In one of my earliest memories, I am four years old, and, as usual, I am with Rowan. I don't know where my parents are, but this, too, is true of most of my childhood memories. We are at the park, and although it is a nice day, we have the place to ourselves. Rowan has brought along his new skateboard, a gift from our mother for his fourteenth birthday.

While he looks for a place to practice his skateboard tricks, I make a beeline for the jungle gym.

"Be careful, Nora," Rowan calls after me. But I am not Nora anymore. I am a magical dragon, on a perilous quest to rescue a beautiful princess from an evil scientist. I begin to scale the tallest mountain, atop which the princess is trapped in the madman's laboratory. A stiff, cold wind threatens to rip me from the cliffside, but I am a strong dragon. I soldier on, silently cursing the evil scientist for using one of his dastardly potions to rid me of my ability to fly.

I am almost there now. I can see the princess through the small, barred window, her silver eyes pleading with me to save her. I reach a claw out to her, and-

A sharp cry of pain jolts me back to reality. I look down from my perch at the top of the jungle gym and see Rowan sitting on the pavement, clutching his left knee. I am at his side in an instant, holding his hand in both of mine. His knee is raw and bloodied, and I can tell he is trying not to cry. I can't stand to see my brother in pain, and I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting back tears of my own.

I notice a twinge of pain in my own left knee. At first, I think I am imagining it out of sympathy, but then it begins to intensify. Soon, it stings so badly that I can't help crying out. If I didn't know better, I would think that I was the one who had been injured.

I open my eyes, letting loose a stream of tears, and find Rowan staring at me. His pale gray eyes are filled with fear.

"Nora," he whispers. "What did you do?"

"What? I didn't do anything."

Then I notice that the wound on his knee has disappeared. A small bloodstain on the hem his shorts is the only sign that it had ever existed.

"I...I don't know..."

Rowan grabs me roughly by the shoulders and stares me in the eyes. I have never seen him this serious before, and it scares me.

"Whatever you did, you can never do it again," he says. "Don't even tell anyone. Not even mom. Do you understand?"

I don't, but I am too afraid to argue, so I nod.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I promise."

"Good. Come on, we're going home."

Rowan grabs my hand, his skateboard forgotten on the asphalt, and we begin to walk home in silence.

My knee still hurts, but I don't say a word.