Rainbow Magic (Dragon Rider #1) {EDITING}

The Strange Case of Sora's Egg

"Sora..." Oz stared at a leaf of paper on the desk in front of him, eyebrows furrowed as he looked over it once again. "Your egg's weird."

She blinked, knowing better than to respond with some witty comment that'd earn her a punch to the face. She liked her nose the way it was—straight and unbroken. "How so?" Her voice was calm, as was her expression, carefully crafted to conceal the whirlpool of negative emotions swirling about in the pit of her stomach. She already knew what he was going to say, so the words that fell from his lips came as no surprise to her.

"The weight... it's too light..."

"Is there a problem with that?"

One eyebrow quirked up. "No... It's just unusual..."

"Maybe I have an unusual dragon."

Oz smirked. "Perhaps." He said, handing her over the sheet. "This is the information the hatchery's collected on your egg."

"Where's ours, twin?"

"Shut it, Eir." Eisa hissed, eyes focused on Oz's hands and what he was about to do with them. Luckily for the twins, there was no punching involved—instead he just passed them over their own sheets, which both had identical information.

"Your dragons came from the same litter, that's for sure... and since your twins, you've obviously bonded to twin dragons—as is the case for most identical twins." Oz explained, not bothering to give them a second glance, moving on to the next pair. "As for you two..." He said, staring at Beatrice as she hugged Callum within an inch of his life. "Your dragons seem to get along well... very well..."

"Well," Silver spoke, "it's said that dragons reflect their riders qualities, and it's very accurate most of the time." She spared a glance at Raelynn, watching as her dragon coughed up another flaming ball. Her own dragon was nothing like the blonde's. Little Ivana had curled up on her rider's lap, content with being stroked, occasionally letting out a mewl when Silver stopped caressing her smooth glassy scales.

Sora briefly wondered what that said about Silver, filing the information away to be used at a later date. She tilted her head, curious as to whether Silver would enjoy the same treatment... though she didn't want to find out whether that theory was true or false. She didn't have a solid friendship with the girl just yet, so it'd be awkward to say the least.

A yelp of pain interrupted their thoughts, all their gazes falling on Raelynn as she sprinted away from her dragon, engulfed in flames.

"I can't catch a break today..." Oz muttered, grabbing a hold of the nearest fire extinguisher, quickly dousing the girl from head to toe in white foam much to her displeasure. "Your dragon acts like you far too much..."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Tch. That dolt never learns, does she?" Silver sighed, watching as Oz slammed his fist into her head. "She's losing the few braincells she has left."

Eir sniggered. "Nice one, Sil."

"When did I give you permission to come up with a nickname?!"

"You know you like it really." Eir teased.

"Tone it down, twin... we don't want her blushing again... she seems to get embarrassed when that happens..."

"Shut up, peasants!"

Raelynn's dragon stared at her unconscious rider, sparks of fire fizzling around her bared teeth as the small female reptile launched herself at Oz. Raelynn hadn't yet deigned to tell them all her dragon's name, the glowing red cracks between the dragon's small scales making Sora decide on her own pet name for the tiny cute creature.

Little Salamander.

It fitted, seeing as that was what Raelynn's Cloak was called. In fact, her dragon was more of a salamander than she was, spewing flames left, right, and centre as she pounced at Oz.

Their instructor was more than prepared for the tiny flaming dragon, spraying the angry reptile with what looked like a bottle of perfume. An all too familiar smirk graced his face, watching as the dragon followed its rider into the depths of unconsciousness, landing on Raelynn's chest with a dull thud, and Sora had the distinct impression she'd be seeing that scene a lot.

"You lot should head back to your rooms," Oz said, prodding the unconscious girl with his foot but it was no use—she was out cold thanks to his fist. "Drag Blondie and the little spitfire back while you're at it, too."

"None of us are in her dorm," Beatrice said, preparing to duck under a punch but Oz just looked at her blankly.

"Well, thanks for volunteering... just leave outside the door..." He shrugged. "She'll be fine... probably..." With that said, he cranked open the nearest window, letting in a blast of chilly night air. "I'll see you in the morning. Same training grounds we were on today... I advise you don't show up late—especially you, Truant."

Sora rolled her eyes, bidding the others farewell as she made her way to her solitary room, wondering when she'd be put in a dorm. She'd missed Ethan thanks to her adventure in the Palace of the Dragon, and no doubt he was pleased with that.

Sighing, she unlocked the door to her room, closing it behind her as she went and flopped onto her bed. Every single part of her was aching from Oz's workout, and she knew it'd be ten times worse the next morning.

She closed her eyes, not bothering to get changed as she drifted off to sleep, only to be woken seconds later at the oddly familiar cold sensation on her arm. Her eyes cracked open, blinking as she spotted her silvery egg at her side. "Aren't you supposed to be in the hatchery?" She whispered, confusion written across her face as wrapped both arms around her egg, silently wondering why it felt awkward in her grasp.

Something was different compared to the last time she'd held it, and she wasn't sure what. The markings were the same, as was the weight, and yet there was the niggling sensation something was wrong.

"I'll take you back tomorrow." She mumbled, yawning as she cuddled her egg, silently falling asleep in the next minute, well aware of the hell she'd be waking up to the next morning.