Chapter 1: Welcome to the Den

"Hurry up Seth! We're going to loose her." Joshua called out from amongst the crowd. I could barely make out his wind blown blond hair over the crowd; which, with his height should be easy. I felt like was drowning in bodies there were so many people. I was so out of breath by that point I was almost swept along with the crowd, luckily Joshua caught hold of me and pulled me off the beaten path.

"Thanks, I thought I was a goner." I said between breaths.

"We aren't done yet, come on." He said and took off through the revolving doors of a Bay St. building. I finish catching my breath and follow after him. By the time I got inside, he was already half way down the stairs to the PATH.

"So that's where they've been." I muttered to myself so that no-one else would hear. It wouldn't do for everyone to find the Dragons because of me. Though they hadn't been found out yet.

"This way Seth." I heard Joshua call out from across the plaza. It was one of the many that existed in the underground labyrinth of Toronto, though many of the shops had changed after the Anti-Expressionist Act was passed. It was a stupid act if you ask me, the government wanted to end all wars ,but instead of working to build a peaceful community, they decided the best way to keep everyone in line was to take away all forms of art. After all, you can't fight if you have nothing to fight over. However, all it did was make the world quite boring. Homes were barren, clothes were bleak, even make-up was made illegal. Though that didn't stop some individuals from making art. The government called them terrorists, the public called them vigilante, I called them heroes. And this girl we were chasing after was one of these heroes.

Finally I caught up to Joshua around Scotia Plaza where he had stopped, searching for any sign of the girl. A flash of colour caught my eye, and I turned just in time to see the girls long black hair slip down one of the many small corridors that branched off down here. I knew from experience that these would also branch off shortly and the only way we were going to catch her would be to give it everything we had.

"This way." I said tapping Joshua's shoulder and I started running. At each branch, it got harder and harder to keep track of her, as we had to stop and look for her. Until eventually we lost her all together.

"Crap," Joshua started,"we were so close."

I gripped my hair in frustration, I really wanted to join the Dragons, one of the two most infamous groups in Toronto, but you had to pass their test first, and no-one ever got a second chance.

"We can't give up yet. There has to be some way to follow her." I said to Joshua, and that's when I notice the mirrors at the corners of the corridors, and in one of them was the disappearing figure of the girl.

"There she is!" I said and I break out once more into a run. I raced down corridor after corridor at each turn I quickly checked the mirrors to find the girl, not even stopping to think.

At last I catch up to her at a dead end, her back against the wall and her arms crossed, she did not look happy.

"Congrats Shortstop, you caught me." She said.

"Who are you calling Shortstop?" I asked angrily. I hated people calling me short. I was 5'6" and clearly taller than she was.

"Calm down Seth." I heard Joshua say from behind me. His pace had become leisurely, which struck me as odd.

"Did you forget the password again Clair?" He asked the girl, shaking his head slightly as he did so. "How can you be the Leader's sister when you two are so different?"

"How can you be so stupid and be Mr. Robberts' son?" Clair countered, but Joshua just smiled and walked up to her. She moved out of his way, even though you could see her pride was hurt.

I still had no idea what was going on, how did Joshua know this girl Clair? Hadn't they just met the other day when a Dragon recruiter invited him to take the test?

As all of this ran through my head, Joshua was pressing on the bricks in the wall, like he was searching for a loose Jenga piece. What happened next made my jaw drop; the wall infront of us split in two parting to reveal a short hallway lined with lights, and just beyond it stood the Dragon Lord himself, Jay Dake. Joshua put his arm around my shoulder.

"Welcome to the den."

Author's Note

So, criticism. It's been something in the past that no-one posts. I actually need it, it's the only way to make this better, and it needs work. So please, give constructive criticism. Thanks!

Reviews

[Arotica]

It could truly be an interesting story though it's hard to tell from such a short introduction. I got the feeling that this is more of a prologue than an actual chapter.

(I felt like was drowning in bodies they were so many people.) This line is the only one that caught my attention while reading through it that needs your attention.

I have not read the original piece before I read this one so I can't really tell you if it's better or worse. I would like to see the story a bit more fleshed out before I can give any final judgement. Keep writing!

[Peach]

I prefer the original. It has a certain kind of original magnificence to it. Keep up the great work.

[Lucy Morningstar &heart..]

So, if you want, I can send you a more detailed thing later, but there are a few little grammatical things here and there that would just make it flow more smoothly if they were fixed. The only other thing I'd say would be to change one of the 'crowds' in the first paragraph because it feels a bit too repetitive. Otherwise, this is a really lovely new beginning to the story and is very fast paced, which is awesome, and makes me really want to read more. Splendid job ^_^