A/N 5.22.13: can I just say how loud I laughed when I read my shameless plug about nykk? lol sounded like such a big head.
ANYWAY. thanks to all who are still reading, even thought this will celebrate it's birthday soon ;)


Hi! How's everything?

I have this playlist on my iPod with a bunch of songs that are in a story now/will be/will be in twenty years when I'm a famous author and BFFs with JKR/are perfect story material. Listening to "Right Now" by Van Halen. This song has worked miracles for writer's block. Love it ;)

Also, to answer AmandaKK1524's question..yes, non-members will be able to read this! Thank you for your supprt! :) 3

I've been waiting to post this chapter…this might be (officially) my favorite I have written.

Okay…read!

Chapter 15: We Need to End This

"Okay…we're here." Maybeck put his hand on the knob of the girl's bedroom. They had agreed to go there, because the boy's room was just a bit farther from where they were.

"Prepared for attack?" Charlene looked at the other two. "I mean, like, something could be in there."

"Yeah. I just wanna do a face-plant onto my bed. Ti-erd," Maybeck admitted.

"Face-plant? Where did you get that?" Jess asked.

"Uh…let's get in," Maybeck took out his room-key from his pocket. He inserted it into the tiny slit on the green light above the slit glowed. That was the OK to go in.

The door opened and they stepped in. The Keepers didn't speak for a while, just to be safe.

Maybeck gave the all-clear. Charlene bolted to the bathroom. Jess grunted and plopped on the bed.

"I really had to go…" she muttered.

"I don't even trust the bathroom anymore. And I'm not even related to her…" Maybeck said, hoping to cheer Jess up.

She giggled softly as she looked down and played with her hair. She tapped her foot.

Her ghost of a smile faded though as time went on, though. All signs of cheeriness or lighthearted-ness went away from her face and body. Her eyes slowly scanned the floor. Slowly, they trailed up the wall and went to Maybeck.

He saw her pained stare and stood up.

Charlene opened the bathroom door carefully. She stepped out. She, too, froze and looked hopelessly at Jess, who still seemed terrified.

Jess spoke. Quietly, quietly though.

"They are going to contact us," she whispered, her head turning to the wall. There were tears in her eyes.

"Now," she whispered, her eyes glistening with tears, now locked with the small telephone on the bedside desk.

Jess averted her gaze down, shook her head lightly, and looked away.

Sure enough, the phone rang.

Maybeck got up to answer it. Charlene rushed in front of him.

"Donnie, no…" she begged in a small voice, afraid to talk too loud.

Maybeck turned around and searched for Jess's agreement. Her face was still turned away, looking at the picture of Mickey on her left side. She offered no encouragement. Just a sad, distressed, pained look.

Please, Maybeck implored Charlene. Her stony, but upset face, looked down. She backed away. Maybeck lifted the phone from its rest. He put it to his ear and didn't speak.

He was glad he didn't.

The voice was loud enough to hear even though Maybeck put it up to his ear. The same voice from the teepee, the same voice from Everest, and the same voice from Fantasmic! rang in the three Keepers' ears.

You little children aren't so clever. Never have I thought that you would be this stupid. Stupid, nasty little children. Yet, you never give up.

Stubborn little children.

Maybeck shot a look to Charlene. She knew exactly what to do. With trembling hands, she took out her cell phone, and texted Finn.

listen. don't talk.

Then, she called him and put him on speaker. He must have received the message and shushed the others, because when he picked up, no noises were made.

Maybeck took the phone away from his ear and held it out so the others could hear better.

The grinding voice continued.

You haven't listened, either. I made it clear enough. I did say that it was a fair trade. A pen for a girl. A pen for a useless, unintelligent, not to mention ugly, girl.

Charlene couldn't hear it, but she knew that Finn tensed up right there.

That is why I am, what you children call, upping the deal. Come to me…

Jess's knees were now up to her chest. Her arms were straight out and her hands hung over. Her head was buried. Her body was racked with silent sobs. She lifted her face to the ceiling, now with a red face. She spoke with her mind to the wall. Why? She whispered ever so silently. Why? She demanded from the cieling.

There was no response.

She buried her face again.

Charlene struggled to hold the cell out to the phone.

Come to me and she will be with you. It's better to have her with you in the cells than to have just her. If I were you, I would be there to watch her die. Better to do that than to leave it to those stupid birds. They don't give a good eulogy.

Jess' head shot straight up when she heard the word die. After eulogy, she shook her head softly, gazed down, and bit her lip.

Oh, I almost forgot. One night is too long. How about…say, three hours?

Charlene finally allowed herself to cry as she continued to hold out her cell phone.

I hope to see you there…

The other line hung up. Charlene hung up the cell phone and Maybeck placed the phone on its rest.

"Oh, my God…" Charlene said as she trudged over to Jess to comfort her.

Jess accepted the hug. She cried on Charlene's shoulder.

"Sh, Jess. you're going to make yourself sick."

"What's it matter, Charlie? What does anything matter now?"

"Everything. It matters everything. Our actions affect her actions. Got it?"

Jess stepped back and nodded her head. She also whispered, "Thanks for calling me Jess."

"I figured the time was appropriate."

Jess giggled.

But only for a little while.

Again, she was getting the feeling.

Frantic Girl. She needed to get there quickly. Out of there.

If her speed wasn't enough, death would be the the consequence.

All images were just blobs. All she could she see was the destination.

Almost there.

There.

She jumped behind it.

Only thing was sticking out from behind the couch.

Her

"Oh, my God!" Jess shot straight up from her sitting position on the bed. She started to cry hysterically. There was something different about these tears, though.

"What?" Charlene and Maybeck cried in unison.

"She's behind the couch in the lobby!" Jess yelled, excited, smiling brightly.

Charlene and Maybeck were stunned.

"The one towards the front! The one I sat one when we met up a few hours ago! Remember?"

"But...but, Willa texted me and said the cleaning supplies room, remember? Before we came in" Charlene stutered.

"I saw it! I know that's it. She was running away. She must have been trying to get away. She ecaped!"

"Really?" Charlene breathed.

"Yeah!" Jess pointed to Charlene's phone. "Text the others! We need to meet somewhere! Come on!" She dragged Maybeck, who was still in shock. "Don't just stand there, let's GO!"

"Whoa…all it took was one of your little thingies to find her? If it was, we would have made you upset, terrified you, and hugged you a while ago!" Maybeck rubbed his shoulder, which Jess pulled.

"WHO CARES! We don't have any time to lose!" Jess said, reaching for the door.

"She's right, you know." Charlene offered.

"Since when are you guys buddy-buddy?" Maybeck quipped.

"Since I realized that she's the best team member in this group."

"Hey!"

Jess was more eager than ever."Then, since we are all friends, let's GO!"

And she turned the doorknob.

I'm rereading KK1. That will make the offical tally of how many times I have read the books this: 2-4 five times, the first one 6, and the 5th one once. I'm gonna read 5 tomorrow when I go to NY *wink wink* N-Y-KK, anyone? *wink wink* (I probably have all of you guessing now, so lt me just say that the Keepers may be in NY soon...not this story, another one. Who knows when its gonna get uploaded...busy busy busy...eventually, I'll guess.) I'm trying to even out the numbers. Anyway, falling in love with the series again, much? Honestly, Ridley Pearson is the best author ever. He's up there with JKR and Suzy Collins as "Inspiration and/or Role Model".

Anyway, thanks for reading!

P.S. Who knows where I got face-plant from? Tell me...you get a special cupcake. If you don't know or get it wrong, you still get the cupcake. But the one who gets it correct gets a nutella cupcake. Nutella= a little piece of Heaven...