4

I opened my eyes slowly, still breathing hard from everything that had just happened. My clothes were dirty, my heart was beating fast, and I was lying on the cold ground.

Then I saw her.

Standing a few feet in front of me was a tall woman dressed in black. She wasn't just wearing black she was covered in it. Her long robe touched the ground, and the hood over her head made it hard to see her face clearly. She looked strange, like someone from the old stories those witches who chased away demons and spoke in riddles.

I sat up slowly, not sure if I was dreaming or awake. My body ached. My head was spinning. But the woman didn't move. She just stood there, calm, like she had been waiting for me.

Then she raised her right hand toward me.

It took me a moment to understand she was offering a handshake.

I blinked. I looked at her hand, then up at her face, and back to her hand again.

What was this? Who was she? Why was she here?

Still unsure, I slowly reached out and shook her hand.

Her grip was firm, but not too tight.

"I'm Faustina," she said, her voice calm and steady.

I opened my mouth to reply. "F…"

Before I could finish, she said, "Fiona. Alton's daughter."

I froze.

My hand dropped from hers. My mouth stayed open.

How did she know my name?

How did she know my father's name?

Was she a mind reader? One of us? Could it be possible my father was still alive?

My thoughts started to race.

"How do you know my name?" I asked her, trying not to sound too scared.

She looked me in the eyes. "Because I'm your father's messenger," she said. "We were cast away together."

My heartbeat quickened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You're… my father's friend?" I asked, confused. "How are you even here? How did you find me?"

"I've been following you since you landed in this world," she said. "I needed to be sure who you were first if you were the dragon you or just the human part."

I stared at her. My legs felt weak. I stayed seated on the ground.

"Oh my Goddess…" I breathed out, placing my hand on my chest. "So I'm not going crazy. This is all real. Why did I end up here? Why are there people who look like me and my family?"

She didn't answer with words. Instead, she pulled out a brown folder from inside her cloak. It looked old and used. She opened it and held it out.

My eyes widened.

There, inside the folder, was a picture of me. One I didn't even know existed.

"Your father sent you here," Faustina explained. "Not to land in that house, but to come with me. To this academy. He told me you wouldn't know your true powers yet, and that you weren't used to hard life. He believed you needed guidance. He also said you might not be able to blend in on your own, so I should find you."

I didn't know what to say.

I had always believed my father wouldn't abandon me. That he wouldn't leave me in a strange place to suffer.

Now, this woman was telling me I was right.

"What?" I whispered. "So… he really didn't mean for me to suffer? He didn't want me to live like a servant?"

She nodded slowly.

"Where is he now?" I asked quickly. "What happened to him? What happened to the dragon village?"

Faustina's face turned serious.

"That's something I don't know," she said softly. "Only you can find out. I believe that's part of why you're here to discover the truth."

I stared at her, my lips slightly parted.

"If I do find the truth… will I be able to go back? To the village? To see Aurora again?"

"I don't know," she said, her voice honest. "But maybe it's possible."

Tears stung the corners of my eyes.

"Are you just saying that to make me follow you?" I asked, shaking my head. "Because I saw her die. I watched it happen."

"She's a dragon," Faustina replied calmly. "Dragons are very hard to kill. Unless someone stabs them through the eyes or uses powerful magic to destroy them completely, they don't die easily."

Her words gave me a little hope just a little.

"I can't promise that everything will go back to normal," she continued. "But I can promise that if you come with me, you will be safe. You will be happier than you are now."

I looked away, thinking. This was too much information. My heart was full, my head even more so.

"If I go with you," I said slowly, "what if the people at the house start looking for me? What if they notice I'm gone?"

"They won't," she replied. "They never really saw you. And even if you went back now, they wouldn't recognize you. They wouldn't remember you. I fixed that before I came."

I blinked at her in shock.

"You used your powers?" I asked. "But… why don't I have powers?"

She gave me a small smile the first I'd seen on her face.

"Because yours are locked. You're still waking up, Fiona. You haven't fully accepted who you are."

I looked down at my hands. I didn't feel powerful. I felt lost.

Then her voice turned firm.

"That's enough questions for now," Faustina said. "It's my turn."

She stepped closer, her black cloak brushing against the grass.

"Are you coming with me… or not?"