That would surely explainher strange behavior."So mister dragon," she grinned at him, "You think that being biggerand stronger automatically makes you...superior and gives you the rightto eat whomever you please?" Of course," HE WHOSE BREATH MELTS STONE responded smugly. "This is thenatural order." Then I shall make a deal with you," the girl exclaimed with amischievous expression. "A wager..." A wager?" the dragon asked, getting curious in spite of himself. Heknew that he should just eat this. Infact, it was that thought that had her lose her appetite altogether andget up to leave, before she noticed a small gang of bigger teens accostthe kid who'd been staring at her.Sandeep had been having a pretty bad day already. In fact, that may aswell have been bad week, bad month, or bad pretty much as far back as hecould remember. The usual stew of parental expectations socialawkwardness, and a slight build had combined to make him an easy targetfor bullies and a hard sell as a friend for. After the first run-through, the Maestro asked Hae-Won and I to change seats and then had me turn slightly toward the audience so the sound of my cello would carry better. After the next try, somebody stood up in the back row and said, "Much better, Curtis. That was beautiful." It was stone-faced Mr. Conrad from the board. Apparently he often attended rehearsals to critique the performances. Only later did I learn that he was a highly respected musicologist at the university and also taught. When he wraps his arms around me and kisses me and tells me he loves me, I just feel so happy, like I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I love him so much Aunt Lisa,” I said trying my best to control my emotions.“I can tell, and he loves you just as much. I’m happy for you two, siblings or not true love like that is hard to find, I should know. I hope it lasts for you guys.”“Thanks Aunt Lisa, and don’t worry, you’ll find someone too,” I said regaining my composure. “Well we better go catch up.