THE DRAGON QUEEN

Chapter 2 ~ Second Chance

The silence on the ride back was suffocating.

Her father didn’t utter a single word, or looked at her direction. Her brothers, who normally sang her praises now distanced themselves. All except Elvis, he was practically the only one who still looked her in the eye and didn’t see a failure.

Maybe her mother too, but she wasn’t certain.

Janaeya and her family returned home. The guards pulled open the massive metallic floor-to-ceiling doors, they stepped inside with quiet authority. Except tonight's felt hollow.

Orion brushed past her, his shoulder deliberately bumping into hers as he headed toward his room.

Janaeya staggered slightly but quickly regained her balance. She reached for her shoulder, rubbing the spot where he had hit her, wincing. The pain settling in.

Marcus stared at her in disgust as he walked past. The thought of a Blackstone with no magic ability made his stomach twist.

“What a deadbeat, failure!” he murmured to himself, making sure Janaeya heard him.

Elvis stood by the staircase, gripping the railing, unsure of what to do. Their father had instructed them to stay away from Janaeya until they figured out what was wrong with her.

He wasn’t sad because she had no gift. He was sad because she was his sister, his best friend, his playmate. But he couldn’t disobey their father, there were consequences.

Before climbing the stairs, Elvis turned and gave her a small, reassuring smile, one that said ''Stay strong. I’m still here no matter what''

Janaeya stood still in the grand hall, devastated. Her mother stepped in, standing behind her with her hands gently clasped on the front.

“Janaeya,”

“Mom!” She ran into her arms and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry. I failed you. I failed our whole family.”

“Shhhh... it's okay, my love” Maya whispered, gently stroking her daughter’s hair. “This is not your fault. Maybe your magic just hasn’t awakened yet.”

“How so, if I’m a Blackstone?” Janaeya sobbed. “Magic runs through our veins... this has never happened to anyone in the past, why me? I don’t understand what’s happening to me, Mom.”

“Nothing bad is happening to you, my dear,” her mother said calmly. She cupped Janaeya’s face and wiped away her tears. “We have seen cases where powers appear late, don’t blame yourself about it, okay? Go to your room and rest. Everything will be fine by tomorrow.”

Janaeya’s gaze met her mother’s as she nodded softly. She slowly backed away and walked quietly to her room.

For a moment, she turned back and saw her mother whispering something to her father, who was pacing in agitation. From their expressions, it was obvious they were talking about what happened earlier.

Her father looked furious, he couldn’t really be blamed, it was his name that had been dragged through the mud. Now his brothers have seen the opportunity to make mockery of him.

Maya, looked concerned and worried. She wasn’t going to give up on her daughter no matter the strange things people say about her.

***

Janaeya flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling of her tall, massive, decorated room. It felt too vast, too empty. Like the whole world was against her. If it were possible, she would have sunk into the ground and disappeared, but she couldn’t escape it.

She lay there in silence. Thoughts of her life, her family, and her misfortune swirling like a storm in her mind, until a soft knock pulled her back to reality.

'Bang! Bang!'

“Who is it?” she asked weakly.

“Young Mistress, Janaeya?” came the maid’s polite voice, as they always announced themselves.

Janaeya sighed. “Go away. I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Young Mistress, you have a delivery,” the maid replied gently.

A delivery? From who? She wasn’t expecting anything from anyone.

Janaeya dragged herself up, opened the door halfway, and saw the maid holding a beautifully decorated box.

“What’s in there?” she asked nicely.

“I don’t know, Young Mistress. I was only told to bring it to your room.”

She collected the box, and stared at it for a moment, surprised by the sudden package.

"Thank you,"

She dismissed the maid, closed the door and went back to her bed, turning the box over in her hands before noticing a small note tucked in the corner.

"It's from the Academy." She whispered inaudibly.

Her heart skipped a beat. She opened the box, pulled out a neatly sealed letter, and began reading the details word for word.

"Dear Janaeya Blackstone, It is with great pleasure that we inform you of your acceptance into the Academy of Elemental Arts. You are hereby required to report to the campus no later than two days after receiving this letter. Failure to present yourself by the stipulated time shall be considered a formal rejection of this offer. Your position will be forfeited and offered to the next eligible candidate. We look forward to witnessing your growth within these hallowed halls. Signed: Headmistress Elowen Burns. Academy of Elemental Arts"

She blinked, reading it over and over, confusion spreading across her face.

How so? The whole purpose of the Awakening Ceremony was to determine who was worthy of attending the Academy in the first place. How could she have been accepted after failing publicly?

As she moved to set the box on her table, a second small note slipped out and fell to the floor. She picked it up and unfolded it.

“You have been given a second chance. Do not mess it up this time, or I will forget you were ever my daughter. Signed: General Aivo Blackstone.”

Just as she suspected. Her father pulled strings and called in favors. Janaeya hissed under her breath, crumpled the note into a tight ball, and threw it into the fireplace. She watched the flames swallow it until it turned to ash.

She left her room and wandered through the house. The usual laughter and noise were gone. No one was in the living room or lobby, not even Elvis. The only people she saw were the maids, and none of them could even look her in the face.

As she passed, their harsh murmurs trailed behind her like blades cutting through her chest.

“My child is of no royal blood, but at least she never embarrassed the family like this,”

“My commoner son was tested too, he is a fire mage, just like his father.”

Janaeya couldn’t hear the maids exact words, but she didn’t need to. Their pitying, disappointed glances said enough. She wanted to lash out, to crash out and scream. But doing so would only make things worse, they might not only call her a cursed heiress, but see her as possessed.

She kept walking, then suddenly, her eyes caught something in the lobby.

The door to a room her father had strictly forbidden them from entering since they were children stood slightly opened.

"This is the room Father wouldn’t let us enter, Why is it open?" She asked herself.

Curiosity pulled her forward. She reached for the handle, ready to push the door open and finally see what was inside, before a voice startled her back.

“Janaeya!”