It didn't take long for Adrianna to begin to feel the first twinges of unease.

As she marched through the village, certain that she was making the right decision, thoughts of her last few encounters with Brandyn tried to edge their way into her brain. She ejected them as she marched. She would not be dissuaded. This was her decision to make, and only hers.

The walk seemed to take seconds rather than minutes. Adrianna and Brandyn didn't live exceptionally close. Brandyn was located on the edge of town, not too far away but certainly enough that he had some amount of privacy. If something went wrong... well...

She wasn't going to consider that possibility.

Just before she reached Brandyn's, she caught sight of the path leading to the barns where it had happened. The sight filled her with determination. She almost didn't notice that she had finally reached Brandyn's front door. She raised her fist and knocked before she would allow herself to doubt her mission.

Brandyn pulled open the door and his face broke into a smile. Adrianna's heart seemed to drop somewhere in her stomach but she stood tall.

"Looks like you've made the right choice." said Brandyn with a smile that would have been handsome if not for the maniacal glint in his dark blue eyes. "Took you long enough. Come on in."

Adrianna became uncomfortably aware that there was no one around. A few empty houses and barns were nearby but she knew the owners and they were surely working right now. This showdown would have to be just her and Brandyn. A tiny part of her, perhaps the anger that had built up from every single injustice in her life, was glad for this.

"I'm not coming in. This isn't a social call." she said in a commanding voice that even took her by surprise.

"I hope you're not going back on our little agreement." Brandyn averted her gaze to stare in the direction of the village. "I wouldn't want to have to kill one of your silly people. It's exhausting, coming up with new ways to outwit your father."

Adrianna straightened herself up to her full height. She was still a full foot shorter than her boyfriend but it gave her a lot more confidence nonetheless.

"We're done, Brandyn." the same commanding tone resonated through the house behind him. "You're going to leave everyone alone. And you're going to fly away from Berk. And you're not going to come back. Ever."

Now that she had spoken the words, Adrianna felt her resolve toughen. Her conditions were on the table. Brandyn needed only to obey them and this would be over. She would be okay.

Brandyn let out a chortle. "You and what army? You didn't even bring Lily." he advanced menacingly. "But now that we're alone, how about a little repeat of our last date?"

It happened so fast, Adrianna wasn't fully aware of what was going on until Brandyn's hands were fondling every inch of her that he could reach. Feeling disgusted, she tried to step back but his hands tightened on her waist, drawing her in closer. He bit her lip harder than he ever had before and if Adrianna hadn't wrenched it out of his teeth, she was certain he would have broken her skin.

"If you'd just obey me," Brandyn whispered in a twisted sort of seductive tone, "this would have been a lot easier."

A spark of fear burst forth, all but shattering her resolve. He was going to rape her again. This time, he might even kill her. And then there would be no one to stand between her and her family and friends as he went on to kill every last one of them. Their faces flashed in her mind, her parents, her brother, Cliff, Taryn, Inga, Helga, Erick...

No.

She wasn't going to let it happen. Not this time. As Brandyn yanked her inside the house and threw her against the wall, pinning her hands behind her back, her fingers closed around the dagger. She drew it out slowly so that Brandyn wouldn't see and then, wriggling her arm free, she did something she never thought she would do.

She slashed his face.

Brandyn let out a scream of pain and recoiled, his hands covering the right side of his face. Blood oozed between his fingers and he swore loudly. Adrianna's hand shook rather violently, the dagger dripping blood onto her hand. Still, she held it up and stood her ground.

"Leave." she insisted, though her heart was drumming a tattoo against her ribs. "Get out now and... and I won't send anyone after you. You can go free."

Brandyn, still covering his now mangled face, regarded her with the utmost hatred. Adrianna held up her dagger as menacingly as she could, her whole body wracked with both fear and determination.

"Have it your way." Brandyn growled after a few seconds of tense silence. "But you'll regret this."

"I regret every second we spent together." Adrianna said scathingly. "You're a monster. And I should have seen it."

"Perhaps." Brandyn smiled. His teeth were tinged red from his blood. "But the real monster's been right in front of you this whole time. You're just too naive to see it."

"Stop making excuses and leave." Adrianna bellowed, detecting a tiny waver in her otherwise confident voice.

"Oh, I'll go. Peacefully." Brandyn paused only for a moment to regard her with the same soulless stare before he walked out of his house and whistled for his dragon.

The Changewing was at his side in seconds. Adrianna was confused. Why hadn't he called the dragon before now?

And then the sight of the bags tied to the reptile answered her question. Brandyn had packed. He was already leaving.

Before mounting his dragon, Brandyn reached into a bag and pulled out a handkerchief, which he pressed to his face to stem the bleeding. Then he mounted the Changewing and turned to face her.

"Later, Nani. Enjoy your happy ending with Erick." he said in a sickeningly sweet voice. He then leaned forward, his visible eye narrowed. "Until we meet again."

And with that, without so much as a single blow thrown or a weapon raised against her, he flew away from Berk. The Haddock girl walked out of the house and watched until he disappeared into the horizon.

A wave of relief crashed over her so suddenly, she wondered if she'd ever breathe properly again. She barely registered her nausea flaring up again before she vomited onto the grass below. Turning toward the village so she could walk home, she barely advanced five steps before her legs felt like they'd turned to jelly and she collapsed onto her hands and knees. Her breaths came in short gasps, sweat trickling down her face. But a swooping feeling had filled her as well, a feeling of accomplishment and victory.

He was gone. She was free.

Xxx

She wasn't sure how long she was sitting there on the ground but by the time she got up, the sun was disappearing into the trees. Adrianna's feet dragged as she walked through the village, arms wrapped around her chest protectively. She ignored everybody she passed. In fact, she barely noticed them.

Brandyn was gone. The boy she'd met on her travels with her father three years ago, who she'd reached out to and befriended, who had moved to Berk and become her first boyfriend, the boy who she'd trusted with every secret and hope and dream...

No. It turned out that innocent boy she thought she'd known had been gone for quite some time. When exactly he'd left, she'd never know. But it was the arrogant, filthy man who'd finally left her today.

She felt some form of relief, knowing he wouldn't be following her around and she wouldn't have to succumb to his demands anymore. Images of Cliff sick and Brandyn choking Erick made her shiver in fear. Brandyn was gone; therefore, so was the threat. He couldn't hurt her or her friends anymore.

Still, dating was an investment. They'd dated for so long, she'd thought it was real. She thought they'd one day get married, build a nice house raise a few kids and start a new adventure together. Over the last few months, doubts had started creeping into her mind, especially when she thought about Erick. And not just about the kiss. She'd been wondering for some time now if she was more compatible with Erick than Brandyn.

Whatever the case, Brandyn had shown his true colors and lack of morality to the core. He'd taken what he wanted, whether it was an overall lack of patience or true cruelty she didn't know. Whatever the specifics didn't matter.

Brandyn had raped her and there was no changing that. The thought still made every muscle in her body tense in fear and anger.

"You don't get to make comments like that when you were razzing it up with Dana earlier!"

Erick's voice echoed in her mind once again and she growled aloud, walking faster once her house came into view. The thought of Brandyn raping her was enough to push her toward the edge anyway. She still couldn't fully wrap her mind around the fact that such a horrible, disgusting, invasive thing had happened to her.

But to find out after the fact that Brandyn had been cheating on her with Dana? He was probably getting some on the side this whole time, so why even rape her at all? What was the purpose? Was he seriously that egotistical that he had to conquer her as well? How many girls had he been with since they'd started dating? Did he ever care for her at all? Or was she really that naïve and ignorant and starry-eyed for a boy who was really a demon in disguise?

Adrianna shoved the front door open, pleased to find the house empty. No parents who'd want to talk things over, no strong brother to be big and mighty, no dragons to sniff her clothes and find Brandyn's blood on her sleeve or on the handle of her dagger. Even Lily, her beloved Monstrous Nightmare, was out of the house, quite possibly looking for her elsewhere.

Staring around the darkened house, Adrianna felt a strange sense of foreboding. She didn't feel warmth and comfort here like she used to. This house didn't hold a sense of security; it wasn't a sanctuary anymore where she could hide from her demons until she felt ready to emerge again.

Brandyn's demon never slept. He never left. The roughness of his touch, the heat of his gaze, the cruelty in his eyes followed her wherever she went. Sleep made no difference for he chased her in dreams as well. There was no escaping him, even though he'd physically left.

A single hiccup escaped her and she realized she was crying, standing in the middle of her family's dark living room feeling cold and alone and afraid. Was it so bad to want to feel truly wanted? Was it such a bad thing to desire a normal life without bad things happening at every turn?

Adrianna wiped her eyes and stifled her cries. She felt a surge of anger take over and she glared at the floorboards, willing herself to stop crying. Tears would not fix this. Though Brandyn had left, he was not completely gone. She couldn't erase him from her memory, but she could definitely erase all traces of him that she had left. She could make it look like he'd never been here, at least in her house.

Stomping up the stairs, Adrianna set to purifying her bedroom from the filth of her ex-boyfriend. She dumped out a few boxes of random things and threw everything that Brandyn had ever given her into them. Flowers she'd dried in books, a few books that she really hadn't liked anyway, jewelry, painted rocks they'd found in the woods, random trinkets he'd made or traded from Johann, even clothing.

Sure she'd found everything, Adrianna hefted the boxes to the back yard one by one. There she threw everything in a heap a safe distance from the house. She felt crazy as she hauled handfuls of wood from the barn and threw them haphazardly onto the pile. Her hands shook as she tried to light matches. She sorely wished any of her family's dragons were here to make it easier, but with dragons came family, and they'd surely try to stop her.

Her parents would probably say this wasn't the way to handle the problem. They'd want to smooth things over once she calmed down and try to figure out what she wanted to do next. Adrianna didn't want to talk things over and she certainly didn't know what she wanted to do next. She just wanted it all to burn.

Finally, the matches caught on the various belongings. Within minutes the flames rose and thick smoke plumed into the air. Adrianna's chest hurt as she watched, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to break things.

"Anna?"

Adrianna whipped around at the sound of her brother's voice, who was jogging past the house toward her. Finn's eyes widened at the sight of the fire, then focused on her.

"Are you okay?"

The blonde gritted her teeth and sniffed. "Oh yes. I'm perfectly fine." She faced the flames once again.

She heard her brother sigh and felt him move closer. "Anna... I'm sorry about what happened earlier."

Adrianna felt a flash of rage in her chest. He didn't even know half of what she'd been through for that sick jerk.

"Don't be. Hard times make you stronger anyway, don't they?" Adrianna ignored her conscience as she said, "What is it you always say? Fortis?"

Finn looked at her in concern. "Anna, these things take time. Nobody's expecting you to instantly bounce back from-"

"Just leave me alone."

Finn shook his head. "Anna, don't push-" His voice faltered. "Is that blood?"

Adrianna flinched when his hand touched her arm, not out of fear of him but of the questions he might ask. She retracted her arm and looked at the sleeve, spotting Brandyn's blood. Then she remembered Brandyn had given her this sweater.

Adrianna tore the clothing from her body, ignoring the chill biting through her undershirt, and threw it into the fire. How had she not remembered? Sparks flew toward the twins, making Finn pull her back. She jerked out of his grasp.

"Stop, I don't need your help!"

Finn sighed. "Anna, let me see your arm."

"I'm not hurt!"

"Will you just let me see it?"

"NO!" Adrianna yelled. She turned to move away but his hand on her elbow stopped her. With an angry outburst, Adrianna wrenched her arm out of his grasp and slapped his face. Finn jerked from the impact, clearly shocked.

She froze. Adrianna looked at her swelling palm and stepped back. Finn slowly opened his eyes and seemed to survey her expression carefully.

"Finn..." Adrianna swallowed, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry."

"Anna, it's-"

Adrianna's eyes burned, watching as his cheek flamed almost as bright as his hair. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She turned his face and brushed a hand against the inflamed skin, ignoring him when he held her wrists. "I'm so sorry!"

"Anna, it's okay."

"No it's not!" she shouted, staring up at him with wide eyes. "I hit you!"

"Anna, you have every right to be angry about everything that happened today. Brandyn, Erick, Dana, all of it- "

"That doesn't mean I should take it out on you!" Adrianna shouted, feeling something snap inside. "I've never been like that, I don't want to be like that! What's wrong with me?"

"Hey," Finn stepped closer to her, hands out in placating manner. "Nothing is wrong with you."

Adrianna felt her eyes burning. She shakily inhaled as she fought tears. "I wasn't good enough. I'm never good enough. Why... why do these things always happen to me?" Her voice broke.

When her brother stepped forward and pulled her into his chest, she clung to him tightly. Finn had never seemed like a hugger, but the family had realized in the last year and a half that when he was hurting, a hug could completely alter the course of his day.

Since the rape, Adrianna could barely stand being around men. Even her dad's gentle patting of her shoulder that morning had made her flinch. But wrapped in her brother's strong arms she felt secure and safe. Nobody could hurt her while Finn was here.

Xxx

Finn was at a loss.

He knew pain and suffering. He knew the cries of brokenness from the slave trade. Though he didn't have nightmares as often anymore, he could still vividly remember the pain marked into his mind and body.

He had no doubts: His sister was in agony.

Finn hadn't been sure how she'd react when he hugged her. But he'd been both surprised and concerned when she literally clung to him like someone was going to snatch her away. She'd buried her face into his chest and openly sobbed. Usually she'd try to hide her emotions, especially tears, when Finn was around. Her crying always annoyed him when they were little.

Now he felt like someone was ripping a cloth off a half-healed wound. Finn wrapped her up more in his arms, unsure what to do or what to say. He watched everything burn that Brandyn had ever given her.

He wanted to track down that jerk and make him pay for making his sister cry like this. He wanted to make him pay for making her promises and treating her like a princess and then cheating behind her back. He wanted to wring that guy's neck for hurting Erick and playing them all like fools.

But he kept all these thoughts at bay and forced himself to relax. He didn't want to crush his twin.

It was a long while before Adrianna began to calm down. Her grip on him slackened and she leaned against him heavily, clearly exhausted. Finn noticed they'd been standing outside long enough for the fire to die down and the stars to twinkle above their heads.

"Anna?" Finn murmured.

Adrianna stirred, but didn't seem to have the energy to move.

Finn pursed his lips before making a decision. Carefully he twisted and bent down enough to slide an arm underneath her knees. When he picked her up and cradled her against his chest, she gave a startled squeak but quickly relaxed again. Finn walked toward the house, just managing to open the back door and walk inside. As he walked, he noticed in curiosity that a bruise the size of a thumb was on her forearm.

Just as he walked toward the staircase, the front door opened and their parents walked in, looking worn and weary. Hiccup's weariness fled the second he saw his children; both parents instantly marched forward when they saw Adrianna's condition.

"She's okay," Finn whispered, turning and taking her upstairs. He didn't hear his parents follow behind him.

Quickly and carefully he laid his sister down on her bed, shucked her boots, and draped a blanket over her. With a sad frown, he bent down to kiss her forehead. Adrianna's puffy eyes opened a smidge.

"'m sorry."

Finn gave her a wan smile. "You have nothing to apologize for, Anna. Just get some sleep okay?"

Adrianna nodded and snuggled deeper into her pillow.

Finn walked out of the room and grabbed her door. But just before it closed, he heard a quiet, "Thanks, Finnegan." He closed her door with a smile and tromped back downstairs where his worried parents were still waiting.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked before he even reached the bottom step.

Finn sighed. "She burned everything Brandyn ever gave her."

"What?" Astrid strode to the back door and flung it open to reveal the dying embers in the backyard. "Everything?"

"I assume everything."

Hiccup huffed. "Did she say anything?"

Finn frowned. "Other than asking 'why' and trying to take the blame for Brandyn's... everything? No."

Hiccup's scowl deepened at the mention of the young man.

"What did he say when you talked to him?" Finn asked, crossing his arms.

Hiccup met Astrid's eyes when she returned to their side. "He didn't say anything. By the time I got to his house, he was gone."

"What?" Finn gasped. "He took off? What a coward."

"That's what I said." Astrid huffed.

"No matter. We don't need him around anymore." Hiccup said. "My concern is the blood."

"Blood?" Finn echoed.

Astrid nodded. "There was fresh blood on the floor, not far from the door. Everything was cleared out so there was no sign of a scuffle, but something seems to have gone wrong."

Finn looked at his father. "Erick?"

"No, he was getting patched up at Taryn's." Hiccup sighed. "He's another story."

"Well if it wasn't Erick, who'd-" Finn stopped.

Astrid leaned forward. "What is it?"

Finn chewed his lip. "There was blood on Anna's sweater."

Instantly the parents looked on edge. "Where?" Hiccup demanded.

"Just on the sleeve," Finn said. "But when I asked her about it, she took it off and threw it into the fire. It wasn't a lot but enough for me to notice."

"When was this?"

"I don't know... forty-five minutes ago, maybe?"

Hiccup sighed. "We went to Brandyn's a half hour ago. I wanted to give him time to cool off before-"

"Correction," Astrid interrupted. "We wanted to give you time to cool off."

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup waved a hand in circles. "Something happened long before we got there then."

Finn winced. "Do you think Anna would... challenge him?"

Hiccup sat down in a nearby chair as he thought. "That's not really her style."

"No... but neither is carrying a weapon around. Or slapping."

"She hit you?"

"Not hard enough if it's not obvious."

Hiccup sighed. "Okay... granted she has every right to be upset about the cheating and Erick's causing a scene. But why did she go over there?"

"She wasn't even supposed to talk to him," Astrid added.

"No offense to Finn," Hiccup said. "But neither of our children seem to have made obedience a priority."

Finn winced again. "None taken."

"What weapon did she-" Hiccup frowned, his gaze finding the windowsill, where the dagger he'd been sharpening was no longer sitting there. "Okay, so maybe she went over there to officially break up with him... but why did she take my dagger?"

Finn glanced over and noticed the missing dagger as well. He turned back to his parents. "There was..."

He stopped, unsure if he wanted to mention the bruise. He already knew his parents had a rough day. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to reveal, especially if Brandyn was already gone. He knew his dad would jump to conclusions and try to drag Adrianna out of bed to search her head to toe for every injury he could find. He didn't want that for her; he wanted to let her rest while she could. If he didn't have proof of anything going wrong for sure, then he shouldn't mention any suspicions he might have. Right?

"There was...?" Astrid asked.

Finn shrugged. "I don't know, it wasn't a lot of blood. Only a few drops on her sleeve. Maybe it happened somewhere else."

His parents frowned, unsure.

"I think there's a lot more to this story than any of us knows." Hiccup said at last, sighing deeply and resting the side of his head on his palm. "But we won't get any answers out of Addie tonight."

"We could always try to go after Brandyn." Astrid suggested.

"No." Hiccup said this firmly, as if that was the last thing he felt like doing. "He's gone. And good riddance to him. If I ever see his face again..."

"Get in line." Finn seethed. "Because I want a crack at him too."

The sides of Hiccup's mouth quirked upward, though he didn't fully smile. "I think I'm going to turn in." he said, getting up and stretching his arms over his head. "This has been the worst day and I'm not enduring any more of it."

"I'll be right up." Astrid called up to him as he ambled up the stairs. She waited until he was out of earshot before turning back to Finn. "Listen, I know Hiccup can be a bit... smothering. Especially when Adri is concerned. So if there's anything you didn't say..."

Finn felt a tightness in the pit of his stomach. He knew his mother would be furious at the thought of Adrianna being abused... but at the same time, he hadn't asked Adrianna about it himself. If he sounded the alarm prematurely, that would be a lot of unwanted attention on his already emotional sister.

"I... nothing." Finn shrugged. "Nothing important, anyway. Just let her sleep, mom."

Astrid looked up at Adrianna's bedroom door almost wistfully. Finn knew she wasn't the sort of person who always verbalized how she felt but Astrid loved her daughter very much. If there was anything she could do to help, he knew that she would.

Unfortunately, he wasn't sure there was anything to be done at all this time.

Xxx

It had been a mercifully dreamless sleep.

Adrianna awoke to find her body tightly curled into a ball under her covers. It was so comfortable, she didn't want to get up. She didn't want to face the world after the events of yesterday and she felt slightly embarrassed about losing it in front of Finn. He would surely have told her parents by now.

Yet again, she found herself at a crossroads. She could do what she always did, cry and mope and hug her parents and try to forget about Brandyn. Or she could deal with this on her own. She wasn't helpless. In less than a month, she would be seventeen and with that, she would be legally allowed to do almost anything she wanted. She could move out on her own. The thought made her insides freeze. She was definitely not ready for that. But she could do plenty now.

It didn't take long for her to make up her mind. She threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. After her morning routine, she grabbed some bread for breakfast and tied her hair back in a long braid. She tossed a few fish to Lily before heading out to the barn, the Monstrous Nightmare eagerly following.

"All right, Lily," she said, grabbing her saddle off its peg, "what do you say?"

Lily hopped up and down eagerly. She and Adrianna hadn't flown in a while. The girl simply didn't feel like it in the midst of her problems with Brandyn, and Lily wasn't the sort of dragon to push her into doing something she didn't want to do.

The moment Adrianna mounted Lily, the two were off. Lily did a lap around Berk, cheerfully crooning as she did so. The Haddock girl took a deep breath of chilly air, feeling freer than she had in a very long time. She wouldn't have to work until that evening so she had plenty of time to swoop and dive and fly higher than ever before. Berk shrunk to a tiny dot in the vast expanse of the ocean below. Adrianna looked around, spotting the coastline of Brawn far in the distance. She knew that Outcast Island was in the other direction from all her flights there when...

She shook her head vehemently. Brandyn was dead to her. There had to be a way to make herself forget.

"Higher." she whispered to Lily, who obliged.

The air was cold up here. It was a nice break from the hot weather far below. A bit of lingering tenderness stopped her thoughts of doing a few tricks. But maybe taking it easy was a good idea.

"Thanks." she said to her dragon, patting her on the head.

Lily crooned in a friendly sort of way. Adrianna could tell that she was worried. The girl hoped all traces of him were gone now.

Feeling a small flicker of daring, Adrianna unhooked herself from her dragon and slid down her neck to rest on her back. The rhythmic flapping of Lily's wings made her feel almost drowsy, despite just waking up. But she needed to clear her mind. She needed to relax. Lily began to slowly circle above, apparently deciding that she didn't want to stay in one place while her rider was taking a much needed break from the world.

Adrianna remembered seeing some of her father's reclining positions on Toothless. Even lying down, he would keep his foot and prosthetic strapped in to avoid any accidents. She felt a spark of adrenaline knowing that she had no such safety precautions. If she slipped off Lily, she would tumble down, down and splat somewhere in the ocean or on Berk. She tried to avoid thinking about the gruesome sight some unlucky Berkian would come across if she plummeted to her death down there. But at the same time, she kind of liked the idea. It was fascinating in a horribly morbid sort of way.

What kind of casket would they put her remains in if she died that day? Adrianna didn't think about death often but, for some reason, thinking about her pyre was very interesting. Surely it would be bedecked in flowers, especially the purple ones. Over a decade later and she still loved purple. She liked the idea of burning along with hundreds of flowers and maybe the drawing Erick had given her when they were small...

What was she thinking? She was sixteen, for Thor's sake! Why was she thinking about such a grisly death when, of course, her dragon would catch her well before she was in any real danger? Did normal people think about such things? It wasn't as if she was suicidal. She wouldn't actually jump to her...

Well...

Adrianna turned her head and looked down at the speck of land that was Berk. She would have quite a way to fall before she was even near it. Plenty of time to be caught.

It was a crazy idea. Her father was the sort of person to leap off his dragon and plummet to the ground before extending the wings of his flight suit and gliding until he found land or Toothless saved him from some stupid mishap on his part. It was a wonder he survived to have children considering the stunts he did when he was her age. She'd never thought about following in his footsteps in that particular way. Plenty of people said she and Hiccup were very much alike but flying, while fun, wasn't Adrianna's thing the way it was Hiccup's. She certainly had the instincts, she'd learned that in lessons, but she'd never felt a real urge to push the limits like her parents. Not even Finn was as daring as they were, though that was mostly due to Thornado's grouchiness and Zap's young age.

But Adrianna, the old one at least, never took risks quite like that. Little Addie Haddock played with dolls and wore flowers and colorful skirts and didn't like seeing people cry and always, always did what was safe and sweet and smart and...

That was what had gotten her in this mess in the first place. And she was done. She was sick of being the daddy's girl. She was sick of wearing her heart on her sleeve only to have it smashed to pieces. She was sick of humiliation and unkind words. As far as she was concerned, it was a mistake ever to be like that in the first place. No one got where they were by being nice and cautious.

Almost before she had fully thought about what she was doing, she stood up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lily start and turn her head to stare at her, wide eyed. But Adrianna didn't care. She trusted Lily. She was surprisingly unafraid. The same fire inside her that had gotten rid of Brandyn now burned within her and she felt reckless.

It was a perfect dive. Adrianna sped downward so fast, she could hear the wind whistling in her ears. Her sinuses cleared, her vision swam before her eyes but she kept falling. She could barely see Lily descending nearby, poised to catch her before she came close to hitting the ground.

The sensation was indescribable. To be completely free, the wind in her hair and nothing around her but the sky and the air was amazing. It was the freest she'd ever felt in her life. Her problems seemed to have flown out of her as she sped toward the ground. The whole expanse of the archipelago opened up to her in a way she'd never seen it before. There was no dragon beneath her to control her fall. It was only her and the sky.

What a feeling! This was incredible! This was exactly what she needed right now. No one could hurt her in the air. No one could tell her what to do or how to feel. No one could do anything at all.

Finally, the ground came a little too close for comfort and she reached out for Lily's horn. Lily flew over and allowed her to mount upside down before straightening herself out. Now they were flying far below where they had been and it was a moment before Adrianna realized she was laughing. The girl laughed until she could hardly breathe, until tears ran down her face. She had been in so much danger and it was worth it. It was worth every second, every pump of adrenaline. It was the best she'd felt in such a long time. She hoped no one had seen her, otherwise she would likely get an outrageously hypocritical lecture from her parents about safety measures. But she didn't care. The danger, the threat of imminent death, that was what made it so much fun. The freedom to end everything if she so wanted.

"Okay." she wheezed, directing her dragon upward. "What do you say, Lily? Go again?"

Lily gave her a concerned squawk but the Haddock girl didn't care. She'd jump off anyway. Then Lily would have to catch her.

As they flew upward, Adrianna found that she liked this new person she was becoming quite a lot. The old one had been an insecure, emotional basket case. But this girl was almost worthy of the Haddock name and lineage.

She only wished it hadn't taken nearly seventeen years for her to stop caring anymore.