That night, I find myself in Philippa’s car again, with Niko and Tricia riding in mom and dad’s station-wagon. I adjust my dress, wiggling my toes in my new heels, clutching my new purse. Philippa smiles.

  “You look lovely, Rika! I think this style suits you way better! I do have to ask, though. You really do want to fight monsters, right? Or were you just saying that to, understandably, wind mum up?”

  I smile back. “I meant it, of course. I mean, fighting the Twin Head was scary, but it felt RIGHT. I always wanted to help you, but I didn’t have the power or training to. Now, I can have that opportunity.”

  Phili giggles. “Well, I’m pretty sure your powers are the coolest-looking out of us. I’m a human Tazer, Niko weaponizes her own blood, and Tricia could make EVERYTHING sit down. YOU’RE a dragon dy!”

  I giggle and check my makeup in my compact mirror, before teasingly baring my teeth and roaring.

  “Rawr, I’m a scary dragon!”

  Philippa cackles. “Oh god, Niko’s gonna be so miffed she didn’t see that!”

  I grin, as my big sister pulls in behind our parents, parking up and turning off the engine. Getting out, I sneak up on my oldest sister, her all-bck outfit helping her blend in with the evening. “Rawr! I’m a scary dragon-glurk!”

  The moment I start, Niko pulls me into a hug again, her rusty chuckle breaking the silence. “Yes… you ARE a… scary dragon, cutie…”

  Dad grins. “You look wonderful, Rika. That dress suits you.”

  “Thanks, dad.” I smile, feeling all melty and warm as he grins. Mom tries her best to ignore me, and I internally shrug. What else did I expect?

  Dad helps Tricia out of the car, her crutches immediately avaible for her as she settles herself into a steady position, ready to move into the restaurant. Dad locks the car, as mom swans ahead. Following after her, dad keeps close to Tricia, making sure she won’t fall over or hurt herself. Niko lets go of me and I follow my dad, Phili and Niko right behind me.

  Inside, mom converses with the ma?tre-d, getting us set up with a table. I sit between Philippa and Niko, with Tricia on Philippa’s other side. Mom smiles, a bright, brittle curve of her lips as she takes a deep breath. A young server approaches with a tray of gsses and a rge carafe of chilled water.

  “Hello there, welcome to Bianchi’s! My name is Eoin, and I’ll be your waiter for tonight!”

  Once each of us has a gss of water, a menu is pced before each of us. “I’ll give you all a few minutes to have a look over the carte du jour, please let me know if you need anything!”

  I open my menu and take a sip of water. Thanks to Phili’s urging, I’d selected waterproof lipstick, so I don’t end up marking the rim of my gss. The options are varied, and I select an appetiser, a main, and a side. Garlic-stuffed mushrooms, a Caesar sad, and a portion of triple-cheese Macaroni.

  When Eoin comes back to take our orders, Niko leaps at the chance. “I’ll have the… Shrimp cocktail, the… 40oz ribeye with… fries, and a rge Greek Sad… please.”

  The young waiter notes her order down, then looks to Tricia. “And you, miss?”

  “I’ll have the onion consommé, the loaded baked potato, and the garlic bread, thank you.”

  More scribbling, and then Philippa’s up. She smiles, and I notice Eoin’s cheeks flush a little. She’s always had that effect on guys.

  “I would like the hummus and pita chips, the spiciest chilli con carne you can legally sell me, and a Caesar sad, please.”

  Eoin nods, scribbling in his notebook, before turning to me. Before I can give my order, mom steps in. “My son will have the onion rings, cheeseburger and loaded fries-”

  Dad interrupts. “Rika can order for herself, Jules. Don’t make a scene.”

  While Eoin looks confused, poor guy, I clear my throat and pce my order. “I’d like the garlic-stuffed mushrooms, the three-cheese Macaroni, and a Caesar sad, please.”

  He nods, gd to have a clear direction, then turns to my parents. Dad orders the stuff mom tried ordering for me, while she huffily orders a Margherita pizza with olives.

  Once Eoin’s left to pce our orders with the kitchen, mom hisses at me, “How could you embarrass me like that-”

  I stare at her with what feels like the worst case of resting bitch face I’ve ever used. “I have D-cups, mom. That waiter’s going to think you’ve got dementia. And if you really want, I can quite happily fly home. Don’t forget I have wings now, and I won’t let you clip them. Besides, I’m leaving tomorrow with Aurexiar.”

  Mom subsides, fuming, as dad’s jaw tightens. The rest of the meal passes in silence, and dad pays for the whole thing, allowing me and Philippa to bail out first in order to let me go to bed before mom can start another argument. It feels weird, lying in bed with the knowledge that my whole world has been turned upside-down in just a couple of days… I wonder what the Drakeblooded Cities are like…

  I bolt upright, blinking and rushing to comb my fingers through my long locks, tugging on a sports bra, then packing a few extras into my bag, my jeans riding perfectly on my hips as I jam my feet into my new sneakers. I have about five different outfits, enough that I can wash whatever needs it while my training commences. I have no idea what ‘training’ entails, but I’m excited to find out.

  I wait, sitting on my bed, until I hear the knock on the door. It’s too early for the postman, and I zip downstairs as quietly as I can, opening the door. The tall, Amazonian form of Adalinda fills the doorway. “Ready to go? If you wish to say farewell to your kin, I will not stop you.”

  I shake my head. “They know I’m leaving, and I’d rather not give mom the chance to fly off the handle again.”

  Adalinda nods. “Very well. Now, let us go. We must get out of sight. Transforming in the middle of a street is foolish unless in the most dire of circumstances.”

  She turns, striding down the side of the road with confidence, and I follow, carrying my bag. It feels lighter than I expected, but it’s mostly cloth, after all. About twenty minutes ter, the High Priestess tugs me into a secluded alleyway.

  “Now, the pn. Shift your wings out, and fly straight up, as fast as you can, until you reach the clouds. I will join you there. Go!”

  In an instant, I feel my wings tear out of my back, shredding the cloth and almost destroying my bra. “Dammit, I just got that…”

  I leap up, pushing down with my leather wings, ascending, then increase the power, rocketing vertically into the sky, the fingers of early dawn’s light beginning to break through the darkness. Up and up, spiralling like a bullet through the air, I breach the cloud yer, wisps of condensed moisture shrouding me before they burn away in a heartbeat.

  Hanging there, in a world above the clouds, I rotate slowly, eyes wide. Breathing is as easy as it was down on the ground, my lungs working no harder than before. A wild, trembling exhiration roils through my body. This… is where I am queen. I rule this space, this secret world that no human can reach without relying on artificial wings.

  I… am in my element!

  A massive gust whips up behind me, as the titanic golden dragon joins me in my own little world above the above.

  “This way, youngling! The portal is holding for now, but we do not have much time to waste!” She turns elegantly, and I follow, my wings cutting through the still air effortlessly, her scales glittering in the growing light.

  Up ahead, something… hangs in the air; a glowing disk or ring, made of dark blue energy. Aurexiar calls, “Fly into it! Go!”

  I nod, hunching my shoulders before releasing, boosting my speed as much as I can, aiming for the centre of the glowing ring. Instead of an impact, I feel something cold and warm at the same time engulf me, before the world reforms. I’m no longer above the clouds. The portal I’d flown into had spat me out in the centre of a massive room, pilrs reaching up to the domed ceiling.

  Fring my wings, I get away as Aurexiar barrels through, her cws raking sparks from the gleaming floor. Despite the spray of sparks, there’s not a single blemish on the ornate mosaics. Several other dragons, each a different colour, are arrayed around the chamber. Aurexiar shakes herself out and sits, her wings furling as she curls her tail around her.

  The bck dragon leans in, narrowing its blood-red eyes. “Aurexiar! You were serious? A HUMAN?! I did not truly believe you, but…”

  Aurexiar chuckles. “Once again, brother, you prove your ck of foresight. This human is unique among her kind.”

  Turning her head in my direction. “Show them, young one. Give them a good look at your power!”

  Blinking, I stare at each of the huge dragons as the portal flickers, blinking out of existence, before furling my wings around me, then pushing the transformation. Tail, cws, scales racing up my arms and legs, even spreading across my back and sides. I can feel my teeth sharpen and grow into fangs. Drawing my head back, I let out a roar, before exhaling a wave of freezing breath, icicles jutting up from the floor, vapour drifting from them as the cold wars against the Mediterranean warmth.

  The bck dragon rears back a bit, his wings fring, as Aurexiar ughs. The other dragons mutter and whisper fiercely. I stand there waiting for something to happen. A slender-looking white-scaled dragon approaches, poking at the ice formed by my breath. “Hmmmm, impressively cold. It seems you really do hold the power of a Winterwing drake. That makes me your direct superior, I guess. Welcome!”

  I blink. “Um… hi?”

  The bck dragon roars, “SHOW RESPECT TO YOUR BETTERS!”

  Aurexiar cuffs him with her tail. “Silence, you oaf! She knows nothing of our ways; we must teach her, not make unreasonable demands of our guest so soon after her arrival!”

  The white dragon’s form shimmers, a cold wind whipping around her, as she takes on a human guise. Her hair is snow white, and her eyes are the palest blue, of a frozen ke. She’s wearing a toga or something, fwlessly bleached.

  “I am Khione, leader of the Winterwing faction of the Drakeblooded Cities. Welcome, little sister!” she hugs me, her body as cool as a chilled bottle of water on a hot summer day.

  The green-scaled wyrm imitates Khione, his form a burly, bearded guy who looks like a farmer, someone who loves the nd and all its riches.

  “I’m Bryn, and I’m the patriarch of the Earthcws! Feel free to visit us, should you ever need to rex or unwind!”

  The blue goes next. She’s a surfer, tanned, with deep blue eyes and hair the same colour of fresh, waving seaweed. She even smells like saltwater and her voice carries the cries of gulls and cormorants.

  The name’s Maren, head honchess of the Deepwater! Good to meet you, little friend! Come by if you like to swim, the ocean’s ALWAYS perfect!”

  The next, a hulking red drake, shifts into a huge, muscly dudebro with fming red hair and a beard, an equally massive smile on his rugged face.

  “I’m Elio! The chief of the Bzehearts! Welcome to the cn, little dy!”

  A dragon with rippling blue and yellow scales stretches as she takes her human form. She’s slim and quite tall, with a bushy mane of brilliant blonde hair. It’s the colour of lightning, and the air around her seems to hum with a charge of energy.

  “Whattup, I’m Indra! I rule the roost when it comes to the Stormscale cn! If you’re into sports, you should come watch a Bstball match between my team and Elio’s!”

  The bck dragon huffs, grumpily taking human form, a tall, dark-haired man with a cropped beard, wearing a suit with a crimson waistcoat and a long bck duster coat.

  “… I’m Caliban. I lead the Onyxblood faction. Stay on my good side. That’s all.”

  Aurexiar rolls her eyes, taking her human form again. “And I’m Aurexiar, the High Priestess and the leader to the Sunwalker faction. You know that already, though. And yes, Caliban IS my brother. He might be a grump, but he’s good at what he does.”