Chapter 2

2 Mei landed back on the ground. She stopped spinning and opened her eyes. When the swirling red light cleared, Mei saw that she was no longer in the community center. The tables and chairs, the big windows overlooking the forest, the

containers of beads and wire and clasps—they had all disappeared! Instead, Mei was in some sort of forest—and it was no longer winter. The snow had vanished, and she was surrounded by leafy trees. The air smelled of flowers and ripe tropical fruits. As Mei looked around in amazement, a bird flashed by. Its wings were green with yellow spots, tipped with pink. Everything around her had changed. Have I changed, too? Mei wondered.

She felt different, somehow. Looking down, Mei gasped. Her black jeans and chunky boots were gone. Her legs had changed shape and were now covered in the brightest ruby-red scales. And instead of feet, she had powerful red paws! Now Mei was dying of curiosity. She had to see what the rest of her body looked like. She glanced around. She didn't really expect to find a mirror in the middle of this forest—but then again, anything was possible in this strange place! Nearby, a shimmering lake surrounded by reeds glinted in the sunshine. Mei bounded over to it and peered into the smooth surface of the water. Looking back at her was a ruby face with big dark eyes, an elegant snout, and twitching, pointed red ears. "I'm a dragon?" Mei whispered to herself, laughing. Mei loved acting and had played many different characters in school productions. But she had never been anything as cool as a dragon. And this

time I'm not even acting, she reminded herself. I really AM a dragon! Then another thought struck Mei. If she had a dragon-y face and dragon-y legs, she probably had a dragon-y tail. She turned to check. It was cool to have such a long neck! Sure enough, she had a long red tail with silver and gold embedded in its length, and an arrow tip. That was when Mei spotted something even more exciting. Sprouting from her back was a pair of beautiful wings! Each wing was decorated with swirling patterns, and drops of silver and gold. She gave them a flap and… rose off the ground. Mei couldn't help but let out a cheer… and a red flame erupted from her mouth! The flame licked an apple hanging from a nearby branch. To Mei's surprise, the apple didn't burn. Instead, it transformed from a small, unripe fruit to one that was huge and juicy looking! "Did I do that?" Mei wondered aloud, hovering in the air.

"You certainly did," said a voice. "Dragon Girls have special powers, after all." Mei looked around, trying to figure out who had spoken. What was a Dragon Girl? Climbing out of the reeds was a tiny pink creature with rounded ears, dark eyes, and a pompom tail. It was like the fluffiest mouse Mei had ever seen.

"I'm Squeaklet," the creature announced, bowing deeply. "Wow, you can talk!" Mei exclaimed. "I'm Mei. I've always wanted to meet a talking animal." "What a coincidence! I've always wanted to meet a Treasure Dragon Girl," replied Squeaklet. "I'm a Treasure Dragon Girl?" Mei repeated, her mind whirling. "Yes! The Treasure Dragons protect this forest's most precious things," explained Squeaklet. Mei had so many questions, but Squeaklet spoke before she could ask them. "Are you going to do some more flying?" "I don't really know how to," Mei admitted. "It's not hard," said Squeaklet. "Just imagine you are using your wings to wave to a friend." "Easy for you to say!" Mei laughed. "You don't have wings."