Second Wing

Chapter 1: Courtyard Chaos

Somewhere behind me, a bell rang.
Thirty minutes.
I was going to throw up.
      
My stomach churned and I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the anxiety that was currently racking my body. It didn't work very well. Forcing down bile, I took another deep breath and instead turned to look at the thousands of individuals that stood at the gate.
    
Today was Conscription Day, the day that all of us twenty-year-olds would choose which quadrant we'd be devoting our lives to. There was the Healers Quadrant, the Infantry, the Scribes, and the Riders Quadrant. I was heading to the Riders Quadrant, to join the best of the best and become dragon rider and finally have my own dragon...that is, if a dragon chose not to burn me to a crisp first.
     
 My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides as my gaze surveyed all the people that crowded at the gate. How many would be joining the Riders Quadrant? How many would become my enemy and try to kill me?
A new wave of anxiety hit me, bringing with it a ripple of nausea that had me doubling over. In through my nose, out through my mouth. In through my nose, out through my mouth.

"Not planning on vomiting on anyone today, are you?"
    
  I ignored the familiar voice, instead flipping up my middle finger as I waited for the uncomfortable ache in my chest to subside and my stomach to calm down. When it did, I stood back up slowly. I turned to meet the blue-gray gaze of my best friend, Noah. "That happened once, you asshole. And if I do throw up, I'll make sure it's on you, and not in the bag full of my things." I lightly kicked my sack that sat by my feet.
  
He smiled and stepped forward, his arms opening to go in for a hug. I froze, and I could tell by the apologetic look that crossed his face and the way his arms dropped that he'd recognized his mistake. "Sorry," he murmured sheepishly. "I forgot. May I give you a hug?"

I nodded, giving him a nod as I stepped into his embrace. I'm not one for physical contact, it makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes I can deal with it. But most of the time I simply can't stand it. But on occasion I do make exceptions. I tensed at first as his arms wrapped around me, but I relaxed, my hands clenching over my chest. As his grip loosened I stepped out of his arms. When I stepped out, I got my first good look at him after having not seen each other for a half a year and I jolted. "You cut your hair!" The last time I'd seen him, his blonde hair had grown out a little ways past the shoulder blades, now it was cropped closer to the head, fuller in the front than it was in the back. I had to admit, it looked really good on him.
     
 He nodded, running his hands through it. "Long hair will be dangerous there," he said, eyeing my hair. "Too many people could use it against you." I reached up and gingerly touched it. I hadn't cut my hair like he had, my hair was too important to me for that. I had tried, but hadn't been able to bring myself to do it. My hair was thick and the coily curls usually surrounded my head like a mane, but today I wore them in flat twists and a bun, which would have to work. Cutting it wasn't an option.
    
 I could tell he knew that I wouldn't cut it, and he said nothing else about it. "So, are you excited?" I asked, stuffing my hands into my pockets to keep them warm from the chill breeze. I briefly glanced up at the sky. It was cloudy, from what I could gather there'd probably be a light rain soon.
      
Noah shrugged at my question, his arms crossing over his chest. "I guess." Although his voice didn't give anything away, I could see the excitement and longing dancing in his eyes. His boyfriend, Avery, had gone off to the Riders Quadrant a year ago. Noah had been shocked and devastated. Avery had talked about joining the healers for the longest time. He'd said that he'd rather save a life than take one.
     
What changed? Noah had never found out. He'd received a heartfelt goodbye, and then a letter a week or so later saying so far Noah had survived. After that, nothing. But considering no one brought a body back and no one arrived to tell us that he'd been killed, we had a pretty good feeling he was alive. And that was enough to be excited for. I raised an eyebrow. "You know, it's okay to be excited to see him again."

 The corner of his lip twitched upward, and then burst into a full smile. His smile had always been contagious, and I couldn't help but grin back at him. "Yes, yes I'm so excited. I'm so excited that I can barely breathe, and I just have so much energy and feel like I could run for miles." He started moving back and forth, his hands wringing and there was now a slight skip in his step.
      
"Well, hold onto that energy, brother. You're going to need it soon."

My head whipped around, my gold-brown eyes falling onto a figure I hadn't heard approach. The man was of similar build to Noah. Around six-feet, and a bit muscular. His skin was tan in comparison and his face was soft, not sharp. He had dark brown medium length layered hair. I wanted to punch him. Or disappear. Hell, both. I watched as he embraced Noah, patting him on the back before stepping back. He seemed to notice me for the first time, and he went wholly still. I'm not usually one for eye-contact, in fact, I hate it. But for this, I'd deal with the discomfort it brought me.
     
"Hey, Easton." I said, drawing myself up to my full height as I locked my eyes onto Noah's half-brother. . Even at my full height, I had to tilt my head up slightly to look at him. I locked my eyes onto his. He had the same eyes as Noah, if only a bit darker. "It's been a while."

Suddenly I wasn't in a yard with thousands of other people, it was just me and him. In my peripheral I could see Noah backing away until he was no longer within my vision. Easton still hadn't moved. I could tell that he was trying to figure out what to say to me. But that's just it. There was nothing he could say. Oh, in case it wasn't clear already, there's a history between Easton and I, and it's not ENTIRELY a good one. 
      
"Hey, Little Bear. You look good," he said, taking a hesitant step toward me. Little Bear was a nickname him and Noah had given me years ago. I hated it at first considering they'd named me that to poke fun at my height, and the fact they used me as an armrest, but I got used to it. And by used to it I meant it was either that or 'Baby Barrett'. I think I chose the right one. When I didn't respond he took another step towards me. I didn't move, and instead continued to give him the impression that I'd let him near me.
He fell for it.
    
The moment he stepped right into my personal space bubble, I brought my knee up hard into his stomach. A woosh of air left his mouth and he fell to a knee on the ground. There were a couple of murmurs around us as a few curious folks peeked over to see what just happened.

"So I take it you're still mad?"