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Paige placed a knee onto the couch, leaning against the back to glance out the window. The sun peeked over the horizon as the city of Luxor spread out below them. “Almost.”

She climbed to her feet and reached her arms overhead as Dewey stretched again and glanced at her.

He froze with his arms still extended above his head, his eyes growing wide. “Paige! Your face!”

Paige plopped back onto the couch, and she pushed her glasses up on her face. “What color is it now? Blue? No, wait, I’ve got it… Red.”

“It’s normal. You’re normal again.”

Paige glanced down at her hands, almost completely back to her pale, creamy color. She leapt to her feet and raced into the bathroom with Dewey buzzing behind her.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror above the pedestal sink. She pressed her fingertips against her porcelain cheeks as she twisted her head back and forth. “I’m me again! Oh, I have never been so happy to see my pale skin before.”

“Yeah, that didn’t last long. I’m really interested to get back to the library and run some tests.”

“How’s my wound look?” she asked, tugging her hair to the side and flashing her back to Dewey.

He pulled up her sweatshirt and peeled back the bandage before removing it completely. “Healed! Not even a scar.”

“What?” Paige turned her back toward the mirror and craned her neck to glance at her skin. She contorted an arm behind her back and rubbed her flawless skin. “Wow! Dewey, you are a genius.”

Dewey raised his chin and grinned at her. “Thank you.”

She tugged her top down and pulled her hair into a ponytail. “All right. Let’s get this crystal and wand and save our jobs. We’re too good of a team to be sidelined.”

“Yeah,” Dewey shouted, pumping a fist into the air before they went for a high five.

Their hands missed, only clipping the edges. Dewey flew forward, nearly smashing into the mirror as Paige stumbled a step, balancing herself on the edge of the toilet tank to avoid falling.

She poked her glasses up on her face and adjusted her shirt again. “One day, we’re going to get that right.”

“Yep,” Dewey agreed. “Today is not that day. Come on. Let’s go. Oh, you may want to ditch the sweatshirt. I bet it’s hot.”

“Right,” Paige said, tugging it off as they returned to the cabin. She dug around in her duffel bag and found a moisture-wicking T-shirt that she slid over her camisole. “Ready.”

The plane rolled to a stop on the tarmac and, after stuffing Paige’s tote with their necessities, they deplaned, stalking through the already warm air as the sun continued to ascend in the cloudless sky.

A man leaned against a truck with a trailer behind it.

Paige continued toward him, the carrier containing Dewey bouncing off her hip. “Hello, are you waiting for me?”

He straightened, pushing a lock of dark hair off his dark skin. “Paige Turner?”

“That’s me,” Paige said with a nervous smile as the man’s dark eyes studied her.

He reached forward, his bicep bulging and rippling the tattoo on his arm as he showcased his white teeth in a broad grin. “Tarik Mahmoud.”

His brow furrowed as he glanced over Paige’s shoulder. “I was told you were traveling with your partner?”

“Oh, yes. He’s right here.” Paige patted the pet carrier.

“Howdy,” Dewey called from within.

Tarik stared down at the carrier for a moment.

“He said–“ Paige began.

“Howdy. Yes, I know.” Tarik tugged a Crystal of Understanding from under his dark T-shirt.