Chapter 2

      After another long, boring drive through town, my attention is drawn forward when the cart draws to a slow stop before a thick wall of concrete at the top of a steeped hill. And right in the middle of the concrete, is a deep engraving of a Triquetra symbol.

     The symbol immediately makes my eyes widen in surprise, my hand unconsciously rising to rest on my biceps where there’s a black tattoo of the same knot imprinted on my skin. Puzzled, I turn to Devon and was about to ask why he stopped before a wall when a loud scratching noise disrupts me from speaking. I slowly turn to look ahead and gasp as a small section of the wall just above the symbol to the left slides open to reveal a dark opening, a tiny device is soon pushed out and it’s in the shape of a pistol gun.

     The pointed mouth of the pistol releases a red beaming light towards the cart and I could only watch in shock as the light scans our bodies through the cart, twice, before the pistol slides back in. Only, a metal cased screen appears in its place. The screen lights up and projects a blue beam of light before the cart to reveal a rotating holographic visual. My jaw drops and brows rise when the visual head of a female smiles warmly and speaks in a computerized voice.

      “Authorized, vehicle scanning complete. Coral&Knight Academy welcomes you, Coral Ray, we hope your new beginning at C&K is highly successful. Cart Motor 56161, you are authorized to enter.”

     “This is some sick security you have here.” I couldn’t help but snort, turning to him I ask sarcastically. “Why, is the Dean also safety-friendly?”

     Amused, Devon spares me a side glance and smiles rather than respond as the visual disappears. The screen slides back in and the concrete wall parts in the middle just like the red sea, bringing into view a narrow gravel road leading into a compound surrounded by nothing but thick trees.

       He drives through the divided wall while I continue looking out the window in amazement, my nose practically pressed to the glass when the trees clear away to reveal a beautiful, majestic castle. He drives around a small fountain and stops the cart before the castle with a satisfied sigh. “Well, here we are.” 

     Stepping out of the cart after a glance at me, I straighten up and quickly follow his lead. It almost feels like I’m transported into another universe, one from a medieval era, as I tilt my head back to stare at the intimidating stone building practically looming over me.

      The Gothic castle looks just as mysterious and creepy as they usually appear in movies with vines crawling up the building, dry leaves scattered all over the grass, a clock tower right in the middle, darkened hallways, smokey chimney’s sticking out of the roof, and street lamps. The narrow road circles around the castle and to the left, I notice a stone path leading into the forest and wonder what’s on the other end of the trail. I was just about to take a step closer in that direction when by chance I looked up.

      Doing a double-take, my disbelieving eyes widen as a scream of fright bubbles up from deep within but stays hooked in my throat. Under any normal circumstance, a person will probably run, maybe even scramble back in fright, but I couldn’t bring myself to do either as I stared at the encroaching thing high up in the air. The thing I’m referring to is an actual flaming dragon, and I mean it when I say there’s a dragon of flames descending over the roof of the castle!

      My heart breaths to a stop momentarily, my mind going blank. But just when I thought the dragon was going to envelop me in a decent of flames, it stops abruptly above my head. Just an inch away from me. Releasing a quivering breath, I attempt to step back but instead ended up passing out.

~*~*~*~

      Waking up with a groan of pain my eyes slowly blink open and I see nothing but a blur of white until everything begins to come into shape and my gaze rests on a ceiling. Slowly turning my head, I do a quick survey of them and frown when I realize I’m laying on a bed in what appears to be an infirmary. There are lines of empty beds stretched out on either side of my body, across the room is a white wooden desk with an open laptop and papers cluttered on top. 

       Behind the desk are shelves resting against the wall and they seem to be filled with hospital utilities all encased within glass cabinets. Rising slowly from my position, I hold onto my head when a sudden bout of nausea and dizziness hits me. It feels like there’s a stampede of elephants pounding away in my brain and I can’t help the leak of tears that roll down my face.

      Raising a hand to wipe them away, it was then I noticed the drip connected to my wrist. I tried to remember what happened before waking up but the action only caused me more pain, and just as I’m about to get out of bed and find someone for an explanation two strangers bust into the room with panicked expressions on their faces. Upon seeing me sitting upright in bed, they both pause momentarily to sigh in relief.

     “Thank God, your awake.” The red-haired moans, shoulders sagging as if a weight has just been dropped off her shoulders.

      “Are you alright?” The male asks in concern, taking wide steps towards my bed.

       “Of course not, idiot!” 

     The female pushed him aside when she draws closer and I notice how identical they look. She grabs me by the neck which causes pain to flare at the back of my head, and my eyes widen in alarm when she forcefully brings it closer to hers.

     “Look at me,” She commands and raises 4 fingers in the air. “How many am I holding up, are you dizzy or-”

      “Let go of her Rae!”

     The sound of a third voice made our heads swerve towards the door in surprise and I slowly direct my eyes in that direction. The ache in my head getting worse by the second. “You guys aren’t supposed to be here and most especially, you aren’t supposed to be manhandling my patient!”

       Blinking, I wonder what the young blonde is talking about until she takes careful steps closer and the white coat she wore over clothes shifts slightly to reveal a protruding belly. Her lips are pursed in disapproval as she gazes at the one supposedly called Rae. When the realization came to me that she’s a doctor I couldn’t help but feel relief.

     The redhead let go abruptly and I can't help but gasp slightly with a grimace of pain, rubbing the probably bruised skin of my neck. “Come on Dana, we just wanted to ensure she’s alright. We weren’t causing any harm.”

    She snorted and glanced at me still holding a grimace. “I beg to differ.” Sighing, she drops her hands and steps closer. “I need to examine my patient, both of you have to leave.”

   “But Dana, we-”

        “Huh-uh, no excuses, leave right now.”

      Huffing indignantly, the redhead stomps out of the room through her twin hesitates when he glances my way, he turns to the doctor with a single nod before walking out. Her narrowed eyes stay trained on the door for a couple of minutes before she turns towards me with a friendly grin. 

    I take notice of her eyes in surprise and ponder on how similar they are to mine. “Hi dear, I'm Dana, the Academy’s resident doctor. How are you feeling?”

    “Fine,” I reply coarsely, clearing my throat in discomfort. “I think. Apart from the massive headache, I’m feeling okay.” I shrug, immediately wincing when the action brought pain.

      Pulling aside my shirt, I frown at the small bandage covering my left shoulder. “When you fainted, you kind of cut yourself on a small piece of glass on the ground. It’s not very deep so you don’t have to worry. There’s also a bump at the back of your head which explains the headache but give it a day and the swelling will go down. You had a bit of a concussion when you passed out but don’t worry, your fine now and you just need a little rest.” 

      I ran my hand through my hair looking for the bump and almost groan when I felt the soar spot. Pulling out a packet of painkillers from the pocket of her coat she hands it over to me and smile. “Take these 2 times a day to help with your headache and by the end of the weekend you should be good.”

    “Thank you.” I sigh in gratitude.

      “Please, it's my job, you don’t need to be thankful.”

      Nodding slowly, I was going to ask about what happened before I passed out when suddenly the exit doors are banged open and a large man stumbles into the room in a panic. We both stare at him in surprise as he breathes out heavily and searches the room with wide eyes, his expensive suit slightly in disarray.

      When his roaming eyes rest upon me, I’m slightly stunned by his physical appearance. He stares at me with a petrified expression, his Piaget eyes watering with emotion. He looks like he’s about to crumble any minute as he takes careful steps towards me. “Uhh, hi?" I mumble, not sure what else I could say.

     “I-I-hmm, I had s-som-something to say but I can’t e-even-” He swallows, his words nothing but incomprehensible stuttering. “Uhm, I’m sorry I’m being a mess. I just wanted to say I’m your-”

     “Father!" The doctor startles both of us by the sudden declaration, and we turn to her in surprise. Staring between the two of us with a sheepish smile she shrugs. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

      Blinking, the word “father” creates a lump in my throat. That term reminds me of someone else, it had been reserved for someone very special, and to have a stranger use it about another stranger suddenly leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I mean coming here I’d known who I was coming to meet, but the reality of it didn’t fully hit me until now.

      For years, as a child, I often wondered what my biological… sperm donor would look like. But seeing him in reality, my imagination is put to shame. Because I'm the female version of him. He’s another person I’ve met with a classically handsome face, and I’m not just saying this because we’re related.

     He’s quite tall at 6ft in height with a large, muscular build and his Piaget eyes aren’t the only thing I inherited. I also have his auburn hair and warm beige skin tone.

   Shaking off my thoughts, I wonder how long I’ve sat staring and decided to be the first to break the tense silence. “Ohm, nice to meet you. I’m Coral.”

    “I know.” He nods, a brisk laugh slipping out of his full lips.

      “I’ll be outside while you guys talk.” The doctor whispers, already taking soft steps back. 

    She pats his shoulder on her way and murmurs something I couldn’t quite hear before she hurries out. But as the door softly clicks closed behind her, we’re plunged into an awkward silence.