Disclaimer: I do not own American Dragon: Jake Long or any of its characters

Cow shit.

Joelle ran through the dark alley. Footsteps pounded after her. Breathing came in shallow bouts. She could not keep this up anymore.

'Oi! Come 'ere you little brat!'

Sure, she probably shouldn't have broken his bike, but it was what he deserved, right?

Cow shit. Chicken shit. Pig shit. HOLY shit. A dead end. Not good.

'Well, looks like you have no where to go, eh girlie?' Lumbering up to her, Joelle could see he was just trying to frighten her. But hey, it was working.

Grabbing a crowbar out of no where, the guy seemed like he was intending to do more than just frighten her (on second thoughts).

In the shadows, his skin seemed to turn blue. His teeth got sharper, his face more leering. His arms were beginning to look like tree trunks.

Grabbing her skateboard, Joelle pushed it toward him, causing him to slip. She grabbed it back and rolled away from the fallen man.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Her eyes MUST have been playing tricks on her in that alley.

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'HOME!'

Joelle dumped her bag on the dining table and dazedly climbed up the stairs. As she reached the door of her room, she noticed one very annoyed mother standing inside.

'UGH! I am NOT in the mood for this!' she growled.

'Well, could you explain to me, your mother, why you weren't at school today?'

Joelle stared at her mother. Tall, elegant and intimidating; everything Joelle wasn't. Dark, curly locks fell on her shoulders, much opposed to the reddy-brown wisps that hung around Joelle's ears. Graceful and gentle, she omitted a warm glow of affection; for those who deserved it.

'Joelle, answer me!' She crossed her arms.

'Firstly, it's Jo, and GET OUT OF MY ROOM!'

And with that, the shocked woman was pushed out of the room by a screeching girl and the door was slammed in her face.

Nibbling her lip, Haley Long sighed at her daughter's door.

'When will she learn?' she asked it.

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'Please, grandpa! I need to talk to her! It's important!' Jo rolled her eyes at her mother. As if she was going to talk to her. Sitting outside the workroom at the struggling electrical shop listening to her mother and great-grandfather talking would normally be classified at eavesdropping, but Jo preferred it to be called 'listening to things that she would be told later early'.

'No. This is more important! You can talk to her later.' Haley sighed. Jo, however, punched the air in exultation.

'Dragon up!' Haley hoarsely whispered. Jo stopped.

Right, she thought. Has mum really lost it?

She peered through a crack of the open door to find the room empty except for her great-grandfather. Noticing her there, he beckoned her into the room.

'Oi, kid, watch where you're putting those clumsy feet of yours!' Fu Dog was lying on the floor near the door, so Jo hadn't noticed him. The years had been kind to him, for now he was a face, surrounded by flabs of skin. Chuckling, Jo sat down opposite her great-grandfather.

'Yes, G?' Lao Shi nodded acceptance of the nickname.

'Do you believe in dragons, Long Xi-an?' Jo winced as she heard her full Chinese name. But she shook her head at such a ridiculous question.

'No,' she snorted. 'Of course not. Who would?'

Lao Shi merely looked sad.

'Our culture is very closely related to mythological creatures. Did you know that Xi-an?' he asked, sipping his tea.

'It's Jo, by the way. And seriously, what's all this whack about mythological creatures? Like dragons, and let me guess, you're also talking about unicorns, and fairies, and pixies too, right?'

'Correct, young one! Well done!'

'Wrong! I don't know why you bother talking to me about these things, you're just a crazy old man with too much time on your hands!'

Lao Shi looked crestfallen. Fu Dog shook his head at the girl's impertinence.

'You'd better listen to the old man kid. He's right, you know. And seriously, why do you think I talk?'

Jo stopped and thought. She'd never really contemplated that Fu talking was out of the ordinary. But she wasn't going to sit there and talk about unicorns and other rubbish with a mad old man.

'Always wondered why you have a cousin, but no uncle or aunty, Jo?'

Jo got up. She'd just about had it. She was leaving. As she reached the door, he tried one more, last, desperate attempt to capture her attention.

'What if I told that our family is part of a long line of dragons? And that your mother is one? And you might be one as well…' He was cut off by the door slamming shut.

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'Yeah right!' Jo muttered as she stalked off back home. 'Dragons! Pfft! As if!'

Through the wind Jo thought she heard what sounded like a roar. Shaking her head again to clear her thoughts, she sighed. She had a crazy family who believed in dragons and unicorns. Perfect!

'Yeah, and what did Mum say before she escaped through the back door?' she snickered. 'Oh yeah. Dragon up!' She laughed. Then something extraordinary happened. Jo felt her body stretch – but not hurt. All she saw was flames, which flickered around her like caressing hands. She screamed, not knowing what was happening. Then it stopped. She lay on the pavement, her breathing hard and shallow, her eyes closed. When they finally opened, she was shocked to find pale blue scales all over her body. There were claws in place of her hands and feet. And behind her view, on her back; what were they? She craned her neck and her mouth opened in shock when she saw a tail and a pair of wings. When she bit her tongue to steel herself, she had to stop herself from crying in pain. Her jaw was lined with jagged teeth, and a forked tongue to match. She look around, stunned, and screamed when she realized she'd become…a dragon.