A/N: I am rewriting this story. There will be elements in chapters that I haven't gotten to that are very different from the new ones, and won't make sense. I will try to get through the chapters and continue on as fast as I can, but you will be confused. Any chapter titles without the word NEW in parentheses next to them are old and do not necessarily make sense with the new story. Please bear with me.

"Wake up! Wake UP ALREADY!" a familiar voice shrills in my ear. I can hear her, I'm up, but that doesn't mean I have to obey her. Maybe if I pretend to be asleep for long enough, she'll go away. I know that I should be awake, but I was up decidedly late last night waitressing a good deal of drunken men.

My father owns this inn, technically, but he fell ill and was consequently bedridden five years ago. My twin brother and I operate the inn, with him handling the finances and me caring for my father, younger sister, and the hospitality/employee management side. Not that we had too many employees. My small team consists of two cooks(husband and wife), and four maids. I work as barmaid, serving wench, and hostess.

On this thought, I remain still on my small bed, lying on my left side, facing the door, one arm tucked under my head, squishing my cheek so I look younger than I am, and the other arm sprawled out in front of me as I focus to keep my breathing even. This task is not too difficult, as I am soon falling back asleep.

I am vaguely aware of her leaving the room, not closing the door behind her I might add, and I can faintly hear her footsteps clomping down the stairs. I sigh happily. Sleeeeeeep.

Just as I am drifting off, I am jolted out of my beautiful, wonderful sleep by a bucket of cold water straight to the face. I jump out of bed, glaring, and I am met with the smugly smiling face of my sister. "Oooo, you're dead," I growl.

"I don't think so... unless of course you want to be late?" Adalie teases. She spins on her heel and waltzes comfortably out of my room.

No way. She couldn't mean.... How could I possibly forget!? My eyes widen considerably and I bolt out of bed, rooting through my wardrobe to find the one nice dress I have. I refuse to own any others, as I have no particular affinity for those tight and uncomfortable clothes.

Slipping into it and brushing out my long, dark brown hair, I quickly splash some water on my face and scrub my teeth clean before slipping on some sandals, glancing at the mirror, and running out of my room. I skid around the corner onto the stairs that lead down to the main tavern, dodge a few tables, and burst out of the door into the blinding light.

The square is crowded with people, all of the children of sixteen years old waiting for the ceremony to start and their families there to support them. I am sixteen years old, and as such, by law, must participate in the ceremony.
It's a sunny day, with a blue sky and no clouds. The square has a large stone fountain in the middle, depicting two dragons twining around each other to spew water out of their mouths. It's not uncommon for there to be lots of dragon monuments all over, they are the ones that protect our kingdom, after all. A four-foot tall stone pedestal with carved dragons winding around it sits in front of the fountain, seeming to have grown from the ground. I have passed the pedestal on numerous occasions before, but have never seen it used. Only people above sixteen are allowed to attend the ceremony, and only the sixteen-years old are tested, once a year. I only have one chance.

Dusty dirt scuffs up under my feet as I make my way to the crowd. A fluttery feeling takes residence inside my chest. I know it's wrong to hope, since I would never be able to abandon my responsibilities here to attend the school, but I can't stop the seed of cautious optimism planting itself in my heart.

And the dragons! Dragons are legendary creatures, elusive and dangerous and beautiful, and even if I don't turn out to be a rider I will be glad to have at least seen them.

"Hey! Jaelyn!"

The voice startles me out of my reverie, and I turn to see my brother Aasim pushing through the crowd.

"You ready for this?" he asks once he reaches me.

"As I'll ever be. I want to just get it over with and get back to the inn. You and I both know we could never go," I reply, each word hiding a little lie that squirms and squeals inside me, begging to be let out.

A strange expression crosses his face, trapped somewhere between sadness, regret, and quiet acceptance.

"You're right, of course. It was never an option in the first place," he says, avoiding eye contact.
I also look away. I hate that Aasim and I can't jest and tease each other the way other siblings can. There has always been a sort of barrier between us, locking us away from our childhood and each other. We never grew up running through the streets laughing, or being scolded by a mother for getting mud on the floor, or getting a secret smile from a joking father when he caught us stealing sweets from the kitchen. We have people relying on us. We have work to do. There is a responsibility, one whose weight we both feel, and one we must bear with a smile for the sake of the people we love. That has always been there, as a sort of unspoken understanding, and that is the same thing that prevents us from being normal siblings.

Suddenly there is a great breath of air above us, and I look up in amazement to see a large, dark, bat-winged figure hovering above us.
As if on cue, four other figures appear above it, and a wide circle is cleared in the center of the crowd in front of the fountain for the creatures to land.
They are incredible, an average adult stands reaching only their shoulders, and powerful dangerous muscles ripple under diamond-hard overlapping scales. Large, blade-like curved claws sprout from four remarkably human-like .....umm.... paws? Feet? Hands?

Razor sharp teeth are revealed whenever the animals open their mouths, and a large, powerful tail tipped with sharp, knife-like horns lashes angrily back and forth. Sharp spines run down from the tops of their lizard-like heads to the ends of their tails.

But the most incredible part are the wings. Large, bat-like wings sprout from near their shoulder blades. Each one slightly bigger than the body itself; the wings almost look to be transparent, seeming thin as paper, and yet something inside me tells me that they are nearly impossible to cut.

Each one looks about the same, save for the slight variant in color among them. They are all gray, though some lean more towards silver while some are closer to the black side. They all gleam in the sunlight like metal, scales shifting and reflecting. Some wear leather bands around their legs or tails, and one or two have string or gold bands winding around their horns. Each has a tattoo on their left shoulder, of a black dragon curled into the symbol of the academy. That's when I notice the riders. Each one is sitting comfortably on a leather saddle placed at the base of the neck, right in front of the wings. In sync, almost creepily, all of the riders easily dismount the huge beasts and walk to stand in a single line.

All of the beasts raise their wings and take off into the sky at that moment, flying higher and higher until they are just mere specks, where they hover, waiting.

"Hello. My name is Adei. I am here for the ceremonial sorting, in which it is determined if any of you gathered here today have the magic required to become a Dragon Rider." one of the riders said, drawing the crowd's attention to them instead of the dragons overhead.

"Now, this ceremony won't take too long if you follow my instructions and just accept it if you make it in or not. I don't want any moping around and depressing everyone if you don't make it in, and I don't want high-pitched squeals if you do," he continues sternly.

"Wow. Harsh." I hear a girl whisper behind me. Glancing back, I see a boy with her. They both have arctic eyes and pale skin, but their hair and builds vary dramatically. Still, based on the way they stand and the conspiratorial glance they share, I know immediately that they are siblings. I turn back around.

"I know, right? I won't even be allowed to celebrate when I make it in with you," he whines quietly, though I can hear the grin in his voice.

"When? Confident, now, aren't we?" she teases, and I glance back again, something in me yearning for what they have. He opens his mouth to reply, but all of a sudden the dragon rider, Adei, is right in front of us, glaring down at the cowering siblings before him. I step to the side, giving him room.

"I'd also appreciate it if you would hold your tongues and listen while I am speaking, though I am thoroughly disappointed that I had to remind you of that fact." he adds in an annoyed tone.

The girl elbows her brother in the side, but he doesn't get a chance to reply because the rider- Adei- was already speaking again.

"I have a list of all the appropriately-aged citizens of this town. When you are called up, there is not much required on your part. You will touch the stone. If it lights up, you're in, if it doesn't, you're out. That's all there is to it. If you make it in, you're expected to wait until the end of the ceremony, when you will be told when we leave for the Academy. If you don't, you may leave or stick around. Quite honestly, it couldn't matter less to me. Now, let's begin," he says as one of the riders behind him walks forward, holding a stone about as large as my fist in his hand. The stone appears at first glance to be merely a polished brown rock, but when the sun catches it the stone gleams from within with an extraordinary blue-purple-green color, only a few veins of the brown still running through it. The Rider then sets the stone down on the pedestal, where it is still fully illuminated, the color stunning the entire crowd into silence. Our village isn't as poor as some, but we are all plebeians, and don't see many gemstones of such mysterious brilliance.

"Arabella Clarke," the lead dragon rider starts, his voice ringing out cold and clear in the crowded square.

I know Arabella. She was always the best at everything, singing, sewing, dancing. She's beautiful, with long, flowing black hair and sapphire-blue eyes. Her skin is perfect, somewhere in between light and dark and smooth as butter, and her body is tall, with soft curves. I, on the other hand, am fairly short, curvy, and have a virtually untameable mane of curly brown hair. Her father is the teacher at the schoolhouse, a high position as a scholar. And she hates me with every bone in her body.

She waltzes out into the clearing, confidently touching the stone in the most graceful, elegant way, the tips of her fingers lightly caressing it. She waits, a dazzling smile on her face, for the crystal to light up. But nothing happens. The smile freezes. The sapphire eyes become slightly crazed, almost desperate.

Hah, serves her right. I know that it's petty to think that, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a delightfully warm feeling of satisfaction spreading through my veins at the look on her face.

"Okay, next up is-"

"WAIT! THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE! I am the valedictorian of all of my classes, the best at sewing, dancing, and my singing voice is unparalleled by any other, I-" she shrieks, before she is cut off.

"If you had been listening, I said no pouting if you don't make it in. The stone doesn't care how good you are at anything. It doesn't care if you're kind or cruel, daft or intelligent. It measures magic, so we can train that magic, fine-tune it to it's best potential, to protect our kingdom. You could be the most brilliant child in the kingdom, you could fight better than any other, and you would still be useless on the back of a dragon and there's nothing you can do about it. Now, quit whining, shut up and know your place. You may return to your family now," Adei says harshly, clearly annoyed.

However, evidently Arabella doesn't know when to quit. "PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO LET ME IN! MY FATHER WILL PAY YOU TO LET ME IN!" she yells desperately.

"Insolent girl. We have the king to support us, do you really think we need your money? Now, as I said, return to your family," Adei repeats in a seemingly bored tone.

"But I-"

"You just don't know when to stop, do you? I won't repeat myself again. Leave." Suddenly a shriek sounds out from above, and everyone looks up. One of the dragons is circling around furiously, doing loops and spirals in the sky above before descending and landing with a thump behind Adei. It snorts a loud puff of air, and Arabella nearly trips over herself in her haste to get away.

"Now, I hope the rest of you will behave with a bit more grace." Adei clears his throat, addressing the rest of the awe-struck crowd.

"Asher Browne," he continues, like nothing happened at all. "Please step forward."

I don't think I've ever personally met Asher, maybe heard about him around town. I know he has a reputation as a trouble maker, sarcastic and clever, never losing in a battle of wits.

He approached the stone in a much different manner than Arabella, barely paying the dragon a glance. He touches the stone with an eagerly excited glint in his eyes, and this time something does happen. The stone starts to glow, illuminated from within and making the previously stunning colors absolutely resplendent. I can't tear my eyes away. The crowd collectively gasps. Most of them had never seen this before. Asher looks positively overjoyed.

"Congratulations, you made it in. Okay, next is...." Adei continues listing of names in a monotone voice, most of which don't make it in. About ten other disappointed people later, it's finally Aasim's turn.

"Aasim Brooker," Adei states. Aasim sucks in a breath beside me, before stepping forward nervously and laying a hand on the stone. Almost immediately, the stone blazes up with the awe-inspiring light, and my brother breaks into an equally bright smile.

"Nice job, you made it in. Next up, Jaelyn Brooker." he proceeds without hesitation.

I start towards the opening in the crowd, passing Aasim on the way, who gives me a borderline guilty look. The dragon's eyes are glued to me as I pass by, and I can't help but marvel at it as I walk. When I reach the stone, I take a deep breath to steady myself, and reach out.

The stone is smooth under my hand as I touch it, conflicted. I have wished, deep inside me, to make it in all my life. Still, I refuse to acknowledge the conflict inside me, lest it tear me apart.

Nothing happens.

My future suddenly seems terribly clear to me as I numbly walk away from the clearing, stumbling my way through the crowd.

I'm not special. I'm not extraordinary. I'm just another insignificant little town girl, destined to live out an unremarkable, ordinary, boring little life probably in an unhappy marriage with a man I'll probably hate. My life will be on repeat, day after day, cooking, sewing, taking care of a hoarde of children and cleaning up their messes. I'll die sadly, ordinarily, with no one to really remember me for anything great. My name won't be written in the great book that holds all of the dragon rider's names. I'll disappear into time, having wasted my one life.

I take a spot towards the back of the crowd, plastering on a smile and waiting until the ceremony is over.

I've gotten good at pretending to be happy. The sun beats down on me for what feels like an eternity, and I watch as a few more select people get chosen and walk off to stand by the side.

Aasim approaches me when the ceremony is finally over. "Adei says that we need to leave in ten minutes."
I just nod. He sighs. "I'm.. I'm not going."

I look up in surprise. He looks torn, gazing down at me with guilty eyes.

"You have to! This is your chance to be more than this town! Not only is it illegal for you not to attend, but you can be a legend!" I say, my voice taking on a sort of desperate tone at the end. I will not let him miss this opportunity.

"Jaelyn, you and I both know exactly why I can't go. We have responsibilities. I can't leave you here alone to support the inn all by yourself. You said yourself that it was never really an option." He replies.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was mostly trying not to get our hopes up, trying to be practical. But this is real. This could change your life. If you forsake this opportunity now, you will forever regret it. You will always wonder what might have been. This will be a festering wound, a source of resentment that will always prevent you from being happy. I don't want that for you. I know Adalie and Dad don't either. You cannot sacrifice your dreams out of your love for us, otherwise that love will become twisted and bitter and everyone will be miserable. If we don't let you go, it would be out of selfishness, not love. Please, please, for us, for me, you have to go. I know I can handle this by myself. I know that Adalie will help when I need it. Yes, the first few years will be hard, but riders are honored by the King. If you graduate with high marks, and serve for long enough, you will be granted an estate. We can come live there with you. You just have to trust me, trust that I will be enough to keep us afloat until then."

He looks torn, but we both know what his decision will be.

"Besides," I add, "you don't do that much around here anyway. How hard can it be?"

He laughs, a short, surprised bark. His eyes are welling up ever so slightly, but he won't cry. I know he won't. He and I have spent what feels like a lifetime suppressing our emotions for others' sake. He pulls me into his arms, clasping me into a tight, brief hug. I clutch the back of his shirt, holding my twin as tight as I can before letting him go.

"I love you," he murmurs.

"I know."

A/N: Hellooooo, dear readers. 'Tis I, Eclipse, here with another story created in a burst of inspiration that will also probably have slow updates. Please don't stop reading here just because this part of the story is depressing. I promise the rest of it won't be. I can't spoil anything for you, but yes, she will have a dragon and yes, she will attend the academy. I won't tell you how, you'll just have to wait and see. I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as possible to keep it interesting. Anyhow, Byyyeeeeeeeee! :)