Maya's POV
"MOVE!" Just where I had been standing, a huge ball of fire burst, and Aria screamed.
With my dragon egg tightly gripped against my chest, I rolled to the side. The practice area was exploding. With their magic spinning out of control, kids were running everywhere. Chunks of ice fell from the roof, water flooded the floor, and lightning struck the walls.
"What's happening?" Aria was too busy with trying to control her own magic to notice my shout. The golden light that radiated from her hands continued to grow brighter.
She exclaimed, "I can't control it!" "My magic won't stop!"
Other students were having the same issue all around us. In the arena's corner, a tornado was being made by Tom's wind magic. The enormous wave created by Sarah's water magic was getting larger by the moment. Marcus, who was usually quiet, was unable to stop the lightning bolts from shooting out.
But me? I had no feelings. No power, no magic, nothing. As usual.
"Maya!" Beside me, Jake Storm appeared, his storm magic exploding around his hands. "We must leave this place!"
"What about everyone else?" I asked, observing my friends as they battled their uncontrollable powers.
Jake grabbed my arm and said, "Once the teachers arrive, they'll be all right." "But if we stay, we won't be!"
Just where we had been standing, a huge piece of stone fell. When I heard Aria scream, I stopped Jake's pull toward the exit. With her magic still blazing wildly, she was trapped beneath a fallen beam. It was painful to look at the bright light.
She screamed, "Help me!" "I am immobile!"
Jake pulled at my arm. "We must leave, Maya! The entire structure could fall."
I couldn't leave Aria, though. She was still my friend, despite the fact that she had recently been rude to me. I dodged more fallen stones as I ran toward her.
"What are you doing, Maya?" Behind me, Jake yelled.
I tried to raise the beam while kneeling beside Aria. It weighed too much. For someone like me who couldn't even use magic to light a lamp, it's way too heavy.
"I can't lift it," I uttered as my heart started to race. "It's too heavy!"
"Use your magic!" Aria took a sharp breath. "Use magic to break it!"
"I have no magic!" I replied with a shout. "I am unable to assist you!"
Aria's eyes widened. You don't have magic? What do you mean? Everybody is magical.
"Not me," I said, trying to raise the beam once more. "I'm just... normal."
I felt it then. There was a slight feeling of warmth in my chest, exactly where my dragon egg was. I nearly missed it because it was so tiny.
"Maya," a voice whispered. However, neither Jake nor Aria were the cause. My egg was the cause of it.
I stared down at it in disbelief. The egg had a luminous look. It was glowing, but only a little.
"Have you heard that?" Aria was asked.
Still straining beneath the beam, she said, "Hear what?"
This time the voice was clearer. "You do possess magic, Maya. It has been stopped by someone."
"Who is preventing it?" I spoke softly to the egg.
"The tea," the voice said. "The secret tea of Master Frost. Your magic isn't improved by it. It pilfers it."
I had the sense that lightning had struck me. For three months, Master Frost had been giving me special tea every morning, saying it would strengthen my magic. However, what if it had the reverse effect?
"Maya!" Jake showed up beside me. "What are you doing? We must leave."
I said, "My dragon egg is talking to me."
Jake looked at me as if I had gone crazy. "Until they hatch, dragon eggs don't speak."
"I understand, but mine is! It indicates to me that my power has been stolen by Master Frost."
"That's crazy," Jake stated. "Why would he do that?"
I heard heavy footsteps before I could reply. Three other teachers, including Master Frost, were running into the arena. They were all trying to control the chaos while glowing with magical power.
"Remain back!" Master Frost yelled at us. "This poses a risk!"
But I was suspicious of something in his voice. He didn't seem shocked by what was taking place. He sounded... ready.
"Students!" Master Frost's voice boomed out. "Calm down, everyone! There's a brief surge in your magic!"
"A surge?" I said it again. "What kind of surge?"
Across the arena, Master Frost's eyes met mine. I briefly thought they were scary. I felt sick to my stomach.
"Maya," he called. "Come here right now. You must have your morning tea."
"No," I answered, gripping my dragon egg more tightly. The feeling of warmth in my chest was intensifying. "I no longer want the tea."
"You have to have your tea, Maya. It is the sole factor keeping the stability of your magic."
I blurted out, "You're lying," before I could stop myself. "Aren't you stealing my magic?"
Master Frost froze. Every other teacher stopped their work and turned to face us.
Master Frost said slowly, "Maya, that's a very serious accusation." "Where did you get such an idea?"
I held up my bright egg and said, "My dragon told me."
A few educators let out a gasp. Master Frost's face turned pale.
"Impossible," he muttered. "Students without magic cannot hear dragon eggs."
As my egg glowed brighter, I said, "But I do have magic," feeling more positive. "My magic has always been there. You have been taking it from me."
"Maya," Master Frost whispered, his tone growing threatening. "Set the egg down and follow me." "Now."
"No."
"You're in real danger, Maya. Your young body cannot handle the power of your magic. The tea shields you from harm caused by your own power."
"Why do I feel stronger when I don't drink it if that's true?" I asked.
Master Frost remained silent. He simply gazed at me with those icy, menacing eyes.
Jake came forward at that point. "Maya's right," he stated. "Master Frost, I have been observing you. You serve some students special tea every morning. Additionally, those students become slightly weaker each morning."
"That's enough!" Master Frost yelled. "Come with me now, both of you!"
"Run, Maya," my dragon's voice pleaded. "Be quick, before it's too late."
Still confined by the beam, I glanced at Aria. I turned to face Jake, who was prepared to defend me. I turned to face Master Frost, who was approaching us while holding magic in his hands. And I decided.
I told Master Frost, "I'm not going anywhere with you." "And I will never again drink your tea."
"Maya," Master Frost uttered, his tone becoming eerily serene. "I'll have to take your egg away if you don't accompany me now. Forever."
"That's not possible!" "I said. " "It's mine!"
"Actually," said Master Frost, grinning icily, "I can. Until they hatch, all dragon eggs belong to the school. And it belongs to Sky Wing Academy because yours won't hatch without my assistance."
It felt like my heart was shattering. Don't take my egg, please. I have nothing else.
Master Frost extended his hand and said, "Then come with me." "I'll let you keep your egg if you drink the tea."
My dragon egg was still glowing softly in my hands as I glanced down at it. I felt stronger than ever before as the warm sensation in my chest spread.
"Maya," my dragon muttered. "I'll be by your side no matter what you decide."
I glanced up at Master Frost. "What if I refuse?"
"Then you'll be expelled from Sky Wing Academy," he stated. "And your egg will be ruined."
"Destroyed?" I let out a gasp.
Master Frost declared, "Dragon eggs that do not hatch are considered failures." "They've been disposed of."
My entire world seemed to be collapsing. Master Frost would continue to steal my magic if I accompanied him. He would kill my dragon before it could even hatch, though, if I didn't.
Master Frost said, "I'll give you ten seconds to decide." "Ten... nine... eight..."
I gripped my dragon egg tightly and closed my eyes. What should I have done?
"Seven... six... five..."
Abruptly, the sensation of warmth exploded in my chest. My dragon egg blazed with golden light as magic poured through my body like liquid fire.
My dragon's voice yelled, "Maya!" "NOW!"
"Four... three... two..."
When I opened my eyes, I saw Master Frost's avaricious hands grabbing for my egg.
"One."
But an amazing thing happened as soon as his fingers touched my egg. The most exquisite dragon I had ever seen burst out of the egg in a blaze of golden light as it cracked wide open.
My dragon spread its star-like wings and said, "Hello, Maya." "I've been looking forward to seeing you for a very long time."
Master Frost stumbled back, his face contorted in surprise and rage. "Not possible! "That egg shouldn't have hatched."
"Why?" With my newly hatched dragon resting on my shoulder, I inquired. "Because you were stealing my magic?"
"Because," growled Master Frost, "you're supposed to be too weak to bond with a dragon that powerful!"
I looked first at my dragon, then at Master Frost, and finally at all of the teachers who were ogling us in wonder.
I said, "I guess I'm stronger than you imagined."
Anger flared in Master Frost's eyes. "Maya Chen, you don't understand what you just did. For a kid like you, that dragon is much too strong. It will ruin you."
I said, "She won't destroy me." "She is my partner."
Master Frost raised his hands and said, "We'll see about that." His fingers sparked with magic, but this time it was different. darker. More scary.
"Maya," my dragon uttered anxiously. He is more than just a teacher. He is far worse than that.
"What do you mean?"
He is a thief of power. For years, he has been abusing students' power. He's going to try to steal me too now that I've hatched."
A shiver went down my back. "What do we do?"
"We run," my dragon uttered. "And until we're safe, we never stop running."
With his stolen power causing the air around him to shimmer with heat, Master Frost stepped toward us. "You're not going anywhere," he stated. "I now own that dragon."