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“I have an idea. Follow me.” Dewey led farther into the archive, away from the other occupant.

He hovered at the lowest shelf, sliding a box onto the floor and popping it open. He dumped the contents onto the shelf and turned the box on its side.

“Slide in.”

“What?”

“Slide into the box. Oh, you may have to compress a little.”

Paige glared at him. “Are you kidding me?”

“No. We have to get out of here somehow. I’m going to have to carry you up in a box.”

Footsteps echoed again as Paige’s Russian counterpart roamed the archives.

Dewey shot her a pleading glance. “Get in! Hurry!”

Paige scrunched her features as she slid into the box, squashing herself into a rectangular blob. Dewey’s wings flapped hard, his lips tugging down at the corners as he lifted the box from the floor.

“How much did you say you weigh again?”

“Don’t even start with me, Dewey.”

They approached the open area of the archive leading to the door. Dewey hid behind the shelf, peering out.

“Looks clear. I’m going for it.” Dewey darted into the open area, zooming across and up to the door above.

He barreled into it, but it stuck fast.

“Put me down so you can open the door,” Paige whispered.

Dewey dumped the box onto the floor and pushed the door open. He tipped the box on the side, and Paige slithered out and across the threshold. With a final glance around, Dewey snatched the box and followed her out, easing the door closed behind him.

“Whew. Okay, one more set of stairs, and we’re home free. Get back in your carrier.”

“This is payback for the dragon costume, isn’t it?” Paige asked as she crawled into the box.

Dewey heaved her upward and floated up the stairs, then he set the box down at the top and allowed Paige to slide out. They raced down the hall, leaving the box behind. Dewey flung the door to the library open and sailed through with Paige following behind him.

“I’ll get our stuff. Wait here.” He darted away, snaking through the space to the ladies’ room.

He returned laden with the carrier and Paige’s tote. He lugged the Seepy Sap container into the bag and tossed it onto his shoulder.

“Come on. We’ll go out the back way. I saw a door earlier.”

Paige glided over the floor behind him, weaving toward the back door. He pushed the crash bar and flew into the cold air outside. Paige slid out behind him onto the cold pavement. The door clicked shut behind them.

Dewey settled onto a dumpster near the door and blew out a sigh. “Whew, we did it.”

“Yeah, I’ll breathe the sigh of relief when I’m whole again. How much longer do I have to wait?”

Dewey pulled Paige’s phone from her tote. “I’d say about ten or fifteen minutes.”

“Whew, it’s cold out here,” Paige said after a few minutes.

“Yeah, I’ll bet the ground is really cold.”

“It is. My fingers and toes are starting to hurt.”