One main character + two girls + two boys + one dragon...

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As soon as I was sure the police weren't following, I found a phone booth. Luckily, I had some money with me, and rang the number Master Fung had given me.

"Hello" the voice croaked. It wasn't either of the two I'd met.

"Yeah, hello. Master Fung told me to call…"

"Fung? Oh, right. What's yer name?"

"Joe. Joe Thunder."

"Right, where are ya?"

"I'm in Croydon, near…"

"Na, country!"

"Oh. England."

"'Kay. Get yerself to Gatwick Airport and ring again. I'll get Dojo down to meet ya." I heard a click as he hung up.

'Gatwick? How'll I get there?' I wondered. I wandered through the streets, waiting for the bank to open. At half ten that morning, I'd collected my money and I was on a bus to Gatwick.

"Hello?"

"It's me again. I'm at Gatwick."

"Right. Wait for Dojo in Gate 21." Another click. Who was this Dojo? Someone from the temple, no doubt. I walked slowly in the direction of Gate 21, wondering how I'd recognise Dojo.

"Hey! Hey, kid! You with the red hair!" I looked around – it had to be me. No one else had red hair. But no one was looking at me.

"Down here!" I looked down at my feet. The dragon that had accompanied Master Fung was standing by my feet, grinning up at me.

"Come on, we don't want to keep the others waiting!" he said, and led me back out of the airport. Only then did I realise what he meant.

"Others?" He walked – well, more slithered – over to three other people. One looked like a cowboy – probably Texan – with a lasso swinging above his head. One was tall and athletic, kicking a football about while he waited. The third was a smaller girl, Asian. Japanese, possibly. She was sat down on a bench, holding something in her hands. I saw the words on the top – 'Tohomiko Electronics'. The dragon cleared his throat and they looked up.

"How many more stops are we going to make, Dojo?" asked the boy with the football.

"Just one more," said Dojo. I jumped back as he grew to a size much larger than normal. The other three seemed fine with it. We climbed on and flew into the sky.

"Hi," I said to the others. I was behind the girl, and in front of the two boys. "I'm Joe."

"I'm Raimundo," said one of the boys, and held out a hand.

"I'm Clay," said the cowboy.

"I'm Kimiko," said the girl, and smiled. I smiled back.

"Here we are – last stop," said Dojo, as we touched down in France. "Wait here – I'll be right back." I slumped against a wall, watching as the others got their things out again – Clay's lasso, Raimundo's football, Kimiko's PDA. I had nothing. After a few minutes, Dojo came back, a girl running behind him. He super sized again. The new girl looked surprised.

"You get used to it," said Kimiko, before we all climbed on.

We made our introductions.

"It's nice to meet you all," said the girl. "I'm Reinette. I was born in England, then moved to France soon after. I never picked up the accent, though." Kimiko and Reinette started chatting, and so did Raimundo and Clay. I sat in silence. The memory of the fire played across my eyes.

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... R&R!