The Shadow Within Me

Chapter Forty Eight - Field Trip

Crystal Raine Meadows

I woke up much earlier than my usual alarm, we have a call time at 5 AM and I don't want to be late for it.

After I sent a message to Calyx last night, I also wrote to Liam that I may not be riding him because for some reason that he might not understand.

He didn't reply until I fell asleep, so I'm starting to feel anxious about seeing him there and maybe talk to him if I have to.

After I took a bath and dried off my hair, I immediately went downstairs and saw Ate Kathy already preparing my hot chocolate and breakfast.

"Good morning Ate Kathy," I greeted while yawning, so Ate Kathy just smiled at me before placing down my mug on the dining table.

"Crystal, eat your breakfast quickly, Calyx's already waiting for you outside," she informed, so my eyes widened that I almost choked on my hot chocolate.

"Hey careful, that's hot," Ate Kathy scolded while grabbing some towel to help me dry off the table.

"H-He's here this freaking early?!" I exclaimed while looking at the main door that's closed, it's cold out there.

"Oh let me just invite him in and ask him to join you for breakfast," Ate Kathy beamed while pacing towards the main door and went outside.

There she goes again, she's going to tease me all morning until I finish this freaking breakfast! I bit my lower lip and immediately served myself with the dishes that Ate Kathy cooked.

"Come on in and join Crystal for breakfast," I heard Ate Kathy happily invited him, so I glanced at the main door and saw that he was shaking his head at Ate Kathy.

"It's alright Katherine, I already ate, Hailey insisted," he replied while looking at me at the dining table. I wanted to gulp because how can someone look so damn attractive this early in the morning?!

Shaking my head, I tried to calm myself down. How could I think of such things this early in the morning too?

"I see, of course, she wouldn't miss giving you breakfast today,'' Ate Kathy clapped her hands as she escorted Calyx right next to my chair.

"Warm-up here while waiting for her to finish," she smiled and looked at me with those eyes that were probably teasing me.

I frowned and drank my hot chocolate, she's watching us sitting right next to each other, "Don't you have other things to do Ate Kathy?" I firmly asked so she gasped before nodding at me.

"Right! I have to do our laundry, excuse me!" she beamed before leaving us alone on the dining table, which made me sigh.

"That woman never changed, she still has a microphone inside of her," Calyx commented, so I looked at him while shaking my head.

"Right and you could've waited for me at the university," I complained while munching some bacon, so he just looked at me blankly.

"I don't trust your words enough, so I went here," he coldly claimed, so I glared at him while drinking my hot chocolate.

"Jeez, I'll ride with you okay? You're exaggerated sometimes," I shook my head and immediately finished eating my breakfast.

"Is that what you only ate for breakfast?" he coldly asked when I was about to stand up and surrender my plates on the sink.

"Well, yeah, I don't want to keep you waiting," I admitted, but he just shook his head and put some more food on my plate.

"H-Hey! I can't finish that many!" I complained, but he didn't mind me as he pointed at my plate that's full of dishes again.

"I don't want to share my snack with you, so eat," he ordered, so I glared at him while shaking my head.

"You're assuming too much, I won't ask you for food, I have loads of it on my bag," I fumed before grumpily ate what he put on my plate.

It didn't take me a while to eat what he put on my plate, I'm slightly conscious about it since he's watching me eat and swallow my food, which is so weird!

After I brushed my teeth, I went upstairs to grab my things and looked for Ate Kathy to bid her goodbye.

"Do you have all the things that you need?" she asked while she's escorting us outside of their main gates.

"Yeah, I counted them again before I left my room," I reassured her, so she just nodded at me.

Calyx went first to prepare Flash for our trip, I hope we wouldn't be a burden so much to carrying us and our things on the trip.

"Well then, take care alright? Message me if there's something wrong, I'm one dove away," she winked at me before looking at Calyx that's patiently waiting with Flash.

"Take care of my cousin, Calyx, or I'll kill you!" Ate Kathy threatened, so I shook my head at her before sighing in disbelief.

"He doesn't have to, jeez," I bid her goodbye and went to Calyx as he requested for my bag to tie it around Flash.

"Will he be alright?" I curiously asked while giving Flash some breakfast, but Calyx just stared at me.

"He's a dragon, this weight is nothing to him up in the sky," he claimed, so I bit my lower lip before nodding at him.

After he tied our things, we didn't waste any more time mounting Flash as he was on the front while I'm sitting on his back.

"Hold on tight and please try to look at the sky," he coldly requested, so I nervously nodded at him as I wrapped my arms around his waist. His body stiffened like he was not used to people holding him like that.

"Is that necessary for you to do?" he asked when he felt my arms over there, so I exaggeratedly nodded at him.

"Y-Yes, it's necessary so I won't fall, now go! I don't want to be late and it's almost 5 AM," I insisted, so Flash immediately flapped his wings and flew up in the sky.

I whimpered when I felt the cold winds embracing our skins from the sky, it doubled up the pressure that's been piling up inside of me, "Try to open your eyes," Calyx ordered, so I tightly hugged him from behind.

"O-Okay," I shakingly said and slowly peeked from what's in front of me, all I could see was his back.

"Look around you, not just in front of you," he sounded like he knew that I was only looking at his back, so I bit my lower lip while shaking my head.

"I-I can't okay? Can we try again later?" I pleaded, so he just sighed before I felt his head nodding at me.

"Fine, just hold on tight because we're almost there," he informed me, so I closed my eyes when I felt the direction of the winds had changed. Flash is swiftly flying downwards.

"We're here," he coldly said, so I slowly opened my eyes when I felt that we had already arrived at the main entrance with lots of students around talking with one another like they're excited about this trip.

Lot's of ferry dragons we're gathered around the main entrance and it's like a festival of dragons all over again.

"Crys! Over here!" I heard Jenny's loud voice despite the rampaging crowd, so I roamed my eyes around our surroundings and saw that they're waiting together with the student council.

I waved my hands at them, "Good morning everyone!" I beamed, so they all just smiled at me as they greeted them back.

"Good morning!" David Ronin greeted before glancing on my back, "I thought you're riding with Liam?" He looked like he was teasing me, so I gestured to him to quit it.

"L-Long story, where's everybody else?" I curiously asked before glancing at Jenny together with Rowen.

"We're all here but Liam hasn't arrived yet, I didn't check him up," Rowen sounded worried, so I bit my lip while playing with my fingers.

Jenny pulled me away from the group together with Rayleigh, "I thought you're riding with Liam?" she curiously asked while raising her eyebrows.

I scratched the back of my head, "I-It's a long story, Calyx happened to be teaching me something," I stuttered, so Rayleigh just chuckled.

"Did someone get jealous of you riding with other men?" Rayleigh asked before winking at me, so I just shook my head at her.

"It's nothing like that jeez," I pouted, so they both just laughed at me as we waited for the announcement that we're leaving.

"Liam messaged me, they had an issue at home that needed to be taken care of, he said he'll just fly with us when we arrive at the Emerald District, that's our first destination right?" Rowen informed us, so we all just nodded at him.

"Well, it's a good thing that you changed partners Crys!" David Ronin teased, so I glared at him which made him laugh.

David Ronin likes to tease me or Calyx a lot, I wonder if it's his habit? It's making me feel uneasy.

"Students, gather around here for a few announcements before we leave," Mr. Light announced in the center of the main gates, so we looked over there to listen.

"Since we're in the center of the realm, we'll be flying to Sapphire District that's located in the south. No one is allowed to leave because we're flying in a flock, is that understood?" Mr. Light asked, so all of the students just answered him 'yes'.

"Well, without further ado, let's mount all of our ferry dragons and make sure you list both you and your partner's names here," Mr. Light raised the paper, so I panicked.

"W-We haven't listed our name there, Calyx! It's our attendance!" I approached him, but he just shook his head at me.

"I already did that a while ago, get ready," he ordered before mounting Flash on his front. I raised my eyebrows before nodding at him, I didn't know he was this responsible.

I prepared myself to mount Flash on the back and held on to Calyx's waist, "Stop holding so tightly," he complained, so I bit my lower lip.

"It's your fault, you insisted on having me as your ride mate," I argued, so he stopped before shaking his head at me.

"It's better me than someone else," I heard him whisper. I didn't know he could mumble sometimes.

"What did you say? Sorry I didn't hear it," I curiously asked, but he just sighed before looking at our friends on the front.

Rowen was riding with Jenny, Rayleigh is riding with Peter while Razer and David Ronin were riding with each other.

"Mortals, human dragons, warriors, and ferry dragons, get ready for departure," Mr. Light announced, so a lot of small dragons roared like they're acknowledging Mr. Light's orders.

"Remember to look, you have to at least try looking even if it's just a peek," he reminded me, so I bit my lower lip before nodding at him.

"Everyone on my signal you may all fly and flow our dragons," Mr. Light reminded everyone, the Leaders of the Districts we're all riding with us today.

"I'm so excited! Are you guys excited?!" Jenny beamed while shaking Rowen's shoulders violently.

The student council laughed at her reactions, "We are, I can't wait to see what happened at the Diamond District, I haven't been there ever since the natural disaster," David Ronin shared.

"And someone's holding on to someone that tightly and it's so sweet!" he added, so both of mine and Calyx's head glanced at him to glare.

"Woah chill you two," he laughed because of what we did, so both Calyx and I just shook our heads at him.

"Why is your friend always teasing me or you?" I curiously asked, so Calyx just grunted like he doesn't want to talk about it.

"He's not my friend and he's an i***t," he firmly said, so I just chuckled because I know for sure that he didn't mean that.

"On your mark, fly everyone!" After Mr. Light announced that all of the small dragons roared together with Flash.

All of the small ferry dragons flapped their wings that created an ear-shattering noise from the winds that's forming in our group.

Everyone flew up to the sky and gathered on the top of Draconis University. I slowly peeked on the front and saw the Leaders smiled at everyone as Mr. Light raised his hand.

"The field trip is now commencing!" 

To be continued…