Free Legend of the Great Dragon by J. F. Jenkins

it, you not hinder her and continue to hold her back. At her next birthday, she must be told. That's still several months away so there's time to prepare telling her the truth.”
    The rumbling in Mikko's stomach returned, and there was a shift of chairs in the kitchen. They had to have heard it, but hopefully they wouldn't realize just how long she'd been standing there listening in. She cleared her throat quietly and made a few taps on the wall as if she were still walking down the hall before poking her head in with a rather forced smile on her face.
    â€œHello,” she said.
    â€œYou're up late,” her grandmother said, also smiling.
    Tyson gazed across the room at her, sadness in his eyes. He had to have known that she eavesdropped. Her grandmother didn't know Mikko well enough to understand her body language, but he did.
    Her smile changed into one that was more natural and relaxed. “I was hungry, so I thought I would get up and see what was in the kitchen. There's probably a lot of food left over from the party. Are there any of the mini quiches left? Those were fantastic.”
    Slowly, her uncle got up from his chair and went to check out what was inside of the refrigerator. He pulled out a plastic wrapped plate. “I see some of the potatoes in here too, and a lot of sweets. Do you want a little bit of everything?”
    â€œYes, please.” Her stomach rumbled more, and it distracted her mind from everything else. Mikko didn't even want to entertain the possibility of being the Great Dragon until she learned more and had a moment to soak the whole thing in on her own.
    Once the food was prepared, Tyson set it down in front of her. He stroked her hair and he had such a sad smile on his face. While his lips pretended to be happy, she noticed it in his eyes. They were downcast and solemn.
    He breathed out a heavy sigh. “I should get back to bed.” He kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, Mikko. I'll see you in the morning, and don't stay up too late. I'm sure tomorrow will be just as busy because your uncles want to take you sailing.” Then he took the Lady Oceina's hand and gave it a kiss. “Goodnight to you as well.”
    With Tyson gone, Mikko suddenly became very aware of herself. But that might have had something to do with the fact that her grandmother's gaze was fixed on her, watching her every move. Was she checking to see if Mikko was in fact perfect? All of the attention had Mikko's hands shaking and she spilled food on herself. If I was perfect before, I'm definitely not now. Something tells me perfection wouldn't be such a fumbling klutz.
    â€œAre you all right, dear?” her grandmother asked.
    â€œNo,” she whispered. Mikko wanted to lie, to hide her feelings, but Uncle Tyson was right, she couldn't do it. Something inside of her kept her from speaking false words. Lying didn't seem worth it anyway. What would she achieve? A guilty conscience.
    The Lady Oceina moved her chair closer to Mikko, and she hugged her granddaughter. “What's wrong?”
    â€œI'm unbelievably stressed,” she confessed. “And I haven't been sleeping well. I think things are piling up and I'm having a hard time managing them. Which is probably why I'm so hungry as well, stress eating.”
    â€œI've done my fair share of that.” Her grandmother paused. “Just know that you're never handed any more than you can handle.”
    It's true. She felt it deep inside of her heart. There was a lot she didn't understand, but a peace as well. Whatever answers she was seeking, she knew they would come. She just had to keep having faith.

 
    Chapter Eleven
    Â 
    Mikko had another dream. Once more she found herself at the park from before. It was summer instead of spring. She noticed beautiful, full, blue roses on all of the bushes and in the trees. Then red rosebuds began to appear and bloom right before her eyes. She'd never seen anything like it before.
    As she