The Dragon Stone ↣ Riven ↢

01: Here's To A New Adventure

''Let's freefall and see where we land''

Darkness. It was still dark. That was the conclusion Rose came to when she opened her eyes for the tenth time since she had been trying to fall asleep.

She raised her hand, a smile forming on her face as she felt the familiar tingling in her fingers and a little flame formed in her hand soon after. She tried to keep it small, to avoid her parents from finding out she was using her magic, but kept it just alive enough to throw light over the clock hanging on the wall.

The clock read 2:00 am, which left her five hours of sleep. Excitement for her first day at Alfea kept her awake, but boy, she was tired. She had spent her day running last minute errands, packing her suitcases and planning all the things she was going to do during her first day at Alfea. It had been exhausting and she was tired.

While letting out a big sigh, she closed her eyes again and after an hour of tossing and turning, sleep finally arrived.

-

Ringing filled Rose's ears and as soon as she realised it was her morning alarm, she quickly turned it off. This was the day. This was the day she'd been dreaming about for as long as she could remember.

She jumped out of bed to take a quick shower and after making sure she looked presentable, she hurled herself down the stairs and into the kitchen where her parents were already having breakfast.

''Well good morning to you,'' her dad laughed as he watched her storm in. ''I haven't seen you this energised in the morning since you were a little kid.'' He set down his coffee and patted on the stool next to him. ''Come have breakfast with your dad one last time before you're off to Alfea.''

Rose knew her parents were having a hard time sending their only child off to boarding school, but her enthusiasm for her first day compromised her ability to put herself in their shoes.

''That's probably because it's been a long time since something exciting happened in my life,'' she said, while dragging out the long.

''Please don't start this again,'' her mother groaned while shoving eggs onto a plate. ''I would like a nice family breakfast on this special morning.''

Her mother was right, and a feeling of guilt settled in Rose's stomach. She wouldn't want to leave while being on bad terms with her parents.

''I'm sorry, I'll be on my very best behaviour this morning,'' she said as she folded her hands in front of her face and rested her chin on them while throwing them a sweet smile.

It caused her parents to let out a laugh and the rest of breakfast was filled with exciting chatter. Her mom and dad even shared some stories Rose had never heard before about their own time at Alfea, a topic they often seemed to avoid, but soon, it was time for her to leave.

The drive to the school went by quickly and the second they arrived at the gates, Rose jumped out of the car. She stared at the school and took in all of the castle standing in front of her; the stairs leading up to the big double doors, the tall windows, the towers on each side of the main building and the bridges which connected them. It was beautiful.

''It's a nice view, isn't it?'' her father asked while putting an arm around her shoulders.

''I hope you will like it here just as much as we did,'' her mother added while going in for a group hug. ''We'll miss you! please call us whenever you have the time and promise us you'll be careful,'' she sobbed while wiping away a tear.

''I promise I will,'' Rose assured them as her father lifted her suitcases out of the car.

''Are you sure you don't want me to help you get your suitcases to your dorm?'' he questioned.