The steady drone of the airplane engine was the only constant, a hum that did little to quiet the storm brewing within me. Outside the small window, rain streaked down the glass, each drop a tiny, fleeting moment I counted and recounted, a desperate ritual to distract from the gnawing fear that had taken root in my chest. My earbuds played a familiar, comforting melody, a song my stepfather had loved, and for a moment, his quiet strength seemed to settle beside me.

Then, a heavy thud jolted me, and I opened my eyes to see an older man settling into the seat beside me, his forest-green eyes unsettlingly bright against his wrinkled skin. A dragon tattoo, coiled with fiery red flames, snaked around his wrist, a vivid splash of color that caught my gaze before he lowered his hand.

Just a few months ago, my life was simple. Friends, family, a normal existence. Now, after a mysterious accident stole my parents, I was adrift. And the will, a cruel twist of fate, had landed me under the guardianship of a \"biological\" father I’d never known. The migraine pounding behind my eyes was a testament to how much my world had shattered.