Chapter One: Dark

There was a wave of shadow, strange sounds, a feeling that defied exact description. When the shadows cleared, it was not what Phineas was wanting to see.

"Oh no, why are we back here?" he said

Looking around, it was apparent that they were back in the Empty World. All eyes turned to Baljeet.

"Baljeet, I thought you said destroying that machine would fix everything!" Candace screamed.

"I thought it would! I do not know why we are back in this place." he replied.

"Everyone, stay calm." Isabella ordered. "We need to find another way out of this place."

"No, do you not understand? There is no other way out besides the rifts. And with the machine destroyed…" Baljeet said.

"Then we're stuck in here." Candace whispered.

Hhm, they seem so afraid. I wonder if they know just how bad their situation is.

This thought was followed by silence, before it was followed by another.

How long has it been since I formed an actual thought like that? It's been… a while, I assume. And just when these children arrive, it can't be a coincidence, could it? I wonder, could they be the key out of this place? Either way, they seem… very, very interesting.

"No! This won't stand, there has to be some way out of here!" Phineas shouted with a mix of anger and desperation.

"I am sorry, but I do not know of any way to get back into the time stream now that the rifts will not open anymore." Baljeet said, practically in tears.

"N-no, this can't be it! We can't just be stuck here, it's… IMPOSSIBLE! It, it, it…" Phineas trailed off as he collapsed to the ground.

"Phineas!" Isabella reached him first and quickly determined that the boy had fainted.

"Come on, we need to find somewhere else to figure this out. Especially if those tigers are still here."

Gretchen stood on the sidewalk in front of her house, waiting. She'd lost track of how many times it happened, and then it started happening sooner. But now, nothing. It should have happened by now, but it didn't. She was somewhat relieved, and she almost relaxed. Almost.

She felt into her pocket and confirmed what she was dreading; she owned a smart phone. To most normal people this would have been a good thing, but not her and not now. She was still staring at it when Adyson spotted her friend and went up to her.

"Gretchen, you do realize that just staring at your phone won't make something happen, right?" she said with a smirk.

Gretchen barely noticed her friend's words.

"What? Oh, yeah I know that." Gretchen was silent for a moment, before turning to Adyson. "What do you know about the Fireside Girls?"

"Not much. They seem like a pretty neat organization, but there's no troops in Danville. Otherwise, I would probably join." Adyson said.

Gretchen looked crestfallen, before asking Adyson one last question.

"Do you know a girl named Isabella Garcia-Shapiro?" she asked.

Adyson thought for a moment, then replied. "No, I don't think so. Why, do you know her?"

"Yes, I think I do."