A Dreamer's Dragon

A huge blot of ink spilled onto the canvas before her, and yet she smiled.

Claudia hummed a little to herself as her heart began to beat faster, rampaging with excitement as she once again had spilled another ink stain on the midst of her paper. But she wasn't worried. She couldn't just make the stain disappear, but she could use it for a better tone to her drawing. The church bells rang aloud outside her window, enticing the children downstairs as their feet could be heard shuffling through the house. 

Their house was burrowed on a small Island, that somehow had floated into the unknown of a huge body of water, that the villagers called KoPeaceia. The name wasn't exactly the kind to calm one's nerves when it came to the hurricane season, but the "Peace" part was given to the Island because of the natural harmony all the villagers lived by. It was here that Claudia lived with her Mother, Father and younger siblings. Seven of them, actually. And most importantly was every coming-of-age role that a teenager must partake in: Aviator Training.

But Claudia didn't like it. She didn't like the way all the Professors screamed at her when she did something wrong, such as touch the wrong button or just fool around with the controls. One time she had to fly a plane and it did not go well. She, and the Professor, ended up in the middle of the Ocean with scrapes of metal all around them and some had already shot up into flame.

"I'm sorry," Claudia had said. "I didn't know it couldn't be lowered into the water!"

It took a few hours, and a long wait outside the Principle's office, for Claudia to realize she wasn't into this whole "Flying" thing. Sure, she wanted to do it. Every teenager on the Island wanted to.

But when she got to learn how to fly it the first time, she didn't like the idea of studying various parts and instantly recognizing engine malfunctions or other codes. It also made her upset when she saw all her classmates get good scores on their first flights...and her flight ended up in the Ocean.

"We can't seem to get your Daughter to understand a thing," The Principle said. "I'm worried she won't be able to join the rest."

The Principle's words rang through Claudia's head. It echoed so loud in her mind she could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck. She has been to the Principle's office more than once.

On a day like today, with her Aviator goggles pressed firmly on her head, Claudia could feel her own peace. 

She could hear the Church bells ringing, Children creeping around the house, and the thoughts in her head come to life before her. She gazed towards the window and saw the sun had come out in a full warmth, but she didn't want to be anywhere except her desk, where anything she did she kept all to herself. She cupped a hand to her cheek and pressed her face against her palm. Her eyes shot upwards towards the ceiling, where the worn pieces of wood had now been covered over with cloths. This didn't bother her, after all, as she could sometimes awaken at night and she the Moon shining brightly over the hole. She didn't know why the Moon had come so close to her home, but it was a sight to see. She lowered her eyes and placed her arm back onto the table, saying, "Now...let me think..."

She liked talking to herself.

Then, without a urgent regret, she placed her Ink pen onto the paper, spreading the blots from one side of the other. She was following a line pattern she'd created and quickly filled the empty spots with black colorful ink. That's all her family could afford was black. And it was so boring. She moved her hand upwards and adjusted the cloak on her right shoulder. It was one part of the outfit she actually liked. She then moved her arms over her head and stretched them a few seconds, yawning. When she was finished, she quickly worked her way back to the drawing.