Chapter 1

Far away in Gotham City, a fifteen-year-old boy tossed and turned in his bed. His black hair was matted with sweat and his blue eyes were closed in sleep. A restless sleep filled with strange dreams . . .

. . . The boy knew this house. And he knew the young blonde woman standing in front of it. He had dreamed of this house and this woman for the past three nights. But something was different this time. And then the boy realized. The girl that usually watched from the upstairs window while he and the woman talked was outside, sitting on the front steps, staring at apparently nothing.

As he approached, he could finally see what she looked like. She was about his age, with long soft brown hair, blue eyes lighter than his own, and a slim figure. She was pretty he noted but appeared incredibly sad. Somehow he knew he could not speak with her and approached the young woman like he usually did.

"Hello Tim," she greeted as usual.

"Hello," he replied. "Why is she so sad?"

"She's not at home anymore. HE has her," the blonde answered, as if that explained everything.

"Who is HE?" asked the boy.

The woman ignored his question, rambling on. "She's my sister, you know. I promised to take care of her, to protect her. But now I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"I'm dead," replied the young woman matter-of-factly.

"Oh." The boy adjusted his stance. "If you're dead, why are you here? What is this all about?"

The young woman stared intently into his eyes. "You have to understand. She's not of your world. She's special in a way you could never imagine. That's why HE took her."

"What's so special about her?"

"You'll see. If HE has his way, you'll see. And then it'll be to late."

Tim was frustrated. "Too late for what? Stop being so vague and just tell me!"

"You're not ready yet. But you will be. You have to be. Dawn is already here. The countdown has begun."

"Dawn? What countdown? Tell me!"

"Can't tell. Afraid to speak. Who can help me now?" whispered the girl on the steps. Tim whirled around, startled, only to find the house had disappeared, to be replaced with a pentagram painted on cement with what looked like blood. He glanced wildly around to see that they were now located on a rooftop in the middle of a city and the sky had changed from day to night. The girl stood in the middle of the pentagram, crying and pleading, surrounded by three pale creatures in dark robes chanting in a language he did not recognize.

"No! You can't do this! Please! NOOO!"

There was a flash of light and the girl was sucked away into what looked like a portal. The boy ran forward but it was too late. She was gone. The robed creatures and the pentagram faded away like they had never been there. "No! What happened? Where did she go? Why didn't you stop it?"

The young woman looked at him sadly. "I'm dead, remember? I couldn't."

At her reply, he glanced down, ashamed. She stepped up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I can't tell you everything. Not now. But you will know all soon. Be prepared. My sister needs a protector. Are you willing to take that role?"

The boy hesitated for only a moment, then nodded. "I'm willing. But why me? Who are you? And just who is your sister?"

The young woman turned the boy around, to see the sun rising in the distance. "Who am I? My name is Buffy. And she is Dawn."

Moving her hand, the woman closed his eyes, then whispered in his ear. "And as to why? You are the lock of this world. It was meant to be. Remember all that I have said." Straightening, she said, "That is all I can tell you for now. We'll speak again soon. It is time for you to wake. Wake up Tim!"

"Wake up Tim!"

With a start, Timothy Drake, a.k.a. Robin, sidekick to the Batman, awoke and tumbled out of bed.

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