Aideen sauntered through the portal, to right outside of her grandmother's house. She pushed open the garden gate, and unlocked the front door. It was large, in the most expensive neighborhood in Goldwater Harbor. Her family had amassed wealth over the years, especially through her grandmother, a clever investor and a hard worker over her hundreds of years of living. Then again, dragons did have a penchant for hoarding money, among other things.

In the foyer, Aideen put her messenger bag on a hook and removed her boots. She'd been waiting for this day for what seemed like her entire life. Everything had been in preparation.

But she hadn't expected there to be other girls. Logically, she knew there would be— her father had competition. But those people didn't pass their trials, and none of them wanted anything to do with the magical world in the first place, according to her grandmother.

It wasn't their fault that her parents died right before their coronation. 

She squared her shoulders. She still believed that she would be the Pendragon. But what would it hurt to befriend Kira and Elodie? None of this was their fault And ultimately, she wasn't alone anymore, as the only dragon able to shift. 

Inside the living room, to the right, Felecia was hanging up party streamers and decorations shaped like sea life. 

"Hello, Grandmother," Aideen said. "I'm back."

"How did it go?" Felecia didn't get down, finishing pinning the seat turtle to an antique cabinet with latches shaped like lion heads. 

"I'm a princess now," Aideen said. "But there are other girls."

"How many?" Felecia's tone was light and conversational, as if they were discussing something as trivial and uninteresting as the weather.

"Two. They were born the same day as me."

"Will wonders never cease?" Felecia got down from the ladder. "But I believe in you. This is your destiny. You will be the next Pendragon, and you will save us all."

"I'll do better than Dad," Aideen promised, hugging Felecia. 

"Of course you will," Felecia said as they parted. She paused. "He would be so proud of you."

Aideen thought of the letters in her trunk, the photographs on her desk, and smiled. "Thank you, Grandmother."

Felecia patted her granddaughter's arm. "Why don't we get the cake and presents? For our future queen."

Aideen followed her grandmother into the kitchen, caught up in the very act and atmosphere of celebration. Competition and training was a problem for tomorrow. But for now, she would rest on the laurels of merely being eligible.

Elodie closed the door behind her. Jinn stood in the entryway, hands on her hips as she tapped her foot.

"Where is Brad?" Jinn demanded. 

"He went on a date with some girl from his classes," Elodie said, avoiding her mother's eyes. "A new friend's dad drove me home. Her name is Kira Goldstein."

"Was it Mr. Goldstein-Gershwin, or Dr. Gershwin?" Jinn asked, her voice going dangerously low.

"It was Mr. Goldstein-Gershwin," Elodie said. "Look, nothing happened, I'm fine— just tired."

Before Jinn could say anything else, Elodie brushed past into her room and slammed the door behind her. She exhaled deeply as she slid down the door, and onto the Hello Kitty rug. She slammed the backpack beside her, and sobbed. 

She could never tell Jinn, that much Elodie knew. Something was wrong, she could see all of the hints now. What was in the drink? What did Brad know? Was her mother trying to keep her out of that world? Why? 

Keep quiet until she could find out more— that was the plan. But how could she lie to everyone, keep such a great and terrible secret?

There were so many questions, no answer in sight, no easy way out. She was supposed to be strong, supposed to be good at investigation— she wanted to be a lawyer after all. 

But this felt like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm her in all its mass and sheer power. Maybe Aideen had wanted to do this— she did seem the queenly type, and Kira seemed excited by the dragon stuff.

Elodie had plans, she had a life. And the dragons were threatening to take away all of it for their stupid games. 

Kira entered the house where both of her fathers were sitting, crowded over pictures and other papers. Her physicist father, Dr. Abner Gershwin, was talking into the phone while her other father, Seth Goldstein-Gershwin, was "organizing" the papers and in fact making an even bigger mess.

"Sir, with all due respect, she—" Abner looked up. "Oh, thank Him— she's here, she's safe. I am so sorry, officer, this is not her normal behavior. Thank you for your time and help."

As Abner hung up the phone, Seth embraced his biological niece and adoptive daughter. 

"We were so worried about you, I'm so sorry I didn't get to the school in time, I thought this was all my fault!" 

"Where were you?" Abner folded his arms over his chest.

"I'm so sorry, it's just some weird things happened," Kira said, trying to organize all her thoughts. Like Seth, she suspected all she was doing was making a bigger mess out of her strung-along recollections of all that happened. 

"I found out what our birthmarks mean," Kira said. "We're dragons— we can shapeshift into them, or I can, anyway. There's two other girls who can, at my school. And there's a whole community of them— but they can't shapeshift because of some curse. So they need someone in our family— because me and the other girls, we're related to the old king— to become the Dragon Queen. So they took me to their sky castle. I'm sorry I didn't text you, it just happened so fast— I'm so sorry. I know this all sounds insane—"

"I think we're all accustomed to some insanity in this house," Abner said, running hands through his graying thick, dark hair. "At least you're safe."

"And this is on our side of the family?" Seth asked, leaning onto the counter. "Because I was never told who your father was. Brennan never told me." 

"Yes, she had the birthmark, too," Kira said.

"Because I never turned into a dragon," Seth said, eyes glazing over at the possibilities. "And neither did Brennan."

"Well, I think we'll figure that out another time," Abner said. "Is there any place you want to go out for your birthday?"

"I don't know," Kira admitted. "So much of this place is still strange."

"We got a reservation at the pizza place," Abner explained.

"Let me go get my coat," Kira said, grinning widely. She could worry about everything else later. For now, she was seventeen and could be the Pendragon.