Kingdom Keepers Boxed Set

by Ridley Pearson

  “But what about the remote control? If we got in trouble, couldn’t you use that to cross us back over?”

  “If your DHIs were all in the same place at the same time. Yes, that’s more than likely possible. But they could prevent that easily enough.”

  “By keeping our DHIs apart.” Finn didn’t like what he was hearing. “So, what am I supposed to do?” he asked. Wayne was making it sound as if there was no hope: they were doomed.

  “You need to stay awake. You need to find where the real Jezebel is being kept,” Wayne explained. “And you need to find that second server and take it back. At the very least, you need to crash it. But only once Jezebel is safe and you see that she’s fully awake. I wouldn’t mind if you contacted me then as well. If you crash that server before saving Jezebel…well…I’m not sure you or anyone else will ever see her again.”

  “And if they catch you sleeping, then the same applies to you.”

  “Never mind about me. It’s Jezebel we must concentrate on.”

  “Why? Who is she?” Finn asked, hearing something different, something urgent, in Wayne’s voice. He knew something he wasn’t sharing.

  Wayne grimaced. He looked sternly into the camera. “It’s not for me to say.”

  “But you know?”

  “I suspect. Knowing and suspecting are two different things.”

  “Then tell me.”

  “I can’t. That wouldn’t be fair to her or you. For one thing, I could be wrong. Listen, Finn, there are powers at work far greater than my own. It’s not for me to guess. If you’re to learn about Jezebel, it will have to come from another source.”

  “Amanda.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “They’re sisters.”

  “That’s a loosely thrown around term, now isn’t it, Finn? We’re all sisters and brothers, depending how far back you go.”

  “They aren’t sisters,” Finn said, seeking an answer.

  “It isn’t for me to say. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Find Jez,” Finn said, repeating his instructions. “Find and crash the second server. Recover it if we can.

  “It’s challenge enough, I know,” Wayne said. “But the bigger challenge will be how quickly you can accomplish any of this. You absolutely must have Jezebel safe and the server crashed before any of you fall asleep. If you sleep, you very well may be crossed over into that second server, the Overtakers’ server, and that would leave you—the real Finn—”

  “SBS,” Finn said, cutting him off. “The Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

  “You’re afraid?” said Finn sarcastically. “How do you think I feel?”

  “There’s one last thing I need to explain.”

  Wayne was constantly doing this: holding stuff back, and Finn found it frustrating and annoying. It was as if…as if he were testing him.

  “You’re surprised your friends haven’t IMed you,” Wayne said.

  “Yes.” But how do you know that?

  “And you’re probably wondering how I know that.”

  “Okay. You win.”

  “You’ll find them in your private room inside VMK. Maybe I’ll have time to explain about VMK at some point. For now, all you need to know is that I sent your friends the same link and password I just gave you. When we end this chat, all you have to do is click on the VMK logo on the landing page. It’ll link you directly to VMK.”

  “No way!” Excitement filled Finn. He had loved the virtual community. The idea of returning…

  “I promise you it’s true. Remember the link: dgamer-dot-com, forward slash VMK. You’ll use the same user ID and password I’ve just given you. And by the way, something you may need…There’s a new Web terminal in Camp Minnie Mickey. It’s supposed to be used for making Disney vacations reservations, but if you click on Dream Vacations and type the password I gave you, it will grant you Web access and through it, a way into VMK.”

  “But Camp Minnie Mickey is in the Animal Kingdom?” Finn said.

  “Once you’re inside VMK, if you need me type my name. It won’t show in the text box, but I’ll see it and I’ll come find you. Trust no one, not even the avatars in VMK. The Overtakers are everywhere. Take every precaution you can.”

  “But I’m going to Animal Kingdom?” Finn said, repeating himself. After all he’d been told, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get anywhere near the park.

  “You must find Maleficent and destroy the second server. So, yes. You and the others are going to Animal Kingdom.”

  Wayne turned to look over his shoulder again. “Oh, no…” he said, his voice panicked. The screen erupted into static, and Wayne was gone.

  * * *

  Finn found his way to to the DHIs’ private room inside the Virtual Magic Kingdom. He was disappointed he didn’t have time to enjoy being back in VMK. The game was nearly empty of players, and the effect was chilling. As he reached and entered the room, he found Maybeck sitting on a virtual couch; Willa and Charlene were over in a corner, their text boxes filled with dialogue about what had happened during the lightning storm.

  Philby stood near to the room’s only door, guarding the entrance. Text bubbles appeared above each of the avatars as the Kingdom Keepers began “talking.”

  philitup: he’s here

  mybest: about time

  Maybeck’s avatar stood up and crossed to the door, meeting up with Finn. Quickly the other avatars swarmed around Finn as well.

  willatree: we got the message to wait, but we worried what it meant.

  Finn: it was_ _ _ _ _. He’d forgotten that the VMK server wouldn’t allow him to type Wayne’s name.

  philitup: who?

  Finn: the old guy with the white hair, five letters.

  mybest: you mean_ _ _ _ _? But the system again refused the name. where’s he been?

  Finn: he appeared on my IM buddy list and we had a video chat, he’s in trouble, we’re all in trouble.

  philitup: and?

  Finn: serious problems, philby, stay by the door, we don’t want anyone entering unannounced and reading us.

  Philby’s and Maybeck’s avatars pushed the couch to block the room’s entrance. Philby stood there, just behind the couch, while the others moved to the far side of the room. Charlene brushed her hair in the mirror. Maybeck’s avatar shot free throws at a basketball hoop on the wall.

  Finn described the meeting with Wayne as simply as possible.

  Finn: the Animal Kingdom is installing a DHI server—animal hosts as guides, our old friend thinks the original server may have been cloned, possibly when Maleficent was hiding out in the server room, remember that? if that’s right, the Overtakers may have their own DHI server, or they may have control of the new one at AK. that means if we go to sleep they may be able to cross us over—to control us and prevent our return, we’d be in perma-sleep the same way Maybeck was at Space Mountain. Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.

  willatree: Jez’s DHI

  Finn: exactly, that was them, it confirms some kind of second server is up and working.

  philitup: are you saying we can’t go to sleep?

  Finn: he’s warning us not to.

  philitup: exactly how long does he think we can stay awake?

  Finn: depends on how much Coke we can drink.

  angelface13: i’m tired right now. Charlene’s avatar finally turned away from the mirror.

  mybest: this is crazy.

  Finn: we can do whatever we want, he’s just warning us.

  mybest: not to sleep.

  Finn: yes.

  mybest: and I’m saying that’s crazy.

  philitup: so what’s the drill?

  Finn: we find jez and get her to safety, then we find or destroy this cloned DHI server and put it out of commission.

  mybest: all before we go to sleep.

  Finn: that’s the safest for all of us

  It was a long time before any dialogue lines appeared above any of the avatars. Finally, Willa’s avatar
stepped away from the others.

  willatree: if it was my sister, i’d be freaking out

  angelface13: same here.

  mybest: do we know they’ve got her in AK?

  Finn: remember the monkeys we saw tonight? they’ve got to be from the Animal Kingdom! and it fits with what the old guy said about the server—that’s AK as well.

  philitup: AK’s a big park

  angelface13: i love Animal Kingdom

  mybest: we can’t get in there at night without being busted, i don’t need any trouble, my aunt is using my DHI money for my college.

  Finn: the guy who chased philby and me…turns out he’s with the old guy…he can get us in around 5 am, when the park is waking up. there’s work to do before then, we need to know everything there is to know about the park

  mybest: such as?

  Finn: layout and cast members—that’ll be willa. electronics and security—philby, of course, including the coldest buildings, maybeck will find out everything about the animals—their feeding, where they’re kept, how dangerous they are. charlene: we may need costumes, ways to blend in. i’ll IM with amanda. she mentioned her sister’s diary, amanda will be part of this. Anyone have any trouble with that?

  No one typed a thing.

  Finn: okay, good luck getting out of your houses, i’m going on bike, we should all bring our DSs so we can communicate, everyone has one, right?

  He waited. No one came on to say they didn’t own a DS.

  Finn: meet up with a food truck at 4:45 am outside the entrance to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the dapper dan guy will be driving, if anyone can’t make it early, we’ll all meet after the main gates open on the path leading in to the Rainforest Café, agreed?

  mybest: i’m in

  philitup: me too.

  willatree: likewise

  angelface13: what if we can’t find jez?

  Finn had half expected a question like that from Charlene. But he wasn’t prepared for the sinking feeling in his gut as he read it. His fingers hesitated briefly above the keyboard. And then he typed.

  Finn: that’s not an option.

  FINN DIDN’T GET ANY great joy from sneaking out of his house at 1 AM. His parents were pretty good about giving him his privacy and space. The two things they asked in return were honesty and trust. He broke their trust by opening his second-story window and shinny-ing down the fire rope installed for emergencies. The only justification for his actions was that this qualified as an emergency—though he’d never be able to explain it to them. If caught, he’d be grounded for all eternity.

  He quietly walked the Hawk Tracer BMX out to the sidewalk. Then he climbed onto the bike and took off down the sidewalk. It was the most beautiful bike he’d ever owned—silver-and-black frame, monkey bars, alloy levers—and it ripped along, teasing him into trying a few tricks, such as jumping curbs and popping wheelies, which he resisted because of the dark.

  He kept to the residential streets as much as possible, avoiding the busier avenues, afraid that a policeman would stop and question a kid on a bike. It was a long ride, and he settled into a rhythm of slowing at stop signs, looking in all directions for headlights, and then crossing—but never fully stopping. The residential streets were totally quiet and empty of cars. Soon he had two miles behind him. Then three. He crossed two major avenues, finding his way into Orlando’s older neighborhoods, one connecting to another. Finally, the residential gave way to the commercial. He flew past shuttered buildings, businesses of every kind: psychic readings, dry cleaning, a yarn store, a bakery, dozens of restaurants and coffee shops, dog grooming, curtains and drapes, lamps, a half dozen banks, and a copy shop. He spotted the red tile roof and stucco walls of a building he’d been to once before. Amanda’s house.

  It had a tall, stained-glass window in the front, just below a squared-off steeple that showed a white angel against a blue background. Maybe it had once been a church.

  He pulled the bike around back to an apron of cracked blacktop that had once been a parking lot. He locked the BMX to a metal railing and then circled the building, wondering, What now? He’d never been inside Amanda’s house before, though he assumed, from what she’d said, that she and Jez had separate bedrooms. Each ground-level window had a grid of heavy wrought-iron bars on the outside to protect against burglars; it gave Finn a ladder to climb. He went from the railing to the bars on a window, grabbed hold of an iron pipe running from the gutters, threw a knee up over the edge, and pulled himself onto the Spanish-tile roof. He walked gingerly, for the first tile he stepped on cracked.

  A shade was pulled down blocking the first window he reached. Finn edged around the corner to another window with its shade up. There was a small solar panel propped up on the window ledge. It was dark behind the glass. Finn cupped his face to the glass and was able to make out an empty bed. There were no posters on the wall—no artwork at all. The place looked dumpy and unlived-in. He took this to be Jez’s room. There were no bars across the second-story windows, so he tried to open one, but it didn’t budge. He moved along slowly; the roof was steeply pitched. The Spanish tile felt smooth and slippery beneath his sneakers.

  The last window on this side had its shade up, but gauzy curtains were pulled across it. It also had the same kind of solar panel outside—this one taped to the jamb. He tried cupping his eyes with his hands to the glass but could barely see anything in the dark room. What he did see was a pair of sneakers on the floor: Amanda’s black high-tops. Convinced he had the right room, he tapped lightly on the pane. Waited. Tapped again.

  All at once, black objects fled from the overhead eves. Bats! Finn instinctively jumped back, slipped, and fell face-first to the curved tile roof. He reached out and clawed his fingertips into the windowsill. Just then, the curtains sprang back, and there was Amanda looking out the rain-stained window at him, her face a sleepy, twisted knot of curiosity. She wore a spaghetti-strap top and plaid pajama bottoms.

  Finn’s fingers slipped an inch, leaving scratch marks on the sill. Another half inch, and he was gone.

  Amanda threw open the window and grabbed both his wrists. They locked grips. She put her foot to the wall and heaved and pulled. Finn grabbed the inside of the sill, got his knees under him, and, with her help, climbed inside.

  “Sorry,” he whispered.

  “The front door is easier,” Amanda said in a normal voice. “Or you could have called.”

  “Shhh!” he said, ducking low, as if that would help.

  “Why?” she said, again in her normal voice. “I’m the only one here.”

  “What?”

  “I…ah…” Amanda switched on the light. It was a dim compact fluorescent bulb hanging from a wire that led to a car battery. A second wire led from the battery to the window and the solar panel beyond. As Finn took all this in, Amanda spoke, but unlike the Amanda he knew, she wasn’t telling the truth. “Our mother…my mother…she…she…her sister down in Boca needed her. She had to leave suddenly. Left me by myself.”

  “All alone?”

  “I’m a big girl.”

  “You’re fourteen. My parents never leave me alone overnight.” He paused as their situation sank in. “You’re alone? We’re alone?” He spoke in his normal voice.

  He took in the light, the battery, and the solar panel outside the window. He saw no light in the hallway. He’d seen no other lights from the street.

  “We are. Stay there.” She went to a closet and put on a robe. She sat down on the edge of her bed and pointed to a rickety chair at the desk.

  Finn moved the chair closer.

  “It’s two in the morning,” she said. “Just for the record.”

  The air from the open window was cool. The curtains danced at the sides. Amanda stood and closed the window. “Whoa!” she said. “Check it out!”

  It took Finn a moment to spot the bat hanging upside down from the eaves above the window. It was big, though Finn didn’t want to appear scared by a bat. It had a blue iridescence to its black
wings, tucked at its sides. It looked dangerous.

  “Creepy,” he said.

  “There are a lot of bats here,” she said. “I think they live in the attic. Though that’s the biggest one I’ve seen, by far.”

  She pulled the curtains, shuddered, and sat back down on the bed. “They make the weirdest sounds at night. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping.”

  “Flying rodents. Never been a big fan. I’m not one of those guys with rats for pets. No thanks.”

  “I’ve never had a pet.”

  “Seriously?”

  “We moved around a lot.” She blushed and looked away; he wondered what that was about.

  “You remember Wayne?” he asked.

  Her eyes went wide. “I thought he’d disappeared.”

  “Yeah, So did I.” Finn went on to explain his encounter with Wayne, and then the meeting that had followed. Amanda interrupted several times, clarifying the connection between Jez’s disappearance, her DHI being seen at the Magic Kingdom, and the possibility that the DHI server had been cloned.

  She sat for several long minutes with her head in her hands, her hair cascading over her forearms and forming a veil she hid behind.

  “I’m going to trust you,” she said.

  Finn felt a shiver. He looked up at the bat, a long, dark silhouette seen through the translucent curtains. “Okay,” he said.

  “I can trust you, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Because I’m not supposed to tell anyone.”

  He didn’t say anything, but she had every cell in his body focused on her.

  “Most people, they would never believe it. And that’s a good thing. It’s better if people don’t believe it. It’s safer for everyone. There’s some saying about hiding behind ignorance, isn’t there? There should be, if there isn’t. Am I rambling?”

  “Sort of.”

  “Nervous.”