apartment. Mark finally made it to the door before he stopped. What would Victoria say if she saw him? How was he going to avoid her? Mark could feel his gut ch. He o prevent her from asking questions. She would insist that she would have picked him up and ask him why he didn’t call. That was a question Mark wao avoid at all costs. It would mean expining everything that happe school.

  After a few more breaths, Mark mao open the door as quietly as he could before stepping inside. He set his bag down and took off his shoes. He was still soaki from the rain, so he took his socks off for whatever little help it would do. At least there wouldn’t be wet footprints. Slowly but surely, Mark crept his way through the house. His head on a swivel for the sound of noise as he made his the stairs. Suddenly, he heard a loud bang. Mark froze, his heart beating a mile a minute, and he cmped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from making he sound came from downstairs. Victoria must be doing undry or liftis right now. Slowly, Mark mao get his breathing under trol. He quickly but quietly rushed to his room, closing the door as quietly as possible with a soft *click.

  Mark heaved a sigh as he looked around his room. He quickly took off his clothes and tossed them in the hamper. He knew he would o tell Victoria at dinner so he could hang them up somewhere. Otherwise, they would start to smell. Mark couldn’t help but shuffle awkwardly as he opehe closet to grab some clothes. There was a mirror mounted on the inside of the door, a mirror he generally avoided looking at if he could avoid it. Mark felt his scales start to itch just from looking at the mirror. Quickly, he tore his gaze away a back to looking for something to wear. Standing there, he couldn’t help but scratch idly at his arm. It was a bad habit, he knew he should stop, but he couldn’t help it. Sometimes, he just felt weird and sad when he saw himself. It always caused his scales to itch. His stupid muddy brown scales.

  Mark settled on the ledge by the window beside his bed after getting dressed. It was rge enough for him to fortably lie down on, being designed as a nding pad for sed-floor access. He picked up a book and started to read. Mark gazed out the window and across the open prairie. It wasn’t an unwele sight, just a fn one. After having lived in Winnipeg for so long with his Dad, being suddenly dumped here with Victoria was a huge sho. The prairie stretched for miles, and the small unity was very different from the rge bustling city that stantly moved, as well as all the different types of Xenos that could be seen. Here in Somerset, it was all Draids.

  Draids were a species of Xenos individuals that had various draic features that covered a wide range. However, at minimum, Draid Xenos always had scaled forearms and hands with cws as well as draigs. Once more, Mark gave his wings an iual flutter. Mark could only sigh in resignation. Wings were everything around here. A alot of the infrastructure had ged in the fifty years sihe Advent to aodate the entire unity being capable of flight. It wasn’t like Mark couldn’t get pces. He just always had to take the long way. Like his reading spot, it was normally used as aryway so people could fly to their rooms instead of walking through the entire house. Mark couldn’t though. He was stuck grounded.

  There was a knock at Mark’s door before Victoria peaked her head in. “Hey sweetie, how was school today?”

  Mark mao tear his gaze away from the rain to look at Victoria. Otherwise, she would think something was wrong. “It was good, nothing special. We had a math test.”

  Victoria stepped fully into the room and walked over to Mark. “That’s nice, do you think you did well?”

  Mark froze for a moment. He hadn’t done well. In fact, he had done horribly oest, thanks to Todd preventing him from studying properly during recess. Mark’s gaze darted about the room for a moment, but Victoria was standing right before him. There was no escape. Finally, Mark mao stammer out a response. “Y-yeah… I… I only got a B+ though.” Mark winced as he waited to hear Victoria’s admonishment. He hoped he would get di least.

  “Oh, that’s awesome. Good job honey.” Victoria beamed as she ed him in a hug.

  Mark stiffened up at the fion. “T-t-t-thanks… Victoria”

  A froeared on Victoria’s face as she lowered him back to the ground. “Mark, I know you’ve only been living here for a few weeks, but you don’t o call me by name. I am your Mom afterall.”

  Mark scratched at his scales again while looking at Victoria. “I… I know, it’s just… I… I don’t know you, and I feel awkward about it.”

  The melted from Victoria’s fad quickly was repced with sympathy. “That’s alright Mark. I know you haven’t known me for a while. I know I be a bit er about this. Please don’t think that I am trying to push you or anything. I know these things take time.”

  Mark sat back down on his ledge while looking down at his cwed feet. “Thanks M… Mo… Victoria.”

  Mark watched as Victoria began to smile before her shoulders sagged. “It’s fine Mark, dinner will be ready soon okay?”

  “Okay, Thank you.”

  With that, Victoria left. The door softly clicked closed behind her. Mark felt all the tension leave his body as he sagged onto his ledge. What had just happened? Why wasn’t she mad? It must be a trick, yeah, it must be a trick. Surely, his punishment for doing so poorly would e ter. Maybe he would get dinner but be given it in a dog bowl? Or maybe Victoria would force him to watch her eat while he had to sit there with nothing but a gss of water.

  Mark rolled over and turned his gaze towards the rain once more. His mind turo Victoria. While she was his mom, he looked nothing like her. With his dull, broad cws, draic feet, short tail and matte, muddy brown scales, he resembled his father. Except his father’s scales were a lustrous brown, and his dad had a full-size tail and draic muzzle stu a perma frown.

  Meanwhile, Victoria was the epitome of beauty with her Amethyst scales that glittered in the sunlight that covered her entire body. She was sidered a “True Draic,” as silly a phrase as it was. She had the full package of a draic muzzle, full body scales, cws, tail, wings and draic feet. She was absolutely geous, and Mark always felt weird looking at her. She made him feel all funny and weird. It made his stomach roll as he couldn’t help but pare his gross scales and malformed wings to her sleek, slender frame and wings with her lustrous scales. Mark could only wish that his scales looked like hers, but he was stuck with what he had.

  Time seemed to stretch as he gazed at the rain, that sad, empty feeling gnawing at his tummy. He always hated days when he felt like this. The hing he knew, he was being shaken aggressively. Turning his head, he saw Victoria standing above him with a ed expression.

  Victoria leaned down and ran her hand through his hair. “Mark, are you okay? You wouldn’t respond.”

  Mark looked up at Victoria. “What do you mean? You just grabbed my shoulder?”

  Victoria’s expression turned darker. “Mark, I've been trying to call out to you and shaking you for the st five minutes. Is everything okay?”

  Mark could only stare at Victoria. His gaze was lost in her slitted, amethyst eyes. “Huh? What do you mean? I didn’t hear a thing. I’m fihough. I was just lost in thought.”

  “Alright Mark, but if something is b you please tell me, okay?”

  Mark nodded in response. “Alright, Victoria, I’ll keep you updated.” Mark saw Victoria’s tail swinging bad forth as her wings twitched. She must be angry at him. He must have done something wrong. How could he not have heard her? He had learned long ago to respond to the slightest call from his dad. He must be growing too x. If he kept this up, Victoria might dump him somewhere random as well.

  Victoria was still staring at Mark as she sighed. “Fine, dinner’s ready okay. I made some tasty mb kebabs.”

  Mark twitched as he tried to keep his cool. Did she say mb kebabs? How did she know? He had old anyone about his love for mb. How did she find out? Did she find his journal? No, that’s impossible. He had bur after his dad came too close to it a couple of months ago and hadn’t attempted it since. Had Dad found it and read it? Did he tell Victoria? A firm shake brought him back to the present once more.

  “e on Mark, at this rate dinner will get cold.” Victoria smiled as she looked at Mark.

  Mark could only smile sheepishly as he followed Victoria downstairs.

  Dinner was amazing. It was the best food Mark had ever tasted. Victoria had been busy the st few weeks since he arrived, but tonight was different. The mb kebabs were so yummy and when they were paired with the various toppings, stuffed in a pita and drizzled with this garliion sauce, Mark thought he had died and goo the afterlife. It was during this food worship that Mark was knocked out of his reverie by Victoria’s voice.

  “Mark, we talk about your math test?”

  Mark froze. This was bad. He shouldn’t have shown hoy he was. He should have kept things as ral as possible, even if the food was this tasty. Slowly, Mark grabbed the pita and moved it into his p. “Y-yes Victoria.” he gulped as he tried to hide his terror. He knew he shouldn’t have gotten fy here. It caused his grades to slip. He just hoped he could hide the bruises in the m.

  Victoria looked at him with and swore. Before Mark could eveer it there was a blur and a small crack of thunder as Victoria was suddenly beside him and sm him in a hug. “No, no no no. Oh my sweet baby. I don’t know what you’re father did to you, but there is nothing, and I mean nothing, in this world that you could do that would ever make me take away your food.”

  Mark was stuck. He couldn’t escape Victoria’s embrace, but he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He o stop himself fr, but he couldn’t. The tears kept ing, no matter how maried to wipe away. Why was she being this o him? He’d done so poorly oest. Why was she hugging him? He finally worked up the ability to try and speak. “I’m sor-”

  Victoria immediately cut him off. “Don’t even think about apologizing Mark. You have dohing wrong, okay? None of this is your fault. It’s all your fathers fault.”

  “But... but I got a bad grade oest.” Mark mao choke out betweeears.

  Victoria only squeezed him tighter and held him closer to her chest. “Mark, what you got was more than enough for me. A B+ is a good grade. There is nothing wrong with it. I saw you freeze up earlier. And i want you to know that i don’t care about yrades, i don’t care about your career or the friends you make. I just want you to be happy. I love you Mark, you’re my son and nothing in this world would ever make me love you less.”

  That was the st straw as Mark broke down and sobbed. After all this time, after all the mean and horrible things dad had doo him. Why now? Why did someone care about him now? Victoria had only known him for a few weeks at most. Why? Why did she love him?

  The tears seemed to never end as he y in Victoria’s embrabsp; The soothing warmth from her body, as well as the small tingles of electricity that she passed over his body, made him feel so safe and warm. It wasn’t long before the exhaustion of everything caught up with him. As the wrew dim around him, he could see Victoria’s smiling face looking down at him, and for once, he wasn’t afraid. For once, he felt safe.