"Are they like skateboarding rinks, with obstacles and stuff?"

"No, it's more like ice rinks only not ice. You can rollerblade in a skate park if you want to though."

"Huh. Neat."

"It's hard on your ankles when you're starting out though, you have to get skates that fit to make that less bad."

"Ooh, good to know. Huh, I bet there's all sorts of stuff I don't know like that, and what protective gear I would need and stuff."

"Helmet at least, knee and elbow pads if you're scared," says Kevin.

"I'd be kinda scared, yeah. Sometimes I think everything is like that, with loads of stuff you don't know you don't know going in. Are video games like that?"

"Yeah, but nothing you have to wear knee pads for."

"Yes, I imagine video games are pretty unlikely to get you injured in real life."

"One time a guy I know yanked his controller too hard and hit himself in the face."

Margaret sporfles a bit and puts her hands over her face. "Oh no! Is it bad that I think that must have looked really funny? Was he hurt much?"

"Just a bruise," he says, "but it looked really dumb."

"Well, hopefully he can laugh about it now. What game was he playing that inspired such a movement, anyway?"

"Super Smash Brothers."

"Ah, one I've heard of despite kind of living under a rock when it comes to games. My parents don't hate video games, exactly, but they won't pay for a console and I never saved up for one."

"None of your friends have any?"

"One or two do, but only getting to play when you're visiting someone else's house makes it hard to get into any of the ones with a plot. I've tried Smash Brothers and Dance Dance Revolution, though, those are fun."

"I've only played DDR in arcades, my parents don't want to buy any peripherals that only work for one game."

"Yeah, I can see that. They're pretty expemsive, and finding space for them could get hard even if they weren't."

"Yeah. It's good fun at arcades though."

"It really is. Especially if you get multiple people."

"Yeah." Lunchtime is drawing to a close. He finishes his pudding cup and picks up his tray. "See you around, Margaret."

"See you!"

If the rest of classes go by without incident, she'll head home and try the internet again, because she had a thought. With the medallion on, she can shapeshift; with it off, she's stuck as a dragon. So what if she looks for "medallion that turned me human"?

That same website that wants the password turns up again under some fanfiction and webcomics.

Grr. The next day she keeps an eye out for any more persistent necklace-wearers and sits with Kevin at lunch again.