The kids listened some more. “You’re right. It’s always Lion King and stuff like that.”
“It’s Jez,” Amanda stated.
“What’s Jez?” Finn asked.
“‘Kiss the Girl’is Jez’s favorite song,” Amanda said. “She abuses that song on her iPod. If it doesn’t belong in this Park, then it’s her. It’s some kind of message.”
“I think you’re more tired than the rest of us,” Maybeck said.
“Which is completely understandable,” Willa chimed in, “given the stress…”
“Listen…listen!” Amanda demanded, raising a finger to try to shut them up. “Raven-Symoné is going to sing ‘Under the Sea’ next.”
“Yeah, right,” said Maybeck. “I suppose if your sister can dream the future, you can hear it.”
“Philby,” Amanda said, “Jez had her iPod with her. Is there some way she could use it over the sound system?”
“Hijack the sound system?” Philby said, considering the question. “Depends, I suppose. If she stripped a wire from the earbuds and tapped into—”
But he was cut off by the music changing.
Raven-Symoné was singing “Under The Sea.”
All the kids went quiet.
Some visitors walked past talking about going on Expedition Everest. The parents sounded reluctant to try the ride.
But it wasn’t the guests that had silenced the kids.
“Coincidence,” Maybeck said in a whisper. He didn’t sound at all convinced.
“It’s Jez,” Amanda countered, her voice noticeably brighter.
“I know for a fact that they never play that song here,” Charlene said from up high. “I believe Amanda. And besides, it’s softer than the regular music—not as loud. It doesn’t sound right.”
“Which would also explain why Finn and I overheard two maintenance guys talking about sound-system problems,” Philby said.
Finn’s face brightened. “That’s right!”
“Then why doesn’t she just send us Morse code, or something?” Maybeck complained.
“Because she can’t give away what she’s done,” Amanda said, trying to think as Jez would think. “She doesn’t want them figuring it out. So she’s trying to communicate with us, without it being really obvious.”
“Wait right here,” Philby said, taking off at a run. The kids watched him go.
They used the downtime to review the page taken from Jez’s diary.
“The animals could symbolize different things,” Willa suggested.
“Like what?” a skeptical Maybeck questioned. “Listen, I see the drawing of the lightning striking a castle, and even I’ve got to admit it’s pretty coincidental. But the rest of these? They’re animals. So what? She likes animals. It doesn’t mean they mean something.”
“It doesn’t mean they don’t,” Amanda countered. “You don’t know Jez. They’re clues. Clues we’re supposed to follow.”
Philby came running toward them.
As he did, there was suddenly no music at all: a rarity in any of the Disney Parks.
Then “Under the Sea” began playing again.
One thing all the kids knew: music never repeated in any of the Parks. Not ever.
Out of breath, Philby said, “It’s playing on this side of the Park and in Asia. Discovery Island and Africa have different music going.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Maybeck said. “How do we know that isn’t always the case?”
Philby explained, “From what I know, the system is designed to be able to move sound around the Park. The parades require that the music follow the floats. It’s a sophisticated, computer-controlled sound system. I’ve never read anything about one half of the Park being sent one kind of music, and the other half another.”
“That confirms it’s Jez,” Amanda said excitedly. “She just repeated ‘Under the Sea.’ We know that song doesn’t belong here, and on her iPod it follows ‘Kiss the Girl.’ Pretty obvious she wants someone to hear it. Maybe us. Maybe someone to try to fix it, someone to go looking for the problem.”
“Or maybe,” said Willa, “the song itself is significant. Ariel. Or Ursula—”
“I hate Ursula,” Charlene tossed out.
“Or it has to do with where they’re keeping her,” Amanda continued. “Or it fits into her dreams in some way.”
“We’ve got to take it seriously,” Willa pleaded, looking at Finn, knowing the decision would somehow be his to make.
Finn felt all eyes fall on him. He stifled a yawn. Every minute was precious. His head was clouded and heavy.
“Let’s run down everything to do with The Little Mermaid,” Finn said.
Maybeck groaned. “Isn’t that wasting time? The bat is real. That monkey is real. The dragon was real. Let’s follow things we can actually see.”
“How do we know that?” Charlene asked from atop her stilts.
“Ariel’s Grotto,” Willa said. “Magic Kingdom.”
“We split up,” Finn said, pulling out a pencil and writing on the back of the photocopy of the diary page. “Maybeck will try to locate the animals and images sketched in the diary. The rest of us will look for anything to do with ‘Under the Sea’ and The Little Mermaid.”
“I don’t know if this counts,” Philby said, “but when you stand in line for Nemo, over at Epcot, the ocean is painted above you. You’re literally under the sea.”
“I like it,” Finn said. He wrote it down.
“The same thing’s true at Hollywood Studios,” Willa said. “On the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, you stand under the sea while waiting.”
“Okay…Okay…” Maybeck said, finally going along. “I don’t know if this counts, but there’s this poster my little sister loves. Always points it out. It’s by the Mickey’s PhilharMagic line. I’m pretty sure it’s says something like ‘A Must Sea,’ spelled S-E-A.”
“That definitely counts,” Finn said, writing this down as well. “Anything else anyone can think of?”
One by one, the others either shook their heads or shrugged.
“It’s a lot. And they’re spread all over the place.”
“It’s a waste of time,” Maybeck cautioned. “It’s just a song.”
“You have your assignment,” Finn said. “Philby will stay and try to figure out the Park’s sound system. Get on to VMK if you can and find Wayne.” He explained how to use the Disney vacation kiosk in Camp Minnie-Mickey. “Maybe he can help.” He turned to Amanda. “You will keep watch for Jez using the Animal Cam at the Conservation Station. Willa will take Ariel’s Grotto and Mickey’s PhilharMagic—both in Magic Kingdom. I’ll take Nemo and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Maybeck, you stay and keep after the monkey and bat. Follow the clues in the diary, working with Charlene. Any problems?”
To his surprise, no one complained or tried to change the assignments. Maybe he actually was the leader.
“All of us have to study this page from the diary. We each have a copy. We need to write down where we’ve seen any of these animals, or images of these animals. This building she drew…this dude wearing a turban. And I’ll call Rob, since his name keeps coming up.”
He met eyes—tired eyes—with Maybeck, and saw Maybeck’s frustration and impatience.
“I’m open to suggestions,” Finn offered.
A silence hung heavily in the air.
It was broken by the music beginning again. “Under the Sea.” Playing now for the third time in a row.
“Two hours,” Maybeck said. “We meet back here.” “Agreed,” Finn said.
The kids scattered.
26
LIKE THE OTHERS, Willa had put her Animal Kingdom Cast Member costume on over her regular clothes. She’d slipped out of the AK costume and had tucked it into a bush outside the gates of the Magic Kingdom. Using the ID Wayne had given her, she was admitted through the CAST MEMBER ONLY line.
She stopped at a pay phone and called her mother. This was critical, because shed snea
ked out in the early hours of the morning before, saying she’d gone to Mass. She did this on her own periodically—something her mother found “dear”—so she knew it wouldn’t raise a suspicion. Her mother was no longer a churchgoer, not since her father’s accident, so the only excuse she had to make now concerned what she was doing with her morning.
“I’m at Disney World,” she told her mother, settling for the truth. For all she knew, the pay phone’s caller ID had already given her away.
“But you’re not allowed. They’ll pull our pass if they catch you.”
“It’s important.”
“What could be that important?”
“I’m doing it for a friend.”
“Doing what?”
“Research.”
“You’re not tangled up with those other kids again, are you?”
“They’re my friends, Mom.”
“They got you into a lot of trouble last time.”
“I’ll be home…later. I’ll call if it’s going to be after dark.”
“It is not going to be after dark, young lady. I want you home by five.”
“I can’t promise that.”
“You can, and you will. I’m still your mother, and if I say five, then it’s five. And remember: stay away from the Magic Kingdom. If they make us give that money back…”
“They won’t, Mom. I’ll call. I love you, Mom.” She hung up. Her mother hadn’t been herself since the accident. In some ways the two of them were closer; in other ways they’d kind of traded roles: Willa felt more like the parent. She wondered why certain things happened in life—happened to some people but not others. Why had she become a DHI? How very different her life would be had she never auditioned for the part. Now she was caught up in something few would believe; she didn’t even believe it herself some of the time. Rescuing a girl who could dream the future? It sounded so stupid. And yet…
She kept her head down on the way to Ariel’s Grotto. If she was spotted, she’d be mobbed by autograph seekers. If busted by Security, they would throw her out and take action. She hoped the little bit of makeup she had on would help disguise her. She promised herself to keep a low profile and get this over with as quickly as possible.
She charged a princess wig and Disney hat onto her credit card. A khaki-colored baseball cap, it was a little large for her head, but it held down the red wig and hid her face well. She walked briskly and turned off Main Street as soon as possible, cutting in along the Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor and looping around toward the grotto. Not a single glance in her direction. The disguise was working.
She stopped at the tentlike structure bearing the name ARIEL’S GROTTO and studied the marquee. It held just the two words with an image of Ariel between them. Some fake flags flew.
If she remembered correctly from the night before, the Ariel parade float was adorned with colorful sculptures of Sebastian, Scuttle, Triton, and Ursula. Did Jez’s musical clue have anything to do with the parade?
After a long wait in line, she stood inside the grotto, where girls lined up to meet Ariel and have their pictures taken with her. She was posed inside a giant clam shell.
“Under the Sea,” Willa was thinking, searching for a possible connection to Jez’s disappearance. The song played repeatedly inside the grotto. With it, she felt a tangible connection to the missing Jez.
Something in here is important to Jez.…
She made herself believe this, having no idea whether or not it was true.
She was now third in line, behind mothers with their daughters lined up to get their photos taken. Behind Ariel, large colorful starfish clung to the aquamarine wall, and next to her was a small wooden chest.
Nothing here seemed of interest save for the chest, the possible contents of which intrigued her. What was in the chest? It looked to be nothing more than a prop—something for young girls to lean against while getting their photos taken. But oh, how Willa wanted a look inside.
She stepped forward, now second in line.
A girl and her mother got their picture taken. The Cast Member playing Ariel was beautiful. She spoke politely to both the mother and daughter, then glanced ahead to Willa.
She motioned Willa forward.
“I think we have something in common,” she said softly. She’d seen past the wig and hair, recognizing Willa.
“Don’t tell,” Willa pleaded. “Please?”
“No way!” Then louder, for others to hear. “Would you like your picture taken?”
“I forgot my camera.”
“Well, then.” Ariel extended her hand for Willa to shake. “Nice to meet you.” She lowered her voice, “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“I have a favor to ask,” Willa said.
“I’m really just here for handshakes and photographs.”
“The treasure chest,” Willa said, pointing to the wooden trunk. “What’s inside?”
“No idea.” Realizing others were listening, she addressed everyone. “I’ve never opened it.”
“Could you please?”
“I’ve never been asked.”
“If you don’t mind?” Willa said.
Ariel clearly didn’t know what to do. She kept her composure, but her eyes wandered as if a handler might step forward to help her. In fact, that was exactly what happened.
“May I help?” a young woman asked.
“This young lady would like me to open the treasure chest,” Ariel explained.
“It’s important,” Willa said in a whisper.
Though the company had never publicly acknowledged the work the Kingdom Keepers had done to save the Magic Kingdom, word had spread through the community. There were few that didn’t know the story by now, both inside and outside the network of Park employees. A book had been written and published as fiction, but many knew the truth.
“How important?” Ariel asked.
Willa raised the baseball cap, revealing herself. A shock of recognition overcame the girl. Willa hoped this was the right thing to do. She lowered her voice. “Did you hear about Tinker Bell last night, during the fireworks?”
Ariel’s eyes widened, and she nodded.
“What is going on here?” the handler whispered hotly into Willa’s ear.
“What? I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t give me that! First Captain Hook comes through our line nosing around where he doesn’t belong, and now you? And not fifteen minutes apart? What is it with you people?” She leaned in even closer. “Are you inspecting us or something?”
“Captain Hook?”
“Don’t give me that.”
“What did he want?”
“Captain Hook’s a walkaround. He doesn’t talk, in case you’ve forgotten. How would I know what he wanted?”
“He was just here?”
“They never used to pull surprise inspections,” the handler complained. “And I don’t like it.”
Willa tried to process all that she was being told. The Overtakers? Here before her? Also interested in Ariel? Why?
“You want your picture taken with me?” Ariel asked. “It would be an honor.” She’d opened the treasure chest for Willa: empty.
Willa felt her head spin. She had to beat Captain Hook—or whoever he was—to Mickey’s Philhar-Magic.
“I’m fine!” she shouted over her shoulder, already hurrying away.
27
FINN ARRIVED AT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS bone-tired, well aware that if he or any of the other Kingdom Keepers fell asleep, they might not be seen again. Ever. Worse, Jez’s disappearance pressured all involved to find her quickly. He was going to be in trouble if this went on much longer. He didn’t put it past his parents to go looking for him at Blizzard Beach. When they failed to find him there…
He hurried down Hollywood Boulevard toward Mickey’s giant sorcerer hat, which towered one-hundred-and-twenty feet over the central plaza. He had his his own cap brim pulled down low over his sunglasses as he kept an eye out for any kids recogn
izing him—he didn’t need that. He would take evasive action if necessary. He identified possible escape routes in each direction.
While checking out a Kodak shop to his left, he spotted a large black crow on the building’s roof. The bird was certainly big enough to draw attention to itself, but Finn’s curiosity ran deeper: it seemed to be staring at him. The bird had its head cocked so that its large black eye was trained down, not just on the street but on Finn. As Finn moved, so did the bird’s head. As Finn hurried up the street, the bird flew and followed, building by building.
Finn might not have taken any notice or interest in a stupid crow, but he couldn’t ignore Maybeck’s tale about being attacked outside the bat enclosure by a flock of birds. He’d been bitten badly by a parrot once and could remember it as if it were yesterday.
Now, hurrying to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, it seemed pretty obvious that the crow was following him. This, in turn, made him search the area to see if there were any other animals nearby. He spotted a group of chickadees in a tree outside the Brown Derby—but they didn’t seem particularly threatening. A solo jay stood watch from a roof overlooking an icecream vendor. Finn’s distraction with the animals caused his attention to falter.
He heard the voice too late. “Aren’t you…him?” A boy of ten or eleven. His parents stood a few feet back, his mother’s face bright with expectancy. Finn glanced around. How had the boy possibly recognized him? He didn’t want this to get out of hand; sometimes signing a single autograph could start a big line.
“Do you like the Magic Kingdom?” Finn asked the boy, who then nodded vigorously.
“The Kingdom Keepers,” the boy said. “You’re Finn. You beat up Maleficent.”
Finn bit back a smirk. “Not hardly. Those are just stories,” he said, accepting an autograph book from the boy. “I’ll sign this, but only if you promise not to tell anyone.” He lowered his voice and said conspiratorially, “I’m here on a mission.”
The boy’s eye went wide. He shook his head, too awed to speak.
“Good.” Finn led the boy over to the sidewalk, where he could sign the autograph book with his back turned to the street. In the Disney Parks, anyone signing anything attracted attention.
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