Page 10 of Real Scale Blazer
Quinn looked around her apartment—at the walls covered in geological maps and scientific posters, the bookshelves stuffed with research papers and textbooks, the window view of Manhattan she’d once thought represented success. It all felt smaller now, like she’d outgrown it without realizing it.
“What do you think your parents would say if they knew where we were really going?” Lydia asked.
“My mom would probably still find a way to make it about my lack of a love life.” Quinn mimicked her mother’s voice: “‘Quinn, dear, even alien men won’t want to date a woman who’s too focused on her career.’“
“While my mom would be convinced we’re joining a cult.” Lydia grinned. “Though I suppose ‘leaving Earth to study alien geology’ does sound a bit cult-like when you say it out loud.”
“Everything about this sounds crazy when you say it out loud.” Quinn stood and walked to her window. The city stretched out below, lights twinkling in the darkness. “We’re leaving our whole world behind. Everything we know, everything we’ve built...”
“For the chance to discover things no human has ever seen.” Lydia joined her at the window. “To study geology that doesn’tplay by Earth’s rules. To be somewhere that might actually value what we can do instead of trying to steal it or dismiss it.”
Quinn turned to look at her friend—her brilliant, adventurous, slightly crazy friend who’d stuck by her through every academic battle and professional setback.
Lydia bumped her shoulder playfully. “We’ve got this, Quinn. Whatever’s waiting for us on Nova Aurora, we’ll face it together. Just like we always have.”
“Even if there really are dragons?”
“Especiallyif there are dragons.” Lydia’s eyes sparkled. “Though I still think you should keep an open mind about the whole dating thing. I mean, if a hot dragon shifter happens to appreciate your brilliant mind and revolutionary geological theories...”
“And we’re done with this conversation.” Quinn moved away from the window, but she was smiling. “We should try to get some sleep. Seven a.m. is going to come way too early.”
SEVEN
The transport pod materialized on a crystalline platform high in the mountains of Nova Aurora, its sleek surface still humming with inter-dimensional energy. Quinn gripped the armrests of her seat, knuckles white, as the pod’s door slid open with a soft hiss. The first breath of alien air hit her lungs—crisp, sharp, and tinged with an otherworldly sweetness she couldn’t quite place.
“Holy shit,” Lydia breathed beside her, pressing her face against the pod’s window. “Quinn, look at this place!”
Quinn was already looking, her analytical mind struggling to process the impossible vista before her. Twin suns dominated the sky—one a massive yellow orb, the other smaller and blood-orange, casting the world in surreal shadows and light.
Purple forests stretched across valleys far below, their crystalline leaves catching and refracting sunlight in rainbow patterns. A pink ocean shimmered in the distance, its waves tipped with bioluminescent foam that glowed even in daylight. Yellow mountains pierced the sky like ancient sentinels, their peaks disappearing into clouds tinged with orange and gold.
“Ladies…” Gerri Wilder’s voice rang out as she stepped gracefully from her own pod, looking completely unfazed byinterdimensional travel. Her silver-white bob gleamed in the alien sunlight as she adjusted her designer jacket. “Welcome to Nova Aurora. Quite the view, isn’t it?”
“That’s one way to put it,” Quinn muttered, wrapping her arms around herself as a bitter wind cut through her jacket—the same one that had kept her warm during countless glacier expeditions on Earth. Here, it might as well have been tissue paper.
Lydia bounced on her toes, already pulling out her phone to take pictures. “Quinn, look at those rock formations. Are those natural crystals? And what’s causing that bioluminescence in the ocean? Oh my god, is that some kind of flying creature?”
She pointed to where a serpentine shape wound through the clouds, its scales catching the sunlight like polished metal. Quinn squinted, her scientific skepticism warring with the evidence of her own eyes.
“Those would be the younger dragons,” Gerri said casually as if discussing local birds. “Speaking of which...” She glanced at her watch, which somehow seemed to be working perfectly despite being on an alien planet. “His Majesty should be arriving any moment.”
A tall, willowy female with silvery skin materialized beside them. “Your comfort is our priority,” she said, holding out what appeared to be simple cloaks. “Please, accept these welcoming gifts.”
Quinn took the offered garment, expecting thick fabric. Instead, it felt impossibly light in her hands, almost weightless. The moment she draped it over her shoulders, the material shifted, conforming to her body like a second skin. Warmth bloomed across her back, spreading down her arms and chest.
“What the—” She jumped, startled by the sensation.
“Self-heating smart fabric,” Lydia squealed, already twirling in her own cloak. “The molecular structure must respond to body temperature. Quinn, this is amazing.”
“Why doesn’t Earth have these?” Quinn wondered aloud, running her fingers over the material that somehow felt both solid and fluid at once.
“Because Earth is still figuring out how to make phones that don’t crack when you drop them,” Gerri quipped, checking her reflection in a nearby crystal formation. “Now, dears, remember what we discussed. This isn’t just any diplomatic mission—this is about finding you the perfect match, Quinn.”
Quinn rolled her eyes. “I’m here to study unprecedented geological phenomena, Gerri. Not to date.”
“Can’t you do both?” Lydia wiggled her eyebrows. “I mean, a dragon shifter king? That’s like a geology-studying, fire-breathing, super-hot?—”
“Lyd,” Quinn cut her off with a warning look.