Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters, but I do own Alex the penguin and a lot more characters who appear in this story.

The next morning, Alex is looking over the map again, trying to scout out a way she'd need to go and hoping she'd remember.

"I'm gonna have to go through several states before I get to New York," she murmured to herself. "And there's no telling how long that'll take." She paused, trying to remember her dreams and if she saw any landmarks she might be able to recognize once she's out there. She shook her head in frustration when nothing came to mind.

Footsteps made her look up to see Jason standing behind her. Was he avoiding looking at her? His gaze was fixed on the ground.

She frowned, realizing how hard he must be taking this. Suddenly she remembered that he had feelings for her. No wonder why he looked so upset. He didn't want to see her go. He looked like he was handling her leaving worse than Grace and Daisy.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, but he raised a flipper to cut her off.

"I don't want to see you go," he confessed, eyes sparkling with pain. "But I understand that you want to go find your father, even if I wish you'd stay." He hesitated, before asking," Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind?"

Regretfully, Alex shook her head. "I wish things were different," she told him, for a moment imagining staying here and eventually getting together with him and building a life here with him. But she knew if she did that, she'd always feel restless, always feeling like something was calling her away. Now that she knew she had to go find her father, she could never be happy here again.

"But I must go," she went on, trying to catch his eye, but he still refused to look at her. She paused, unsure how to comfort him so he wouldn't be so sad. She sighed and murmured," I'm going to miss you. Really, I am."

Jason finally looked up. His expression was unbothered, but she could see the agony in his eyes, as he acted like he didn't care. "It's okay," he insisted, though she heard the break in his voice.

"I'm sorry," was all she could say, and she watched as he turned and walked away, sensing his grief like it was hers. I'm sorry, she mused. But I have to go.

Soon it was time she had to leave. She had no idea what lay outside this habitat and she wanted to be out of the zoo before bedtime. Grace and Daisy were here to say a final goodbye and Alex was painfully aware that Jason wasn't there to see her off.

She was very disappointed, and for a moment she thought about going to find him. But it was already close to mealtime and if she didn't leave soon, she'd have to wait til tomorrow to start her journey and she didn't think she could wait another day.

"Please tell Jason goodbye for me," she said to Grace.

Her friend nodded, her eyes watering, but Alex turned away, unable to see her cry. She said a quick goodbye to her mother, hugging her tightly, before pulling away and walking to the door of the habitat. She only had to wait a couple of moments; before long, the door opened and a zookeeper walked in, carrying a bucket of fish.

Alex's mouth watered at the delicious smell, but she pushed the thought of hunger away. She had to leave now. As soon as the zookeeper turned his back, she ran forward, heart racing as she exploded from the habitat.

Immediately she got all confused by the chaos outside. People talked loudly and kids ran by her, nearly stepping on her. She looked around, belly launching. Which way was out? She just saw a long hallway, one or two more doors seeming to lead somewhere else.

More habitats? she wondered, curiosity rushing through her. But she pushed it away. She had to find a way out of here!

Then she spotted a bright light behind a door farther down the hallway and she desperately ran to it, pushing it open. The light outside was blinding at first, but once she could see, the world opened up before her. More people than she's ever seen before swarmed in front of her. And screeches and howls of many, many animals pierced her ears.

Suddenly she realized she was standing out in the open. She ducked into hiding, before gazing around again, forcing herself to get used to all the noise and smells. For the first time, she wondered how she was going to find her way out of the zoo. Then she wondered how she was supposed to make her way across the country when she didn't even know how to leave here.

She had to take a steadying breath; then she started exploring, careful not to be spotted by any of the people. But one or two of the animals who were behind cages eyed her curiously as she passed them.

She rounded a corner and stopped dead when she saw something go past her. It was long and there were people on it. At first she had no idea what it could be; then it let out a familiar honk, louder and closer than ever before, and recognition shot through her.

The train! she thought, and she watched it move in front of her, seeming unable to leave the trail it was on. She stared after it until it disappeared around some trees, but she could still hear it, growing fainter the further away it got.

For several moments, she stood frozen, hardly believing the train looked like that. Then she shook herself and decided to push on. Surely, that was the weirdest thing I'm going to see on my journey!

At last, she found a path that led her out of the zoo. She stood staring at the world outside, heart pounding, mind racing. People walked past her, but she hardly noticed them. For a terrified moment, she didn't think she could do this. She thought about going back to the penguin habitat and staying with her mother and her friends.

Then she braced herself and took her first steps away from the zoo she grew up in, away from everyone she's ever known, her mother and her two friends, Grace and Jason. She was truly leaving everything behind and going forward to find her father, who left her when she was only a tiny baby.

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