Excerpt

Not everyone was qualified to work with unicorns. That was why getting an internship at the Griffin Sanctuary was a dream come true. A hard-earned dream, but standing in front of the large entry gates, made it all worth it.

It was so early, they weren't officially open to visitors and yet, there was a small group of other people waiting at the gates. Something about their demeanour told me they weren't here to visit the animals.

I steadied my breathing as I joined the group. "Hi. Are you here for the internship too?"

The tallest of the girls with a blonde braid down her side gave me a steel look. "Duh."

The guy next to her chuckled as he held out his hand. "We are. I'm Aaron. How are you?"

I rushed to shake his hand, glad one of them seemed friendly. "Hey, I'm Charlotte. I'm good, thanks." Not sure how to greet the others, I gave a collective wave. "Hey, everyone."

The rude girl just rolled her eyes but the other four mumbled greetings back, although it didn't look like they were in the mood to socialise. One of the other girls was glued to her phone and the second guy seemed too nervous to talk.

Interesting group.

"Why are we waiting out here?" I questioned nervously. Opportunities like this only came around once in a lifetime and I was terrified of screwing it up. Nothing and nobody was going to get in between me and my dream job working with rare and nearly-extinct animals.

The tall girl scoffed and adjusted the strap of her fancy handbag. "The gates are locked, duh?"

"Ah, I see. Oh, there's someone coming," I pointed out, stepping to the side so I could get a better look at the woman coming to meet us.

A slightly larger woman with wiry red hair and a blue uniform waved as she opened the gates and approached our little group. "Good morning, everyone. Are you all here for the internship?"

"I am!" the tall girl chirped before anyone else could answer. She rushed through the two guys so she could shake the woman's hand first. "Thank you so much for your time."

"No problem. I'm Gwen, one of the head-keepers. Come along."

The group set in motion and I positioned myself in Aaron's vicinity. He seemed nice and I'd much rather chat with him than the rude girl.

"So which school are you from?" I asked as we passed under the large banner.

"Evergreen University," he responded, looking happy to chat.

"Wow, that's a good school. I applied there but wasn't accepted," I muttered, wishing I hadn't asked. It still stung that I didn't pass the veterinarian entrance exam but it no longer mattered. I was here.

I rubbed my arm to hide my discomfort and instead of furthering the conversation, looked around to check out the place. It was just like I remembered it from the visits with my mum.

There was a small but colourful gift shop to the left and a large, sparkling fountain graced the middle of the square. Information boards were scattered all over the place with cute pictures about the animals in the Sanctuary and fun facts. I spotted an arrow leading towards the dragon exhibit, another to the sphinx habitat, and many more that I didn't have time to read but I knew by heart where they all went.

Gwen paused near the fountain where a handful of other people in uniform were waiting. I glanced at the coins shimmering in the water. As a child, I'd tossed one in every time we visited and finally, my dream had come true.

A tan man with a curly beard handed a stack of folded maps to the tall girl. "Pass those around. You'll all do well to study the layout of the Sanctuary. The service routes and staff areas are marked on there as well."

I shifted my weight from left to right, eager to get my hands on one of those maps. The stack was half-gone by the time I had it and I passed the rest on to the guy behind me.

Only half-listening to Gwen, I flipped the map open and scanned the various pictures and habitats. We'd just passed the entrance and were standing at the wishing fountain.

I glanced at the map, noticing it had a whole bunch of areas that I'd never seen. From the wishing fountain, three paths led to different zones of the Sanctuary and a bunch of cleverly hidden staff areas. What looked like an innocent hedge was actually a disguised entrance to the primary staff facilities. The cafeteria, the vet surgery, and the nursery were all tucked away mere meters from the public.

The red-headed woman checked her clipboard. "All seven of you are starting your internships in various zones. We've assigned you based on your expertise and current studies."

I crossed my fingers inside my pocket. Not tall girl, not tall girl.

"Felicity, Aaron, and Charlotte. You're going to the unicorn house with Nissan," Gwen read, pointing to the man with the beard.

"That's me," the tall girl chirped, stepping forward with the same confidence as before.

So I'd have to work together with her after all. Shame, but not enough to ruin my good mood. I got to help out with the unicorns, arguably one of the coolest animals around.

"And me," Aaron announced, pushing through the group to join Felicity in the front. "The unicorns are in good hands with me."

Wow. We hadn't even been here an hour and there was already a fight for who would be the teacher's pet. I shouldn't have expected anything else, only the best of the best got accepted to internships like this.

To my annoyance, I wrestled through the other people so I could be at the front too. If only I could be more laid back and let the two others be, except I wasn't going to make an impression that way. "I'm Charlotte. So excited to start."

I could feel that my beaming positivity was rubbing Felicity up the wrong way but I didn't care. Everyone knew the field of animals was cutthroat and only the best of the best would get amazing jobs like this. It was an amazing opportunity just to get this internship and I would make sure it would lead to a job offer after we were done.

Gwen ran a hand through her red hair and smiled. "That's great to hear. Nissan, I'll leave these three in your care."

The man gave us a warm smile. "Follow me."

Felicity and Aaron hurried after him like chicks following their mother hen and I was no different. Maybe I hadn't studied at the prestigious Evergreen University but my school was decent enough and I was at the top of my class. I wasn't any less qualified than these two and I was ready to prove it.