My Dragon Warrior Mate

The Process Begins

I can't believe we graduate only to have to go to the GATHERING, Sam tells her best friend, Caroline. I mean, it is not like I will be chosen to be a bride. The best I can hope for is to be sent home as so as I sign in. I mean, they want girls similar to you and my sisters that are beautiful, strong, and smart. Not an ugly, useless nobody like me. Caroline rolls her eyes at me and tells me, "to quit talking like that. Caroline is sick of how that is how I see me."

 But she is just blind to it because she is my best friend. She doesn't hear that not only my sisters say that, but the girls in school do too! I am 18. With long black hair and blue eyes and about 5 ft, 5 in tall. And all my life, I have been told was nothing and a useless, ugly waste of space, and if it were not for the New Laws about every female born, I might not be alive today.

 I was told I would never amount to anything but a tribute to the new Lords and would die just like all the ugly and useless females. I was the youngest of the sisters in my family. I just know that I will either be chosen to go home right away or be picked as a tribute.

My oldest sister Rene was always told she would marry a Prince. And never want for anything. Because she was tall and beautiful, she was 23, the second oldest sister Brenda was thin and pretty and was told she could do or be anything she wanted, and she was 21.

I will never be chosen for a wife, not when so many beautiful women will be there to choose from. I am not looking forward to the fitting of the tunic I because I am not as skinny as most of the other girls so, I will look so terrible in it. So, as the day of The Gathering was approaching. All females were to get fitted into the Lords commonplace dress attire and report to the Gathering Site. And then, the selection will begin once all females are accounted for.

 But, at least I don't have to go alone, Caroline is going with me so we can do this together at least until I am dismissed. Our appointment is today at 4:00 pm, and she is going to pick me up so that I don't have to ride with my sisters as they have to be there at 3:00 pm to be fitted and sign in. There were 4 steps in the process to make sure all humans were following the law. And also that all females are not only counted. But every warrior got a chance to see every female to choose from. And lastly, how many and which would be picked for tribute.

We decide to go out to lunch and have our "last meal." Before going because we know that once you sign in, if you are not told to go home right away, then you have to be there for at least a month before you either leave Earth or get sent home. 

We decide to go to our favorite steak house, and we get all our favorite foods. We start with loaded potato skins and loaded fries, and we both order a T-Bone steak with fries and coleslaw. And we automatically get dinner rolls with cinnamon butter. We are so full by the time we walk out of there that we decide that we need to walk off some of this fullness so, we go to the mall and just walk around.

 Since it is of no use to buy anything at this point. And I want to spend as much time with my best friend as before she gets picked to be a bride, and I just know she will be one of the first ones chosen.

At 3:30, we head to the structure we are to report to, and right on time, they call our names, and we have to go back and get fit. Once they hand us our outfits and we put them on, we go to stand in line to sign in and see if we are to be sent home or enter the building to the next phase.

I am so surprised when I see my sister Brenda leaving and telling whoever she called that she is being sent home. None of the dragons want her. I mean, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I was so shocked! I am so used to her and Rene being told how pretty and how much better they are than me that if she was rejected, I am confident I will be too!

As the line moves forward and we get closer to the front, the sadder I am that I will have to say goodbye to Caroline. When it is my turn, I show them my ID and sign my name, and the lady at the counter hands me a room key and tells me I will be on the top floor. I am speechless! 

Caroline comes through next, and she does the same thing, and that is when we find out we are roommates!! We squeal so loud because not only was I not rejected, but, for the next month, we will be living in the same room! We go up to our room and see that everything that we will need for the next month is already in our chamber. And Caroline has to call her mom and have her pick up Caroline's car because we both are staying.

We look around the room and notice not only is it huge, but it has two bathrooms, so we do not have to share. This is nice because we both like to take long hot bubble baths and long hot showers, and we won't have to rush. We both get queen-size beds and walk-in closets which, we don't understand as we are only allowed to wear tunics and underwear. We are given 7 Tunics and 7 underwear that does not need walk-ins. We also notice the floor to ceiling windows, and since we are on the top floor, we can see so much of the city, and the view at dusk is so spectacular it just takes your breath away.