I was more than ready to rescue Caleb from his imprisonment, but I had to do something before I - or should I say, Cindy - could accomplish the goal. From what Margie, Nigel, Hansel, and Gretel told me and some of the other characters, Caleb had three people in his life whom he trusted the most, which were Joan, Cindy, and most importantly, God.

I could enter the bubble by myself and remind him how much God loves him and that the Lord can make him just as strong to give his fears a nice punch. It would work, but it would not be enough to break the chains. For those of you who are true Christians, you are probably wondering why my plan would be a failure.

You see, my dear readers, I was not the person who should be helping Caleb, for he did not know me as well as someone like Cindy. His sister could not assist him either, and I am not just saying that because we had not found her and freed her yet. Caleb and Joan discovered that they were siblings back in book fifteen and still had a lot to learn about each other.

The list shortened as I considered my options and realized that the only person who could truly help him was his girlfriend Cindy. They have been together for a long time and cared for each other deeply. Caleb knew everything about Cindy, and Cindy knew almost everything about him. She could easily get through to him and encourage him in every step of the way.

If I wanted Caleb to battle his fears, I needed Cindy to defeat hers first. And since that I was not close to her like that Margie, Nigel, Hansel, and Gretel were, I needed the Monster Protector to come into the fear bubble with me. She did this before when she followed me into her sister's bubble, so it was not new to her.

I held out my hand for her to take. "You are coming with me again," I stated.

"What? Why?"

"You know Cindy more than I do. We will save her first, and then all three of us will join Caleb."

"I...I am sorry, Jorgie. I wish that I could help you and Cindy and Caleb, but I cannot."

My face twisted in confusion. "This is out of character for you, Margie. Why the crub do you not want to pitch in?"

She pointed behind her. "Ask him."

I leaned to the side to get a better view - and saw it. Saw the Fearling who was fluttering behind Margie and had one of her braids in his mouth. My eyes widened, and I glanced back at Margie.

"Curse myself for having long hair," she muttered.

My eyes darted all around the room, searching for a weapon that might be able to take out the Fearling. I thought about using Margie's crossbow, but was afraid that I would hurt me or her because I was clueless as to how to properly use one. So I decided to use a bat and picked it up. I raced to the creature, and before he could react, I hit him as hard as I could. He shrieked, released the braid, and fell to the floor.

I tossed the bat aside and wrapped my thumb and fingers around the Monster Protector's wrist. "We should make our move and go right now before he regains consciousness." I was surprised when she jerked her wrist away from me. "What is the matter now? Do not tell me that a Fearling is wrapped around your ankle."

She hesitated before speaking. "Believe me when I say that I am sorry." She saluted to me. Actually, I do not think that she saluted to anyone specifically. "Being the Monster Protector means to protect humans and monsters and fight those who cause harm. The only way that I can be sure that you and the others will be safe is if I stay and fight off any Fearlings that disturb the peace."

I put on a small smile. "I appreciate your bravery, Margie, but you do not need to stay here and deal with the Fearlings. They cannot go in the bubbles like that you and I can. At least, that is what Common Sense told me."

Margie placed her hands on my shoulders. "I bet that you will change your mind when you take a glance at the ceiling."

I was confused as to what she was getting at and tilted my head towards the ceiling. I was so taken aback at what I saw that I almost lost my balance. You know those eggs that you only find in alien movies? A bunch of them were hanging from the ceiling. They were small and black - and each one had a baby Fearling inside.

"How did I not notice those at the end of the chapter?" I said.

The Monster Protector shushed me and whispered, "Go before they hatch. I will handle them."

"You cannot defeat them by yourself. There are too many."

She took her crossbow and arrow out of her bag and smiled. "I am the Monster Protector, Jorgie. I was destined for situations like this."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "Be careful. The last thing that I need is to see you lying in a puddle of blood."

She hugged me back and snickered. "That will not happen. We are in a Forlot book, not a horror movie."

We ended our hug, and I waved goodbye to Margie as I jumped into Cindy's fear bubble. I stood on a black floor yet again and began my journey to find Cindy. It felt like an eternity, but I managed to locate her.

Cindy was in her regular clothes, and her hair was tied in a ponytail. She was wielding a silver sword and stabbing people with it.

Who was she stabbing?