Myriam, Kofar, Kariny,                              
                             Marix, Movolsky, Kilimay

Kilimay scrubbed her hands. The thought of seeing a live operation gave her chills of excitement. Kariny gave her a little push with her butt to make sure she wouldn’t mess up her hands.
‘Hurry, Kilimay. You know how pissed Dr. Movolsky can be when you’re late.’ Kariny said.
‘Yeah, yeah. I know: ‘By that time I would have saved that man three times, girly!’’ Kilimay replied, giving her best impression of Dr. Movolsky.
‘Damn, you’re starting to get real good at that, Kilimay.’ Marix laughed. ‘To bad he doesn’t seem to like it.’
‘I know! He just hates my guts! I try to please him, but still he’s got some irritating remark right there waiting for me.’ Kilimay sighed.
They all entered the large operating room. 
‘Welcome to the show, ladies and gentlemen!’ Dr Movolsky greeted them. He was a tall man with black hair that started to grey at his ears, what gave him this extra wise look. He was still very attractive for his age (38) and his little, scornful smile that always played around his lips, gave him a boy-like impression.
‘Let’s see what we have here. There is a bump on this man’s chest. It’s red and feels hot. Any suggestions? Kariny!’
‘An abscess.’
‘Very good. This was an easy one. So what do we do with that? Marix!’
‘Open it up and clean it out.’
‘Indeed.’
Kilimay raised her hand.
‘What is it Kilimay?’
‘Isn’t it possible that the bump is an enlargement of his aorta?’ Kilimay suggested carefully.
‘Of such size! He would have been dead by now! If this is too hard to understand, I suggest you go back to high school to learn the basics of physics!’ 
Kilimay swallowed the ****-answer that popped up in her head. ‘Breath in, breath out. Count to ten, Kilimay. One, two, three, …’
With a look of determination, Dr. Movolsky took the scalpel and made a cut with a steady and decisive hand. Everyone held his breath. The tension was in the air and the next moment… There was a two meter high fountain of blood flooding. 
‘Houston, we have a bleeder.’ Kilimay murmured. 
Dr. Movolsky cursed and sent everyone out of the OR.
‘Excellent diagnoses, Kilimay.’ Kariny said.
‘Just another reason for him to hate me.’ Kilimay smiled.
‘Let’s go Kariny,’ Marix said ‘we have to fill supplies.’
‘Oh, great, that’s why I wanted to become a doctor.’ Kariny replied ironically.
‘See you later, guys! I’m going to hide before Movolsky comes back!’
When Kilimay turned around, she nearly bumped into Dr. Kofar. She apologized politely, but he was to preoccupied and hardly noticed her. Kilimay shook her head, that plastic surgeon from Palestina was to her opinion a freak. But, hey, there were more doctors walking around here, who matched that description.

Dr. Kofar was sunken in his thoughts. He reached the intensive care. Nr 35, would this be where his solution lay? He entered the room. A nurse was fixing the bed between a dozen machines that were beeping. He looked at one of the monitors. No brain activity. 
‘So sad,’ the nurse said.
‘What happened?’
‘An attempted suicide with drugs. They’ve found her in time, but she was already in a coma.’
Dr. Kofar pointed at the books that were lying on the little table next to her bed. ‘What are those?’
‘Her dairies apparently. They surrounded her when they found her, together with her goodbye-note. Apparently her boyfriend left her because he couldn’t stand the sight of her face any longer.’
‘Have you contacted her family yet?’
‘We’ve tried, but she hasn’t got any family-members left.’
‘But she’s still a young woman, hardly over 25. There must be an aunt or a grandmother…’
‘No.’
The nurse laid a last hand on the sheets and left the room.
Dr. Kofar stroke with his finger over the heavily mutilated cheek and sighed. She must have been beautiful before the accident. She had a perfect bone-structure. But that was covered now by the hideous scars and her half nose. She would make the perfect candidate. But he already knew the objections of the board. Even he had mixed feelings about his experiment. But there was no other way. This new technique could only be applied when the blood was still running. He looked at his watch: 4.25 pm: time to go to the meeting. He knew he would have to do his very best to convince them, but he had to. He entered the large conference-room. 
‘Take a seat, Dr. Kofar. The board has considered your demand. After careful counselling, we decided that we can not allow you to use a living person to experiment for a new esthetical technique.’
‘It’s not about aesthetics! We’re not talking about the latest fashion trend for rich, frustrated women who desperately try to deny that they’re ageing. It’s about giving people their lives back!’ Dr. Kofar’s voice trembled of anger for their narrow-minded view. 
‘Now, Dr. Kofar, let’s not dramatize.’
‘She wouldn’t have taken her life, if this procedure was possible!’ Dr. Kofar roared.
An awkward silence hung between them, while they were struggling with their conscience. 
The chairman of the board sighed. ‘Fine, Dr. Kofar, you have our approval.’
Dr. Kofar nodded his head and left the room. A faint smile appeared on his lips. 

‘Okay, this was the last one.’ Kariny sighed.
’11.55 p.m.! Great! Now, 6 hours of sleep and our day starts again!’
‘I know! Doctors are always giving the advice of resting enough, but apparently, that doesn’t count for students.’
‘Well, let’s move! Otherwise it will become 5 hours of sleep!’ Marix wanted to open the door. ‘Oh, those stupid safety-doors! Kariny, give me the key.’
‘What key? I thought you had the key. You opened the door when we came in.’
‘Yes and than I told you to take the key, because you were the last one to enter.’
‘Oops!’
‘What: oops?!’
‘Sorry, my hands were filled with supplies, so I think the key may be on the other side of the door.’
‘Oh, that’s just great! Now we’ll probably have to stay all night in here!’
‘Don’t yell at me! If you had been a gentleman and opened the door for me to enter, you could have thought about it yourself!’
‘Oh, come on! Yesterday, you were holding a plead that men treat women like little babies, like if you’re vulnerable. Now I treat you like one of my male friends and see what has happened!’
‘I don’t want to be treated like a 5-year old, but some politeness isn’t that much to ask!’
‘Oh let’s stop this stupid discussion! If you don’t mind, your royal highness, I’m going to make myself comfortable and try to sleep.’
‘Fine!’ Kariny replied cranky. She chose a spot between rayon of the insulin and the bandages and lay down on the floor. Marix did the same. But he couldn’t catch his sleep. The cold floor was really uncomfortable and he was thinking of the medical consequences for his back and neck. With a half eye, he looked at Kariny. It looked like if she was peacefully asleep, but the subtle blinking with her eyelashes betrayed her. Marix grinned inside. Typical for Kariny: acting big and never let someone bring you down. He liked her stubbornness and her strong character. He saw her shiver of cold. 
‘Are you cold?’
‘I fine, thank you.’ Kariny murmured.
‘Look, I’m sorry, it’s just been a long a day for me but I shouldn’t have reacted it out on you.’
‘It’s okay. I mean, it’s my fault also. If I hadn’t been so stupid to forget that stupid key…’
‘Hey, it could have happened to anyone. So, anyway, are you cold now?’ Marix blinked. 
‘A little bit.’
Marix moved closer towards Kariny and took her in his arms. Her hear smelled like daisies. I don’t know if it’s the TL-light or maybe I’m just hallucinating in a manic state because of the lack of sleep, but damn, she looks gorgeous! And the places where their bodies touched each other felt like they were glowing. Kariny let her head rest against his chest. A faint smell of sweat and deodorant (Aquadigio) reached her nose. Hmm, smells very masculine. And he has a nice well trained body too. When that thought popped up in her head, she started to blush. Marix saw that.
‘Is there something wrong?’
‘No, not at all’ Kariny said when she looked at him with her bright blue eyes. 
Oh, she looks so cute! I just want to kiss her! No, Marix, think about something else.
‘So, do you think Kilimay got away with that scene in the OR?’
Why the hell is he talking about Kilimay? Kiss me, you fool! 
‘I don’t know and to be honest I don’t care right now.’ Kariny said with a trembling voice when she felt his hand on her belly and she looked at him with hungry eyes. He just couldn’t stand it any longer and kissed her. She returned his kiss with fire and in the moment of passion, his hand slipped swiftly under her green shirt. She stopped with kissing.
‘Sorry.’ Marix murmured, but his breath choked when he felt her hand slowly going down and the thought of Kilimay was miles, miles away.

‘Kilimay, my office!’ Dr. Movolsky roared.
Damn, she just had to go 2 meters and she would have left the building! He probably was just standing there, waiting for me to give me another of his inspiring lectures!’ Kilimay thought ironically. She looked at her watch: 00.25 a.m. and sighed. I have to try not to fall asleep, otherwise he’ll become even more pissed. With her head up high and a decisive step, she entered his office. 
‘This is the last time that you’ve undermined my authority in class!’
Hmm, no: ‘please sit down, Kilimay’ but hey, what did I suspect. 
‘I didn’t mean to…’
But Dr. Movolsky didn’t let her finish. ‘Just be glad that I’m just suspending you! If it depended on me, you wouldn’t graduate at all! Do you understand?!’
‘Suspending? For what?! I haven’t done anything!’
‘Oh no?! And that little scene in the OR? Making such a fool of me!’
‘I didn’t mean to make you look like a fool. I just tried to share my thoughts!’
‘An interesting way of doing that!’
‘What’s wrong with you? I do my very best, I work my butt of but it’s never good enough, is it. Well, Dr., let me tell you this: you can do whatever you want: humiliate me in front of the entire class, suspending me or even throwing me out of the team. But you will never ever keep me from becoming the best damn surgeon there is! I’ve put up with this crap for a long time because I respect your talent and work but I don’t need you. And most of all I don’t fear you, Dr. Movolsky!’
For the first time in his life, Dr. Movolsky didn’t know what to say. He was stunned by her presence. Her blond hear was in a cute way messy and her brown eyes were now almost black. Damn, she’s beautiful when she’s mad! He had never experienced such a power in a woman. A woman that was his match. He didn’t think twice and pulled her hard against his firm chest and kissed her. Outraged, Kilimay pushed him away. ‘Don’t you dare kissing me!’ But she could still feel the heat of his body and her lips were burning from his wild kiss. A hot shiver ran up her spine. She took his tie, pulled him near and kissed him passionately. When they both got out of breath, he whispered softly: ‘No, not here. The walls have ears.’ He took her hand and pulled her out of his office. But pushed her right back in. He laid a finger on her lips. ‘Dr. Kofar.’ With a careful look through the key hole, he saw him pass. 
‘Do you think he has seen us?’
‘No, that man is always with his head in the clouds, or with his hands in rich women’s breasts.’ Dr. Movolsky laughed.

Dr. Kofar looked at his watch: 00.33. He always lost track of time when he was busy. But there was no one waiting for him at home, so he wouldn’t have to worry. The first part of his experiment had been perfect and he couldn’t help smiling by the thought of the possibilities this procedure could offer. He went to check on her one last time. Everything looked good. He saw the dairies laying on the little table and he stroke with his hand over one of them. Would he…? No, he’d probably shouldn’t. He would become too emotionally involved. But he wanted to know something about her, just to make her ‘human’ in stead of ‘study-object’. He took one of the dairies and made himself comfortable in the couch. 

July, 24th 1998
Finally I know how to use you, dear dairy. I’ve been waiting for the right moment and I think that today is the day. My brother is going to marry tomorrow. So right now, everyone is busy and excited. Sometimes I feel like no one notices me in all the fuss. But I’m very glad that my brother found such a good wife. Now I finally have a sister. Mom is calling. I have to try my new dress (it’s so lovely, I can hardly wait till tomorrow!) That’s it for today. But don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow, promise.

Love,
Myriam


August, 18th 1998
I thought the world had ended and maybe it should have. But I woke up in the hospital and my face is covered with bandages. It itches, but no one allows me to scratch or to take it of. I’ve asked for my mother, my father, my brother, any family-member but the nurses only looked down. I never knew how much one look could tell more than a thousand words. I simply can’t believe it! It all seems like one big nightmare and I just have to wake up, but I can’t. I can still hear the large explosion and feel the enormous pain, but that’s nothing compared with what I feel right now. I don’t get it, what kind of people does such things? What religion justifies the murder of innocent people? Which God could be so cruel? I can’t belief that this is what He wanted. This was madness, cold, calculated madness to make as many victims as possible. Which maniac places 6 bombs on a wedding and sacrifices my family for a statement? I HATE YOU PALESTINA AND I HATE THE REGIME WHO ENCOURAGES THIS MADNESS!!!

September, 27th 1998
Today they’ve taken off the bandage. Why, why did You keep me alive? Why did I have to take some fresh air when the bombs went off? I had been better of when I had died with them. Is this some kind of test, like Job? The nurse took me out in the garden. A young boy was playing there. But when he looked at my face, I saw the horror in his eyes. I’M A MONSTER!!! I can’t stand the look of my face, the look on other peoples faces. The reflection in the mirror isn’t mine. I try to convince myself that it’s only temporarily, but deep down inside, I know better. 

October, 5th 1998
I may go home today. Home, there isn’t such a place for me anymore. I’m glad I got that scholarship from Harvard. But I’m scared for their reaction. At least I won’t be confronted with my past. Maybe some day I’ll come back to Israel, but right now the pain is still too fresh. My plane leaves in 3 days, so I’m thinking about taking a hotel for that period. Funny, as a little girl I always wanted to know what it would be like to stay in a fancy hotel. Now I simply have to stay there and the prospect doesn’t make me cheerful. 

October, 15th 1998
Harvard has come like a welcome change. I love studying and I hope that I’ll be a great lawyer someday. But, as I suspected, the people are very uncomfortable when they see my face. I’ve tried to skip as many classes as possible and to study them on my own. That way I don’t have to get out that much and people are spared from my ugly face. But I have to tend some classes. So now I wear a veil to hide my monstrous face. Isn’t it ironic, now I’m walking around like the people who killed my family. I hate them so much. They’ve not only taken my family, my home, but also my identity and my life.

Dr. Kofar closed the diary. She’s Jewish. Yes, things are ironic. She’s helping me, a Palestinian, to find a new technique to help people in her situation. I’m just trying to fix the damage my people did. 
‘I’m so sorry for what they’ve done to you and your family, Myriam.’ he whispered softly.
He sighed and went to the restroom to refresh himself. He needed a clear head to continue his experiment and reading Myriam’s dairy hadn’t made it easier on him. As he walked by the supply-room, he was still impressed by her story that he didn’t notice that the key was still on the door. 

‘The supply-room of course! Why didn’t I thought of that?!’
‘Because you always send us there to fill supplies and you never come there yourself?’ Kilimay suggested with a smile.
‘That’s one of the privileges when you’re surgeon.’ Dr. Movolsky replied.
‘I can’t belief that Dr. Kofar busted us almost twice! Does that man ever go home?’
‘No, I don’t think so. He’s a bit of a freak if you ask me.’
‘Funny, I thought that there were more doctors that matched that description. That’s what they’re calling: having no social life.’ Kilimay laughed. 
‘Someone has left the key on! What kind of idiot has done that! Now that safety door has no use!’
‘Don’t get all fed up.’
‘Sorry, but such negligence gets me pissed! What if there was a drug dealer around?’
‘You think to much.’
‘Hmm, than maybe you should bring me on other thoughts.’ Dr. Movolsky smiled and he opened the door.
‘What the hell are you doing here?!’ he roared suddenly. He found Marix and Kariny in a, let’s say a very, very comfortable situation.

To be Continued...

HATCHING
Cardboard figures of most historical and modern-day Earth soap characters lined the walls, hearts hung from the ceiling and white-red-pink guirlandes streamed down from every possible side. The food tables were covered by pastel pink cloths and white curtains covered the bare rock of the walls of the cavern. All in all the place looked far too pink for any man to enjoy, but the hatchlings would love it. It was just the type of environment -classic high school dance style- that they craved for.
The first two eggs broke open and a sudden gasp of expectance went through the audience. Most of them experienced the thrill of a truly glorious moment in one of their beloved sitcoms, but Lucas only smiled, this was the thing he lived for and he didn't need to remember sitcoms to describe the feeling.
One of them, the small pale pink female, trotted happily over to the waiting candidates. Her wings extended, touching the guirlandes and she uttered a happy squeak when some streamers came down to follow her every move. 
"Kariny!" she giggled happily, "Can I keep these as toys?"
"Eh, why not, Amanda." Kariny shrugged, grinning at her boyfriend, before she kneeled down and carefully touched the hatchling's wings. A bright pink heart-shaped tail suddenly hugged her tight to the little draconic body and Kariny felt wings close around her body.
"Will you be mine forever?" the hatchling asked.
"I already am." the doctor-to-be answered.

The other male on the sands also headed out to the candidates. He was more red than the previous hatchling, but his wings and body were tinted orange, giving him a very warm look. With a dominant gaze he looked over the candidates. Carefully he weighed if he should bind his life to one of these humans. His gaze touched every face, briefly scanned every mind until he found what he had been looking for.
"Aren't you the jealous type..." he said for only his chosen to hear.
One of the candidates flicked his head up and looked straight at the hatchling. It was one of the hospital-crew that had arrived at Lantessama only recently. Professor Movolsky took a step forward, wrinkled his forehead and then said in his mind.
"I'm not!"
"Heh! You can keep no secrets for Mind's Desire Cox...I know what you crave more than live."
"A research grant?" the professor asked.
"Being world famous. Keep it up with that blond student of yours and you'll surely get it... maybe not exactly what you wanted." the dragon grinned.
Movolsky looked over his shoulder at Kilimay with whom he had only recently started a forbidden relationship. If they would get caught his career would be over... but those forbidden fruits always tasted the sweetest. Movolsky knew he couldn't just up and leave.
"I'm not saying you should..." Cox interfered his thoughts, "I'm just saying you should be careful. You're a surgeon damnit! Act like one! In stead of running around like a schoolboy."
Movolsky waited for the dragon to reach him and then led him to the feeding tables, discussing how he would get famous know that he had a dragon to hide in plain sight and whether or not to switch to plastic surgery and leave his teaching job.

More eggs rumbled and split open causing the remaining candidates to focus their eyes on the crawling dragons. So too were the eyes of Kilimay, Movolsky's student and lover. Their relationship was based on irritation and admiration, two things that could really spice things up.
"Hey there." she whispered when she felt a surge go through her mind.
Kilimay had been waiting for it to happen. She had been checking her mind for thoughts other than her own and finally she found one. Hunger, mind-throbbing, pain-releasing hunger. Keeping the feelings under control she looked at the dragons to find the one she could feel in her mind.
Kilimay's eyes locked onto a large female in bright flaming colours. There was something strange with the wings of the dragoness. They were pale red, but the lines on them seemed to move and shift as light hit them, at times becoming almost completely transparent. 
"You found me." was all the female said.
"How could I not find you? I'm one of the best in my year." Kilimay answered.
"Knowledge and Knowing are not always the same." Elliot spoke, "My expertise lays in sensing."
"Does it?"
"Yes... I sense I am hungry."
Kilimay laughed out loud. "Then we better get you feeling satisfied!"

Meanwhile, the pastel purple dragon whose egg Sally had broken was still on the sands. He felt lonely and hurt... why didn't anyone come for him? In fact several candidates were trying to get to the young male, but they were held back by his siblings who awkwardly moved alongside them and the movements of the dragonets who still were in their eggs.
Finally, after a few minutes, the little purple hatchling felt the touch of human hands on his wing as the human tried to find what was wrong with the hatchling. Carefully prying in the human's mind the baby dragon could see charts, diagrams and he heard strange names. But what he saw in that head he liked. This person knew how to heal and little Jesse had learned at an extremely young age that he wasn't invincible.
"A little lower!" he said, arching his wing a bit further.
"Where does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt that much anymore now that you're here, Marix."
"Oh. Then maybe we should join Kariny and Amanda, Jesse, because I can feel you're dangerously on the verge of fainting from hunger."
Making a fake-swoon move the hatchling got up and ran to the table where he quickly sat down next to the pink Amanda, getting a piece of her sugar-coated cupcake. Marix smiled at Kariny: "At least they get along already." He said.
"We're lucky."
"Have I told you that you look fabulous in soft light?"

The other hatchling, a black and white female with red edges on her wings and body didn't care for the remaining eggs. She walked over to the person she knew was hers, the recently awakened Myriam was just her match. With all the grace her opal body could muster, and all the passion her blood-tipped wings and shining red eyes could bring fort, she walked across the small sands.
"Myriam!" she called out.
"Serena?" Myriam asked, the feeling of being alive now only returning to her. Through the bond with the small dragoness she could feel her heart beating, the 
pulsating of her blood in his veins. But now the sensation was not as painful as it had been before. It was all making sense again.
The young Palestinian woman looked up at the man, her eyes reflecting her re-found beauty, the beauty he had bestowed upon her with the magic in his hands, those wonderful hands... And she smiled. A glorious smile that warmed Kofar to the depth of his soul.
"And I had nothing to do with that?" a voice asked in his head.
Kofar turned around and saw... a pale silver dragon with pale yellow wings mirroring the light of the sun outside, even though it couldn't penetrate the cavern.
"Of course you had something to do with it, Kevin..." Kofar said gently, "I just didn't realise it yet."
"Then it is ok." The dragon answered, "Then I will stay with you... and Serena."
The blood Opal looked up for a moment and then lashed down her eyes. Unsure of what to say to that remark.

ADULTS
Here are the gang as adults ^_^

All Valentine dragons were adopted at Lantessama Isle