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Colin's phone rings shortly after school lets out. The caller ID says Donald Douglas.

Colin hits the bike's brakes and picks up.

"Hi Donnie. What's new?"

"Hey dude. Yesterday was a really wierd damn day. First of all, I met Dylan. Yeah, that Dylan. Get this: he's my brother. Not born of the same mother kind of brother, but the dragon soul who watches the other side of the Reach for me. He was watching out for Sylvia because I couldn't"

"Wait a moment. I thought you had a link with a Dragon Lord, on the other side of the reach. What's this Dylan got to do with it?"

Colin thinks about it a bit.

"Ehm... Has either of you told Sylvia?"

"I thought he was over there too, but one of the benefits of being the draconic watcher of the Border is that he can be born human, to experience life as a human. He was born as I was, a human, but his soul is that of the dragon. He is Dylan and Dylan is the dragon.

Dragons evidently do not have all the 'flavors' of emotions humans have. They feel individual emotions very strongly. Rage, fear, hate, etc, but are incapable of moderation like humans. Part of my probelem is that I get that side of the dragons too, and since I have had no one to teach me what it was, I just thought I kept losing my marbles every time I got mad or excited.

No, we haven't talked with Sylvia yet. I need to understand this first."

Colin blinks. This is no more absurd than anything happening in his life though, he admits.

"He is not a normal human, I guess, if you say he was protecting Sylvia when you couldn't. Protecting her from what?


"Well, this explains a lot of things. So you got his emotion and he's got your restraint? Can he teach you to keep dragon feelings under control? Not that you are a danger, Donnie, but... I guess your life would be easier."


"Donnie." Colin's voice gets really serious. "She needs to know. She's deadly worried about you. She thinks she messed you up big time. And if Dylan was helping her on your behalf... she kinda needs your apologies too."

"I think he was protecting her from ouside troubles. Evidently she's gone on solo 'hunts' without Kel, and Dylan has watched over her during those times. I don't know the details.

He is going to teach me to control these draconic emotions, but it will take time. It's not like magic.

I know I need to talk to Sylvia. Probably both Dylan and I need to, but not so soon. Even though Dylan was just protecting her from whatever, she still lied to me Colin. Lied to me directly about last Friday, and lied to me by omission about all the other times. This doesn't change that. She did use her powers on me too. I don't know exactly when, but there have been times where I've been whammied with a surge of emotion that may not have come from within. Don't tell her about Dylan yet, ok? Just tell her I am seeing someone to help control my emotions better."

"Well, she's been doing the same. Only, she's been doing that since before Tuesday. And I think you're being harsh with her. If she used her powers, she didn't do it on purpose. She didn't lie to you to have fun at your expenses, she did it because she wasn't ready to talk with you. Kinda what you're doing now. Maybe she was afraid of your reaction, and if that's the case, has she been wrong?"

"Sorry. You don't deserve this either. I can tell her what you want. You can use me until you'll be ready to talk with her. But I think that even when we love someone, we gotta trust them, and let them have some space for some secrets too, or we'll just smother them."

This last part feels a little weird, as if Colin was trying to convince himself as well as Donnie.

"It's not the same Colin. If you were hanging out with another girl some evenings, who's intentions were unknown, and hid it from Sarah, wouldn't you say she would have the right to be pissed off at you?

I gave Sylvia my secrets. She knows of my fears and insecurities, my cheating father, my alcoholic mother, my hidden hopes and dreams. Maybe I did that foolishly, but I need someone who is not going to hide things from me. I deal with that shit on a daily basis with both my parents. I don't need that from my girlfriend. Fine, people are allowed secrets. That's understandable and I agree, but she hides too much from me."

"No, you misunderstand. She was hanging out some evenings with another boy, who she thought was an imaginary friend, and was terrified of being slipping into insanity. She was looking for help while trying to be there for you all the same, because it looked like you didn't have much control over yourself. And when she realized Dylan wasn't one of her illusions escaped from her control, she waited for the right moment and came to tell you. It's not like you find out she was keeping secrets from you, she came and told you. Do you realize that if your Dylan told her the truth since the beginning this would have never happened?"

"Maybe she has been wrong not telling you right away, and probably she hurt you doing so, but do you know how much you hurt her going away on your dragon like that, with someone else in your eyes?"

"I remember the Donnie that told me how Sylvia made him feel, how wonderful what they had was. She waited a week-end to tell you something, and it's over forever?"

She thought she was ging insane? She never told me any of that. See? You know more than I do. Part of the reason I didn't have much control over myself was her, Colin. She messes with people's emotions. Can't you see that? Besides. How is it my fault that Dylan didn't tell her the truth? I just found out last night.


Then she should have controlled herself better. I was on the brink of apologizing when she whammied me with her anger. It was a defensive mechanism. Donnie retreated and the Dragon came forth." Donnie sighs. "Look, Colin, I am tired of being weak, of being pushed around because of my weight, because of my interests, because of my friends. This year is the first year in which I'm not being picked on because of my friends. The Usual Suspects are more powerful than we realize. My point being, I finally get a backbone, let lose some of my anger (rightous or not) and suddenly I am hurting people. Hurting Sylvia. That sucks."

"Both you and Sammy have said the same thing. What I felt, feel for her is strong. Desire, protectiveness, jealousy. I just am afraid that what I feel is not valid, not true. How much of it is me and how much of it is her manipulation, unconscious or otherwise?"

A part of Colin would like to scream "I know because I asked her, and I asked her because I'm not too busy mending the pieces of my broken pride!" but he manages to contain himself.


"I never said it was your fault. It's not completely hers either, though."


"Donnie, you are my friend. I'm sorry that you've been picked on all your life, and that your family only pushed you further down instead of helping you. You never deserved it. You're right to be angry about it. Then you find out you have a destiny of great responsibility, and powers and emotions that are difficult to handle. Believe me, I am in the position to understand all about that too.
But Donnie, what did you do with this anger you have? Did you let it loose against the bullied that picked on you, so they'd think twice before picking on someone that way again? I don't think so. Did you use it to rise up to your mother and tell her what you think of her? If you have, you haven't told me.
Instead I've seen you letting it loose against Megan, Kel and me, and now against Sylvia.
You're faulting her for not having been able to control herself, but are you so sure that if she did it to anyone else, the results would have been the same? She is sorry, really sorry, because the last thing she wanted was to hurt you."


"I asked her to use her power on me. I was surprised. Those emotions felt like my own. But they didn't linger, Donnie. I'm not feeling them anymore. How do you think you're going to find the answer to that question?"

Donnie curses. "Why does it seem like everyone else is right and I'm always wrong?"  What starts out as a venomous comment ends up sounding resigned. Donnie is silent for a moment, then just before Colin says something starts talking again. "I'll call Dylan and we'll see if we can visit Sylvia and try to talk things out. Sorry for being such a pain in the ass, Colin. You're a good friend, and do not deserve to be put in the middle of domestic disputes like this. Maybe we can talk with her this weekend. I'll see you in a couple hours for practice at stately Wayne Manor."

Colin smiles, though Donnie can't see him.

"I'm the one who's a pain in the ass, and I've pretty much thrown myself into the middle of this while it wasn't my business at all. But I'd really like to see you two sort it out. See you later at jack's so you can beat me up for giving you hell on the phone. Goodbye."