CAREFULLY, I RELEASED my lower lip when I realized I was chewing on it.
The mysterious guy looked up, spoke to the guy opposite him and then smiled. My heart beat faster. He had the same smile as Dad, a smile that lit up his face and reached all the way to his eyes, creating vertical dimples in his cheeks. The smile I loved and missed so much. His peacock blue eyes made me feel as if I were falling straight into a rabbit hole—one that I could never find my way out of, not that I would want to.
Suddenly, a middle finger jumped right in front of his face, blocking my view. It belonged to a girl with short, snow-white hair. She was a stunner with light blue eyes and a long, oval face. It was no miracle how they had ended up together.
Becky laughed when she saw who I was staring at. "Don't pay her any attention, she's a bitch. You're not the only one who stares at him with googly eyes and a drooling mouth."
"Who's he?"
"His name is Blake Leaf." She let out a small, lustful sigh. "He's verautiful, but such a dick." She started picking at her vegetables again.
"Verautiful?"
"Combination of very and beautiful."
I giggled.
"The bitchy girl is Tabitha. She's always had a thing for Blake. I'm still not sure if they're an item or not. Blake has this phobia of being spoken for," she explained.
"He doesn't want a girlfriend?" I asked, stunned.
She shrugged. "Something like that."
I looked up at the sky once more. I must have done it a million times today and saw Becky following my gaze.
"Elena, what is with you? Why do you keep looking up at the sky?"
"It's stupid, you'll laugh." I nervously tried to make her drop the subject.
"I might, but I can't help it. You're hilarious."
"I keep waiting to see...a dragon."
She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as if I was crazy.
"Forget it," I said when an extremely loud laugh pierced my ears. I glanced over my shoulder. A girl with long auburn hair and hazelnut eyes plummeted onto the seat right next to me. "She's hilarious!"
"I know, right?" Becky said, in an agreeing tone.
I wished for the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
"How many times has she looked up today?"
"Like a million."
I felt stupid as they made jokes.
"Elena, this is Sammy." Becky said.
"Short for Samantha." She reached out her hand for a shake. "I'm one of the roomies." She was a tiny thing, even more petite than I was, and her dimples were definitely her main attraction.
I took her hand and shook it gently.
"She really doesn't know?"
"I don't think so. Master Longwei asked me to give her the crash course."
"May I?" she pleaded.
Becky nodded and looked at me with a huge smile.
"What are you doing?" My heart thumped painfully. The last time I felt like this, Dad had transformed into a dragon.
"Relax, Elena. Sammy just wants to introduce you to a dragon."
"A dragon? Where?�� I yelled, and everyone outside fell into an utter silence. This was so not cool. A number of students laughed, while others shook their heads in disgust. I covered my face with my palms. In one millisecond I had killed my only chance of ever finding a social life.
"Oh, shut up," Becky said loudly. "Eat your food."
"Sammy, you should take her to Constance for the serum, before she goes mental," the girl with the white hair sang, and everyone, including Blake, laughed.
Sammy flipped up the middle finger Tabitha had thrown me a few minutes ago. "Suck on that biatch."
Looking incredibly pissed off, Tabitha jumped up from her chair, ready to attack.
Appearing uninterested in witnessing a full-on girl-fight, Blake carefully pushed her back into her seat. I heard her protesting and he leaned in closer to her to whisper something into her ear. Her sweet smile appeared, revealing perfect white pearls.
"You're going to get your ass kicked one day, Sammy," Becky warned her.
���By Tabitha? She wishes," Sammy said.
I tried to picture this tiny girl with a sword and wondered what damage she could do with one.
"We need to tell her, Becky."
"Go ahead. You were busy anyway."
"Elena, promise you won't freak out." Sammy took my hand between her small ones.
I closed my eyes and cringed.
"Promise!" she said in an ordering tone.
"Fine, I promise."
"My name is Sammy Leaf."
I looked at Becky, who arched her left eyebrow with a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth.
"Are you related to Blake?"
"She's hardly started her first day, and she already knows who my brother is?" Sammy said.
Becky laughed.
"Sammy, everyone knows your brother," someone said. Another dreamy guy walked over to our table. He was the total opposite of Blake, although their eyes were the same color. He was tall and slender, with blond, cropped hair and fair skin. His smile made my heart skip a beat.
"Lucian, Elena. Elena, Lucian, the prince of every girl's heart and of Tith." Becky gave him one of her million-dollar smiles.
Lucian shook his head, faintly smiling back. "Nice to meet you, Elena." He held out his hand for a shake.
"You're a prince for real?" The words slipped out while I shook his hand.
He replied with a quick nod and a huge smile that lit up his blue eyes. Then he took the seat next to Becky.
"Lucian is the other frat boy." Becky carried on teasing him, bumping him with her shoulder.
"I'm not the other frat boy, okay. Blake is way above me."
"My brother is a dick, Lucian, which makes him lose a thousand points and you gain a thousand just by having that cute smile,"Sammy said.
He lowered his eyes, embarrassed, and complained in a playful manner, which made the three of us laugh.
I had to admit he was kind of hot, but after seeing Blake, it was going to be impossible to find anyone else sharing that kind of beauty.
"So did you tell her yet?" he asked.
Sammy gave him the eye. "I'm trying to, but every time I get rudely interrupted."
They turned to me. "For heaven's sake just tell me."
"She can be feisty, I love it," Sammy said in a singsong tone and took my hand in hers again.
"Elena, darling," she said. "As I was busy introducing myself—and don't interrupt me again—my name is Sammy Leaf, and I'm a Fire-Tail."
I stared at her for a few seconds, blankly. It took a while for me to process what she was trying to tell me. "Please tell me you're not a dragon," I spoke in a shaky voice.
Everyone at the table kept quiet, waiting for my next reaction.
"Oh shit." I heard Becky's voice as I turned into a pillar.
Sammy still held a death grip on my hand.
"Elena, don't do this please. I need to go to Elm."
"Wait, Elm is on the line?" Sammy shouted.
"Maybe this was too soon." Lucian's voice sounded far off.
"Yes, but if she freaks out, we don't go with them," Becky answered Sammy.
"Elena!" Sammy yelled. "You promised!" She slapped me across my face. Hard.
"Sammy!" Becky and Lucian cried together, but the slap worked. She'd brought me back.
I lifted my hand, motioning that I needed a minute to regain myself. Resting my head on my arms, I took deep breaths and absorbed this new information. I should've seen that one coming. Dad had been a dragon hiding among humans. I chided my denseness as the students nearby snickered.
"Just breathe, okay? I promise I won't eat you," Sammy said in a soft voice while gently stroking my back.
"Sammy!" Becky and Lucian said together again.
"What! She might think that."
I lifted my head and untangled my tongue. "So, basically your everyday form is human?"
"Except for class when I need to morph into a big, ugly dragon," she said with a raised lip.
Becky and Lucian released their collective breath.
"You're not ugly," Lucian said in an admiring tone.
"Maybe not to you, but to Elena I might be."
"So no dragons are soaring through the sky?" I looked at Becky.
"No, Elena. The dragons are all around you."
I looked at the other tables. Everyone had gone back to chatting and enjoying their meals, my little outburst from earlier already forgotten.
I sighed. "I don't care what you are as long as you promise me you'll stay in this form."
She smiled and her dimples dented deep, just underneath her cheeks.
"She's back," Becky sang.
"Welcome to Dragonia," Lucian said as he picked up his tray from our table. Turning with a short wave goodbye, he joined another table crowded with boys.
"You're a dragon, for real?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Can I come with you tomorrow?" she begged both of us.
"Well, you broke it to her, so I guess you're in," Becky said.
Sammy clapped her hands excitedly.
"So, you're a dragon too?" I asked Becky.
"No, Elena, I have the mark."
In my panic I had completely forgotten about the mark thing. "Who else are dragons?"
"Easy. You can tell by the hair or the color of their eyes. We have a mark too," Sammy explained, and pulled down the back of her shirt to show me a mark on her shoulder. The sign curled up into flames and the ink was red, exquisite, and similar to a tribal sign. "Every species has a different one."
Constance's eyes popped into my head. "Wait, you said eyes."
"Yes, they're extraordinarily freaky."
"So Constance is a dragon?" It was weird thinking it, not to mention saying it out loud.
"Julia too," Becky chirped.
"The nurse?"
"Unless you know another Julia," she said.
I'd spent a week with two dragons in disguise. They must have thought I was an idiot with the way I had behaved. I looked at the girl with the snowy blond hair. Becky and Sammy followed my gaze as I stared at her smiling and flirting with Blake.
"Tabitha's a Snow dragon. They're white and the smallest of all the dragons," Sammy said. "The one next to her is a Moon-Bolt, his name is George. Do you see how blue his eyes are?"
"Wait, he's a blue dragon?" The dragon that had attacked us the night Dad had died had been sort of a bluish color.
"Yes, do you get what I'm saying?"
I looked at all the boys at Blake's table. One of them had red hair, the kind you'd dye for a carnival. Another one had bright green stripes mixed throughout his jet black hair. Basically, everyone at that table had either vibrant color patterns in their hair or extraordinary eyes.
"So this school is basically for dragons?" I asked, as the name "Dragonia" popped into my head.
"More or less," Sammy said.
"Then why are humans here with you guys?" I remembered what Constance told me, but what the hell did being special have to do with dragons?
"We belong with them, Elena. Everyone who bears the mark is likely to become a Dragonian," Becky explained. "And one day when I ascend, I'll make one of these bitches my own."
"You need to work harder on your fighting skills if that is ever going to happen." Sammy smirked.
"Wait, what do you mean making one of these bitches your own? You're not talking about a dragon, are you?"
"That's what Dragonians do, Elena, we ride them."
My stomach swirled now as I finally understood what Constance had meant. Images of humans on top of dragons popped into my head, but I pushed them away when skies and clouds appeared. I hadn't thought for one second that being a Dragonian meant riding a dragon.
"Oh shit, Master Longwei didn't mention it?" Becky asked.
I shook my head.
"Urgh! He better make this trip to Elm so worth it."
"Elena, just breathe, okay? It's not an obligation," Sammy said.
I took another breath.
"Unless you're part of a dent," Becky replied, which brought back the worry.
"Becky—"
"What? She could be. Master Longwei said her mark is really dark, Sammy."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"The darker the mark, the more you'll do," Sammy answered cryptically.
I shook my head again. It wasn't what I wanted to hear.
"Relax, deep breaths." Sammy tried to calm me again. "You mean being part of a dent?"
"Yes."
"If you're part of one you don't have a choice. You need to claim the dragon you belong with."
"They'll force you to," Becky said.
Are they nuts?
"Why?" I sounded hysterical.
"Because a dent is more than just a rider and a dragon, they are soul mates," Sammy explained.
"I don't understand."
"If they're the same sex, they're called a brother or a sisterhood, which is the most common one. If they're of the opposite gender, they become partners for life. The bond is unexplainable, but strong, and lasts forever. Dents are extremely rare."
"You mean as husband and wife?" My mind locked on the phrase "partners for life."
"Lovers," Becky said in a singing voice.
Somehow, I managed to blush scarlet in the face of all this craziness.
They both gasped in shock.
"Elena, are you still a virgin?"
"I'm only sixteen, what do you think?"
They looked around nervously.
Becky leaned in to whisper. "Just watch out for Brian. He's a Sun-Blast."
I looked at her; she might as well have spoken French, because I had no idea what a Sun-Blast was, or who Brian was.
"There, the guy with the red hair. If he knows you're still intact, he'll do whatever he needs to deflower you." Becky pointed awkwardly at someone who looked like a younger version of George Clooney. Why were they all so damn gorgeous?
"Why would he do that?"
"Sun-Blasts are obsessed with virgins. Humans used to sacrifice maidens to them just so they wouldn't eat the villagers."
"What?"
"It doesn't happen anymore. Besides, Master Longwei will cut off his balls if he even thinks about it," Sammy assured me.
"But he might try to charm your panties off, if you know what I mean." The picture Becky put into my mind turned my face scarlet once again.
What was it with this girl? She acted as if she was the bearer of bad news and enjoyed it. I got the picture, though.
"So basically what you're saying is my life is in danger unless I get laid?"
They looked at me, before bursting into laughter once again at my expense.
"Lucky for you, Brian is the only Sun-Blast here," Becky reassured me.
"So I take it the Sun-Blast is red." I remembered the red dragon, and shuddered as the same eerie feeling crept up my spine.
They both nodded.
"They're fire breathers, like moi." Sammy pointed at herself and puffed out her chest. "But we're nothing alike. Sun-Blasts can live in volcanoes, and my dad said they're able to handle the sun's heat. They also make their Dragonians rich, making them roll in it, if you get what I'm saying. I think it's the only reason the Dragonians go for a Sun-Blast before claiming a Fire-Tail. Sun-Blasts have built-in radars that constantly track and search for objects of value," Sammy babbled. "The only problem is, they're extremely vile and have bad tempers. It's a bitch to claim one too."
"What do you mean by 'claim one?'"
"Claiming is a term we use for the event where a Dragonian tries to break in a dragon. If the Dragonian can't beat the dragon he or she faces, the Dragonian can try again at a later stage. It's better to wait until you've ascended."
"Ascended?"
"The humans with the mark will gain an extra ability around their seventeenth birthday. Some manifest later while others could ascend much earlier than expected."
"But it's not likely," Sammy interrupted.
I guessed she saw the terrified look on my face again.
Becky gave her the eye and carried on as if Sammy hadn't spoken a word. "Whether you can handle a fire's heat or toxic gas, no one knows. Only then will you know which dragon you can claim."
I sighed. "Is your brother a dragon too?��
"Oh no, girl, erase him from your mind," Becky said.
Before I could protest, Sammy said, "Yes, my brother's a dragon too, but he's the only one of his kind. He's called a Rubicon. Only one lives at a time otherwise they'd annihilate this world. He's both Metallic and Chromatic, which causes a lot of problems. The last Rubicon died a thousand years ago and Blake was born nine hundred and eighty-one years later."
"Wait, a metal and chrome what?" I asked, clearly confused again. It would take me forever to get this all straight. I wasn't sure I even wanted to. None of this seemed real, and then there was Dad. How could I sit here acting like everything was fine, when I'd been thrown into a foreign land with the knowledge that I would never see my father again?
Becky started to explain. She clearly didn't pick up my escaping-this-world thoughts. I took a deep breath and listened. The Chromatics were the basic evil dragon, bent on destruction and that sort of thing, but this dark side could be overcome once they were a part of a dent. There were five classes in total; I would have to remind her to write those down so I could steer clear. The Metallic dragons, like Sammy, were not overcome by their darker desires, and stayed pure. They were generally friendly, helpful, and kind toward humans, making them much more welcome.
"But how can he be a Rubicon and you a Fire-Tail?" I thought that was what she had called herself.
"Um, it's hard to explain."
Okay? I tried another route. "What can he do?"
"He can do everything from healing broken bones to spitting acid. We'll learn about his anatomy in the second year."
"So his rider—"
"Blake doesn't have one," Becky interrupted.
"Why not?"
"Because his true Dragonian doesn't exist. Another long story and one we'll tell you about later," Becky said.
"Elena, you're going to be fine." Sammy saw right through me. "The only things you need to know are that magic and dragons exist."
"And that Sammy talks way too much," Becky chirped.
"Oh, shut your trap," Sammy snapped back playfully.
"You must see her pucker when she's a dragon."
"This pucker can light your ass on fire, missy."
I laughed at their playful bickering. It reminded me of Dad, at least the times when he had been normal. Thinking of him again, a horrible emptiness filled my heart once more.
"Hey," Becky said. "Don't worry, we'll help you."
I smiled. Tears lurked behind my eyelids.
Looking around at the emptying tables, Becky glanced at her watch and slowly got up from our table.
Sammy followed closely behind and took my tray, along with her empty one.
My hands placed on the table, I braced myself as I got up. My legs felt as if I had pushed tree stumps. Glancing at my full tray I hated that I hadn't eaten any of my food and it was going to land up in the bin.
Sammy dropped our trays at the drop-off zone, just as the bell rang. "See you later," she said, and disappeared around the corner.
Becky started to laugh as she saw me walking like a stick figure and she pulled me along by my arm.
"Is Sammy really a dragon?" I asked as we made our way down an unfamiliar hallway.
"Yeah, Fire-Tails are babblers, but they're also the kind of dragon you can ask to incinerate a body when in need."
As we turned the corner to make our way to our next class I walked straight into something hard. It was him.
I froze.