Crackerjack II

Chpt. 29: Scratch the Surface

The next morning, she woke with determination rather than the usual frustration. She clung to that determination, triumphantly wielding it as she strode through the arena doors. The others in her group, those who still had yet to reach the goal, were gloomily gathered on the stands.

Scorch trotted ahead of her, nipping playfully at the rides lounging off to the side. Kristen plopped onto a bench and immediately engaged the girl beside her.

"Well, do you think today will be the day?"

The girl stared. "Um..."

Kristen grinned. "I think it will be."

"Good for you." She sighed. "I'm still blocked."

"Out of curiosity, what's your path look like?"

"A marketplace."

Kristen raised her eyebrows. "Really? How does that work?"

The girl sat straighter. "Well, Spencer says I have to get through the marketplace but that I'm not supposed to take anything."

"Take anything?"

"Yeah. There's stuff just sitting in the booths with nobody there to sell." The girl twisted a piece of her hair. "It's kinda hard, actually. I keep getting lost in the market, and then more stalls show up with better and better stuff." She grimaced and looked to Kristen for sympathy. "I keep forgetting it's not reality."

Kristen nodded. "That's supposed to happen when you're in the bond. It means it's working."

The girl smiled. "And what about you?"

"Me? Er..." Embarrassment knocked against Kristen's determination. "Well, I haven't even gotten past the first stage yet."

"Huh?"

Kristen sighed. "I haven't even gotten into my ride's mind yet."

"Oh." She paused awkwardly. "What's your path?"

"A tightrope."

"That was your first thought?"

Kristen raised a shoulder. "If I would have known what we were doing, I would have chosen something different."

"Can't you change it? To make it easier?"

"No." Kristen sighed, then shook her head and grinned. "But it's okay 'cause today I'm going to make it across and forge ahead."

The girl smiled and nodded. "You'll probably have it easy from then on, since your way in was so hard. I bet your ride will get you're serious about the bond after all that work."

Kristen brightened. "That would be great!" She eyed Scorch. "But I'm not sure that's how my dragon will think of it."

Laughing, the girl nodded. "I know what you mean. My ride's a bit overprotective." She pointed. "She's the wyvern over there having a temper tantrum."

As Kristen turned, she chided herself for not remembering that species other than dragon were in her class. Of course, it was nearly impossible to miss the sole wyrm—who she'd spent a week gawking at—but drakes, wyverns, and dragons she often confused with each other, much to Scorch's aggravation. Since he couldn't yet tell her why he held wyverns in such low esteem, she was left to guess. All she knew was that anytime they were mentioned, addressed, or invaded his space, Scorch snapped into tension, as he was now that she was looking at the red-spotted ride.

"She's pretty small." Kristen's eyes widened, and she blushed as she turned. "I mean—"

"No, it's okay." The girl laughed. "I've joked that I'm not sure she'll hold me when we finally learn to fly."