In Midtown Manhattan, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Thirty-Fourth Street, was a famous bistro called Cheesy Street. The café was a tourist hotspot and sold all the food New York City was famous for. Visitors and locals alike journeyed to Cheesy Street for their renowned pizza, bagels, cheesecake, pastrami, and clam chowder. The staff had seen their fair share of eccentric customers over the years, but nothing like the party of twelve who joined them for lunch today.

Mindy, Cindy, Lindy, and Wendy (known in their community as the Book Huggers) shared a plate of Cheesy Street’s signature pizza bagels. The girls stared down at the cheesy hybrid on their plates in total silence, with blank expressions. Sitting across from them were all four pairs of the Book Huggers’ parents. They eyed their daughters with great caution and concern, as if the girls were explosives with faulty wiring.

“I’m so glad we decided to go on this trip,” Mindy’s mom said. “It was very last-minute, but sometimes a spontaneous trip is exactly what you need to clear your head. Isn’t it?”

The Book Huggers didn’t respond or look up from their plates.

“I think we picked the perfect place to visit,” Cindy’s dad said. “Isn’t New York an amazing city? There are so many things to do and see here. What’s been your favorite attraction so far?”

Once again, the Book Huggers didn’t say a word or move a muscle.

“I loved Central Park,” Lindy’s mom said. “I also liked the Empire State Building, visiting Ellis Island, our tour of the United Nations, and of course, last night’s performance of The Phantom of the Opera.”

“I imagine everyone leaves New York feeling influenced or inspired in some way,” Wendy’s dad said. “It really makes you think how many different people there are in this world. It reminds you how many different interests there are to devote your time and energy to. It sure makes Willow Crest and everyone who lives there seem rather dull. Wouldn’t you agree?”

The Book Huggers nodded in perfect unison without looking up. It was rather creepy, but their parents were thankful for any response they could get.

“Let’s address the elephant in the room, and I’m not talking about Cheesy Street’s mascot,” Mindy’s other mom said. “We know the last week has been really challenging for you. Recovering from a psychotic breakdown requires profound strength. Hallucination and obsession are very difficult things to recognize and admit to, but we couldn’t be prouder of you girls for taking the proper steps to treat yourselves. Dr. Jackson was very confident that all you needed was a little time, a little love, and some pleasant distractions, and you’d be good as new. Hopefully this spontaneous trip will be just what the doctor ordered.”

Finally, the Book Huggers looked up from their plates and smiled at their parents. The trip itself wasn’t enough to take the Bailey twins off their minds, but the compassion coming from their parents warmed their hearts.

“Thank you,” Mindy said. “And even though we’ve been quiet all week, we really appreciate you taking us on this trip.”

“Yeah, this week has been awesome,” Cindy said. “It was really nice of you guys to all take time off from work to treat us like this.”

“Whatever we may be going through, we’re lucky to have parents like you to go through it with,” Lindy added.

Wendy pointed to her heart and then pointed to their parents—implying that their compassion was fully reciprocated. The Book Huggers’ parents were so relieved to finally hear their children speak, tears came to their eyes.

“Fantastic,” Cindy’s mom said. “I’m so glad we’re all on the same page. Now, let’s make the most of our last day in the city. I say we take a helicopter tour after lunch, but first, let’s order some dessert!”

The party of twelve happily looked over the dessert menu. Their concentration was momentarily interrupted by a procession of four police cars speeding down the street with their sirens blaring.

“Wow, whatever is happening at the library must be serious,” Lindy’s dad said. “We’ve seen dozens of police cars headed that way, and I heard they evacuated all the buildings in a two-block radius.”

“When we were shopping on Fifth Avenue earlier, we asked an officer what was going on,” Wendy’s mom said. “They told us it was a big gas leak but nothing they couldn’t handle. The evacuation is just a precaution.”

The Book Huggers looked out the window behind their parents to watch the police cars racing down Fifth Avenue, but their hearts stopped at another alarming sight on Thirty-Fourth Street. Through the front window of a taxi van waiting for the cops to pass, they saw a very familiar freckled face.

“Conner!” the Book Huggers collectively gasped.

Their parents quickly snapped their heads back toward their daughters and stared at them as if they were explosives whose fuses had now been lit.

“What did you say, girls?” Mindy’s mom asked.

“Cobbler,” Cindy’s dad suggested. “I think they said they want the cobbler. Isn’t that right?”

“No, Dad!” Cindy said. “Look behind you! It isn’t a hallucination this time! Conner Bailey is in a taxi outside Cheesy Street!”

The Book Huggers’ parents quickly turned to the window, but thanks to some unknown force in the universe that constantly made them the punch line of a big cosmic joke, Conner bent down a second before they would have seen him. The only person the Book Huggers’ parents saw inside the taxi was its Middle Eastern driver. The taxi had continued down the street before Conner resurfaced.

“NOOOO!” Mindy screamed. “He was right there—right there!”

“I saw him, too, I swear it!” Lindy protested. “Conner Bailey was just outside the window!”

“But why would he be here?” Cindy asked. “Of all the restaurants in New York City, why would he be outside ours?”

“There’s only one explanation!” Mindy announced. “We’ve been right the whole time! Something otherworldly is going on with the Bailey twins! It started in school, it spread to the hospital, and now it’s in New York City!”

Wendy made two fists and slammed them on the table, as if to say “THERE IS A VAST CONSPIRACY AGAINST US AND WE MUST GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT!”

The Book Huggers burst into tears. Their parents exchanged exasperated looks and sighed—apparently New York City wasn’t the pleasant distraction they’d hoped it would be. Even though everyone in Cheesy Street was already looking at their table, Lindy’s mom raised a hand to get the waiter’s attention.

“Check, please!” she said.

After a turbulent flight and a rough landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Conner and his friends hopped into a taxi van for another bumpy ride into Manhattan. As if the driver were being paid per pothole, the taxi rattled and shook as it traveled down the highway toward Midtown.

Goldilocks had a difficult time holding on to Hero, so she put him in the BabyBjörn Red had purchased. The newborn wasn’t bothered by the rocky ride at all. After nine months in Goldilocks’s womb, Hero was used to such commotion and found it quite comforting. The rougher things became, the easier it was for him to sleep.

Conner sat in the front passenger seat and changed the driver’s radio to the local news to hear if there had been any developments since the night before. According to the news, a massive gas leak was responsible for all the barricades and evacuations in the area surrounding the New York Public Library. However, to Conner’s surprise, nothing was mentioned about the lively lion statues they had seen on television.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “There was footage of the statues swiping at police officers! We can’t be the only ones who saw it.”

“They’re probably covering it up to prevent hysteria,” Bree said. “It’s just like the 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Newspapers reported that wreckage of a flying saucer had been discovered, and then the following day, the army ordered the press to retract the story and say it was just a weather balloon.”

Conner gulped at the thought of Alex being turned into another weather balloon. He was so worried about his sister, he barely noticed the Queens neighborhoods zipping past his window or the Manhattan skyline in the distance ahead. The taxi entered the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, which stretched underneath the East River, and reemerged in the middle of Manhattan. Conner and his friends stared at the city in awe as their taxi zigzagged between the crowded sidewalks and towering skyscrapers. The hustling metropolis was such a spectacular sight, it almost took Conner’s mind off Alex.

“The whole city feels like it’s buzzing,” Goldilocks noted. “They must sell a lot of caffeine here.”

“The buildings stand higher than beanstalks!” Jack said. “Conner, why didn’t you tell us New York City was so…tall?”

“Actually, I’m just as amazed as you are,” Conner said. “I’ve written about cities like this, but I’ve never been able to describe the feeling it gives you at first sight. Now I know it’s because it can’t be described in words.”

Red grunted—forever unimpressed with the Otherworld.

“Sure, it’s big—but why does everything need to be so boxy?” she asked. “Is it too much to ask for a tower, or a dome, or a sensible spiral? I feel like a mouse in a shoe-box closet.”

They drove through a wide intersection, and the glistening roof of the Chrysler Building came into view. Red squealed and pressed her hands and forehead against her window.

“Now that’s more like it!” she said.

The taxi paused briefly on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Thirty-Fourth Street, waiting for a procession of police vehicles to pass by. Conner could have sworn he recognized a few people in the window of a restaurant called Cheesy Street, but he figured it was just his mind playing tricks on him. As he moved to take a second look, he dropped his wallet on the floorboard. By the time he sat back up, the taxi was already moving again.

Once the police were gone, the driver turned south on Fifth Avenue and pulled over between Thirty-Third and Thirty-Fourth Street.

“I know you wanted to get as close to the library as possible, but you may want to get out here,” he suggested. “Traffic is backed up in this area because of the gas leak. It’ll be faster if you just walk the rest of the way.”

“That works,” Conner said. “How much do I owe you?”

“That’ll be sixty bucks total,” the driver said.

“We have to pay for this ride?” Red asked in disbelief. “For goodness’ sake, a runaway carriage would have been more comfortable. We were two bumps away from having our innards scrambled!”

“Don’t complain to me, lady,” the driver said. “I took the smooth streets.”

Conner retrieved some cash from his wallet and paid the driver. He and his friends got out of the taxi and joined the bustling pedestrians on the Fifth Avenue sidewalk. Conner looked up and down the street, but the crowds made it difficult for him to figure out where they were.

“Which way is the public library?” he asked, thinking aloud.

“I’d look it up on my phone, but I don’t want my parents to track me—it’s a long story,” Bree said. “Looks like we’ll have to resort to ancient methods and ask for directions.”

Conner and Bree tried to flag someone down, but all the tourists and locals breezed right past them. There were so many people, Red couldn’t see where she was walking and almost stepped on a homeless man sitting on the ground.

“Hey, Your Majesty!” he said. “Watch where you’re going.”

The man was scruffy and wore a janitor’s uniform under a dirty brown coat. Red smiled down at him and patted his head like he was a dog.

“Oh, bless you,” she said. “Thank you for recognizing me, but there’s no need for formal titles while I’m in this world.”

“Red, he’s being sarcastic,” Bree said. “Most people in the Otherworld don’t walk around in ball gowns and tiaras.”

Since the homeless man was the only person on the street who wasn’t in a hurry to get somewhere else, Conner figured he was their best shot at getting directions to the library.

“Excuse me, sir?” he said. “Could you tell us how to get to the New York Public Library from here?”

“Sure I could,” the homeless man said. “Got a dollar?”

Conner shrugged and gave him a dollar. The homeless man held it toward the sun to make sure it was a legitimate bill.

“Walk north on this street for six blocks and make a left—you can’t miss it,” he said. “Although I doubt they’re letting anyone get close after what happened last night.”

“Are you talking about the gas leak?” Bree asked.

“A gas leak? Is that what they said happened?” The homeless man snorted and shook his head disapprovingly. “Typical. They’re always trying to control people by keeping them in the dark. Well, they can’t control me! I was at the library last night and I saw what really happened with my own eyes.”

Conner and his friends formed a half circle around the homeless man, which seemed to make him a little nervous.

“Mind telling us what you saw?” Conner asked. “We’d love to know what’s really going on.”

“I’d love to tell you, but a story will cost you ten bucks,” the man said.

“Ten bucks?” Conner said. “But you only charged me a dollar for directions.”

“Listen, kid, I didn’t wind up on the streets from being a bad businessman. If I got something you want, it’s gonna cost you.”

Conner rolled his eyes and gave the homeless man ten dollars. Once the man had inspected the money, he tucked it away and began his story.

“It was around midnight and I was sleeping down by the library,” he said. “They’ve got this bench near a fountain—it’s my favorite place to take a snooze in the city. Anyhoo, I was dreaming about playing in the World Series when I was rudely awoken by the sound of police sirens. I was worried the library security guard had called the fuzz on me, so I hid behind some bushes. The next thing I know, some broad comes floating out of the library like a ghost! She raised her hands into the sky and BAM! Lightning struck both the lion statues! Naturally, once I saw that, I bolted like a rat in a cathouse. To be honest, it’s not even the first time I’ve seen magic in this city—but hey, who’s gonna believe a bum like me?”

Conner’s heart was beating so hard, he could feel it in multiple parts of his body. He leaned down and looked the homeless man directly in the eye.

“The girl who floated out of the library—what did she look like?” he asked.

“She was really pale,” the man said. “She had bright blue eyes and long reddish-blondish hair, and wore a white dress. Come to think of it, she looked a lot like you, kid.”

“Alex,” Conner gasped. “We were right—she’s here! She’s at the library!”

Without any warning, he dashed up Fifth Avenue as fast as he could, and his friends followed. They weaved through the crowds on the sidewalk until they came to a dead stop at a barricade on Thirty-Eighth Street.

The blockade was an overwhelming sight. A dozen police cars were parked in a row across the street to prevent pedestrians and traffic from going any farther. Beyond the cars, dozens and dozens of police officers were scattered throughout the vacated area. Conner tried sneaking past the barricade, but an officer blocked him.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the officer said. “Where’s the fire?”

“Please, you have to let me through,” Conner said. “It’s an emergency.”

“Sorry, no one is allowed past this point,” the officer said. “They’re clearing up a nasty gas leak up by the library. It isn’t safe.”

“Yes, I know that’s what they’re telling people, but my sister is the one at the library! I need to get to her before someone harms her!”

“Young man, the library has been evacuated,” the officer said. “I promise, wherever your sister was, she’s been moved to a safe location.”

“No, you don’t understand!” Conner yelled. “She’s the one causing all this! You need to let me through so I can help her!”

As if Conner were on autopilot, he pushed the officer out of his way, squeezed between the rows of police vehicles, and made a run for the library before he even realized what he was doing. Unfortunately, he was only half a block past the barricade when he was tackled to the pavement by another police officer. Conner fought the officer off with all his might, determined to reach the library. It took two more officers to keep him pinned to the ground. They handcuffed him and threw him into the backseat of the nearest vehicle.

“You’ve got to let me go!” Conner pleaded. “The whole world may be in danger if you don’t let me find my sister!”

“You’re out of your mind, kid!” an officer said, and slammed the car door. “Stay in there and chill out!”

It all happened so fast, none of Conner’s friends knew what to do. They were vastly outnumbered by the police officers standing nearby. If they tried to intervene now, they’d all get arrested. Conner looked through the window at his friends standing helplessly on the sidewalk and mouthed “Sorry.” Now that he’d been detained in the backseat of a police car, the odds of finding Alex had plummeted. One impulsive move to save his sister might have cost them everything.

Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate. Everyone in the area worried it was an earthquake until the vibration was accompanied by the sound of roaring engines. Conner, his friends, and all the police officers looked down Thirty-Eighth Street and discovered a long row of beige Hummers speeding toward them. The police allowed the Hummers through the barricade, and they parked side by side in an impressive straight line. Swarms of United States Marines emerged from the vehicles in camouflage uniforms with their weapons ready.

An older man with gray hair and broad shoulders stepped out of the first Hummer and all the Marines lined up behind him. Unlike the soldiers, the older man wore a green dress uniform decorated with medals. He also wore dark sunglasses and was smoking a cigar. He scanned the area like he had just stepped into a war zone and then directed his stern gaze at the police officers.

“Which one of you is Commissioner Healy?” he asked.

An older African-American man in a navy blue suit stepped out from the group of police officers.

“General Wilson, I presume,” the commissioner said. “Thank you for coming, sir.”

The commissioner and the general shook hands just a few feet from the police vehicle that Conner sat inside. Thanks to a slightly rolled-down window, he could hear every word the men were saying. He ducked down in the backseat so they wouldn’t see him eavesdropping.

“Commissioner, will you please tell me what the heck is going on in your city?” the general said. “What could possibly warrant the president’s decision to put boots on the ground?”

“I wish we had more answers for you, General, but we’re still trying to figure it out,” Commissioner Healy said. “Long story short, the library is under attack. Two of my officers responded to a distress call early this morning and discovered a young girl with strange abilities. She caused lightning to appear and somehow made the lion statues on the library steps come to life. The lions are currently guarding the library and attack anyone who tries to enter it. Once we were able to obtain photographic proof, we contacted the White House.”

Interestingly, the general didn’t question the commissioner’s report, as Conner had expected.

“And where is the girl now?” the general asked.

“As far as we know, she’s still inside the library,” the commissioner said. “What she’s doing is anyone’s guess.”

General Wilson took a long drag on his cigar and slowly exhaled as he absorbed this information. After a moment, he turned on his heel and addressed the Marines behind him.

“All right, soldiers—it’s time to get to work,” the general ordered. “I want the barricade around the library extended eight blocks in each direction. Contact the Pentagon and have them establish a no-fly zone above the city of Manhattan—I don’t want anything leaking to the press. I want snipers stationed on every roof surrounding the library. Once we take our position at the base of the steps, we’ll open fire on the statues and try to take them out; then we’ll find the girl inside.”

The commissioner was appalled by what he heard. “General, you can’t shoot the lion statues! They’re national landmarks!”

General Wilson removed his sunglasses and looked the commissioner in the eye.

“Thank you for your input, Commissioner, but your little backyard circus is now a matter of national security,” he said. “I’ll decide what measures I should or should not take to ensure that your city stays in one piece. If you have a problem with that, I’ll have you placed on the other side of that barricade faster than you can say ‘I Love New York.’”

The commissioner didn’t argue any further. The general nodded to his Marines and they spread out like cockroaches to fulfill his orders. The general returned to his Hummer and was driven up Fifth Avenue to get a closer look at the library. As the commissioner and his police officers watched the Hummers drive off, Jack snuck past the blockade and quietly opened the back door of the police car Conner was sitting in.

“Come on!” Jack whispered. “Quick—while they’re all looking away!”

Once Conner had regrouped with his friends, they raced down Fifth Avenue and ducked into the first alley they could find. With one slice of his axe, Jack freed Conner from the handcuffs binding him. Conner walked around the alley in a huff and angrily kicked the side of a dumpster.

“This is getting more difficult by the second!” he moaned.

“At least we know where your sister is,” Goldilocks reminded him. “That alone puts us in a better place than we were.”

“We still have to get to her, though,” Conner said. “These army guys won’t care if Alex is being controlled by a witch or not—they’ll kill her the moment they think she’s a threat. We’ve got to get to her before they do, and I don’t have the slightest idea of how to do that. And I’m sorry, Jack, but no amount of imagination or positive thinking is going to help us get past the NYPD, the United States Marines, and two possessed lion statues!”

Bree, Jack, Goldilocks, and Red didn’t even try to persuade him otherwise. They paced around in silence as they tried to brainstorm a possible plan. Their train of thought was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat—someone who wasn’t in their group. They looked up and saw that the homeless man from earlier was standing a few feet away.

“Forgive the intrusion,” he said. “I saw your little scuffle with the fuzz back there. I know they didn’t want to listen to you, but I’d like to help if you’ll let me.”

“Sorry, dude, I’m out of cash,” Conner said.

“This time I’m offering my services free of charge,” the homeless man said. “I know I may not look like much, but I know how to get to your sister.”

“No offense, but I sincerely doubt that,” Conner said. “We need to get inside the public library, and every entrance is being guarded by the US Marines and two man-eating statues!”

A sly smile spread across the homeless man’s face. “You’re wrong,” he said. “They aren’t guarding every entrance.”