“Not again!” I say as I feel my body stretch and the fur sprout on my face and hands.

I watch in horror as the same fur sprouts across Jonah’s and Beauty’s faces.

I hear anguished screams from the Great Hall. Them too?

The fairy swirls his yo-yo around his fingers and cackles. “Now this is a party!”

Chapter Nineteen: Flying Fur

Stop it, Jax!” Mr. Beast yells.

But Jax just laughs.

All the guests pour out of the Great Hall.

There are beasts in top hats. Beasts in long dresses. Beasts in short dresses. Beasts in earrings. Beasts in all different shades of fur. Even Prince looks different. He’s a little bigger and his fangs are extra-long. They look like walrus tusks.

People are yelling all around us.

“What is happening?”

“Where are two of my fingers?”

“I’m so hairy!”

“I’m so hungry!”

“My feet hurt!”

We are a castle full of angry beasts.

Jax is standing in the middle of the foyer, laughing.

I turn to Jonah. Beast Jonah. Fur is exploding out of his shirt and pants. His suspenders have burst. And look at how tall he is!

“Abby!” Jonah cries. “Help! I’m a beast! I’m so itchy!”

What do I do?

“Jax!” I yell. “You have to turn us BACK!”

“What, Abby?” Mrs. Butler asks me. “You want us to ATTACK?”

I shake my hairy head. “That’s not what I said!” Hmm. We are a roomful of angry beasts. And Jax is just one purple-haired fairy.

Maybe I do want us to attack. But I want us to attack super carefully so he doesn’t use his yo-yo on us.

I wave to get the attention of Jonah-beast, Mr. Beast, the Butler-beasts, and Beauty-beast, who somehow manages to still look gorgeous, even in beast form. Then I point to Jax and make a circling motion with my finger, and mouth, Circle him!

They do. We do.

Jax is laughing too hard to even notice. Until he’s surrounded.

“Give us the yo-yo,” I say calmly.

“Or what?” he asks.

“Or you will get eaten by wild beasts,” Mr. Beast says. “And we are extremely hungry animals.”

“GRRRRRRR,” all the beasts in the room say.

Before any of us can attack, Prince-beast pounces on Jax, grabs the yo-yo with his walrus fangs, and scurries back to me.

“Good job, Prince!” I say, scratching behind his beastly ears. “You’ve certainly earned your seat at the dinner table! Now what do I do to reverse the spell?”

“What does she do?” Mr. Beast snarls at Jax. “Tell her what to do or you are about to be a delicious snack.”

Jax pouts. “Just swing it back and forth and make up a rhyme. You guys are no fun.”

I swing the yo-yo again and again and say, “Hello, party people … go back to normal …”