Let me tell you that I stood out from the rest of the Monster Protectors. You readers could easily point me out from the group not because of how I styled my hair or the clothes that I wore, but because of how I acted throughout the mission. While the Monster Protectors were slow and serious, I was fast and acting like a fool. I had never been so excited before!

The Monster Protectors took their sweet time to our destination and were not even cracking a smile. Meanwhile, I was acting as if I had too much to drink - I jugged down a bottle of apple juice before we left - and hopping around. None of the other Monster Protectors seemed to mind my stupidness, and McKinley took delight.

"See, fellow Monster Protectors?" McKinley said. "This is how a true Monster Protector should be." He motioned to me. "Filled with the light and full of energy."

I was jumping up and down in front of him. "Thanks a lot, McKinley. That made my day."

"And you made our day when you rescued us from the wretched spirit realm. Eternity is nice and all, but what is the point of it when there is absolutely nothing to do?"

We Monster Protectors talked amongst one another and shut our mouths when the first Monster Protector announced that we had arrived. Enoch was by his mother, Skylar, and holding her hand. He locked his eyes on me and beckoned with his free hand for me to be close to him.

I twitched my nose in disgust. After what he put me, my sister, and my boyfriend through, I was not yet ready to be anywhere near him.

"Margie," McKinley said my name. "Take a gander at this building."

I recognized the white and wide building. It was the courthouse that was introduced way back in book seven. You remember that book, right? No? It starred Tim and his friends who were helping our writer, Ash, clear her name.

"The victim notified us to come to the courthouse?"

"Yes, Margie," Skylar confirmed. "We just are unsure why."

"Ooh! Maybe he or she is being attacked by an evil monster," Enoch theorized. "That would be cool because we can kill the monster."

McKinley scolded the young Monster Protector. "How many times must we go over this? We do not kill any living being until it is a last resort."

I was curious at what he stated. "You believe that some monsters can be good too?"

"Absolutely. I am a Monster Protector. It is my sole duty to decipher who is and who is not worth saving."

I rested my chin in my palms. "I admire you greatly."

We climbed up the stairs and piled into the courthouse. There was so much white - too much if you ask me - that it can hurt your eyes if you stare at it for too long. But it was difficult when practically every wall and every floor and every pillar was pure white.

Why is it that hard to paint a color another than white or design a pattern to make our poor eyes rest?

"Gosh," Skylar said. She looked as if she were about to pull her hair out. "I forgot why I did not like this place. It really has been that long."

The first Monster Protector reassured us that the room where we were supposed to head to had black and brown walls and a blue carpet, and I questioned him how he knew that.

"You could say that we 'spied' on the town of Forlot while trapped in the spirit realm."

"Oh, yeah."

We followed McKinley up a flight of wooden stairs and found ourselves in a long and narrow hallway. The walls were beige, and the floor was covered by a long, red carpet. In front of us was a row of wooden doors.

"Which door is it?" I asked the group.

Thankfully, they all knew which door and directed me to the middle one. McKinley allowed me to do the honors, and I gripped the doorknob and twisted it.

The door opened, and we all piled in. It was a fairly small room. Two file cabinets were against the wall and on either side of the door. In front of us was a long and thick desk and a rolling chair. Behind the desk and chair was a tall and wide bookshelf that was up against the wall. It had lots and lots of books.

"Whose office is this?" I asked. "I have never been up here or in this room, so..."

"There is a first time for everything," McKinley stated the truth. "This office belongs to the one and only mayor of Forlot."

I was taken by surprise. "This is where the mayor works?"

"Yep. From morning until sunset."

"How can there be a sunset when there is no sun?"

"Metaphorically speaking, Margie. What I am getting at is that the mayor is not anywhere in this building. He is probably at home and sleeping."

"Is the mayor the victim?"

"Nope. Unfortunately, I do believe that our victim is not here right now. He must be in hiding."

"We should find some clues," Skylar suggested.

Everybody began going through the office. Except me. I refused to search and instead asked McKinley if I could be excused. I desperately needed to use the restroom. He let me go, and I went on my merry way. I closed the door behind me.

"So McKinley..." a Monster Protector said. "...when do you plan on telling Margie what is really up?"

"Soon. Very soon. I first have to convince her to join us."

"Do you seriously believe that she will betray her friends and family in order to be a part of us?" another Monster Protector piped in.

"I see potential in Margie. Too bad that Enoch was unsuccessful in breaking up Margie and Scarlett's relationship. Guess that I will have to kill Margie's sister."