The Swindle Precinct

• Isabel Hooi, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2021

Life in Lumera City is pretty cool. I should know. I live there. Specifically the Swindle Precinct. My name is Kai’Li Aurora and I’m a Dawnstar Elf. My daily life is pretty normal. I go to school, I practice fighting, I go out with my friends and I usually end up punching someone in the head to save my life. Very typical stuff in the Swindle Precinct, you know? The Swindle Precinct is the home of almost every aspiring pickpocket and thief. Mainly elves and nymphs live here. There are tonnes of rebellion fighters littered everywhere, so there’s never a dull moment. Like one day on my way to school.

I jumped through the empty streets, my collar rubbing on my neck like always. The rising sun was orange by the horizon. The pale yellow bricks of all the buildings flashed by in a thick coloured blur as I sprinted past. I could see the school in the distance so I picked up the pace. Being an elf means I have excellent stamina so I was barely tired when I entered the school gardens. Then I saw a flash of colour and a tall ice dragon nymph stepped in front of me. Her hair was a cold grey and her eyes were a piercing cornflower blue. Those eyes scanned me crossly. “Sleet,” I acknowledged calmly.
“Kai’Li,” she replied coldly. Suddenly I felt a sharp strike hit my stomach. Sleet’s scaly dragon tail recoiled, poised for my undeniable attack back. I narrowed my eyes and threw a kick at her shin. She hissed and flared her wings, outraged. Sleet swept me off my feet by flaring her wings and proceeded to elbow my side, but I rolled out of the way just in time. While she was wondering where I went, I aimed a punch at her cheek and… crack! It landed smoothly and Sleet tumbled backward. A ring of students had formed around us. The air was filled with cries of, “FIGHT!” and many angry screams. I caught my friend, Ceria’s, eye from the back of the crowd. She hated my fights. As a cat demon, she was used to peace and avoided most violent situations. Her pink fluffy ears perked up when she saw me. While I was distracted, Sleet decided to strike. Pain shot through my left arm. I gritted my teeth and swung my right up and was ready to punch Sleet’s chin.

Fifteen minutes later, Sleet and I left the principal’s office, our eyes locked together in an intense stare-off. I was feeling smug. She was probably feeling annoyed. Pretty typical. I was still staring triumphantly at Sleet, when a small pink figure crashed into me. “KAI!!” she yelled. “THIS IS YOU FIFTH FIGHT THIS WEEK! Stop it!” Ceira was soon followed by my smoke dragon friend, Leiyana, and her sensible cousin, Junsuno. He lectured me but I wasn’t really listening. The fight was an exciting start to the day. I wondered what would happen next.