The Odd Dragon Out: Reckoning of the Cinder-Born

Ginger found Fotini to be a very affable fellow, at least at face value, and when considering the sheer amount of gestures he employed when talking to the First Years. He walked and spoke very animatedly in general when in the presence of others, and when he had a point to put across.

Fotini certainly had a lot of points to hammer into the heads of the First Years.

First on his agenda, was the fact that he was a Monitor, a student assigned to help with tasks that commanded a small to medium degree of difficulty, and overall importance.

Because escorting First Years to their dormitories was a somewhat important duty, Ginger got a well enough induction into how the school worked. This was an exclusive benefit sponsored by having Fotini as a guide. Unlike the Monitor who had just taken the First Year girls, the group of boys got exposition after exposition as they stood by the thick pillar – which was more than they should get at this stage.

Ginger quite liked the information drilling. Not only did it inform him, but it also helped him cast his attention from the worries he had concerning his Burning, and that last interaction with Professor Mara.

How could it not?

Fotini touched upon a subject he was very curious about; the transportation mechanism offered by the pillars.

Apparently, they were the most common form of transportation in the entire school and were called Waiting Furnaces.

By directing Kardia out of the body, and sending it out with instructions as to where within the building you wanted to go, the Waiting Furnace would be spurned into action. Unfortunately, as young dragons fresh from their first Burning, the First Years wouldn't be able to do this yet.

Well, most of them.

Fotini's face as he kindly encouraged them not to be disheartened by being unable to use the Waiting Furnace, warmed Ginger's heart.

"Hahaha. Don't worry. After your Second Burning, plus a few lessons in 'Dragon Biology and Kardia Studies', you'll probably be able to move around on your own," he had said.

This, coupled with a demonstration, as all the boys were led into the Waiting Furnace, had led Ginger to believe Fotini's words.

What was even more interesting to learn about, was the purpose and structure of this massive, cubical castle. It was called the Frost Mount's Tooth, and it hosted important events, served as the primary location for main courses, dormitories, and a few teachers' offices.

In total, it had fifteen floors, and of those fifteen, the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors were reserved for classes while the tenth and eleventh floors were spared for dormitories. Fotini made it a point to express just how large each floor was with animated gestures, but Ginger already had a good picture of it.

After exiting the Waiting Furnace on the tenth floor, which housed the dormitories for boys, Fotini had told the First Years of the basic rules to follow when inside the Frost Mount's Tooth, starting with the most... obvious.

"Never, and I mean never, make the mistake of going to the eleventh floor. Don't be fooled by the fact that as a boy, access technically isn't restricted. Mark my words, there are better ways to die," Fotini had said with a grave face that painted a dark picture.

Whatever escapades he had attempted to engage in on the eleventh floor had ended in him surviving, but probably losing a part of himself forever.

Some of the First Year boys laughed at how serious Fotini looked as he warned them, but Ginger didn't.

The other rule of note, especially for First Years was to always be on time.

While, as Ginger had noticed, there was no shortage of stairs to climb, scaling them for fifteen floors, was not ideal. And while being unable to use the Waiting Furnace, all First Years would be taken to important places by an assigned Monitor. Not being on time, meant...

Ginger shivered. For some reason, Fotini making animated gestures about how big the Mount's Tooth was, started playing on repeat in his mind.

Soon, Fotini lead the group of boys to a set of grand, metal double doors that were branded with the vast figure of a juvenile dragon. It looked to be the same kind as the vermillion, serpent-like dragon Ginger had seen on the bronze wall outside.

This was the First Years' dormitory.

Fotini pointed out that First Years couldn't see or enter the doors that led to other boys' dormitories on the tenth floor, which was why the corridor the boys saw only had this one set of doors.

Past these double doors, was an expansive study, with hundreds of desks, chairs, couches, cushions, lamps, small shelves, and other pieces of furniture. It seemed quite lavish.

At its end, on either side, were doors that lead to two separate dorm rooms full of dozens of bunk beds. The First Years branched out, choosing which to go to. Ginger chose randomly.

In the one he chose, several other First Years were already making themselves at home. Curiously, while Ginger was sure that none of his peers had brought in luggage when passing through the entrance to the school, he saw that around each bunk bed, thick bags could be seen, having individualistic flavors of homey touches.

Several large windows could be seen at the end of the room, where the many rows of bunk beds ended, allowing orange-gold light to come through. Despite how beautiful this light was though, it failed to make Ginger feel at home.

"All right. Get settled. I'll come to pick you up for the Assembly in an hour. In the meantime, get to know each other... and the showers!" Fotini left after addressing his ducklings in both dorm rooms.

The other First Years Ginger had come with sprang towards their luggage which had been placed around their respective bunk beds. There, they proceeded to get to know other dragonlings that they would be sharing the bunks with.

With tens of other students scrambling to set up blankets on their beds, posters above their pillows, and getting into discussions that only 'real' dragons would know, Ginger once again felt left out.

He passed several largely spaced bunk beds while gripping his scarf and sling bag very tight, looking for free space. Other students eyed him with curiosity, others with sneers, but most ignored him.

'Well, it doesn't seem like I will be popular any time soon,' Ginger thought.

He found that it was difficult to look other dragonlings in the eye. The slit-like pupils they had haunted his own, prompting him to look away.

After a decent amount of searching, Ginger saw that some of the beds hadn't been occupied, but he couldn't take them over. The luggage around them told of the fact that they would soon be taken.

Getting frustrated, and slightly panicked, Ginger stopped.

Maybe this was the hard part. After a while, he started to understand that spots in the First Year of school were attained before the students came for opening day, so someone who was admitted in a fashion like his...

What was he going to do then?

"Hey. Hey, you there!" a voice called to Ginger.

The plump boy turned and found the most unexpected surprise of the day.

A short boy, so short that he barely reached Ginger's waist, was calling to him while attempting to climb up to the top bed on the bunk. He had a serious look to him that almost matched the commanding tone he used to call forth Ginger.

Ginger tried his best not to look too stunned by the boy's appearance and walked towards him.

"Hello," he said with a straight face. "Did you...want something from me?"

The short boy looked offended, enraged even by the question. His forehead, larger than most, creased up, pushing back his full head of straight combed chocolate brown hair.

"Good grief. Could it be more obvious, man? I want you to support me up to my bed," he said scathingly.

Without warning, waves of laughter exploded around the two. Ginger wasn't too surprised. He looked around and saw children his age – according to Ancor – pointing at the short boy and cackling.

'I guess it's the same even here...' Ginger thought. He bit his upper lip. He couldn't imagine how hard the short boy would be taking this.

"Well? Are you going to do it or not? I'll allow you to take the bottom bed if you help me."

Ginger's eyes displayed his surprise at hearing the short boy speak up as if he wasn't aware that his bold declaration had been met with ridicule. The look on his face, in particular his firm gunmetal blue eyes, showed that he was completely unfazed by anything happening outside of him getting to his bed.

"Uh, sure..." Ginger replied awkwardly; more for him than the short, rather, small boy it seemed. He hunkered down and allowed the diminutive dragonling to scale his knee, and shoulder to get to the top bed.

The other First Years lost it at watching the scene.

Now on his bed, the short boy nodded.

"You can have it," he said, and Ginger wore a strange smile.

"Thanks."

This solved one of his problems rather well. As there was no luggage, except that which belonged to the short boy, he could tell that he had lucked out, though, it was curious that the short boy had seen through the fact that he didn't have a bed.

Perhaps unorthodox means of getting into the school weren't rare?

While the laughter still erupted, the dormitory doors opened, and several other First Years entered, led by a different Monitor. Thankfully, this lulled the ridicule, and Ginger was greatly appreciative of the fact.

'It probably won't stop me from getting a nickname though...' he thought.

The short boy, after the incident, proceeded to ignore Ginger's existence and began to read on his bed. Ginger couldn't say he preferred otherwise.

He sat on his own bed and opened his sling bag. While others had a lot of stuff to unpack, he didn't have much.

'I don't have any snacks, other clothes, or even a uniform,' he thought, more than a little depressed.

Ugh. The uniform.

'Professor Mara said I can just tell Ira, right? But how? Do I go outside and find him?'

That sounded ill-advised, especially with the matter of the Assembly thing. It was, according to Fotini, a gathering all staff and students were supposed to attend.

The thought of being the only one there who didn't have a uniform had sent a dangerous chill skidding down Ginger's spine back when Fotini first mentioned the Assembly.

That feeling returned at this moment when Ginger saw one of his dorm mates changing into his own uniform, while, like everyone else, attempting to keep his scales covered.

Ginger turned pale.

'There's got to be something I can do, right?' he thought. Perhaps some miracle would save him.