"WATCH OUT!"

I ducked as something sailed over my head, the blade singing through the air as it passed. Lenna glanced over and yelped, jumping clear just in time to avoid being impaled.

"Elvy!" she yelled, the sword clattering to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. "You could've killed me!"

"It wouldn't have happened if Alberic hadn't moved out of the way," Elvy protested, bounding over. "That's his fault!"

Alberic rolled his eyes, lowering his sword. "If I hadn't moved, I would've been the one getting impaled."

"Better you than me," Lenna grumbled, crouching down to fix a buckle on her saddle. Her dragon stood calmly through all of this, gazing around at us with its gold colored eyes as if it found this entire interaction a waste of time.

"You're lucky you didn't hit Ezia," I warned him, referring to the ruby dragon in front of me. "Then you'd both be dead."

At the sound of her name, my dragon nudged me with her horned snout. I smiled and ran my hands down her neck.

"We should probably get back to training," Alberic said, glancing at the sun. "We only have the arena for a little bit longer, and the tournament's tonight."

"We're all well aware of that, Al," Lenna told him, leaping onto her dragon with the grace of a dancer. She reached back and pulled her frizzy blonde mass into a ponytail, giving her dragon an affectionate pat as Pazit tried to nip Lenna's foot.

"Trust me," I muttered, checking Ezia's saddle, "no one's more aware of that than I am."

"Oh please," Elvy said, rolling his eyes. "You're like Abilene, always worrying--no, not you," he said as his emerald green dragon poked her head at him, almost knocking him over. "I wasn't talking to you."

I stuck my foot into the stirrups and pulled myself onto Ezia's back, finding the familiar spot between her spines. As Elvy scrambled into his saddle, Lenna called, "Looks like you're the only one left, Al. Didn't you say something about training?"

Alberic grumbled, but ran a hand through his black hair, climbing onto Arno and sheathing his sword. "Fine. Let's go."

I gave Ezia a nudge, and we were off.

There's something about flying that's always exhilarated me, sending adrenaline and joy rushing through my veins. The wind on my face and under my hair, the chilling cold of the upper atmosphere, the beat of Ezia's wings in tune with my heart.

That is, until something heavy rammed into me.

"Hey!" I cried as Ezia fought to right herself. I glared over at Elvy, who gave me a sheepish grin.

"Sorry," he called. "Abilene had a bad morning."

"And you're going to have a bad day if you do that again," I grumbled.

Lenna laughed. "Careful, Elvy. Valerie's always a bit aggressive before a competition."

"You act like he doesn't know this already," Alberic said, dropping down to hover over us. "Wasn't it Valerie who broke his arm?"

"It was an accident!" I protested. "And it's not like you're any better. You gave Lenna a concussion!"

"He only hit me because I was distracted by my brother's screaming," she reminded me. "Which, as I recall, was because you broke his arm."

I huffed. "Aren't we supposed to be practicing?"

"Oh sure, now she wants to practice," Ableric said, rolling his eyes. "Well in that case, you go first."

I glared at him, then leaned close to Ezia. "You ready?"

I felt a reassuring hum, and I nudged her with my knees. "Dive."

My stomach dropped as Ezia plunged through the sky, bursting through clouds and getting steadily closer to the canopy below. I counted to three and pulled up as hard as I could.

My dragon swooped up, her wings like fire in the sunlight. She spiralled into the sky, one, two, three times before leveling out. Barrel roll, loop-di-loop and a swarm of sparks greeted us afterwards, making my skin burn wherever they touched. I closed my eyes and whispered, "Here goes."

I felt Ezia's chest warm up, and grow uncomfortably hot beneath my leather pants. I pulled my feet below me, and crouched on her saddle, arms out for balance. Gathering my courage, I leaped forward just as a bout of fire leapt from Ezia's mouth. She flipped upside down, caught me in her arms, covered me with her wings and twirled through the ring of flames.

I emerged to hear my friend's shouting praises, applauding as I hung from Ezia's talons. I grinned despite myself as Ezia dropped me lightly into Elvy's saddle, circling around so I could jump onto her again.

"I suppose we should just forfeit the competition now, right?" Elvy sighed, his voice heavy with mock disappointment. "Lenna, what do you think?"

"Oh definitely," she agreed with a shake of her head. "But maybe we should show them ours, just in case. Maybe we can score an honorable mention."

Both siblings grinned at each other, and dove.

As brother and sister, they got the option on doing a duet or solo performance. They both had their strengths, but were both equally stubborn and competitive. A Lelvy duet could either end in disaster, or shine like a star.

It definitely shone.

Pazit's golden scales and Abilene's emerald ones glimmered like gems as they twirled around each other, Lenna and Elvy leaping off hand in hand only to be thrown back into the air. Both siblings were lean and agile, thanks to gymnastics and martial arts training. They knew how to work together, and use the air around them to achieve nearly impossible feats.

They twirled and dove, Elvy and Lenna becoming airborne as often as not. The way they moved, you'd have no idea how constantly they were at odds with each other. It really was amazing.

Then the finale came. Abilene and Pazit flew straight towards each other, Elvy and Lenna crouching on their saddles. Abilene flew up, and they caught each other's wrists, Elvy flinging Lenna over his head and into his saddle. She somersaulted up, using her momentum to catapult Elvy over Adeline's side and straight onto Pazit, who had flown under just in time as Elvy flipped through a ring of fire and landed on his feet.

I whistled and Alberic pumped his fist into the air, shouting. Lenna and Elvy flew over to us, switching dragons with ease and grinning.

"Oh, yeah," Elvy said, shrugging. "Definitely an honorable mention."

I laughed and glanced over at Alberic. "You're turn."

He'd just opened his mouth to respond when a muffled horn bellowed from the distance. I looked back towards the peaked towers of the arena, where colorful flags were being hoisted into the air. I hadn't realized how late it was getting, but turning back to the west revealed the dazzling display of color that accompanied every Vivarian sunset.

"Looks like I'll have to go without practicing," Alberic said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. "Oh well."

Lenna and Elvy exchanged a glance, and even in the growing darkness I could tell they were nervous. Honestly, I couldn't blame them.

The Dragon Rider Tournament was the dream of every Rider Academy student; it could mean scholarships, a place in the army or--if you were good enough--even training with the highest mages in the country.

It was a big deal, and something we couldn't afford to mess up.

"Come on," I said, nudging Ezia forward. "We should get going."

We flew over the arena towards the stables, where our dragons would stay for the remaining hour until the competition. We passed several other riders and dragons alike, jewel colored scales turning rainbow shades in the torches perched on the walls.

Alberic and Elvy split off towards the boy's dormitories to change, and I followed Lenna. The tournament gear was simple: a tight-fitting shirt and pants, a belt and soft leather boots. I watched Lenna pull her hair back, huffing as she struggled to keep the frizzies in place. I decided to keep my dark hair down--it was shoulder-length anyway, so it wouldn't get in the way.

My heart was pounding as I followed Lenna back down the twisting stairs, passing the other girls and trying to ignore the nervous chattering. I'd been racking up practice hours ever since I signed up for this; I knew I was ready. But that didn't stop my nerves from jangling as I thought about all the judges staring at me, and everything that was riding on my performance.

Lenna glanced back and shot me a small smile. I tried to return it, reminding myself that I wasn't the only one whose career was riding on this.

We found the boys under the arena, where all the contestants were supposed to stay. It was a large, circular room, filled to the brim with Rider Academy students and dark, mahogany coffee tables. Flat lights were embedded in the ceiling, casting a yellow light over the chatter and couches that filled the space.

Elvy and Alberic were lounging on a sofa by the wall, playing some sort of board game. Like everyone else, they were dressed in black and brown riding gear.

Elvy caught sight of us first. "About time. We've been sitting here for hours, and there's only so many times Al can lose this game until he goes ballistic."

"I'm not losing," Alberic said, his blue-eyes gaze fixed on the board. "I'm strategizing."

Elvy snorted. "Sure."

"And it has not been hours," Lenna said, flopping beside her brother and causing the game to shift. "It's been a few minutes."

"I wish it were hours," I muttered.

"Come on, Val, where's your fiery fighting spirit?" Elvy asked, grinning as he moved one of his pieces. "I thought competitions were your thing."

I glared at him. "You're getting me confused with your sister."

He shrugged, ignoring Alberic's smug look and taking his turn. "Quite possibly."

Lenna opened her mouth to protest, but a bellowing horn drowned her words.

The room went silent as the announcer strode into the arena above us, his amplified words muffled through the stone. My heart started pounding. This was it.

A messenger girl came to the door, a clipboard in hand and a tiny microphone wrapping around her face. "Duos first, remember your numbers. If you miss your turn, you miss it. Janson and Jaina, you're up first. Elvy and Lenna on deck." She glanced up once and left.

My friends exchanged a glance. This was it.

"Welp," Elvy said, springing to his feet and stretching. "Time to go, I guess. Gotta have time to think up my honorable mention speech."

"I don't think you get a speech," Lenna told him, following as he walked towards the door.

"Sure I do," Elvy said. "Think I can teach Abilene her part in two minutes?"

Their voices faded as they turned the corner, into the hallway and out of sight.

I turned to Alberic, who was staring at their game with a resigned look on his face. "Who would've won?"

He sighed. "Him."

The duo performances passed in a blur, muffled cheers erupting from the stands. Lenna and Elvy's performance caused a particularly loud stir, and both me and Alberic celebrated from below.

I'd convinced Alberic to play a game with me to pass the time. As I stared at my moves, a familiar and all-too-unpleasant voice reached me from behind. "Sure you should be wasting this time playing chess?"

I glared back at Lyssa, a petite brunette with a surprising attitude for someone her size. "Why not? It's not like I need any training to beat you."

"Here I thought you would be writing your apology letter to the audience." She put her hands on her hips. "You know, for failing so badly and ruining the entire tournament."

"I don't think I'll be needing one," I said cooly. "But I'd be glad to write one up for you if you want."

Lyssa leaned in, her green eyes bright with rage. "You may think you're clever with your quick comebacks and natural talent, but I worked to get where I am. And I'd rather clean the stables for a year than let you take all that away from me, just because you have money and luck."

I stared her down, ordering the pangs of guilt to dissolve. She was right, of course. I knew how hard Lyssa had worked to be here. I knew this rivalry was partially my fault. But that was behind us, and the only thing that mattered was this competition.

The messenger was back, calling names and ordering people to hurry. I heard my name and stood, looking down at Lyssa with my arms crossed. "Good luck. May the best rider win."

I left without waiting for an answer.

I felt her glare at my back as I walked towards the door, not daring to turn and say goodbye to Alberic. Sooner than I thought, I was running my hands down Ezia's ruby scales, checking and rechecking the saddle buckles. All my nerves were gone. It was inevitable now. The only thing I could do was try my best.

I led Ezia through a large tunnel and waited outside a metal door, listening to the announcer. His words passed over me like water as I focused on my dragon's emerald eyes. She nudged me, and I smiled.

There was a large cheer and the door creaked open. Blinding lights filled my vision as I stepped out onto the arena, my boots kicking up dust and Ezia's talons making muffled clicks on the dirt. I blocked out the people, focusing only on the feel of leather, the warmth of Ezia and the chill of the night wind.

I took a deep breath and nudged Ezia into the sky.

Adrenaline rushed through me, pulsing as fast as my heartbeat while we looped and twirled, the stars becoming blurs and the wind turning to ice. I was focused on nothing but Ezia's breathing and her heart, the subtle movements of her wings and the muscles coiled beneath me. The burning sparks hardly reached me through my leather, becoming nothing but minor annoyances as I slitted my eyes against the wind. It was time.

Another deep breath, and a reassuring hum from Ezia. I could do this.

I stood and leapt. In the single second of darkness as Ezia's wings encompassed me, my heart pounded once, nerves firing in the brief moment of relaxation. Then, the cold air whipped my face and I was dangling in the air, the cheers below like thunder in the still night.

Ezia dropped me gently onto the arena floor, dust billowing up with her massive weight as she settled beside me. I couldn't help but grin. It didn't even matter what place I got anymore--the joy of the night was enough. 

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So, I wrote this for an English narrative, which was supposed to be about an experience that changed our life, but someone asked about fantasy and she said if you think you can do it, we're allowed to incorporate that, so I thought I'd give it a shot.