The Dragon Play (Stonefire Dragons Shorts Book 3) Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Stonfire Dragons Shorts Series

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Epilogue

  Books by Jessie Donovan

  Copyright

  The Dragon Play

  (Stonefire Dragons Shorts #3)

  Jessie Donovan

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  Books in this series:

  Stonefire Dragons Shorts

  Meeting the Humans (SDS #1)

  The Dragon Camp (SDS #2)

  The Dragon Play (SDS #3)

  The Dragon Play Synopsis:

  Freddie, Daisy, and Emily finally get to put on the play they made, for both the humans and dragon-shifters on Stonefire. While they're excited about the play and the party afterward, Freddie and Daisy have a secret mission for the night. Daisy is determined to make her mum like Mr. Whitby, the dragonman who's helping with the special effects, no matter what it takes.

  However, her meddling sets off a chain of important events. Will she be banned from ever returning to Stonefire? Or, will she get everything she ever wanted?

  Chapter One

  Freddie Atherton stood next to Jayden Wells, a slightly older dragon-shifter boy with dark hair, brown eyes, and light brown skin, and did his best not to grunt again.

  The humans were late.

  His dragon chuckled. Knowing Daisy, she'll want to introduce everyone to her and Emily's mums. But she wouldn't miss this for the world.

  I know, but I wanted to give Daisy her birthday present before the show.

  His and Daisy's birthdays were only a few weeks apart, with Freddie being the oldest. Hers had been yesterday, actually, and Freddie had saved his present for tonight, when they'd finally get to put on their play for the human and dragon-shifter parents.

  Jayden's voice interrupted Freddie's talk with his dragon. "You keep frowning. Don't worry. Your girlfriend will be here soon."

  Freddie wished he could call Daisy his girlfriend, but he couldn't. However, he wasn't going to tell Jayden he was wrong and then have him tease Freddie all night. He needed the older boy on his side. After all, he hoped to introduce him to his and Daisy's friend Emily. A shy human with a stutter, one who still seemed sad too much despite how Daisy included her in everything.

  Jayden was always good at talking to people and making them laugh. And since Emily needed to laugh, Jayden should be good for her.

  So he needed not to make him mad or irritate him. At least, for the night.

  Freddie replied, "If they're late, there won't be enough time to put on their costumes and stuff. And since that's part of your job, to make sure everyone is ready, you should be worried, too."

  Jayden shrugged. "It won't take that long for Daisy or anyone else to change. Remember, a lot of the adults are helping us, too."

  Even though Freddie had wanted the children to put on the show all by themselves, it hadn't worked out that way. Some of the special effects were too complicated. Not to mention, a lot of the parents were just as excited as the kids about the play and little party afterward. Yes, some humans lived on Stonefire with their dragon mates. But there hadn't been a big party with lots of humans on Stonefire for a long time, not since Freddie was a baby. Or, so his mother had said.

  A quick glance, and he noticed his mum off to the side, helping a human woman named Samira with some last-minute decorations. Samira's son was younger than Freddie, and would be a tree or something. He couldn't remember.

  Then a familiar blonde head came into sight, slightly wild as always. As soon as he met Daisy's blue-eyed gaze, he smiled. She was talking to a female he'd seen in pictures before—her mum. And somehow Daisy managed to chat and walk without falling.

  That wouldn't be too hard for most people, but Daisy talked with both her hands and her mouth, and sometimes a lot of head bobbing, which meant she didn't always pay attention to where she was going.

  His dragon spoke up. That's why she needs us near her, to help her from tripping or falling down.

  I doubt she'd like to be reminded of that or listen to us tell her to be careful. Daisy doesn't like to always follow someone.

  We can take care of her without issuing orders.

  Freddie's dragon had become as attached to Daisy as he was. Some of the older school kids had told him to be careful. While humans and dragons were getting along better now, it might not stay that way. And if there was another war or something, he'd have to forget Daisy.

  Not that Freddie ever would. He was far too young to know if she was his true mate, but he liked to think she was. He'd never wanted to spend so much time with anyone before, or impress her, or even take time to draw pictures and send letters. She had become his best friend.

  And surely true mates were supposed to be best friends.

  His dragon grunted. Stop worrying about that and think about the play. We worked so hard on it. We need to make it perfect.

  We've never been perfect at school before. Why start worrying now?

  Because this is important. Remember our plan for the night.

  The plan concerned Daisy's mother and one of the single dragonmen. And if their plan was successful, then it might just mean Freddie could see Daisy every day.

  He replied, Right, the plan.

  Daisy spotted him, grinned, and ran over to him. Not bothering to stop, she crashed against him and hugged him. Even though Jayden murmured some sort of tease, Freddie ignored it and patted Daisy's back once. "Hiya, Daisy."

  She released him and met his gaze. "No time for greetings, Freddie. The play will start soon, and I need to get my mum backstage."

  The older blonde woman stopped in front of them and smiled at Freddie. "Judging by all of Daisy's pictures, you must be Freddie. I'm Daisy's mum, Dawn." She put out a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you."

  It was weird to shake hands with an adult, but Freddie did it anyway. He dropped Dawn's hand and noticed Emily and a female who had to be her mum, as well as a teenage boy who had to be her brother—they all had the same dark hair—come up to them. Emily met his gaze a second and then looked away, which was weird since she usually smiled at him.

  His dragon chimed in. Make sure to introduce her to Jayden. He'll make her laugh a few times.

  If she'll even look at him.

  His beast growled and Freddie mentally sighed. Keeping a smile on his face, he said, "Hello, Emily." She briefly met his gaze again, and he gestured toward Jayden. "This is Jayden. He's going to help you with reminding people of their lines."

  Jayden grinned as he gave a small bow, like something Freddie had seen in a movie once. "At your service, Miss Director."

  Emily's cheeks turned pink and she merely nodded.

  Freddie knew she didn't talk a lot because of her stutter, but he wished she'd at least say hello to Jayden. They'd never get along if she remained silent all night.

  But he had bigger things to worry about. Such as getting the play started on time.

  He was about to say they should all head backstage when Mr. Whitby—a dragonman who was helping with the special effects—came out from a side door and headed straight for them. When he reached them, he said, "We need to get a move on or we'll be late. Did the human parents arrive yet?"

  For all the talk of how Mr. Whitby was a genius with inventing things, he never really noticed his surroundings much. Freddie's mum had said something about why, but he'd never really paid attention.

  Freddie gestured toward Daisy's mother. "
Daisy's mum is here. She's going to help you."

  Mr. Whitby's gaze followed his finger and looked at Dawn's face. Usually, Freddie wouldn't watch faces so closely, but he had to tonight since they wanted Daisy's mum to like Mr. Whitby.

  Freddie tried not to smile as Mr. Whitby's pupils flashed to slits and back to round.

  Of course that's when Daisy's mum gasped and took a step back. Daisy spoke up. "Don't be afraid, Mum. It's just his dragon half. It's like his best friend, always there, talking and giving advice. Not always good advice, but they mean well. And Mr. Whitby's really nice. He's not going to shift and shred you to pieces."

  Daisy's words snapped Mr. Whitby's attention and he frowned. "Of course not. No one on Stonefire would do that, unless someone hurt or killed one of our own."

  Daisy bobbed her head. "See? You'll be fine, Mum. And Mr. Whitby's brilliant. He made some special things for our play. He didn't have to, but he did. So make sure to be careful and not drop and break something."

  Daisy's mum frowned down at her daughter. "Daisy Mae, I don't break things."

  "Sometimes you do. You say that's where I get it from. You say it all the time, Mum. Remember?"

  Dawn's cheeks turned pink and she cleared her throat. "We'll talk about this after the play. Will you be all right if I go help Mr. Whitby?"

  Mr. Whitby spoke up. "Call me Blake. And she'll be fine. The great hall is one of the safest places on the clan."

  Daisy shifted from one foot to the other. "Go, Mum. I'll see you after the show."

  Dawn left with Mr. Whitby. Emily whispered something to her mother, and her mother looked at them all. However, she didn't smile as easily as Daisy's mum. Neither did the brother. Maybe they all were sad. The dad had died a few years ago, and Emily had said that her mum hadn't smiled since.

  Trying not to stare at their faces, he decided he didn't like them sad. He may not think about Emily as much as Daisy, but she was his friend, and dragon-shifters always tried to help their friends. That's what Mr. MacLeod said all the time.

  His dragon spoke up. So you do listen to him sometimes.

  Ignoring his beast, he said, "Daisy, go on backstage. I'm going to introduce Emily's mum to mine, and they can sit together."

  Emily's mum murmured in a thick accent, "There's no need."

  Oh, right. Emily had mentioned about how her mum came from some other country. Not that he could remember which one.

  He motioned with his hand. "Of course I'll show you. Come on. My mum likes humans, and she's helping with the baked stuff, like cakes and biscuits. She may even give you some before everyone else if you ask her. And you should because otherwise, they'll be all gone really quick."

  Freddie took one last glance at Daisy, tried not to stand tall at the approval in her eyes, and herded Emily's family toward the far side of the hall. He'd just have to give Daisy her present later. But that would be okay. He knew she'd understand.

  Chapter Two

  Since Daisy couldn't talk with Freddie just yet, she raced through the same door her mum and Mr. Whitby had done. True, she'd have to get into her costume soon. And then look over her lines one last time. But she wanted to see how the pair were getting along.

  Because maybe if she were lucky, her mum would marry Mr. Whitby. Sure, he was shy but kind, and Freddie had said he was alone a lot. People always commented about his dragon—white with a black spot—and he didn't like it. Daisy was used to people always whispering about how much she talked, and moved, and interrupted. But she didn't mind. Maybe Mr. Whitby just needed a friend to stand by him, like Daisy first had Lucy and then Freddie and Emily. Then he wouldn't care what people said about his white dragon.

  Besides, her mum was nice, but sometimes alone too much, too. Daisy didn't remember much about her father, but her uncle said him leaving had made Daisy's mum sad.

  Which only made her want to make her mum happy again.

  She slowed down a little and walked behind a large backdrop that rolled on wheels. Back at her school, she'd been told to stay away from the props and things. They could fall over or hurt her.

  She'd just have to be really careful. Because if she didn't sneak this way, her mum and Mr. Whitby would see her, and then Daisy couldn't spy on them. And she needed to do that so she could make plans with Freddie about what to do next.

  Moving as quietly as she could, Daisy finally reached the other end of the backdrop and peeked around the side. Her mum was standing near Mr. Whitby as he explained something. Since she was too far away to hear what—if only she had super dragon hearing instead of a silly, normal human one—she watched her mum's face. She'd been a little afraid before but looked okay now. Her mum smiled at something Mr. Whitby said, and he smiled, too.

  Brilliant. They seemed to be getting along.

  A familiar whisper came from behind her—Freddie's. "Daisy, what are you doing here? Come on. We need to change clothes and get ready."

  She turned her head and put a finger to her lips. Freddie rolled his eyes but motioned for her to follow. After one last glance at her mum and Mr. Whitby—they were both still smiling—she followed her friend back the way she'd come, and then into a small room being used for makeup and costumes.

  There were some other kids there, so Freddie took her hand and tugged her to the far corner. Keeping his voice low, he said, "Well?"

  Daisy grinned. "They looked like they were getting along. Maybe our plan will work."

  An older boy—Freddie's older brother Alfie—leaned in and whispered, "What plan?"

  Freddie shoved his brother. "None of your business. Go away."

  Alfie leaned in closer. "Remember, I helped you meet your girlfriend at the camp. You can trust me to keep a secret."

  Daisy moved from one foot to the other. Keeping secrets was hard for her, and she liked Alfie. He'd promised to show her and Emily his dragon soon. And he'd also said he'd try to bring his friend Keith, too.

  Not to mention he'd helped them at the dragon camp. So Daisy leaned over and whispered to Alfie, "We're trying to get Mr. Whitby and my mum together."

  Alfie blinked. "Mr. Whitby? The clan recluse?"

  Daisy wasn't sure what a recluse was, but it didn't sound good. "Mr. Whitby is nice and kind, and he was smiling with my mum. Be nice."

  Alfie snorted. "Okay, okay, calm down, Daisy. It's just odd, is all. I didn't think Mr. Whitby even liked humans."

  One of Freddie's teachers—Mr. MacLeod—walked toward them and they all stood up straight. He eyed each one of them in turn. Freddie and Alfie shifted their feet, but Daisy merely smiled. She liked Mr. MacLeod. "Did you come to help me practice my lines?"

  As he always did with her, Mr. MacLeod blinked and took a second to reply. "Er, no, Daisy. You and Freddie need to change into your costumes, and Alfie should be helping the older students with the scenery."

  Daisy took Freddie's hand. "Okay. We'll go change now. See you later, Alfie."

  Mr. MacLeod muttered something she couldn't hear, but Daisy soon forgot about it as she and Freddie went into different rooms and put on their costumes.

  ~~~

  Emily Barlow clutched her notebook to her chest and tried to blend in with the wall. While she liked writing stories, she didn't do well with people.

  And somehow, she was supposed to remind people of their lines all evening.

  Her, the girl with a stutter that drove everyone crazy. Well, almost everyone. Daisy and Freddie didn't seem to mind.

  Remembering her friends, she smiled. Ever since meeting them, she hadn't stuttered as much. Daisy always tried to make her smile, and it helped. And Daisy's friendliness helped more than just her. Everyone loved Daisy, even Emily's mum. Never in a million years had she thought her mum would say yes to coming to the play on the dragons' lands. But she was here, along with Emily's brother, waiting to see what she'd created.

  If only she could convince herself to move from the wall and take her place near the curtain.

  A boy's low voice filled her ear. "Are you
good at shouting?"

  Turning her head, she saw the boy Freddie had introduced as Jayden Wells. "W-What?"

  He gestured between her and the curtain. "It's about ten or twelve feet, and you'd have to shout quite loudly to have anyone hear you. And in that case, the whole audience would hear you, too."

  Emily focused on the words she wanted to say. She was always careful around new people, not wanting them to make fun of her. "I…don't usually…shout."

  He tilted his head and smiled. "Oh, I shout all the time. It makes my brother crazy." He leaned over. "But he does the same to me, so it's a sort of competition. Only my mum can find ways to stop us."

  "W-What about…the teachers?"

  Jayden grinned. "There's a reason my brother and I are never in the same class. And if we are, we're as far apart as possible. But enough about me." He gestured toward the curtain. "I'm supposed to help you for the evening, and as a dragon-shifter, it's my duty to protect you, too. You're our guest."

  Emily studied the older boy—he was probably twelve or thirteen—with curly, dark hair and deep brown eyes. His eyes were happy, almost laughing. He also hadn't made fun of her talking slowly, either.

  When he offered his arm, she felt a little less nervous. Daisy thought all dragon-shifters were good and honorable, and nice. But Emily knew that wasn't always true from some of the news broadcasts.

  To be honest, she'd been a little afraid of dragons at first.

  But now, she didn't feel afraid. When she put her hand on Jayden's arm, she felt a little calmer. He guided her from the wall to the side of the stage. Once they reached it, he put out his other hand. "Let me see the notebook. I can take the first half of the play and you can do the second."

  For a few beats, she held on to her notebook. The play was in it, but so were some of her other stories. And she wasn't ready to share them with other people.