Grape moved her hand slightly, people's unknown voices filling her head. She hurt too much to move, or even open her eyes. She wanted to sleep, forever...

"Are you okay?"

"I saw her move..."

The voices were male and female, and they both sounded young. She twitched again and found the strength to reach up and rub her throbbing head.

"She moved again!"

"She's okay then."

"Who's there?" Grape asked weakly. "Leave me be, my head hurts too much to deal with rodents like you."

"I'm Mira," the female voice said.

"I'm Wendell," the male said. He sounded shy.

"Are you children? I don't talk to children." She gripped her mask tightly, eyes still shut for fear the light would cause her headache to get worse.

"Are you sleepy?" Mira touched her injured hand with hers. She gently shook Grape's hand. "Wake up."

Grape took her hand from the child and slowly sat up. "I told you, leave me be. I don't talk with children. Go back to your parents, you degenerates."

"You're...uh...super pretty..." Wendell's voice trailed off.

Grape scoffed and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, at least I feel a bit better now."

The children matched each other from their blond curls to sneakers. Grape pushed their little hands off the bed and got out of it.

She fell immediately. "So...this is what not being able to fly feels like...It's so heavy on me..."

"You can fly?" Mira asked.

"I told you to go away!" Grape got off the ground, wobbly. "Why do I feel so weird?"

She walked past a mirror, then came back and fixed her hair. The kids walked up to her and stared at her reflection.

"What's wrong with the mirror?" Wendell asked.

"Your refefcion looks weird," Mira said.

"What are you two on about?" Grape checked a small chip on her mask. "Ugh, not again. I just got this one, I can't lose it already."

"Y...you have no face."

"Is this not what-Oh...wait a minute. That potion. Did it actually work? And if so, why didn't it affect my reflection?"

"Potion?" Wendell asked. "Are you a witch?"

She smiled, finally finding a way to make the children leave her alone. "Yes. And if you keep pestering me like this, I might just turn you two into a frog. I could use some frog's eyes for a spell..."

They screamed and ran out of the room as a woman entered. "Wendell, Mira, what's-Oh, I hope those two didn't get into trouble." She tucked her red hair behind her ear. "Oh! You look like you're feeling better. I hope the twins weren't bothering you. My cousins are here visiting their mom by they can be a little explorative and curious. They were probably wondering if you were alright since you were out for almost a whole week."

"Almost an entire week? My crew must be worried sick for me."

"Actually, you have some visitors. They look like they came from the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Huh? So you mean to tell me that's not where I am?"

She shook her head. "No. You're in New York. You passed out in the pipe that connects the two worlds, and the hospital in New York was closer than the Mushroom Kingdom so..."

"Can I leave?"

"Well, we'll need to do some paperwork and get you properly on your way. But your hand hasn't healed a bit since you were put in here so we might need to do some stitches..."

She continued on as Grape looked at her hand. The gauze was completely blood stained, and a bit of it was starting to come off. Grape took it off and was greeted by the cut she'd inflicted on herself in her rage.

Her gloves were missing, but she still had a hand.

She flexed her fingers, not feeling any direct pain from the wound. Her arm was still numb and a bit of blood dripped when she moved them, but it wasn't quite as bad as before.

"A hand...? Is this why those human children questioned my reflection?"

She gently touched her hand with her other, feeling skin for the first time. It felt so weird, almost rubbery, without feeling entirely as such. She touched her face, realizing that it too, was skin. She touched her arms and felt her waist.

"It...What did it do to me? Did it make me human? But then why is my reflection not human as well?"

"What was that?"

"It's...nothing! I'll just be on my merry way and get out of your hair." Grape walked to the door. "Ta-ta!"

She ran out. She finally felt free, to do whatever she wanted, with no worries. And now that she was human, at least appeared to be, she wouldn't be called a freak or a monster anymore. She ran directly into someone.

They both fell backwards, the other person landing on top of Grape. He smiled at her.

"Hey~."

She pushed him by the face, trying to get him off of her. "Leave me alone, weirdo."

She forced him off and continued off again. She nearly tripped again when heading to the main desk.

"Lance! I-!"

She slipped on the mopped floor and fell. Lance looked at her, and came over to help her up.

"Madame Grape, are you alri-Aaaaaaa?!" He let go of her hand. "What the heck?! Madame Grape, what happened?!"

She shushed him. "Let's talk outside."

"M-Madame Grape, what are you wearing?" Peter asked, a bit alarmed.

"Hm?"

She grabbed the end of her hideous blue hospital gown and scowled at it.

"You're right, I need my dress back first." She got back to her feet. "But the main important thing is getting out of here." She grabbed Lance. "So let's leave."

They left and Grape was hit with a sudden, unbearable wave of noise and people. Some people looked at them when she exited with Lance.

"Oohh, it's so loud. Let's find an alley and I can explain to you what-"

"Get your group of freaks outta here!" A stranger cried, giving Grape an upturned middle finger.

Grape grabbed his wrist. "Listen here, my Sour Bunch are not freaks and I will not be leaving just because you demanded I do. I have no idea what that sign meant, but if it was insulting or rude in any way then you would have to watch your back from here on out." She gripped his wrist harder. "And if you call us freaks again...You'll lose your entire hand. Do you understand me, or am I still a freak to you?"

He tore his hand from her. "I don't what you were saying, but don't grab me like that again or I swear on my life you'll die." He stormed off.

"'Don't know what I'm saying?' What does he mean by that? I could understand him clear as day, so what was so difficult to understand about what I was saying?"

"Madame Grape, you could understand him?" Rodger asked.

"Could you not?"

The Sour Bunch all collectively shook their heads.

"Well, this is enough chatter. Let's go back to the base to-" She tried to open a portal, but her hand sparked and started bleeding again. "Ah!"

"Madame Grape!" They all started to crowd her to see what was wrong.

"I'm fine, we just can't go home right now. We'll have to find somewhere here we can stay until I can use my Darkle again."

"But first we get you a new dress?" Lance asked.

"First we get me a new dress."