“Evelyn?”

Evelyn turned her head to the shaky voice and continued scouring her cyan scrubs over the wash station. She had successfully washed away the majority of the dog bile, though a small wet spot that gave off a sour, acidic smell—all too familiar to Evelyn remained. Her fellow veterinarian technician, Abby stood in the frame of the door, breathing heavily while her hair band sat crookedly over her forehead, her own scrubs having small tears around her belly and on her sleeves. A small trickle of blood dripped from her forearm from what looked like tiny claw marks.

“Are you alright, Abby?” Evelyn responded with concern.

Abby took a moment to catch her breath from her run. “For the most part. Dr. Mary needs you in room two.” Given Abby’s apologetic look, Evelyn knew she did not hide her disappointment well. “Sorry, I know your shift just ended, but it’s that dog.”

“Oh.” Disappointment quickly shifted to guilt. “I understand, let’s go.” She laid down the soaked cloth, turned off the faucet and followed her coworker through the long hallway. Putting up her blonde hair into a ponytail, she glanced at the hanging pictures of various animals being treated in their offices. Memories came to her; the cat in the second picture had a tumor in its chest. The poor thing knew something was wrong, and not being able to do anything frightened it, becoming a shell of its former self. Evelyn had aided in the surgery to remove the tumor. Seeing the cat go from the operation table with its chest cut open to its happy, lively self post recovery made her smile each time she passed the picture. A reminder of why she was here.

The two technicians entered the room to see Dr. Mary holding a syringe of what Evelyn assumed was a vaccine. On the fold-out operating table in front of her was that dog; A small, growling chihuahua with the fury of a hundred Flamebreath dragons in his bulging, brown eyes. His owner, a short and fragile old woman, was frantically trying to hold down the aging dog. A difficult task as he was still agile for his age, ducking under her shaking hands, jumping left to right avoiding any attempts to block his path. Every time the vet would get close, the dog would start barking in its high pitched, ferocious voice. After a moment, Mrs. Lintone noticed Evelyn and Abby standing in the doorway.

“Oh, Ms. Eir, thank goodness. I apologize, but little Maximus is much too agitated. He cut himself on our fence and is in deep pain,” she called out. Two deep cuts ran a short distance along his ribs, blood dripping from the wounds down the small dog's side, staining his tan fur red. It all started to click for Evelyn; Dr. Mary was trying to give a numbing shot to Maximus. He was scared and in pain.

Dr. Mary turned and held out the syringe. “Here, see if Maximus will let you give him the shot.” With a nod, Evelyn accepted the syringe and stood over the table to face the scared dog. She looked into his big brown eyes from the doorway, and under that fury she could see the fear. He was in pain and a random stranger was trying to stab him with some unknown sharp object. What animal wouldn’t be scared?

Fortunately, Evelyn was not some random stranger. Maximus’ ears perked up with recognition and his growls turned to whimpers as he recognized his neighbor. With a soft smile, she leaned toward the dog.

”Hey there, Maxy. Be still, it will be over in a moment.” She reached her free hand out. Maximus sniffed her open palm to presumably confirm her scent before leaning his chin down into her hand. She started petting him while keeping his face turned to her own as she slowly reached her other hand around with the syringe to his wounded side. Delicately, she planted her hand perpendicular on Maximus’ side just above the cuts; the needle hovered just above his soft hide. Keeping that hand as still as her nerves would allow her, the free hand kept softly petting his cheek. Fortunately for Evelyn, Maximus didn’t react poorly. Biting her lip, she risked a glance to the syringe, assuring it was in the right spot. In one smooth motion, she turned her hand to lower the needle to the skin and used her fingers to push it into his side. After it was in, her thumb pressed down on the plunger and she watched the anesthetic medicine flow into the dog.

Pulling the syringe away, she looked back to Maximus’ face, placing the syringe on the cart next to the table. He was still calm thankfully, leaning his head into her hand. She let out a deep sigh, realizing she’d been holding her breath.

“Good boy,” Evelyn praised, turning to see Dr. Mary had already gathered the materials needed to stitch the wounds closed.

“Thank you, Evelyn. Just keep him distracted and I will stitch him up,” Dr. Mary said with a smile. Evelyn shifted to give the vet room next to the table. With Maximus calmed down, Dr. Mary started her work.

”You are such a sweetheart, my dear.” Mrs. Lintone’s voice was calm, no longer frantic and panicked. Evelyn turned to see her sitting down on the patient chair by the window, a soft yellow light seeping through the blinds and onto the elder’s gray, curly hair, her glasses glinting into Evelyn’s eyes. Blinking away the temporary blindness the flash gave her, she looked back down at Maximus, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be lightly sleeping, his head resting softly in her palm.

“So, what happened? I’ve seen him chase cars along the fence all the time and he’s never gotten hurt,” Evelyn asked.

”Well, he saw Dahlia on her horse heading into the forest, so he ran along the part of the fence that is broken and got caught on one of the jagged edges.”

Evelyn’s heart sank. “Mom left with Runner?” Her fingers slowed against Maximus’ cheek, she felt like her whole body was going stiff. “I figured she wanted to stay home with us tonight.”

“Oh that’s right, your dragon acceptance letter thing should come in today, shouldn’t it?” Abby asked from the edge of the room, staying as far away from the table as possible.

Evelyn nodded. “She’s the reason I applied to the Dragon Healer Academy. It would have been nice to open the letter with her, even if I get rejected.”

”I still don’t get your obsession with dragons. They’re not that impressive. They just lay around and let humans harness their magic for power,” Abby said.

Evelyn rolled her eyes. That was a trend she started to notice, not just with her peers, but with everyone around her. Why were people taking dragons for granted? They were amazing, magical beasts with similar or even greater intelligence to humans. Sure, only a handful of people could actually speak to dragons, but that made them all the more fascinating to Evelyn. It could be that everyone takes them for granted since they are rarely seen anymore aside from seeing some high in the sky with their riders. Never close enough to really tell what type they were.

Memories of her mother flooded her mind. The nights her mother would read ‘Tales of Dragons Past’ before bed, the wonderful stories she had about seeing wild dragons fly over town before the Great Ichneumon War. Every mention of dragons filled her with joy and excitement, despite never seeing a dragon up close for herself yet. It was one of the few things Evelyn and her mother connected over—well, when she was home that is.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Mrs. Lintone’s voice broke through Evelyn’s thoughts. “I’ve known you for every one of your nineteen years. I see no reason you would not be accepted.”

Evelyn gave her a shy smile in response. She wished to be that confident, but the rumors of the dwindling number of accepted students plagued her mind. In fact, she’d be the first student to attend from Banrigh in nearly a decade.

Turning her attention back to Maximus, she watched Dr. Mary finish the sutures, paying attention to the techniques she used. She had it down to a science, weaving the thin, translucent strings through the dog’s skin and pulling the gap shut with one swift move. Evelyn wondered if dragons also needed sutures, or if their scales would even allow something like this to penetrate their skin. Part of the growing disinterest in dragons was a lack of reading material involving them, the only books she was able to find were ones her mother owned. Of all the books her mother collected, only one had medical information for dragons. Though she was never allowed to read it; Something about it not being allowed.

Once the suturing was complete, Dr. Mary set the needles back onto the cart and stood up with a sigh of relief. “All finished, Mrs. Lintone. Abby here will get the cone so Maximus can’t bite the sutures out. Thank you for your help, Evelyn.”

Evelyn nodded and gracefully laid Maximus’ head down. The Chihuahua’s eyes opened and looked sadly at her. Thankfully, his owner came over and took over the petting, keeping the little dog calm and comfortable. Mrs. Lintone gave Evelyn one more smile, silently saying thank you. Evelyn gave her a smile in return and left for her locker down the hall.

She checked the time on her phone, hoping the extra work didn’t hold her up for too long. Just as she read the time, the screen went black, displaying an icon the shape of a cracked dragon scale.

“Oh, already?” she muttered as the locker door squeaked open. As she placed her phone down screen first, she peered inside and found a small box with a similar scale icon printed on the front. The box rattled in her hand as small, colorful scales fell into her hand, the scales tingled with magic against her fingers. She replaced the pale, dispirited scale on the back of the phone with the vibrant red scale, clicking it into place. She watched with a sparkle in her eye as the scale briefly glowed, veins of glowing energy streaked across the phone before the screen shone back to life.

Though the scales' magic always amazed her, powering everything from phones to home appliances to cars, a strange thought lingered in her mind. At the bottom of the box, a statement claimed the magic in the scales would last six weeks. I must have a bad batch. Half of them only lasted a few weeks. She placed the box back in the locker and grabbed her keys.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

She noticed Dr Mary out of the corner of her eye standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her hands in her coat pockets.

“You sure you want to go into dragon healing? You would be one of, if not my best vet here with your knack for calming excited animals. You could probably start your own clinic if you wanted to down the line,” the senior vet said softly.

“I’m sure,” Evelyn responded bluntly.

”I figured. I just wanted to try one more time.” Dr. Mary walked over and put a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder and smiled warmly. “You have nothing to worry about; no matter what the odds are, I have all the confidence you will be accepted.”

”Thank you. I appreciate everything, Dr. Mary.”

”Enjoy your weekend, Evelyn.”

Evelyn stepped out into the embrace of a cool breeze, the setting sun casting a soft glow across the sky. The world outside now rushed by in a blur as people drove home, proof of the day's end. She inhaled deeply, the rhythm of the city pulsing around her.

A silver sedan with paint faded and flaked sat by the curb. As she approached, the door creaked open, releasing a wave of greasy aroma that overpowered the fresh spring air. She hesitated before reluctantly surrendering to the passenger seat.

Beside her, the driver—a man whose brown hair bore the marks of a hastily removed cap—flashed a smirk between bites of his burger. His city guard uniform was the definition of order, a stark contrast to the disarray atop his head.

“Don’t worry, I got you something, too,” Benjamin said, pointing down at the bag that sat between Evelyn’s feet on the floor of the car. A glance showed Evelyn a second hamburger still wrapped in foil.

“I appreciate it, Ben,” Evelyn responded as Benjamin replaced the larger dragon scale in the ignition, jolting the car awake and began driving away, matching the speed of traffic.

“So,” Ben started between bites, “how was your last day?”

“First of all, it’s not my last day if I don’t get accepted. Dr. Mary said I’d be—”

“When you get accepted,” Benjamin interrupted.

Evelyn paused for a moment. Even with everyone else having confidence in her, she couldn’t help but think of the actual odds of being accepted. Her stomach turned every time the academy was mentioned.

Evelyn continued, “secondly, it was fine. Maximus got cut on the fence while chasing Runner, so I got to help him.”

Benjamin chuckled lightly, “That tiny rat needs to learn how small he actually is—wait, mom left again?”

“So, Mrs. Lintone said,” Evelyn said with a slow nod.

“Sorry, Evy. I would stay with you but—”

“I know,” Evelyn interjected. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Have fun on your night shift.”

“By fun you mean try and likely fail to stay awake all night? Of course I will. Maybe.”

A tiny smile tugged at her lips following a soft snort. With how many times he stayed up all night playing games as a teenager, there was little doubt he could stay awake if he really wanted to.

“Maybe I should apply to the Dragon Corp. Then I could have you take care of my dragon, and I wouldn’t have to be on night shift anymore. How about that?”

“That would require you to actually care for an animal. I recall two hamsters and a gerbil that became my pets when you kept forgetting to feed them.” Secretly, Evelyn was thrilled to take those pets off Benjamin’s hands. She never had to ask for any pets, she would just wait for Benjamin to want one and wait until he got bored of it. “Besides, you’d need the ability to speak with the dragon. Less than one percent of people have that ability.”

”And who’s to say I’m not one in a million? But fair enough on the animal care. You have to admit, owning a dragon would be pretty cool.”

Evelyn shrugged, while she loved dragons and learning about them, she couldn’t imagine owning one. It was already hard enough to get into school to render medical aid to one, what would it take to actually care for one every for every second of your life? There was no way she would be up for the task.

The rest of the drive was silent. Benjamin finished his meal with one hand while steering with the other. Evelyn stared out of her window, watching the homes and hills pass by, trying to clear her mind. Despite Benjamin’s best efforts to distract her, the results of her application consumed her mind. Visions of her sitting in orientation as dragons of all kinds flew overhead to greet the new students, thanking them for working to keep dragons healthy. Nightmares of her sitting alone at home, crying herself to sleep with the rejection letter sitting on the floor mottled with tears. No one there to comfort her in her lowest moment. How did Benjamin keep so calm and satisfied all the time? It was as if he just flipped a switch and his head became empty, free of any negative thoughts. Like now, when Evelyn looked at him, he stared blankly at the road, eating his dinner with no care in the world while his sister was being torn from the inside out by her unknown future. Her leg shook, making her heel tap the floor, thoughts never ending, even as they stopped in front of their home.

Their one-story home was nothing to marvel at. It was big enough for her whole family to comfortably live together. The barren driveway stood out to her, typically being occupied by her father’s car at this hour.

Not even dad will be here, I guess.

Her shoulders sagged. It was rare for him to get stuck at work, and of all days for it to happen. Even if her father secretly didn’t care if she got into the academy, having him there would still make her feel a little better. He would still support her whatever the outcome, though he mainly cared about her salary, which would only be slightly higher if she became a dragon healer rather than owning her own animal clinic.

Evelyn opened the door, grabbing the bag between her feet and turned to get out.

“Hey,” Benjamin called, stopping Evelyn in her seat, “whatever the result, give me a call. I’ll keep my phone close.”

“Thanks, Ben. Have a good shift.”

She walked slowly to the front door and unlocked it, turning to see Benjamin giving her a wave as he drove off, making sure she could get inside before he left. Upon entering the house, she saw an unopened envelope with a seal over the folds. The black wax was pressed into the shape of the Dragon Care Academy emblem: two dragons twirling around a scepter roaring at each other, their wings unfurled. Based on the pictures her mother showed Evelyn as a young girl, she assumed these were two Minddrakes given the arrowhead look of their tail end. The irony of the emblem didn’t escape her as Minddrake were supposedly the least violent of the five known dragon types.

Next to the envelope was a note. Evelyn picked both up and read the note,

Evelyn,

I wish dearly that I could be with you when you opened this letter, but something very important came up with work, and I do not know when I will be back. No matter the result, I am proud of you, I always will be. I left a gift for you in Runner’s barn, take it as a good luck charm, it may help you in the future.

Good luck, I love you dearest.

~ Mom

Evelyn sighed; only her father knew what her mother’s job was specifically.. Whatever it was, when Dahlia went away on a trip, she was gone for at least a week at a time. Evelyn had no hope for her mother’s sweet embrace if she was accepted, or her comfortable coddling if she was rejected.

She shoved the note into her pocket and walked to the back of the house, exiting through the backdoor to the yard. To her left she saw the fence Maximus injured himself on, spotting the section that was in disrepair. Up against the fence was the small barn her mother kept her horse, Runner. The structure was not the best; it had rotten or missing planks, not to mention the vines and other foliage from the forest invading the building, but it got the job done. It was obvious an amateur builder constructed the barn. Why her father felt he could build it all himself, Evelyn would never know. He was lucky her brother was there to help him. It didn’t help that the trees from the forest behind their yard would poke their branches through the windows and roots shifting the foundation.

She opened the sliding door and stepped inside. The stench of horse waste mixed with the earthy smell of dirt and hay scorched her nose. If she had not gotten used to it, she would have been repulsed to the point of sickness. The small barn contained one pen with a water tub next to the hay bale at horse head height, filled halfway with feed. She must have been in a hurry if she didn’t let Runner finish his meal, she pondered. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimmer of something shiny laying on the post of the gate. With a closer look, Evelyn saw a silver medallion, fitting nicely in the palm of her hand when she picked it up. It bore the engraved image of two creatures: A dragon, the type of which Evelyn could not discern, and a creature she had not seen before. It looked similar to a weasel, but the large spikes on its back and neck looked too similar to the spikes of dragons to make it so. Is it supposed to be an Ichneumon? Those creatures never got along, there was a decades long war between their respective riders which resulted in the creation of the Aonach empire. So why did they look friendly?

Shrugging, she put the pendant in her back pocket. Being sentimental was not the first thing she thought of with her mother, but maybe having something from her would keep her close despite not being there.

She exited the barn and entered the forest, following the same path she and her mother would take on their walks. Clovers and brush littered the ground around the tall oak trees, the path was nearly covered over, provided for the few patches of dirt still visible to Evelyn, who knew this path like the back of her hand. Following the path for a few moments led to a small clearing with a large tree stump in the center, lilies and daisies surrounding the roots. Sitting on the stump made Evelyn smile, cherishing the memories of her and her mother coming to this spot to get away from the world, get away from their worries and enjoy nature. She closed her eyes and took in everything, the birds singing their songs from the branches above, the crickets chirping away in the brush, the sweet scent of daisies.

Evelyn looked down at the unopened envelope and noticed her hands trembling. The glimmer from the elegant wax seal taunted her, being the barrier between her and the contents inside, contents which would alter the course of her life forever. She brushed her thumb over the seal, feeling its rubber like texture as her heart was beating out of her chest. With a sigh that carried all of her trepidation, she finally broke the seal.

ROOAR

Evelyn jumped from the stump. What was that? Was that—a dragon's roar? It wasn’t very loud as it crackled and choked. Perhaps something was wrong because she always expected a dragon's roar to be much louder. Through the thick leaves above, she got small glimpses of a large, dark figure blocking out the rays of the sun. It continued deeper into the forest; Evelyn tracked it the best she could until the canopy grew too thick with greenery to see. A few seconds later, Evelyn could hear tree branches—no, entire trees snapping and shattering in the distance from where the figure seemed to be flying.

There was no doubt in her mind, Evelyn just saw a dragon fly low overhead for the first time, and it just crashed nearby.