Alright, only a few changes in this chapter.


After his chat with Professor Rotwood, Jake had caught up with Trixie and Spud. The three of them were now heading for the skate park, and Jake was explaining to his two friends what Rotwood had said.

"He gave you detention?" Trixie asked after Jake had finished. "But what about… you know… the dragon thing?"

Jake just shrugged. "I know. But I couldn't exactly tell him I can't do detention 'cause I'll be busy training as the American Dragon, could I?" He sighed. "Guess I'll just have to go," he decided, yawning widely.

"Yo, Jake," Trixie said. "Why you so tired, anyway?"

"I was out all night guarding a bunch of unicorns. Fu got word the Huntsclan was after them, so they sent me to keep watch. Of course, nothing happened. So I got detention for no reason at all."

As they walked on in silence, Jake's mind wandered back to the dream he'd had in Professor Rotwood's class. It was definitely an unusual dream, to say the least. In most of his dreams, Jake was usually interactive, a part of the events taking place. In this one, however, it had been as if he was simply observing the scene from the sidelines, almost like watching a movie. But it had felt so real, as if it was actually happening. And that creature… He had been sure he'd seen something like it once before, but he couldn't quite place it. In the end, he just decided he'd ask Grandpa and Fu Dog about it later on.

When the three friends arrived at the park, they stayed for an hour and a half, before Jake decided he'd better go home and face his parents. He said goodbye to Trixie and Spud, and started walking toward his house.

When he reached the front door, he hesitated a moment. Professor Rotwood was sure to have notified his parents by now, Jake was sure of it. But as he stood in front of the door, he knew he'd have to get it over with sooner or later. So he took a deep breath, and turned the handle, pushing the door open.

The moment Jake stepped into the house, he was face to face with his mother, and she did not look pleased to see him.

"Detention?" she shouted as Jake closed the front door behind him. "You got detention? For falling asleep in class?"

"I-It wasn't my fault!" Jake replied hastily, attempting to side-step around his mother. "I was up all night with dragon stuff! I didn't get back 'til 6 a.m.!"

"That's no excuse! If you'd been paying attention to your teacher, it would've been easier to stay awake!"

"Have you ever tried listening to Rotwood's 40-minute lectures on mythology? Which are totally wacked, by the way. He wouldn't know a magical creature if it danced in front of his face singing the Hubba Hubba Hula."

"That's beside the point, but we'll finish this discussion later. You grandfather called. He says he wants to talk to you, so—"

"Thanks-Mom-catch-you-later-bye!" Jake shot out in one breath. He then turned and hurtled back out the front door, before his mother could get another word in.

When Jake arrived at the shop, he let himself in and headed for the back room.

"Gramps?" he called.

"Back here, kid," Fu Dog answered from the back. Jake went back and found them sorting and arrangement of old books onto shelves. "Just fixin' the place up a bit," Fu Dog elaborated when he saw Jake in the doorway.

"Yo, G, why the 911?"

"I hear you have detention tomorrow," Lao Shi said calmly.

"Oh," Jake replied, looking at the ground. "Yeah."

"And this is the reason I have asked you here today." Jake looked up at him. "We are going to train double today in order to make up for the time you will miss tomorrow."

Jake sighed, but didn't complain. He followed his grandfather and Fu Dog to the roof to begin training.

-0-0-0-0-0-

After a few hours, Jake, Lao Shi, and Fu Dog made their way back to the back room of the shop. Jake was thinking about that dream again, and he figured now was as good a time as any to ask about it.

"Hey, guys?" he began when they reached the room. "I got a question."

"Sure, kid," Fu Dog replied. "Shoot."

"Well, it's about this dream I had…" So he told them about the main points of the dream, mainly the strange creature he'd seen. When he finished, he asked if they knew what the creature might be.

"I believe the creature you saw," Lao Shi began, "was a gorgon."

"A… gorgon?" Jake repeated.

"Gorgons are demon creatures," Fu Dog explained, flipping through a book on ancient mythical creatures, and stopping on a page in the middle. "They have scaly skin, wings, and live snakes for hair. They come from the three original Gorgon sisters, Euryale, Sthenno, and Medusa. Some were so powerful, that anyone who saw their face was instantly turned to stone."

"Wow," Jake said, wide-eyed.

"Yeah. Dangerous. They're even said to guard the entrance to the underworld."

"So, the thing I saw… was a… gorgon?"

"It seems so," Lao Shi replied. "But it is believed that they have been extinct for quite some time."

"Yeah," Jake answered uncertainly. Extinct or not, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen - something sinister. And it had something to do with this particular creature.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"I think that's the last of them, Dad."

A girl about sixteen years old had been helping her father unpack their boxes from the moving truck. She set her box down on the kitchen table, and watched as her father emerged through the front door, struggling to see around the large box he was carrying.

"Yup," he answered his daughter, setting the box on the table. "The movers just left, and we are now officially moved in. All we need to do now is…" he looked around somewhat gloomily, "unpack."

The girl put a comforting hand on her father's shoulder. "Don't worry," she said consolingly. "I'm sure we'll feel right at home in no time." She smiled at him. "Well, I'm gonna go start unpacking my room. See ya later." She walked to the corner of the room and picked up a box marked Ebony's Room, and carried it upstairs.

She had chosen her room about a week ago, when she and her father had toured the house, so she knew exactly where she was going.

When Ebony reached her new room, she went inside and placed the box on the bed (the furniture were the first things they'd put in the house). She then sat down next to it and began going through its contents.

The first thing she pulled out of the box was a small pink book with a gold lock. On the front, in elaborate gold letters, was written My Diary.

Ebony reached around the back of her neck and unhooked her necklace. She held it out in front of her, showing a tiny golden key hanging from the chain. She grabbed the key and used it to unlock the diary.

After flipping to a blank page, she pulled a pen from a pocket on the inside back cover of the diary, and began to write.

9/7

Hey there. Ebony here. Well, Dad and I are finally moved in. it's been a tough for us the past week…Well, actually, it's been tough for us ever since Mom...disappeared. This is now the thirteenth home we've had since then. But I have a feeling this'll be our last move. 'Cause between you and me, I get my final ingredient here in New York City. All our waiting is finally going to pay off. And all my hard work, too. But I'm gonna need help getting this ingredient. It's okay, though. I think I have a plan. See, I heard of this hunting group, and I'm pretty sure they'll be able to help me find what I'm looking for.

Well, I really better start unpacking. 'Til my next entry!

Ebony

-0-0-0-0-0-

A little while later, Ebony had unpacked most of her belongings, so she decided to go back downstairs and see how her dad was doing.

When she reached the living room, she saw her dad had decided to start painting. Already, three and a half walls were painted a deep, warm red. It was really looking nice.

"Hey, Dad," Ebony said cheerfully, walking up to the foot of his ladder.

"Hey, Eb," he answered, smiling at her. "How's it looking?"

"Great!" she replied, surveying the room. "Need any help?"

"Sure," he said, beaming. "Grab a brush."

They spent about half an hour finishing up the living room, before moving on to the kitchen.

"So, Eb," her father began, "I signed you up to start school in a few days. Excited?"

Ebony sighed. "I guess." They had moved around so much lately, she had gotten used to new schools. Her father put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know there have been a lot of moves lately, but I still think we should try and make the best of it. Besides, I have a feeling we'll be staying here for a long time."

Ebony smiled. "Yeah," she replied, thinking to herself. "Me too."


Chapter one is finito. The only big change here is, well, the girl's name.

Adios!