Lily ran through the forest. She turned her head every which way, but she couldn't see what she was looking for. She tried calling out, but her words were muddled. With a helpless whimper, she fell to the ground, placing her hands over her eyes.

"Lily . . ."

She knew who the voice belonged to even before she looked. Her mother was standing among the trees, shining like a gentle sun. She opened her arms invitingly.

"Lily, I'm here. You're safe, sweetheart."

She got to her feet and barreled forward, landing in the arms of the person she loved most in the world. She nuzzled her chest as tears began to sting at her eyes.

"Mama . . . Mama, I was so afraid . . ."

"I know. I'm here for you. I'm here."

Lily sniffled.

"But I don't understand . . . Why are you still a dinosaur? Tess said that she changed you."

She slipped from her arms. There was a heavy silence. Lily gulped nervously when she saw the way her mother was staring at her.

"Mom? . . ." she whispered.

"I could have been someone . . ."

Lily's lip quivered.

"Momma, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"My life ended the day you were born."

Lily began to sob.

"Mother . . ."

"I'm not your mother. You disgust me. You're a monster."

Lily screamed in fright as her mother dissolved into a shadowy figure. She did not know what she looked like as a human, but this terrifying creature had her voice.

"You're repulsive! I don't know why I ever let you live!"

Lily wept heavily.

"Mama . . . I'm sorry . . . I love you . . ."

"I don't love you. Go away, Lily. And don't you dare come back."

Lily wheeled around and dashed through the bare trees, which were beginning to curl into unnatural shapes. They grabbed at her like bony fingers, snatching her tail just as the bush had the day before. She was trapped.

The bear had returned. It roared and foamed at the mouth, hungry for stegoceratops meat. As it advanced, Lily saw her mother watching the whole thing happen.

"Mama . . . Mama, help!"

"You'd be better off dead."

"No, Mama! Please!"

"Die."

Lily screamed as the bear stood on its hind legs. Somehow, it changed into the dark figure she had seen in the crystal ball.

"Lily . . . You're one of us . . . Trust me . . . Trust me . . ."

"But my Mama-"

"She doesn't want you, Lily. Come, stay with me. I won't hurt you. We're friends . . ."

The silhouette sprouted sharp teeth. Lily screamed.

"No!"

"Lily . . ."

The monster closed in.

"WAKE UP!"

***TSJWFEW***

"Wake- AH!"

Liam gave a surprised yelp as Lily rolled over, nearly crushing him. He stumbled out of the way just in time and tapped his toes impatiently.

"Watch it! God, you herbivores are so lazy."

He stopped fidgeting when he saw that she was crying.

"Oh . . . Oh geez . . . Look, I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings . . ."

Lily wiped her nose with her wrist.

"No, it's not that. I had a nightmare."

Liam cocked his head.

"What kind of a nightmare?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

Lily dragged herself to the corner of the box car and fell on her side with a deep grunt. Liam bit his lip and trotted over to her, unsure of how to comfort her.

"Hey . . . I'm sorry about your dream."

Lily didn't respond. He jumped up on her shoulder and tugged at her frill with his teeth.

"I said-"

"I know what you said," Lily muttered, "I don't feel like talking right now."

Liam made an uncertain chirping sound.

"O-okay."

He turned around, but didn't make it halfway before changing his mind.

"I like your eyes," he ventured.

Lily lifted her head.

"What?"

"I said I like your eyes. They're pretty."

Lily smiled.

"You really think so?"

Liam nodded.

"Mhm. Now, do you want to come with me and ask Tess if she has breakfast?"

Lily nodded eagerly.

"I'm starving. Do you think she has Flintstones vitamins too?"

Liam shrugged.

"Dunno. I guess we'll find out."

Lily smiled.

"She's really nice."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"Have you decided on your wish yet?"

Liam shook his head.

"I don't know what will make me a better raptor. I guess when I think of something, my contract will be put into effect. Lucky her, she gets a few days of free labor until I decide."

"It's not labor if you're having fun."

Liam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we'll see."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen stroked Claire's hair as she lay sleeping. He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest, hyper aware of any change that might indicate that she was having a medical issue. If this were to happen, the others (minus Barry and Delta) were ready to rush to their aid. The happy couple, of course, was enjoying a private room: one far away from the other raptors. It wasn't easy finding a motel so late at night, but somehow, in the confusion that followed their exit from the airplane, Barry had saved their asses once more.

Claire shifted.

Owen leaned forward in anticipation, but nothing happened. He went back to running his fingers through what used to be a frill. He was trying his best not to glance at the rest of her body for fear that he might forget what she actually looked like. In his mind, he could picture with exact detail every part of her usual self, from her horns to the tip of her tail. When he came back to reality, the sight of this human made his heart drop. He was terrified that she'd be stuck this way forever, that he would never get to see the true Claire again. Her frill and horns and plates and tail might be gone for good, and the thought of this was more than he could bear.

In a way, it was ridiculous that he was mourning the loss of someone who was still with him, but although he knew that the person sleeping next to him was his wife, he couldn't help but feel like she was only half present. This Claire was the one who had ignored him, looked down on him, and generally hated him for a good long time. If the Claire he had married was gone forever, what was to stop this one from leaving him?

She shifted again, and his thoughts dissolved to make room for the fear that she might be hurt. She wasn't. Not physically. And it was still her, after all, inside of this body. Owen had no doubt that he could love this Claire as much as the dinosaur he had promised to grow old with, but it would take some getting used to. Then again, that would require him to let go of the real Claire, and he wasn't ready to do that yet.

"Is she dying?"

Owen looked up.

"Blue."

She pushed herself up from the doorway and stalked forward with a gentle smirk.

"There's a chance she'll never wake up."

"She's only sleeping," Owen said flatly.

"You could always suffocate her."

Owen clenched his fist.

"Blue . . ."

"Relax. I'm joking."

"That's not the kind of thing you joke about."

She laughed.

"What difference does it make? She can't hear us."

Owen stood up.

"Blue, you have to leave."

"You're disgusted by her, aren't you?"

Owen glared at her. She chuckled.

"I thought so. You're not attracted to that kind of thing anymore."

"That's not true."

Blue shrugged.

"Well, if it was, I just want you to know that I can change back whenever I want to. It's simple, really. Being human is the hard part."

Owen walked past her and shut the door. She looked hopeful until she realized that he was preparing for an interrogation.

"Did you do this to her?"

She scoffed.

"Of course not. How could I?"

"I don't know. But you were a raptor before this. It makes me suspicious."

Blue smiled.

"You can trust me, Owen."

"I can't, though. One of the raptors told me that you planted that snake to spook Claire."

She tensed up.

"Who?"

"You, just now."

Blue narrowed her eyes.

"Clever. But we both know that there's more going on here."

Owen nodded.

"Yes. Let's start with the missing page of Claire's diary. I can't help but think that if Lily had seen it, she might have doubted her decision to leave. I'll bet that made it easier for you to get close to me."

Blue scowled.

"You're being paranoid."

"Am I? Because from what I've seen, you haven't been a model citizen. Of all the raptors in our family, you've been the least helpful during the search for Lily. I'd even go so far as to say that you're apathetic towards our situation."

Blue shook her head.

"No . . . No . . . I've been trying to find her, just like you. Don't you know that?"

Owen leaned close to her and spoke in a harsh whisper.

"Blue, I've been letting you off easy until now, but that's about to change. If you so much as breathe the wrong way, I'll force you to leave."

She gave a crooked smile.

"You don't have to worry about me. I know you want me here, so I won't give you a reason to doubt my fidelity. But that won't matter in a few days. You'll realize that I'm right sooner or later . . . Alpha."

He let her go. A part of him wished that he had been more firm, but something told him that she wouldn't listen anyway. In any case, it was good that she was gone, because he wanted to be alone with Claire. He sat down beside her and put his hand on her forehead.

"Don't get sick, Claire. Not now. We can't lose you. Our family is already broken."

***TSJWFEW***

Lily held her breath as she wobbled unsteadily on an inflatable ball. After five seconds, she lost her balance and hopped off.

"How was that?"

"Perfect!" Tess trilled, "You're a natural. With a little practice, you'll be the best act in the show!"

Lily beamed with pride. For some reason, compliments were cheering her up more than usual on this particular day. Perhaps it was because Liam was such a sourpuss.

"Wow. She stood on a ball. Magnificent," he muttered as he swept the temporary stage that had been set up just outside of the motionless train.

"Now, don't go scolding the young lady, you grump," Tess teased, "She's going to change the world with her unique talents."

Lily wagged her tail.

"Do you think people will like me?"

"Undoubtedly! They'll come from all around the globe just to see you. You'll be the Amazing Lily. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like more than I could ever dream of," Lily gushed with starry eyes, "I never thought I could be this happy!"

Tess winked.

"Get used to it, kid. You're going to be a star, I guarantee it. Go break for lunch. I'm sure our chef has something nice for you."

Lily nodded to Liam, and they both climbed into the train. They made their way to the kitchen car, but found that the smell emanating from the stove was less than appealing.

"Don't worry," Lily said, "I might have something better in my backpack."

They returned to their sleeping quarters, where Lily dug up her bag. She rummaged through it until she found a jar of peanut butter.

"Want some?"

"Ew, no!" Liam snuffed, "I'm not a herbivore. You probably don't have anything suitable for my diet."

Lily frowned.

"Well, it can't hurt to check, Mr. Picky Eater."

She dumped out the bag's contents, and was surprised to find a wrapped package in the mess. She picked it up and turned it over. It was from her mother.

"What is it?" Liam asked.

"It's a birthday present," Lily marveled, "She must have hidden it in the backpack."

She stared at the gift quietly, as though she was contemplating some sort of philosophical puzzle. Liam blinked and gave her a nudge.

"Aren't you gonna open it?"

Lily shook her head slowly.

"No, not until . . ."

She did the math.

"Tomorrow. My birthday is tomorrow."

Liam was puzzled by her solemn expression.

"What's the matter? Don't you like birthdays?"

"I do. It's just . . . I've never spent one away from my family."

She placed the package on the ground. Tears began to slide down her cheeks.

"You miss them, huh?" Liam mumbled.

Lily sniffled and took a shaky breath.

"Yes, but they don't miss me. They think I'm disgusting."

Liam put his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you sure?"

Lily nodded.

"My mother doesn't like stegoceratopses."

Liam perked up.

"Well, hey, that's not a problem! If Tess can change your mother, maybe she can change you too."

Lily stood up like a bolt of lightning.

"You're right! All I have to do is ask Tess! She'll help me!"

She sprinted over to the door and made her way outside. All alone, Liam crossed his arms and frowned.

"You're welcome . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

"Tess! Tess!"

The girl was at it again. Tesseract Goop finished the knot she was tying and replaced her scowl with a welcoming smile.

"Lily, hi! I thought you were having lunch!" she said through clenched teeth.

"I decided to put that on hold," the girl bubbled, "Tess, I've just had a wonderful- What are you doing?"

"Binding parts of the stage, but that's not important," she said as she dropped her rope, "What can I do for you?"

Lily bounced up and down with excitement.

"Well, I was just talking to Liam, and we were thinking- well, I was thinking- you know, since tomorrow is my birthday and all-"

Tesseract Goop forced herself to laugh.

"Lily, calm down. Tell me what you need."

Lily held her hand. It took all of her strength to keep herself from cringing.

"I need to be human, Tess. I need you to change me."

She pursed her lips.

"Lily, I already changed your mother . . ."

"I know, I know, but I need to change too. If I'm human, my momma will love me again, and I won't have to ever worry about being disgusting or- or- or inadequate."

Tesseract Goop gave her a sad look.

"Lily, darling, I'm afraid I can't change you. You've only signed one contract, and I need you to perform soon."

Lily rubbed her chin. She paced back and forth until an idea struck her.

"I know! I'll just sign another contract. If you really think I'm going to be a star, you'll want me to be in the show for longer than a few months. All I need to do is change into a human, say hi to my mom and dad, and spend the rest of my life traveling with the circus!"

"The rest of your life?" Tesseract Goop echoed.

"Uh-huh," Lily affirmed, "Your train passes by my house, so I can visit my parents whenever we're in town. They might even want to see the show!"

She nodded.

"Yes, that's a clever idea. Why don't you go get ready while I write up the papers?"

Lily nodded.

"Okay! Thank you, Tess!"

She watched the teenager skip away. When she was gone, Tesseract Goop pulled out her phone and dialed a long-distance number. She held the phone to her ear, still staring at the door that Lily had used to enter the train.

"Hello? Yes, it's me. This is going to be easier than I expected. I thought I might have to trick her, but she just screwed herself over all on her own. She's naïve, gullible . . . maybe even a little stupid. But that's only her. Something tells me it won't be smooth sailing once the mother gets here. You'd better send in the clones before things get too heated."

She looked at the train's caboose, which was beginning to crackle with something that looked like dark electricity.

"One more thing: my boss is getting anxious. Our winged friend is trying to win this battle from her side of the story, and she knows that I've been spying. It's all fair game, as far as I'm concerned, but I'm starting to worry. I've been told that she's not allowed to interfere directly, and that's fine by me. Trouble is, I received this information before her son got involved. He could screw this whole thing up if he uses his wish on something counterproductive to our plan . . . No, I'm not worried about it. He's a selfish little tyke. Probably wouldn't help her, even if he could . . . Yes, I promised to give him the wish already. I didn't see any harm in it, at the time. I didn't know he was related to her . . . Don't give me that shit. I've been checking the crystal regularly, but I'm only one person. You can't blame me for this one misstep . . . I know, but my boss will get involved if absolutely necessary. They won't stand a chance . . . Of course. It's my pleasure. You'll have my order by tomorrow, yes? . . . Good. Thank you, Dodgson."