A/N: Okay . . . I haven't updated in forever . . . but please know that I won't permanently stop writing this story. :) I started it, and it's gonna get finished. Probably faster if I get more reviews (honestly, they lift me up so much, even if they're constructive criticism). Thank you again if you're still with this story. :)

-MagicFireTiger

P.S. This chapter could be more edited. I apologize for any inconvenience.

P.P.S. :)

Chapter Eighteen

Candy Llamas and Fudge Llamas

"Right-O!" said Joy as she, Riley, and all the other emotions stepped out of Headquarters and onto the train station that led to the other places around Riley's mind. "Who should accompany Riley on this journey?"

"You and Sadness know this place better than any of us," Disgust pointed out.

"So . . . us, then?" Joy asked, turning to Sadness.

The blue emotion shrugged. "Sure."

"And we will stay back here at headquarters in case Riley wakes up," decided Fear.

"She won't wake up without the puzzle pieces, Fear," said Disgust.

"Will she?" Fear seemed like he was trying to worm out of possibly going on this journey.

Disgust rolled her eyes. "I say we all go. Joy and Sadness can lead."

"What do you think, Riley?" asked Anger, folding his stubby arms.

Everyone looked at her. Her eyes widened. "Me? Uh, I dunno. . . . All of us, I guess? I mean . . . the more of us, the safer, right?"

"Right," agreed Joy heartily. "Minds can get dangerous to be lost in."

"It has been fixed, though, right?"

Joy rolled her eyes. "Of course, Fear, but it's better safe than sorry, aye?" She started loping off to where the Train of Thought would arrive very soon (as far as she hoped . . .), swinging her arms.

The others exchanged looks with one another before shrugging simultaneously and following after the yellow emotion.

Evidently, sometimes trains of thought liked to be slow, because even though Riley was not doing math at the current moment, the Train of Thought itself did not arrive for at least another hour, in which Riley became more acquainted with the emotions.

They, of course, already knew absolutely everything about Riley (they were a part of her, after all), but she obviously hadn't known about them at all, ever, and it was a little freaky to get used to these things that could be aliens from outer space. But she ended up realizing that they were a rather pleasant lot to be around. They all got each other and were soon able to talk very easily with each other, though Anger did try arguing about different things . . . a lot.

Like whether Candy Llamas were worse than Fudge Llamas.

"But Candy Llamas are really fun to slide down on!" Anger exclaimed to Fear.

"But they're also really scary!" Fear countered. "That drop in your stomach. . . ."

"Can you even feel the drop if you're all inside my head?" Riley wondered aloud, realizing just how strange this conversation was as she said it.

"Sort of . . . yes," Fear replied. "Yes, we can. And I don't like drops in our stomach."

"But those are so fun!" Joy said.

"Not as fun as going to Five Direction concerts," said Disgust.

"Nah, the waves are better," said Anger.

"THEY'RE CALLED LLAMAS!"

"Why are they called llamas?" asked Sadness.

"Because banana," Riley and Joy said at the same time. They grinned at each other.

Just then, a sort of smooth screeching sound came to all of their ears. They turned towards the ice-like train tracks that were materializing in front of them.

Joy and Riley both jumped up. Riley and Fear's hearts were pounding. The train looked similar to any ordinary train, except usually trains weren't quite as purple as this one—yet somehow, it made Riley feel rather adventurous and nervous at the same time, which she supposed was just going to have happened anyway.

"Riley's Mind Headquarters!" a strange, bean-like thing that was sitting in the conductor's compartment announced in a bored voice.

"Come on, guys!" said Joy, hopping right onto the train. Everyone else followed suit.

Fear looked back at headquarters nervously as Joy went up to the conductor and said, "Um, hi! We're on our way to the happiest place in Riley's mind!"

Before the conductor could respond, Anger butted in, "Wait, are we looking for your puzzle piece first?"

"Um, yeah, why?"

Anger scowled. "Why not mine?"

"Uh . . . I dunno. We'll look for that later."

"Urrrgh," Anger growled, but he sighed and sat down on a bench.

The conductor raised an eyebrow. "Why are all of you wanting to go to the happiest place around? You can't leave headquarters."

"Yes, well, um . . . I dunno if you've noticed, but. . . ." Joy leaned down to whisper into the tired-looking Memory Worker's ear, "Riley's in a coma."

It took a second for the words to seem to penetrate the bean's brain. Then his eyes widened and he grabbed a walkie-talkie thing that was sitting in a nearby container and announced, "CODE THREE-NINE-FOUR! CODE THREE-NINE-FOUR! RED ALERT! RED ALERT! RILEY'S IN A COMA!"

Then chaos decided to ensue.

Meg was having a bad day.

First of all, her two friends aside from Riley weren't talking to her.

Only because she was now supposedly "weird" because her best friend was in a coma.

Well, they didn't say it out loud, but they weren't really hanging out with her.

Second of all . . . she had math that day.

Meg Harper did not like math in the slightest.

Third of all . . . Riley wasn't there. There was something very extreme about the hole that Meg had noticed was in her heart. It was her first day back since the coma. She kept looking around, trying to talk to Riley, before realizing that she wasn't there.

She wasn't there.

There was just something so unbearably empty inside Meg that she really couldn't stand it. It was just . . . just . . . just. . . .

Wham!

"Ouch! Watch it, Voldy!"

"Vold—Meg?"

Meg looked up from her uncomfortable and rather awkward position on the floor, rubbing her head, to see Matt standing in front of her, now bending down to retrieve the books he'd been holding.

"Oh," Meg huffed. "It's you." She scowled, picking herself up, before trying to walk away again. But she stopped as Matt called, "Meg! Wait up!"

He caught up with her and started walking with her as she stomped down the hallway again.

"Meg, what's wrong? I mean . . . well . . . how are you?"

Evidently, Mr. Andersen had told Matt, who apparently Riley had told him about, about Riley's comatose state.

"I'm fine," she said stiffly, not looking at him. "Now go away before you get infected by my weirdom."

"How is this weird?"

"I dunno, ask the thousands of other people in this place who think having your best friend get in a coma be something simply strange and forgettable."

She was fighting to keep tears from falling out of her eyes now.

"Meg?"

"Because it is NOT!"

Everyone in the hallway stared at her as she stopped walking.

"Meg . . . Jemma's friends lost someone too, you know. More permanently, too."

Meg looked up at Matt's soft tone of voice. "They're the ones who're calling me weird."

"I think because they envy you. At least you have a chance at getting your friend back. And, well . . . yeah." Matt scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

Meg stared at him for a moment. "Do you think I'm weird?"

"Me? Not at all. I'm in the same boat as you."

They stood in silence for a moment as the kids around them started going to their various classes.

"What class do you have next?" Meg asked him after several long moments.

"English. Why?"

"That's mine, too. Wanna go together?"

Matt gave a slight smile. "Why not?"

So they did.