“Mom? Dad? Is anyone home? Hello?” I questioned as I rose out of bed to a strange silence.

“Hey Regan! You may already know this, but I’m Dally. Toughest Greaser ever! This here is Ponyboy and Sodapop.”

“Yeah! I know, I read your book and watched the movie. I love you guys! I’m happy you’re here and all, but why ARE you here…?”

“Well, we got a situation. See, your parents have been abducted by aliens and we’re here to help.”

“No good aliens always messin’ with people. This is the Socs all over again...,” chimed in Ponyboy.

“What? What do you mean? Where have they taken my parents?!”

“It’s alright little missy, we’re here. They’ve been taken to the core of the Earth. But it’s alright, see we’ve been training years and years for this,” reassured Sodapop.

“Oh man. Well what are we going to do? No point in crying about it. What’s our game plan?” I pondered.

“That a girl! Alright, our plan is to get to the core of the Earth and take down those life ruining creatures once and for all!” Yelled Sodapop.

“But how…?”

“Ask no more. Just follow us outside. I’ve never steered anyone wrong,” demanded Dally.

“That’s so true. Once Johnny and I had to be on the run and Dally here helped us along the way. He knows what he’s doing.” Said Ponyboy.

With my pajamas and slippers on and my teddy bear in my hand, I followed them outside into the brisk morning air. On top of the glistening dew covered grass sat a jaw dropping machine. If my father saw this futuristic Star Trek looking machine on my front lawn, he’d pop a blood vessel.

“Like it? Used my own car parts to make it. Couldn’t of done it without Ol’ Soda over here,” said Dally. Soda was gleaming with pride.

“Woah, I’ve definitely never seen anything like it. Looks good Soda! I’m sure all those years of working on cars at the gas station sure came in handy, huh?” I complimented.

“Oh alright guys. That’s enough talking. Let’s get to work!” Dally commanded.

We entered through the huge doors of the spacecraft. The outside was glossy and put cars to shame, but the inside was breathtaking. Right ahead was a giant control center with a 64” flat screen monitor. To the left were boards with maps posted up. My favorite part of the whole ship was probably to the right of us, the chill center. There were four giant fluff filled bean bags, books, laptops, and many other things used to cure boredom.

“Isn’t this stuff a little ahead of your time? I mean, yeah it’s amazing, but how’d you know about this technology?”

“Well,” chuckled Ponyboy, “I read a lot. After a while you pick up on things. Especially me, a straight A student who skipped a grade. Figuring out things is just what I do.”

“Okay so we’re all going to take turns driving. Except you Regan, we’re the professionals so it won’t be necessary for you to drive,” explained Dally. “We better get going if we’re ever going to get there by noon.”

“How are we going to get to the core? Are we going to drill straight through the surface, or what?” I asked.

“Well, unfortunately drilling through the surface would be a little time consuming. So we designed a different solution. See this button right here? Well, when you press it we become microscopic. With this we’ll be able to fit through all the cracks in the Earth so we won’t have to drill or plow through anything.” Said Sodapop.

“How are we going to become full size again?”

“Well, that’s what this button’s for. There’s nothing to worry about, everything has been taken care of in advance.”

“But isn’t it extremely hot in the core of the earth? Won’t we melt and die?”

“That’s why we have this heat protectant spray and central air to keep it reasonably cool. We also think it’s best if we’re all asleep while we pass through the Earth. It will get hot in here, no doubt, but if we’re awake I have a feeling we may panic.” Said Ponyboy.

“Look miss, there’s nothing to worry about as long as you follow our instructions okay?” Dally included.

“Alright, I’ll just be here if anyone needs me then,” I said as I walked to the chill center.

“When are we going to sleep?” I heard Soda ask.

“Well, I say we start drifting off about ten minutes before we get to the mantle because that’s when things start to get unbearable.” Said Ponyboy.

“No way, that’s too late. I say twenty.” Retorted Dally.

“You must be stupid if you think that. Twenty minutes is way too early. We can’t have this in auto pilot for more than eighty minutes. That gives us just the right amount of time to get the core with little mistake. Twenty minutes is just too much of a risk.”

“You think you know everything, huh? Well guess what? You don’t! What I say goes!”

“Not if Soda and I disagree. Soda, wouldya’ say?”

“I say you both stop! You know I hate being in the middle of these arguments!” That was true. Soda once ran out because of Darry and Ponyboy fighting too much. He’s just a peacekeeper trying to keep everything in order.

“Oh alright Soda, sorry to drag you into this. Look Dally, why don’t we just settle on fifteen?”

“Fine, but if I don’t fall asleep in time, you’re in big trouble.”

“Alright guys, everyone buckle in. We’ll be drifting into LaLaLand in approximately five minutes. I’ll be the one to stay up the longest to make sure you all fall asleep and put it into auto pilot,” concluded Soda.

“Soda, promise that if anything goes wrong you’ll wake us up, alright? Don’t try to problem solve by yourself. We’re a team.” Said Ponyboy.

“Eh, no need to worry Ponyboy, Sodapop has this under control. After all, he uses his head. Even your brother agrees. He’s too street smart to do anything risky,” reassured Dally. Sodapop was a very street smart person. He wasn't necessarily the brightest crayon in the box, if you know what I mean, but from the words of his older brother Darry, “That kiddo can use his head.”

The next thing I knew, there was a mist in the air. Suddenly, I was getting drowsy. Everyone’s voices were fading. After what felt like five minutes, I woke up. Ponyboy, Dally, and Soda were all awake getting ready for the attack.

“How long were we asleep for?” I questioned, still in a daze.

“About seventy-three minutes,” replied Ponyboy.

“Felt more like five to me.”

“Yeah, time flies when you’re asleep.”

“Okay so we’re at the core, right?”

“Yes, it’s time to track down your parents and the aliens.”

“I’m ready to kick some alien butt,” said Dally.

The first thing we did was prepare ourselves. We put on heat blocking shoes, gloves, and masks. I felt like an astronaut wearing all that equipment. When we arrived to the center of the core, we spotted the alien’s base. Ten stories high and two hundred feet wide, I knew my parents were in there somewhere. But I also knew the aliens were in there too. I still was not sure on how the boys were planning on defeating these earth bound creatures, but I knew we would because of what they have accomplished before.

It turns out that all of our equipment looked similar to the alien’s features. We already looked the part, now we just needed to act it. The plan was to sneak into the base, find where they hid my parents, and get out. I don’t think Dally wanted it to go that smoothly though. I think he wanted a fight, just to prove he could beat some alien butt.

“Is everyone ready?” Soda asked.

“Yep,” we all replied in unison.

“Let’s get going. All we need to do is stay calm no matter what we see in there. Let’s hope for the best, and expect the worse. Who knows what these freaks have going on.” I could see that Ponyboy must be good at pep talks. “If we get into any harm, I’ll run back to the ship, minimize it, and come back for you guys, okay?” We all figured this was a good plan, considering Ponyboy was the fastest, being on the track team and all.

“You must be really brave to risk coming back here by yourself just to save us, Ponyboy.” I complimented.

“This kid? Why he’s one of the bravest and most loyal kids you’ll ever meet. Remember when he ran away with to keep Johnny safe and still stayed by his side? Now that’s being brave and being a loyal fellow,” intrigued Soda.

We walked on into the base as casually as someone possibly could. As we got halfway through the long corridor, we discovered something that you might call a human zoo. My parents were not the only ones who had been abducted. There were probably a total of fifty parents in the whole section.

“Guys! Look! It’s my parents! Oh my God! We have to get them!” I whispered.

“Alright, time to really get this plan in motion.” Said Dally with a mischievous look on his face.

“Regan, you have to go distract the aliens. It’s the only way possible. We three know a way to discreetly sneak out your parents. Please go distract them,” bargained Ponyboy.

The aliens were not that hard to distract. I used the translator on my mask to communicate with them and tell them there was a problem with the cooling system. The best way to possibly distract them was to ask them to follow me while the other three stayed behind “on guard.” When we got to the cooling system, I decided to actually break it. Not only would we get my parents back, but those freaks would end up melting with everything else in that stupid core. They deserved it. They deserved whatever bad karma came their way.

While the two guard aliens had their backs to me, I decided to make a run for it. I sprinted like a cheetah trying to catch its prey. No one was back in the cage section so I knew they must’ve made it back to the ship. I knew I needed to stop running, to stop and take a deep breath before I stuck out too much. The last thing I needed was to get caught and questioned without the Greasers here to protect me. As I finally approached the ship, I noticed my parents, Soda, and Ponyboy were on the ship. But where was Dally?

“Where’s Dally?” I asked anxiously without even acknowledging my parents.

“He got caught. He wanted us to make a run for it. No matter what, he wanted us to go. He cares too much about all of us. This is just like when he let Johnny and I have his gun and gave us a place to stay even though he could get in trouble,” ensured Ponyboy. I felt my face drain of color. I bet I was as white as a sheet of paper.

“But, it’s alright Regan. We’re coming up with a plan right now. You don’t need to worry. Dally’s a good fighter. He’ll fight no matter what. I remember for the big rumble, he was in the hospital but wouldn’t take no for an answer. I know he’ll be just fine. I know it may seem hard to understand, but think about it. We all love Dally, but out of us three, he’d be the most likely to survive.” Soda was so caring and knew it was right. Now I know why Ponyboy always went to him when he needed someone to listen or needed advice. He’s willing to put aside his feelings to see past everything and do what’s right just like he did when he sent that letter to Ponyboy after Pony ran away.

“What we need,” explained Ponyboy, “is something to distract those aliens. Something they wouldn’t know how to react too.”

At that moment, something blinking on the ship caught my eye.

“Hey Pony, what does this button do?” I asked.

“That button will take any inanimate object and make it real. Why?”

“I’ll be right back!” I shouted as I dashed to the chill center to grab my stuffed teddy bear. With an agitated look on my face, I asked if he could change my cherished toy into a live beast.

“Regan, that’d be perfect! We could instruct him to scare those aliens! The perfect distraction for Dally to get away,” said Soda.

“Look, I know how hard this is for you. You know how I love sunsets and poetry? Well, I’m always on the run now with my boys and never have time for either. I know what it’s like to have to give up something you love.” Ponyboy said sympathetically. He really is such a sensitive and charming boy.

“Well, let’s just get this over with I guess.”

I held out my teddy bear, said my good bye, and let Ponyboy press the animating button. With a quick flash of light, my bear was no longer sweet and fluffy. In front of me stood the most massive grizzly bear I’ve ever seen before. He definitely look liked he belonged in the zoo where he could be tamed.

“Alright bear, your job is to get my friend Dally. You need to scare the aliens away and distract them long enough for him to get back here. Do you think you could do that, buddy?” I asked with a tear in my eye, knowing I would never get my childhood friend back.

He sprinted in the other direction with an understanding look in his eyes. As we sat there in anticipation, I decided to reconnect with my parents. We spoke of how this whole dilemma started and how I met up with the Greasers. Then Dally popped into the doorway!

“Dally!” All three of us shouted as soon as he walked in. There was something different about him. When I looked at his face, I realized what it was. There was a huge scar on it, still bleeding from whatever happened.

“Dally! Your face! What happened?!” I exclaimed.

“Well, I’m not going to lie. I’m probably the most real person you’ll ever meet and I think they wanted to cut me to pieces for examination. This bear came just in time! It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. I mean a bear here in the core?” Dally was a very sincere person. He never tried to cover things up. With the life he’s lived, I can’t say I blame him.

“Thank Regan for that. She gave up her child hood friend. We used the animation button to bring him to life and save you,” explained Soda.

“Thank you Regan! You saved my life!” Dally gratefully announced.

I just shrugged to that. I mean, yeah, sure I was happy about saving Dally. But, I was so bereaved over losing the best friend any one could ask for. We all decided it was time to set off on our journey home. We’d had enough excitement at the core of the Earth for one day. We basically repeated the process. Fell asleep with Soda being the one to stay up, minimized, woke up, maximized, and we were home! It felt magnificent to be home, safe and sound with both my parents!

“Well guys, this is it,” said Ponyboy.

“Hey, I just want to say thank you so much. Without you three, my parents never would’ve returned home safely. You have no clue how much this whole day meant to me.” I sincerely said.

“No problem Regan. It felt good to save your parents. Show them no good rotten aliens they can’t take over the world, at least not on our watch,” explained Ponyboy.

“It was my pleasure helping you Regan. You really are a great kid,” added Soda.

“Aw, thanks Soda. That means a lot. Dally; I want to especially thank you. You were in charge and had to make all the plans, but yet you still stayed emotionally strong.”

“Yeah kid, I’ve learned that you need to be strong. It’s the only way to get through life. Especially for me. I think it’s time we go now.”

“Make sure you think of us often whenever you’re having a bad day or need help,” said Soda.

“Good bye Regan,” said Ponyboy.

“Goodbye Greasers!” I sadly responded.

“One more thing, it’s time to wake up. The story for Ms. Woods is not gonna write itself kid. Wake up!” Dally yelled.

In an instant, I was awake. My mom was standing next to my bed saying I need to wake up and write my story if I wanted to go anywhere that day. So I sat down at my laptop and started out with: '“Mom? Dad? Is anyone home? Hello?” I questioned as I rose out of bed to a strange silence.'