Author's Note

Hey, guys. It's me again.

This chapter was taken down by me due to a few people who had given me good criticism regarding the quality of the story. I had gotten help from an editor and a proofreader who checked over the whole chapter to where it sounded smoothly.

I apologize for the long wait, and hope you enjoy the newly rewritten chapter!

My "Other" Self

Dear diary,

Over the past couple of years, I’ve finally made great progress in improving my grades in high school. I don’t know if what I’ve been doing so far is going to help me get into my dream schools, but I hope to continue to give it my all and ensure my success when classes are done.

Some of the teachers have told me that my grades should definitely give me the chance at any high-ranking college and university in the country, but I feel like I’m doubting myself in wondering which one I should enroll in. There are so many roads for me to choose from, but only one that I can walk on.

Got to decide soon. Time is scarce with how much I have left in school. I can only hope that the right choice I make in my career will be the best one for me. Either being a musician in music theory, or maybe just becoming a school teacher. There can be other paths for me to take, but these are the only ones I feel passionate for. If it happens, I can’t wait to meet Adele!

Your best friend,

Victoria Alex

A sigh escapes me as I lay on my bed, having my diary in hand, pen in the other.

“What am I going to do with my life?”

I continue to ask this question over and over again. My mom tells me that I need to go into the business field to ensure that I live a good life. I don’t like to, so she continues to add pressure on me, telling me that music isn’t going make me a proper ‘salary’. Since her side of the family has continued staying in the business field and not thinking to break away into something that might be a more suitable path than in uniform from generation to generation, I decide to be the first of many.

Business is always this and that with her. I have to make the decision on my own record, but she hasn’t stopped adding more pressure with how long I have left in high school.

And I can’t stand her for it! Why does she always have to try to control me like I’m some type of puppet for her? Why can’t she understand that business sucks ass and that nobody in the damn world wants to do that? If she thinks I’m just going to get on my knees for this, she’s dead wrong. Because I know that out there, people have made it to the top and I plan on being one of them.

Being overconfident when it comes to looking at what my parents work in isn’t overbearing. I mean, my dad’s a fucking plumber. Why would I be into shit? And I’ve been told that some kids didn’t like working in the jobs their parents were in too. One of my friend’s mom works construction and tries to get her into that. I still remember shaking her hand after two months of that and her hands were hard as a rock! So it’s really important that I don’t fall into that category being stuck in something that I don’t like.

I close my diary and get the key from the drawer beside my bed, locking it safely away from prying eyes, to the point of making sure that it won’t be too obvious for my parents to uncover. Sometimes, you just have to keep things under a lock and key to ensure no one knows of your secrets.

Looking up to the ceiling, going through the stipple pattern of it tells me there hasto be something for me to do today. It’s Saturday, one of the two days I’ll ever get away from school. One of the best days. Sundays aren’t enjoyable, that’s just the first school night to another gruelling week in high school.

“... I’m bored.”

I get off the bed and make my way to the door, opening it to be met with warm air. Living in Hawaii, I can say that it hasn’t gotten as hot this week. The last several weeks have been boling, but it looks like this time hasn’t been blistering.

Closing the door behind myself, I casually meander around in the front yard and just enjoy the weather. At least I’m one of the few kids out there who so happens to love nature and not get too fixated on Facebook. It’s good to distance myself from what goes on, even from the drama that blows up on it. Not like I would want to get involved in it. Let the people who start the drama get destroyed from their own crap. It’s cool if I feel like talking to my friends on it, but it can get boring because that’s all I do. I stay in my room during my free time and waste my weekends with it.

That and when I have to get my projects done for my classes, the ten thousand word essays and all that. You know, bullshit.

Now that I think about it, there’s going to be a big project for my math class in Statistics coming up soon. God help me that I don’t bomb it. With my assigned savior, someone has to tell the story of who achieves more for the same credit! I hate free-riders who won’t put any effort to ensure everyone in the group doesn’t get their grades obliterated in the end. If one student doesn’t do anything, it affects everybody else. I’m holding a high ‘B’ in the class, and I just can’t afford to see my grade go down just because someone wants to be ignorant. We can’t have two failures! That’ll be a recipe for disaster. And I don’t want to fail even one class.

I drop back first on the grass and brush it off, closing my eyes to the warm rays to let my mind be at peace, enjoying precious time away from my life as a high school Senior.

Feels good.

One hour later…

My mom called me on my phone, saying she has to work overtime due to some employees calling off sick. Well, at least that actually brings me some more time in being alone. I’m not even expecting Dad to come home. Might be working late on a shit pipe or something at the neighbor's house.

I don’t have anything against my parents, but they always seem to care more about their jobs than me. We’re in good financial standing. It’s not like we’re in a big black hole and trying to crawl our way back to the surface. So, why aren’t we connecting?

Ok, maybe I’m stretching it just a little bit. But the point is, I just hope they’ll come to a realization that family is more important than work.

The sun is slowly going down in the horizon. Leaning against one of the lush trees in the yard, I remember when I used to persuade my parents to let me stay outside a little longer, wanting to enjoy the gorgeous sunset. Don’t know why, but that was my obsession back then. I guess we all have our own piece of nostalgia for things we like most in life.

Okay, time to go back in!

I walk back to the door of my house, but before twisting the knob I notice the mail truck coming from down the street and stopping in front of my house, specifically UPS. Must be something mom or dad ordered.

Eh, wouldn’t hurt picking it up. I turn around toward the deliverer and meet him halfway at the walkway, spotting a small cardboard box in his hand, scanner in the other. Did my parents buy something for me?

Getting closer, he doesn’t seem to notice me coming toward him while looking at his scanner. I decide to make contact with him first.

“Aloha!” He flinches from my soft voice and lifts his head up to see me, surprised. Pretty funny how he got so.

“Oh!” He says, chuckling. “I didn’t see you coming.”

I roll my eyes, smiling. “Well, I can assure you I’m no ghost.”

Looking down at the brown box in his hand, my curiosity grows. “What’s the box for?”

“Oh? This?” He looks at it. “This!” He looks at the label. Come on, dude.

“Are you by any chance ‘Victoria Alex’?”

Hesitant with my words, I answer. “... Yes, that’s me.” Did my parents actually buy me something? Is this a sign that they might actually be caring for me more? Hooray?

“Phew! I wanted to make sure that I didn’t screw up with delivering packages to the wrong house again.”

Again?

“I ended up doing that one time and I became paranoid in double-checking addresses and names of people.”

My goodness.

“Well, since you’re here,” he hands over the box to me and I recieve it, signing my name off his scanner.

“Might want to be extra careful with that box.” He warns, getting back in his brown truck. “It might be glass or something.”

I giggle. Now he warns me about it? “Thanks for the heads up. Have a good evening!”

“You, too.” He drives off down the road, hopefully to succeed his delivery once again. Good luck to him.

I look at the parcel, trying to figure out what’s in it. ‘What did my parents buy for me?’ I thought. Not wanting to waste any more time, I go back into the house and go to the kitchen to get a small knife from one of the drawers.

Going back to my room and closing the door, I sit on my bed with the knife tightly gripped in my right hand, cutting through all the tape that keeps the box secure. Through the last piece of tape, I open up the sides to see a light blue box inside. Judging by how small it is, it looks more like for jewelry or perfume. Probably a necklace or a ring, rather than perfume. Thanks, my wonderful parents!

Ugh, I wish it was a guitar.

I take the box in hand, tossing the cardboard overboard. The brand name for it and its motto in the center takes my interest.

Dragona Jewelry

Unleash the fire from within!™

“Dragona Jewelry?” I say to myself, raising an eyebrow. “Never heard of this company before.” I practically know almost all jewelry companies in existence, but this one is new to me. Must be a new company that opened up for business sometime ago.

“Hmm...” I take the lid off the box and am surprised to see what’s under it. It’s a necklace, but… I can’t seem to figure what to think of it.

It displays an ember gemstone in the center of what looks like a dragon wrapped around it. The dragon has eyes the same color as the gemstone, the expression on its face showing aggression. Dark and light blue makes for the outer scheme, with spikes from front to back... Its beautiful to say the least. Clearly a work of art, but this doesn’t look like it’d be something my parents will spend money on for me to have.

Deciding it won’t hurt, I take the necklace out the box, the gemstone glowing bright like fire. I can almost see what looks like fire inside. I put the necklace around my neck quickly, getting off the bed to get to my dresser on the opposite side of the room; seeing how it is definitely the perfect fit for me, I have to see how it looks overall.

Clean cuts and smooth edges makes this necklace astonishingly beautiful. I’m not sure what everybody in school is going to think when I show them this, but I’m for certain that this will definitely catch attention.

I shake my head, telling myself to not go on bragging about it. Not like everyone will have something like this coming their way; some of the school kids come from poor parts of Libertywing. I’m just glad my family and I aren’t in that crappy situation.

I try to think of something else, looking back in the mirror… and gasp from what I find within.

A dragon.

Taking a few steps back from the mirror, the dragon happens to copy my every movement perfectly. I’m taken aback by this, at the point of testing to see if it will follow me when going forward, and when naturally swinging my arms.

I start to walk towards the mirror, seeing how the dragon is walking in complete sync with me. I get back to where I stand, seeing this… dragon in the reflection.

I... I don’t even know how to comprehend this. This isn’t natural! The dragon doesn’t look like some ordinary Toothless, or your next Spyro. Instead, it walks on two legs just like a person does. This dragon looks exactly like the one on the necklace, but this one has two white horns that are on the sides of its head.

The drake seems to be more ‘furry’ scaled due to how its displayed. It doesn’t have anything on to cover her scalie body. Her breasts look to be the same size as mine. I raise my hand to see the dragon following suit. It appears to show the exact number of… claws? Sitting on my bed, raising my leg up to see the dragon continue to do what I am doing proves fruitful to my curiosity. Its feet consists of three toe claws, eyeing how sharp they are to easily kill someone. And it even has purple wings!

As I stand back up and turn my body to the right, it appears to also have a long tail, the tip of it having blue hair. And it has some thick thighs, too. I walk around a bit more, taking in more detail, the muscular build showing off for the most part.

If I am thinking of this correctly, maybe the necklace is trying to go through my mind to figure out what my desires are. I always want to add a little more muscle to my body, something to at least attract boys. That can be what the necklace is trying to analyze or something. Another one coming loose; perhaps the necklace is trying to show a parallel universe that might be of me in dragon form.

But that’s just a theory. A dragon theory.

Minutes feel like hours as I simply look at my ‘other’ self in the mirror. Every time I blink my eyes, the dragon does it at the same time. This feels like a dream, but its not.

There’s something that comes to mind when looking at the drake. As an old saying that my dad once told me.

‘Seeing is believing.’

I want to see if there’s anything else I should do to get a better understanding of this dragon. But suddenly, I hear the front door opening from in the living room. It makes me turn my head to hear the sound of someone walking in the hallway close to my room.

“Victoria!” That’s my mom calling out to me. I must’ve been too fixated on the dragon that I just wasn’t able to hear the sound of her car coming in!

I take off the necklace and put it back in the blue box, sliding it and the parcel under my bed to prevent it from being seen. I hope she doesn’t find it. Otherwise, I’ll have to explain to her what I got... maybe she’ll already know about it if she and my dad are involved.

Once I got that taken care of, I walk over to the door and open it to see her having almost done so herself.

“Hey, Mom!” I say with a sheepish smile. “Sorry for not knowing you were coming home. I was…” I try to make a good excuse to her. “... listening to some music on my laptop.”

She seems to buy into my lie and responds. “It’s okay, Victoria.” She tries to cool herself down. “I need to tell you that me and your dad are going to be super busy for next week.” She continues to elaborate.

“You’re probably going to be alone more often than usual. He called me and said that he has to attend a conference with the rest of his co-workers. Some sort of meeting they have to be in for the next couple of days. I seem to be in the same predicament as well.”

If you don’t unclog a toilet, you’re both fired?

“It’s fine, Mom.” I try to not to sound like I am angry, to which I am. “I can watch over myself without a problem.”

She’s clearly the type of person I’ve known to try and set everything straight with, no matter if its showing manners or anything else. But really, I sorta rebelled against her a few times when I was younger. But, at least I know how to not show a temper tantrum against her or my dad.

I can tell by her expression that she knows that I’m not trying to show any signs of anger. However, it seems this time she doesn’t say anything else to me. Instead, she walks away from where I stand, heading back to the living room without anything else to say.

An annoyed sigh escapes my lips low enough that she can’t hear. She treats me like I don’t know any better. I may be a teenager, but at least I know how to do things on my own without her help nor dad’s.

Looking behind me, I notice that my alarm clock shows 10:34 PM. I’m not surprised that it's night already, given the fact that I’ve sat in my room all evening seeing myself as a literal dragon in a magic mirror on a wall. I look at the mirror again to see the dragon no longer there, just my usual self. Where did it go? Did it just get frightened when my mom started talking?

It’s a good time to just go to sleep and think about the crazy moment. Me getting a necklace from a company that I never heard of and with it showing me a dragon in my mirror? That’s pretty good.

I put my pajamas on and turn the lights off, getting into my covers to slumber. What will tomorrow bring me?

I don’t know, but I can’t wait to wear this necklace again!