Chapter 1:
"Ow!" I said as the fairy pinched blood from my arm.
I rubbed the spot where my blood had been taken as I walked away. "You look forward to a day for days," I muttered, "only to get an armful of pain."
As I joined the line of fifteen year old girls, I caught Kai's eye. Kai had been my best friend since I was three years old, when I started school. He winked at me from the other line. I looked away.
Kai was at the very front of the boys line, unlike me, who was at the back of the girls' at the time. That was good for him. I could see him stealing glances at Memi, the girl at the front of the girls' line. I hated her, but Kai apparently thought she would make a fine wife, or perhaps princess to rescue someday. Everyone knew that he would get the Role of Faithful to rescue a Damsel. He was the strongest in their generation, and definitely the handsomest, what with his black curls and green eyes. The only thing that wasn't perfect about him was his slightly big nose, but even it seemed to fit in.
Me, however, was one of those Adelinians who everyone never figured out what she was supposed to be. No one was betting on my roles, and most people thought I would simply get peasant. I hoped for at least a FTC, but even those chances were low.
Kai must've been pretty happy, as Memi was destined to be a Damsel, and there was a high chance he would end up rescuing her. I despised Memi, as she always bullied me when I wasn't around Kai, and with his schedule, that happened a lot. Kai and Memi's families were both pretty close, and I felt kind of like an outcast whenever Kai would talk about them, but he was my BFF, and had been forever.
After a few minutes of thinking about this and pondering my miserable existence and destiny, I rubbed my arm again. I could feel the exact spot where the blood had been taken from my arm for DNA testing.
The fairies always take DNA from everyone during the Assignments, since they were held in the Fairy Grove. The Fairy Grove was sacred to their species, and the Assignments were only held there to ensure smooth transformation for the Jules, Fairies, and Fairy Tale Creatures (or FTCs).
The transformation part of the Assingments was always the worst part of it, as I've heard from older siblings. Especially seeing the Jules get transformed. You see, Jules were the ones who were sent out to bring destruction to Adeline. The bad guys. The ogres, the dragons, the serpants and witches. The monsters. Usually only one Jule was assigned every year, but sometime there would be two or three. The Role of Jule was a Role that no one in Adeline with a sane mind wanted. When you were a Jule, your fate was to be lonely and your destiny was to be hated by everyone in the land and feared by the same group.
Someone was talking. While I was explaining all this to you, my clueless mortals and faithful readers, it turns out that everyone checked in (newsflash: I'm still in the back of the girls line). Now the director of this year's ceremony will start talking.
"'The Adelinian Empire will now read it's laws and prohibitions,'" the director read from the scroll, "'and first list and explain the Roles. Role the first: Damsel. Damsels are assigned to be cursed or put in mortal danger. Young women only are assigned to this role. Role the second: Faithful. Faithfuls are assigned to save those in need and to slay the Jules causing peril.
"'Role the third: Jule. Jules are assigned to cause damage and danger to areas and to other assigned. Note: when the Role of Jule is assigned, the one assigned to will lose memory in order to maintain an evil backstory. Role the fourth: Peasant. Peasants are the ones who continue to live their lives and continue the story by perhaps being killed. Note: the especially good Peasants can be reassigned to Fairy Tale Creature or Sidekick at age 18 at the Reassignment Ceremony if chosen.'"
The director rolled up the scroll and threw it to the floor, smiled wryly and added, "I wish you the best of luck."
As he stepped down and a fairy replaced him, he kicked the scroll and I could hear him sigh as he scooted out of the Fairy Grove with wistfulness. Then I turned my attention to the fairy, who was fairly plump and, as all fairies were, as small as my finger with delicate wings.
"When I say your name, please step forward to be Assigned," the fairy said with a smile. "Those not being assigned, please step back quite a bit to avoid interfering with the transformation, if one should be required one."
We all stared at her as she looked onward and pulled out a scroll. "I will read the Assignments now."
I could hear several people take sharp intakes of breath, and I could feel my palms get sweaty. This would be the point where all our fates would be decided, be changed. This had been being decided all our lives. We had been being watched and judged, all for this moment. There was no escaping it.
For years I told myself that I didn't care what I got. That it wouldn't matter. But at that moment, I felt myself hoping and fearing the Roles. What if I got Damsel? Or maybe I would just get Peasant.
What if I got Damsel, though?
It seemed like a great Role to have, with the perfect happy ending and perfect everything.
Then the fairy started reading names. It felt like my body had turned to stone and crumbled. I was numb, anticipating the moment she would read mine.
"Memi Ille," the fairy said. Memi stepped into the clearing, her head held high. The fairy smiled at her, then looked on the paper. "Memi Ille is Assigned the Role of Damsel."
Memi beamed and fairies gathered around to perform the transformation. They swirled their fingers and waved their wands, but for a moment nothing happened. Then Memi was covered in sparkling dust, with light coming around her on all sides. She was lifted into the air, and everyone could feel the pulse of the magic in the air. After a moment of the glittery-light fest, Memi was on the ground, in much different clothes than before. She was in beautiful robes and her hair was adorned with jewelry. Her features seemed more beautiful, and she rose with a new air of confidence.
Everyone gasped at her new beauty and self. I could feel my jealousy grow on her new fits and face, but I kept a cool face and tried to feel happy for her.
When Memi stepped out of the Grove to go "achieve her destiny" and probably inform her family, the fairy continued to assign people.
It was a terrible and long process. It would take about two minutes to do the assigning and transformations, and it would take about a thirty seconds for everyone to get settled after the newly assigned left. Then the fairy would read another name and the process would start over.
It felt like forever until me or Kai's name was called. Every assigned that was left as more and more retreated looked dead scared and pale. Kai looked quite confident, though. He looked on every assignment with interest, even though most of them were simply Peasants, where there was no transformation and the Assigned simply looked disappointed.
And then, all of a sudden--
"Kai Dryven," the fairy said, looking quite tired. Kai stepped up, eager. It seemed like there were no more boys left afterward, and it was just two more girls and I left in the room, along with the small crowd of fairies performing the transformations.
"Kai Dryven," the fairy said, "will be playing the Role of Faithful."
Kai's whole face lit up, and he looked expectantly at the fairies to transform him into his new self. Sure enough, he rose into the air, swirls of sparkly magic encircling him and covering him from the other girls' and my eyes. When he was back on the ground, his features were more chiseled and his hair more styled. And he was covered in full-on body armor, head to toe. And he made it work.
Grinning, he put on his helmet before winking at me, giving me a thumbs up, and then he was gone.
I looked to the fairy, who definitely looked more like she was going to fall asleep rather than call more names, which is more than I can say for the two other girls with me. I felt my palms go numb. My fate, my destiny, it was so close. It could be any moment now. Any name. Any--
"Andra Kirk."
I felt my eyes move across the room, to see if there happened to be anyone else with my name who they might be talking about, but no. There was only one Andra in that room. My feet felt glued to the ground, and my arms felt like they might fall off.
But I felt myself walk forward, stepping to receive my fate.
Then the director called my name. "Andra Kirk," she said, "will be playing the Role...of Jule."
Chapter 2:
My stomach dropped to my toes. I stood there, petrified. Jule? There was no way. I was suppose to get any Role except Jule. I've been so good all my life! Straight A grades, perfectly nice, always been kind to elders. What could have gone wrong?
The transformation fairies moved forward to begin. I felt my body return to its normal state, and angry tears poured from my eyes.
"No!" I said, pushing away the fairies as they attempted to start the memory stripping. "No! There has to be some mistake! I'm no--I'm not a Jule!"
As I continued to fight and struggle, the fairies began the transformation, causing me to fall limp. I was still conscious, though, which was the last thing I wanted. My chest was thrust into the air, and my air was lost. Then there was a sensation like a million needles being poked into my skin, and my screams filled the air. It felt like my insides were being ripped out and crushed. I could see the magic swirling around me, but instead of feeling glorious, it felt like the worst pain anyone could've imagined.
Then the real transformation started taking place. I felt every single things happening. It felt like fire burning my skin and melting it away. I could see my silky blonde hair turn into scales and spikes, my arms and fingers turn to claws. And so the process continued, burning and melting every beautiful part of me and destroying what used to be Andra. I started to enlarge. I could hear my screams grow deeper, into growls and thrashes.
And then was the worst part.
The memory strip.
I suddenly saw every single bit of my life. Kai, Memi, my long dead parents. Every single memory flashed before my eyes, before flashing again, in a different form. This time I saw it through other's eyes, and I was not...Andra. As the memories flew by, I saw myself as a hideous, ugly dragon. Evil in it's eyes. That was the new Andra: scales and fire.
And then, as more of my body was melted, or at least felt like it, the world went black.
? .. ~ ..*)(*.. ~ ..?
When I woke, there was darkness encircling me. I could've sworn I was still asleep, except that I could feel my conciousness wrapping around my brain like a snake encircling its prey. I blinked, taking quite a bit of energy, if I had any left, that is.
Where was I?
I growled, ready to strike at the first thing that came my way. I was hungry, and to be honest, a good pig or goat would go down real nice right now. Or a man, if could be found. Then a thought struck me.
What if I was in a Man's Cave? What if they finally captured me after all of...of what?
Then I remembered. My prisonment outside the princess's tower, from the moment I was born, from the moment my mother was killed. Hot tears steamed my eyelids.
I remembered my mother. She was only with me for a few weeks before she was killed by the Jule-Hunters, as they call themselves. I don't really know what Jule means, but it must be bad if they had to kill my mother for it.
I swished my tail, circling and flexing it so that I could stand. My scales rippled and I pressed up on my claws, aiming to stand up to research my surroundings. My claws battened to the ground and my throat smashed to the hard floor. Thats when I noticed them, tightening around my neck, arms, and back.
Chains.
I hated chains. They had been the one thing restraining me from escaping my terrible prison from the moment I was out there.
