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“Different and sexy!”

Gibby snorted. “Yeah, I don’t know about that.”

“What was the name of your first pet?” Jazz asked.

Nick didn’t know what kind of archaic magic Jazz was conducting, but he was so on board. “I had a goldfish named Jerome. Does that count?”

“I bet it does,” Jazz said, typing something into her phone. “What kind of makeup do you like?”

“Um. None?”

“Interesting. Last question. Are you fierce and fabulous or meek and mild?”

“I don’t… know?”

“Meek and mild,” Gibby told her.

“Meek and mild,” Jazz muttered. “And… okay. That’s it. Give it a second and it’ll come up.”

“A spell to make the ring work?” Nick asked hopefully.

She smiled as she looked up at him. “Here it is. Ready?”

He wassoready. “Hit me!”

“Charlamaine Monroe.”

“Whoa,” Nick breathed. “Is that… Latin? Or, like, ancient Greek?” He looked down at his ring. The stone caught the sunlight and flashed. He raised the ring high above his head and shouted, “Charlamaine Monroe!”

Nothing happened.

“That’s your drag queen name,” Jazz told him.

Nick lowered his hand slowly. “What?”

Gibby burst out laughing.

“It was a drag queen name generator,” Jazz explained. “I figure if you’re going to wear the ring, you at least needed to have a drag queen name. Charlamaine Monroe. I like it. It suits you.” Her eyes widened. “And think about it! Your ship name with Shadow Star would beShadowMaine.”

Gibby doubled over, clutching her sides. It sounded like she was crying.

“I hate you guys so much,” Nick muttered. “It’s a good thing I have a part two of Phase Three.”

And he immediately started stripping.

Gibby wiped her eyes as she stood upright. “Okay, I know I shouldn’t have laughed, but you don’t need to get naked. Please don’t hurt me like that. The threat of your pasty, skinny-boy body is enough of a punishment.”

Nick set down his jacket and shirt on the ground as he toed offhis shoes. He unbuttoned his jeans and kicked them off. When he finished, he stood in nothing but boxers and—

“Your socks have ducks on them,” Jazz said. “Why do your socks have ducks on them?”

“Because Ilikethem,” he snapped at her. “Now, Phase Three part two! I have the magical decoder ring, and I will now jump into the Westfield River. The sludge in the river will mesh with the ring and morph me into an Extraordinary. I will be able to control water and mud and… other river-related things, and the world will be in awe of Nicholas Bell, also known as the Extraordinary Charlamaine Monroe! That’s right, Jazz. You thought you could trick me, but I am going toown it.”

“Oh no,” Jazz whispered.

“Now, wait a minute,” Gibby said, taking a step forward. “Nick, you don’t need to do this, okay? It was a joke, man. Please don’t jump into the river. I’m pretty sure this is where they found that foot last year. Like, an entire human foot. Please don’t jump into dismembered foot water—and oh my god, why did you bringgoggles?”

Nick fit the goggles over his eyes. “Protection. Everyone knows you should wear goggles when you go swimming. It helps your eyes.”