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Author Topic: Graduation Day  (Read 245 times)

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Offline Zero Undead

Graduation Day
« on: October 17, 2017, 11:09:49 am »
Matt sat up groggily, still too asleep to start processing thoughts as he lay there in the dark for a few minutes. The alarm hadn’t gone off yet, and Landis was super warm pressed against his hip. He turned in bed and leaned back down, wrapping his arms around his roommate’s shoulders and burying his face in his hair even as his mind began truly waking up.

This was it.

After this morning he wouldn’t be a Stage 4 anymore, and his happy days of waking up with this little cutie pie held in his arms were over. Matt was going to miss him so much. Landis had been his rock through his mother’s death. He wasn’t sure what he would have done without him there to hold him on the worst nights where he’d laid in bed and sobbed over that hateful woman. Sighing heavily he pressed a few kisses to the boy’s face and rolled out of bed.

It didn’t matter who he was going to miss. Today he turned eighteen and it was high time he started acting like a real Pilot should. If nothing else, getting a small apartment in the Citadel should be cool, right? All he had to do was not think about how lonely and cold the bed was going to feel after these last several weeks of having a warm body cuddled with him at night.

The alarm went off and Matt fell into his normal morning routine of getting ready with Landis. It was nice, sharing one last morning shower with his friend and lover. The cute boy even got to be the first one to wish him a happy birthday on his birthday proper.

What wasn’t as nice was fixing the beds and pushing them apart in case of inspection. To Matt it was just one more cold reminder that this stage of his life was over and a scary new one was about to begin. At least he was confident that he’d be passing his exam. Being uncertain about that would be terrible, but he doubted people that weren’t sure of their success really passed into Stage 5.

Matt chose to sit alone at breakfast, stewing in his own thoughts. It was hard to eat with his nerves, but he shoveled the food into his mouth without tasting it. Most of his friends, the ones that were still in the ATC, had given him an impromptu party yesterday. The cake had been great, but what he cherished most was the hugs and just getting to spend that short time with them before today. Of course things had ended kind of interesting with Heather last night.

Sure as hell hadn’t seen that one coming.

He was exempt from morning drills, but only because he was heading straight to the exam room after breakfast. Surprisingly the closer he got, the calmer Matt felt. Everything he had done over the last five years was in preparation for this moment. He was ready and could do this, of that he had no doubt. All he was worried about was everything that would come after the exam.

After it was over Matt felt a sense of relief, but also extremely worn as it had been the longest, most grueling exam to date. It made sense; it was the test to see if you were ready to become a Pilot and earned you Stage 5, which was a short step below a full-fledged Pilot.

No sooner had he been informed that he passed, they urged him to change his stripes to red and he was being dragged along by a very impatient and grouchy looking Pilot. Matt thought that once you passed you were allowed to return to your room and pack so that you could move into The Citadel. Instead of giving him time to pack he was led directly out of the ATC and to the Aerie where the dragons lived out their days when not working with their Pilots or flying around the city.

It wasn’t until they were in the elevator heading up that the reality of everything truly sunk in for Matt – they were taking him up to be probed by a dragon that was interested in him. Barely even Stage 5 and he was to be tested again. Did that happen very often?

Not that he had heard.

Matt hated to admit it, but when he stepped out into the Aerie, catching his first sight of all the milling dragons, he was in a sort of terrified awe. Most ignored their presence as the Pilot guided him between and around dragons. A few gave them a passing, curious look, but then lost interest. None of those was the one wanting to meet him.

He could feel it.

At last he was stopped in his tracks, and immediately a lump formed in his throat as tears threatened at the corner of his eyes. Matt knew the dragon he now stood before. Actually there was a second dragon lying nearby as well and he recognized them both. One was bound to his father; the sleek golden female watched them both with no small amount of interest.

The black and red beast standing before him, half his face shining steel and those red eyes gleaming as they stared down at Matt – it was Zenith.

His mother’s dragon had brought him here.

Matt didn’t even hesitate to step towards him, extending his hand out shakily as Zenith lowered his head. His fingers brushed against the smooth scales on the unmodified side of the dragon’s face, not that he could really see him through the tears in his eyes. Everything was a blur, but he felt a presence, overwhelming, force its way into his mind. He offered no resistance, and felt the dragon dig through everything, laying his soul bare as he pressed his forehead against Zenith’s nose and held his snout with both hands trembling.

He had no idea if his behavior was strange, but the Pilot that had escorted him here said nothing and Matt didn’t think he would have cared if he did. Memories were flooding his mind; ones that he knew for a fact were not his. Zenith was showing him memories of his mother. He wasn’t sure if he should be jealous of the obviously close bond the dragon had shared with her, or just grateful to know that he was being included in it now.

Matt had no idea how much time had passed, his mind really wasn’t working normally, because once he began coming back to reality he found himself sprawled on the ground. The Pilot was gone and Zenith was lying curled around him protectively.

”You’re mine now, Pilot Cardinal Wright. We’re going to do great things together, you and I.”

With a groan he sat up, slowly, and rubbed at his head. It felt a little like his brain had been run through a meat grinder, but the throbbing was already starting to ease up. Hearing the dragon’s voice in his head was a little odd at first, like a fuzzy buzzing in his head.

“Is…is that really it?” Matt felt a bit disoriented, but overall it had been a pretty tame experience, and here he’d worried about possible mauling.

”Yep! That’s really it. You’ll have a week off to do what you please, but come Wednesday morning you will be reporting to Pilot Royal Alberich as a Hellion. I suggest we fly down to Adstreia a few days before your vacation is over so you can get settled in your new apartment and explore your new home city.”

That was actually a really good idea. Already he felt the excitement building inside him at the prospect of moving to Adstreia. It was going to be so cool living in the greatest space port known to Aedolis! Plus he really was going to get to be a Hellion. It was one thing for the Commander to wish to recruit him, but nothing was really set in stone until your dragon agreed to it.

“Hell yes! I can’t believe this.” Matt looked up at Zenith and he could tell the dragon was highly amused with him. “I thought I was just bumping up to Stage 5 today, that I’d spend at least a few weeks playing secretary to some real Pilots before any dragons even realized I existed. Am I seriously a Pilot?”

”I have very impatiently been waiting for you to be of age since the day your mother died. Your mother was very dear to me, as dear to a dragon as a human can be. Your mother and I should have had many more years to work together. I suppose her son will have to serve my purposes instead.” It was strange to hear that voice so sad in his head. Also weird to think of anyone considering his mother ‘dear’ to them, but he supposed that bitch would love a dragon more than her own kid.

“I won’t let you down, but uh…what do I do now? I mean, I know I’m on vacation, but I can’t stay in the ATC. Do I just use the Stage 5 apartment I would have been assigned? Do I crash in a Pilot Cardinal apartment for a few days before heading to Adstreia?” He honestly wasn’t sure and doubted many fresh Pilots had this sort of conundrum.

”Pilot Royal Wright has graciously offered you use of his apartment for your vacation until time to move to Adstreia. I think it a wise decision to take up that offer. Go change out of that ridiculous uniform and pack your things. Your security clearances and access have already been switched over for you. You will be able to enter and exit the ATC and Citadel as you please. Just one of the many perks of our new partnership.”

Matt really didn’t have to be told twice. He jumped up and practically tripped over Zenith’s tail as he darted towards the elevator. More dragons looked at him this time, but that could have been because he was whooping and hollering on the way. A couple quick messages needed to go out, but aside from that he was in the clear.

He was a goddamn Pilot!

 

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