Chapter 1
A depressing feeling surrounded the car. Chihiro was sulking in the middle seat between her two sisters. She was so angry earlier when her parents announced
they were moving that when the twins tried to comfort her she screamed in their faces. "How would you know how I feel?" When they tried to comfort her
again, she revealed a truth the twins did not know. "Why do you even care about me?! You're not even my sisters! You're adopted!" That was three days
before the big move. The twins had run out of the house crying as they went. The twins could not be found anywhere for a whole day. Just at sunset, their
parents searched until they found them sitting in the parking lot of some new apartment buildings. They sat right at the spot of what used to be the shore line
of the Kohaku River. A river that a few years back marked their lives forever. When the twins were nine and Chihiro was five, they were walking home from
school. For some reason or another, Chihiro kicked at the air as if kicking a ball causing her shoe to fall into the river. Just behind her sisters, she didn't want
to be seen as a dummy and tried to get her shoe herself. She had almost had it when it floated out of her reach causing her to fall in. She let out a yelp
causing her sisters to turn around and run to the river bank. By now Chihiro was in the idle of the river where it was too deep to swim to by the twins. But
then, out of nowhere, the river itself seemed to carry their baby sister closer to shore. When the twins jumped in to save her, they saw something they did
not expect. They saw a sliver dragon whose scales shined under the water. For years after the rescue, the twins kept coming back hoping to see the dragon
once more even after the river had been filled in. To them, spirits had always appeared but for some reason they never saw the silver dragon who they
assumed was the river spirit of the old Kohaku River again. Always when their parents needed to find them, they would see them there waiting for something
but they did not know what nor did they pretend to even know. At this very spot that meant so much to them, they had confronted their so called parents
about what their sister had said. Standing from their spot and holding tight to each other's hands, they yelled at the top of their lungs. "Is it true we were
adopted?! Well is it?!" At this both their parents looked at each other and with a sigh turned back to their girls. "Yes. It is true and we are so sorry we never
told you." Both girls were wide eyed and in tears. They had thought that maybe this was another childish tantrum from their little sister but now that they
knew it to be true it took all their strength just to keep standing up. Both girls for the next few days before the move didn't say a word and always held each
other's hands where ever they went. They needed each other's support now more than ever because they were all they had. Sure they might have had an
adopted family but it was clear to them that they were only in the way now that they looked back. Now they understood why their father would not be home
for their birthday and their mother and sister would forget. Now they understood why their parents always pay more attention to Chihiro. Now they understood
that even when their parents only had them, they were never given the time of day. It made so much sense that this would turn out to be the truth. The
signs were there but they just refused to see it and always made excuses for each of them. They wondered why their "parents" had told Chihiro the truth but
not them. Did they not trust them enough? Did they not think they could handle it? All these thoughts and questions ran through their minds as they came to
the final day before the big move to their brand new home.
