[ TT ] The dragons and smallfolk have finally brokered peace through an exchange of hostages : two hatchlings for 20 children . Well , 19 children . They sent you back .

When I opened the front door of my hut, Mom was n't happy to see me. 
 
 `` Ah, well, look who decided to come back. How'd yeh manage to escape, then?'' 
 
 I said nothing. 
 
 `` Never mind. It's not like yeh'll tell me anything, and not like I bloody well care, ya useless mute. Here.'' 
 
 She thrust a broom towards me and gestured all around. `` Well, go on, then.'' 
 
 I stared at the broom, but could n't will myself to make it move. 
 
 *** 
 
 The lottery, as mandated by the Qua'troom Town Council, took place on a crisp evening in early March. Each parent received a slip of paper corresponding to the number of children in their family. They scribbled down the names, placed them in the silver pan, and tried to remember how to breathe. 
 
 My name was the sixth to be called. As I stepped towards the line, already filled with similarly terrified children of varying ages, I looked towards my mother to see if I could detect a single shred of emotion. None. 
 
 No one from town accompanied us as we made the trek through the Throsdil Mountains. It was n't terribly far -- no more than an hour -- but I guess no one wanted to meet a dragon face to face. That was left to us. 
 
 The first ten children to set foot in the cave were sent to some dark corner, presumably to be stored for later consumption, and I never saw them again. The chief dragon sorted the rest of us into groups of two and gave us tasks to complete. 
 
 Marie and I got brooms, and the Chief pointed a scaly claw towards the living quarters. Nearly sixty dragons resided in the cave, and we were expected to shovel their shit. 
 
 Just as the Chief turned around to provide the next assignment, I dropped my broom to the ground. 
 
 The turquoise beast perked up his ears and turned back to look at me. Glanced down at the broom sitting in the dirt, then stared into my eyes. I stared back. 
 
 Marie clutched her own broom tightly. `` Serena, what are you doing? No one's ever refused to listen to a --'' 
 
 Suddenly, the Chief lifted his enormous left claw and moved it towards me with surprising speed. Serena, you idiot. You stubborn, stubborn idiot. 
 
 Instead of the expected result -- head crushed between two five-foot incisors -- I found myself being pushed towards the cave entrance. I looked up, shocked, and the Chief nodded at me, then gestured towards the outside. Marie, still grasping her broom for dear life, glared at me as though I had killed her pet husky. 
 
 I turned around, took a deep breath, and left. 
 
 *** 
 
 `` So, is staring at it doing yeh any good? Hmmm?'' 
 
 I still had n't moved a muscle, and the rotting cedar floors were n't getting any cleaner. 
 
 Mom took a few steps towards me. `` The bloody dragon hatchlings are more productive than you. Ca n't even hunt yet and they've still provided more for the town.'' 
 
 She grabbed me by the neck and brought me close so she could whisper in my ear. `` Yeh know, I was glad when they made the trade. Did n't have to deal with you anymore. Did n't have you wasting my time...'' 
 
 She slapped me in the face. 
 
 `` Clean the fuckin' house.'' 
 
 She slapped me again. 
 
 `` I want to hear you say you're going to do it, yeh piece of shit.'' 
 
 Again, I said nothing. I still clutched the broom in my hands, but now they were quivering. 
 
 `` I'm gon na ask yeh one more time before I bring out the --'' 
 
 Before she could finish, I smacked her in the face with the broom handle, dropped the blood-stained tool to the ground, and ran out of the hut. Back towards the mountains. 
 
 *** 
 
 When I came back to the cave, I announced my presence with a shriek. I had to check for a moment to ensure that the sound had actually passed through my lips, but indeed it had. 
 
 The Chief Dragon looked up, and I could swear I saw a smirk pass fleetingly across his face. He picked up a broom in one scaly claw and tossed it to me. 
 
 For the next four months, I swept like my life depended on it... which I suppose it did. Marie and I remained close friends until she was transferred to another dragon colony off the coast of the Jade Sea. 
 
 I got a new job every four months, and watched the rest of the Qua'troom children disappear as they were flown to new lands. My food rations got larger, and my muscles grew stronger. 
 
 Finally, after three years of toiling away, the Chief Dragon called me into his domain. With his left claw -- the same one that had tossed me the broom so long ago -- he gestured towards a rock formation next to his mighty wings. 
 
 Now, whenever new workers appear in the cave, I tell them where to go. I direct dragons with fresh meat to the proper location, and have convinced the Chief to opt for a diet that's largely human-free. And it can all be done without uttering a word. 
 
 I'd be lying if I said I did n't want Mom to walk through that entrance one day, to see what I've become. But she has her life, and I have mine. 
 
 My name is Serena, and I am the daughter of the dragons. 
 

