After the dinner party, Centipede went up to his post to stir the peach and the others were falling asleep. Except for James and Miss Spider, the arachnid prepared the web for James to lie in for bed.

"You keep to yourself don't you?" James asked.

"I prefer to be alone," Miss Spider replied.

"I was alone for a long time once. I think it's much nicer to have friends, don't you?" James asked.

"I would not know," Miss Spider said.

"They'd be your friends too. The others, I mean. If you'd just let them."

"No, it is in their nature to have fear of me," Miss Spider said. "This I cannot change."

"You're very kind to me," James said.

"Maybe this is because you were kind to me first," as the Arachnid laid James down and tied her thread around his waist, wrapping his little frame to keep him warm. James finally put the puzzle pieces together.

"You were the spider in our window!" James exclaimed, and his eyes were both wide.

"Mm-hmm." Miss Spider said smoothly as she nodded to them.

"You were my first friend!" James said and then his face darkened. "I mean, since I went to live with my aunts. They hated me!"

"Ssshhh!" Miss Spider shushed James and laid a tender finger on the boy's lips.

"Do not think of them now," she said gently and still smiled and continued her weaving.

"But what if they find us?" James asked nervously. "What if we don't make it to New York? I'll die if I have to go back to the way I was. They can't make me…"

"No one can make you do anything James…" Miss Spider clutched his hands and finished, "If you do not let them…" She covered James with his coat. "You are a brave boy…" she placed her hands gently on his face and kissed him on the forehead.

"Now to sleep," Miss Spider said as she crawled back into her pipe. "You have had a tired making day." She blew out the candle and gave the boy one more look and she laid herself down and drifted off to sleep.

James watched the moonbeam shined on his face, he yawned, and drifted off to sleep.

Butterfly woke up and looked at the ceiling in her high-heeled shoe bed.

"Perhaps I should see how Centipede is doing," she said. "Maybe he could use some help."

Dragonfly woke up and he followed Butterfly out of the peach.

"Hey lass," he said. Butterfly jumped and saw Dragonfly awake.

"Dragonfly? What are you doing up so late?"

"Same question lass, I t'ought I s'ould get a wee bit o' air an' smoke me pipe."

"I thought I would help Centipede," Miss Butterfly said. "Incase he gets sleepy."

The two insects got out and saw a sleepy Centipede ready to doze off.

"Centipede?" Butterfly spoke up.

"Laddie?"

"Huh?" Centipede jumped in fright and then relaxed when it was Butterfly and Dragonfly.

"Oh hey guys," he said.

"I was wondering if you need my help with steering the peach?" Butterfly noticed Centipede was tired.

"No thanks," he said. "I can do it."

"Suit yerself laddie," Dragonfly took out his pipe and lit it with a match and puffed out the smoke.

"So are you guys excited to go to New York?" Centipede asked.

"Aye lad," Dragonfly said. "Except I'm a wee bit nervous. Since we are enormous bugs, would the humans get scared of us?"

"Sacre bleu, that's what I was thinking Dragonfly!" Butterfly said. "But I'm a little scared."

"Of what?" Centipede asked.

"I have to admit, that I had a family, including my parents and mon sœurs."

"Mon sœurs?" Dragonfly asked as he nearly choked on his pipe.

"My sisters, but I was never close to any of them, until the day Spiker and Sponge killed my whole famille. I somehow felt regret at losing them, but I cannot change the past."

"Trust me lass," Dragonfly said. "Everyone makes mistakes and they teach us somethin' new. When I lost me fiancé, I was completely broke."

"You were planning to marry?" Centipede and Butterfly's eyes were widened.

"Aye, Isabelle was t'e most beautiful dragonfly ever, we were plannin' to marry. But she was then sick and died."

"Oh I'm so sorry Dragonfly," Butterfly said placing her hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheek."

"It's all right," Dragonfly said. "After me Isabelle died, I left me family in Scotland to live in England an' that's when we met. Maybe there'd be another lass fer me."

"No worries buddy," Centipede said giving Dragonfly a pat on the shoulder. "You'll find the one."

"Thank ye," he said smiling as he wiped his tears.

"I'm going to bed," Butterfly said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"I'm gonna finish my pipe and I'll join ye," Dragonfly said. "Good night lass and lad."

"Good night Dragonfly," Butterfly said. "Good night Centipede."

"Night guys," the others went back down in the peach and Centipede stood at the stem.

Diana was sitting on the fence pathway and looked at the stars, she had her sketchbook on her lap and she was drawing her friend Jenna dressed in an evening gown singing on the stage.

"I hope my artwork gets accepted when we get to New York," Diana said hopefully, she then frowned and felt sad. "But what if we don't make it?"

I stood out of the peach for some air and decided to sit on the fence pathway and then to my surprise, I saw Diana drawing in her sketchbook.

"Hi Diana," I said. Diana jumped in fear, she turned around and was relieved to see it was me.

"Oh hi Jenna. How are you?"

"I'm all right," I said as I sat next to her. "What are you doing outside of the peach?"

"I'm… just feeling excited to see New York City, especially nervous. How about you?"

"Oh," I said with my heart lowering in my chest. "I don't know, I am looking forward, but I am really nervous."

"Don't worry," Diana placed her hand on my shoulder. "It's gonna be fine, we must have hope. You'll see."

"Oh good, I hope I never go back to my old life," I said. "My family hardly pays attention to what I want and I had to get away. What if they don't like me if I came back?"

"I'm sure your family loves you," Diana hugged me and I returned it. "I had to get away from my father too. But as long as we're here, we got each other. "I think we're best friends now. But I feel that you… are like… a sister to me."

Diana's words warmed me to the core, I never heard her say anything that was so kind.

"Thank you," I said. I then looked at the stars. "With us on the peach and being with our friends, I feel that we are free. And I've never been that high before."

"I feel like we are above the world, and get to see things down there," Diana said. We looked down at the sea and clouds below us and then I started to sing.

"Gazing down from the top of the world

Suddenly seeing a different city.

Things look tiny and friendly and fair,

Seen from the top of the world."

Diana sang another verse.

"When you look from high above,

Everything seems pretty.

Seeing life from the top of the world,

Nothing needs fighting and no one needs pity."

We both sang together.

"Thanks for giving this moment to me,

When just a moment things stop,

Here at the top of the world."

Shooting stars flew in the sky and little did we know that Dragonfly, Mr. Grasshopper, and Butterfly were above us and watched us sing and they joined in song.

"For all these years," Dragonfly sang.

You've stayed alone."

"And free from danger." Butterfly sang.

"We shared your fears," Mr. Grasshopper sang.

"It wasn't safe to trust a stranger." Dragonfly sang.

"But maybe we were wrong here," Miss Butterfly sang.

"Could she belong here?" Mr. Grasshopper sang.

"This girl appears."

"And she is kind," Miss Butterfly sang.

"And we're admitting," They all sang.

"We give three cheers!

To see you both forever sitting

Look at you sitting

On top of the world!"

Diana and I sang the verse as the others did.

"Seeing life from the top of the world," Diana and I.

"This girl appears," the others sang.

"Nothing needs fighting and no one needs pity."

"And she is kind,

"And we're admitting,

We give three cheers

"Thanks for giving this moment to me."

"To see you both forever sitting,"

"When just a moment things stop,

Here at the top of the world."

"On top of the world…"

"Here at the top of the world."

"Girls say something," the bugs sang.

"Take our advice,

Be brave and say something

Please don't think twice,

Girls, say some-"

"Um…. Jenna," Diana stuttered.

"Yes?" I asked smiling kindly at my friend.

"I… I…. It's nice,

The two of us sitting…"

"The two of us sitting," I sang.

"The two of you sitting…." The bugs sang.

"Sitting on top of the world!" Diana and I leaned back as we raised our arms holding onto the note. It felt as if we were set free and we leaned forward and placed our hands together and smiled.

"What lovey voices ye 'ave lassies!" Diana and I jumped in fear and we looked behind to see Dragonfly, Mr. Grasshopper, and Butterfly walking towards us.

"Oh, merci, Dragonfly," I said.

"We appreciate that," Diana said.

"We never heard such great voices," Mr. Grasshopper said. "Even if it is not in opera."

"Yes," I then frown. "One thing that worries me is that if I sang in front of the crowd, I fear that they'd boo at me and throw food."

"Oh sweetheart," Butterfly placed her hands on my cheeks. "No one would ever boo at you. You must do your best and you'll shine like a star. When we heard you sing earlier, you had the voice of an angel. It was so beautiful."

"Oh, thank you," I said.

"So 'ow did ye lassies get to England?" Dragonfly asked. "You don't 'ave to saw anything."

"Well, I came to England because I've been fighting with my father," Diana said. "And I felt that nothing was getting better. So I ran away."

"I left too to get some time off," I said. "I thought a vacation would be good for me. Even I have difficult time getting along with my father. But I have my sister, who is in college and having her own life. We still love each other, and I had no idea what to do with my future. So I left home to have a holiday, but my sister wants me to be happy, whatever I decide."

"You must have a wonderful sister Miss Jenna," Mr. Grasshopper said. "But if we make it to New York and get accepted, maybe you'll invite your sister and we would love to meet her."

"I agree," I said.

"We better get some sleep," Diana said as she got up. "We'll need our strength to reach New York tomorrow."

The five of us went into the peach pit and we fell asleep in our beds. The next day couldn't get worse, or could it?

This song I was singing with Diana is called Top of the World, it's from the new Broadway musical "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," it's where Quasimodo and Esmeralda start bonding on their friendship and the gargoyles encouraged Quasi to be brave and impress Esmeralda.