Read Online Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ridley Pearson
Ads: Link
heard.
Finn leaned forward, as did everyone else. For a moment they were in a tight huddle.
Finn said, “I think it’s time we turn Amanda and Jess into DHIs.”
9
T HE MAGIC KINGDOM closed at nine o’clock that night; Finn went to bed at nine-fifteen. So did Philby, Maybeck, Willa, and Charlene. Had their parents and guardians communicated, perhaps the plans of their children might have been revealed, perhaps someone would have stopped them. Instead, Finn said good night to his parents, who were currently caught up in an episode of Survivor , closed his bedroom door and, fully clothed, climbed between the sheets.
He’d long since learned that he couldn’t will himself asleep. If he tried to make it happen, he only prolonged his wakefulness. Philby had given him a book on self-hypnosis that included a series of relaxation techniques; Charlene had given every Kingdom Keeper A New History of the Roman Empire , a book so dense, so turgid, that no human being could read it for more than ten minutes without dozing off. Maybeck had recommended some songs to be downloaded to their iPods; he found them soothing and a gateway to sleep. Finn used a combination of all three: he listened to music while reading about the Romans and flexing his ankles and doing deep breathing exercises. He fell into a deep sleep ten minutes later.
* * *
The air smelled bitter, the result of the fireworks at the park’s closing. Finn found himself sitting on a low concrete retaining wall next to a life-size bronze statue of Mickey Mouse holding hands with Walt Disney. Beyond Walt and Mickey, Cinderella’s Castle was washed in a rich blue light, its spires stabbing the night sky. No matter how many times he visited, the magic here remained. For all the cynicism of his jealous friends at school who teased him about his now permanent connection to this place, he loved the Magic Kingdom and understood it would always be a part of him. “Fancy meeting you here.” Maybeck was sitting on the concrete walkway, his back against the metal fence. His eyes hid behind a pair of sunglasses. His dark clothing would help him blend in with the night and included a pair of black Converse basketball shoes. He looked cool, and that annoyed Finn. Maybeck couldn’t help himself—he was the kind of guy who didn’t ever try for cool, but always had it. Maybe it was the artist in him. Maybe it was that he didn’t have parents and he’d had to forge an identity for himself out of what his aunt offered. Maybe some kids understood stuff others didn’t and Maybeck was one of the ones who did. He had this thing about him, part attitude, part confidence, part selfish knuckleheadedness. Whatever it was, Finn would have given up a lot to understand it. To grasp it. There were times he disliked it, was revolted by it. There were other times, like now, when he coveted it.
“Have you seen the others?”
“That would be no,” Maybeck answered. He opened his hand and showed Finn that he’d retrieved the fob from the bushes where Finn had tossed it. Maybeck passed it to Finn, who pocketed it.
The Kingdom Keepers each had to hit a patch of deep sleep in order to cross over. They seldom all arrived at once, but instead appeared over ten to twenty minutes. Finn now carried the device that could alone return them to their beds. At some point he would hide it so that any of them could use it, in case he were captured. He couldn’t allow the remote to be captured along with him.
“Are you okay with this?” Finn asked. Maybeck had been an outspoken opponent of the idea in the ice cream parlor.
“It’s not that I don’t see your point. I do. I think, all things being equal, it would be good to have the sisters with us. Maybe we can’t find Wayne without Jess, like you said. Maybe that’s true. But…and it’s a big but…I think it’s too big a hassle to make it happen. Right? First we’ve got to record them somehow, then Philby has to upload the data. That’s a
Finn leaned forward, as did everyone else. For a moment they were in a tight huddle.
Finn said, “I think it’s time we turn Amanda and Jess into DHIs.”
9
T HE MAGIC KINGDOM closed at nine o’clock that night; Finn went to bed at nine-fifteen. So did Philby, Maybeck, Willa, and Charlene. Had their parents and guardians communicated, perhaps the plans of their children might have been revealed, perhaps someone would have stopped them. Instead, Finn said good night to his parents, who were currently caught up in an episode of Survivor , closed his bedroom door and, fully clothed, climbed between the sheets.
He’d long since learned that he couldn’t will himself asleep. If he tried to make it happen, he only prolonged his wakefulness. Philby had given him a book on self-hypnosis that included a series of relaxation techniques; Charlene had given every Kingdom Keeper A New History of the Roman Empire , a book so dense, so turgid, that no human being could read it for more than ten minutes without dozing off. Maybeck had recommended some songs to be downloaded to their iPods; he found them soothing and a gateway to sleep. Finn used a combination of all three: he listened to music while reading about the Romans and flexing his ankles and doing deep breathing exercises. He fell into a deep sleep ten minutes later.
* * *
The air smelled bitter, the result of the fireworks at the park’s closing. Finn found himself sitting on a low concrete retaining wall next to a life-size bronze statue of Mickey Mouse holding hands with Walt Disney. Beyond Walt and Mickey, Cinderella’s Castle was washed in a rich blue light, its spires stabbing the night sky. No matter how many times he visited, the magic here remained. For all the cynicism of his jealous friends at school who teased him about his now permanent connection to this place, he loved the Magic Kingdom and understood it would always be a part of him. “Fancy meeting you here.” Maybeck was sitting on the concrete walkway, his back against the metal fence. His eyes hid behind a pair of sunglasses. His dark clothing would help him blend in with the night and included a pair of black Converse basketball shoes. He looked cool, and that annoyed Finn. Maybeck couldn’t help himself—he was the kind of guy who didn’t ever try for cool, but always had it. Maybe it was the artist in him. Maybe it was that he didn’t have parents and he’d had to forge an identity for himself out of what his aunt offered. Maybe some kids understood stuff others didn’t and Maybeck was one of the ones who did. He had this thing about him, part attitude, part confidence, part selfish knuckleheadedness. Whatever it was, Finn would have given up a lot to understand it. To grasp it. There were times he disliked it, was revolted by it. There were other times, like now, when he coveted it.
“Have you seen the others?”
“That would be no,” Maybeck answered. He opened his hand and showed Finn that he’d retrieved the fob from the bushes where Finn had tossed it. Maybeck passed it to Finn, who pocketed it.
The Kingdom Keepers each had to hit a patch of deep sleep in order to cross over. They seldom all arrived at once, but instead appeared over ten to twenty minutes. Finn now carried the device that could alone return them to their beds. At some point he would hide it so that any of them could use it, in case he were captured. He couldn’t allow the remote to be captured along with him.
“Are you okay with this?” Finn asked. Maybeck had been an outspoken opponent of the idea in the ice cream parlor.
“It’s not that I don’t see your point. I do. I think, all things being equal, it would be good to have the sisters with us. Maybe we can’t find Wayne without Jess, like you said. Maybe that’s true. But…and it’s a big but…I think it’s too big a hassle to make it happen. Right? First we’ve got to record them somehow, then Philby has to upload the data. That’s a
Similar Books
