Burgeon Flare’s claws scraped the dusty earth as she landed perfectly on the perch outside her cave. A storm was approaching, and she knew her parents would be worried if she didn’t return home before it arrived. She sighed. She supposed she could understand why they worried, but there were some things…particularly things her mother would do, that just didn’t make sense. Maybe she was just trying to follow the old dragon ways, but times were different.
 
“Burgeon Flare.”
 
Speak of the devil. That tone of voice had become all too familiar to Burge lately. She turned to face her mother, who was standing at the entrance of the cave, arms crossed.
 
“Yes, Mother?”
 
Ember frowned, studying her daughter for a moment.
 
“How was your flight?”
 
Something was clearly wrong. Ember was dodging the subject, trying to see if Burge would admit whatever it was she’d done wrong herself. It was so sickeningly familiar.
 
“It was…fine,” Burge replied.
 
“I’m glad to see you home before the storm arrives.”
 
Burge nodded. “Yes, I thought you’d be.”
 
Ember was silent for a moment. Once again, she seemed to be watching Burge for any flicker of insecurity or anxiety.
 
“I heard what happened between you and Inferno.”
 
Burge held back a flinch. There it was. She knew her mother would discover what had happened eventually.
 
“Oh…You did,” she murmured. There wasn’t much else to say.
 
“Why’d you do that, Burge? Inferno was good for you.”
 
No, he really wasn’t. No matter how often Burge complained about him, Ember never seemed to acknowledge that she honestly, truly did not like Inferno. He was a gloating, stuck-up jerk. It was easy to dislike him.
 
“He hit my friend, Mother,” Burge said through gritted teeth. “I won’t let anyone do that. No matter who they are. Ever.”
 
“Ah, your friend. What’s her name, Bedlam, right?” Ember questioned. “Well, you know how I feel about her. She’s a bad influence and-”
 
“I need to grow up and start taking responsibility for the Dragon Lands. Yeah. I’ve heard it a million times,” Burge finished, rolling her eyes.
 
Ember scowled, pointing a claw at her daughter. “Don’t sass me, young lady. You know better that that.”
 
Burge closed her eyes, clenching her fists. She just wished her mother would let her live her own life. She was almost grown. Ember, of all dragons, should know what it was like to have a persistent parent holding her back. Burge knew what her Grandfather Torch was like.
 
“Burgeon Flare, look at me when I’m speaking to you!”
 
Burge grimaced. “I’m tired of…of this. Mother, I don’t understand why you put the both of us through this. I’m almost an adult. I can make my decisions. Inferno was not good for me. I’m not letting myself get stuck in a relationship I’m unhappy in just because my mother wants me to be in it, and I sure am not letting anyone treat my friends like that.”
 
Ember’s face wore an expression of surprise for a moment as she what her daughter had just said. “Burge, I…You are the daughter of the Dragon Lord. You have to make sacrifices for the Dragon Lands sometimes. That’s how things are done.”
 
“So you want me to sacrifice my happiness? What kind of parent would willingly sell their child away into a life that they hate? I’m just so…so tired of you trying to control every aspect of my life. Why is my happiness somehow less important than…than Pupa’s? You give her everything she wants, but what do I get? Directions and a smack on the wrist if I don’t follow them!”
 
Ember’s face was no longer surprised, it was conflicted. She almost looked…guilty for a second. Burge barely caught it.
 
“I just want to live my own life! Is that too much to ask? Really?”
 
Ember raised her head and approached her daughter with a stern glare.
 
“Burge. Go inside. We’ll continue this later.”
 
“All I want is to be with my real friends and do the things I enjoy and just…be the dragon that I am. No matter what you tell me to do, I’ll still be Burgeon Flare. This is me, Mother.”
 
Ember shut her eyes and raised a claw to her head. “Burge. Inside. Now.”
 
Burge was conflicted for a moment. The storm was closer now. She wanted to take off, to stick it to her mother one last time while she still had the confidence, but the storm…she’d be knocked right out of the sky if she was still flying in that.
 
Burge let out a breath of exasperation. “Fine.”
 
With that, she turned, tail lashing. It felt good to get all that out. It had been bottled up inside her for so long. It just wasn’t fair that so much had always been expected of her. She knew she was the oldest, and she knew there were times when she did have to be responsible, but sometimes…it was all too much. She was still young. She had so much life ahead of her.
 
She couldn’t be pushed around anymore.