OMG CHAPTER 10, MILESTONE WHOO

The truth was that Jack had come back for her. When the night came and the temperature dropped, he flew back to the spot he had left her. When she wasn't there, he started panicking. I'm an idiot! Oh man, where is she? He combed through the forest until the heat was getting to him, and he had to leave.

But it had been three days without Jack, and all the emotions were worried that he wasn't coming back. Fear was curled up into a little ball, sucking his thumb. Every once in a while, he would press something whenever someone walked in. The police had asked Riley a million questions, but she didn't answer any. What if her parents got into trouble? Were they still under the sleeping spell? She rolled over in her bed and looked at her healing hands. The frostbite had left them in pretty bad shape, but they were healing alright. Her gaze came up to see the moon staring back at her through the window. A shiver ran up her spine. Somehow... the moon was watching her.

"Okay, the first thing we need to do is get control of Headquarters," Joy began officially. The two other emotions rose their eyebrows.

"Against Anger? Easier said-"

"Than done."

Joy sighed and thought for a few seconds. They had the basic plan... but no way to neutralize Anger and the other emotions. While she was deep in thought, Fear gasped and rose a shaky hand to point at her arm. She looked at the dark spot and blushed.

"Oh, yeah. It's okay, I don't think I can be controlled here."

"No, that's not it! The darkness-"

"Works both ways! With our guidance, you can control the escaped memory that brought you here!"

Joy's eyes widened slightly. The thought of controlling someone wasn't appealing... but she had to save Riley! She held up the arm gingerly, making the darkness bubble. Fear and Sadness stared at each other and gasped. Joy rose an eyebrow, but a part of her understood. They had broken their connection. Sadness moved towards Joy's side and focused on the arm.

"For now, I shall help. Point your arm to Fear and concentrate. Imagine the darkness on your arm unraveling. It's snaking and wrapping around Fear's mind. You are in control. Only you."

She could imagine everything he was saying. Without warning, she jerked back and shook her head.

"Forget about it. I don't want to control people."

"Even if it meant never seeing Riley again?"

She bit her lip and groaned. Closing her eyes, she focused her mind forward. She almost jerked back again when she heard Fear's "Yes, Master?" But Sadness gently placed a hand on her arm.

"It's okay. You're not hurting him. Tell him to do something simple."

"O...K... dance something."

Joy carefully opened her eyes and almost lost her grip as she burst out laughing. Fear was dancing... strangely well. As she stared at him move, Fear suddenly stopped and stretched. He looked at Joy and shook his head.

"You were doing good for a while. I was actually doing your bidding. But you lost your control. If we're going to do this, there can be no error. Again."

During the three days that Riley spent, Joy was practicing. She made Fear do silly things, like tell jokes, or laugh. There was one instance when she tried making him skip around. He fought back on that one. She was getting pretty good by the end... Fear had to actually fight for control again. But every time, he would say the same thing. He had the chance to regain his control. As long as he could do that, so could the escaped memory. They also taught her some self-defense strategies, such as shooting bit of darkness from her arm, or making her shadow obey her commands. Thankfully, Pitch got little sleep. He was still on the search for the moonbeam, allowing them a little bit of safety. After the three days, they deemed she was ready. Before preparing to leave the memory vault, Sadness stopped her.

"You do realize that if this doesn't work, we will not survive."

Joy gulped and nodded.

"Hey, no sweat. I have good teachers."

"Very well. Don't get distracted. Don't let any of your control slip, keep any stray thoughts in check. This memory will retaliate... you have to mentally prepare yourself for that."

Joy nodded again. As he was turning around, she cleared her throat.

"Once I'm in Riley's mind, how do I get rid of this darkness?"

Sadness chuckled, making Joy's brow furrow in confusion.

"You really are a child. You can get rid of it whenever you want. It's yours to control. Anything you wish, it will do."

"It didn't leave when I wanted it to."

"You weren't disciplined enough. You still aren't. It'll take many months of meditation and dedication, but one day, you'll be able to control it with ease."

Joy blinked as he moved away. The thought of her doing meditation almost made her laugh. She was joyful! Not solemn or calm. Her whole purpose was to be bouncy and bubbly! At her distress, the darkness writhed. Ignoring it, she followed the other two emotions out of the vault. They traveled off the main path, snaking in and around Long term memory. While Joy walked just in front of them, Fear looked at Sadness worriedly. They reconnected easily, forming their unique telepathic bond.

What if this doesn't work? She's not exactly the most straight-minded creature in the world, Fear thought.

Sadness didn't answer. Fear was right. What if this didn't work? They were jeopardizing everything for this one little emotion. He glanced over at Joy, who was inspecting the memories with a child-like fascination. He looked over at Fear. Their minds were connected, they knew each others' thoughts. It was impossible to hide anything.

We're doomed.