The Legend Keepers: PhoenixSight Chapter 1

Laura

Most people don't believe that mythical creatures exist. They shrug them off as ridiculous fairy tales made up over the years to scare children or entertain the imaginative. Dragons? Totally unrealistic. Werewolves? Made up. Pegasus? Complete and utter nonsense.

I used to think all of that, too.

Until I came to WestWood.

* * *

Raindrops slowly pattered on the car window as I gazed out at my surroundings. The Appalachian mountains seemed to tower into the sky like solemn giants, their peaks lost in the misty clouds. Even though it was a dismal day, I couldn't be happier. WestWood Academy, one of the most prestigious secondary schools in the country, had accepted me into their program. After lots of talking with my mom, she had reluctantly agreed to let me go. For the first time in my life, there was something that felt truly exciting just around the corner.

I had been even more ecstatic when I found out my best friend Kat was accepted as well. I turned my gaze to where she sat next to me. She was lost in her own world, headphones over her ears and eyes unreadable. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it. I should know better. Kat didn't like to be bothered when she was busy.

On her other side sat a boy named Zachary. I didn't know him well, but he lived in my hometown and had also been accepted, so my mom offered to carpool. He seemed friendly enough, with mischievous eyes and a contagious laugh. His sight was fixated on a handheld video game as bright colors flashed from its screen.

Bored, I spoke up. "Mom, how much longer will it be until we get there?"

She kept her eyes on the road as she answered. "We should be there in just a couple of minutes, actually. Go ahead and tell your friends to put away their stuff."

I leaned over and tapped Kat on the shoulder. With an annoyed sigh, she paused her device and lifted off her headphones.

"What is it, Laura? Can't you see I'm listening to music?"

"We're almost there. My mom said we should put up our stuff." At that, Zachary turned around in his seat and faced us. A huge grin lit up his face. He turned off his game and shoved it in his bag.

"Great! This drive has taken forever! I can't wait to get there. What do you think the dorm rooms will be like? Who's gonna be my roommate? What if-"

Kat cut him short with a glare. The joy faded from Zach's eyes and he fell silent. I understood how he felt. Kat was my friend, but she could be too harsh sometimes. You just had to learn not to get on her nerves.

These thoughts were thrust out of my head as we rounded a corner and finally saw our destination. I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn't what I saw. The colorless gray walls looked more like a prison than a school. The roof was flat and dull. The windows were dark. Not even the breathtaking mountains behind it made it seem any better. I would have thought the place was deserted except for a teenage boy standing on the path leading to the front doors, waiting to greet us with a baggage cart.

Gravel crunched beneath the tires of the car as we pulled up to the parking lot. I unbuckled my seat belt and hopped out of the car. I silently went to the trunk and grabbed my suitcase. I cast a worried glance at Kat. The look on her face assured me that she was disappointed too.

As we turned to face the school, my mom cleared her throat. "Well, we're here," she said, casting an uneasy glance at the three of us. She started walking towards the boy. I trudged along beside her.

The teen seemed a few years older than Zachary, Kat and I. He was tall and had black skin. A plastic tag on the front of his blue polo shirt read the name Gabriel.

"Hello, and welcome to WestWood Academy! Congratulations on being accepted. I'm Gabriel, but you can just call me Gabe. Here, let me take your bags, and then you can say goodbye." Gabriel took my suitcase and hoisted it onto the cart. I then faced my mom and saw that she was crying. It seemed to hit me right then just how much I was going to miss her. I wrapped my arms around her in a hug as a few tear fell down my face

"Look at you, Laura," she whispered in my ear. "All grown up, and heading off to boarding school. I'm so proud of you."

"I know, Mom. I'm going to miss you."

She lifted a hand to wipe the tears off my face. "Me too, sweetie. Promise me you'll be careful?"

"I promise."

I gave her one last hug and stepped back. She smiled and turned to Kat and Zachary.

"You two stay safe as well. And remember to learn lots!" she said.

Kat let out a rare chuckle. "We will."

Zachary shuffled on his feet. "Tell my family I'll miss them, but I'm good. Oh, and make sure my little brother Joey knows that I'll text him! He gets worried when I'm not around," he said, running a hand through his black hair. My mom nodded and assured him that she would.

Eventually the goodbyes came to an end and my mom went back to the car. As she hopped in the car she waved one final goodbye and yelled "I love you!"

We watched as the car pulled out of the parking lot and into the road. As it sped out of distance, I knew there was no going back now. A new part of my life was just starting. I turned to face Gabriel.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go! We need to get you three registered for initiation tonight." With that, he started pushing the baggage cart up the path towards the front doors, Zachary right behind him. I stayed in place, next to Kat.

"I'm not so sure about this," I whispered to her. "This... doesn't look like anything I'd imagined it to be. What do you think?"

Kat nodded in agreement. "You'd think they would try to spruce up the place, make it feel more like home. Come on, lets just go get this over with..." she muttered, tossing her red-brown hair over her shoulder.

About halfway down the path, Gabriel stopped and glanced around, as if he were checking for something. Then, he slipped his hand into his pockets and pulled out a flask of some unknown liquid. He turned to face us and took a deep breath.

"I know you three probably won't trust me, but... I need you to drink this."

"What?!?" Kat shouted. Her mouth opened wide in disgust. "Of course we won't trust you! That could be poison for all we know! What kind of school is this, anyway, where they ask their students to drink unidentified substances?"

Gabriel looked taken aback by Kat's anger, but quickly shoved it down. "Look, it's the only way you'll understand. All this around you"- he waved his arms to indicate their surroundings- "isn't real."

I was growing suspicious as well. What kind of wacko did you have to be to say things like that?

"Oh really?" Kat said. "And how're you gonna prove that?"

Gabriel looked her straight in the eye. "Take the potion, and you'll see. It's the only way. The Academy rules say so."

Kat shook her head and crossed her arms. Gabriel sighed in exasperation.

"I'll take it," piped up a determined voice. I looked over to see Zachary holding out his hand. Gabriel passed him the flask with a smile. "Just one sip will do," he instructed.

I held my breath as Zach lifted it to his lips and drank. He swallowed, and nothing seemed to happen. Relief had just begun to flood through me, but then his eyes widened. His body went stiff, and he let out a gasp. Kat lunged towards Gabriel, fury etched onto her face.

"What did you do to him?! What's going on here??" She lunged forward. Worried that she was going to punch Gabe, I grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her back.

"Kat, stop! This isn't the time to fight!" I said. The anger faded from her eyes and she let out a tired sigh. "Sorry..." she murmured.

"Laura... Kat... take the potion." Zachary spoke up again. "Trust me. It's..." He let out a sigh. "It's wonderful."

Kat grunted. "Fine then." She ripped the flask out of Zach's hands and took a swig, then tossed it to me.

I grasped it in my hands, trying not to drop it. I took a deep breath. Who knew what Zachary was seeing? Curiousity drove me to lift it to my lips and take a tiny sip. It tasted rich and sweet, kind of like honey. I was almost tempted to keep drinking, but I closed the flask and handed it back to Gabriel. He smiled.

"Thanks for doing that. Now I promise, I'll explain everything you see."

Suddenly everything around me changed. The once-dull building began to morph into something completely new. The dirty windows become colossal stained glass masterpieces. Flat roof grew into towers and arches. The path we were standing on wasn't just a path anymore - it was a stone bridge, leading over a lake. At the front of the school, the words WestWood Academy for Legend Keepers were ingraved into the building above the main doors and studded with gemstones. The building, combined with the mountains, looked like something out of a fantasy.

But what was the most shocking of all wasn't the school itself - it was the fact that a dragon was soaring above our heads right that instant. I had to fight the urge to run and hide, but sheer awe held me in place. The beast dove down and landed on the bridge next to Gabriel, its enormous wings sending gusts of air over my head. The dragon had glittering sky-blue scales and ivory horns. Its eyes were bold green and seemed intelligent and kind - nothing like the monstrous faces of dragons in movies and books. It smiled - or, at least made what seemed to be a smile - and bent it's head down to Gabriel.

He rested his hand on its snout and spoke. "Don't worry, Skyra doesn't bite. Nor do any of the dragons here - well, unless you anger them. But you'll learn not to."

"But... dragons? You mean... they're real?" I asked.

Gabe nodded. "Yeah, along with all sorts of Legends. Griffins, unicorns, fairies - all of them exist. Here at WestWood we train, rehabilitate and research them." Skyra then swiveled her head around to face Zachary. He tentatively reached out a hand to touch her head. She let out a small puff of smoke. Gabriel chuckled.

"See? She likes you!" he said. "Now come on. I'll tell you more when we get inside."

Confidently, he headed along the bridge. I exchanged a shocked glance with Kat and Zachary. "Is this real? You guys see all of this too?" Kat asked, her green eyes wide.

I nodded. Zachary lifted his hand and examined the spot where he had touched Skyra. "I know it is. I just touched a dragon." His face lit up in a delighted beam. "This is AWESOME!"