All right, here's where the fun begins! First real new chapter for this story in quite some time, it's kind of exciting :)

Oh, I almost forgot! Remember the character "Rorek" mentioned in the prologue? Well, if you want to understand what all is going on with him (and you probably will... really soon...), you can read my fanfic titled The Dragon-Wizard... or at least the first chapter... for an explanation. The story itself isn't finished yet (at least, not at the time of this update), but just about all of the information you would need is in chapter one. Take a look!


Chapter Two: The Dragon's Secret

They first met her the day her family moved into the Wellington's old place. She was thirteen, only a year younger than them, but that was about the only thing they knew about her – after all, she had been busy helping to unpack, and there had only been time for brief introductions before she had to bring another box into the house.

Her name was Kim. She was petite and light-skinned, and had long brown hair and small, deep blue eyes. She was an only child. Her family had moved from far away – probably another country, judging by her father's accent.

It was about a week later that Jenna spotted her new neighbor again. This time, Kim lay silently on a porch swing, reading in the sunlight. Jenna hesitated for a moment, not sure whether she should interrupt the girl, but curiosity got the best of her. Motioning for her brother to follow, she made her way up to the front porch.

"Hi!" Jenna called out. Kim, who had until that point been engrossed by the book and therefore unaware that she had visitors, jumped at the sound. She looked up and blushed slightly, then sat up and set the book down beside her.

"Umm… Hi," she replied. "You two are… Jenna and Matt Grayson, right?"

Matt smiled. "That's us." He nodded toward the book. "What are you reading?"

Kim shrugged. "Just a fantasy novel. I like reading, and there isn't too much for me to do right now."

"Well, why don't you come over to our place for a little bit?" Jenna offered. "We could hang out and get to know each other better."

Kim thought about it for a moment, glancing toward her house. Then she turned back to her new friends, a smile creeping to her lips. "Okay."

* * * * *

Kim looked around at the room she was now in. "You have a nice house," she commented.

Matt shrugged. "Yeah, it's all right. Our mom's a teacher and our dad's a police officer, so it's not like we can get anything too fancy."

Jenna strolled aimlessly down the hall, her brother and her neighbor walking a foot or two behind her. "So, Kim, you like fantasy stuff?" she asked, looking behind her.

"Yes," Kim replied eagerly. "I enjoy stud-…er…reading about magic. I also like the different kinds of creatures."

"Creatures? You mean like unicorns and dragons and everything?"

"Yes, exactly."

Jenna grinned. "Yeah, magic and mythical creatures are pretty cool. We don't really have much of those kinds of things here though… except for him."

As she said this, she pointed at something on a table in a small room they were passing. It was a figurine of a black and purple dragon.

"He was given to my parents by an old friend, a long time ago," she explained. "We call him 'Roary' – not the best name, but I think it's cute."

Curious, Kim went inside the room to get a closer look. As she approached, she let out a small gasp and instantly picked up the statuette to study it more closely. Jenna and Matt exchanged puzzled glances and eased into the room as well.

"Kim, you all right?" Matt asked, a tone of alarm barely perceptible in his voice.

Kim didn't seem to hear him. She simply turned the figurine over and over again, muttering, "It can't be… Everything's exactly as it should be…"

Suddenly, she whipped around to face the twins. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Matt started. "What are you talking about? We're who we say we are; why would we lie about our own names?"

Kim put a worried hand to her forehead. "No, I mean… Who are your parents? Who gave this to them? I mean…" She sighed and turned back away again. "I don't know what I mean…"

Jenna swallowed nervously. How on Earth could she have recognized it?

Kim stood silently for a moment, looking over the dragon. Without turning back, she began to speak quietly. "My mother… made four small statues, nineteen years ago. She gave three of them to her closest friends, and kept one for herself. Each one looked normal enough, but represented something important about the memories they had shared. Not long after, they went their separate ways, and could not contact one another any longer." Slowly and still clutching the figurine, she turned around and gazed at her two companions. "This was one of them, I'm sure of it. So please, just tell me: Who are you?"

Jenna looked hesitantly at her brother, her expression asking 'Should we trust her?' He nodded after a moment, and she turned back. "Our parents… are Starfire of Tamaran and Robin, ex-leader of the Titans West. We are children of the Titans."

Kim thought this over for a moment, and slowly began to smile. "I'm certain you already realize this, but… So am I."


And the adventure begins! You know, part of me really wishes I hadn't put so many hints about Kim's identity throughout the chapter - makes me feel like it was too obvious. Oh well, I like how it turned out anyway. Please review, I'll start working on the next chapter ASAP!