dinohigh, no humans allowed!

Magnolia leaned back on her bed, legs crossed at the ankles, phone in hand. Her tail swayed lazily off the side of the bed, bumping against a box of old family photos her mom had dragged out that morning. The room smelled faintly of the vineyard—sweet, earthy, and just a little sour from the fermenting grapes outside—and the hum of cicadas drifted through the open window.

She stared at her screen, watching the chat fill up with messages from the random room she'd joined last week: #Dinonet269. It was a group for students going to different classes across the Yucatán in Dino High and its many specialized buildings across the university town, dinosaurs like her, all prepping for another year of drama, classes, and figuring out who the heck they were.

[StompyGurl22]: Bro, who else's taking Intro to Dino History? Is it just me, or do they make us learn the same thing every year? "Oh, look, theropods were jerks. Herbivores fought back. Yay, progress!"

[HornyButNotThatWay]: Better than P.E. We all know it's just carnivores flexing while the rest of us "practice survival tactics."

Magnolia smirked, typing back quickly.

[SpikesAndStyle]: If I have to hear one more lecture about "resilient herbivore culture" while pretending the theropods didn't lowkey eat half of us, I'm out.

The chat lit up with laughing emojis and replies, but Magnolia's smirk faded as her gaze drifted back to the amulet resting on her desk. It was old, gold, and heavy, with a red gemstone set in the middle. Her mom had given it to her that morning, right after dumping out the box of photos.

"This was your abuela's," her mom had said, almost too casually, like she was just handing over a pair of earrings. "She wanted you to have it when you were ready."

Magnolia had blinked, confused. "Ready for what?"

Her mom had shrugged, busying herself with arranging photos. "You're starting high school soon. You'll need to know who you are. Where we come from."

Now, Magnolia picked up the amulet, turning it over in her hands. It felt too heavy for something she'd just wear around her neck. The gemstone glinted in the sunlight, catching the patterns of her scutes.

Back on the chat, someone had started a new thread.

[ChompQueen69]: OK, real talk: Does anyone else feel like your fam is obsessed with "heritage" stuff lately? Like, my dad pulled out some fossilized claw and went on about how we need to "honor our ancestors." I'm like, dude, we live in a condo. Chill.

Magnolia hesitated, then typed quickly.

[SpikesAndStyle]: Same. My mom gave me this ancient necklace today. Like, it's cool or whatever, but she also dropped this bomb that we're part European dino or something. Like, what does that even mean?

[HornyButNotThatWay]: OMG, part Euro? Fancy! What is that, T-Rex with a French accent?

[StompyGurl22]: Nah, it means you're bougie. Do you also drink sparkling water instead of swamp water? 😉

Magnolia rolled her eyes, but her fingers kept moving.

[SpikesAndStyle]: It's not even like that. Apparently, it's this big secret my mom "didn't want to affect me." Like, what does that even mean? Why keep it a secret?

The replies came fast.

[ChompQueen69]: Classic parent move. They think if they don't tell us stuff, we won't care. Spoiler: We care.

[StompyGurl22]: Maybe she thought you'd get bullied for it or something. People can be jerks about "mixed" dinos.

Magnolia sighed. That thought had already crossed her mind. ciudad schools weren't exactly progressive about certain things. ornithischians were still seen as "soft," no matter how many trophies their debate teams or robotics clubs won. Adding "part European" to the mix felt like adding a target.

But that wasn't it, about school. It was… weird. Why had her mom never told her this before? They weren't exactly a family that kept secrets. Sure, her mom didn't talk much about the "old days," but Magnolia had figured that was just because it was boring adult stuff.

Her thumb hovered over the keyboard. She wanted to type something snarky, something that would make everyone in the chat laugh. But instead, she found herself typing something else.

[SpikesAndStyle]: Honestly, it just makes me feel like I don't really know who I am. Like, my whole life I've been this one thing, and now… I don't know. It's dumb. Forget it.

She hit send before she could think too hard about it. The chat went quiet for a few seconds—an eternity in teen internet time—and then the replies came.

[ChompQueen69]: Not dumb. I get it. When I found out my great-grandpa was a utahraptor, I legit spiraled for weeks.

[HornyButNotThatWay]: Same here. My fam's part duck-bill hadrosaur, and it's like, what am I supposed to do with that? Quack?

[StompyGurl22]: You're still you, though. Just with some bonus lore. Like DLC for your life.

Magnolia smiled faintly at that. Bonus lore. That was one way to look at it.

Her mom called her name from the kitchen, breaking her thoughts. "Magnolia! Lunch is ready!"

"Coming!" she called back, setting the phone down. She hesitated, then grabbed the amulet, slipping it into her pocket before heading downstairs.

The kitchen was bright and bustling, as always. Her mom was flipping tortillas on the stove, the radio playing some upbeat cumbia in the background. The table was already set with plates of fresh avocado, salsa, and grilled veggies.

"You're quiet today," her mom said, glancing over her shoulder. "Nervous about school?"

Magnolia shrugged, sliding into her seat. "A little. But also… this whole European thing. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Her mom's smile faltered, just for a second. She turned back to the stove, flipping another tortilla. "It didn't seem important."

Magnolia frowned. "Not important? Mom, you made it sound like this huge deal, and now it's nothing?"

Her mom sighed, turning off the stove and sitting down across from her. "It's not nothing. But when you were younger, I didn't want it to confuse you. People… they can be cruel about these things. I thought it was better if you didn't know."

Magnolia toyed with her fork, not meeting her mom's gaze. "So, what's the story, then? Are we, like, royalty or something?"

Her mom laughed softly. "Hardly. Your abuela's family came from Europe during the colonial days. They weren't kings or queens—just sailors... merchants... soldiers. But that history… it's complicated. There was a lot of pain on both sides, so we just buried the pain, I didn't want you carrying that weight."

Magnolia didn't respond right away. She wasn't sure what to say. Finally, she looked up. "Do you think it's going to affect me? Like, how people see me?"

Her mom reached across the table, resting a hand on Magnolia's. "Only if you let it. You are who you choose to be, mija. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The words were comforting, but they didn't answer all of Magnolia's questions. Still, she nodded, giving her mom a small smile. "Thanks, Mom."

The rest of lunch passed in lighter conversation, and soon Magnolia was on the bus, heading for school. The ride was long, winding through the lush greenery of Rio Grande toward the Yucatán. Magnolia sat by the window, earbuds in, scrolling through the group chat again.

[HornyButNotThatWay]: First day of school vibes: Nervous? Excited? Dreading it?

[ChompQueen69]: Mostly dreading. My school's cafeteria is basically a crime scene.

[StompyGurl22]: Same. Also, who thought it was a good idea to put herbivores and carnivores in the same gym class?

Magnolia typed quickly.

[SpikesAndStyle]: At least you don't have to spend two hours on a bus just to get there. Pretty sure my tail's asleep.

The replies came instantly, filled with laughing emojis and "rip" messages. Magnolia smiled, leaning her head against the window. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad. She didn't have all the answers yet, but she had time. And she had friends—even if they were just screen names for now.

As the bus rumbled toward her new school, Magnolia tightened her grip on the amulet in her pocket. glowed, and she felt the ominous light surge and then flow throw her, and she could feel the whispers of the past. And there it was, beyond the cloud wall, in a vortex surrounded by badlands. It was the Yucatan. And in the distance was the visage of Dinohigh; her eyes widened; she had seen it in pictures, but its dreadful majesty made her shiver in fear in person, the giant glowing meteor floating above it, the same one that ended the world. 60 million years ago. and whispered its knowledge to all of dino kind. as we were the rightful rulers of the world itself.

the stars, chose us.