Drake the Dragonboy Read Online Free Page B

clumsily.
    â€œDrake!” Juniper scolded. Drake went bright red and silent.
    â€œWe don’t really have a dad. My dad left years ago and then we had another dad but he left too,” said Ronan.
    â€œI’m lucky. My dad’s great but let me tell you, my mum can be a bit crazy,” said Juniper.
    â€œReally?” said Ronan smiling shyly at her.
    â€œReally.”
    â€œMy parents are divorced,” said Drake, trying to make up for his mistake and get back into the conversation. Juniper gave him a look that said ‘whatever’. But Ronan gave him a smile to show there were no hard feelings.
    â€œMy family’s pretty crap, really. I mean, I love my mum and all but she doesn’t have much time for me. And I always have to look after my brothers and sisters and stuff. She doesn’t even notice all the work I do,” said Ronan, sadly.
    â€œIs that why you’re never at school?” asked Drake.
    â€œYep, pretty much. I want to come more but I never get any time to study and it kinda seems pointless.”
    â€œOh, I thought you just didn’t care,” said Juniper.
    â€œSometimes I don’t. Other times I do. It all just seems too hard.” Drake nodded.
    â€œI wish there was something I could do to help,” said Drake, tapping his dragon claws on his forehead.
    â€œThanks,” said Ronan. Juniper smiled at them both.
    â€œYou know,” said Juniper taking off her cape and flicking her wing buds. “I can feel my wings growing already. It’s making me feel a little bit …” She grinned. “A little bit wild.”
    â€œImagine what we are going to be like in a few days!” grinned Drake. Although he was putting on a good show, Drake was having a very difficult time and was so worried about his dad that he was barely sleeping or eating. He really hoped that they were doing the right thing by trying to find him themselves. If it weren’t for Juniper and Drake he would definitely had told his mum by now and asked her to help.
    â€œI’ve got a great place to hide this stuff,” said Juniper. “And we need to start collecting some food and water to take with us.”
    â€œWe’ll be carrying front packs instead of backpacks with these boofin’ wings,” said Ronan.

    When Drake, Juniper and Ronan met back in the girls’ toilets two days later, they had almost fully grown wings, cramped up beneath their capes. The wings made them feel powerful. Drake had noticed a change in the way the other kids looked at him and treated him since the three of them had begun hanging out. The three of them would stride down the hallways, capes flowing behind them, with a sense of confidence and purpose that was enviable.
    In the safety of the shower, they dropped their capes and excitedly examined each other’s wings. This morning Drake was also wearing knee-high bright red boots that his dad had given him. You pressed a little button and the shoe gave you a whole lot of bounce. He hadn’t worn them to school yet because he’d known the other kids would tease. Today he had felt beyond that and thought that the red boots actually looked pretty good with the red cape. He sort of looked like a superhero.
    â€œI can’t believe how great they feel,” said Juniper. “And for some reason, they seem to help with my Tourette Syndrome. I’ve really been able to control my fire-breathing lately,” she said excitedly.
    â€œI can’t believe we’ve had our wings clipped all these years,” said Drake. “And why? Why can’t we have wings and go for a fly every now and again? I’ve never even questioned it!”
    â€œI know,” agreed Ronan. “There’s a whole lot of stuff that doesn’t make sense. Why cut our wings? Why make us think that there’s nothing but wasteland beyond our city?”
    â€œWhy kidnap my dad?” asked