The four friends wait a few moments before the board relights up.
ARE YOU ALL OKAY? THE BOARD DIDN’T LET ME WATCH THE LAST ROUND. WHAT HAPPENED?
Bobby speaks up. “I gave birth to an egg. Alex is a dragon now. Karisa is a wolf cat. And Nathan is a little boy.”
“At least I’m still a guy.” Nathan shoots back at Bobby.
Bobby smiles. “Hey, I’m getting used to all of this.” he says as he points to his entire body.
I’M SO SORRY. I DIDN’T KNOW. I DON’T THINK THE GAME LIKED ME TALKING TO YOU LAST TIME. THE GOOD THING IS THAT THE RULES ARE THE SAME. THE BAD THING IS I CAN’T SAY WHAT THE BOARD WILL DO. SO DO BE CAREFUL.
“Trust me, we will try.” Karisa replies.
“Let's take a short break before trying to talk to the girl in the board.” Bobby suggests. “I got to pee after all that water and the birth. I’m not too sure about this.” Bobby looks over at Karisa.
“I’ll help.” Karisa replies before getting up to help Bobby to the bathroom. "Are you going to be okay?" Karisa asks Nathan.
"Yes," Nathan replies. "Looks like just my body changed to my younger self, not my mind."
While the two girls are gone, Nathan asks the board a question. “Hey, is there a dragon in that egg?”
The board stays silent for a minute before answering the question.
YES. BUT THERE IS MORE. I WOULD LIKE TO WAIT FOR BOBBY TO BE BACK BEFORE ANSWERING THE REST.
Nathan and Alex agreed before moving on to another question. “So, Nathan’s team should have a total of three gold squares now, right?”
THEY DO. THAT IS WHY THE GAME IS SO MAD FROM WHAT I CAN TELL. YOU HAVE BEEN ROLLING WELL AND YOU HAVE BEEN WILLING TO HELP OTHERS WHEN YOU CAN, NATHAN. THAT GOES AGINST THE GAMES NATURE. IT WANTS YOU TO BE MORE SELFISH.
“Why would the game want that?” Nathan asks in his little boy voice.
“To extend the game.” Bobby says as he and Karisa walk back in. They both seemed to be a little cleaner. “I think it knows that we all want to free the girl in the board.”
The board glowed.
WAIT? WHAT?
“We were talking about it while we were in the bathroom.” Karisa says. “And I know Nathan’s answer. What do you say Alex?”
“I agree.” Alex says. “Why would we leave a seven-year-old trapped in a game? We are teenagers, not monsters.” Alex then looks at his dragon self. “You know what I mean.”
THINK-YOU. ALL OF YOU.
“I do have one question? If we use the other wish for all of us to keep one change, could I keep both my child and being a girl?” Bobby asks. This came to a shock to the other friends.
“Bobby? Are you sure?” Nathan asks.
“I made a life.” Bobby says. “I can’t say for Alex, but I want to raise my child.”
Alex looks at Bobby. “Bobby, I can’t be that egg’s father. I didn’t want to do that to you. I… Just can’t. But if you want to stay a girl and take care of the kid, I’ll support that.” Then Alex remembered the board talking about the egg. “Oh, girl in the board, what did you want to say about the egg?”
IT IS ABOUT TO HATCH. IN MAY HATCH ON IT’S OWN BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND.
The board then goes dark for a moment before replying to bobby.
BOBBY, YOU CAN’T HAVE BOTH. YOU EITHER STAY A GIRL OR KEEP THE EGG. THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT CHANGES TO YOUR LIFE.
“Wait?” Karisa says. “The game can change more than our bodies?”
EVERYTHING BUT YOUR MINDS. IT CAN FORCE MOVEMENTS, BUT YOU STILL HAVE A MIND OF YOUR OWN. JUST LIKE ALEX AND BOBBY WHEN THEY MATED.
“So, Bobby? What will it be?” Nathan asks.
“I will keep my egg.” Bobby answers.
Just then, movement comes from the egg. Bobby rushes over just as cracks start to form on the egg. Cries are heard from the inside as Bobby puts his arms around the egg.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” Bobby says as the cries and cracks continue. Soon, a human baby leg kicks out of the shell before a black dragon tail comes busting out as well. Before long, the whole egg was shattered on the floor as a baby was kicking and screaming in Bobby’s arms.
Karisa walks and helps Bobby. “You need to feed him.” She says as she shows Bobby how to present the baby to his lactating breasts. The baby quickly takes hold of the breast and starts to drink his fill.
While the baby is breast-feeding, the others look over the baby as Bobby tries to wipe it clean from the egg’s goo.
They baby looked mostly human, with the same dark skin tone as Bobby, but with some major differences. It had two small wings on its back as well as a dragon tail. The wings and tail had black scales, compared to Alex’s red scales.
“Well? What next?” Alex asks.