Snow Day

Chapter 9: Jamie Bennett and the Inside Out Girls

Jamie sat in awe, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Jamie, this is Riley; Riley meet..."

"Jamie Bennett, Jack's first believer... how ya doin'?"

"Umm..." Riley blinked, then said shyly. "W- well... i...it's v—very nice to meet you"

"Awww... is little Riley shy?" he mocked, in a sweet little baby-talk voice.

"Hey" Riley began to tear up as she shied away behind Jack.

Jack glared at Jamie, a glare so cold and deadly that he shuddered as a chill ran up his spine.

"Jamie!" he scolded.

"What?"

"You apologize to Riley right now"

"Me, why... but it's true isn't it; I mean she is shy?"

"That may be true, but you didn't have to go and point that out"

"Oh okay," he sarcastically spat.

"Don't take that tone with me; now apologize!"

"Oh okay, fine" he turned to face Jack, the girl shuttered from behind. "Riley..." he said sweetly. "Riley... I'm very sorry" This made the young girl smile as she crept out of hiding.

"Well, aren't the others with you?" Jamie asked turning to Jack.

"The others?... Oh yeah, yes; they're outside... in fact I was just about to go and get them" he turned, facing the direction of the window. The winter breeze felt cool on his face as he screamed into the wind. "Santa, Bunny, Sandman, and tooth- I need you!" the chant sounded very similar to that of the one to call upon Peter Pan. Brushing the thought away Jamie waited and listened for the familiar voices of his long, almost forgotten friends.

Jack called, again and again, finally they both heard footstep; not just any plain, old ordinary footsteps either—the footsteps seemed to stomp the ground harshly, making everything shake.

"Whoa, what's happening?" Jamie said aloud, as he tried to stand up and walk forwards towards Jack only to stumble and grasping one of the legs to his bed frame. "Is this an earthquake?" he looked into Jack's crystal blue eyes. "Jack?" his terrified eye seemed to be shrieking in terror.

Jack stood silent for a moment then asked "Are you ready to meet the other guardians Jamie?"

What on earth was he talking about? Meet the other guardians? Was he loony? Here we are in the middle of what seems to be an earthquake, and all he wants to think about is whether or not I'm ready to meet some guardians Jamie gave Jack a bewildered look. "How can you possibly compare this to us meeting your friend Jack?"

"You'll see..." he angled his staff towards Jamie's bedroom door.

Suddenly, the door shot open and North burst through the door—the other trailing behind.

"North, I thought I told you to wait outside?"

"Oy Jack, we heard you call, came rushing in threw front door" Jamie and Jack both gasped.

"But what about his parents North?"

"Oh, don't worry—Sandy blew some dream sand in parents' faces to make them sleep"

"Oh..." Jack and Jamie both stared at North for a long moment.

"Anyway, what're you talking about?" North asked; his thick, Russian accent growing.

"Jack just introduced me to Riley!" Jamie practically screamed, bouncing up and down on his bed.

"Oh, so I see..." North chuckled. "Jack you introduced him to Riley's sister yet?"

"What! Riley has a sister?" Jamie questioned, overhearing the conversation.

Riley's face fell, her smile quickly diminished. "Yes..." she said flatly, "I have a sister, an older sister by the name of Sophia, Sophia Anderson"

"Oooo, what does she look like? Is she here?"

Riley's face fell, her smile quickly diminished. "Yes," she said flatly.

As if right on cue a girl stepped out from behind North; her hair was a dark brown, long and wavy with red highlights.

"Hey, who summons me?"

"Hey sis" Riley mumbled. "This here's Jack's first believer—Jamie, Jamie Bennett"

Stepping towards the girl Jamie greeted her saying with a gasp. "You can't be Riley's sister"

Sophia narrowed her eyes, "I can, so therefore I am"

"You know your name sounds a lot similar to my younger sisters, her name is Sophie"