Ollie inched forward. He was not walking like a regular plush; he was walking like a plush on a mission! The rest of the Junks followed his lead: attentive and at the ready and very, very surprise attacky.
They sneaked past the imprisoned lost favorites who recognized Ollie and understood immediately that they were not to make a sound. Some of the toys looked more tattered than they had when Ollie first met them. After they’d helped him escape, the Creeps and Zozo had clearly not been gentle. Some of them were nearly torn to shreds. One-Eye. Carrot Bunny. Dino. They had all lost some fabric or stuffing or parts. But they didn’t mind. As soon as Ollie and his crew began to untie the them, they immediately fell into rank, eager to help.
Once they were all free, Ollie edged himself up against the wall just beside the door of Zozo’s lair. He could hear Zozo easily now, and what he heard was alarming.
“This boy can’t favorite my dancer!” Zozo was shouting.
“I can’t,” Billy said quietly. “I can’t,” he repeated, even more softly. “I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. Not ever!”
Ollie snuck a look. Zozo was placing a sort of spear against Billy’s chest.
Then things went quiet. Ollie glanced back at the gang, worried.
“Now!” whispered Pet Rock.
Ollie shook his head—no—urgently. He wasn’t sure. He knew deep down inside that he had to wait for something, but he wasn’t sure what. He was feeling so many things at once—scared, brave, calm, and something else. Something mysterious. Like a memory he didn’t know he had. He was waiting. He looked up. The fireflies were clustering again, just above him, their lights very dim. Then the brightest one buzzed down and landed on his chest, just above his bell heart. As Ollie watched in surprise, the firefly blinked on and off, on and off. Blink-blink . . . Blink-blink . . . like a beating heart.
As the firefly continued its blinking rhythm, Ollie understood what the firefly was trying to tell him. His bell. His heart. It had been more than just his—it had been Nina’s before him.
Blink-blink, blink-blink.
He knew that at that same moment, Zozo was pushing his spear against Billy’s chest, just above Billy’s heart.
Zozo’s voice boomed. “You know my dancer, don’t you! I can tell from your face. YOU KNOW HER! HOW?”
The firefly stopped blinking. And Ollie knew what to do. He began to pound his chest as hard as he could, making his bell ring loud and clear.