“Who cares?” Evan snapped. “My life is ruined.”

“No way!” Kermit cried. “You’ll be okay, Evan.” He started running to the house. “Be right back!”

“Kermit, where are you going?” Evan called glumly.

“To mix up another batch!” Kermit replied. “It will only take me a few seconds, Evan. I’ve got all the ingredients.”

Evan could feel his sadness lifting. “Do you really think you can do it?” he asked his cousin.

“No problem,” Kermit replied, flashing Evan a thumbs-up sign. “I think I remember what I put in it. I’ll mix up more blue shrinking stuff and be back in a jiffy.”

Kermit disappeared into the house. “I’m coming, too!” Andy called after him. She turned back to Evan. “I can try to clean up some of the lab while Kermit mixes the liquid. If Kermit’s mom gets home and sees the basement, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Evan let out a weak laugh. “Big trouble. Very funny, Annnndrea. You’re a riot.”

“Don’t call me Andrea,” she shot back, ignoring his sarcasm. He watched her hurry into the house.

Dogface got tired of sniffing the blue bottle. The sheepdog lumbered across the yard to inspect the fence that Evan had knocked down earlier.

Evan sighed. I wonder if my own dog will recognize me now? he thought. Trigger, Evan’s cocker spaniel, had been the first to eat Monster Blood. The dog had grown bigger than a horse.

I wonder if Trigger ever has nightmares about that? Evan asked himself.

He knew he’d be having nightmares about today for a long time to come.

He glanced at his watch. Almost dinnertime. His parents would be getting home soon. And Kermit’s mom would be pulling up the driveway at any minute.

“Wow. She’ll be surprised when she sees me!” Evan exclaimed out loud.

He turned to the house in time to see Kermit step out. He was carrying a fresh bottle of blue liquid. “See? No problem!” Kermit declared.

Evan carefully took the bottle from Kermit’s hand.

Andy walked over, her eyes raised to Evan’s. “Go ahead. Rub it all over,” she urged. “Hurry!”

Evan carefully poured a puddle of blue liquid into his palm. Then he rubbed it onto his cheeks, his forehead, his neck.

He poured more into his hand. He rubbed blue liquid onto his arms. Then he raised his T-shirt and rubbed some on his chest.

Please let it work, he prayed silently. Please let it work.

He turned to Andy and Kermit. “See any change?”

Andy’s mouth dropped open.

Kermit’s eyes bulged, and he uttered a choking sound.

“Well?” Evan demanded eagerly. “Do you see any change? Do you?”

“Uh … well … uh …” Kermit sputtered.

“You turned blue!” Andy cried.

“Excuse me?” Evan demanded. He knew he hadn’t heard her correctly.

“Your skin—it’s bright blue!” Andy wailed, pressing her hands against her cheeks.

“My—what?” Evan shrieked. “You mean—HIC!—” A powerful hiccup made his entire body shake.

Evan stared down at his hands.

“They—they’re blue!” he cried. “HIC!”

Another hiccup burst from his open mouth. His enormous body shook as if struck by an earthquake.

Frantically, he pulled up the T-shirt and stared at his stomach. His blue stomach.

His arms. His chest. All blue. Bright blue.

“HIC!”

“I don’t believe it!” Evan screamed. “I’m bright blue, and—HIC!—I’ve got the hiccups!”

He glared down furiously at Kermit.

Kermit was so frightened, his legs trembled and his knees actually knocked together. “I—I can fix it,” he called up to Evan. “N-no problem! I just mixed it up wrong. I’ll be right back with another mixture.”

He ran to the house. At the screen door, he turned back to Evan. “Don’t go anywhere—okay?”

Evan let out a furious roar, interrupted by a deafening hiccup. “Where can I go?” he shrieked at the top of his lungs. “Where can I—HIC!—go?!”

The door slammed behind Kermit.

Evan let out another roar, clenching his blue fists and shaking his blue arms over his head. He paced back and forth on the driveway, hiccupping every few seconds.

“Try to calm down a little,” Andy called up to him. “People will hear you.”

“I—I—HIC!—can’t calm down!” Evan complained bitterly. “Look at me!”

“But the neighbors will hear you. Or see you,” Andy warned. “They’ll call the police.”

Evan replied with a hiccup that nearly knocked him off his feet.

Kermit came running out of the house. He raised another bottle of blue liquid to Evan. “Here! Try this!”

“HIC!” Evan declared. He grasped the bottle in his blue hand.