Shortly after seeing Vince return without T.J. the group hear he has been captured and follow Vince.
"We came to this clearing and that's where we-" Vince gets cut off as they see T.J. is no longer where he was left.
"He's gone." Gus says.
"Poor T.J." Mikey says.
"I sure hope he is ok." Alexis says.
"His baseball card. Why did I leave him? I should have stayed. I should of done something." Vince says.
"Hey you did what any kid would of done." Spinelli says.
"Yea ran for your life an left your friend hanging there." Gus says as Alexis gently elbows him in his side.
"What?.. Oh oops wrong choice of words." Gus says as he realizes what he said.
"Look they've clearly taken him back to their pen. We don't have much time lets go." Gretchen says as everyone follows her to where the kindergarteners are.
"The place is deserted they could be anywhere." Gus says.
"They've probably migrated to their return campment." Gretchen says.
"What have they done with T.J.?" Vince asks.
"Yea I don't see him anywhere." Alexis says.
"Maybe they let him go." Gus says.
"Maybe he fought his way out." Spinelli says.
"I'm afraid there's a limitless possibility of a friendless pluset scenario." Gretchen says holding a broken doll.
"We gotta find him you guys. Wherever we have to go. No matter how long it takes we gotta find him." Vince says.
"We're with you Vince lets go." Spinelli says.
"You know I understand they use every part of the tricycle." Gretchen says holding a wheel before they get going finding things letting them know the kindergarteners were there.
"Chocolate." Gretchen says.
"So they were here." Vince says.
"Yea but its dry the trail is cold they could be anywhere by now." Gretchen says.
"I'm not giving up." Vince says.
"No one said anything about giving up." Spinelli says.
"Well actually I may have said something." Gus says.
"Well we're not we're gonna find T.J. or gonna die trying." Vince says.
*Timeskip*
"Please I didn't see nothing." A kid says.
"Come on we know they were here." Spinelli says as she pins a kid against a wall.
"Please I don't know what your talking about I- ok! Ok! They were here. He was here. Me and the others were just hanging out on the jungle gym and suddenly they was all around us. We was lucky to get out alive." The kid says.
"Was there a fourth grader with them?" Vince asks.
"I don't know." The kid asks as Vice grabs the kids shirt.
"I said was there a fourth grader with them?" Vince asks.
"I don't know I didn't see I just ran ok. I just ran." The kid says as he starts crying.
"Let him go Vince he didn't see anything." Mikey says as Vince lets the kid go.
"But I'll tell you one thing. If there was a fourth grader with them I wouldn't hold out much hope." The kid says. Alexis and the others then start asking around trying to find T.J. but get no luck.
"We've looked everywhere Vince." Mikey says.
"Face it we're not gonna find him." Gus says.
"I hate to say it but things aren't looking good Vince." Alexis says.
"If the kindergarteners still have him we may not wanna find him." Spinelli says.
"Come on guys we cant give up. This is T.J. we're talking about." Vince says.
"Guys! Guys! Look what I found." Gretchen says holding a lollipop with a bite out of it.
"What's that?" Mikey asks.
"A half eaten lollipop and its still wet." Gretchen says.
"But that means." Vince says.
"Right they cant be far now." Gretchen says.
"I knew it come on lets go." Vince says.
"Wait!" Mikey says.
"What is it?" Vince asks.
"Can have the rest of the lollipop?" Mikey asks.
*Timeskip*
"There it is lets go." Vince says as they see the cage but upon getting closer they see its empty.
"There gone." Gus says.
"We must have just missed them." Gretchen says.
"We were so close. So close." Vince says.
"Hey look a winger dinger." Mikey says as he picks the candy up and the group is caught in a net and the kindergarteners come out of their hiding places.
"Well at least we found them." Mikey says.
*Timeskip*
"What are the gonna do to us?" Vince asks.
"Who knows probably the same thing they did to T.J." Gretchen says.
"Oh heartless fiends." Mikey says as someone comes out of the bushes revealing to be T.J. looking like the kindergarteners.
"Oh man it's T.J." Spinelli says.
"What have they done to him?" Mikey asks.
"T.J. is it really you?" Vince asks.
"T.J. gone. I big kid now." T.J. says.
"He's become one of them." Gretchen says.
"T.J. listen to me your not one of them your one of us." Vince says.
"No I am kindergartener. I am kindergartener!" T.J. yells.
"No your not a kindergartener. Your T.J. and I'm Vince." Vince says.
"Vince." T.J. says.
"That's right T.J. and this is Spinelli and that's Mikey, Gretcen, Gus, and Alexis." Vince says.
"We're your friends your one of us." Gretchen says.
"No!" T.J. yells.
"Yes T.J. your a fourth grader. You don't like finger painting and naps you like kickball and four square and little league." Vince says.
"Little league." T.J. says.
"And baseball T.J. you love baseball look." Vince says as he gives T.J. his baseball card.
"Kerby Puckett." T.J. says as he reads the card.
"Yes T.J. yes." Vince says as T.J. looks at the kindergarteners and then at Alexis and the others before breaking down crying.
"It'll be ok man it'll be ok." Vince says.
*Timeskip*
"Here let me tie them for you." Spinelli says as she helps T.J. tie his shoes.
"Shoes. Underpants. I just cant get used to all this stuff." T.J. says.
"Hey man it takes time I mean you were out there for hours. Don't worry soon you'll be back to normal." Vince says.
"Whatever happened out there you can put it all behind you." Gus says.
"Yea your back with us now it'll be ok." Alexis says.
"Yes your terrifying ordeal is over." Gretchen says.
"No you guys you don't understand. I uh I liked it." T.J. says.
"You liked it!?" Vince asks.
"Imagine it guys. When your a kindergartener you eat whatever you want do whatever you want go wherever you wanna go. There's no rules. When you paint you don't use a brush you just stick your hand right in the paint and feel the color and you take naps guys right in the middle of the day. Do you have any idea how refreshing that is?" T.J. asks.
"But T.J. it so primitive." Gus says.
"Primitive maybe so but I was free you guys I was free in fact there's a part of me that wishes I could go back." T.J. says.
"But T.J. you cant go back." Gus says.
"He's right even they cant go back." Gretchen says.
"What do you mean Gretchen?" T.J. asks.
"Don't you see the ray of life is coming to an end and this time next year they'll be first graders." Gretchen says.