After this story is done and finished, I'm thinking that I might re-vamp it and make some changes (i.e. changing the names back for less confusion, editing beginning chapters to make them better, etc.). Nothing's set in stone yet, but I'm thinking about it. Of course somethings will stay the same as they are unique to the plot line. Also some concerns were brought up with me in the comments. If you would like an explanation involving said concerns, please don't hesitate to PM me. I value opinions of my readers and would like to know what you have to say. That's about it from me. God bless you guys!

Any English spoken by Momoko or any other characters that can speak it will be in italics.

I don' own Ojamajo Doremi, Toei Animation does.

Escape

Utter chaos the formerly fun-filled festival was in. Practically in ruins, stalls and stands were completely destroyed, prizes and food were strewn all over the ground in a tattered mess, debris from anything and everything was everywhere. And what was worse, festival-goers stumbled about in a panicked hysteria. Many had been terribly injured in the chaos; others were in such a state of shock they couldn't even remember where they were or what was happening. Fretful parents that had been suddenly separated from their children searched frantically in the panicked crowds. Groups of friends had been divided in seconds and swept away. Everything was in complete disarray.

Ellie had almost completely shut down when she had heard the screams of the crowd that had joyously gathered to hear her sing when she was dragged behind the curtains by her parents. She had seen the ghoulish creatures coming from behind, making a bee line towards the unaware fans. The child star was ashamed that she had been grateful in that split second her eyes had been blocked by the stage curtains as the first of the monsters barreled into the crowd while she was being safely carried off by her parents. She had only wished her ears had also been covered as well. She would never forget those screams. As long as she lived, she would never forget. And to speak about never forgetting, she had clearly remembered that her friend's families were also down in that crowd, probably getting the life beaten out of them while she was merrily on her way to safety thanks to her folks. The thought of them possibly being on the verge of death made the child pale in an almost sickly manner. To even think about what her friends could say to her if she did nothing would haunt her to the end of her days. So, when she tried to break free of her parents grasp and attempt to head into the fray to find them, her own parents had to really question her mental state.

"Ellie Craft, just what do you think you're doing young lady!?" her mother bellowed.

"We need to get to the van and drive to a safe place. Away from here!" her father reasoned.

Now Ellie Craft considered herself a pretty level-headed and relatively obedient child. She could follow directions no problem. She listened to adults most of the time and almost never got in trouble. Sure she's stubborn at times, but that was just fine for her; it's ok to be a little selfish. She would like to think she has enough common sense to know a good idea from a bad idea. And yet, here she is about to catapult herself into a situation that's obviously a BAD IDEA and expects everything to work out like it was scripted in a movie and this was just another part she had to play. But obviously, her parents didn't think the same way. So now she had to take precious time to explain herself; time that should've been used to search and rescue in her opinion.

"My friend's families are in there! We need to help them! We can't just leave them!" she explained. Ellie knew that, to her parents, she was their top priority. Getting her to safety was their main concern. They weren't thinking about anyone else in that moment. Still, she at least had to try to get them to consider the fact that friends of theirs could possibly die if they did nothing. However, if the possibility of them refusing to help came up, she was ready to break free at any given moment and search by herself.

Suddenly, however, her father had swept the child star under his arm in one swift motion, to deny any further debate of escape, and began to sprint in the direction of the company van with his wife in hot pursuit. It had all happened so fast, it seemed, because as soon as Ellie blinked she had been buckled in the back seat of the van without putting up a fight and her parents were strapping themselves in the front seats and starting the engine. Before she could unbuckle herself and dive back out of the van in protest, her father spoke in a hardened tone.

"Don't worry angel, we'll find them!"

When he backed out of the parking spot, Mr. Craft turned the wheel and drove his foot on the gas pedal as he went pile driving straight toward the monster infested crowd.

All in all, this situation could have been a lot worse; that's what Ms. Shannon thought. It wasn't good; no it certainly wasn't good. But it could've been worse. She's seen what these monsters are capable of. Right now, this seems like nothing more than harassment and scare tactic. It would escalate, no doubt, but this is where they were right now. So, she thought, better take advantage of the situation as it is now than to do so when it gets worse later; better to have more options available than to take chances.

Still, however, though she was expecting it, it still took her by surprise when the creatures attacked. The lunar queen had a feeling it was going to happen at any moment, which is why she had had her guard up during the festival. Perhaps, though, it was the scale of which they attacked that took her by surprise. Honestly she wasn't expecting this many to show up. When they would ambush towns in the Lunaverse, and even when they attacked Mirabelle, there were only a small handful of them; about five or so. So, when they burst from the ground at her feet in such massive numbers, she paled considerably even though she was aware it was a possibility that more could appear.

To her credit, though, she was handling it considerably better than her friend, Ms. Cooper. They were standing side by side during the festival, enjoying the food and games when the monsters popped up from the ground. She obviously didn't know what to make of it at first glance. Certainly no one would blame her for that twenty foot jump into the air accompanied by that little-girlish scream either. Luckily none of her students were nearby to witness such a moment of embarrassment. Composing herself, she questioned her friend.

"What are those things?"

"Nothing good. I think it would be best to run!" Ms. Shannon replied, already searching for a clear path.

"Words of the wise. Let's get out of here!"

As soon as an opening was made, the two women bolted out of the carnage as fast as their feet could carry them. They weaved through confused festival goers and littered debris from damaged stalls, searching for a path to safety. The further in the crowds they went, the worse the damage progressed.

"My god, it's like a battlefield out here! No one's safe!" Ms. Cooper exclaimed.

"We must find shelter! It's too dangerous out here! But where do we go?"

The school teacher thought on her friend's question. Anywhere near the festival grounds wouldn't be safe and she had a feeling the creatures wouldn't just stop here. They had to go somewhere far away. Somewhere that could hold up against the creatures if they tried to attack and somewhere that could hold a lot of people.

"The school! It's the only place that's close enough and can hold a good number of people! It can be used to hold off those creatures if they try to attack. It's our best bet!" Ms. Cooper proposed. Ms. Shannon considered this. What other choice did they have? It was far but the only close enough place that was big enough to protect the festival goers. Plus, it's not like they were full of better options.

"Very well, it'll have to do! You head up there and get it unlocked and ready! I'll stay here and organize the people to move!" Ms. Shannon agreed. Ms. Cooper nodded her head in confirmation.

"I'll call you when I get the place ready!" Ms. Cooper placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Be careful and stay safe!"

With that, Ms. Cooper barreled through the crowd towards the direction of the elementary school, not waiting for an answer. Ms. Shannon lingered at her friend's retreating figure. She soon darted in the direction of the makeshift concert stage, knowing full well that that's where her Ojamajo's would be.

"Someone help us!" Josie screamed as she ran for her life.

"Yeah, nice try! Everybody's too busy to worrying about themselves to save us!" Todd yelled back.

There were two creature's chasing the group of kids through the crowds and debris, and they were rapidly gaining ground. The group wasn't putting space between them and their pursuers due to the weaving through panicked people, which was worrisome.

"You guys, those things are gaining! What do we do!?" Penny panicked as she swerved around a fallen festival goer.

"We just need to get to the concert stage!" Momoko ducked under a broken beam as she explained. Reanne, who was one of the one's behind the pack, nodded in confirmation.

"Our parents are there! They'll get us to safety!" she shouted.

"How do you know that!? They could've gotten caught up in this mess too!" Josie retorted. In response, Mirabelle whirled on her from up front and glared.

"Ya got any better ideas!? Besides, aren't your folks up there too!? You jus' gon' leave 'em!?"

Josie shut up right then and decided that it was best she not say anything else for the moment. As the two were arguing, no one noticed that one of the creatures had moved up considerably on the group's position. It made a swipe for Kayako's backside in an effort to slow the group down. Reanne didn't think, but moved. She slowed for just a moment to shove the creature to the side. The creature missed its target by mere centimeters, but the momentum of the shove at the speed they were running cause the creature to soar into a nearby booth, putting it out of the chase.

"Nice, Reanne! Way to stick it to 'im!" Momoko whooped in victory.

"You saved my life, Reanne!" Kayako beamed. Reanne blushed slightly.

"It was nothing!"

"Now's not the time to celebrate! The other one's still on our tail!" Justin hollered. True to his word, the other one was quickly closing the gap, undeterred.

"Hey! I see the stage!" Penny pointed ahead to a, now, busted up concert stage in the short distance. "We're almost there!"

The group made a push for the clearing where, hopefully, their families would be waiting for them. Once they made it, their hearts collectively sank to their feet at the disorder the place was in. It wasn't much different from what they all had already witnessed, but it didn't make it much better when none of the group's families were in immediate sight. Too many people were running around, trying to get away from the carnage and find shelter. Too many others were lying unconscious, scattered on the ground and wounded in many different degrees. The group wondered if their loved ones lay among the fallen.

Undeterred, Dorie turned to the group, "We have to find our families quickly! Let's go!"

Before they could get moving, the creature had finally caught up to them and lunged towards its nearest victim, which happened to be Caitlyn. It seemed like a sure kill in that moment. Dorie moved to leap in the line of fire as time slowed; she didn't look like she was going to make it and those closest to Caitlyn hadn't move fast enough to shield or move her out of the way. It looked to be all over for the youngest Ojamajo. That was, until a vaguely familiar van barreled right into the creature's line of motion and successfully mowed it down just in the nick of time.

Dorie's heart unclenched in her chest and she could suddenly breathe easy again at the realization that her sister was unharmed. The same couldn't be said for the creature as Dorie watched it fade away under the wheels of the van that had run it over. In seconds, the side door opened to reveal Ellie staring down at the surprised group. She smiled as she noticed they were all out of breath but unharmed. She looked to Dorie and with a sassy smirk she said, "What would you do without me?"

Without missing a beat, Dorie looked her friend dead in the eye with an equally sassy smirk of her own, "I'd definitely be a little saner."

"I'm glad you guys made it. I was starting to get a little worried there."

"You try running half way across the festival in a yukata and sandals while being chased; see how you like it! And where are my parents!?" Josie yelled. Ellie, not even hiding it, glared at her pouty classmate with annoyance.

"Alright, I didn't ask for all of that. So, I'ma need you to take your drama and exit stage left. I don't know where they are," Ellie glowered at Josie before turning to the group, "I don't know where anyone's parents are."

Before Josie could retort, Ellie's mother hopped out of the van to confront the group.

"Kids, we don't have time to be arguing! We must find a safe place to hide!" Mrs. Craft explained. The group nodded in confirmation, ready to leave at a moment's notice. "Unfortunately, our van can't hold all of you, so we'll have to find a place on foot. Do any of you know where your families are?"

Mrs. Craft's heart sank a little at the negative answers she received. As much as she wanted the group of children safe, she and her husband couldn't look after all of them. Suddenly a beacon of hope shot through the air.

"Mirabelle! Over here!"

Hearing her name, the Osakan swiveled her head in the direction the voice came from. Even over all the shouts, screams and screeching of monsters, she could hear it as clear as day. Her dad's voice.

"Pop! Yer okay!" She bolted over to her dad in record time. He engulfed Mirabelle in a comforting hug. "Where's Ma?"

Mr. Haywood pulled back slightly to answer. "She's with the others. We managed ta find a place ta hide for a bit. We were gettin' worried when we didn't see any of ya show up at the clearin'."

"We were half way 'cross the festival grounds bein' chased by some o' those creatures on the way here. Luckily, Ellie and her folks showed up when they did." Mirabelle smiled at her friend who smiled back. Mr. Haywood gave a grateful nod to the two parents who returned the gesture.

"Let's go to the others. It's small, but we can hol' up in there until the worse of it passes."

With various nods of agreement, Mr. Craft hopped out of the driver's seat and abandoned the van. With a gesture, the group consisting of the children, Ellie's parents and Mirabelle's dad made a beeline for the shelter. There were many close calls along the way and many of the group had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with hysteric people or becoming victim to the many roaming creatures still causing havoc.

"Stay together everyone! We're almost there!"

"Dorie! Everyone!"

Dorie paused for only a second at the sound of her name. She turned to see Ms. Shannon coming up on them in the corner of her eye.

"Ms. Shannon!" Dorie exclaimed. That got the attention of the Ojamajos real quick. They all turned their heads just as the school nurse reached the group and was now running with them.

"I'm glad I found you all! Is everyone alright!?" She shouted.

"We will be now! We're heading for shelter! Mr. Haywood is leading the way!" Todd explained. Ms. Shannon considered this.

"Where is it?"

"It's not much farther! It's a small area closed off by some buildings right outside the festival grounds! It's not huge, but we can hide a few people there!" Mr. Haywood stated as he dodged a fallen beam from the stage. "It's the only place we got!"

Ms. Shannon smiled slightly. "I bet I can do you one better! Right now, Ms. Cooper has gone up to the school to get it unlocked so we can head there for shelter! We'll be able to hold much more people and better barricade against these creatures there!"

"That's a great idea! But how do we get there? We can't go back through the festival grounds; it's crawling with those things! And I know! I've SEEN it! It ain't pretty!" Momoko questioned.

"Not through, around! The streets should be clear enough for us to go through since the creatures are mainly on the grounds! We shouldn't have much trouble! Also, the authorities have already begun to move in, so they are slowing the creatures down at the moment!"

"Alright! As soon as we reach the others, we'll head out to the school!" Mrs. Craft announced. With nods of confirmation, everyone double timed it to the shelter, not stopping for anything.

In a small clearing between some buildings in the shopping district, were the families of the Ojamajos and some of their classmates. They were huddled together trying to gather their wits and patch up their wounds. It wasn't as bad as it could've been most would admit, but it certainly wasn't a pretty sight. It had been at least twenty grueling minutes since Mr. Haywood had went to search for the children. The wait was agonizingly long and tense and none of the adults could sit still at the moment.

"He's been gone too long. Maybe one of us should go out looking for him," Mrs. Griffith twitched with worry. Her husband laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Relax sweetheart. It's only been twenty minutes. I'm sure he'll be back soon," Mr. Griffith soothed. His wife leaned into his touch.

"I hope you're right, darling. It's just . . . twenty minutes seems like a long time to be out in chaos like that."

She was right and they all knew it. Normally such a time wouldn't be such a big deal under normal circumstances. But with all the havoc and destruction going on around the festival grounds, no one in their right mind would want to be out there for more than five minutes. The thought was terrifying! To think their kids were out in that mess . . .

"That's it! My daughters need me and there's no use standing around here! I'm going out there!" Mr. Goodwyn proclaimed, already heading the direction his friend headed out towards. His wife almost didn't catch him in time. She whirled him around and locked eyes with him in an intense gaze.

"Dear, I know you're worried about the girls, but you have to stay here. We can't have everyone leaving and getting separated now," Mrs. Goodwyn pleaded. With a reluctant frown, he relented and decided to wait once more. Mrs. Haywood came forward with a kind smile.

"Don't worry. He'll bring them back safely. I know it. He may not be the smartest around, but cares about the children."

Not even a few seconds after the words left her mouth, the clearing was filled with a rustling noise that seemed to come from the direction Mr. Haywood left in. Mr. Goodwyn stepped forward to shield the two women from whatever came their direction. The men also began to protect their wives and formed a line of defense.

Momoko had dashed around the corner of the building in front of them full sprint and barreled right passed the three adults in front without giving them a passing glance.

"It's a mad house out there! Run if you want to live!"

Most couldn't grasp the phrases she shouted in English as she bolted past them. However, her father managed to wrap an arm around her midsection before she made her way past.

"Momoko! You're alright!" Her elated father hugged her tight and placed kisses in her hair.

"Dad! Mom!" Finally realizing she had been captured by her own father, Momoko immediately relaxed and returned the hug. The reunion was short lived, however, as she suddenly remembered why she was running. "We gotta go!"

"What's happening, sweetheart?" Mrs. Asuka stressed. She didn't have to wait for an answer. Reanne soon followed up around the corner, sprinting as fast as her physically strained body would allow, screaming 'majo rika' repeatedly, with Justin trailing up right behind her chanting the same. Directly behind them was Mirabelle, standing at the cross section that lead the way out of the clearing glaring daggers back at something.

"Belle Belle!" Mrs. Haywood shouted in relief. Her little girl had made it along with some of her friends. But where was her husband? He was supposed to be with them. Mirabelle turned at the sound of her name and she grinned in joy when she locked eyes with her mother.

"Ma!" Mirabelle shouted back. She had been distracted for only a second, but it was a second long enough. It appeared right around the corner mere feet from Mirabelle's position. Her mother's relief suddenly turned to terror at the sight of the creature's appearance. It lunged towards the young Osakan, fully intending on beating her down with blunt force. The girl's eyes widened for a brief moment before she ducked down. No one saw it until they were right on top of the monster, but Mr. Haywood and Mr. Craft both lunged for the creature at the same time it bounded for Mirabelle. They managed to tackle it out of the air and burry it under their combined weight when they collided with the ground; the creature taking the full force of the attack. It was then that the rest of the group of kids, Ms. Shannon, and Mrs. Craft made their way into view.

Hana was the first to yell out, "Ha! Bet you thought!"

That allowed the now larger group of people to snap back to reality. Some of the men went to help the two fathers subdue the creature as they were still wrestling it into submission. The kids, however, located their families as fast as they could and reunited. Tears were shed and relieved laughs were had and hugs were shared. Mirabelle's mother was the first to pull away for a moment and ask, "What happened?"

"Pop found us and we were all on our way 'ere when one 'o those things jumped us!"

"It's been chasing us the entire way here!" Caitlyn added. Her mother nodded in confirmation and hugged her girls once more.

"We're just glad you all made it here safely," Mrs. Goodwyn sighed.

"Well, this place won't be safe for long. That thing will have friends coming for us if we don't get moving," Ms. Shannon sighed.

"Then, where do we go!? We can't go back out there!" A worried father of one of the students yelled. He was rapidly met with agreement from many of the others as well.

"One of my colleagues is heading up to the elementary school as we speak. She's working to get the school open so we can head there for shelter while we wait this situation out. We'll be taking the streets to get there; there's not many of those monsters around there since it seems their main focus is the festival. I know everyone is scared and tired but it's our only safe bet," the school nurse reasoned. She was met with some resilience, but everyone eventually agreed that this was the best course of action. They would have to tough it out if they were all going to survive this night.

Finally having eliminating the threat of the creature that was following the group by using blunt force of their own, Mr. Goodwyn and the other men returned to the group. They were told of the plan and they agreed.

"We should head out immediately. Let's go!" Ms. Shannon gestured the group to follow her out into the fray once more.

It had been a miracle that she made it to the school grounds practically unscathed. There were a few cuts here and there, but she was still moving rather well. Ms. Cooper doubled over to catch her breath. She had sprinted almost the entire distance from the festival grounds to the school yard, which was at least a mile or two away from each other. It was quite a feat for anyone. She would've taken her bike, but she was appalled to see that it was used as a heavy weight when one of the monsters heaved it into a crowd of bystanders. She was already down the block when it careened through the air into the unsuspecting victims, but not before giving a shout of warning sent their way to watch out. The mangled heap of metal was useless.

Ms. Cooper was surprisingly pleased to see that the courtyard was deserted; not a creature in sight for yards. She almost felt bad for leaving her friend to fend for herself. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had a job to do; people were unknowingly counting on her success. Giving one more burst of effort, the school teacher made her way to the gymnasium, fishing through her coat pocket along the way. The double doors slid into view as the teacher pulled out her ring of keys, already flipping through them to locate the correct ones. As she reached the doors, her hand lashed out towards the lock. Ms. Cooper whooped in victory as the doors flew open upon success. She made her way inside the now unlocked gymnasium and flipped the light switch that was near the entrance. The doors closed behind her with a resounding click of the lock and she allowed herself a moment to breathe.

She was safe. Away from the chaos. Ms. Cooper ran her sweaty palms through her frazzled hair as she tucked the key back into her pocket and fished out her phone. Her job was only half done. She unlocked her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She tapped the dial button and waited for the dial tone. She prayed that her friend would still be able to pick up after all of this.

The streets were only a small fraction better than the festival grounds, but good news was that there were indeed less monsters roaming around. If everyone moved as unnoticeably as possible they would be able to make it to the school grounds with little fault. Things were going pretty smoothly.

"I let the people on the festival grounds know that the school would be available for shelter and that they should make their way there as soon as possible. We should see others along the way," Ms. Shannon called back to the group. The more people there were the better chances they had at defending themselves against an onslaught. Most were unsure how it happened, but everyone seemed to organize themselves in such a way that the Ojamajos' families were forming a circle around the other families. Momoko and Mirabelle were taking the front, Reanne and Ellie covered the sides, and Dorie, Caitlyn, and Hana took the rear with everyone else in the middle. The group continued to move as stealthily as possible at a fairly fast pace, using debris for cover when needed. It was going rather smoothly; they'd be at the school gates in no time at the rate they were going. The group had just ducked behind various blocks of debris when Ms. Shannon's phone vibrated in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out and answered, expecting the call.

"Shannon, I'm in! Head on up!" Ms. Cooper gave the nurse the confirmation she had made it.

"I was beginning to worry for a moment. I have a group of students and their families with me and we're heading up now. Why did you take so long to call?" Ms. Shannon questioned her friend. She heard an annoyed sigh before she was answered.

"One of those monstered chucked my bike across the street by the time I reached it. Long story short, the thing's a mess. Completely un-rideable."

"I see. Well, I'm glad you made it safely. We'll be up soon."

"I pray you all make it here safely. Good luck."

With that, the teacher disconnected the call and went to work setting things up. Ms. Shannon returned her phone to her pocket and looked over her shoulder to the nearest members of the group. "The school's gymnasium has been unlocked for us. We just need to get there and we'll be safe for the time being."

She received various nods of confirmation and some sighs of relief. It would be difficult but if they made it through the streets, they'd all be home free. Ms. Shannon made a motion for the group to follow and they quickly moved out in small groups. There were more of the creatures lining the streets than what they had hoped, so the group had to hide and take cover more than they would've liked. Close calls were getting closer and closer together. So much so that a few were beginning to doubt they'd make it and it was beginning to show in their movements.

They reached the moment of truth when they rounded a corner and found themselves only a few yards away from the hill exiting the market streets and leading to the school grounds. It would just be a mad sprint to safety from there. The only thing that stood in their way was a wall of debris formed from beams and concrete of a damaged building and cars that littered the area. Luckily, there were a few openings in the wall large enough for even a full grown adult male to squeeze through, if careful. Still this also posed a danger. One wrong move through the holes and it would cut a sorry soul something terrible. Getting through would have to be done slowly. Climbing it was completely out of the question as the wall looked very fragile. Someone could get buried if it decided to fall. Everyone moved quickly to the wall of metal and concrete.

"All right, we don't have time for formalities. Everyone get through as fast as possible. We can't afford to waste time," Ms. Shannon ordered. Those at the front of the group began to wiggle their way through the holes at a steady pace. Everyone in the back hid in nearby debris to avoid being spotted by creatures passing by, patiently waiting their turns. After twenty pain staking minutes, a majority of the group had made it through to the other side of the wall. All the Ojamajos, except for the Goodwyns, had gotten to the other side with Ms. Shannon and were acting as lookouts for trouble. Mr. Goodwyn had also gotten to the other side due to a child needing help because they were frightened that the debris would fall on them. It was a legitimate worry, but the child could have been quieter about it. Everyone on the wrong side of the wall had to hide because the child's commotion caused a few creatures to come scouting the area. Luckily, they got the kid through just in time before anyone was spotted and the creatures went away for the time being. Mrs. Goodwyn had to deter her husband from coming back over to get his family as it would be pointless and a waste of time.

Of course all good things must come to an end. Just as the last few people were making it to the other side of the wall, someone had goofed up and faulted the structural stability of the wall as they were going through. The metal began to warp and bend, and the concrete started to crack under the pressure. It was a horrible realization to come to, but everyone knew. Whoever was on the other side of this hunk of metal and concrete when it came down would be stuck. There'd be no helping them. Everyone began to panic as their hopes were quickly being dashed.

Going through the holes at this point seemed like a death wish; if you got caught between them, death was certain. The last few people weren't willing to risk it. Then, a golden opportunity came by pure luck. A much larger opening was shifted into the wall as it was collapsing, big enough for two people at a time to jump through. In a blind panic, those on the other side of the wall hurled themselves through the opening without a care. Mrs. Goodwyn was swept up in the rush and carried over before she even realized it, leaving her two daughters behind. The hole was quickly getting smaller and only the three Goodwyns were left on the other side by pure chance.

Dorie gave Ellie, who happened to be closes to the hole, a look before she grabbed Caitlyn and tossed her through the shrunken hole into the purple Ojamajo's waiting arms. Caitlyn didn't have time to register the shock of being thrown before it all went to hell. The wall had collapsed in a thunderous crash and the opening vanished, leaving Dorie and Hana as the only ones on the other side. With all the jagged concrete and sharp metal, there was no climbing the debris; the last two Goodwyns were stuck. Mrs. Goodwyn was almost in hysteria as she yelled for her daughter's name; her husband was desperately trying to find another way through the wall to get to them. Caitlyn shouldn't have been as shocked as she was but she couldn't help it. She stared at the wall that separated her and her sister and her dubbed "younger" sister in disbelief. It was painfully silent, sans their mother's calls, on the "safe" side of the debris.

Finally, Dorie had enough sense to answer her mother. "We're fine, Mom! We didn't get hurt!" She was able to find a small hole to look through and spotted her mother. "Over here!"

"You two stay right there! We'll find a way to get you both across!" Mr. Goodwyn had begun to think digging through the debris might work when he was cut off from the thought by Justin.

"Um, sir? I don't think we have time to help them," Justin pointed a shaky finger at the looming figures across the street. The wall crashing made a huge ruckus and attracted the attention of some creatures that were nearby. In other words, if they didn't move they would quickly be surrounded and beaten to a bloody pulp. A cry went out into the air from the other side of the debris and everyone snapped their attention back to the small hole in the wall. Those that were close enough could see that the same situation was transpiring on the side where Dorie and Hana were trapped; however, unlike the others, it didn't seem like they would be able to escape.

Hana leaned in close to Dorie's side and whispered, "What do we do now, Mama?"

"We have no choice, Hana. If we want to get to the school now, we have to go back through the festival grounds."

Hana nodded. She was scared, however. They would have to backtrack through the heart of the festival grounds, which was a monstrous hotspot by now, to get to safety. Not being able to use their powers in front of people made that job a lot harder than what it should've been. The task seemed almost impossible, and like heck Dorie's parents or anyone else was simply going to go along with it. Still, at this point, it's not like they had much of a choice now. Everyone on both sides were quickly being surrounded; there wasn't much time for escape. If they were going to leave, they needed to go now.

With a shout, Dorie said, "Hurry and head to the school! We'll find a way around!"

Her parents were quick to interject. "No! Stay there! We'll figure something out!" Mr. Goodwyn ordered. However, they were quickly running out of time and most of the group was getting antsy. The creatures were almost on top of them now. The fact of the matter was, even though her parents refused to accept it, there was nothing they could do. They were lost. Most believed the kids were just trying to put on a brave face, knowing full well they weren't going to make it by themselves.

Most of the group started running in the direction of the school while they had the chance, taking their families with them. Some of the families closer to the Goodwyns tried prying them away from the wall and urged them to run while others began to fight off some of the creatures to make a path. The Ojamajos were fearful but they knew, somehow, that their friends would make it. With heavy hearts, they turned to run.

"We will meet you there! Don't keep us waiting!" Mirabelle yelled out, catching the attention of those left on the scene. She was answered by Hana first.

"We won't! We'll keep in touch!"

"Keep an eye on my parents, won't you!?" Dorie yelled back. Without waiting for an answer, the pink Ojamajo urged Hana to follow and they proceeded to dodge and weave through the debris and monsters closing in on them back in the direction which they came. Momoko called out just before they disappeared from sight.

"Count on it!"

The remaining families continued to drag the Goodwyn parents away from the scene and towards the school after the initial shock of the exchange transpired. Those truly were some brave kids.

About twenty minutes after Ms. Cooper's call to Ms. Shannon, people started showing up on the school grounds seeking shelter. Apparently, even in panic, word travels fast. Families, small groups of friends, couples and even singles started rushing into the school gymnasium in almost no time at all. The gym was capable of holding quite a bit of people. Soon, however, it would get very full at the rate people were coming in.

Ms. Cooper was eager to help those who came in. Just to busy herself from commotion outside. She had set to work as soon as she hung up the phone; bringing in first aid kits from the nurses office, refreshments from the cafeteria, blankets from storage, the works. She went on to barricade the exits and entrances all over the school so there was no chance of any break ins. With that being done, soon the rest of the school would be available to house escapees. Ms. Cooper still was worried, however. She hadn't been able to contact her friend in a while. She was afraid something might have happened the last she spoke to her. It scared her to think she could've gotten hurt or worse on the way over here. Still she had to keep faith. Keep faith that her friend would make it here alright.

Ms. Cooper began to help a couple that just ran in. She would work to keep her mind off the chaos. That would help.

It was a good thing that Dorie and Hana didn't have to back track all the way concert stage to get around the debris. They managed to find a clearing between the street and the front of the festival grounds to go through. Now they were in the thickest part of the destruction but the closest to the entrance. The only thing in their way were the hordes of the creatures and stampeding civilians trying to escape. Right now, they were hopping from cover to cover to avoid being detected.

"Mama, how much farther?" Hana squirmed uncomfortably in her crouched position. Without anyone else around, she could freely call Dorie her mother without worry. It brought her a little comfort. Besides, keeping up the guise of them being friends was tiresome.

Dorie gave a once-over of the area ahead. "Not much farther now, Hana. Stay at it," she encouraged. The younger girl gave a tired whine but was ready to move. Dorie sympathized with her. They were both exhausted from all the running and hiding. Flying would be much easier, but with all the people around it was a no go. They ran behind some more debris when the opportunity presented itself.

"Mama, I'm tired. I can't go much more."

"I know, Hana. I am too. When we get to the school, I'll let you rest all you want. We have to keep going, though," Dorie explained. She gave Hana's hair a tussle and focused on the task at hand. That was, until a voice shot out behind them.

"Help! Someone please, help us!"

The girls' heads snapped back at the sound and tried to locate where it was coming from. They found that it came from a small crevasse nearby that had been formed from some battered up festival stalls piled on top of each other. With haste, the two rushed over to the area, their instincts to help driving them. Inside the opening rest a young woman, who looked to be in her mid to late twenties. She was dirtied and her clothes were torn in various places. Her hair was a mess and she was sporting several cuts and scratches all over her arms and legs. She seemed to be very worn out and frightened. In her arms laid a crying baby that seemed no older than a few months old. Thankfully, the child was mostly unharmed sans a small cut on his leg.

Immediately Dorie's heart went out to the woman. She was by herself in this war zone with a baby and no one to help. Did she come with someone and they got separated?

"Ma'am, are you alright?" the pink Ojamajo asked.

"No. I was separated from my husband and daughter and I don't know where they are! Did you get separated from your parents, too?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, we did. But we know where they are. They're headed up to the elementary school at the top of the hill," Dorie told the woman. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's what I heard people yelling about earlier! But with all those monsters out there, I'm afraid that I won't make it . . . ," the woman looked down to her child who had calmed down for the moment due to Hana distracting him. Dorie understood that she was really more worried for her baby's safety than for her own and she could relate. She looked to Hana and gave a softened smile only a true mother could give. Some way, somehow, they had to get them out of there.

"Listen ma'am, we're heading to the school ourselves. And I hate to say this, but if you stay here no one's going to come to rescue you because they're too worried for themselves. You're welcome to come with us, but we have to go now."

The woman contemplated this. She certainly hadn't expected children to come to her rescue, but they looked determined to help her. She knew she and her baby wouldn't make it if they stayed there. With a nod she gave in and was ready to follow the two girls. The Ojamajo girls nodded back and smiled.

"I'm Dorie and this is Hana."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am!" Hana grinned, suddenly full of energy again.

"Kokone . . . Kokone Aida," the woman introduced herself. "And this is Tsubasa," she gestured to her son.

"Well then, Mrs. Kokone, ready to go?" Dorie asked. Kokone nodded stiffly, still afraid of the outside but ready nonetheless. The now larger group headed once more back into the fray.