Free Rock Bottom (Dragon Within #4) by Kyra Dune

much Brandy and Hannah didn’t like
each other.
         “Brandy
wanted to talk to some dragons.” Curtis stepped around the table and opened his
laptop. The screen was facing away from me so I couldn’t see it. “She asked
Derek to go with her, I guess because she didn’t want to be alone. Hannah
tagged along without an invite.”
         “Sounds
like Hannah. But why did Brandy want to talk to dragons?” I thought I knew the
answer to that but I was kind of hoping I was wrong. Brandy never meant any
harm but she could be a little abrasive sometimes. Anybody who didn’t know her
like I did was bound to take it the wrong way.
         “She’s
curious about the whole dragon thing.” He shut down the laptop and closed it.
“I think she’s trying to figure out how to go at the idea like a scientist.”
         I
groaned. “Why couldn’t she ask Derek? Or me? Or even Hannah? People don’t like
strangers randomly pressing them with a million questions.”
         “You know
Brandy.” Curtis picked up the laptop and slid it into its case. “She did talk
to Derek, but she’d need information from more than one person. Otherwise it
wouldn’t be scientific.”
         “And
she’ll probably have half the population of the bunker mad at her before the
hour’s out,” I said. “Tact isn’t exactly her strong point.”
         “I resent
that.” Brandy came in through the open doorway, followed by Derek and Hannah.
“I happen to consider myself to be extremely tactful.”
         “Then
you’re the only one,” Hannah said. “I’ve known you for a few months now, and I gotta say I agree with Abby on this one.”
         Brandy
ignored her, focusing instead on me. “I’ll have you know I was perfectly polite
and unobtrusive while questioning the dragons. Wasn’t I, Derek?”
         “Uh...”
Derek coughed, “You were... That is, you weren’t ...” He sighed. “I can’t
think of a thing to say that isn't going to come out wrong.”
         Hannah
laughed. “Told you so.”
         “I don’t
recall asking your opinion on the matter,” Brandy snapped.
         “So
what?” Hannah flopped onto the sofa, throwing one leg over the armrest. “Who
died and made you the queen of this conversation?”
         “So,
Abby,” Derek broke in loudly, “how was your first day of training?”
         “Ugh.
Don’t even ask.”
         “That
good, huh?” Hannah asked. “Well come on and give us all the grisly details.”
         I made a
face. “I spent most of my time flat on the ground and all I have to show for it
is a throbbing head and bruised wrists.” I lifted my hands. A thin, blackish
brown bruise circled my wrists.
         Derek’s
lips dipped into a frown. “How did that happen?”
         “It
doesn’t matter.” I dropped my hands to my lap. “My grandfather was crazy to
think I could ever be a match for her in a real fight. She’d kill me before I
could even think about attacking her.”
         “That
could change now you have somebody besides Mr. Freeze training you,” Hannah
said.
         I pressed
my tongue against my teeth to keep myself from saying something snarky. “What’s
he been up to, anyway? Do you know?” I was trying to act like it hardly even
mattered to me, but judging by the expressions on Derek and Brandy’s faces I
wasn’t pulling it off. I’m sure they were real happy Zack hadn’t been around
and didn’t much appreciate Hannah for bringing him up.
         “Jonah
says Megara has him battle training some of the dragons,” Hannah said. “I hear
it keeps him real busy. That and cozying up to our fearless leader. Guess he
was worried she might kick him out if he didn’t make himself useful.”
         Zack was
spending time with Megara? I’m sure you can guess how I felt about that. I
mean, sure, she was about ten years older than he was, but she was very pretty
and intense, and she had complete