Tessa’s POV:

  I yawned and shook my head to dispel the dreams of a time when dragonets had two legs, soft skin, and wore clothing. Being a dragonet was better. The complicated life Dad showed us didn’t look very fun, although board games seemed interesting.

  Dirk snored beside me, but no one else was in sight. I stood up and shook out my wings. The world outside the window was dim so the sunrise was still some time away.

  My tummy grumbled as it told me how hungry I was. I wandered over to the bowls of fruit and got a snack as I thought about what I wanted to do. I nosed some pieces of fruit around the dish, avoiding the bits of kiwi and orange slices as I ate the better stuff. Alas, there was no cantaloupe. No raspberries either, so Mom must have already raided the dishes.

  For once, I didn’t eat until I was stuffed. I wanted to practice flying, but it was hard to fly if I was full. Dirk snored softly behind me; there was no point in waking him up since he’d just get grumpy.

  I stretched my wings as I examined the living room. So far, I had only flown across the room, or in circles around the main area. I hadn’t ventured beyond it. One doorway led to the kitchen, the front door was around one corner, and a bigger hallway went somewhere else.

  I spread my wings and jumped into the air. Keeping Mom’s and Dad’s lessons in mind, I glided through the open doorway to the kitchen. I spotted several perches attached to the walls. I angled my flight and flew higher to reach a large perch. I wobbled a bit as I slowed down, but I managed to backwing and land on the big piece of wood without an accident.

  Folding my wings, I gazed at the strange room. The shiny stone counters and table were different from the end tables I was familiar with. They glinted in the light like they were slippery. I tilted my head as I examined the various doors above the counter and along the wall. I tried to focus on the Blood Memories and discovered that the doors were attached to something that preserved food.

  They also told me that if I was in front of them, I should be able to see what was inside. Out of curiosity, I spread my wings and glided down to the counter in the middle of that area. I stretched my wings wide and backwinged as possible before touching the slippery-looking stone.

  I held my breath as I skidded a bit and fanned my wings wider, successfully coming to a stop. Folding my wings, I turned my head to gaze through the clear door. To my disappointment, all I saw were bowls and containers. There was no way to tell what was inside them.

  My claws clicked on the counter as I gingerly walked across it. As I passed by a glass door in the wall, I glanced inside and stopped in my tracks the moment I realized what I was seeing.

  It was almost completely filled with fruit.

  My Blood Memories bombarded me with tidbits of information that I was more than happy to receive. I matched up the little pieces of fruit I had been eating with the big objects in front of me.

  I hadn’t realized that fruit could be so big! Some of the pieces were bigger than Mom!

  Some were bright, others were dark, a few were prickly, and a couple looked like things I left in the litter tray. I craned my neck as I stared at the fruit lining the long shelf inside.

  My eyes widened as I saw a cantaloupe. It was huge! Much bigger than me.

  I licked my lips, wondering how hard it would be to get it out. Wait until I showed it to Dirk! I stood up on my back legs and tried to figure out how to get inside. The glass between me and the cantaloupe was only about as tall as I was, but it was very long.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  How did people open doors? I knew that Taureen and Aeria often opened and closed doors, but I hadn’t watched how they did it. This door didn’t have a handle either. I scampered along the counter, occasionally slipping, as I searched for a way to get inside the storage area. Reaching the end, I whined unhappily, still unable to get to the fruit I wanted.

  Inspiration struck. I sat down as I closed my eyes, focusing on the Blood Memories. They always had an answer, even if it confused me more than it helped me. I just had to find it.

  Going through the strange information was hard. I wasn’t even exactly sure what I was looking for; just some way to open the door and get to the cantaloupe. Dozens of different doorknobs drifted through my mind, mostly from the old human world. I shook my head, trying to focus on the door in front of me that had no handle.

  It was hard to focus like this, but I really wanted that cantaloupe. My eyes flew open—this door would slide open when a lever was pulled! I found the answer!

  I went back to the other side and spotted the lever. I was just tall enough to reach it and try pulling it down. It didn’t budge. My feet came off the floor as I pulled as hard as I could, but even with all my weight hanging, it wasn’t enough!

  Faint glimmers passed through my mind, and I braced my feet against the wall as I pulled. Suddenly, the lever swung downward. I lost my grip and tumbled backward. I landed on my side and slid across the counter. My legs and tail flailed as I tried to get on my feet and slow me down—but I didn’t manage it in time.

  Almost in slow motion, my feet went off the counter as I slid into the air. Without thinking, my wings popped open and beat hard as I twisted, trying to turn right side up so I could fly properly.

  I blinked in shock as I realized that I was already flying upward. Grinning triumphantly, I beat my wings again as I gained height and went back to the counter.

  Pleased with my flying abilities, I proudly landed on the counter again—and forgot to slow down, which promptly sent me sliding across the slippery surface, lightly colliding with the glass door. I ducked my head sheepishly, glad no one else had seen that.

  My eyes locked onto the gap between the glass doors; if my memories were right, it should just slide now that it was unlatched. With an eager grin, I pressed my shoulder against the edge and pushed. My feet struggled to find traction, but it was opening!

  Once I pushed the door far enough, I scampered over to the cantaloupe. It was much bigger up close. I blinked slowly, trying to think of how I was going to move it. There was no way I’d be able to lift it.

  It was round though. Round things could roll, right?

  I nudged it with my nose, but it didn’t even budge. Standing on my back legs, I carefully pushed with my hands, causing it to roll. Digging my claws in lightly, I pulled it toward me.

  I stepped down over the small doorframe ledge, once more on the smooth counter. When the cantaloupe rolled over the edge, it dropped and rolled faster. I dug my claws into its skin, trying to spin it to a stop. The claws on my feet slid across the slippery surface, although I managed to make the rolling fruit go a slightly different way.

  I fell over and let go. The cantaloupe rolled to the wall and bumped into it, finally stopping. I breathed a sigh of relief at having accomplished so much. The open door behind bothered me, though—it was supposed to be closed.

  Turning around, I tilted my head as I tried to figure out how to close it. The hidden memories once more provided the answer, and I trotted back to the lever.; it didn’t offer any resistance as I pushed it up, making the door slowly slide closed by itself.

  That done, I turned back to the big fruit on the counter. How was I going to get it into the living room? It just seemed wrong to push it off the counter. The Blood Memories confirmed that fruit got “bruised” when it fell on the ground.

  But it also told me that it could fall onto something soft without being harmed. So I just had to find something soft that it could fall on safely.

  The mats! They cushioned my falls. Surely the cantaloupe could fall on those!

  I tried to jump into the air, only for my feet to slip, making me belly-flop onto the counter instead of leaping into the air. This counter was evil…

  Pinning my ear tufts back in embarrassment, I got to my feet and lightly shook myself off. There had to be an easier way to take off. Images flickered along the edges of my mind, showing me a different option. I walked over to the edge of the counter and took a deep breath as I spread my wings before letting myself fall off head first.

  It was almost too easy to turn my fall into a glide. I was beginning to think the air was safer than the counter. Refocusing on my mission, I flew into the living room as fast as I dared.