Elodie woke not to the sound of her alarm, but to her phone ringing. Had she really forgotten to turn off her ringer. She groaned and checked caller ID. It was from out of state. Despite every nerve screaming at her not to, she answered it— mostly to give whoever it was the what-for for waking her up an hour before she was supposed to be up.

"What?" She barked into the phone.

"Sorry, Elodie— did I wake you?" 

Elodie groaned and checked her alarm clock. "Kira, it's five-thirty. No human being should be up this early."

"Oh." There was a pause. "I get up at five every morning. I can never sleep for a very long time."

"Well, why are you calling me?" Elodie asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to stop at a cafe before school, so we could talk about this whole dragon thing," Kira said. "Without Aideen."

"Why without Aideen?" Elodie wasn't opposed to the idea— just merely curious. 

"Look, she grew up in that world, and we didn't," Kira said. "I don't think she sees the parts that suck about this."

"So we're starting a support group for dragon princesses?" Elodie asked. When had her life become such a joke?

"I mean, yeah." Elodie thought she could hear Kira's shrug over the phone.

"So where are we meeting, then?" Elodie asked as she sat up and opened her closet. 

"Um, I was thinking of the one like two blocks from the school—"

"Oh, the Morning Roost!" Elodie grabbed another dress that was violet, and a leather jacket to go over. "Yeah, I know where that is. When do you want to meet me there?"

"In like, forty minutes."

"Cool, I think Brad will be up by then," Elodie said. 

"Oh, right, your brother."

"I'll see you then," Elodie said, hanging up before Kira had the chance to reply. She set her phone down, and started on her routine. Maybe Jinn wouldn't like it, but Elodie knew that her father wouldn't mind, especially since he didn't like her other friends all that much in the first place.

"Hey!" Kira waved to Elodie, and the darker-skinned girl waved goodbye to her brother before joining her outside of the cafe. 

"Hi," Elodie said. "Should we go in?" 

"I guess so." Kira followed Elodie inside. Her heart raced at the menu. So many options. She couldn't pick. And there was a line. She found a coffee that was simple, tasted like strawberries, supposedly. Kira liked strawberries.

She pulled out her wallet and started counting out the exact money she'd need for the drink and the croissants. 

"What are you doing?" Elodie asked.

"Nothing." Kira shoved the money into her pocket. "I really am sorry if I woke you up, I just assumed because me and my dads are up—"

"It's okay." 

Kira knew the tone all too well. People got annoyed with her anxiety easily— Kira knew that. It was the same tone fo voice that suggested she just calm down, take a chill pill— as if it were that easy.

Never mind that medication and therapy could only do so much, that she felt just as helpless against it. There was only so much that could be done, especially with a case as severe as hers.

But it was better than before, Kira reminded herself. She needed that medication, she needed the therapy. She'd been unable to function before. The memories of when it had all started, around when she was thirteen, were painful and dark, glass shards in her mind that she was careful to avoid. 

"We're moving up," Elodie said, her voice much more gentle, as if she'd realized the turmoil in Kira's mind. It was like constantly being in a thunderstorm. With a little luck and a lot of management, it would be like a mild rainstorm.

And Kira rather liked the rain.

Elodie paid first, buying a muffin and a small package of nuts, along with a coffee that was way more luxurious and expensive-looking than Kira's, with various whipped creams and syrups added in. 

Kira managed to not stammer as she repeated her order and gave the exact change to the barista. She even managed to not say "you too" when the barista finally gave her the drink and croissants.

She and Elodie sat at an outside table, as it was a lovely morning in Goldwater Harbor— having gotten all of the previous rain out of the system, it was a pleasantly cool morning with so little wind that it was safe to eat outdoors without napkins being blown into Kira's face. 

"Look," Kira said as they sat down. "This is crazy. You know? Like, they've wanted us to make plans all this time, while we're in school. I think every grown-up except my dads were screaming about the future and being prepared. Did you have plans for your future?"

Elodie paused. "I wanted to be a civil rights lawyer."

"Oh, wow." Kira blinked. "Wow, that's— that's so cool."

Elodie shrugged. "I've had an interest in law all my life. And I know I don't have the lack of ethics required for trial law or environmental law. Contract law is interesting, I guess— but I can't do as much good in the world as I can if I work exclusively for civil rights causes."

"How noble of you." Kira only realized after she said it that the words probably came out as sarcastic. But she genuinely mean it. 

Elodie seemed to pick up on that however, as she just tilted her head strangely before smiling. "Thanks. What were your plans?"

"They weren't specific job stuff, or nearly as prestigious as yours," Kira admitted. "But I think I would've liked to be a journalist, like Dad, or just a plain-old writer of some kind, like for books or games. That would have been cool. But there were weird specific things that I wanted to do, cosplay conventions and movie premieres, and using a lightsaber as a bouquet at my wedding."

"You could still do that stuff," Elodie pointed out.

"Hypothetically, yes," Kira agreed. "But if I end up Pendragon, I probably won't be able to because of the security or politics involved. It'll all be considered beneath me."

"But maybe that's why they'll pick you," Elodie said. "Because you're so human."

"Except I'm not," Kira reminded her. "I'm a dragon."

"You know what I mean." Elodie rolled her eyes. "You'd be a relatable Pendragon. Easy to talk to."

"You think I'm easy to talk to?" Kira could practically feel her heart swelling with joy.

"Yeah, and you're a good listener," Elodie added. 

"Well, I think you'd be a great Pendragon, for what it's worth," Kira said. "Not just because of the legal stuff. You're really nice, you've been really nice to me, even though other people don't like me."

"I think everyone deserves a second chance," Elodie said, taking a sip of her coffee. "And I know that rumors can be unfair."

"Thank you," Kira said. "I think you and Aideen are the first real friends I've made since we moved here last month."

"You barely know us," Elodie reminded her, pulling the wrapper off of her blueberry muffin. 

"Yes, but I think we will be good friends," Kira said, tearing pieces of the croissants off of the ends and plopping them in her mouth. "Or, at least, I want us to be."

"We're competing for the same prize."

"But we don't have to treat each other like rivals." Kira said eagerly. "Look, I want to be friends with you and Aideen. You're both nice people, both people that I think anyone would want to be friends with. Besides, I think we're going to be spending a lot of time with one another."

"Speak of the devil," Elodie hissed, narrowing her eyes at something behind Kira.

Kira turned her head to see Aideen approaching, holding two envelopes in her hand, both in the pastel sets that were sold at the local Target. 

"Hey, guys," Aideen said as she pulled up a chair. "I've got something for both of you."

Elodie accepted immediately, tearing open the envelope, but Kira hesitated a moment before taking it. For all that she wanted to befriend both girls, she could tell something was wrong about Aideen. But she couldn't quite place her finger upon it. Still, she took the envelope from the girl, and opened it.

"Yeah, my grandmother wanted to invite you both for lessons on dragon stuff," Aideen said. There was a sort of bitterness to her smile, Kira observed. 

"It's for tomorrow afternoon," Elodie added.

"Yeah, well, I think they're going to have the Trials by Fire on the winter solstice this year, so they want us to get started on learning what we must as soon as possible," Aideen said.

"That's so little time!" Kira squinted, trying to do her math. "Are the dragons really that desperate?"

"Yes," Aideen said, her dark blue eyes strangely fiery despite their color. "They have been in exile, in human form, for centuries. That can all end when one of us takes the throne, and the only reason one of us isn't sitting there already is because of our traditions."

Kira blinked. "Is that the reason you're not sitting on the throne already?"

"Yes."

An awkward silence followed them for a moment. Elodie then stood up first, pocketing the invitation and the package of nuts she had left.

"We've got to get to class," Elodie said. 

"Right." Aideen stood, too. "I'll see you tomorrow night, then."

They then left Kira sitting outside, hastily finishing her croissant and iced coffee.