Chapter 4 - Arriving in Libralia

Becca then got up and grabbed her backpack with Sheila inside. When she got out of the restroom, however, all was quiet. Her class and Mr. Dewey were gone. "HELLO!" Becca called. The only answer she got was her echo. Just then, other sounds came about – swords clashing, horses running, wolves howling, the wind blowing, and a thunder crash. "Uh-oh," the girl told herself. Suddenly, something dropped onto her hand. It was a drop of purple paint. Becca thought of nothing and just wiped the drop on her backpack. Then, some blue and red drops of paint fell. Then, there came green and white, then purple and yellow. Becca looked up at the rotunda and could not believe her eyes. The paintings were melting, and paint was coming down. Just then, the paint began to pour onto the floor. Becca's backpack turned purple; the girl gasped and threw it down, taking Sheila into her arms!

Becca ran away from the messy paint screaming! But then, the paint came together and morphed into the shape of a bear; it roared and chased after the girl and her kitten! Becca kept screaming as she ran around bookshelves, with the magic paint following her! "Mrs. Clarke! Where are you?!" the poor girl cried, but no answer came. Finally, the exhausted Becca came back to the center of the library, where the paint splashed all over her and Sheila!

Becca looked down at her hands. Something about them didn't seem right. Then she realized that she had transformed into a cartoon, almost like she had seen in Disney movies. "I'm, I'm animated!" she exclaimed.
"You mean 'illustrated,'" said a voice. Becca turned around and saw an old man dressed in a blue, red, and purple robe; he also carried a golden staff with a page wrapped around it.
"Who are you?" asked Becca.
"I am the Pagemaster," answered the old man, "Keeper of the books, guardian of the Written World, and ruler of Libralia!"
"What's Libralia?" asked Becca. She thought she heard the term somewhere, but couldn't figure out where.
"It's where you are right now! Why, we have been waiting for you for a long time. Ten years, to be exact!"
"I think you must be mistaken. My name is Becca Ridges, and right now I really wanna get out of here!"
"You can't leave yet," said the Pagemaster, "Your mission has just begun! Let me explain something to you. Long ago, my cousin, Malaria, and I were waiting to see who was going to rule Libralia. When her father and my uncle made his decision, he chose me instead of his daughter. Malaria was outraged; she went far away to the restricted section, despising literature and happiness since then. For a while, all was well with my new family. But one day, Malaria returned to Libralia to seek revenge on me. My wife, the Pagemistress, sacrificed herself to save me, our son, and his family. However, my youngest granddaughter, Bethylasia, and I escaped the siege while her parents and siblings were turned into stone by Malaria. After travelling for seven days and nights, I sent Bethylasia into the real world until it was time for her to return. Recently, I've had a vision that my granddaughter has returned."
"That's great!" said Becca, "But what does this have to do with me?"
"Bethylasia hasn't appeared yet," said the Pagemaster, "But until she comes, you must help me restore Libralia to become the happy, peaceful, and literature-loving kingdom it once was. You see, I've heard word that Malaria has found out that Bethylasia is back in this world, too. So now, she has returned with her phantom minions to terrorize my kingdom. A few days ago, I sent my talking book servants to help defeat Malaria, but my cousin has transformed them into animals!"
"Talking books?" Becca wondered feeling puzzled.
"You'll see," said the Pagemaster. At that moment, a moving cart came by. The Pagemaster put Becca onto the cart and said, "Let your quest begin! Remember to pass five tests in the worlds of Mystery, Science Fiction, Horror, Adventure, and Fantasy! And when in doubt, look to the books!" The wizard disappeared and the cart carrying Becca kept rolling along through the hallway! At last, the cart crashed into a wall, and Becca fell off into a pile of books. She felt something move in her left hand, and the girl immediately recognized the feel as fur. A tiny meow escaped the object. Becca looked down and saw that Sheila had turned into an illustration, too! "Sheila, are you okay?" Becca asked, "I know I'm not. How will I know when this Bethylasia person comes? And what am I supposed to do to help?"
"Ye can start by helping me out!" muffled a pirate's voice from under the pile of books.
"What was that?!" cried Becca.