CHAPTER FIFTEEN

BACKUP

Conner had only been gone for eighteen hours, but his friends and characters at the Saint Andrew’s Children’s Hospital had grown twice as restless since he left. It was almost ten o’clock at night and all the pirates, superheroes, Cyborgs, mummies, literary characters, and fairy-tale characters were wide awake. Every passing hour spent in the commissary felt like it was longer than the one before. They were itching for something productive to do and running out of ways to entertain themselves.

After their I Love Lucy marathon was finished, the pirates of Starboardia discovered a steamy soap opera on Telemundo. Auburn Sally, Admiral Jacobson, and the entire Dolly Llama crew couldn’t look away from the Latin American actors’ passionate performances. They felt their faces blush at every turn of the scandalous story.

“Does anyone know what they’re saying?” Winking Wendy asked.

“I don’t understand a word, but I feel everything,” Somersault Sydney said.

Across the commissary, the characters from “The Adventures of Blimp Boy” passed the time by teaching the characters from the Sherwood Forest how to gamble. It didn’t matter how many times Beau Rogers and his great-aunt Emgee repeated the rules, the Merry Men had a hard time soaking up the concept of poker.

“AHA! THE ODDS ARE IN MY FAVOR AGAIN!” Robin Hood boasted. “I HAVE THREE KINGS AND TWO ACES! GOOD LUCK BEATING THAT!”

The archaeologists folded their cards before they even had a chance to look at them.

“Robin, for the tenth time, you’re not supposed to reveal your cards until the end,” Beau said. “The whole point is to make us think you have a good hand—you don’t just come out and say it.”

The Prince of Thieves let out a haughty laugh. “BUT I HAVE FOOLED YOU,” he said, and revealed his cards. “BEHOLD, A PAIR OF TWOS! NOT ONLY HAVE I DECEIVED YOU, BUT I’VE DONE IT IN RECORD TIME! I DARE SAY THE STUDENT HAS BECOME THE TEACHER. NOW SLIDE OVER MY EARNINGS!”

The superheroes from “The Ziblings” were in the middle of a heated round of charades with the space explorers from “Galaxy Queen.” Blaze, Whipney, and Morph were one team, while the Cyborg Queen, Commander Newters, and Professor Wallet were on the other.

“It’s an elephant!” Blaze called out.

“That’s right!” Morph said, and quickly moved on.

“It’s a satellite dish!” Whipney guessed.

“Yes!” Morph said, and went to the next paper.

“It’s a toy box!” Blaze said.

“That’s it!” Morph said. “Boy, we’re really good at this!”

“Of course you’re doing well!” the Cyborg Queen complained. “You’re literally transforming into whatever the paper says! I don’t see how this is a fair game!”

Meanwhile, Trollbella got roped into playing a game of hide-and-seek with the Lost Boys from Neverland. The troll queen counted to a hundred while the boys hid, but when she was done counting, instead of searching for them, Trollbella had a seat and flipped through a magazine.

“Aren’t you going to find them?” the Tin Woodman asked her.

“I was, but then I had an epiphany,” Trollbella said. “If I want boys to stop playing games with me, I’ve got to stop playing games with boys.”

“Even hide-and-seek?” the Tin Woodman asked.

“Especially hide-and-seek,” Trollbella said in total seriousness. “Who we are on the playground is who we are in life, and I’m done being a seeker. If someone wants to be my Troblin King, he’s just gonna have to find me.”

Charlotte stood by the window and watched the characters getting fresh air outside. Peter Pan and Bolt competed in several rounds of a questionable activity they called Who Can Fly Closest to the Moon Without Passing Out. Lester, the Rosary Chicken, and Blubo were picking at bugs in the lawns surrounding the hospital. Bones, the mummified dog from the Pyramid of Anesthesia, buried the parts of his body that fell off. Unbeknownst to him, Clawdius was digging them back up and burying them in other spots.

The Blissworm inched up a tree, hung upside down from a branch, and blew Charlotte a kiss good-bye, and then its soft body slowly hardened into a cocoon—which was very surprising, since Conner had never mentioned anything about it having a metamorphosis. The space worm even placed a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the corner of its chrysalis.

Although there was plenty to distract her, nothing could take Charlotte’s mind off her children. Every additional hour she didn’t hear from Conner was more torturous than the previous one. The delayed communication made her fear that something was wrong—very wrong.

The commissary doors swung open and Bob entered with a mummy who had slipped out without Charlotte noticing.

“Look who I found in the emergency room,” Bob said.

The mummy had two large burn marks on the wraps covering his heart.

“What happened to his chest?” Charlotte asked.

“Apparently two paramedics found him roaming the parking lot,” Bob said. “They checked his pulse and took him to Emergency right away. The nurses were trying to revive him when I got there. I had to make him sign a DNR to get them to stop.”

“He must have walked right past me,” Charlotte said. “I’ve been trying to keep everyone stimulated while we wait to hear from Conner, but there’s only so much they can do. You know things are dull when the dead start wandering off.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself—you’ve got a lot on your mind,” Bob said. “Speaking of which, any word from Conner?”

“Nothing,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I’ve tried calling a dozen times, but no one is answering. I know I worry about them constantly, but I can’t fight a feeling that something terrible has happened. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel like they both need me.”

Bob and Charlotte were distracted when the pirates from Starboardia started moaning at the television.

“What’s going on?” Charlotte asked.

“Some lady came on the screen and interrupted our show!” Fish-Lips Lucy grumbled. “And Maria was just about to catch José being unfaithful!”

Bob and Charlotte glanced at the screen to see what they were talking about. President of the United States Katherine Walker was sitting at her desk in the Oval Office, about to give a national address.

“That lady is the president,” Bob said. “She only comes on TV when something important is happening.”

“But it’s past midnight on the East Coast,” Charlotte said. “What could be so important?”

“Beats me,” Bob said. “Turn it up, guys.”

The pirates turned up the volume and everyone in the commissary gathered around the television. The characters outside could tell something was going on and came in to see what the big deal was. The Blissworm even peeked out from its cocoon.

“My fellow Americans,” President Walker said to the camera. “By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the situation unfolding in New York City. There are many outlandish reports circulating in the news and social media, so allow me to present the facts and calm the frenzy. Early yesterday morning, a massive gas leak was discovered at the main branch of the New York Public Library. Local authorities were called to the scene and quickly ordered an evacuation of the surrounding area. After carefully assessing the damage throughout the day, that evacuation has now been extended to the entire island of Manhattan. I understand this poses an inconvenience of immeasurable proportions, but nothing, I repeat, nothing, is more important than the safety of the American people. We assure you the situation is being taken care of by highly trained professionals and there is no need to panic….”

Charlotte instantly began to panic.

“She wouldn’t be reassuring the country if there were nothing to worry about,” Charlotte said. “Now I know I wasn’t just being paranoid—something’s definitely happened! The twins are in danger!”

Just then, Charlotte’s cell phone started buzzing in her pocket. She retrieved the phone and saw an incoming call from an unfamiliar number. Charlotte immediately answered the phone, praying she’d hear the voices of her children on the other end.

“Conner, is that you?”

“Mrs. Gordon? Oh, thank God, I’ve finally got you! I’ve been trying to get a signal for hours but there’s a lot of people using their cell phones around here!”

At first Charlotte didn’t recognize the young voice, but she could tell that the caller was standing in a crowded area.

“Who is this?” she asked.

“It’s Mindy—Mindy McClowsky,” Mindy said.

“And Cindy Strutherbergers!” Cindy added.

“And Lindy Lenkins!” Lindy announced.

Wendy performed a quick clap-snap combo to announce her presence.

“Wendy Takahashi is with us, too,” Mindy said. “You’re on speaker with the Book Huggers from Willow Crest High School.”

Charlotte was automatically annoyed. “Girls, I really don’t have time to talk about whether or not Alex and Conner are interning at Area 51—”

“You don’t have to!” Mindy said. “We just saw Conner and he told us all about your family secret! Our mission is complete—we’re totally in the loop now! And boy, do you guys have enough drama to fill a week of talk shows, or what!”

“Wait a second, did you say you just saw Conner?”

“Yes!” Mindy said. “We were just at the library with him and his friends—and by the way, don’t believe a word anyone says about a gas leak. That is totally not what’s going on!”

The news overwhelmed Charlotte and she sat down. The pirates turned off the television so they could eavesdrop on her conversation.

“Where is Conner now? Is he or Alex with you?”

“No, he and his friends went to find Alex, but we’re not sure where they went,” Mindy explained. “Come to think of it, I’m not sure where we are, either. After we crawled out of the abandoned subway tunnel, we got shoved into a bus by police officers and they drove us off the island.”

“I think we’re in Brooklyn,” Lindy said.

“No, this is definitely Queens,” Cindy said.

Wendy pointed to a sign that clearly stated they were in Hoboken, but no one paid attention to her.

“It’s impossible to tell,” Mindy said. “Anyway, this weird bridge-thingy appeared in the library that leads directly to the fairy-tale world. I guess a bunch of witches came out of it earlier and something way worse is coming soon. It’s like a bad episode of Doctor Who over here! Conner asked us to call you and say they need backup—he said you’d know what to do!”

Like a firefighter at the sound of an alarm, Charlotte hopped to her feet and began gathering her purse, Conner’s binder of short stories, the fairy-tale treasury, and the flask of Portal Potion.

“We’ll leave right away!” she said. “Thank you for calling, Mindy!”

“You’re welcome!” Mindy said. “Oh! And Mrs. Gordon? One last thing. My fellow Book Huggers and I will absolutely accept your apology for lying to us over the years whenever you feel it’s an appropriate—”

Charlotte hung up the phone before Mindy could finish her sentence. She turned back to the others and saw they were gathered right behind her—desperate to know the details of her call.

“Well?” the Tin Woodman asked.

“Conner needs us,” Charlotte announced. “I’m not sure how, but the witches have crossed into the Otherworld and the Literary Army isn’t far behind. We’ve got to get to New York and stop them before they destroy the city!”

The commissary erupted in celebration—not at the news of the approaching army, but because they were finally leaving the hospital.

“How are we going to get there?” Bob asked. “I’ve got some frequent flyer miles left, but not enough for all of us.”

“We don’t have to worry about transportation, silly!” Bolt said. “The Ziblings have a jet!”

“Aunt Emgee and I have a blimp!” Beau Rogers said.

“The Cyborgs have an intergalactic spacecraft,” Commander Newters said.

“And we have the Dolly Llama—the fastest pirate ship in the Caribbean Sea!” Auburn Sally proclaimed.

The characters scratched their heads at the odd idea of taking a pirate ship across the country.

“Sally, New York City is three thousand miles away,” Charlotte explained. “You can’t get there by boat.”

“Oh yes you can!” Peter Pan declared. “We’ll make the ship fly with fairy dust. I have just enough left to make it soar! And once we sail the skies to New York City, we’ll rescue Tinker Bell from the miserable Captain Hook!”

“We’ll defeat the Wicked Witch of the West and free the Winkies and the flying monkeys from her magic spell!” Blubo said.

“We’ll dethrone the Queen of Hearts, and perhaps earn a heart of our own!” the Tin Woodman said.

“WE’LL BURN THE UGLY WITCHES AT THE STAKE—BUT KEEP THE ATTRACTIVE ONES!” Robin Hood said.

“We’ll save Butterboy from the clutches of the Breemonster!” Trollbella said. “Sorry, I meant from the bad guys!”

Charlotte appreciated the characters’ spirit, but she knew they were wasting time.

“All right, enough declarations,” she said. “Let’s go save the world! But before we go, someone needs to grab the Blissworm.”

Morina was standing in the Dwarf Forests a few yards away from the bridge between worlds. Earlier, she had sent a crow to the Northern Kingdom with a message informing the Literary Emperors that the first phase of their plan was complete. She instructed them to meet her in the woods with their armies at sunrise, and their invasion of the Otherworld would begin.

Strangely, the witch had not received a response confirming that they had gotten the message. Morina grew more impatient the longer she waited to hear back. Finally, a few hours after sending word, she got a reply—but it wasn’t the response she was expecting.

The ground began to rumble and the trees started to sway as something enormous moved through the forest. Soon the sound of marching feet echoed through the woods, moving closer and closer to the witch.

Soon the Wicked Witch of the West, the Queen of Hearts, and Captain Hook appeared in the distance with their entire army following behind. Thousands of Winkies and card soldiers stood in two very neat rows behind their emperors; the Jolly Roger and its rambunctious crew drifted in the air above them like a giant balloon; and the sky surrounding the floating pirate ship was filled with swarms of flying monkeys.

The emperors led their army through the woods until they stood face-to-face with the witch.

“Hello, emperors,” Morina said. “What a surprise to see you arrive so soon. I wasn’t expecting you until sunrise. I hope you received the message with my instructions.”

The Wicked Witch, the Queen of Hearts, and Captain Hook exchanged a sly smile.

“Your message was received, but we thought it would be best to respond in person,” the Wicked Witch said.

“Oh?” Morina asked. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all,” Captain Hook said. “We were very pleased to hear that the witches have successfully crossed into the Otherworld. However, there’s been a change of plans. Instead of waiting for the witches to weaken the Otherworld’s defenses, we’ve decided to enter the Otherworld now and take it by surprise.”

Morina was infuriated that they had altered the agenda without consulting her first. She was so enraged, her eyes turned red and her veins visibly blackened. Still, the witch tried to stay as calm as possible, knowing the emperors wouldn’t respond to anger.

“My lords, I understand you’re eager to invade, but I beg you to follow the plan I’ve created,” she said. “If we cross into the Otherworld before the witches are exterminated, you’ll be battling the witches and the Otherworld’s armies.”

“I think we can handle a gaggle of witches,” the Wicked Witch cackled.

“Certainly,” Morina said. “But as I first explained, it’ll be much easier to secure domination if we wait for the witches to perish in—”

“NO MORE WAITING!” the Queen of Hearts roared. “We want to conquer the Otherworld and we want to conquer it NOW! Step aside or you’ll be the first casualty of the night!”

Morina knew it was useless to reason with them. The emperors were like toddlers waiting to play with a new toy. As much as she wanted to stop them, she wasn’t powerful enough to take on the Literary Army by herself.

She reluctantly stepped out of the way and allowed the Wicked Witch, the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, and their army to march toward the bridge.

The emperors were making a catastrophic mistake by entering the Otherworld early. However, Morina knew her plan wasn’t doomed to fail just yet. There was still someone in the equation who was powerful enough to take on an army—several armies, if they were directed properly.

So the witch remained quiet as a new strategy unfolded: If she could just get to Alex before the witches were slain, there was still a chance Morina could succeed….