Wild and Out of Control

|chapter two|

"Blue dragons descend from the extraordinary Gormfaileas line. Known for their formidable size, they are the most ruthless, especially in the case of the rare Blue Daggertail, whose knifelike spikes at the tip of their tail can disembowel an enemy with one flick."

- COLONEL KAORI'S FIELD GUIDE TO DRAGONKIND

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|danica|

I am not going to die today. Nor will I die any other day.

     Liam is already almost at the end of the Parapet, striding the rest of the way before jumping down to solid ground. Judging the distance, it only seems about fifty feet or so, and if my average stride length is about two feet per stride, then I'll only have to step twenty-five times. I could do that, only moving forward with twenty-five sturdy steps. 

     Taking one step at a time, I begin to cross the Parapet, trying to control my harshended breathing. I try not to look down the hundreds of feet below the Parapet, not letting the fear in and avoiding seeing the bodies scattering the ground. I hear a scream rip through the air and I whip around and watch the blonde girl behind me slip and fall to her death. I swallow and turn back forward, continuing to the end while ignoring the bile threatening to spill out of my mouth. 

     She was now just another name that will be on the death toll.

     Closing my eyes, I envision my safe place: the wilderness. Tall trees encompass the horizon, a running creek where animals drink, and a bed of flowers where bees roam free. "Just keep walking." Calming my racing heart, I open my eyes and continue forward, one step at a time. One step, and I'm halfway across. A couple more steps, and I'm three-quarters of the way across. Only a few feet are left on the Parapet, and I smile as I practically run to the end. There was a girl waiting on the ground holding another clipboard, and the candidates who did make it over were gathered in groups along the hallway. 

     I jump down, the weight in my pack almost making me tip backward, but I even myself out. I glance at the candidates—now cadets—looking for a certain silver-haired girl to see if she made it across. If she didn't...I shudder, not even wanting to think about if she didn't make it across. The cadets ranged from all types: short and tall, light-haired and dark-haired, pale and tan. I see the tall, blond boy standing next to a girl with pink hair.

     "Name?" the girl with the clipboard asks. 

     I turn toward her, noticing two stars on the sleeve of her leather flight jacket. "Danica Hawthorne." Her eyes widen. I held up a hand when she opened her mouth to speak. "Yes, that Hawthorne. No need to repeat it."

     I walk away just as another candidate jumps from the Parapet, ignoring the stare of the girl in the back of my head. I run my hands along my two braids, a habit that I picked up a few years ago whenever I was anxious. My eyes search the corridor, looking for Violet in this sea of cadets. I notice Liam waving at me, and I wave back but don't approach him, instead walking further into the crowd. There's another rider with a clipboard in the center, and I see a dark-skinned girl with braids walk up to her. I swear I heard her say the name "Violet" when talking, so I followed the girl until she led me back to where Violet was now walking out from behind a pillar with...none other than Dain Aetos.

     I keep my distance, making sure she doesn't see me just yet. I notice that her knee looks to be wrapped underneath her pants, and I wonder why she needed it. My gaze drifts over to Dain, and I try to not roll my eyes. He's grown a beard since the last time I saw him, and if it's even possible, looks more like a rule-following asshole than before. He was wearing his flight jacket, and the two stars signifying him as a second-year stood at the top of the sleeves, but there were two other patches beneath it. And one I recognize to be the Squad Leader badge.