Dragon Soul

1 The red circle on the calendar mocked me, counting down the two short weeks until my twenty-fifth birthday as if they were seconds. And to my marriage to someone I'd never met. I couldn't even talk to anyone about it. My parents didn't understand my reluctance. They were earth dragons to the core. They'd married on my mother's twenty-fifth birthday and been perfectly happy ever since. I clenched my hands into fists, rage flowing through me. I didn't want to be part of an antiquated system like this. Just like the rest of my people though, I had no choice. We were paired off at birth and only told who our partner was when we reached twenty-five. I knew a lot of people had found happiness through their mating ceremonies, but I didn't like the idea of being bound to someone I didn't know. Trying to ignore my pending doom, I slipped my headphones on and logged into the Realms&Rebels game. Here I was just JJ. Not Janet-Jane. Not even a woman. I still wasn't sure why I'd made my avatar male. Nor why I'd never told my gaming friends I was a woman either, but somehow it made me feel safer. More obscure. JJ-E2: Here and ready to game_ PETE3: Good to see you, JJ. I was just about to go after the Emerald Witch, want to join?_ My heart pounded with excitement. I had no idea who PETE3 really was, just like he had no idea who I really was, but the two of us had clicked instantly. He was the only in game person I'd ever revealed my secret too though, and he'd taken that trust and run with it, never revealing it to anyone else. At least as far as I knew. JJ-E2: Sure! I haven't done that one yet_ PETE3: You have the vine amulet though, right?_ I nodded, before realising he couldn't see me and the gesture was useless. Maybe I should give in to his request to use our headsets and actually talk to one another, but that was a layer of vulnerability I wasn't quite ready for. JJ-E2: Yes, I have a spare one too, do you need it?_ PETE3: No, I don't think so, but let's hold on to it just in case._ JJ-E2: You got it, meet at the tavern?_ PETE3: You got it! See you there, JJ_ I studied the map, trying to work out the quickest way to get to the tavern and onto my quest with PETE3. I really needed to find a better name for him, I was sure he didn't like being called by his Realms and Rebels handle name. Then again, maybe his name really was Pete. But I hoped not. It would ruin all of my imaginings about him. I couldn't explain it, but ever since we'd met in the game, I'd felt an unnatural pull towards him, despite not knowing who he was or even what kind of dragon he was. It didn’t matter, we’d probably never meet. Not that I wanted to. Even if he knew I was a woman, it was easy to forget behind the male avatar and the typed text. I brought up the index screen and grabbed a teleportation rune. With a whizz, I transfered myself to the tavern and searched for Pete. A group of water dragons chattered at the bulletin board, probably in search for a new quest. A lone fire dragon hung at the edge of the forest, which was rare. They usually travelled in groups of three or four I pushed through the other red and blue players and found my purple armoured friend. Pete was one of the only ones not to play under his own colours, unlike most dragons. The sun glinted off my own purple armour as I waved at him, hoping to catch his attention. BigLaxus4: Hey Purple, why don’t you wear your colours. Douche_ I refrained from replying to the random water dragon and knew that the trash talking was better than the catcalling I’d get if I was in a female character. I bit back a sarcastic reply and pushed through the crowd. Even if I didn’t know what type of dragon Pete was, I knew it didn’t matter to him. That was why he played purple or why he wasn’t part of a clan. Just my kind of dragon. LanterN: Purple sucks!!_ SuccelentBoss: Go home, purple_ Aaaaand that was why I avoided the open areas. It was a miracle I’d found Pete and my two other friends. I scoffed at the mocking wave from another fire dragon. So much for being rebels. This game was supposed to be about dragons coming together and yet once the armour came on, they couldn’t wait to flaunt their scales and colours. Typical. PETE3: Hello partner_ JJ-E2: I managed to get through the abuse, but I’m here_ PETE3: Ready to hunt some witches?_ JJ-E2: Totally ready to kill_ Oh, I was. Maybe after this last quest, I’d have enough experience to join the player versus player zone. And then I could teach those patronistic dragons that I didn’t need to fly under my own colours to be a dragon in my own right. A new woman, one that broke tradition and rebelled against the conventions of old geezers. Just one more quest and I’d be ready to change the server. Oh yeah. The vine amulet popped up on my screen and a green portal opened up to a new realm. The Emerald Witch. I shot a quick message at Pete before I dove into the new Realm. I was ready to kick some serious ass.