In front of me I see the dining room that I spied earlier. To my right I hear laughter. I follow the sound until I spot Jonah and Mr. Beast playing a card game. Mr. Beast is sitting on a brown couch, and Jonah is sitting on a small chair opposite him.

Jonah waves. “You have to play this, Abby! It’s so much fun. It’s called trump. Whoever has the highest card wins! Mr. B taught it to me.”

“Great,” I say, and step inside.

Now how am I going to get Mr. Beast and Beauty to fall in love?

I think back to the original story. How did they fall in love?

Hmm. Technically Beauty only fell in love with him when she thought he was dying.

But let’s forget that part.

They spent a lot of time together. Which means they got to know each other.

Okay. We can do that.

“Beauty,” I say. “Why don’t you sit down on the couch?”

She nods and takes a seat beside Mr. Beast. She fans her white dress out around herself.

“Hello,” she says to him. “I’m Beauty.”

“Hello, Beauty,” he says without looking up from his cards.

I need Mr. Beast and Beauty to chat without Jonah and me distracting them.

“Jonah, can I talk to you alone?” I ask.

“Now?” he sputters. “I’m in the middle of a game!”

“You can play after,” I snap. “It’s urgent.”

Jonah sighs. “Okay, okay. Be right back, Mr. B,” he says, and follows me out into the marble foyer. “What’s up?” he asks.

First I throw my arms around him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m great. I’m having fun! Mr. B is the best.”

“Have any of your memories come back?”

He shakes his head. “No. But we haven’t been here that long. I bet they will.”

“You know you can’t stay here forever, right?”

He shrugs. “I know. I wasn’t going to stay here forever. Just a week or so. Like a vacation?”

“Jonah, we can’t stay here for a week! We have no idea how long that is at home! You know how time is different in every fairy tale.”

He stomps his foot. “I don’t know, actually! I don’t remember the other fairy tales! I wish I did but I don’t! This is all I know! And I don’t want to go home yet. It’s not a big deal!”

“Jonah, it is a big deal! Now Mr. Beast doesn’t want Beauty to stay. You messed up the story!”

He twists his lower lip. “I did? But how?”

“By being so much fun to hang out with!”

His makes a quizzical face. “Huh?”