I felt like a 21st-century Cinderella. The windows were tinted; not that I had an urge to look outside anyway. I took a seat next to Sammy as I struggled to tear my eyes away from the finer details of the carriage. Someone had hand-stitched the black couches and the soft dark brown velvet that bedecked the walls gave the carriage a warm ambience.
Master Longwei took a seat right next to Becky. Our eyes met as mine wandered to the ceiling.
“So, I heard that you solved the Chef's riddle last night.”
I nodded and let out a tiny shriek as the carriage lifted off the ground. I grabbed the safety belt and buckled up.
“Do you like riddles?” He tried to take my mind off the turbulence, but my hands still tightened up into fists.
"Not really," I spoke fast as the carriage started to stabilize itself once again.
I took a deep breath but didn't unclench my fists.
“She got the answer on the first try. We were complaining about the horrible food when she just blurted out the answer,” Becky said.
“Speak for yourself, I like Chef's cooking,” Sammy snapped.
“You mean those disgusting leaves you're always eating?”
“Vegetarian is a life choice.”
“Sammy, you're the first dragon I know that's a vegetarian.”
Sammy stuck out her tongue at Becky.
“My intuition tells me Chef is going to make a lot of junk food,” Master Longwei said.
I just smiled nervously.
As the turbulence returned I began to wish the ride would end. I closed my eyes tight. Elm had better be worth this horrible ride. A soft nudge in my rib cage made my eyes fly open. I saw Sammy nodding earnestly toward the exit.
Becky crouched in front of me and shook her head as she prepared to disembark.
We landed in the woods near a narrow path. My eyes automatically searched for what had pulled the carriage. I should've known I would find: two big-ass dragons.
I quickly followed the others down the path to a small village. We didn't have to wait long before a tram came into sight. "You have normal transport too?" I asked half mockingly.
Sammy giggled, and Becky ushered me onto the tram. The conductor greeted Master Longwei with a firm handshake, and they started to talk. For the first ten minutes I tried to figure out whether the conductor was a dragon or not, but curiosity vanished the minute we entered the city.
It reminded me of New York mixed with Venice. People walked on the sidewalks with dogs, and a few even drove around in little mobile carts. We passed a fountain where a couple was tossing in loose coins. Next to the fountain, an artist worked his magic on an easel, reproducing the beautiful scenes around him.
Shops started flashing by, and the streets buzzed with more and more people. As the road narrowed, I was surprised to see more conventional transport: bicycles and motorcycles. A touch of home.
The tram came to a halt in front of a big mall with coffee shops dominating the area around it. People drinking coffee and reading newspapers occupied the sidewalk tables. When others greeted Master Longwei ubiquitously, he simply nodded and smiled back politely.
“Give,” Becky said, hand open and her palm facing up.
“Oh no, I am not going to be fooled this time, young lady. Here is money. My credit card isn't safe between the two of you,” he said. I sensed this wasn't the first time he'd asked Becky to run errands for him. He gave her paper money that had horizontal patterns printed on them. “I will meet you by the carriage at three o'clock. Three o'clock, Rebecca.” He gave her a knowing stare with his eyebrow arched, letting us know he meant it. “Good luck, Elena.” He smiled and then walked toward one of the coffee shops.
Becky grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the store with the same name that was on the label of my jeans: Twiggs.
“If you buy from Twiggs you will never be out of fashion,” Sammy explained excitedly. “Lucky for you, Becky has a good eye for what goes together and what doesn't.”
“Thank you girl.” Becky glowed from Sammy's compliment as we entered through a revolving door.
Inside the store was a nightmare. I had never changed so many times in one day, but I have to admit, Becky did have an eye for fashion.
As the pile of clothes on the counter grew, I began to worry whether we had enough cash or not, but the three bills offered to the cashier seemed to do the trick.
Sammy carried most of the bags, which looked so unnatural.
I thought we were done and was walking back toward the coffee shops, when Becky pulled me into another store. “Weatherly's and Co.” was written in big green letters above the door.
“This is Lucian's favorite store,” Becky said, and her smile made me wonder if she didn't have a thing for him. Not that I blamed her.