06 Not Again!

CHAPTER 6 NOT AGAIN! Tag woke with a start. The sun was high in the sky, which meant he'd slept for hours. He was still on the raft, but back on the shore. He couldn't remember what he had been doing. He yawned and gazed across Lullaby Lake. Then he saw his net beside him, and he remembered.

Tag frowned. How did I end up back here? And where are Skyla and Blaze? he thought. Oh no! I hope Thorn didn't return while I was sleeping! Tag flew along the shore, looking for his friends. He found them nearby, resting against a tree stump.

Blaze was in such a deep sleep that Tag had to shout to wake her. "Blaze!" Blaze jumped up. Her magical feathers lit up with tiny orange and yellow flames. "PEEP!" "It's me!" Tag said, backing away from Blaze's fiery wings. Blaze's feathers returned to normal. Skyla rubbed her eyes. "Tag," she said. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. One minute I was in the middle of the lake looking into the water... The next, I was fast asleep. I woke up back on shore," Tag said. "Did you two see what happened?" Skyla and Blaze looked at each other. "We fell asleep, too," Skyla admitted. "I'm still sleepy," Blaze said. Tag sighed. "I guess we didn't get much sleep last night. And we traveled a long way yesterday," he said. But how did my raft get back to shore? Tag wondered. "Did you see our stone?" Blaze asked.

Tag shook his head and frowned. He thought he had seen their stone in the water, but now he wasn't so sure. He headed to the raft. "Let's try again. I'm not tired anymore." Blaze guided the raft back to the center of the lake. Tag looked over the edge, searching for their stone. The eels' blue light moved around him. Again, the water sparkled with a hundred tiny, golden lights, and the eels drifted away. Then Tag heard the same soft music sailing across the water. I've heard that song before, Tag thought, as he fell into a deep sleep.