It seems like the only KK stories I ever write are Amanda-and-Jess. Hm. But I went to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot last week, and I felt like I couldn't be there without writing a fan fic. So here it is, inspired by running around to catch my mom and sister and then getting caught in the rain, coupled with my love for the beginning of KK2, which I have always been able to see perfectly in my mind. I hope you enjoy. :)
(Once again, I used "Jess" for Amanda's sister, even though she was still "Jez" in KK2. I don't know why, but I have issues keeping her "Jez" after she was freed.)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Magic Kingdom, Fairlies, the Kingdom Keepers, Kiss the Girl, or Parades. In fact, I don't even own this story line, because it was in KK2. I am just doing it from another perspective. If you would like Ridley's version, read The Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn, Chapter 2. Thank you, and have a magical day. ;)
"Thank you. Have a magical evening," the Cast Member said.
Jessica Lockhart's sister clutched her arm as they passed through the Magic Kingdom turnstiles, nearly knocking the tickets from her grasp.
"Amanda! Will you chill out?" Jess pulled away, then held out the comp passes in her palm. "Here."
Amanda snatched them up and stuffed them into her pocket. Her eyes, usually a clear, deep brown, looked clouded, and her tan face was pale, causing her freckles to stand out more sharply then usual. "Sorry," she mumbled, wiping her hands on her jean shorts. She straightened the hem of her tee shirt, smoothing out the picture of Bambi, who seemed to be leaping across her midsection. "I should have worn a different shirt."
Jess rolled her eyes and grabbed her sister's wrist. "I think you look just fine. Besides, it's too late to change now, unless you've got money on those tickets and want to by a new one."
Amanda snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. You can't buy a shirt with a ticket! And besides, they're not even mine. They're from—"
"Wayne. I know," Jess said, ignoring the black look Amanda gave her for interrupting. She tugged a little on her wrist, pulling her into the door of a shop on Main Street, USA. "Where do you think we should stand to watch the parade?"
Amanda frowned and checked her watch. "I dunno. But we still have like an hour. We could…"
"Go on Small World?" Jess suggested, half sarcastic and half trying to make a joke. "Or maybe the Haunted Mansion? Oh, I know! Why don't we ride Pirates of the Caribbean?"
"That's not funny," Amanda huffed. She stepped out of the door and kept marching up the street, arms tight at her sides. Jess scurried after her.
"Will you relax?"
As Jess reached Amanda's side, she took her sister's arm again. Amanda turned her face away, blinking furiously. "Oh, don't cry!" Jess exclaimed. She moved to give Amanda a hug. "I know you're nervous and all, and I'm sorry. I didn't—"
Thunder rumbled, stopping Jess mid-sentence. Both girls peered up at the sky, where clouds were fast gathering.
"Oh, no," Amanda whispered.
Jess swallowed hard, her mind flashing to her drawing from that morning. "We have to go to parade!" she had told Amanda. "Something really bad is going to happen if we don't."
"Come on," Amanda now said. "We have to hurry! The earlier we are on the parade route, the better chance we have of catching them."
Jess didn't argue, and the girls hurried down the street arm-in-arm. Jess gazed up at Cinderella Castle as they went, trying not to let her mouth hang open. Even with the stormy sky as a backdrop, it was the most magical and majestic building she had ever seen. She'd seen it before, of course, as Jez, but now…
"Come on!" Amanda repeated, tugging frantically at Jess's arm. The two passed the castle, and Jess focused on where they were going.
"Where do you think we should stand?" Amanda asked nervously.
Jess looked around. "I have no idea. Did you get a map? I haven't…"
Amanda let out another sigh. "Okay, okay. I'll pick." She led Jess into Frontierland. "Let's just see if we can find a good place to wait."
Despite the fact that the parade wouldn't start for another forty-five minutes, the route was already lined with pedestrians. "The DHIs sure are popular," Jess muttered. Amanda, still searching for a spot to sit, either didn't hear or ignored her.
"All the benches are taken, so… here's good," Amanda finally said. She straightened out her shirt again and arched up on her tiptoes. The toes of her black Converse seemed dangerously close to the edge of the sidewalk. Jess pulled her back, and the girls leaned against the wall of a store. "What are we going to say?" Amanda asked.
Jess didn't respond to that, partially because she didn't know and partially because she was tired of Amanda's whining. Instead, she pulled her iPod out of her pocket and stuck in her ear buds. "Kiss the Girl" started playing, and Jess turned it up, ignoring Amanda's disgusted expression and bobbing her head to the music.
"Yes, you want her, look at her, you know you do…"
"Jess!" Amanda yanked on the cord, popping out her right ear bud.
"Hey! I was listening to—"
"Look," Amanda said, pointing back at the castle.
"Is that a weather balloon?" Jess asked incredulously.
"That's what it looks like." Amanda frowned, her whole face wrinkling up into what Jess recognized as her worried look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Disney wants to teach us all our history, so they're going to pull a Ben Franklin and blow up the castle?" Jess suggested brightly.
The comment at least had the effect Jess wanted: Amanda's worried look disappeared, replaced by a distinct 'you idiot' look. Amanda shook her head, crossed her arms, and flopped down Indian style on the pavement. Jess pressed pause on her iPod, removed the one remaining ear bud, and joined her. "Things will be all right," she said firmly. "We came to warn Finn and the other DHIs, so whatever was going to happen with the lightening won't happen."
Amanda grunted, looking down at her knees. "I hope you're right."
"I'm always right," Jess said wisely, hoping Amanda couldn't hear the doubt that lurked behind her voice.
A moment of silence passed, then two, then three. Jess yawned and leaned against the building again, watching the Park visitors' feet tromp past. She wanted to get her iPod back out, but she had a feeling that wouldn't sit well with Amanda. After what seemed like an eternity of watching people, counting how many pairs of mouse ears passed, the music drifting down from the speakers swelled, and a dramatic voice announced, "Welcome to DHI-Day at Magic Kingdom!"
"Finally!" cried Amanda, vaulting to her feet. Jess was only seconds behind her.
The girls started to push their way toward the edge of the sidewalk. Jess smacked into a big, burly man with a little boy on his shoulders. They both glared darkly, and Jess's apology did nothing to lighten their expressions. "Yeesh," she said under her breath, turning away.
"Mommy! Mommy! That girl stepped on my foot!" A little girl of about six pointed at Amanda accusingly. Amanda made a face in return, grabbed Jess's hand, and squirmed backwards.
"It's too packed here!" she exclaimed to Jess. Floats were passing now. The girls ducked into the crowd, trying to keep up with the parade and find a clear spot. A lot of good getting here early did, Jess thought sourly. She looked for the weather balloon, but she could hardly even see the castle above peoples' heads.
Amanda abruptly yanked her hand, causing her to bump into an exhausted-looking teenager and a little boy with an ice cream cone. Jess apologized over her shoulder as Amanda pulled her to the front of the crowd.
"Finn! Finn!"
"Amanda!"
Amanda let go of Jess's hand to wave frantically at the DHI float. Jess stumbled and nearly fell down. Grumbling she straightened back out and waved briefly at the float, where all five of the DHI models were now clustered at one side, looking down at the Lockhart sisters as they pushed aside park guests and tried to keep up.
Amanda gave Finn a thumbs up, and he grinned back down at her. Jess shook her head while running. See, she thought, nothing to worry about. She didn't understand Amanda's fears about what Finn would think of her. Whatever he knew, or thought he knew, it couldn't be close to the truth. Fairlies were one of the world's best-kept secrets. And it was clear that he wasn't bothered by whatever he thought. In fact, unless Jess was mistaken, he was developing quite a cru—
"Argh!" Amanda shrieked. She skidded to a stop, nearly bowling over a heavy-set, red-faced woman holding a plumb of cotton candy. She and Jess were stuck. The DHI float was getting ahead of them, and they hadn't been able to warn its occupants.
"Come on!" Jess exclaimed. She snatched Amanda's hand and wormed away from the street with the parade. They would have to get around this knot of people and catch back up.
"There has to be a better way to do this," Amanda said as they dodged guests. They were now behind the end of the parade, and people were starting to leave.
"If you've got an idea," Jess panted, working hard to keep up with her gifted sister, "now would be the time to say it."
Amanda dove into a little gap between two people and reached a clearer area of sidewalk. Jess just barely managed to get through after her. Both girls broke into a sprint and managed to catch back up to the float. Amanda waved at Finn again, but she wasn't grinning anymore. She pointed at the castle, then stabbed her finger upward. Shouting would do them no good, given the level of noise in the Park. Jess glanced at the castle. She couldn't see the balloon any more.
Finn nodded down at them, while the other DHIs buzzed among themselves. Jess squinted at them, trying to read their lips, but it was too hard to watch where she was going and string together whatever they might be saying.
Amanda was still trying to communicate with Finn. She growled under her breath as she dodged a set of twin in matching pink dress, both screaming, "Charlene! Charlene! Omigosh, Charlene!"
Up on the float, Charlene gave them a quick smile and waved one of her pom-poms before returning her gaze to Amanda. Jess thought she detected a spike of jealousy.
Amanda skidded to a stop next to some bushes. There were so many people around the Hall of Presidents, she had no choice. "There has to be something… aha!" She ripped off a leaf and plastered it to her cheek, then pointed to the castle again.
Jess worked hard to hold in a laugh. "If you were so worried about looking silly…"
"Green skin," Amanda said, removing the leaf. "Maleficent." There was no way they were catching back up to the float now. It reached Liberty Bridge. Amanda and Jess were cut off by a gaggle of kids in bright red shirts. A man roughly the size of a refrigerator, wearing a matching shirt and carrying a triangular yellow flag on a big pole, squinted at the sisters.
"Are you two lost?"
"Huh?" Amanda looked at him as though he had just fallen from the sky. "What?"
"We're fine," Jess told him, taking Amanda's arm and pushing her into the crowd.
A voice came from the speakers once again. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Magic Kingdom's DHI-Day celebration! Please direct your attention to Cinderella Castle, where the fireworks will begin shortly."
"They're cutting the parade short!" Amanda exclaimed.
"Well, no wonder," Jess said, staring up at the sky. "It's about to pour."
"Come on." Amanda began moving against the flow of people. Jess followed, taking great care to avoid colliding with anyone else. "I bet if we get back to the start, we can catch them."
"Here's hoping," Jess whispered. She looked over her shoulder at the castle again. There was no doubt: Maleficent was up to something. She just wished she had a better idea of what.
Movement a little to the left caught Jess's eye. A flash of brown, low to the ground. She frowned. "Hey, Aman—umph!"
Something stuck her back, sending her flying to the pavement. She skidded on her knees, wincing. The people around her leapt back, some laughing, others pointing, and still others staring with open mouths.
Haven't you ever seen anyone fall down before? Jess thought angrily as she started to get up.
There was a boom from overhead. The fireworks had started. Jess was halfway to her feet when something wacked her again. Where was Amanda? She frantically rolled over, trying to get away from whatever was holding her down. This was no accident.
A hairy arm wrapped around her chest, and Jess shrieked. She shook wildly, trying to knock the thing off. "Amanda!"
Most of the crowd was laughing now. They thought it was some kind of show. Jess crawled forward on her hands and knees, aiming for the closest sea of legs. The people jumped back, some with cries of surprise.
Whatever was holding Jess dragged her backwards. Another little shape, low to the ground, ran in front of her. It was… a monkey?
"AMANDA!" Jess screamed again. She was close to tears now. The second monkey came from her left. She lurched away, but it leapt nimbly around her and latched on from the right.
Jess looked desperately up at the castle. The last thing she saw before a monkey hand slapped over her eyes was a bolt of lightening drilling into Cinderella Castle.
Every dream comes true.
Please leave me a review! Oh, and if you are wondering about KK Drabbles: they will be continued. Jess is also the star of the next one, and I'm having a little trouble with it. If you have no idea what I just said... I would love it if you checked out my other KK stories!