002. ✮ ⚓ >> open skies » ch. 1

Instructions

╭┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┊ ~ notes ┊ read the chapter all the way through, then you'll ┊ understand! <3 ┊ NOTE ~ a " . . . ⋆ • ⋆ . . . " means there's a timeskip ┊ because I'm super lazy when it comes to writing lol ╰ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - » chapter 1 ~ astra ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I awoke with an excited jolt as a thought poked its way through the tangle of dreams sleepily fading away. I sat bolt upright, two words hanging on my tongue - Hatching Day. "It's my Hatching Day," I whispered excitedly, a thrill running through me and giving me enough energy to sit up, trembling with excitement. I swung my legs over my bed and hopped onto my carpet, feeling the soft fuzziness of it sink into my bare feet. "Hatching, hatching, hatching day," I sung softly, throwing on my old, navy blue hoodie and my soft white dragon slippers as I realized I had worn my clothes to bed and I didn't have to change out of my PJs. With a satisfying 'clomp' noise from my slippers hitting the wooden floor of the upstairs hallway, I skipped down it towards the soft, carpeted spiral that lead downstairs. I gazed at the paintings of dragons swooping through the sky with their rider on top lining the white hallway walls. Bounding down the first flight of stairs, I grinned, "Soon...that'll be me...!" . . . ⋆ • ⋆ . . . My heart was just about ready to burst with excitement! 'It's-time-it's-time-it's-time,' I thought, gazing up at the quartz arc stretching high above me, topped sculpted wings holding an egg. I stood on a smooth slate platform near two other kids, one tall and with short, slicked back red hair, and another - a girl with long, wavy black hair. Stone seats rose all around us, though only three other families sat there - mine, with my mom sitting in front, embarrassingly cheering me on, and what I assumed were the other kids' families. Suddenly, the lights faded into darkness, and over-the-top spotlights shone down on us. The entire room went silent, buzzing with quiet energy. "Dramaaaaatiiiic..." I remarked with an eyeroll, but inside, excitement was surging through me. It was finally time! It was time it was time it was time!!! With a buzz, a hologram of a tall, elderly man with a long white beard and mustache flickered in front of us. "Greetings, I am Dr. Henry Lancaster," the hologram welcomed us, adjusting his tiny round glasses that looked like they were about to slip off at any moment. "And this, as you may know, is your Hatching Day, the day you three get your dragons." He smiled, and continued, the hologram of himself bathing the room in an electric-blue light, "Indeed, a Hatching Day, of course, is a ceremony you take part of on your thirteenth birthday, where you receive your dragon egg, guaranteed to hatch in minutes. That hatchling you receive, you must take exceptional care of it, kindling your bond carefully as it grows..." I tightened the corners of my mouth in annoyance, drowning out his words. The red-haired kid next to me faced me, and stuck out their hand. "Hey, I'm Oliver, they/he," he greeted me, smile tight and looking irritated. "Hey, Oliver!" I replied, "I use she/fae, and if don't mind me asking, are you annoyed with that Dr. Lancaster dude or whatever too?" I smirked, giving the elderly man a side-eye as he yapped on and on, unaware we were paying no attention. "Yep," Oliver snorted, "and I've got another thing to be ticked off about too - look at what Mom did to my hair!" I couldn't help but snicker looking at his ridiculous hair, slicked back and completely over the top. We chatted for a while, our conversation filled with laughter. Even our parents didn't seem to mind! They thought the speech was pretty dumb, too, hah. But finally, Dr. Lancaster finished his speech with a nod, saying, "My apologies that I was not able to be here today. I hope that everyone listened, as when your dragon begins its life, you must know how to care for it so soon, you both can work side-by-side as partners." The intentions of the speech of course were sweet, but... "I've read like 50 thousand articles online about caring for a dragon - and the stuff you can't read, the stuff that's different for every dragon - welp, guess we'll figure that out! Pretty useless speech," I whispered to Oliver, though I was about to explode with excitement. "Absolutely," Oliver smirked back, eyes bright. The hologram flickered away, and in moments, we heard a click that echoed throughout the building, and a trapdoor in the slate floor slid open, revealing some kind of hidden compartment. "Always over the top," they added, sighing and shaking his head. A pedestal rose through the hole, carrying a cozy-looking incubator with soft blankets and straw surrounding three perfect dragon eggs!! (continued in n+c)