The Heart of the Dragon

Chapter 1

(Present day)

For Angela Brighton, every day was always the same- Get up, go to work, serve customers their foods, and head home. And to her, it sucked. Since it was the summertime, most people were doing things that were considered fun since school was out. But for her, it was time to go to work and make some money, knowing she was going to need it for college. Being 18 years old and heading to college soon, Angie knew she had to prepare for her first year at university, and that meant all she had to do was work and make money.

Ever since she began high school, it’s always been her main goal to get into college and graduate with a degree in Wildlife Biology. Her father is a Professor who taught the subject at a local community college, not the college she was planning on attending though. Her dream college was the University of Vermont in Burlington. It was pretty far from her home, but that’s why she had to prepare for it.

Ever since she was little, she had been fascinated with wildlife, always going outside and exploring the world like it was her passion. Her dream is to one day travel the world, learning about different wildlife, and perhaps write a book about it.

She was grateful enough to graduate from high school and to get accepted into her dream college. But until that happens, she was stuck working as a server at a coffee house for the whole summer, and she was already dreading it. After giving a customer his order, Angie went behind the counter as she rubbed her temples with her fingers from the stress. Being a server wasn’t easy when you had to deal with many customers and cleaning their tables, but at least she made some good tips.

She really needed a break, and thankfully her day got a bit brighter when the door opened as she spotted her best friend Tammy Martin entering the coffee house with her dark brown hair hanging just above her shoulders.

“Sup girlfriend?” Tammy grinned while walking up to the counter.

“Hi, Tammy” Angie greeted with an exhausted smile.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired” she mumbled while resting her chin on her palm.

“Aw,” Tammy pouted “Well don’t worry, you’ve only got- 4 hours left.”

“Gee thanks, I feel much better.”

“Come on” Tammy snickered “Lighten up, just think of the money you’ll be making, and all that money is gonna get you that degree.”

“Yeah” Angie nodded in agreement “I just wish I could have gotten another job, being a server is just not my thing.”

“At least you’re good at it.”

Angie replied with a groan when Tammy added- “Hey, you’re doing great. And just be happy Eli and I will be attending college with you so you won’t have to work alone.”

“I’m still surprised you two got accepted,” Angie remarked.

“Well we couldn’t have done it without your help, you are the smartest girl we know.”

“As much as I’m flattered by your compliment, I’m not gonna always help you guys when we’re in college, you two are gonna have to figure things out on your own.”

“We know, and don’t worry, we can handle it. We did learn from the best.”

Angie gave a snicker just as the door opened as a young guy stepped inside. Angie knew him as her other friend Eli Jenkins, who was also Tammy’s boyfriend.

“The usual Eli?” she asked him with a smile.

“You know it” he smirked while walking up to Tammy’s side.

“Anything I can get you Tammy?” she asked his girlfriend.

“A brownie would be nice” she offered.

“Coming right up.”

They took their seat at a nearby table as she went into the back to make their orders.

“Can you believe it’s our last summer here before we’re off to University?” Tammy questioned Eli.

“I know” he gasped astonished “Just think, last month we were high school seniors, and now we’re about to become college freshman, man time goes by fast.”

“You think everyone’s gonna miss us?”

“Well,” he shrugged “I know someone people who may be happy to see us go.”

She giggled while nudging him.

“Although I know someone besides her family who Angie’s gonna miss” she put in while smirking.

“Oh yeah,” he grinned “Jackson Monroe.”

Jackson Monroe was one of the hottest and richest guys at their school, who just so happens to be Angie’s crush. The two have worked together in some of their classes, and every time she was with him, she would always feel butterflies that made her heart flutter.

“Too bad they didn’t get together,” Tammy said, “I was really hoping they would before we graduated.”

“Hey, who knows. Maybe they will later on.”

But at that moment, another customer entered the cafe. And when they saw who it was, the couple froze as they stared at the very guy they were talking about.

“Well if it isn’t Jackson Monroe” Tammy smirked at him.

“Oh,” he replied to her a bit surprised “Hello Tammy, Eli.”

“What brings you here?” Tammy asked, still smirking.

“I’m actually looking for Angie, is she here right now?”

“You’re looking for Angie?” Eli remarked “Seriously? What for?”

“I just need to ask her something.”

“Oo” Tammy grinned, hoping she knew what he was thinking.

Like always, many girls at school fell head over heels for Jackson, especially since he was single, many have tried to go out with him, but he was never interested in dating. His father was a well-known biologist and explorer who has written a popular book about his explorations and discoveries, which just so happens to be one of Angie’s favorite books. And because of his success, he’s now one of the wealthiest men in their town.

“Okay,” Angie soon appeared with a brownie on a plate along with a latte cup that was still steaming “Here you guys go.”

She was about to hand it to them when she froze by the sight of Jackson. And like most girls, her knees became weak and her heart began to skip.

“Oh,” she remarked astonished “Jackson, uh, what a pleasure to see you here.”

He chuckled with the smile that made her blush.

“Um-” she set the orders down on the table “Can I get you anything?”

“No thanks, I’m actually here to see you.”

“Me?” she replied, more surprised than before “What for?”

“My dad and I are going on a little expedition to an island near South America, we’re doing some exploring to find a new species of a mammal we’ve been hearing rumors of. And I know that you’ve been working too hard and that you’re trying to make enough for your college, and I know this may sound pretty surprising, but how would you like to go on this trip with me?”

If she was still holding the plate and latte cup, she would most likely have dropped them by now.

“Whoa” her eyes widen “Seriously?”

“Yeah seriously?” Tammy’s eyes widen as well.

“I know it’s surprising” Jackson added, “But since I’ve gotten to know you after working with you during school, I realized that it’d be nice to have you on this trip with me.”

“Oh my God” Angie gasped “I uh- I don’t know what to say.”

“Why don’t you think about it and give me a call when you know? It’s alright if you can’t come, it’s just a thought.”

And with that, he walked out of the cafe, leaving Angie and her friends too stunned to move.

“Okay I thought he was going to ask you out” Tammy suddenly spoke “But asking you to go on a trip with him and his father to an island is like ‘wow!’”

“I know” Angie agreed, feeling the astonishment running through her “This just came out of nowhere.”

“So what are you gonna say?” Eli asked.

“I don’t know, I gotta think about it. I mean this sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime, going to an island that’s said to be with a new species of some mammal.”

“Doesn’t that sound fun?” Tammy urged “You love adventures, I say go for it. Although can you ask Jackson if we can come too?”

“Yeah” Eli agreed “I don’t wanna be in this town for the whole summer.”

“I’ll see” Angie promised, “In the meantime, enjoy your orders so I can make some money.”