I kept silent as I thought it over. Was I truly evil? Was I a true villain? Nah.

"Incorrect," I said. "I should have added that there are good and bad Monster Protectors apparently."

"Why do you say apparently?" Caleb's wife, Cindy, wondered. "I thought that Monster Protectors were supposed to be heroes."

"They are. I am a hero and have assisted this town as best as I can. Unfortunately, Monster Protectors were not always good guys. They pretended to be good and do good, but their hearts are filled with greed and selfishness. My new heart is so red and so healthy that it can do so much. I can do much more. I hesitated before continuing. "That is, if you will allow me."

"Are you getting permission from us?" Bailey piped in. "Of course you can. Is that the reason why we were gathered here?"

I shook my head. "I am almost there. Hang on tight and listen carefully."

I decided that it would be a good idea if I told them all what led up to the Monster Protectors attempting to take Forlot. I told them about McKinley's voice. That he was the first Monster Protector and how he got me to pay attention to him and the others. How I released the Monster Protectors from the spirit realm and that they had planned on murdering Stanley and Scarlett in cold blood. I even showed them the video that I recorded on Margaret's phone.

I handed the phone back to Margaret and stared intently at the reactions of the characters. They were either surprised, scared, or ticked. I was feeling all three.

"Those traitors!" Sam's sister, Silver, proclaimed.

"We need to stop those Monster Protectors," Maria stated the obvious. "But how?"

"Margie would know. She is the first good Monster Protector," Daniel remarked. "Margie, what do we do? How can we defend our home?"

I raised a hand in the air to signal the crowd to close their mouths, and they did so. I lowered my hand and spoke into the microphone.

"There is only one way that we can defeat them and send them back to the spirit realm. You guys will have to become Monster Protectors and rip their eyeballs out of their sockets."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Brandon said. "We have to what now?"

"We have to pull the eyes from the sockets."

"I already got that part. It was so bizarre that I could not miss hearing it."

"I bet that Brandon is referring to the first part," Ari guessed correctly. "We have to be Monster Protectors?"

I nodded. "In order to get the upper hand on the evil Monster Protectors, you all will have to become real Monster Protectors."

"Why do we have to be Monster Protectors to take out another group that will surely know our every move?" Hansel demanded.

"That is where you are wrong, Hansel. The Monster Protectors will be taken by surprise because of how all of you fight." I pointed to the book on the table, and Scarlett snatched it and handed it to me. "Thank you, Scarlett. Now, let us see..." I laid the Monster Protector guidebook on the podium and flipped through it. "What I am flipping through is a special book that includes the rules and regulations of a Monster Protector."

The rules on how to be a Monster Protector were clear. You had to be a human with no magical powers. Your weapon of choice would be your power instead, and you would have to love and care about monsters.

I shut the book and looked at the back cover. This book was created years ago. Probably when one of the evil Monster Protectors was still alive.

I shrugged and tossed the book. It slid across the slippery floor.

"Forget about the rules and regulations," I said. "Anybody who chooses to be a Monster Protector will be accepted regardless of interests and magical powers. I will not force you to become one, but will happily train those who want to learn. So...who is in?"

The crowd looked at one another and talked amongst themselves. I put my hands behind my back and crossed my fingers, hoping that at least one person would volunteer.

"I will volunteer!"

Everybody faced him, and I leaned over the podium and squinted at him. The person who had his hand raised was none other than Caleb.

"Caleb?" I said. "Well, that is a surprise."

"I will become a Monster Protector, Margie," Caleb said sweetly. "As long as you train me good."

"I promise, Caleb. Thank you."

Tim raised his hand. "I will be one too. I always wondered what being a Monster Protector was like." Tim's friends also raised their hands.

"If Tim is going through it, then so am I," Mike volunteered. Carlos and Dot also agreed.

Soon, everybody's hands were in the air, for everyone wanted to be a Monster Protector. I was so pleased and proud of them that I almost cried.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I cannot thank you enough," I thanked. "I will let you all take a short break, and then you will meet me at the back of Mr. Hawk's mansion. We will begin training there."

I was given a round of applause when my speech had ended, and the princesses passed out cups of punch. Scarlett saved me a cup and gave it to me. I thanked her and engulfed the punch.

"Speeches sure make you thirsty," I commented.

"Sis, I am a bit concerned," Scarlett admitted. "Are you positive that you will be able to train them and defeat the evil Monster Protectors before this book comes to a close?"

"Absolutely. I trust our writer. She will write those things when they come time."

There was a tap on my shoulder, and I spun around. A girl who had the same face as me stood in front of me. I gasped.

"It is you! My anti!"