HEINA

My head swiveled around to face them, but they weren't looking at me. Their eyes were trained on Jocelyn as she leaned over beside the door, eavesdropping on a conversation that had nothing to do with her. The girl really had no limits when it came down to making my life hell.

She stood up, affronted. No one in Royal Ridge ever spoke to her like that. The unnamed twins were really breaking a lot of firsts when it came down to her.

Her mouth opened as if to say something, but their faces looked as hard as it would if it were carved from granite, eyes blazing with fury so intense I almost took a step back in fright.

She stomped off like a child denied candy, and the twins turned back to face us in the room.

"Do you have any intentions to keep that promise?" The topaz-eyed twin asked Dad.

Dad's face looked like it was dusted in guilt, but he said nothing.

"Zairo," Mom spoke up for the first time since the news came to light, her voice shaken with emotion. "What are you talking about?"

Dad's eyes filled with more remorse as he turned to face her. He simply shook his head, unready to give an answer.

Mom's voice broke as she yelled. "I deserve an answer, Zairo. Tell me what the hell is going on."

"I... It was a..."

The words were cut off as loud screams filled the air. Screams that were filled with terror raced through the air and forced us to move.

My eyes bulged, almost falling out of their sockets as the sight before me registered. Through the glass walls of our dining room, four huge creatures, reptile-like with wings that seemed to span the entirety of the sky, their body looked scaly even from this distance, and their eyes were small and glassy.

Dragons. Four mighty dragons were beating at the air and traveling in our direction.

What the hell?

All of a sudden, they decided the sky wasn't enough for them to play in, and they swooped down, wings beating off anything that stood in their path, and tails causing a lot more damage.

The walls of our house on the side that overlooked the pool fell off with a mighty chunk as a gray dragon flogged it off with its mighty tail.

The guests that were lounging at the pool screamed, running in every direction to avoid the rubbles that rained down.

My eyes got even wider, as half of the roof over my bedroom was knocked off. Dragons were real, and they were here, destroying my birthday party.

This couldn't be real. Maybe I was dreaming? Maybe this was all...

The thought came to an abrupt halt as a shiny green dragon flew in my direction, wings spanned wide as it hovered and released a breath. Fire raced in my direction, the heat of it flowing even through the barrier that sat between us.

"Heina, move!" One of the twins yelled.

But I couldn't move. My feet were rooted to the floor, shock planting me solidly as death approached me.

Just as the first flickers of the flame beat against the glass, a strong arm grabbed me and dragged me aside.

The glass gave way under the waves of fire that scorched everything in its path.

Oh.

My.

Gosh!

I was still struggling to make sense of what was happening, but Dad's enraged growl had my head snapping in his direction just in time to see his bones rearrange in ways that were downright impossible.

Huge black wings spanned out from where his hands usually stood, his head moving into a reptile monstrosity that flowed down into a fluid, scaly neck and traveled all the way down to a tail that was twice the size of a limousine.

The roof of the house gave way under his large frame, and he soared into the sky, tackling the green dragon that just spat fire at me.

I noticed the change happen twice more, to none other than the twins. Each one of them the perfect replica of their distinct eyes.

They soared into the air as well, the sounds of their wings as it beat the sky like the oncoming of a storm.

Mom didn't turn, but she wasn't as shocked as I was either. She was on her feet, legs braced apart as she spoke in a language I had never heard before, sparks of electricity dancing along the tips of her fingers.

"What the hell is going on?!" I screamed into the air, even though I somehow knew I wasn't going to get any answers.

Dad's black tail swooped into the side of the green dragon, sending its massive frame against the fence.

The other dragon recovered instantly, surging towards Dad in a powerful sweeping move that confused the hell out of me. Everything was happening too quickly for me to take note of.

Strong jaws locked around the throat of the black dragon, and a pained shout broke from my throat, piercing the air. I couldn't breathe as the green dragon shook Dad like a ragdoll, then with its spiky tail, plunged into Dad's underbelly.

He was hurt. God no!

I barely registered the sound of the wings as they flapped through the air before I was knocked into the wall on the other side.

A smaller green dragon had its talons aimed at me as it swooped around a second time. Mom released a blast of electricity that sent the dragon flying backward. But it was back in no time, scratching at Mom's stomach with a deathly blow that left her flesh open.

I cried out again, pain a new companion inside me. This couldn't be happening.

Her body hit the ground at the same time that another dull thud reached her ears. Dad. He was naked, and bleeding.

I started in their direction. I needed to help them.

A topaz-blue tail swung out in front of me, pushing me backward and onto the spanned sapphire wing that made a stairwell for me.

I struggled against their scaly hold, I couldn't leave my parents here to die. I wanted to help. I needed to.

But I was no match for them.

We lifted into the air in a surge, and I released another soul-piercing scream as my home and life started to get smaller. The other dragons circled around my house, and the last thing I remembered before I let the darkness in was the rings of fire their necks reared back to release.

No!!

HEINA

My eyes fluttered open, a groan rumbling from my dry, parched throat.

I rose myself to a sitting position to take in my environment. Everywhere was blurry. I couldn't see clearly. I wasn't wearing my glasses, I remembered, automatically reaching for a bedside drawer that wasn't there.

Panic set in. I was fifty percent blind, I couldn't do without my glasses. I felt around the bed I was on. Strangely, it didn't feel like mine.

The throbbing came on, slow and painful. Both sides of my temples.

"Hello." I cried - more like croaked - out, fear evident. "Who's there? Where am I?"

The pounding in my head was making it hard for me to remember anything beyond this minute. But after no response came and what seemed like a long time but was possibly few seconds, I remembered.

My birthday party. Bullies. Swimming pool. New students with piercing stares. Chaos. Dragons. Blood.

"No." I whimpered, seeing in my mind's eye how my parents had bled to death and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

The confusion that had set in. The pain. Crying for them to wake up.

Tears blurred my vision further, increasing blindness to eighty percent.

Despite my understandable meltdown, my ears picked up footsteps. When you were half blind, your other senses would help cover up for it.

Someone threw something at me, it landed on my lap. I felt for it and immediately grabbed it when I realized what it was.

I slipped it through my ears, on my face. My vision became clear.

It was them. Those boys from school. T-the o-ones that h-had turned into some fantastical d-dragon.

"Get up." One ordered.

I was temporarily torn between obeying them and staying put to mourn my parents.

"Didn't you hear him?" The cold, commanding voice jolted me up from the bed.

I stood before them, still clad in my birthday designer dress that was still wet and heavy. My head lowered in fear.

I shivered, not just from the cold amassed still dressed in a wet gown but also from fear and sorrow. My parents, I'd never see them again.

I struggled not to break down before them.

"You're cold." It was uttered in an emotionally detached tone. One of them had spoken.

"Raise your head." The second curtly ordered.

I lifted my head, strands of my auburn tresses straying from the beautiful French bun mom had made for me earlier today.

I blinked back tears, meeting their hard gazes.

"The maid will be here with some clothes for you. Change your dress and come downstairs." It wasn't a request. It was an order.

One I didn't dare challenge.

They left. Few minutes later, a maid walked in on me crying silently. "Here are your clothes, My Lady."

She dropped a heap of clothes on the chair nearby and began arranging them neatly in a wardrobe.

Wiping my eyes, I studied my surroundings, taking note of the modern merged with the medieval setting of the room.

This was probably where the boys' lived. They had flown me here. I was still finding it difficult to believe that dragons weren't mythical. They were real and I'd been flown in one. Had been raised by one.

Mom hadn't changed into some scaly creature with scarily big wings but she'd also possessed some kind of freak-ish powers.

"Their Royal Highnesses do not like to be kept waiting." The maid with beautiful black curls and small eyes strangely the shade of lavender reminded in a polite tone.

Quickly, she helped me change out of my dress and into another one. Surprisingly, it was my size. I wondered how they were able to get clothes my size on such short notice.

"Did you say Their Royal Highnesses?" I turned so she could help me zip up.

Due to my plus sized body, my arm couldn't reach the zipper.

"Yes. They are the rulers of our tribe."

"Tribe?" I quirked a brow, wondering if this was some highschool drama I was unconsciously a part of.

Tribes weren't a modern thing. Only in movies.

"Dragon tribe. Also known as Black Flame." She explained so calmly as though she'd been expecting those questions from me. "I'm your assigned hand maiden."

"What?" Hand maiden? Those still existed? In this twenty first century? I'd watched lots of old, historical movies and heard words like that but they were no longer in use.

"Go, My Lady. I'll tell you what you want to know later. Like I said, they do not like to be kept waiting."

"I do not know where they are. I'm not familiar with the environment."

"Come with me, My Lady."

My Lady? What was I? The Duchess of...of Jertrix?

Silently following, I let her show me the way. Nerves kicked in once I heard voices talking.

"There, My Lady. Take that corner, you'll see them." She gestured to a corner and left.

Taking a deep breath, I propelled my legs forward, they were suddenly as heavy as lead.

I saw them now. But it wasn't just two of them, there was another man. The boys sensed my presence before they even raised their heads. And when they did, the man followed their direction. His own gaze landing on me and roved my frame.

His mouth stretched in a kind yet strange smile. "Step forward, my child."

He would be same age with dad...or two to three years older. He talked strangely too.

Two pairs of blue eyes of different gem shade were intense on me as I slowly and uncomfortably made my way into the spacious living room.

"Hi." I greeted the man, a bit cautious and quite abashed.

"Nice to meet you, Heina." He extended his hand in a handshake.

He had eyes like snake - somewhat a mix of red and gray with visible slits in both orbs, they scared me and so did his unbelievably long silver white hair gathered in a ponytail - there was something mysterious and dangerous about those long strands.

Still, it would be assumed rude not to accept his handshake. Cautiously, I accepted his hand. As soon as contact was made, I felt a sharp tingle on the nape of my neck, his hair glowed and the dark slits in his eyes widened.

I let out a scared gasp and was ready to snatch my hand but he held firm.

Suddenly, it was his turn to gasp. Fear. Shock. Disbelief. I couldn't tell, but he released my hand like it was some poisonous object.

He turned away from me, towards the boys. "We are doomed. She will bring an end to us all."

HEINA

"W-what?" I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.

"What does that even mean?" One of the boys asked.

"Why did you save her back in the human world?" The man with white hair and snake eyes wanted to know. He was no longer looking in my direction. His body posture almost showed he was wary of me... maybe even scared. But why?

"She needed saving." The other replied.

"You saved the wrong one." The man simply stated, finally risking a glance my way.

"Stop speaking in parables, Klaz." The topaz blue eyed warned, impatience ringing in his tone.

"She's a heina." He revealed.

A confused me could only stare blankly. "W-what is a heina?"

"What?!" The boys boomed, clearly they had not been expecting that answer. They passed me a look of contempt.

Growling, they rose from their seats simultaneously. It was as though they read each other's minds - twin telepathy, probably.

"What is a heina?" I asked the white haired man, hoping he'd reply me at least.

But he merely glanced over at me before turning away.

I stood, not understanding why my name was mentioned as though it was a 'something' rather than a 'someone'. I could agree that my name was unusual. It wasn't the kind of name casually given to babies but it was the name my parents had given me and I couldn't question it.

"My name is Heina." I spoke lowly to him.

"Oh. Is that so?" He cast me a brief look, that wary look still in his eyes.

"Are you sure, Klaz? I mean..." The one with sapphire decided to take his seat. Aloofness mixed anger. "She doesn't look it." He barely flicked me a glance.

"I saw what I saw." Klaz was firm on whatever it was they were talking about.

What had he seen? I just couldn't understand any of what was happening.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" The suspense was killing me and I was on the verge of bawling my tired eyes out.

Klaz took one look at me yet again, then turned to the twins and spoke in a language I'd never heard in my entire life.

I didn't understand it but if I could tell by the twins' reaction to it, it wasn't something pleasant. What language was that? It sounded ancient and mysterious.

Curiosity was eating greedily at me but there was nothing I could do to get them to talk to me. So I stood and watched sheepishly words in a foreign language fly back and forth, through their midst as they conversed about me - I strongly suspected so.

Asides confusion and curiosity, I felt other emotion; anger. It roared within. Not to mention pain.

"Enough!" I screeched my frustration and anger.

The three of them stopped to look at me.

"Today was supposed to be my day." I began, my tone quivering. The tears would soon come. "I hate my birthdays. Nothing good ever comes out of April 13th. My parents knew how much I hated celebrating birthdays. But they made today special. I was finally becoming a woman, according to them. They bought me that lovely dress currently upstairs. And just as expected, the day got ruined but never in a million years would I have thought it'd be ruined this way..."

I choked on the tears that were tracking down my face, I pushed my glasses aside to wipe them away.

"...my parents, the only family I'd known is dead. Some... mythical creatures, or I believed to be, exist and I'm in a house where I feel lost and out of place! If you won't tell me anything then take me back home. I want to go home. My parents...t-they deserve a proper burial in the very least."

I swiped impatiently at another bout of tears.

"Azila!" The sapphire blue eyed called.

I didn't even know their names, yet. They were new transfer students...or so I thought. They didn't mingle with any other student for the period they attended my college. And I doubted any of those students knew their names.

The maid who had attended to me earlier ran in. "Yes, Dragon Lords." Her head was bowed.

"Take her to her room."

"No." I shook my head, refusing on the spot. "I'm not moving an inch until you tell me what the hell is going on!"

The topaz blue eyed was standing before me in no second, he cupped my jaw, piercing my gaze with a hard one of his own. I had no idea how he'd moved so fast.

Well, maybe dragons were fast.

His eyes narrowed in slits. "Never argue when you are being ordered to do something." His voice chilled my spine, causing my knees to tremble. "And do not make me or my brother regret saving you even more."

I swallowed, forcing down emotions. His eyes - hard as rock - and his tone - colder than Antarctica - froze my blood, leaving no room for debate.

Even more. They were already regret saving me.

"Am I understood?"

I nodded. "Y-yes."

He released my jaw and went to seat beside his brother who studied me as one would a strange creature he was considering how to deal with.

Dispirited, I trudged ahead, my maid, Azila, following quietly behind.

The moment I got to the room I'd woken up in, I raced to the bed and flung myself on it, sobbing my eyes out.

Azila remained silent. I felt her gaze on me. But I didn't care that someone was watching me cry. It was all too overwhelming for me.

"Princess Sirra." I heard her greet.

I raised myself to look at who had just come in. It was a young girl about my age that strode in. Before I could take a proper look at her, she had reached my side and swiped hard across my face, I held my cheek in shock and disbelief.

I even had to adjust my glasses back on my face as they'd gone askew after the hit.

That side of my cheek stung, eliciting more tears from me. "What was that for? W-who are you?" I cradled my face.

She wagged a finger angrily in my face, streaming words in that language I couldn't comprehend, I could somehow guess she was hurling insults at me.

My eye flicked over to Azila in disbelief, she gave me a silent look of sympathy but didn't dare say anything.

"You stupid heina! Coming to doom us all with your cursed presence. Go back to wherever you were brought in from!" She finally spoke in a language I could understand.

This again? They wouldn't even tell me what was wrong. Helpless anger and overwhelming sadness had me pushing myself out of the bed, bolting for the door and running downstairs.

There was no one in the living room this time and even if there were, I didn't care. I just wanted to leave this place.

I found the door and ran out. I didn't stop. I wasn't much of a runner but I tried my best. To my shock, I realized there was eerie stillness everywhere.

Thickets of bush. A cliff. Forest. Was there no civilization here? Frustration gnawed. Pain clawed. I continued to run, trying to look for a way out. I had no idea where I was going but anywhere was better than here.

The wind tugged my hair loose, drying my tears. I lifted the skirt of my dress so I wouldn't trip over and fall on my face.

I ended up in a dense forest. The day had gone considerably dark. I paused to look around. The house was no longer in sight. But there were noises and none of it human.

Fear and panic snuck in, a whimper left my mouth. I was lost. I heard the snap of a dry twig nearby.

Oh my goodness. There was a howl echoing through these clusters of widespread canopies of tall, huge trees. Then a cackle that sounded like a hyena.

Something rustled leaves nearby, I saw the silhouette of...of...I didn't even know what it was but when it leapt out from behind the bushes to attack me, I let out a loud piercing scream...