Wings of Fire as Hoomans

Chapter 1- Turtle

Turtle, a skinny 12-year-old kid with a hilariously shiny emerald-green backpack, trudged down the sun-baked street, eating a cold piece of toast as he walked. Turning down Summer Palace Drive, he made his way to the nearest bus stop. 

Three kids about his age were standing there. Turtle recognized one of them, Anemone, his sister, who somehow always managed to the bus stop before him. The two other kids at the bus stop Turtle didn't recognize. From the looks of them, one was a hothead, and totally on Turtle's People To Not Annoy list, which happened to be his longest list so far, which was saying something. The other kid seemed to be a clever kid, who probably played D&D, like Turtle, by the looks of him. Turtle immediately put him on the People To Check Out And See If They Are Nice List, which happened to be a very short list. As Turtle approached, the maybe-plays-D&D-kid glanced over at him as he got closer. 

"Hello, I'm Qibli. What's your name?" The maybe-plays-D&D kid asked, looking excited and antsy. "It's my first day of sixth grade, and I'm so excited but also SO anxious, and how are you I'm very good!" he continued, talking faster and faster. 

"Wait wait, stop." Turtle interjected. "My name is Turtle, and I like playing D&D." As Turtle said that, Qibli's face brightened visibly. "Me too!" he said enthusiastically, perhaps a little too loudly, and got a few weirded-out looks from the other kids waiting there. In the time Turtle had been talking with Qibli, two more kids had arrived at the bus station, panting. 

Turtle glanced around and saw why. The yellow school bus was rounding the corner. With an ear-piercing screech, the bus halted, and the doors swung open. As he started filing in, Turtle glanced around. The bus was rowdy and full, and nobody seemed to notice his and the other kids' arrival. 

As Turtle scanned the bus, looking for the least crazy section, someone bumped into him. Turtle glanced behind him and saw that the person who bumped him was someone he recognized. Tamarin. The blind kid. "Sorry," someone beside her said. Turtle recognized her as Kinkajou, Tamarin's best friend- and guide. "It's OK," Turtle replied. "Wow, thanks!" said Kinkajou, "Lots of people don't let us off like that." Turtle nodded and walked away down the aisle.

After choosing a seat near to the front of the bus, Turtle opened his favorite book, Greenglass House, and started reading. He liked solving mysteries along with the characters in his books and aspired to be an author like his mother, Coral. After making it through two chapters, nearly three, the bus halted and the driver called, "Here we are! Jade Mountain Middle School!" Hurriedly, Turtle gathered his things and filed out of the bus with the other kids. He hoped he was prepared for what lay inside Jade Mountain Middle.