Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

P aige wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Bucksville? No, should I have?"

"No way," Devon said, his eyes wide. "Oh, can I go? I'll go get the stuff."

Paige glanced at him. "You've heard of it."

"Everyone's heard of it," Dewey answered.

"And you should have, too. It's the place your mother went after drinking from the Magician's Teapot."

Heat washed over her body as she flicked her gaze to her ailing mother in the hospital bed. "While she was pregnant with me."

"Yes," Drucinda answered with a nod. "She went into the last book she read. She went to Bucksville."

"And that's where this…elixir is?" Paige questioned.

"Yes, I believe so. Or in a similar realm. But the Slayers can help you find it if they don't have immediate access."

"Slayers?" Paige asked, her lips tugging into a wince.

"The Shadow Slayers," Devon said with a nod. "Celine, Damien, Michael, Gray, Alexander, and my personal favorite, Marcus. "

"Of course you'd like the bad guy," Dewey said with a shake of his head.

"Marcus was misunderstood."

"Says the vampire."

"Sounds like you didn't read the whole series."

"I did so…ish," Dewey shot back.

"Stop," Drucinda said with a shake of her head. "Paige will go. After you've fixed her. She can't go like that."

"I still don't get it. So, I'll have to go into…what realm? The Shadow Slayers realm? I'm still not clear on what happened to my mom."

Dewey fluttered into the air in front of her. "Your mom went into a fictional realm."

"Oh, like the fractured fairy tale we were in?"

"Sort of, yes," Dewey said with a nod. "But this time…we're going to a really messed up place."

Paige screwed up her face. "Really messed up?"

Dewey nodded. "We're going to the realm of…Nellie H. Steele." He arched an eyebrow as he let the words hang in the air.

Paige slid her eyes side to side. "Okay…sounds reasonable."

"Are you joking? Have you read her books?"

"No," Paige said, her voice tentative.

Devon clicked his tongue and shook his head as Dewey flung his paws in the air. "Well, there you go. You have no idea the type of chaos she can inflict."

"He's right," Devon said. "Creatures that are just frightening, crazy people…"

"Explosions, car accidents, amnesia, kidnapping," Dewey outlined.

"Those were the romances, that's a different realm," Drucinda said.

"There were explosions in romance books? "

"I told you she was crazy. And now we've got to immerse ourselves into this madness." Dewey slapped his paws over his face.

"Can't be that bad. No crazier than what we're dealing with right now," Paige said.

"Remember that when you're being chased by a Serpede," Devon answered, a shiver shaking him. "I still have nightmares about those."

Paige grimaced as she tried to determine what a Serpede might be. "Okay, so…how do we get into this…Nellie's realm?"

"Please don't say we have to use that teapot," Dewey said, clutching his paws together as he pleaded with Drucinda. "We have no idea how to get back. We could be stuck in that maniac's world forever."

"I would prefer you didn't as it seems that teapot doesn't allow for control. No, instead, I think we should use a Chapter Gate."

"Ohhh," Dewey said with a nod. "Yeah, that'll work. Where's the nearest?"

"Enchanted Realm Park."

"The fairy-tale themed amusement park over in Germany?"

Drucinda bobbed her head. "That's the one."

"All right. Should we head there? Oh, wait," Dewey said with a shake of his head. "I need to fix Paige."

"Yes, you do, little man. She can't go there looking like that."

"No. Well, she could…but probably not best."

"You'd better get cracking," Drucinda answered before she shifted her gaze to Paige. "And you had better get reading. You need to be prepared for the types of surprises you may encounter."

"Prepared? I mean…it's a book… "

"You have no idea what kind of psycho we're dealing with here, Paige. She is responsible for the creation of Dominique, a character so vile, so crazy, there just aren't words."

"Don't forget Crazy Kyle," Drucinda answered.

"Ugh, don't get me started on him," Dewey said with a shake of his head. "The destruction in that series…for romance? Puhleeze."

"Fine, all right. I love books. I love to read. I'll grab my e-reader and hang out with my mom and read her books."

"Good, you do your research, Dewey will cure you, and I will work on travel arrangements to the Enchanted Realm Park."

"Sounds like a plan," Paige said as she crossed to her bag and dug into it for her reader. "I hope I have a cord to charge this. I usually carry it."

"If not, I can run out and grab you one," Devon said. "And also…I'd like to go with you."

"So you can meet Mark or whoever?"

"Marcus, and no. I'm…worried about you, Paigey."

"What did I say about calling me Paigey?"

Devon lifted a shoulder. "But I like it. It's cute. And we are married, so I feel like a pet name is in order."

Paige heaved a sigh as she let her gaze fall to the floor. "You have a point. Fine, call me Paigey."

"Thanks, Paigey." He grinned at her.

"Well, with that settled," Dewey said, "I'm heading in to work on turning you into a human, you sit down and read a little of the Slayers. Actually…would you mind reading in the lab so I can have you there for experimentation?"

"That sounds frightening, but sure. As long as someone can sit with my mom? I don't want her alone."

Drucinda bobbed her head. "I'll stay. I can make the travel arrangements from here. "

"I'll keep you company, Dru," Devon said as he eased into an armchair.

"Thanks," Paige said to them before, with e-reader in hand, she followed Dewey from the room.

They made their way to the hospital's lab, and she plopped onto a stool. "Okay, so what book do I start with?"

"Shadows of the Past," Dewey said as he fluttered around the room collecting ingredients.

Paige pulled up the book and dove in.

Dewey buzzed past her tapping a wooden spoon on a metal bowl.

"Will you stop that? I'm trying to read."

"Sorry," he answered before he let it clatter down on the counter and zipped across the room to retrieve more ingredients.

Paige tried to concentrate on the words on the page as her mind stretched in a thousand different directions.

While she tried to study the world she'd soon be entering, she found her mind drifting to her mother's condition, Dewey's frantic work, and whether or not they'd be able to save Reed.

She found herself skimming the text before she stared into space again.

"How far did you get?" Dewey asked as he stirred something.

He twisted to face her, holding the bowl in one hand as he stirred with the other. Before she could answer, the bottom of the bowl dropped out as smoke rose from the concoction.

His eyes went wide as he wrinkled his nose. "Whoops."

"Yeah, I'm not putting that in my body. Nothing even remotely close to that is going in my body."

"Just calm down. I accidentally added too much Magnimum."

"What? "

"Never mind," Dewey said as he twisted away from her. "How far did you get?"

"Josie is having nightmares. I feel like I'm living her life."

"Just wait…her life is way worse than yours. Although, she also has a hot husband, so…some similarities."

"Is her husband a vampire?" Paige returned her gaze her reader.

"No, warlock."

Paige sucked in a breath, continuing to the next chapter as Dewey restarted his potion-making. She eyed him as she flicked her page. He bobbed his head as he measured a glowing powder into a measuring spoon and poured it in.

She smiled at his hard work before she continued reading. A second later, a whooshing noise sounded as smoke curled from the pipette Dewey held.

"Dang it," he grumbled.

"Maybe don't use the Magnimum," Paige said with a shrug.

"Really? Did you pass Potion-Making with flying colors? Do you want to stay part-cat?"

She slouched lower in her chair. "Proceed."

"That's what I thought. Don't question my potion-making skills."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I've been turned purple and turned into a panther, and so on, so…just…making some suggestions."

"Well, don't. You're lucky you're alive, Paige. I mean…purple or dead? Those were your choices."

"When you put it that way, purple."

"Exactly. So, keep reading," he wiggled his fingers at her, "and I'll keep working to save your life."

"Right." She curled her legs under her as she continued to read. When she looked up again, Dewey hovered in front of her, grinning .

"How far did you get?"

"This guy, Gray, is her husband. Color me shocked."

"Well, I'm about to color you human," Dewey said with an arch of his eyebrow.

Paige stared at the glowing pearl substance floating in the bowl. "Are you sure?"

His grin faded. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Like sure sure? Like one hundred percent sure?"

Dewey narrowed his eyes. "Drink the potion, Paige, or you can stay a cat."

She waved the bowl closer. "Give it here."

Dewey shoved it forward into her hands. She set her reader aside before she lapped up the potion.

"How was the flavor?" Dewey asked. "I made it bubble gum."

"It was good. A little sweet, but decent. Good job on the flavor." She licked her chops before she licked a paw and raked it over her face.

"You're welcome," he answered as he collected the. bowl.

"How long do you think this'll take to work?"

"Oh, I'd say in an hour we'll know."

"An hour? Ugh," she groaned. "That's so long to wait."

"Sorry. I erred on the side of slow, but safe."

Paige sucked in a breath. "I guess I can understand that. I'd rather be human in an hour than be turning into something else in two minutes."

She picked up her reader to continue the story, but she found herself eyeing her furry paws every few seconds.

After fifteen minutes, a tingly sensation started to pulsate within her. "Hey, Dewey?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he cleaned up his workstation.

"I'm starting to tingle."

He buzzed over and studied her. "No physical changes yet, but that's a good sign. "

"I think so. Does my fur look…less furry?"

"Nah, I think you're pushing it. Give it some time."

She sucked in a deep breath as she stared at her paws, hoping they soon changed to hands. She set the e-reader down, no longer able to concentrate as she waited for her transformation.

"Come on, come on," she whispered.

"Talking to yourself, Paige?" Dewey asked.

"Yeah, I'm trying to encourage this serum to work."

"Now, your fur is looking sparse," Dewey said as he studied her.

"Really?" Her heart skipped a beat as her lips curled into a grin.

"Yeah…" His voice stopped as his fleshy eyebrows pinched together.

"What? What is it?" She glanced down at her paws again.

"Nothing," Dewey said with a shake of his head. "Totally fine."

"Dewey! I'm going to find out sooner or later."

Dewey tugged his lips back in a wince. "Well, it's just…your nose."

"What's wrong with my nose? Get me a mirror."

Dewey zipped across the room in search of one as Paige patted her nose with a paw. "It's kind of…beak-like."

"Beak-like?" Paige snatched the mirror from him and held it up, her eyes going wide. "No! What have you done?"

She stared at the yellow beak poking from her face as her eyes started to morph into dark beads. "What's happening?"

"Ohhh, your fur…it's…changed to feathers."

"What?" she screeched as she rose.

Dewey gasped. "Paige! You're a penguin!"