Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

" W hat?" Paige asked, her stomach dropping at the words before she snapped her eyes open. "You're jok– "

She stared down at her teal paws, her eyes going wide. "What happened to me?"

Dewey shrugged. "I don't know, but…you're a mirror image of me."

"What?" Paige scrambled to the water to peer into it, her jaw unhinging at the reflection. "OMG. I'm a tiny teal dragon!"

"That's what I said before," Dewey answered. "Do you not listen to me?"

"I did listen. I just didn't believe it. What happened to me? I look like you."

"You improved," Dewey said with a chuckle and a wink.

Paige shot him an unimpressed stare. "That's not funny. How did this happen? Why do I look like you?"

"Just luck, I guess," Dewey answered. "I mean, it could have been worse. You could have morphed into my cousin. He is ugly . "

"Dewey!" Paige shouted. "I don't care who is ugly. I'm a dragon. I'm a tiny teal dragon."

"Pretty awesome, right? You really hit the jackpot."

"Why? How? Why is this happening?"

Dewey shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe we should head back to Drucinda and see if she has any ideas."

"I can't go back there like this!"

Dewey's features twisted into a grimace. "What's that supposed to mean? You're embarrassed to be seen as a tiny dragon? Is that it?"

"I'm…no. No, of course not. It's…I'm…I can't explain this to Drucinda is all."

"So what? Most of what happens to you we can't explain. Drucinda will understand. She knows you're weird."

Paige clicked her tongue as she studied her reflection again with a shake of her head. "Fine, fine. We'll go back there."

She rose from her crouch over the water and trudged toward the jungle.

"Ah, Paige, I hate to be rude here, but…with your short legs, it's going to take forever. You should fly."

"I can't fly. I don't–oh wait," Paige flapped her wings and rose into the air. "I can fly!"

"Yeah, and it's so much faster. Come on, let's go."

They buzzed through the jungle back to the clearing where Drucinda sat with a still comatose Devon.

"Have you washed your–" Drucinda's jaw dropped open as she stared at Paige. "What is happening?"

Dewey shrugged. "We don't know. Paige accidentally turned into a dragon. No idea why."

"Yeah," Paige answered, setting her gaze on Drucinda. "I– "

Heat washed over her again and her scales pinched, like the sensation of goosebumps on flesh .

"What is it, Paige?"

"I don't know. I…feel weird again."

Paige landed on the ground, rubbing her eyes as her temples thudded again. "Same as I did before. Maybe I'll– "

"Whoa," Dewey answered as Paige opened her eyes.

She grinned. "Oh, yay, I'm human again."

"Not quite," Dewey answered with a shake of his head."

"What is it?" Paige asked.

Drucinda frowned at her, her features pinched. "Give me my identity back, you thief."

"What?" Paige cried. "What are you talking about?"

"Uh, may want to head back to the river and have a little look-see, Paige," Dewey said. "Now, you look like Drucinda. Like identical to Drucinda.

Paige furrowed her brows. "Really?"

"Stop wrinkling my face," Drucinda said. "Stop looking like me."

"I'm not," Paige answered. "I don't know what's happening. One second I was me, then Dewey, now you."

"Identity theft is not a joke, Paige. Millions of families suffer every year."

A groan came from the ground as Devon fluttered his eyelashes. "Ugh, what happened?"

"You were shot. A poisoned arrowhead lodged in your back, but we dug it out. You've got Fiji paste on your wound to counter the poison," Drucinda explained. "You should be fine."

Devon winced as he pushed up to stand, stumbling back a step while he got his feet under him. His eyebrows shot up as he studied the group. "Whoa. Did you add something to the Fiji paste?"

"No," Drucinda answered, a hand on her hip.

"Dru, there are two of you. And where is Paige?"

"Here," Paige answered .

"Where?" Devon glanced around. "Paige, honey? Where are you?"

"Right here," Paige answered, flinging her hands out.

Drucinda sighed and shook her head. "Paige has stolen my identity."

"I didn't steal–Uh-oh." Paige's eyes went wide as her skin puckered into gooseflesh again. "It's happening again. I can't control it."

"Oh, good, I hope you aren't another version of me." Drucinda crossed her arms as they waited for Paige to morph into her next form.

Devon's jaw dropped open as he stared at her. "Whoa. No way."

"OMG!" Dewey shouted.

"What?" Paige asked. "What now?"

"You…look like Devon."

Paige slapped a palm against her face as she shook her head. "Are you joking?"

"Head back to the water and look if you don't believe me."

Paige held her hands out in front of her, gasping as she stared down at Devon's meaty paws. "No!"

"Oh, uh, wow, this is…I mean, no offense, Paige, but…yeah this isn't cool," Devon said.

Paige shot him an annoyed glance. "Are you serious? I can't control this. I'm just randomly morphing into whatever creature I see last. It's…insane. Why is this happening?"

Dewey rubbed his chin. "Possibly a reaction to the Fiji plant or a combination of the stream water with it. Hard to say with you."

Drucinda shrugged. "Either way, it should wear off."

"But with me in what form? Will I go back to normal?"

"Gosh, I hope so," Devon said, "because…I mean…I can't be married to you like this. I'm just…I like Paige. "

"You said for better or for worse," Paige answered, jabbing a finger at him.

Devon crinkled his nose. "Is that really what I look like when I'm mad?"

"Stop obsessing over yourself. We should get a move on to find the–" Drucinda stiffened, glancing behind her. "Shh."

She ripped her knife from her waistband and crouched low before she crept forward into the thick jungle.

A few snarls followed by a muffled yelp sounded before Drucinda returned, holding Red Graggle by her neck. "Look, I found a stray."

Paige eyed the creature. "Maybe she can tell us where the portal is now."

"Never!" Red shouted, grasping at Drucinda's hands as she tried to escape the chokehold.

"No, we'll just tie her to a tree so she can't follow us." Drucinda thrust the knife toward Dewey. "Cut some vines, little man."

"With pleasure," Dewey said with a devilish grin.

"I just…oh great." Paige raised her eyes to the sky as the warmth of morphing shot through her.

It passed after a few seconds, and she shook her head. "I look like a Graggle, don't I?"

Devon arched his eyebrow at her as he stared at her. "Ohh, yep. You do. Well, it's an improvement."

"What? I thought you thought you were good looking."

"I do," Devon answered, "but I don't want to be married to a mirror image of myself."

"Well, now you're not," Paige said as the Graggle in Drucinda's grasp stared at her.

"You really are a god!" Red said. "You are Airia, the goddess of all Graggles."

"Yep, that's me. And I really want you to help me find a way to the portal. I will bless you infinitely." Paige winced at the lie. Desperate times, though.

"The portal is three clicks to the north."

Paige's features pinched. "Right, thank you. Which way is the north? And what is a click?"

Drucinda shook her head. "I know what that means. But how do we know you aren't lying, you filthy little Graggle?"

"I would never lie to Airia," Red answered. "Airia is known as a vengeful god. If I lie…"

Red shook her head, her features twisting with fear.

"Right," Paige said. "Exactly right. If this is wrong…I will…like…rip your hair out strand by strand and…stuff like that."

Drucinda screwed up her face. "That's the best you could do?"

"No," Paige said with a shake of her head. "That would just be the start."

"And I believe it," Red said solemnly. "Airia is someone to be feared."

"Darn right," Paige said as Dewey returned with several long vines.

"Thank you, little man. Now, I will hold her against the tree, and you wrap her up."

"On it, boss." Dewey wrapped the vine around the Graggle before he buzzed around the tree, wrapping her tighter and tighter with the vine.

He secured it and dusted his hands. "That takes care of that."

"And she's given us the location of the portal," Drucinda answered as she slid the knife back into her waistband. "Let's move."

"Wow," Paige said as they took a few steps away from the trapped Graggle, "these legs are awful. "

"Graggles don't have knees," Dewey answered. "You should be able to run like the wind, though."

"I hate to be a pain, but– "

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Drucinda said with a sigh before she lifted Paige onto her hip. "I will carry you like a small child. Is that better?"

"Much," Paige said, her yarn-like red hair flopping as she nodded.

"Wow…so, you've finally done it," Dewey said. "You've managed to hitch a free ride."

"Are you serious?" Paige asked. "You hitch free rides all the time."

Dewey pressed his lips together, stifling a laugh.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I'm sorry…it's just…when you look like that it's hard to take you seriously. I mean…your mouth is…your jaw…it just…sorry."

Paige glared at him.

"I'm sorry, Paige. I just…wow, if you need to stay a Graggle for the rest of your life…I'm not sure we can stay friends."

"Hey," Devon said with a shake of his head, "that's not nice."

"Well…come on, Dimples. How are you going to feel introducing Paige as your wife at parties?"

Devon wrinkled his nose as he glanced at her. "Well, I mean…she's kind of cute. She's like a little doll."

"You do what you want to do," Dewey said. "I'm not introducing the doll as my friend."

"Look, all I need to do is find a new person to emulate. I just haven't found anyone."

"We should find you someone really cool," Dewey said as they continued their hike to the north. "Like blindfold you until we find a really awesome person for you to emulate. "

"Ohhh, Madelaine Petsch," Paige said with a nod. "Let's get her. She's like Paige upgraded."

"Upgraded? She's like Paige multiplied by infinity," Dewey said with a nod.

Paige wrinkled her nose. "Hey. She's not that far ahead of me."

"Ha, says you. She's a bombshell. Muscles, would you like Madeleine Petsch as your wife."

"I just want Paige back to normal," Devon said.

"Good answer," Drucinda said as she shifted Paige to her other hip. "You are heavier than you look."

"Sorry. It was all that cheese I ate."

They continued through the jungle until a glowing light reached them.

Butterflies fluttered in Paige's stomach as she spotted it. "Please tell me that's not the sun, and it's the stupid portal thing."

"It's the stupid portal thing," Drucinda answered. "Thank heavens."

"Gosh, I really hope this takes us right back home, and we can use this serum on my mom." Paige frowned. "And that it works."

Drucinda ground to a halt as she pushed past a large leaf toward a shimmering rainbow stretching from the ground to the sky. "We're about to find out."

Paige held her breath as Drucinda took another step toward the portal. Would they end up at home or in another nightmare?