"Mom! I'm home!" I stepped into our new house, and to my surprise, the whole front room was set up. The couch was against the wall to my left, the TV sat on the wall across from it, and the lamp was set up right next to the couch. Picture frames full of family photos and other events hung around the walls. It already felt like home.

"Oh, Adriane! I'm so glad you're back already!" Mom ran over to me and grabbed my hand. "Come with me! I have something to show you that you're really going to like!" Oh boy. Mom was on her excitement kick again. With my hand in hers, she quickly led me into the hall and up the stairs. Five doors welcomed us at the top. There were two on the left, two on the right, and one right down the hall. Mom led me to the one down the hall, and she looked at me with an excited grin. "Are you ready?"

"Uh, s-sure!" I had a feeling I already knew what she was going to show me, but I didn't want to ruin this moment for her. Mom opened the door, and I found myself in the most gorgeous room I had ever seen. The walls were painted the most beautiful shade of blue. It was like a sky blue, but a few shades lighter. It was almost an icy blue. Black then laced around the walls, almost like vines curling and twirling around. My bed rested in front of me, the blankets complimenting the icy blue with their intense purple color. A nightstand rested beside my bed, and a lamp sat on top of it, the lampshade matching my blanket's color. A white vanity and chair sat beside the large window, which was laced with thin black curtains. My oak wood dresser was on the opposite wall of the vanity, and the top was decorated with small photos and keepsakes from various vacations. I was in total awe. Despite the lingering smell of paint, my room was more than I could have ever imagined.

"Do you like it, sweetie?" Mom asked. "Your dad put in so much time to get the paint just right and set everything else up. I managed to find that lovely blanket that I thought would be a perfect touch to the room, and_"

I couldn't contain my excitement any longer as I exclaimed, "Mom, its great!" I looked over at her with a bright smile. "I couldn't have asked for a better room! The color, the pattern, the...everything! It's all so wonderful!" I dropped my backpack and tightly hugged her. "Thank you guys so much!"

"Your dad is going to be so happy to hear that!" She hugged me back, and it was a tight one. For a middle-aged mom, she always had the tightest hugs, handshakes, and everything else in between. I noticed all the hugs she gave me were like protective embraces. I found it odd, but I didn't think too much about it. I figured it was just a "mom thing."

"I'm just glad we're finally out of Gramma and Grandpa's hair," I said as I pulled away from the hug. "They did so much for us before we were able to finally settle in here."

"Oh, I know." Mom held a look of guilt. "I feel so bad. Your dad's parents did so much for us until this moment. I don't think we could ever repay them for-"

"Oh, now Cathy, you know you don't have to repay us for anything," an older man's voice said from the hall. "You know we're always glad to help you guys out.

I knew that voice from anywhere. I excitedly turned around and noticed Grandpa standing in the hall. With a smile, I ran over to him and gave him a great big hug. "Grandpa!"

He chuckled lightly and hugged me in return. "Geez, kiddo. You act like you haven't seen me in years."

"I know, I know," I said with a giggle, "but is it a crime to be excited to see my grandpa?" I couldn't put my finger on it, but I always felt this strong bond between my Grandpa and I. It was like I knew how he felt, knew if he was in pain or something. Basically, it was like I knew his emotions, and just seeing him always brought this joy. It might seem weird but hey, I'm not complaining.

"No, it's not," he answered with a smile before looking up at Mom, "and Cathy, you don't have to repay us in anyway. We're glad to help you guys out, and no matter what you do, we won't accept anything you try to give us." Mom looked defeated. If she had to repay somebody, she definitely repaid them, even if they didn't ask to be repaid, but Gramma and Grandpa were very serious about it. No matter what Mom did, they didn't accept anything she had to offer: money, gifts, anything. They wouldn't accept it. Sometimes she tries to find tricks to it, but it's like they see right through her, and tell her to return it or keep it for herself. They were very set about it.

"Anyway," Grandpa continued, "how is everything? Do you and Aaron need to get anymore things up? Y'know I can-"

"Oh no. You and Suzanne have done quite enough for us," Mom answered. "In fact, we're all settled in! The living room is all unpacked, as well as the dining room, kitchen, bathroom... Basically, we're all settled in! We really are grateful for everything you have done up to now. If there's anything we can-" Grandpa cut her off by simply raising a brow, and Mom realized what she was about to say and instead chuckled nervously. "S-Sorry."

"Okay, now that that's all over..." I turned to Grandpa and gently bounced on the tips of my feet in place. "You gotta see my room! It looks so amazing!" I led him to my room, and he let out a low whistle.

"Wow. Now this is a room," he commented.

"It looks incredible, doesn't it?" I beamed. "Dad did such an amazing job on it! I know it still smells like paint, but I'm sure that'll go away by later tonight. Man, I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to sleep tonight!" I found myself blabbing away about my room, and I quickly stopped myself before I bored my mom and grandpa to death. "S-Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, honey." Mom put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You're excited about the new place. I understand. Now, your stuff is all in your closet." Mom motioned to a snowy white door. It was open and revealed many different boxes resting at the bottom. "Why don't you go ahead and unpack all your things and put them where you want them to go, and I'll show Grandpa around the rest of the house? Does that sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan, Stan!" I smiled brightly as I rushed over to the closet door and began opening one of the many boxes that rested on the floor. I couldn't wait to finally get unpacked.

Mom, Dad, and I sat at the dining room table, plates of steak and mashed potatoes resting in front of us. We were finally settled in and having our first family meal in the new house. The whole reason we moved here was because Dad got transferred over here. See, Dad is a patrol officer, and here in Revington, they've had a lack of patrol officers, which makes sense to me. I mean, Revington is a big city. Of course they'd need more officers in the area, so we had to pack up our things and move in with Gramma and Grandpa in the city until we could find our own house. It wasn't too far into the city, so we still had a slight "small town" feel to it, and now, we were finally settled in, and we were all extremely happy.

"I start my first day tomorrow," Dad said as he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. "This shouldn't be too different from Tranquility's forces. Just driving around, keeping an eye on the roads, busting speeders, robbers making a heist. Like I said, not too different."

I looked over at him with a raised brow. "Um, Dad? Tranquility never had bank robbers, or even speeders. Why do you think the town is called 'Tranquility'?"

Dad knew I had him, and he put his fork down before he could get a bite of steak in. "Yeah...Well...I've had the training. I'm completely prepared for any situation in Revington."

Mom chuckled softly as she cut her stake into small pieces. "You and your determination. Just be careful tomorrow, okay? I don't want you coming back with scratches and bruises or any other injuries on the first day."

"That's just part of being an officer," Dad proudly said. He then turned over to me then asked, "Speaking of first days, how was your first day of school, Adriane?"

I froze at the mention of school. I was so close to getting away without talking about it, but I knew it was coming sooner or later. "W-Well...My first hour, which was Algebra, was...alright. A couple of kids got sent to the office a few minutes after I got there."

"Really?" Dad asked as he quirked a brow. "What did they do?"

I picked at my mashed potatoes with a small, "Mmph..." I didn't want to tell them I was getting picked on during the first day of school, but I knew they would find out sooner or later, so I simply said, "Two guys were picking on me. One called me a misfit, and the other joined in and said 'Dude that was so funny!'" I lowered my voice as I impersonated Blaze. Then I sighed as I lazily took a bite of my mashed potatoes. "Best first day ever," I mumbled.

Mom and Dad looked at each other, and Mom turned to me and said, "Honey, don't let those two get to you. It was just one outburst. I'm sure they won't do it anymore, and if they do, you come and tell us. We'll talk to the school about it."

Sure. Like that'll help.

"Alright, Mom," I said, my voice slightly lower than usual. "I will." I didn't want them to see me so upset already. I knew they would want me to be happy, so I was going to try my best, even if it meant faking a smile every day. I took a final bite of my steak before standing and excusing myself from the table. "I'm not very hungry." I took my plate and threw the extra bits of steak and mashed potatoes in the trash before putting the plate in the sink. I then made my way up to my newly decorated room, flopping on my bed back first.

Mom was right. This was just one bad day. I shouldn't let this get to me.

I laid in bed for a few moments before sitting up with a sigh. I had to get some of these thoughts out, so I leaned towards my nightstand and opened the top drawer. A textbook-sized sketch book rested inside with some sketching pencils on the side. I took everything out and sat on my bed, my legs crossed as I rested my sketch book on top of them. Sketching was a great way for me to get my emotions out, so I started flipping through the pages filled with fantasy creatures to find a blank page, but as I was flipping through, I stopped at a colored image I had drawn many, many months ago. The pictured showed a small, black as night dragon. The size of it in the picture made it appear as if it was the baby of its kind, or at least a young one. It was on all fours with its small wings spread out, as if it was about to take flight. I remembered everything about this dragon in great detail. From the snout to the tip of its tail, I remembered it. After all, I had encountered this creature when I was younger. At least I thought I did. The whole moment felt like a dream, and I began recalling the moment in my head.

It was three years ago when I saw it. I was thirteen at the time, and Mom and Dad decided to take me on a camping trip on the outskirts of Tranquility. The outskirts were covered in gorgeous oak trees, and we had found the perfect spot to set up camp. It was just big enough to hold our tents and fire pit, so we began setting everything up. Dad set the tents up, and Mom and I gathered firewood and made the fire pit. It was pretty easy, and we got done in no time. We sang campfire songs, roasted marshmallows, you know, the usual campfire clichés.

Before we knew it, night came around, and I was sleeping in my tent. Well, I was trying to. I kept tossing and turning in my sleeping bag. I figured it was because the ground was too hard. After all, I wasn't used to sleeping on the ground. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, and I really hated it, but that wasn't the only thing keeping me awake. Shadows would occasionally sweep by my tent, and every horror movie I've ever seen would jump up in my mind and make me shake with fear. I kept thinking there was some sort of serial killer or monster out there. Sometimes the shadows would stop right in front of my tent, and I could see the outline of whatever was out there. It was hard to make out, but from what I saw, the thing was a decent size and had wings, but not once did I hear them flapping. I just heard the sounds of twigs snapping and quiet sniffing. I began thinking it was a bear, but then again, what bear would have wings. I knew it was stupid of me, but I slowly unzipped my tent, trying to keep the zipping noise very quiet, and peered outside. That's when I saw a large, black creature sniffing away at the fire pit. It simply stood there, looking at the pit with such curiosity.

What...is that?I thought to myself. Am I dreaming? Did I eventually fall asleep and just started having this dream?

I leaned closer out of my tent, but as I did, my hand slipped from under me, and I fell forward with a gasp. The creature's head shot up as I scrambled to sit myself up, and that's when our eyes met. My moss green eyes met with the creature's intense clover green eyes. It had rectangular pupils, but when it stepped closer to me in the moonlight, the pupils closed lightly, as if beginning to slit up. Then it stopped, and we just stared into each other's eyes, as if we were having a staring contest. For a moment, I felt weightless, as if I was being carried by balloons or as if I was filled with helium, and despite feeling as if I couldn't breathe, I felt warm and...almost happy. I couldn't really explain what I felt, but I knew it felt wonderful. However, everything after that was just a hazy memory. The second I closed my eyes, everything was dark for a few moments. When I opened my eyes, it was like I was waking up from sleeping. I was lying on my back, facing the top of my tent.

The memory kept playing over and over in my mind. It always did whenever I saw the picture, but this time, I realized something. I looked closer at the drawing. The dragon had intense clover green eyes with dark rings around the pupil. I immediately thought of Shadow. His eyes had the same intense clover green eyes with the same dark rings, and now that I had the thought in mind, I realized the color of the dragon's scales were the same black as Shadow's hair, but this had to be some weird coincidence. There was no way that these two different species were the same being, right?

"There's just no way," I mumbled to myself. "There's just no way..."

I knew I would have to confront him about this.