David tried to find a way to carry all his stuff but ultimately decided to leave it.  He wasn't attached to any of it. He could steal clothes later. He stayed up waiting for Mr. Derek to fall asleep and ended up leaving early in the morning. 

David wandered through town. He would have to leave the city. People walked past him and barely batted an eye. No one really paid that much attention to the odd child from the Derek household. Not since he had started growing. Not since he had started to seem normal.

David eyed the humans as they passed by him. At least it wasn't market day. Though, there did seem to be more people around these days than when he'd first arrived. 

The young dragon had considered going to work at the farms a couple of miles outside of the city, but he probably needed to get to another town. He had considered living in the woods as an animal, but that would probably be difficult. He just wanted to leave as soon as possible. 

But was that because he didn't want to stay? Or was it because Life had told him to stay? Putting his hands in his pockets, he trudged past an alleyway.

"Hey, psst."

David frowned and took two steps backward. "If you're a Shape Shifter, I might consider attempting to kill you."

The stranger in the alleyway narrowed his eyes. He was half crouched, and he glanced both ways down the street. The stranger looked closer to the age Aiden had been. He was wearing a shirt with what looked like an embroidered image on the front, and blue pants that looked like canvas but... 

Jeans

It sounded like a voice just next to his ear. David's eyes shot to his right, but there was no one there. Who had said that? 

"The Shape Shifters... haven't been seen in a while," The stranger flashed a grin, bringing David's attention back. "So if I were a Shape Shifter, you should consider yourself lucky." 

"I'll take your word for it." David shrugged. "What do you want?" David studied the human. This was just a distraction from the fact that David needed to leave town.

The human looked over his shoulder, checking the empty alleyway for listeners. "I need a little bit of money."

David stared down the alleyway. It was a dead-end. Why was this human worried about someone being behind him?

"If you could get that for me," the human continued, "I'll teach you..." He cocked his head to the side, and his expression became neutral. It looked like he was listening to someone sitting on his shoulder. It lasted for a second then he straightened his head. 

"How to read and write?" He met David's eyes.

David took a step back, preparing to run. It must have been a guess. It had to have been a guess. 

But Ms. Diana had said something about magic... Thoughtbending? The ability to read minds? 

"How much money do you need, exactly? And... who are you?" David asked, keeping his muscles tense. 

"Ash Flame," He flashed his grin again. "Only about ten coins." He held up two fingers.

 "I'm David. Uhhh..." The young dragon stepped into the alleyway. Ash stepped back when David came closer. 

It was a relatively clean alley. Nothing but dirt and dust. No trash or waste. David didn't think he'd ever seen an ally this clean. David frowned, glancing at the walls. 

When David returned his focus to Ash Flame, he noticed that the stranger's eyes had no whites. His eyes looked like the night sky full of stars. David blinked, and Ash's eyes were back to normal. 

"I suppose I can get ten coins. What do you need that much money for?" Why can't you get it yourself, David wanted to ask.

"Food, clothes. She'll be mad if I steal it, so I can't get it myself." Ash Flame shrugged. 

David stiffened at the answer to the question he hadn't voiced.  "She?"

Ash Flame nodded, flashing a grin. "Katherine. Between me and you, I'd rather be assigned to tag you. You're fun, but—" He glared to his right. "We can't all get what we want." 

David stared at the empty space next to Ash. Well, if Ash knew magic then it would make sense for him to know how to read and write... But... David needed to leave town. He wanted to leave town. 

"Meet me here tomorrow, and we'll start lessons if you have the money. Reading and writing are pretty quick." Ash Flame raised an eyebrow. A smile appeared on his face. "Ah, they're gonna let me do that. Brilliant." 

David narrowed his eyes. "Ten coins?"

"Yeah." Ash Flame turned his head to the side, and he slouched to make himself shorter than David. Meeting David's eyes, Ash grinned. "You don't know, do you?" 

David held eye contact. Other than the confusion on his face, David didn't respond to Ash Flame's comment. 

Ash Flame stood up straight. "I'll be here tomorrow." 

Ash Flame stepped towards the alleyway's exit. David turned his head to follow the movement. Tossing up a hand as a wave, Ash Flame stepped back onto the street. When his foot hit the ground, he disappeared like he had walked through an open door. 

Someone passed by. Their expression showed no hint that they'd seen someone disappear in front of them. 

David frowned, walking out of the alleyway. He got a few feet down the road before he realized he no longer knew where he was going. David stopped. He tried to process what had just happened. It was unsettling... if the stranger knew magic...

No, the stranger had definitely known magic. People who knew magic were dangerous. The amount of money the stranger had asked for was starting to seem like a great deal.

But...

Reading and writing... for some reason the more he thought of it, the more it seemed to entice him. Reading and writing... What could it hurt to get the guy some money? What did David have to lose?

David started walking again. His eyes danced around on the people passing by. 

He only needed ten coins, and David knew how to get away with stealing.