The Vacant Years(Sequel to Along For The Ride)

Chapter 28

I just stand there, unmoving and completely shocked. I stare at the spot where North was just standing. He's gone. I look around at all of us in here. Bunny, Tooth, Evie, Jack and me. I can't believe that we're the ones that are left. I immediately hug Jack, afraid of what might happen next. Jack wraps his arms tightly around me and we both sink to our knees. It's quiet for a while as everyone takes in the gravity of the situation, as they realize that North is really gone. "Pitch... he must have... taken more kids." Tooth says. "Well, what are we supposed to do?" Jack asks.

It's quiet for a few minutes. "We have no choice but to fight back." Tooth says. "But there's kids." Jack says. "We just have to get the kids away from Pitch, and maybe they'll go back to normal." Tooth says. "If, and I mean if we end up going, who would go?" Jack says. I hear Tooth sigh. "All of us." she says. It's quiet again. "Jack, if we're going to defeat Pitch, we have to do this now." Tooth says. I don't think that any of us should go, not after what just happened. I'm already freaked out because of everything that's happened recently, and this just adds to it.

We shouldn't go, even if Tooth is right. "If you guys did go, I couldn't come with. I mean, look at me. I'm tiny." Bunny says. "Then only the four of us would go." Tooth says. "We aren't actually going, right?" Evie asks. "If we don't go now, we might be doomed. Pitch could do something else and Bunny, Jack, or myself could disappear, just like North." Tooth says. I sit there and think about this. Would I really want to risk losing Jack, possibly forever? He's the one at risk here, along with the others, and I want to do everything I can to keep them from going away.

Maybe it would be best if we went know and tried to fix this. I let go of Jack and he lets go of me. I look at Tooth. "I... I think we should go." I say. Everyone looks at me. Then Tooth looks from Evie to Jack. "Fine, we'll go." Jack says. "Guys, I think it's a bad idea." Evie says. "Evie." Tooth says. Evie sighs. "Fine." she says and gets up. "I'll get a few snow globes." Jack says and flies into the hallway. He disappears and I get up. "When we get there, we have to focus on the kids. I want you two to look for them." Tooth says, looking at Evie and I. We both nod.

A second later, Jack appears by my side, holding two snow globes. I take one from him just as Phil walks out of the hallway, holding my sweater. I walk over to him and he says something in gibberish. I have no idea what he's trying to say. He hands me my sweater and I put it on. "We'll tell you about North when we get back, okay?" Tooth says. Phil says something and walks back into the hallway. I walk back over to the others as I put the snow globe into my pocket. "You actually know what he's saying?" I ask. Tooth nods.

Jack hands Tooth the other snow globe and she whispers to it. She throws it and a portal forms. She stands there for a second then steps through. "Good luck, guys." Bunny says. I look at him and smile before I step through the portal. I look around and see that we're standing that large room with the two halls leading off of it. Jack and Evie appear next to me and the portal disappears. "Jess, Evie, you know what to do." Tooth says. Evie and I head toward the hallway on our right. We enter the hallway and walk down it.

We check the rooms as we go. Most of them are locked. Then I come to a door and it opens. I look inside and see that it's another hallway, and it reminds me of when we were here, looking for Jack. "Evie, come on." I say and enter the hallway. Evie runs up next to me. We walk down the hallway and start checking these doors. "Well, hello there." Evie and I stop. I close the door to the room I just opened and look to my left. That group of kids stands there. "Oh, it's you two." one of the kids say.

"Jess, what are we supposed to do?" Evie whispers to me. I put my finger to my lips, telling her to be quiet. We stand there for several seconds. Then I form a bubble around the kids. They look around at it then look at me. "Let us go, now." one of them says. "Let's go." I say and turn and walk back towards the exit of the hallway, with Evie and the bubble of kids following me. We reach the door and I put the bubble of kids in front of me. It floats forward and stops when it hits the door. Evie and I walk up to the bubble and push it.

It takes a few tries before the bubble actually makes it through the door. I get ahead of the bubble again and continue down this hall. "What are you doing with my children?" I turn around and see Pitch standing behind the bubble. "Jess, get out of here." Evie whispers to me. I see her arm form into a blade. I turn and take off running, making sure the bubble is following me. A minute later, I run out of the hallway. "You should let us go, or Pitch is going to kill you." one of the kids says. I ignore them and sit there, waiting for the others to come back.

A minute later, Evie runs out of the hallway and over to me. "Where's Pitch?" I ask. "I don't know." she says. Then I hear a scream. Tooth. I form a force field around the bubble of kids so Pitch can't get to them. We take off towards the hallway ahead of us, but Nightmares come out of nowhere and surround us. Evie forms her arm into a blade and I form a sword in my right hand. A Nightmare runs at me and I slice through it. It disappears. Then, I just swing my sword, hitting multiple Nightmares. I'm just sick and tired of them right now.

Evie decides to do what I just did. We both continue to do this, and after a few minutes, the Nightmares are gone. I hear Tooth scream again. The thing is, which hallway is she in? She could be in either one now. "Jess, come on." Evie says. She runs towards the other hallway ahead of us. I run after her.