Trapped on Draconica
Sample Chapter
By Dan Wright
Not to be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system—except by a reviewer to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web—without permission from the author.
By Dan Wright
Not to be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system—except by a reviewer to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web—without permission from the author.
Chapter 1
Ben
Maria Anthony had lost count of how many times she had this conversation with her son. She would have thought that he would have got it by now. “Stealing!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Ben rolled his eyes back into his head and groaned. He didn’t see what the big deal was. It was only a couple of packets of sweets – it wasn’t like he’d taken any money. But his mum always had to make a big deal about these things.
“For goodness sake, Ben! You’re thirteen years old!”
“So?” Ben asked, shrugging.
“So?” Maria cried, almost hysterically. “At your age you should be thinking about an education and job prospects! Not what sweet shop you want to do over next! Which reminds me, the headmaster called again, he told me that he hasn’t seen you at school all week!”
“We didn’t feel like going,” Ben replied, nonchalant.
“Didn’t feel like going?” Maria was so aghast she couldn’t even control the volume of her voice anymore. “Who didn’t feel like going? You and that bunch of hooligans you hang out with?”
“Don’t talk about my mates like that!” Ben shouted back defensively.
Her aggressive approach didn’t seem to have any effect – and Maria didn’t enjoy it when she lost her temper. So she took a deep breath and tried a calmer approach, despite every vein on her neck being ready to burst. “Ben, I only want what’s best for you. But can’t you see those ‘friends’ of yours only lead you into bad habits? This is the fifth time in the last fortnight you’ve been in trouble with the police. Chief Inspector Williams says next time he’ll have to press charges and you could end up going to court!”
“They can’t charge me, I’m too young,” Ben scoffed.
“That’s not what Williams told me,” Maria sternly retorted. “Why Ben? Why would you do this?”
Ben shrugged his shoulder. “I dunno.”
“Is that what you want to do with your life?” Maria asked. “You want to just… become a criminal like your father?”
“Oh, I’ve had enough of this!” Ben leapt up from his chair and bolted towards the door.
“Ben, come back here! I’m not finished!”
“Get lost!” Ben shouted back.
“Ben, I’m your mother! Don’t talk to me like that!”
“You’re not my real mum! Go back to Korea and eat a dog!”
“Ben!”
Maria heard Ben’s footsteps pound up the stairs, followed by the slam of his door that made the entire house shake. Sighing hard, Maria sat on the sofa, deeply cut by both Ben’s attitude and ignorance. Maria was born in the Philippines, not Korea. But trying to explain the difference to Ben wasn’t worth fighting about sometimes.
This wasn’t the first time they fought and it hurt her every time they did. But she was trying – she really was. He may have been a criminal in the making, but Maria was not going to give up on him. He may not have been her biological child, but she loved him like he was. Why was being a mother so difficult?
The next morning, despite looking his mum in the eye and promising he would go to school, Ben went to Dane John Park to meet up with the rest of his mates. It did have its advantages, having a gullible mother who would believe anything you told her.
Gary, Clive and Owen were sitting on a bench, making no attempt to even hide their truancy. Ben always had trouble making friends at school, which he believed was down to him being one of the few black boys there. But mostly it was because his father had a bad reputation around these parts – given he was one of the most notorious criminals in Canterbury alone. However, these guys thought he was cool enough to hang around with them. To Ben they had the right idea. School was for losers, they already had their lives planned out – they were going to go ‘on the dole’ and sign on for the rest of their lives. What wasn’t to like about that? Getting free money for doing absolutely nothing? Maybe if they actually bothered to go to school, they would eventually learn that wasn’t what dole money was made for.
“Heya, guys!” Ben called out.
“Watcha, mate!” Owen called out, giving his friend a hi-five. “How’s it hangin’?”
“Low and easy!” Ben laughed.
“We heard your old lady busted you,” Clive chuckled.
“Nah! Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Ben smirked. “Did you manage to get the gear away?”
“Yup,” Gary replied. “Stashed it away under me sister’s bed.”
“But won’t she grass you up?” Clive asked.
“Nah, mate. I already told her – she grasses me up and I’ll tell Mum what she gets up to on a Saturday night.”
“Thanks for the distraction, mate,” Owen said to Ben. “Helped us get away.”
“No worries.”
Ben often found himself getting caught when his mates were out having ‘fun’. He didn’t mind, he saw it as helping them out. “So, what are we up to today?” Ben asked.
Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out an empty cigarette packet. “Oh balls, I’m out,” he moaned. “Owen mate, you got a spare fag?”
“Sorry, mate,” Owen replied, shrugging.
“Flippin’ heck, I’m gasping!” Gary moaned. “Clive?”
“Sorry, mate.”
“Ben?”
Ben shook his head. “Well what use are you then?” Owen grumbled. “There’s only one thing for it then. We’ll have to hit the newsagents.”
“You what, mate?” Gary asked. “We’ll never get served!”
“Never fear, lads,” Owen said, a spark going off inside his brain. “I got an idea.”
Ben rolled his eyes back into his head and groaned. He didn’t see what the big deal was. It was only a couple of packets of sweets – it wasn’t like he’d taken any money. But his mum always had to make a big deal about these things.
“For goodness sake, Ben! You’re thirteen years old!”
“So?” Ben asked, shrugging.
“So?” Maria cried, almost hysterically. “At your age you should be thinking about an education and job prospects! Not what sweet shop you want to do over next! Which reminds me, the headmaster called again, he told me that he hasn’t seen you at school all week!”
“We didn’t feel like going,” Ben replied, nonchalant.
“Didn’t feel like going?” Maria was so aghast she couldn’t even control the volume of her voice anymore. “Who didn’t feel like going? You and that bunch of hooligans you hang out with?”
“Don’t talk about my mates like that!” Ben shouted back defensively.
Her aggressive approach didn’t seem to have any effect – and Maria didn’t enjoy it when she lost her temper. So she took a deep breath and tried a calmer approach, despite every vein on her neck being ready to burst. “Ben, I only want what’s best for you. But can’t you see those ‘friends’ of yours only lead you into bad habits? This is the fifth time in the last fortnight you’ve been in trouble with the police. Chief Inspector Williams says next time he’ll have to press charges and you could end up going to court!”
“They can’t charge me, I’m too young,” Ben scoffed.
“That’s not what Williams told me,” Maria sternly retorted. “Why Ben? Why would you do this?”
Ben shrugged his shoulder. “I dunno.”
“Is that what you want to do with your life?” Maria asked. “You want to just… become a criminal like your father?”
“Oh, I’ve had enough of this!” Ben leapt up from his chair and bolted towards the door.
“Ben, come back here! I’m not finished!”
“Get lost!” Ben shouted back.
“Ben, I’m your mother! Don’t talk to me like that!”
“You’re not my real mum! Go back to Korea and eat a dog!”
“Ben!”
Maria heard Ben’s footsteps pound up the stairs, followed by the slam of his door that made the entire house shake. Sighing hard, Maria sat on the sofa, deeply cut by both Ben’s attitude and ignorance. Maria was born in the Philippines, not Korea. But trying to explain the difference to Ben wasn’t worth fighting about sometimes.
This wasn’t the first time they fought and it hurt her every time they did. But she was trying – she really was. He may have been a criminal in the making, but Maria was not going to give up on him. He may not have been her biological child, but she loved him like he was. Why was being a mother so difficult?
The next morning, despite looking his mum in the eye and promising he would go to school, Ben went to Dane John Park to meet up with the rest of his mates. It did have its advantages, having a gullible mother who would believe anything you told her.
Gary, Clive and Owen were sitting on a bench, making no attempt to even hide their truancy. Ben always had trouble making friends at school, which he believed was down to him being one of the few black boys there. But mostly it was because his father had a bad reputation around these parts – given he was one of the most notorious criminals in Canterbury alone. However, these guys thought he was cool enough to hang around with them. To Ben they had the right idea. School was for losers, they already had their lives planned out – they were going to go ‘on the dole’ and sign on for the rest of their lives. What wasn’t to like about that? Getting free money for doing absolutely nothing? Maybe if they actually bothered to go to school, they would eventually learn that wasn’t what dole money was made for.
“Heya, guys!” Ben called out.
“Watcha, mate!” Owen called out, giving his friend a hi-five. “How’s it hangin’?”
“Low and easy!” Ben laughed.
“We heard your old lady busted you,” Clive chuckled.
“Nah! Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Ben smirked. “Did you manage to get the gear away?”
“Yup,” Gary replied. “Stashed it away under me sister’s bed.”
“But won’t she grass you up?” Clive asked.
“Nah, mate. I already told her – she grasses me up and I’ll tell Mum what she gets up to on a Saturday night.”
“Thanks for the distraction, mate,” Owen said to Ben. “Helped us get away.”
“No worries.”
Ben often found himself getting caught when his mates were out having ‘fun’. He didn’t mind, he saw it as helping them out. “So, what are we up to today?” Ben asked.
Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out an empty cigarette packet. “Oh balls, I’m out,” he moaned. “Owen mate, you got a spare fag?”
“Sorry, mate,” Owen replied, shrugging.
“Flippin’ heck, I’m gasping!” Gary moaned. “Clive?”
“Sorry, mate.”
“Ben?”
Ben shook his head. “Well what use are you then?” Owen grumbled. “There’s only one thing for it then. We’ll have to hit the newsagents.”
“You what, mate?” Gary asked. “We’ll never get served!”
“Never fear, lads,” Owen said, a spark going off inside his brain. “I got an idea.”