Maya's POV
"SECURITY!" My golden dragon spread her wings protectively in front of me as Master Frost's voice echoed throughout the stadium. With their hands glimmering with control magic, three burly men in black uniforms charged into the arena. With her scales glowing brighter, my dragon, Phoenix, hissed at them.
"Remain back!" My voice cracked as I yelled. When I was twelve, I had to deal with adults who wanted to take away the one thing that had ever picked me.
"Maya Chen," Master Frost whispered, his tone now deadly calm. "For dangerous magical misconduct, you are hereby expelled from Sky Wing Academy."
"What?" I let out a gasp. "But I didn't do anything wrong!"
Master Frost stated, "You bonded with a dragon without permission." "You stopped a workout. Additionally, you wrongly accused a teacher."
"They weren't fake!" I sobbed. "My magic was stolen by you!"
"Enough!" Magical silence fell upon the arena as Master Frost held up his hand. My mouth moved, but I didn't make a sound.
"Security, take Miss Chen to her room. She has an hour to gather her things."
Phoenix moved to stop the security guards from approaching me. She had a burning gold glow in her eyes. Phoenix's words, "Don't touch her," echoed throughout the room. "I'm protecting her."
Master Frost's face went white. "A speaking dragon," he mumbled. "Not possible. It takes a dragon at least a year to speak."
Anxiously, one of the other teachers noted, "This dragon is special." "Perhaps we ought to think again—"
"NO!" Master Frost yelled. "The girl poses a threat! The dragon is too strong! Both of them must leave right away."
The magical quiet left my throat. "Please," I begged. "My home is Sky Wing Academy. I've always wanted to visit this place."
Master Frost said icily, "Then you should have tried harder to succeed."
I heard something that crushed me at that moment. Laughter. My classmates were giggling. Aria, Tom, and my other friends were standing in a group when I turned around. They looked relieved as they giggled and whispered.
"Finally," Tom said, grinning without even trying to hide it. "We no longer need to act like friends with the dead weight."
"Tom!" Aria said, but she was also grinning. "Avoid being cruel."
"I'm not being mean," Tom said. "I'm telling the truth. We were all being held back by Maya. She caused our team's scores to be awful."
Another student added, "She couldn't even make a spark."
"How did she enter Sky Wing Academy at all?"
Aria noted, "Her sister was probably the only reason." "However, a person without talent cannot be helped by family ties."
Every word struck me like a blow to the body. I had these friends. People with whom I had laughed, learned, and eaten meals. And they were treating me like trash when they talked about me.
"Maya," Jake Storm said, his face showing anger as he appeared next to me. "Avoid paying attention to them. They simply feel envious."
"Jealous of what?" With tears running down my face, I inquired. "Here, I am the failure."
"You're not a failure," Jake declared. "A dragon more powerful than any of theirs was just hatched by you."
"A dragon that will probably kill her," smiled Master Frost brutally. "It is fatal to connect with a dragon that is too strong for your level of magic. Within a week, the girl will pass away."
"You're lying!" I yelled.
"Am I? Consult a dragon expert. The power of a strong dragon burns a weak mage from the inside out when they form a bond with it."
Phoenix's nose nuzzled my cheek. "Maya, he's lying. I would never do you any harm."
Master Frost went on, "Dragons don't understand their own power." "They're slowly killing their rider, but they think they're helping."
Doubt began to creep into my thoughts. What if Master Frost was correct? What if Phoenix was too strong for me?
"Maya," Phoenix whispered in my mind. "Are you feeling weak at the moment?"
I considered it. In fact, I felt more durable than before. There was nothing dangerous about the magic flowing through me; it felt right and warm.
"No," I uttered aloud. "I feel strong."
"Then trust that feeling," Phoenix suggested. "Believe me."
Master Frost squinted. "Take them both out, security." "Now."
The guards advanced once more, but Jake joined me this time. With storm magic crackling around his hands, he stated, "You're not taking her anywhere."
Master Frost said, "Mr. Storm," in a dangerous tone. "Are you also opting to be expelled?"
Jake paused. The conflict was obvious in his eyes. He also dreamed of Sky Wing Academy.
"Jake, don't," I said. "Don't sacrifice your future for me."
"Maya—"
"I'll be okay," I told a lie. "I now have Phoenix. Sky Wing Academy is not important for me."
I smiled at Jake, who seemed to want to argue. Indeed. I'll be alright.
I was surrounded by security people, but they avoided Phoenix. They looked anxious about approaching a dragon too closely.
"One hour," said Master Frost. "Then you're gone."
I could hear my old friends conversing behind me as they led me out of the arena.
Someone said, "Good riddance."
Another said, "Maybe now our team can actually win something."
A girl's voice said, "I feel bad for her." Aria could have been the one. "But in reality, she was preventing us from moving forward."
Trying not to show them how hurt their words were, I continued to walk with Phoenix flying at my side.
I looked at my few things back in my dorm room. I had been excited and full of hope when I had unpacked these same things three months prior. I had nowhere to go, so I was packing them once more.
I asked Phoenix, "Where will we live?"
"There's another school," she stated. "The Underground Academy. Students who don't fit in at Sky Wing are sent there."
"You mean where the failures are sent."
Phoenix explained, "I mean where they send the special ones." "Those who are too dissimilar for such a location."
After folding my clothes, I put them in my bag. One little suitcase held everything I owned. All I had to show for my time at Sky Wing Academy was that.
My door was knocked on. Aria was standing there, looking uncomfortable, when I opened it.
"Hi," she said awkwardly.
"Hi," I said, at a loss for words.
"I just wanted to say... I'm sorry things didn't work out for you."
"Are you?" I inquired. "Because you appeared to be quite content in the arena."
Aria's face flushed. "I wasn't satisfied. I simply felt a sense of peace."
"Happy that you are no longer required to be my friend?"
"You don't get it, Maya. It was very tough working on a team with you. You were unable to complete the tasks, so we continued to receive poor grades."
"So you're happy I'm gone?"
Aria's silence was sufficient answer.
I mumbled, "I thought we were friends."
"We were," Aria stated. "However, friendship isn't always sufficient."
I cried while sitting on my bed after she left. Phoenix snuggled beside me, her warm scales cradling my cheek.
I mumbled to her, "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry you have to put up with such a loser."
"You're not a loser," Phoenix declared. "You're a warrior. And we will disprove everyone."
An hour later, I was waiting for the transport that would take me to Underground Academy at the edge of the platform at Sky Wing Academy. As I gazed at the clouds below, the wind blew through my hair.
"Having second thoughts?" From behind me came the voice of Master Frost.
He was standing there, no longer acting nice, when I turned around. "How about heading out?"
"No," I answered. "How about putting your trust in me? Indeed."
Master Frost stated, "Maya, you still don't understand what you've done." "You will die at the hands of that dragon. And I'll be there to pick her up when she does."
"What do you mean?"
With a sickly smile, Master Frost stated, "Dragons bond with new riders when their previous rider dies." "So, Phoenix will be mine once I wait for you to burn up from the inside out."
I said, "That's not how dragon bonding works," but I wasn't entirely certain.
"Isn't it?" Master Frost took a step forward. "Why do you think I allowed you to go with her? I could have taken her by force if I truly wanted to stop you."
My blood froze. "You believe I'm going to die, so you're letting me go."
Master Frost explained, "I'm letting you go because I know you're going to die." "Most likely within a week. After that, I'll have the strongest dragon in ages."
The transport—a tiny flying platform that would take me to Underground Academy—arrived. Master Frost yelled one final time as Phoenix and I climbed aboard.
"Maya Chen, enjoy your last days. After you're gone, I'll look after Phoenix well."
I held Phoenix close and tried not to think about what Master Frost had said as the transport sank through the clouds. But in the back of my mind, a horrible question was forming. What if he was correct? What if I wasn't strong enough to connect with Phoenix? What if she ended up with the man who had taken my magic and I died?
"Maya," Phoenix uttered quietly. "Don't pay attention to him. He is trying to frighten you."
"What if he's telling the truth? What if I'm actually too frail?"
"Then we'll get stronger together," Phoenix stated. "But I have to tell you something, Maya. Something significant."
"What?"
Phoenix stated seriously, "Master Frost isn't just a magic thief." "He's a lot worse. And he will harm many more kids if we don't stop him."
"What are you saying? Who is he?"
However, the transport abruptly lurched to one side before Phoenix could react. The driver was asleep, slumped over the controls.
"Maya!" Phoenix yelled. "We're being attacked!"
A person in a dark cloak was flying above us on a black dragon when I looked up. A staff glowing with stolen magic was raised by the rider.
"Master Frost?" I let out a gasp.
"He won't wait for me to pass away," Phoenix stated somberly. "He's going to kill us both now."