As I am awaiting Cassius's toast to pop up out of the toaster, to accompany his huge breakfast of five poached eggs, three sausages, and a pile of bacon, I iron an identical shirt to the one Clint had complained about. I know I ironed his other shirt, but I will not go into his room until I have to. The triplet's respective dragons have also become more irritable as of late. It still freaks me out to see a human and his dragon standing side by side; as a dragon, itself, wasn't scary enough, now you must contend with his human, as well. That is why I keep my head down and pray to any god who listens, that I can become invisible long enough to escape this hell.

I remember when I wanted to believe that only humans existed. I was around six years old, living at the orphanage. My teacher would read us stories on all sorts of fantastical things, from witches to vampires and dragons, and she would tell us about the brave souls who would slay them. This one boy, named Tim, and I would often exclude ourselves from the group and fantasize that we were the valiant slayers. On one such day, I was hiding in the woods waiting for Tim to come slay me. I tripped over my shoelace, but when I tried to stand, I felt claws tearing at my shirt, as a huge paw pressed down on my back, leaving thin, bloody lines. I screamed and threw dirt at the creature. As I stood, I saw glowing silver eyes staring at me from a dark green dragon with dark purple, almost black, horns. It was the size of a small horse, but to the child in me, it was the size of a house. That was the day I learned that dragons exist, and my fear of them began. I never told anyone that a dragon attacked me, only that I fell into a patch of bayberry bushes. Now I work on the things I fear the most.

Just my luck, the stupid toast sticks to the side of the toaster and begins to burn. I turn off the iron and hang up Clint's shirt before I remake Cassius's toast. Once I get everything ready, I go back up the five flights of stairs. This palace is a massive labyrinth and far too extravagant for just the few that dwell here. This is yet another dragon trait that I will never understand. They attribute success to opulence and quantity of possessions, nd, yes, servants like myself are considered one of those many possessions. I hate feeling like a thing. The servants are kind to me, and they respect my devotion to duty. At least I am wanted. Just no by the Trio; that's what I call them. 

After using my foot to knock, Clint opens his door. I hold up his freshly ironed shirt. Inspecting every inch, he looks it over. "This will do, but do it right the first time," he grumbles. I bow and quickly leave as he slams the door closed. I know that I did it right the first time, but I also know not to talk back to the Trio. 

I tried once a few years ago...

***Flashback***

I had just left my adoptive parents' home as I was headed to the palace. It was a nice day until I literally ran into the Trio. "Look who we have here, guys. It's a field mouse," Clint mocked. He spoke in a combination of his voice and Carter's, his dragon. I knew that my day had just gone to shit because I feared that their verbal tirades would turn violent. 

"Looks more like a bug to me," Cassius sneered.

I tried to get around the m, but it was no use. They shoved me around them like they were playing Hot Potato. I am not sure what came over me, but I raised my hand and slapped Cassius. He threw me to the ground as he commanded his brothers, "Hold her, this bitch needs to be reminded of her place." After he said that, he opened the fly of his pants and proceeded to urinate on me. I screamed for help that never arrived. Cassius had each of his brothers urinate on me as well. However, he was far from satisfied. 

Cassius ordered Clint to grab me. I was carried into the barn where I was coated in excrement and pigs' blood. Then Cassius had Conner and his dragon, Caleb, fly me into the woods a few miles from the palace. Conner's eyes had a glimpse of remorse before he abandoned me. I had no choice but to try to hurry back to Naga before I became dinner to one of the beasts that inhabit these woods. 

****End Flashback***

Out of all of the brothers, Cassius has always treated me the worst. I might never figure out why, because I try to avoid him, just as I do the rest of The Trio. I know that he hates that his parents chose me, but I had no control over their decision. The brothers view me as their nanny, not as their assistant. I am mature for my age, but that can't be why I was chosen. I am thankful for the pay, but not the duties. I wish that the King and Queen had chosen someone else. 

I bite my lip before I knock on Cassius's door. As I lower my chin to my chest, I raise the loaded breakfast tray. I hear his dragon, Asher, growl, and I immediately know that something must not be to his liking. A Aclawede, deep red hand knocks the tray and its contents to the floor. "Clean it up," he commanded, as he moved quickly so that he could lift his right foot and kick me into his room. This is the last place that I wanted to be today, alone with Cassius and his pissy dragon. Fuck my luck! Will I ever catch a break?

All dragons are moody, even the ones that adopted me. My adoptive parents, unlike many others in the tribe, rarely let their dragons out or even shift, because they know that it terrifies me. The Trio simply don't care, and I am certain that they do it on purpose to frighten me. They want me to run and abandon my duties, but even if I did, I would be dragged back here. I have to stay until I graduate, and then I can give my adoptive parents a portion of my earnings and flee this place forever and go back to live among humans. Now I need to focus and avoid Cassius's and Asher's wrath.

Cassius

If my parents were still alive, I would question them as to why they felt that my brothers and I needed a nanny. Most of all, this pathetic lump of flesh that's sprawled out on my bedroom floor. Avery won't just disappear, no matter how hard I push. My brothers and I don't need her as our personal servant. We don't need a personal servant at all; we need our mates. But we won't be able to scent our mates until our Grand Ceremony. So until I can find my mate, I will enjoy making Avery's life a living hell.

She is on her hands and knees cleaning up the remnants of my breakfast. I push her face down on my carpet, "Lick it up like the pathetic lapdog you are. Lick every fucking drop!"

Avery

I need to just do as he says so I can get out of here as soon as possible. The longer that I am here, the more I must endure. As I am licking up the spilled liquid, I imagine it is jasmine tea. I love jasmine tea, as it is the only thing that brings me comfort and peace. Cassius isn't even watching me now; he's too busy texting one of his many girlfriends. 

The Trio is immensely popular, especially with the mean girls, who all just happen to be cheerleaders. I can't wait to be old enough to leave this hellhole and never look back. I quickly soak up the remaining liquid with my dress and pile food over it. I also stack everything back onto the tray. I gather up my skirt and then the tray. I stand and bow, "All done, Your Highness. May I go now?" I kept my eyes down, not daring to look at his handsome face that hid the monster that he was.

Cassius put his finger under my chin. He was in his human form, but I still trembled at the thought that he could shift or release his dragon at any moment. "Open your eyes. Look at me!" he ordered. My eyes crept open. "Wider!" he yelled. I allowed my eyes to snap open. I saw one human blue eye and one red dragon eye staring back at me. His voice was gruff and laced with malice, the voice of his dragon, "We are to come first. If you ever put my brothers before us again, we will make you bleed."

I nodded in understanding, and he shoved me out the door. Using the servant stairs, I rushed to the kitchen and dumped the tray in the sink. The kitchen staff can clean it up later, because now, I need to change clothes before I am late for school. I put on a plain blue dress and rushed to school. 

Salvation Academy is a school for all supernatural beings and the humans that serve them. The human world isn't aware that we exist, but some humans have been brought into the world of dragons. Those who have been tend to be servants and will never rise above that station. Unfortunately, even the humans want nothing to do with me, so I keep my head down and focus on my courses, biding my time until I can enact my plan to disappear after I graduate. If I could leave sooner, I would, but any who tried in the past was hunted down; the rest of their time here was made worse than the hell they tried to escape from. I was fortunate to have the Crown take pity on me and make me a servant in the palace, because had they not, I would have been beaten, imprisoned, and tortured until I was given a worse job.

My day was going by fast until it came time for Physical Education class. I have always hated PE, because I feel as if my bones would break or I get out of breath at the slightest exertion. I hate being weak, almost as much as I hate dragons. Momma J and Papa A are the only bright spots in that monstrous species. I go into the bathroom stall to put on my uniform. I can barely look at the scars the kids at the orphanage put there, so I don't want others to see them either. I don't need more problems, and I don't need to give others a reason to torment me even more. 

Mrs. Kyer starts the introduction of what we will be doing for the next month. To my horror, it is cheerleading. As I was trying to push down the rising bile in my throat, Jessica, the cheer captain, and her two best friends, Heidi and Lenore, waltzed in. They were all peppy smiles, but their eyes boiled with hatred once they saw me. The three mean girl bitches think they don't own just Salvation, but the Trio, too. They despised me from the moment I became the Trio's personal assistant, and even more so since. 

I died a bit inside when Mrs. Kyer turned the class over to the Hoity Hags. Jessica's grating voice echoed throughout the gymnasium, "Alright, before we even try to teach you all the basics, we need to know if you have the stamina to perform at the level I demand." My day has just gone from bad to worse.

Heidi pranced over to me like a prized gazelle. Her eyes bore into me, making me extremely nervous. While we are on campus, any shifting or use of magic is expressly forbidden unless it is part of a course requirement. Most students, especially the dragons, bend and even break those rules. Smacking me hard on the back of my head, Heidi cackled like the witchy bitch she is, "Start running."

I stumbled forward but luckily caught myself before I face-planted on the shiny hardwood floor. After being lapped a few times by a group of students, I slowed down even more. My lungs are burned, nd I felt like I am being stabbed with every breath that I took.  The cheerleaders flanked me on all sides, "So worthless, can't even do a few laps," Lenore taunted. Heidi poked at me, "How is she not dead yet? Just roll over and die already." Jessica tripped me, and I fell hard to the floor, busting my lip. She laughs, "When I am queen, I will exterminate all vermin, starting with you." 

I wanted to tell her off. I wanted to kick her legs out from under her, but I had no fight left in me. Each day was a struggle just to exist. When will enough be enough?

Thankfully, Mrs. Kyer returned, and the Hoity Hags plastered on their fake smiles and pretended to assist me. Not having the energy or desire to cause a scene, I accepted their outstretched hands. One day, one day...none of this will matter, and I will be far away from here. Far away from the dragons I fear and the abuse I am forced to endure. Humans can't treat other humans as badly as I am treated here, can they? Surely, there is safety and a place for me to belong out there because I certainly don't belong here. I am no dragon.

Waiting for the other girls to shower and dress, I stayed outside the locker room talking to Mrs. Kyer, since I knew that I was going to have to find a way to earn enough credits to pass this course. She knows my physical limitations and has agreed to allow me to write papers about each test that I fail. I am grateful that the teachers respect me enough to allow me to make an extra effort to graduate. I need to be done with classes and the Naga Tribe. I quickly excused myself to go shower. 

As I was showering, I felt a bit dizzy, so I rested my forehead on the cool tiles and let the water wash over me. Thoughts flooded my mind: How am I still alive after all that has happened to me? Should I have died when my parents did? Did I die, but somehow was reborn? Why would fate grant me a second life if it is as horrible as this one? Why, why am I still here?

I sighed as I finished my shower. I will likely never know the answers unless fate wills it.

"At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. You can control your destiny, but not your fate. Destiny allows you to turn left or right, but fate is a one-way street. We all have a choice as to whether or not we fulfill our destiny, but our fates are sealed."

-Paulo Coelho

Maybe I can alter my destiny, and this final year of high school won't be as bad as it started. But am I fated to always suffer and never be enough?

I had two classes before lunch, and they went by quickly. So far, I am not in any classes with The Trio, and I am immensely thankful for that. I get in line and load my food onto my tray. As I was exiting the line, Jessica flipped my tray, spilling its contents all over my dres. She says, "Could you be any more of a klutz?" I sigh as I turn to leave. "That's right, little mouse. Scurry off like the vermin that you are!" she taunts.

She's right. I am nothing more than a filthy, useless rat. I rushed to the restroom in an effort to try and remove the spaghetti sauce from my dress. I stripped it off and began scrubbing it. "Avery, I am sorry," Trisha said as she entered the restroom. Trisha is a sophomore whom I tutored when she was a freshman. She is from a middle-class family in the tribe. 

"I wish that this year were over already so I could leave."

Her big brown eyes met mine in the mirror. "You will still keep in touch with me, right?" she asked.

"Of course, I will," I lied, not knowing if I would be able to or not. All I know is that I want to, as she is the closest thing I have to a friend.

"I have some spare clothes in my locker. I will be right back," she says as she hurries off while I use the hand dryer to dry my still-stained dress. I don't want to use my pay for clothes, but if this is any indication of how this year will go, I will need to go shopping. 

As I was examining my busted lip in the mirror, the Hags walked in. I quickly rushed inside a stall and locked myself in. I curled up on the toilet seat, hoping beyond hope to remain hidden. I could hear them at the sinks chatting, as I heard plastic containers hitting the counters. I could tell that they must be plastering on more makeup to hide their ugly hearts. I had grown up around these vile and disgusting girls. No amount of makeup or gallons of perfume could mask their stench. I had to stuff my dress into my mouth to prevent myself from gagging at the putrid combinations of their perfumes. If any of them become queen, they will kill off the species with their fragrances alone. Serves them right if any of the Trio are dumb enough to mark them as a mate.

While I am hiding, I overhear them talking about the Trio's Grand Ceremony, which is quickly approaching. The Hags plan to seduce the Trio into picking them as Chosen mates if they aren't their Fated ones. They go on and on about what they plan to wear, and go into detail about what they plan to do for the guys. I feel my cheeks heat up at the mere mention of a blow job. I would never do that to any of the Trio, not that they would want me to either, but the thought of having a guy be at my mercy like that is very appealing. Maybe, when I can finally escape the land of dragons, I will find a nice human boy who will let me.

Thankfully, the Hags leave before I hear Trisha come in and whisper for me. I come out of my hiding place, and she gives me a T-shirt and a jean skirt to wear. They are a little big because she has boobs and is fairly curvy. I wish that I had a body like hers. Hell, I wish that I looked like any of the girls here. If I could have average beauty, I would sell my soul to the devil himself, but knowing my luck, the devil would be a dragon. I laugh at myself. That is about as likely as me being the princess that my mother used to sing about. 

After I braided my hair and thanked Trisha, we went our separate ways. We can't be seen together, or else she will become a target too. I remember last year when Heidi saw me tutoring Trisha. A few days afterward, Heidi and the Hags took Trisha to the mall to shop. They told Trisha that they knew a boy who liked h, er and he was going to meet her later at a dance club nearby. The Hags said how they would help Trisha pick out the perfect outfit, too. Later that night, the Hags dropped Trisha off at the club. She waited for an hour before she went inside. They had dropped her off at this seedy BDSM club. I only know what BDSM is because Trisha explained it to me as we researched it. Trisha was lucky that no man assaulted her that night, and that's why I made sure to keep our friendship hidden. 

I walk into my next class, which is honors chemistry, and quickly take my seat. The Trio is in this class, so I keep my head down until Mr. Chen says, "Cassius, Avery is your new lab partner, and I expect great things from you both this year." Fuck, could this year get any worse?

Cassius takes a seat beside me. He leans in close to whisper, "You had better get me straight A's when you do my homework. Also, you will let me copy off you. If you don't, I will do more than give you a fat lip." I nod as I hear the other girls whine about not being paired with any of the Trio, especially Cassius. I would gladly trade with any of them if that were an option. Graduation Day can't come soon enough!