The Last Dragon Shifter

Chapter Ten

Several minutes later, Naomi began to regret her words. After her acceptance, the dean had taken her to what she called "The Testing Room," but it looked more like a bare wasteland. The room was completely empty, devoid of any objects or life. Not even a desk. Looking around warily, Naomi's suspicions grew when the dean handed her a goblet filled with clear liquid.

"You'll need to drink this to start the exam," Dean Wellington explained, but Naomi stared at her as if the woman was speaking another language.

Surely, she didn't expect Naomi to drink some infernal mixture that she didn't recognize. Looking into the glass, Naomi wondered what the potion might contain. Judging from its color, it could be either a simple cold medicine or poison.

"What is it?" Naomi asked.

"Think of it as a truth serum."

"Why would I need a truth serum for a school test?" Naomi insisted.

"You'll find out soon enough. If you want to get into Legacy, you'll have to follow the rules. The rules dictate that you must take this exam. You can either drink it or leave," the dean said.

With her firm expression, Naomi knew there was no arguing with her. Deep down, she could feel that whatever the dean had in mind was wrong, but she saw no other option. She had to prove herself to Dean Wellington, and this was the only way to do it.

Holding the dean's gaze in a challenge, Naomi drank the concoction. Every last drop. It was smooth and tasteless going down, but its blandness didn't fool Naomi. It was bound to have some tricky side effects.

"Good. I'll leave you to it then," the dean said. The pleasure in her eyes was deeply unsettling.

"Wait," Naomi said as Dean Wellington started for the door. "You're going to leave me in here? What happens next?"

"Give it a minute, and you'll see." She slammed the door shut, denying Naomi any last objections.

When she heard the door's lock click into place, Naomi's panic set in.

She looked around frantically, but there was no telling what she was about to encounter. Nothing caught Naomi's eye to convey the danger. Instead, it was the smell of smoke, the tell-tale sign of a dangerous fire. Naomi turned around and came face-to-face with a burning city. Now, suddenly surrounding her, a town was set aflame. Judging by the heat and height of the blaze, there would soon be nothing left but ashes. The townspeople were either trying to rescue their families or run for their lives. Above her, Naomi felt the whoosh of wings. Something incredibly large was flying by. Looking up toward the sound, Naomi's mind failed to process what she saw.

An enormous, ruby-red dragon, at least twenty feet long, circled in the air above.

Clearly, her mission was to stop the dragon from wreaking havoc on the townspeople. Naomi's jaw clenched at the provocation. Dean Wellington was smacking her in the face with an evil dragon shifter.

The dragon swooped down and rested in front of Naomi. She didn't dare back away. It was best not to make any sudden movements. Before Naomi could come up with a plan of attack, the dragon transformed into its human shape.

It transformed into the shape of Naomi's mother.

There was no denying it. The tall stature, the same brown skin, and wavy dark hair—her characteristics similar to Naomi's own. The dragon shifter was the spitting image of Naomi's mother, Teresa.

"Mama?" she asked incredulously.

She knew it wasn't real. Her mother was long dead, but to see her—in front of her and within tangible reach—overwhelmed Naomi. Unable to deny her impulses, she rushed forward, taking her mother in. She reached forward and grabbed her hands.

They were real. Dear deity, they truly felt real.

"What are you doing here? What is all this?" Naomi asked.

"You have to choose, Naomi," her mother said. Her cold voice sounded nothing like the warm, loving one Naomi remembered.

"Choose what?"

"To stop me or join me."

"I don't understand."

"You can either choose to save the townspeople or side with me."

"You want me to help you destroy this village? I can't do that."

"It's either that or you'll have to stop me. Kill me or die trying."

Teresa touched Naomi's chin thoughtfully.

"Mothers and daughters should always stand by one another. If you choose wrongly, I won't take your betrayal lightly." Her grip on Naomi's chin turned fierce, painful enough to bruise.

Naomi wrenched herself out of her mother's grasp.

"This is madness! I won't do it."

"Then you don't love me. You never loved me."

"Of course I do. You were my whole world, Mama. You were my heart," Naomi said. Her despair at her mother's words made her stomach twist in anguish, her heartbreaking all over again.

The monster embodying Naomi's mother didn't reply. It simply morphed back into its fearsome dragon form. Flapping its wings, it returned to the sky but not before blowing a stream of blazing fire toward Naomi. She was able to avoid it—but barely. She raced toward the door, banging to be let out. When her pleas went unanswered, she worked some fire magic of her own. She burned a hole through the door's wood and reached the knob from the outside. She quickly turned the lock and escaped, ignoring the screams of the townspeople and the swishing sound of bat-like wings.

She looked around wildly until she spotted Dean Wellington. The woman had been waiting outside—waiting for Naomi to fail. Despite how victorious she must feel, she kept her face impassive.

"That didn't turn out as I expected. However—"

The woman paused as Naomi tried to charge past her. She gripped Naomi's arm to stop her from racing off.

"Wait one second," the dean began, but Naomi was on the verge of hysteria. If this hateful woman didn't let go of her, she would explode. Naomi did the only thing she could think of, unleashing her claws and scratching at Dean Wellington's arm.

"Don't touch me!" Naomi demanded, her sharp nails digging into the dean's skin.

Her tactic worked. The dean dropped Naomi's arm, clutching her own instead. Naomi's assault had broken her skin, blood oozing from the wound. Naomi didn't care. She raged on.

"How could you? How could you play with someone's emotions—their past—like that? That was no test of the soul. It was torture." Naomi pointed a daring finger at the dean, and the woman flinched. The action pleased Naomi's desire for retribution.

"You...are pure evil. I would never enroll in this psychotic place."

Naomi didn't wait for a response. She stormed away from the dean, seeking the front exit. If she didn't free herself from this place soon, she would end up hyperventilating. Rapidly turning a corner, Naomi ran right into Prince Malcolm.

He gripped her by the arms. "Whoa there. Slow down. Did it go that badly?"

"Yes," Naomi snapped. "It did, and I will never go here. I don't care about your dad's influence in trying to get me enrolled. All of this is sick. I want nothing to do with you people."

Naomi didn't stay to hear Malcolm's appalled reply. She saw the school's exit gate up ahead and made a run for it. As she burst through the gate and toward the front doors, she heard Mrs. Tinkle call after her.

"I knew you couldn't hack it, snowflake. Better luck next time!"

As Naomi fled, she swore there would never be a next time.

*** Do you guys think the king will really let her slip away from Legacy? How would she get out of this one?