Rose's POV

I squeal in excitement. I feel Belvedere become slightly anxious, so I send reassuring feelings through our bond. I rush towards my basket and see that the two previously round eggs now have chips in them. I begin to grow nervous as the cracks start to widen. This continues for a couple of minutes until a matte-black baby dragon pops his head out of the egg.

"Artemis." I hear a whisper as a coincidental breeze blows by. Artemis, the older twin's name, was derived from the Greek Goddess Artemis of both the moon and hunt. The baby dragon snaps his head to me and I slowly reach out my hand. It doesn't move away, so I see that as a sign to continue approaching.

Because newborn dragons can be very confused when they first hatch, they may be violent at first. I calmly pick up the baby dragon and cradle it in my arms. It lays its head on my chest as I hold my dragon in a motherly way. A minute later, a bright gold dragon pops his head out of his egg.

"Apollo." I hear another whisper. Apollo, the younger twin's name, was derived from the Greek God Apollo of prophecies and music. His name is recognized as a symbol of light, the sun. Shifting Artemis's weight into my right arm, I slowly reach out for my second baby. I pick him up reassuringly, and cradle him just as his brother. I noticed that the exact moment that Artemis looked at me, the night dimmed a darker color. Then, when Apollo looked at me, the sky ever so slightly brightened. I cradle my baby dragons, rocking them gently back and forth in a soothing way.

I turn around and look at the four dragons who witnessed the whole thing. I turn towards Belvedere specifically.

'Here are your brothers Belvedere.' I smile at my first companion. 'Artemis is on the right, he is older by 1 minute and 26 seconds. Apollo is on the left, but they weigh the same.' I say through mind-link.

'Apollo, Greek God of the sun.' Oceanus mutters.

'Artemis, Greek Goddess of the moon.' Ampiere states.

'Fitting isn't it?' I chuckle. I notice that Belvedere's eyes have never left the figures of the baby dragons asleep in my arms. 'Belvedere, are you alright?' I ask slightly concerned.

'I've always wanted siblings.' He breaks out into what I think is a smile. 'I have two brothers!' He says happily. I smile brightly, Belvedere's acceptance makes this whole situation 10 times easier.

'Um, what do I do now?' I ask Oceanus.

'They will most likely be attached to you for a couple of days. Many new dragons are clingy to their riders when they first hatch. They should probably sleep with you tonight.' He replies. I feel that Belvedere is apprehensive and based on his thoughts, he doesn't really want to let them out of his sight. I nod, already knowing what I am going to do.

I place my sleeping twins in the basket, then gather the rest of the supplies I used to bathe Belvedere and carry the buckets in my arms. We get to the stables and I close the gates of all the other dragons. When I enter Belvedere's stable making no move to leave, he asks me what I am doing.

'I'm spending the night.' I shrug. My companion asks me why.

'I already have the pillows and blankets, plus I know that you didn't really want to let the twins leave your sight. And because they are clinging to me, I am sleeping in your stable for the next couple of nights to make the transition easier.' I reply.

I set down the pillows and blankets, making it into a makeshift bed. I face Belvedere from where he is laying down and kiss him on the forehead. I set down my head wear into the basket so I do not ruin it and gently pick up my babies. I snuggle them into the blankets with me, and they both instinctively cuddle into my chest.

"Goodnight my loves." I whisper to my companions.

'Goodnight little one.' Belvedere replies, yawning. I shut my eyes, allowing the faint honey scent of my majestic dragon lull me to sleep.

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I shift slightly, trying to wake myself for the day. My lungs feel restricted because I feel as if two large weights lay atop my chest. When I open my eyes, I see my baby dragons cuddled up on either side of me. I do a double take to reassure that my eyes are not playing tricks on me. Last night, Artemis & Apollo were both the size of older cats, they are now the size of very large adult dogs. (think of adult sized Great Danes)

"Wake up young ones." I shake awake the twins. They groggily wake up and shift their bodies from me to the ground. I have awaken earlier so that I have enough time to go back to my dorm, get ready, and eat breakfast. I shake out the pillows and blankets, returning them to the basket in the stable corner. I am very glad that I added lights on the stable pillars because if not, I would have a very hard time seeing everything in the darkness.

Kissing Belvedere good morning on his head, I walk out of his stable carrying all of my washing supplies, the two baby dragons following me. I close his gate and make my way out of the stables. I say good morning to Oceanus and a few other dragons, being that they are already up. I feel a chill run down my legs, I really should have not worn my compression shorts to sleep.

I finally reach my dorm and welcome it's warmth when I open it. I put away all of the supplies I used and follow my morning routine. The twin brothers follow me around everywhere I go, and even wait outside of the bathroom door when I am taking my shower. I step out fully dressed. Because I got all of my Level 1 items, excluding my dragon riding one, I am going to where solid black today. I am wearing solid black compression shorts and a thin strapped cropped tee. I throw my hair up into a high ponytail and throw on the rest of my items and weapons. I also don't forget to put on the ankle weights that Mr.Howard gave me yesterday, goddess knows I don't need one of his punishments.







For the first time since I've received the gift, I decide to put Adele's heirloom with my other prized possessions. I place it on my jewelry stand right next to my amulet. I put my sketchbook in my backpack for later and double check that everything is set for the day. Guiding Artemis and Apollo out of my dorm, I wake up Oliver and Jake, then head to breakfast. After grace, we catch up on everything that happened yesterday, Tony double checking that I have enough food on my plate before beginning to eat his.

"What is your name cutie?" I ask Ryder's dragon.

"His name is Zephyr, a water breed." Ryder tells me. I nod my head, showing my twins some affection. I cock my head towards Daniel and Danny.

"This is Sheila," Daniel points to the dragon in his lap. "And this is Sam." he motions towards the dragon on his twin's lap.

"Twin girls!" I squeal. "Well, this is Artemis and this is Apollo." I introduce.

"Are they both yours?" Jaxson questions.

"Yup, twin brothers of unidentifiable breeds." I respond, petting them both. Now that I am done eating, I notice that my dragons are severely larger than my friends'. "When did they hatch?" I question them.

"30 minutes ago." The twins say in unison.

"Early this morning." Ryder responds. They must be more powerful considering they hatched within 24 hours of being paired. "How about you?" He asks me.

"Last night when I was washing Belvedere." I shrug. The table goes silent.

"You mean to tell me that within 8 hours of getting your companions, they hatched?" Danny asks in shock. I nod.

"So what did you do in your elemental class?" I shift the attention from me to Oliver.

"Same as Andrea, go over expectations, feel out our element, talk about the class itself." He responds.

"Well, I for one can say that Dance is going to be the highlight of my day." Mikey says. We talk about his abilities, making him promise to show me a dance sometime soon. I look over the cafeteria and see Headmaster Jackson beckon me over. I excuse myself from my friends, my dragons trailing me.

"Yes Headmaster?" I ask.

"The masters you fought with during your placement test have requested to personally train you part time. Would this be something you are interested in?" He asks. I say yes immediately. "Good, starting next week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you will meet in a designated spot with each of the masters during the specific elemental class period. This is so that you can receive one on one training and view different styles of teaching." He informs me. I nod, walking back to my table when he dismisses me.

"What was that about?" Jake asks. Tony nods, also wanting to know.

"He informed me that I will be getting some personal training with my elements on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting next week." I reply honestly. One reason why I have such strong friendships with so many people is because we do not hold silly secrets from each other.

"That's so cool! If you don't mind, can I take you up on that offer you made yesterday?" AJ asks.

"Of course, I'm interested to see what you've been working on." I say. I double check to see that my twins have eaten their meals. They must have been famished from hatching yesterday because their bowls are wiped clean of food. When I notice the time, I bid my friends farewell and walk to class with AJ.

"So brief me on what you are working on." I tell him. He nods.

"My powder is solely plant based. It's supposed to act as an energy booster or fertilizer for the plants. When a nature wielder grows let's say a rose, they take out the nutrients and rearrange it is that the rose seed has enough energy to sprout. My goal is to have this powder work almost as a back up generator. It will be the backbone of the plants' energy." AJ briefs. I nod absorbing his words.

"Materials?" I inquire.

"Magnesium Phosphate, water, vitamin E grinds, aloe vera grinds, ginger and lavender grinds." He says, continuing on by telling me the amount he is using for each material. We walk into class, getting situated.

"I think I know what your problem is. I understand why you would add lavender grinds, but it's healing properties clash with those of the ginger properties. Because ginger is more important and has greater beneficial nutrients, replace the lavender grinds with english marigold grinds. Then reduce the amount of those grinds by 0.7 grams." I voice. AJ nods, writing down what I said.

"Alright class, today will just be a continuation of yesterday. So, you may proceed with your substances, and if you've finished, read the first 20 pages of your textbook." Miss Celeste orders. AJ goes to work on his powder while I pull my textbook out of my backpack. Before I begin reading, I contact Belvedere. I am affectionately petting my babies while we converse.

'Good morning sleepy head. How are you?' I ask.

'My sleep was great, thank you for asking. Also, thank you for spending the night in my stable, it made me feel more at ease.' Belvedere responds.

'Of course, would you mind if I spent the next couple of nights there as well? Or maybe just make it a weekly tradition in general?' I question.

'I wouldn't mind at all little one. I am pleased that you will be spending as much time with me and the younglings as you can.' He responds. I greet Ampiere and Nightshade good morning too, then get on with my reading. I just close the textbook after reading till page 46 when AJ crushes me into a tight hug. He picks me up off my chair and twirls me in the air.

"You're a genius! Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!" He laughs, finally setting me down.

"What did I do?" I chuckle, noticing that we have the class's attention.

"What did you do?!? You fixed my powder!" AJ pulls me into another hug. I just laugh at his happiness, glad that I could help. When we settle down, he hands me a vial of a bright orange looking powder. "I made excess so that you could have a vial as well, after all, you did make it work." He tells me.

I thank him, getting him to tell me everything I need so that I could write it down in my journal. After finishing writing down the purpose, equation, and trials, I set my journal back in my bag. I take out my sketchbook instead and begin sketching a couple of designs. AJ peers over my shoulder and asks me what I am doing.

"I am sketching a rough draft of a couple of designs I can add to my weapons, and a design of my Level 1 dragon riding item." I tell him. Lucas approached me this morning stating how Marcus and Trent want to know my idea for my personalized item by the time I get to their class.

"May I?" AJ asks. I hand him my sketchbook and he begins flipping the pages from the beginning. When he is done, he stares at me in shock. "I recognize some of the places as the ones I recommended for you. This is extraordinary, I knew that you were talented but this is just ... it's actually inspiring." He stutters out.

"Thank you, I really appreciate the compliment." I politely respond, blushing at his words. I have never been one to accept compliments well or bask in the attention purposefully.

"Alright everyone, the bell will sound in just a minute. Tomorrow we will go over the way different herbs affect energy. Good work these past two days, I see potential in many of you." Miss Celeste tells us, her gaze landing between me and AJ. The bell rings just as Miss Celeste said, and I wish AJ goodbye.

I gather my things and walk out of the class with my dragons right behind me. I get to my Nature Manipulation class and sit in my seat. I get everything I need for the day ready and absentmindedly talk to Artemis and Apollo, waiting for the class to begin.

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