Chapter 1

I sat up with a start, sweat streaming down my arms and forehead. I was still shaken from what my brain had concocted to keep me from the sweet embrace of slumber. I wiped my hand over my forehead and checked the time. It was 7:30 AM. I woke up every weekday at 7:30, but today was Saturday, so I didn’t understand why I was awake so early. Still groggy, I got out of bed and rubbed my eyes, yawning slowly. I pulled the covers back over the bed to make it look a little orderly. Scales began to sneak up my arms, a result of my lack of concentration and control of emotion. I took a deep breath, centering myself in my own body, and watched as the scales slowly became human skin on my left arm. My right arm always looked covered in scales, I couldn’t control that, and I never knew why. I could become a full dragon if I wished, but for now, I have a few limited remains, including my right arm, left leg, tail, and ears, as well as my teeth, which permanently include fangs. Doctors have tried to figure out the reason why these areas stay the same, but none have figured it out. No one even knows how they began to form. I can’t remember. At one point, I was a perfectly normal girl, but now, me and 50% of the population have some kind of deformity like mine. No one knows why some of us are different and some aren’t.

Aiko knocks on my door.

“Sachiko? Are you awake yet? I hear rustling up here.”

“Yes, Aiko. I’m awake.”

“Good, I was worried there was somebody else in the house. How come you’re awake this early?”

“I don’t know. I want to sleep.”

“Me too, Sachiko. Sometimes we get pulled out of bed for something important we don’t even know is happening.”

“I just want to sleep.” Aiko laughs at this remark.

“Well come downstairs, Sachi, I’ll make you some Kohi and Shio Onigiri.”

“Thank you, Aiko.”

“Of course, Sachi.” I hear footsteps down the stairs as she leaves. Aiko is my half-foster mother. We haven’t gotten around to calling each other mother and daughter yet, seeing as she’s still only engaged to my full foster mother, Michiko. My foster father, Hiraku, was never married to Michiko. They only fostered me as a mother-father duo because same-sex marriage is illegal in Japan. Michiko was always a lesbian. Hiraku was always gay. But we weren’t allowed to present that way. Aiko and my mother had to get married in Taiwan because of this ruling.

I peered into my closet and picked out my favorite shirt and skirt - A bubble sleeve top and a diamond print skirt that I designed myself. With my clothes in hand, I looked around for a pair of fishnets and shorts to go under my skirt. All my fishnets are ripped because of my left leg, but I still wear them anyway. I have to get new ones every so often because of it.

I slipped my shorts and skirt on, trying not to rip a hole in them with my leg or arm. Then I pulled my shirt over my head before looking at myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess, and I had bags under my eyes. That’s typical after I have a nightmare, but that doesn’t mean I like it. I hurry over to my vanity mirror, patting the bags with foundation and putting on eyeliner and mascara to help shade the eyes and make it look intentional. Better. Much Better.

I check the time again. It was now 7:53. The sun began to shine through my closed blinds and glimmering into my eyes. I squint in the light and open my blinds, the fullness of the sun between the trees making me smile.