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“The Ramons attempted to procure one for Erik, but they bonded with the little boy. Mr. Enzo acquired Citrine for Erik.”
“Ah. Your sponsor.”
I nodded.
The test administrator grabbed his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and tapped the screen before holding it to his ear. “Mr. Acri? I’m Geraldo Jacorez, and I’m—” The gold dragon blinked. “Kinsley passed with a perfect score. I’m actually calling about receiving a confirmation of her household. I have been told there is a second carbunclo, and that you acquired the animal for?—”
Having met Enzo Acri, I had no doubt the black dragon peeled the gold dragon’s scales with the power of his voice alone. While I found him to be plenty patient with me, I’d witnessed when someone had wasted his time, and he’d transformed from a pleasant enough grouch to comparable with my parents when at their worst. Five minutes later, the test administrator hung up.
“Well, that was interesting.”
“Did you get a lecture about antagonizing the baby hatchlings, the sanctity of carbunclo, or how fabulous Erik is? Because according to Mr. Acri, Erik is fabulous.” I had no idea why the black dragon clan leader had such a crush on Erik, but my yellow dragon had the entire black dragon clan wrapped around his finger. “And don’t get me wrong. Erik is fabulous.”
I wouldn’t have been willing to sacrifice so much for anyone else. Accepting that might lead to a few uncomfortable conversations. I struggled to acknowledge my gentler feelings. I would begin that journey as soon as Erik was off work and we had a chance to talk.
“A little of everything,” he admitted. “I would apologize, but I’m just doing my job—and the point of testing in is to make sure that the applicants won’t be causing major problems in our city while giving them new opportunities.”
I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture. “I understand. Just remember that anxiety is a real thing a lot of us anonymous folks suffer from. And this test is important to them.”
“Oh, we know. We do monitor and take care with that—and we monitor how anxious people are during the test, track which questions bothered them, and if it’s a lack of knowledge issue, we help them. We noticed you’d had a bit of a stumble on one of the questions.”
“I wasn’t expecting the question, so it took me by surprise.” I shrugged. “I just had to reread the question a few times to understand what was being asked of me. I just know that’s hard to do when anxious.”
“It’s all about perspective. Please wait here, and we’ll officiate your chosen name. I will text you with a confirmation when you can take your driver’s test and get your proper identification. It usually takes two to five business days to process.”
In Miami, I would have been waiting three to six months. “Thank you. It’s appreciated.”
* * *
Sunday, May 10, 2167
The Diamond Ward
Dragon Heights, Wyoming
My mother and father bickered on the steps in front of Erik’s work, and nobody was brave enough to stop them. I observed the mayhem with a grin while cradling Peridot, who failed to understand why my parents argued.
Garnet dozed on the step beside me with Tourmaline. Upon being released from the testing session, the pair had gone on a romp, run out of energy, and required me to carry them everywhere.
“That’s how they confess their love, Peridot. You’ll get used to it. There’s nothing the matter, I promise.”
The carbunclo squeaked at me, and then he mewed, the kind I recognized from Garnet as an expression of curiosity. I considered what might confuse a young kitten before saying, “They get bored easily, and I’m making them wait for Erik to get off work. They wanted to go buy clothes for me. Until we have somewhere larger, I don’t have anywhere to put even more clothes.”
My mother stomped her foot. “You could have let us plan your wedding.”
“I promised Erik a gaudy proposal. He gets a chance to have his gaudy proposal before you get to plan any weddings.”
With a dramatic sigh, she flung herself at my father and feigned fainting from distress. My father raised a brow and observed while my mother oozed to the sidewalk to flop and roll over his feet. She wrapped herself around his legs and whined over the cruelty of it all.
“When are you going back to Miami?”
“Eventually. We want to witness the gaudy proposal.”
As Erik would want my parents in attendance along with his family, I foresaw drama and personal suffering in my near future. “I question why I agreed to the gaudy proposal.”
“You love him,” my mother informed me.
After settling Peridot with Garnet, I stomped over, placed my hands on my hips, and leaned over to glare at my mother before imitating her and stomping my foot. “While true, you didn’t have to say it.”