Reverie.

Chapter 1

I looked up at the beautiful evening sky as I rode on the back of my dragon, Meek-Shadow. I could feel his excitement through the gentle jiggling of the saddle. I smiled up at the star-filled, night sky before I looked beside me at my friend, Chelsea, on her dragon, Marvel-Mist. She turned to look at me and she smiled as she saw my silly grin.

"Tomorrow we start on our Quest! How are you not like jumping up and down!" I then eyed Marvel-Mist, "Figuratively I mean." Chelsea just smiled and shook her head.

Youths, when they are born, are assigned a dragonet that hatched on the same day. Every youth, and their dragon, on their 15th birthday, goes on a quest to find their bond-mates true name. Youth and dragon alike learn their name.

Chelsea and I are lucky. Our birthdays fall on the same day. Because this occurrence is so rare, our community is allowing us to quest together.

Chelsea brought me out of my thinking when she said, "Do you ever wonder what your true name will be?"

I rolled my eyes, "Of course." Every Small dreams about what their true name will be.

I looked down at the twinkling lights as we neared our homes. From the sky I could see our village. A shine caught my eye and I looked to the East of the village.

I gasped. "Chelsea! Look!" I pointed to the arena.

From the sky we could see the preparations that had occurred during the day for tomorrows Quest Instigations. Suddenly, I felt the urge to do something exciting, forbidden.

Nudging Meek-Shadow, we dove toward the ground.

"Hey!" Chelsea shouted and urged Marvel-Mist to follow us. "What are you doing!?" She questioned, alarmed, as she drew up beside me.

"I wanna see it."

"You know that we aren't allowed to see the arena before our quest! It's against the rules." Chelsea's voice sounded urgent.

My heart sunk. Would my best friend stop me from fulfilling my curiosity? I motioned for Meek-Shadow to pull up and Marvel-Mist hovered beside me.

"Shad, are willing to do this even if they don't want to?"

I could practically hear him rolling his eyes, Of course. He was the perfect match for me because his personality connected with mine so well. Through our connection I could feel the same thundering curiosity rolling through his mind.

"Chelsea," My voice cracked as I tried to make it pleading, teasing, and urgent all at once, "Are you gonna back out on me?"

A mischievous smile crept onto her face as she said, "Of course not." And suddenly she was gone.

"Hurry Shad!" He dove again, this time to catch up with Marvel-Mist who had a head-start to the arena.

We landed a split second after Marv and Chelsea, but she turned around and gloated, "I won."

I smiled sweetly back but answered, "Cheaters never prosper."

Our teasing grew silent as we approached the entrance to the arena.
~ ~ ~
Suddenly there was a loud thump as the book I had been holding flew out of my grasp and hit the seat in front of mine.

The bus had stopped. I looked through the window and sighed. I was at school.

I sat up and blink a couple of times, trying to bring myself fully into this world. Beside me kids piled out of the bus. Standing up, I shoved the book into my backpack. I sighed. My world would have to wait.

No one knew of my, or the, Gift. At first I had never done it on purpose, just when I started to read I would somehow be swept away into a new world. I found I existed in two worlds at once. I am physically in two worlds, but only aware to one of them. When I open a book, I enter the book world.

Book World?

What else am I supposed to call it? I've never been very creative and no word I've ever tried to attribute to my world never came close to even describing the amazing experience I feel whenever I enter.

I fought my way into the school. Slipping, elbowing, and shoving through the growing crowd of students. When I finally reached my locker, I quickly deposited my backpack inside and set my homework on a shelf.

The bell rang and I grabbed my books for first period class. My hand wavered dangerously over my book, but I pulled my hand back quickly. It was too risky taking my book to class. If I couldn't pull myself out . . . . I'm just going to leave it at that.

I turned and hurried to class.