This update is just for Mia-me, formerly guesswho? I hope everyone enjoyed the muffins! I did! ^_^ So, yes, this update just for you! Feel special!
~Chapter Five~
"Why aren't we back home, damnit?!" Adria cried in consternation.
"WHOOOOOOO!" Regina threw up her arms and yelled for joy, then sheepishly composed herself as invisible daggers flew at her from her companions' eyes.
"So you're telling me the 'magic of Tim Burton' works just fine getting us here but won't get us out?!" Cari shouted hysterically.
"Well, this is just great," Shannon said sullenly.
"Hey, blame it on the Tim Burton freak over there! It's not my fault!" Adria cried in defense.
"What's not your fault?"
All four of them jumped as Jack suddenly spoke up from the staircase behind them.
"Gah! You really know how to sneak up on a person!" Shannon exclaimed, her heart jumping out of her chest.
"It's a gift," Jack replied sardonically, coming up the stairs the rest of the way.
Jack went to sit in his chair while everyone else situated themselves in some way about the tower room.
Regina sat on the arm of Jack's chair. Looking at Regina out of the corner of his eye he scooted as far away from her as the chair would allow.
"You know, your eyes are going to roll right out of your head one day, Cari," Adria said pointedly. Cari can't beat the crud out of me in a dream! Adria thought smugly. Regina looked up and glared at Cari.
Once all the madness that always seemed to come about when these four were together stopped, they finally got down to business, and told Jack everything they knew so far. Of course he completely understood and accepted everything they told him because that is what happens in these kinds of stories!
"And we can't think of any other way out," Shannon concluded. "We don't know why the Tim Burton thing didn't work. It had real potential." The other three nodded their agreement.
"Who's Tim Burton?" Jack asked bemusedly.
Regina nearly fell from her perch on the chair arm.
"Um, nevermind," Shannon said quickly.
Jack stood up and began to pace. Regina got up and followed him around the room.
"Let me make sure I have this straight," Jack began. "It was storming an-- would you please sit down?" he snapped at Regina.
"Oh huff puff," she muttered, seating herself down heavily next to Zero's bed. [A/N: Little 10th Kingdom there! I actually say that, so I used it! Wolf's the best!]
Jack cleared his throat and began again.
"It was storming and there was a full moon, correct?"-nods from the humans-"And the clock started striking midnight…" The four girls all looked at each other as the realization hit them like a giant Twinkie. Or a ton of bricks, if you prefer.
"Midnight! It was midnight!" Adria cried, stating the obvious.
"That means my birthday's over!" Regina whispered sorrowfully.
"The birthday wish only works on your birthday!" Cari declared.
"So that's it? There's no hope? We'll never get back?" Shannon moaned, not wishing to believe her own words.
"Or at least not for another year. This is Regina's doing, so she's the only one as can wish us out," Cari grumbled.
"I really wish I could wake up from this dream right about now…" Adria muttered, holding her head.
"That's not entirely true…" Jack said, walking towards them all. "Here in Halloween Town there's still a few weeks before Halloween! It didn't work because it isn't your birthday yet!"
Regina smiled and Cari and Adria breathed sighs of relief.
"Wait. It doesn't seem oddly opportune to anyone else that the time here is conveniently behind the human world?" Shannon asked skeptically. Jack, Regina, Adria, and Cari looked at each other briefly before shaking their heads and answering:
"No."
"Not at all."
"Nah."
"Nope."
"Oh."-blink-"Well, okay then."