Chesa sat in the cafeteria, wordlessly picking at her food. She had left her lunchbox in Miss Thompson's classroom at her desk.

There were soft footsteps and she looked to see the green-haired girl walking over.

"Hey. I'm Fern Dawson," she greeted. Chesa almost jumped to her feet in surprise, "h-hi! I'm-"

"Chesa Silver," Fern chuckled, "yeah, you're the new student that's pretty much caught the attention of everyone here. I'm almost kinda jealous."

Chesa relaxed and smiled, "I don't think there's any reason to be jealous of. I'm just here to enjoy the day."

"Don't I know it," Fern agreed as she sat next to her, "so where you from?" "Ohio," Chesa shrugged, "...Worthington Ohio, to be specific. My mom got a job here so... I guess there wasn't much to worry about."

Fern regarded her with a confused look, "what do you mean by that?"

Chesa bit her lip and before she could answer, there were footsteps, accompanied by a snobby laugh. The two looked to see Veronica walking up to them with three other girls behind her.

"Looks like the new girl's being bothered by the freak," Veronica taunted with a smirk.

Chesa frowned and Fern rolled her eyes.

"Don't you have better things to be doing, Veronica?" Fern huffed, "like, I don't know. Shaking your hips for the entire football team?"

Veronica's eyes widened and she growled. She stepped towards Fern, reaching out to grab her by the shirt collar. "Listen here, you little-!"

Chesa grabbed Veronica's wrist. "I suggest you be careful with how you treat my friend," she hissed. Fern widened her eyes slightly and Veronica widened her eyes at Chesa.

Chesa glowered at the school bully. As far as she could tell, the other students were watching with mixed expressions of surprise, nervousness and curiosity. Some were even excited.

Anger flashed in Veronica's eyes and she yanked her wrist out of Chesa's grip. "Who do you think you are?!" She snapped.

"I'm simply the new student," Chesa replied calmly, crossing her arms, "and you're the girl who craves attention... when really, no one wants to even bother."

"Ooh," some students murmured. "Damn," another student chuckled.

Veronica gritted her teeth as her face burned. She glared at Chesa, "this isn't over."

She turned and stormed away with her friends following. Fern looked at Chesa, impressed.

"Never thought someone would actually stand up to that brat directly," she chuckled, "maybe that'll humble her."

"Yeah, well, my dad taught me to stand up for myself and other people," Chesa shrugged.

"Your dad sounds cool," Fern commented, her voice suddenly quiet. Chesa looked at her.

Fern was staring at the floor with a distant gaze.

"...he was cool," Chesa stated, making Fern look back at her, "you would've liked him. He was funny and caring. He told great stories about dragons and other fantasy creatures."

She smiled a little. Chesa returned the smile but Fern could see that she was sad too. The two nearly jumped when the bell rang.

Chesa looked at Fern, "guess that's the bell for our next class?"

"Yeah," Fern nodded, "just two more classes then we go home."

Chesa visibly relaxed and she let out a sigh of relief. Fern chuckled as she stretched her arms. She certainly couldn't blame the girl for wanting to go home so badly.

Fern pursed her lips before she looked at Chesa, "we can skip for a few minutes. Just until the final bell rings."

Chesa regarded the green-haired girl with a startled expression, "is that allowed?"

Fern chuckled and shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I've seen Veronica and her posse do it all the time. If they can do it, so can we."

Chesa bit her lip, weighing the risks and benefits of skipping class. But then she looked at Fern, who was grinning mischievously, and her resolve crumbled. "Okay, sure," Chesa said, trying to sound casual despite the thrill of rebellion that was coursing through her veins.

Fern whooped in excitement and grabbed Chesa's arm, pulling her out of the cafeteria and into the hallway. "Come on, let's find a place to hang out for a bit. I know just the spot."

As the two ran off the school grounds, Chesa's eyes sparkled with excitement and for once, she felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. The two girls made their way to a nearby wooded area.

The sound of gently flowing water grew louder and Chesa saw that they had arrived at a picturesque creek. She widened her eyes in amazement.

Fern chuckled as she skipped ahead, her green hair bouncing with each step. "Cool, huh? I come here to clear my head," she smiled at Chesa.

Chesa breathed in deeply, feeling the cool, damp air fill her lungs. She gazed around at the tranquil surroundings, taking in the smooth rocks, the gentle ripples on the water's surface and the vibrant greenery surrounding the two girls.

"It is beautiful," she agreed, a sense of peace washing over her.

Fern plopped down on a nearby rock, patting the spot beside her. "Come sit and take a load off. We can stay here until the final bell rings."

Chesa smiled and she nodded as she walked over and sat down next to Fern.

"So, what do you think of Ravenswood so far?" Fern asked, looking at Chesa with curious eyes.

Chesa sat down beside Fern, taking a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. "It's...different," she said finally. "I'm not used to all the drama and cliques. But I'm trying to stay open-minded."

Fern nodded sympathetically. "I know what you mean. Ravenswood can be pretty overwhelming at first. But there are some really great people here too. You just have to look beyond the surface."

Chesa looked at the water. She hummed softly and she leaned forward to touch the water's surface. Something glinted in the water and she blinked in surprise before she reached into the cool water and picked up a small, black stone. It was smooth.

Fern looked at Chesa before the two girls heard the final bell ring.

Sighing, Fern got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Well, we better head back before we get into trouble for worrying the teachers."

Chesa nodded and she got up. She put the stone in her pocket and the two girls hurried back to the school. Once they grabbed their bags, Chesa and Fern walked out onto the school steps.

"Do you wanna come over to my place?" Chesa asked her.

Fern raised her eyebrows in surprise before she smiled, "I'm afraid I'll pass for today. I've got some stuff to do."

"Aw, okay," Chesa said with a nod. Fern smiled as Chesa's mom's car pulled up.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ches," Feen chuckled. Chesa smiled as she nodded and she walked down the stairs, opened the car door and climbed into the car. She waved at Fern as the car drove away.

Fern smiled softly as she waved back. Her smile slowly faded and she let out a heavy sigh.

She looked around before she turned and started walking. Cars drove past as she walked down the street. She walked past a white and blue house. She could hear the sounds of cows mooing and she chuckled slightly at that.

She wasn't fond of farm animals since she had never been around them. The last time she was face to face with one was when she was a kid.

Fern sighed deeply and she rubbed the back of her neck. She looked around and she found herself in a clearing, far away from the house.

She smiled slightly and she set her bag down before she stretched her arms and cracked her neck a few times. She closed her eyes and exhaled.

A small green flame flew from her lips and a bright green light enveloped her. When the glow faded away, in Fern's place was a bright green dragoness. She had bright grassy green scales lined with dark blue streaks that trailed along her sides. She had silver wings and black back spikes and her eyes were a dark green.

The dragoness let out a soft growl before she spread her wings and she flew up into the air.