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.