Ridley Pearson - Power Play

“KK rules!” he called back to Charlene. His team had long since agreed that when in the Parks no one flew solo. The Overtakers took advantage of Keepers off on their own. In pairs or teams their chances for survival increased.

Finn shoved his way through the crowd, catching only fleeting glimpses of the back of Amanda’s head. She was wasting no time trying to get out of there. She disappeared down the staircase-much too far ahead to hear him calling after her.

Charlene closed in from behind him.

He glanced over the rail, looking down, hoping to catch a glimpse of Amanda as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

His breath caught.

Not possible.

Snow White’s Evil Queen stood amid a torrent of admirers, all begging for autographs. But the Evil Queen wasn’t looking at her fans; she was locked onto Finn like a laser-guided missile.

He jumped back from the rail, out of the way of her gaze. A shudder of terror flooded him. If it was a legitimate Cast Member, fine. But if it was an Overtaker-if it was the real Evil Queen-then she could throw spells, conjure curses, mix potions to transfigure herself into an ugly old peddler offering a poisoned apple. In short, she was nothing to mess with.

Amanda!

He yanked his phone out of his pocket and sent a group text:

Possible OTs in DQ. Head 2 bus ASAP

Hopefully that would get the others moving. Presently, his job was to get Amanda and Charlene out of there.

The four other Keepers had smart phones just like his-gifts from Wayne and the Imagineers. Amanda and Jess didn’t have phones. Even if they’d had the money to buy them-and they didn’t-Mrs. Nash didn’t allow her girls to have phones.

Charlene caught up to him and he launched himself down the crowded stairwell, fighting through the throng. As he neared the bottom of the stairs, Amanda came into view again.

The Queen turned to look at Finn. He averted his eyes, fearing a spell. She walked toward him, the bubble of her admirers moving with her. He stole one more glance in her direction only to realize she wasn’t looking at him but over his head. He looked behind him…

…at Charlene.

From the step above, Charlene lowered her eyes to Finn and said, “What’s she doing here?”

“You know who that is?” Finn asked, surprised.

“Of course I know who that is!”

“I’ve never seen her before. Not the real one.”

“The real one? Is that the real one?”

“What do you think? You feel like giving her the pinch test?”

“AMANDA!” Charlene cried out loudly. She waved furiously, trying to get Amanda to turn around and join them. But Amanda was too caught up in the reason for her running off in the first place. Even more furious seeing Finn and Charlene on the steps together, she heaved through the crowd, ever closer to the Evil Queen.

“I texted the others,” he tried telling Charlene. But then he saw what she was up to: she was taking a photo of the Queen.

Charlene mumbled, “What’s she doing outside of the Parks?”

“Technically,” he said, “we’re on Disney property.” He led her down the stairs, fighting his way toward Amanda. Charlene followed.

“Technically,” she said, calling over his shoulder, “she belongs in the Magic Kingdom. The afternoon parade. Some autographing. Not inside DisneyQuest.”

“Maybe it’s part of our school event,” Finn suggested. He wanted an easy explanation; he wanted to be told this was a Cast Member, maybe a college student in costume.

The Queen was slowed by her fans.

Amanda had disappeared, hopefully into an elevator or down another stairwell to the ground floor, where a variety of rides gave way to a long hallway and an exit that passed through the gift shop.

The Evil Queen seemed caught up in her popularity-a woman pulled in two directions, but favoring admiration over purpose. Finn and the Keepers had long since learned that the by-products of fame-the adoring crowds wanting autographs and souvenirs, the people invading your space away from the Parks-was a different, but very real challenge.

Charlene grabbed Finn’s hand. He led her through the crowd, coming incredibly close to the Queen, but her fans formed a wall, and they passed by as quickly as they’d arrived. He let go of Charlene’s hand and bounded down the less-crowded stairway.

He ran and caught up to Amanda, turning her by the shoulder.

“Wait up!” he said.

She spun around, her face streaked with the snail lines of fallen tears.

“Let go!” she said.

“I knew it was the OTs. They’re here.” His eyes refocused toward the entrance of the hallway that led outside. “There!” he said.

Cruella De Vil was looking right at them. Gaunt, pale, and wearing fur in Florida with her trademark cigarette holder in her right hand. She, too, was surrounded by a knot of fans wanting autographs. She raised her cigarette holder and pointed with her long, gloved finger.

“Look, kids,” she said in her creamy voice, “it’s the Kingdom Keepers.”

The mass of fans turned toward Finn and Amanda, just as Charlene caught up to them. “She’s right!”…“It’s them!”…“Let’s go!” Voices echoed off the ceiling and walls.

A mass of kids abandoned Cruella and rushed toward them.

Finn pulled Amanda to him protectively.

Amanda said, “Oh…no…” pointing back toward the stairway.

The Evil Queen.

The three of them were sandwiched.

Charlene’s attention was on the low ceiling decorated with fishing nets and metal sculpture.

“I can handle this,” she said. “Stay with me! I have an idea.” She broke away from them just before the fans enveloped Finn and Amanda.

Finn had learned that the only thing worse than a hyper fan was an angry fan. No matter what, he didn’t want to make any of the kids mad or they would harass and glue themselves to him, complaining and shouting and taking an attitude.

“Hey! How ya doing?” he said.

Amanda looked curiously at Finn, wondering what he was starting. But he knew what he was doing; he’d done it plenty of times before. Offered a pen, he started signing forearms, hands, the back of shirts. The crowd pressed in more tightly, everyone eager to get an autograph. This was what Charlene had immediately understood: their fans would protect them.

Given the distraction, Charlene had scrambled up the wall like a tree frog and was currently hanging upside down from the lights attached to the ceiling. As she moved, so did the human wall surrounding Finn and Amanda-the fans were leaping up and trying to touch her, applauding her, screaming her name. As long as Finn and Amanda stayed below her, the protective wall of fans that encircled them moved with her, keeping the Evil Queen and Cruella at a distance.

The two Overtakers-they had to be Overtakers-were also trying to push through to Finn and Amanda, but it was no use; they weren’t going to beat out fifty wild fans.

Charlene continued on the ceiling toward the hallway. Finn and Amanda and their fans moved with her.

As the group reached the hallway, the room narrowed. Charlene dropped. Finn pushed rudely through that side of kids, dragging Amanda with him. A gloved hand caught his shoulder.

Taller than the young fans, the Evil Queen had reached above their heads and caught him.

She said, “You cannot stop us. We will do this with or without your help. If you run, you’d better keep running.”

He ran.

Down the hall at a sprint, twenty of the screaming kids close behind. Through the turnstile, the gift shop, and into fresh air. Finn had rarely ever run so hard, and yet both girls were several paces ahead of him and increasing their leads.