Gecko Gladiator Read Online Free PDF

His voice was all high and chirrupy—and his vision was astoundingly good. He could see all the detail of the My Tiny Horseys, half an aisle away. “Uh-oh!” he said, turning around to look at Danny. Danny was brushing several Flumpywumpies off his jeans and kicking more back under the display. Right up to his waist, he was back to normal. But above his waist he was still a gecko. Boy sized, but with gecko arms, hands, and fingers. He had a gecko chest and a gecko head covered in gleaming scales of shiny pink, with two dark, bulbous, orblike eyes.
    Danny turned and saw Josh a second later. “Oops,” he squeaked. He glanced into a mirror in the nearby Barbie display and then over to Joshagain, feeling panic rise in his chest. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

    There was a lot of noise over by the exit. Far, far too many people were around. Loads of little girls in sparkly dresses and tiaras were piling through the doors. Oh no, remembered Danny. The Damsels’ Party! But worse, off to their left, Danny could now see the security guard stalking along the top row of toy aisles. They were looking left and right, obviously searching for him and Danny. He might just recognize their jeans and running shoes! “We’re just going to have to make a run for it!” he squawked at his brother. And the pair of them set off, making for the doors.
    They expected screaming. A lot of it. Danny was hoping the fear and horror would mean the girls would just run away as they approached, clearing their path to the outside world. And true—there was a lot of squealing as they ran up to the doorway. But not the kind they expected. There were about fifteen or sixteen girls and half a dozen moms with them, along with a Princessland entertainer, dressed as a court jester, waving astick with bells and being determinedly jolly. And as soon as the girls and their moms saw Josh and Danny, both still half-boy, half-gecko, they squealed … with DELIGHT!
    â€œDragons! Oh look! They’ve got us DRAGONS!” squealed the damsels. And they fell upon Josh and Danny as if they were a basket of free Diddly DeeDees, giggling and cooing and stroking their heads.

    â€œAmazing costumes!” one of the moms said. “So lifelike!”
    Josh and Danny were appalled. They were surrounded by a crowd of damsels who were now pulling at their arms and dragging them across to the party area. This was a space right in the middle of Princessland, with lots of little glittery chairs laid out in a circle. Inside the circle was an assortment of girly fun—a large dolls’ house, a small fabric tent shaped like a pink castle, dozens of My Tiny Horseys pulling along pumpkin-shaped coaches with princess dolls in them, a hair-braiding table, a bracelet-making corner, and a face-painting stand … all laid out for a party.
    â€œWait!” called a shrill voice. “I know what we’re going to do!” It was a girl with curly red hair, topped with a silver tiara, wearing a white frock with pink roses stitched all over it.
    â€œMelissa, sweetheart!” cooed her mom, just behind her. “We’re going to make bracelets and have face painting and hair braiding.”
    â€œNO!” shouted Melissa. “It’s MY party and I say we have a dragon FIGHT!”

    The rest of the girls whooped with excitement.
    â€œAnd this is MY dragon!” Melissa threw her arms around Danny. “Because he’s PINK! And that’s my favorite color! Who’s on my PINK dragon side?!”
    Several girls shrieked with approval and got behind Melissa, ready to cheer on the pink dragon.
    Another girl with long dark hair and a red dress claimed Josh. “OK—I’ll have the spotty dragon!” she sang—and the rest of the girls ran to be on her side.
    â€œMy team against Lucy’s team!” declared Melissa, as the Princessland entertainer and the moms stood by helplessly.