Ribbon led me to a hall filled with steel doors on each side. She quietly explained that my friends and hers were kept prisoner here. She then pointed to a key that hung above the head of a lizard, a humanoid lizard. The lizard was asleep; he was snoring so loudly that I was surprised that he didn’t wake himself up from it!

"You get key…" Ribbon whispered.

"How? I can’t reach it without waking him up…" I replied.

"You get key with special ‘bility."

"Special ‘bility my shell," I retorted. "I have no special ability."

"Do too… you make things float! You Tele’netic!"

"Tele… oh, you mean Telekinetic…" I replied, and Ribbon shook her head yes.

"You get… I get Michaela."

"But…" Before I could finish, Ribbon was already running down the hallway. "Great…" I looked over at the keys above the anole lizard. ‘I hope you are as timid as the anole lizards in Houston…’ I thought as I glared at the keys. ‘This better work.’ To my utter surprise it did work; the key began to float toward me without even a jingle!

I snatched the floating keys just as Ribbon came back. "Michaela say that turtles just coming back from lab… Chynna and Pandora are in the prison next to her sedated…" She whispered and grabbed my arm. "We must let out Michaela first!"

"Err…" I muttered and followed her down the hall.

We reached a prison door where large, rusty brown paws were grabbing the bars. "Ribbon? Is that you?"

"Uh huh! I brought third turtle!"

"You mean the psychic one?"

"Uh huh!"

"Well then let me out!"

I tried the keys until I got the right one and unlocked the door, and a large rusty brown rabbit hopped out.

"Great… the Easter bunny."

"What?" Michaela growled. "I am no bunny! Nor am I a rabbit! I am a pure 100% HARE!"

"Hey! Hey! Cool it, Michaela the Hare!" I whispered hoarsely. "You’ll alert the guard!"

"Chynna and Pandora are next door… poor gals…" Michaela sighed. I then realized that she was British. "Being chained up like that…"

I quickly unlocked the door to Chynna and Pandora’s room to see a humanoid cheetah and panther not only chained to the wall but totally out of it.

"Which is which?" I asked.

"Chynna is the cheetah," Michaela replied. "She be have’n superior speed, a regular speed demon she is."

"Pandora like first woman in Greek story…" Ribbon said.

"She opened a box?"

"She can release strife onto her opponent," Michaela explained.

"How?"

Michaela’s ears twitched. "Shh! Get in! Close the door part way!"

I did as told, and as I peeked through the small crack of the door, I saw four crocodiles leading Morgan and Dianne into the prison across from us. My two friends looked morbid, like they had given up on everything, like they had given up on me.

We waited until the four guards were gone and then undid the chains that bound Chynna and Pandora to the wall.

"Ey! Ey! Pandora ol’ gal! Wake up!" Michaela shook the panther and then slapped her on the face. It worked; Pandora’s eyes shot open, and she growled.

"How dare ye slap me? Ya no good… Oh, it’s you, Michaela…" Pandora looked at me and narrowed her eyes. "Is that who I think it be? Is it the li’le runaway? Is it the li’le liar? The ‘I’ll be com’n back ta save ya’ but neva does?"

By this time, Chynna woke up. "Be nice, Pandora, she kept her word… no matter how long it took…"

"I… I can explain…" I stammered. "But I wanna get Morgan and Dianne before I do."

"Let’s do that then!" Pandora stood up and wiped off her black fur.

"And while we’re at it… can we get my dinker of doom?" Michaela asked with begging eyes.

"Her what?" I asked.

"Long story," Chynna and Pandora grumbled.