Jake flew by the platitudinal scenes of his neighborhood,nearing his school grounds with hardly any time to spare.Normally,he would have just taken his usual route and would have gone on his skateboard with his friends but for some reason his alarm clock hadn't gone off that morning and yet he hadn't had time to worry about it.As he tried to scribble down line after line of his homework in his spiral notebook;all at the same time having to maneuver his way along the sharp-cornered turns and had just narrowly avoided a steel lamp post being installed,when he caught the relieving sight of his school and bringing back his wings,let lifted them up into the air then and in one good flap upwards he was jettisoning down in a barreling flight to try and make it.

If I didn't know any better...he began think untenably as he landed behind a mail box to transform back.I'd say someone tampered with it while I was asleep...

But Jake let the whole idea drop altogether as he raced across the sidewalk and gave a wave when he saw Trixie and Spud were just about to go in.They looked up at him when he called their names and yet something about the way they seemed to take in his presence,made him wonder if they knew something he didn't and he immediately felt the greeting face he had managed to work up drop,feeling out of place now.

Trixie didn't smile but instead inquired him carefully."Hey.Um...listen,something about you wasn't..."she suddenly turned a little faltering and had to pause to think but then came back with a little more concern filtering across her face."...right with you last night.I mean,it was you but it just didn't feel like...um,well,how are you feeling?"

"Good,I think."Jake replied back with some will to lift everyone's spirits."But I didn't wake up early enough to catch you guys because somethin' messed up my clock and if that weren't enough,I had this really weird dream that Spud came running into my room and spilled some sort of red stuff on my face."he tried to render them to risibility at least because of the strain he felt but spoke pelutantly at their visages that both reflected disbelief."That wasn't a dream I had last night...was it?"

"Did you see Rose last night?"Spud asked him slowly,still harboring an inert visage.

"No."

"Then that proves to you it was real!"He exclaimed prosperously,straightening out his and curling his fists in the air."And..."his unbesought display died as the bell rang and the three hurried in."But yeah,I accidently took that stuff and I'm guessing it was the one next to it I was suppose to grab but then again I only had like thirteen seconds,it was getting late,the lighting in the back room wasn't perfect and I think Fu might..."

"I'm guessing you better keep you're mouth shut about the whole thing and agree to never take without permission again,in other words,steal."Trixie admoninshed him as they entered the building and seeing with satisfaction that guilt had once again passed over his light features,turned to Jake more solicitously."To us,you really did some out of character last night,dude.And...I don't know.Everything was just freaky,that's all."

Jake rolled his charcoal eyes and told her discountingly as began to depart from each other to go to their separate lockers."Trix,please,nothing is gonna go wrong and if it already he has."he merely shrugged."I'll be on it slicker then grease.Trust me,as long as I have the say-so around here,nothing can go wrong and will not go wrong."

But she only shook head in surrender."Okay,fine,I trust you."she told him yet as she was leaving,shot him a look and told him with warning edged in her words."I just hope you remember that that's the kind of attitude that can get you into big trouble."

He watched as she took off towards her own locker further down the hall and sighed with some ambivalence.The truth was,that he had felt completely different last night.In his sleep even,he had felt like had been on the outside of himself looking down at his snoozing form.But as these thoughts floated through him and he finally shut the locker as he was done getting everything he needed for first period,Jake felt the feverish feel once again that morning of not wanting to be late in order not to screw up his life at the moment and charged down the hair at a hurtle.Though,we was without knowledge that he was being kept an eye on by someone lurking in the opposing hallway,yet the dark figure was feeling snug being wedged between the end of the lockers and the wall.Yet he didn't lose any poise or do anything to draw attention.

"I did a little research on you're life."he muttered to himself minaciously,though he felt somewhat cramped and would have fallen forward,had a beautiful blond girl not of passed the lockers and continued down the part of the hall Jake had left.And I think I know my first target.Then,gradually,I'm going to make my way to the top.

Later on that day after school...

The day had been fairly uneventful thus far,as Jake strolled down the sidewalk to his Grandfather's shop.Trixie had had to run some chores for her Mother;who was in the middle of a tight schedule with her airline duties and Spud had had to get home to clean what was left of all the disposed tubes he had stashed under his bed when they had innovatively put his one-hundred use skin cream to good use when it had saved Rose from having to leave the city.Man,he thought with slight pining,we haven't even seen each other in almost two days.I'll have to try to get in touch with her to-

All of a sudden,he felt himself being yanked off the street and into an alleyway.Jake braced himself to take down his attacker,when he found to his astonishment,a familiar pair of light green eyes.He almost had to do a doubletake to make sure his eyes were correct but she hardly let him have the opportunity,as Sun folded her arms and glared daggers at him,almost like he had commited sin and it made him want to shrink then.

"Jacob,"She began in a very low,very stern voice."I do not have any idea what possessed you to do what you did today.But all I care to know is why you did."

He stared up into her firmly pressed face and pulled a little at his collar,not use to this side of her."I-I...don't know..."his words instantly turned to traulism."...wha-what..."

"I don't want any excuses,Jake."Sun interrupted him,her voice rising slightly."We both know what I'm speaking of and there's no way to deny it...now listen,I've let quite a few of you're negative actions be handled through you're own learning process and I have even told Laoshi to maybe not be so strict.But this is the last straw,Jake,I know you're a good kid for the most parts and you have a demanding life.I don't..."she had to take a moment to clear her mind and began,her voice hinted in sorry."I just do not think I can let it go this time.What you did today...the principle of the matter,hurt."

"What?"Jake blurted out in frustration,feeling himself more confused then ever."What do you think I did that was so wrong?All I did today was show up and try to pass."

"Trying to pass!"She lashed back angrily,thrusting something that was torn into shreds into the teenager's hands."Or trying to expose all of our secret identities to humans?"

Without seeing any other way out of it,Jake saw that they were just long strands that had some sort of large,red writing on them.So giving her an appealing glance upward as he positioned himself to lay them down in order to read,she reluctantly gave him a nod and he went to work at matching them up.It took him under ten seconds and yet it felt like an eternity of perpetual shock,as he very unwantingly placed in the last fibril of what was now distinguishable as the roll-down sheet that she,like most of their teachers,used to project things upon.But that's not what got to Jake,it was what was written in bold,blood-red lettering.I am going to reveal that I am the American Dragon.As well as my Grandfather,Ms. Park and of course,Haley.Signed the American Dragon himself now andnot much longerafter this. -Jake Long.

Addlepated by this,he looked up at her full in the face."Ms. Park,I don't know who would of done this but I didn't."his words felt fruitless as she appeared to having been expecting this kind of reaction and instead he when he went on,choose what he was going to say more carefully."I couldn't have had time to do it,my friends told me I was dead asleep last night and I got up really late.Then,I didn't do anything besides go to my first four classes and everything in the room seemed fine when I got there."

"Firstly,it had to have happened between the hours of seven PM yesterday and then six AM today before I arrived.Secondly,I gave the entire room a good cleaning after I saw it before anyone else got there and thirdly,you're tendencies to be careless with what you do makes me question you're claims."her eyes narrowed on him,apparently still too upset to see the natural truth to what he spoke as a thing of reality."Namingly the time you almost dropped everything for a girl who could very well end the entire magical world with the Huntsman,when you nearly let Haley get injured and now-"

"Wait."Jake cut her off abruptly,not caring that he was getting out of bounds again."I thought it was just this that was written on,are you saying you're entire room was..."

"Vandalised."She finished for him testily,clearly losing a hold on her paitence."Correct Jacob,every last inch of it."her eyes swerved down momentarily and then came back up to meet his."That was the remainder I kept for evidence reasons.And...it isn't so much the damage of the room or the few costly things that I will have to replace.The fact that I don't know you're reasons for doing this,is what I am most concerned with and want to sort out.I just...I just want to know why you would do this Jake.Why?"

"Read...my...lips."Jake told her in a prolonged manner,sore because he was feeling accused as he had this morning."I didn't do any of this.'Sides,there's no real proof."

Sun let a deplorable look cross her features briefly,as she slipped her hand into the light brown leather purse she had hanging from one shoulder and withdrew out a snapshot of what Jake was horrified to find was a picture of himself fairly up close with a bottle of red spray paint in one hand as he wrote the awful note,with the other hand obviously out and holding the camera in just the precise angle to get a clear shot of himself in the act of doing it.For a moment Jake's mind didn't comprehend the very plausible proof shown before him and then slowly but surely,Sun Park's depicted version of what might as well of been just a myth,became a true life story to Jake.It was him,every last detail of himself in the photo he never remembered taking was very similar to his own...except for the eyes.

There was something oddly awakening about the way this image of him was staring up grinningly into the lens,something about the raw intention to perform this act in this Jake's leering,made it come together for him.It was something that Jake had witnessed close up before and something he was dreading but it was starting to make sense and that was just good enough for him.

"I've got to go."Jake told her with determination etched in his light taupe features."I've got to get to Gramp's and..."he trailed off quietly when she caught him by the arm,it wasn't tight enough to cause any sort of pain but just a tight enough squeeze to make him pause and yet before she uttered a word,he turned to tell her defensively in his name."It wasn't me,Sun Park.But I have an idea who it might be and I will stop him."

He worked his way from her grasp and,allomorphing in his dazzling display of azure lights,took off in flight to his grandfather's shop.Not knowing exactly how he was to go about explaining not only this but the fact that he had created his evil self in the 1st place.And yet,knowing that time was of the essence if he was to bet his own clone.

A/N:Think this was bad for Jake...just wait.lol.Well,ttyl.More Rose involvement next chapter as she will take a bigger role and especially towards the end in helping Jake.

LP