Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Keepers, Charlene, Finn, Disney (I wish so badly I want to cry!), or anything else of any concern.
This is just pretty basic, but I like it anyway! I have not read KK in a while, so I hope it all makes sense and doesn't contradict anything in the books because that's not my intention. Anyway, here it is!
Charlene Turner opened her eyes, blinking hard to lose the squashed feeling they'd obtained in the minutes she'd squeezed them shut. Her back was at an uncomfortable angle against the bridge, but she didn't adjust it, aware of security lights inspecting every inch of the World Showcase.
At last, after at least fifteen minutes of painful quietness, Finn's voice whispered through the stillness, "We're fine. Let's go."
After finding Finn and Charlene's Roman History books buried under their covers, they'd both concluded that Finn and Charlene stayed up at night secretly reading and had both punished them by an earlier bedtime. Because their new bedtimes did not coincide with Disney hours, they had been forced to switch over before the others.
"Are you sure?" Charlene hissed, still sensing guards around them. She was freezing-the nightgowns she had to wear in front of her mother were not ideal for chilly nights in Disney World.
"Yes." Finn grabbed her arm and darted out from under the bridge, pulling her with him. The Keepers were meeting in Epcot, and the bridge in the World Showcase was the only thing that provided decent protection from Disney security.
Still shivering, Charlene ran with Finn towards the exit of the World Showcase, her eyes open for any security guards or dangerous Disney characters. "Philby said to meet by Spaceship Earth?" Charlene recalled. Talking made her feel less secluded.
"Yes," Finn said. He knew her weakness, and, in some ways, shared if. "By Spaceship Earth. But not for half an hour. We're just going to have to be really silent."
Charlene bit down on her lip hard, fear filling her soul. "Finn, do you think our parents knew they were possibly killing us when they made out bedtimes earlier?"
As they approached Spaceship Earth, Finn looked back at Charlene. While a normal person might laugh, Finn didn't, because he knew she wasn't kidding. "Of course they didn't. We'll be fine, Charlene. Just because it's just us doesn't mean we won't be fine. We've all done things completely by ourself before."
"Yeah, but it felt-different." Charlene couldn't explain how, but it definitely had. Now, as Finn ducked into one of the bathroom alcoves, Charlene followed, holding her arms close to her and wishing she could wake up right then.
For almost a minute, they were silent, the alcove too full of fear to have conversation, too. Then Finn grabbed her hand and held it tight. "We're going to be fine," he said, clearly reassuring himself as much her. "We have fifteen minutes before the others come."
Charlene breathed deeply, wondering for a brief second if the world was rid of air. "Fifteen minutes," she repeated. "We can do fifteen minutes. Right?"
"Right." Finn turned his head slightly to smile at her, even though it definitely wasn't a smile out of happiness and was very forced. "We do fifteen minutes."
They could, couldn't they? As Charlene pressed her feet-on which she'd secretly thrown a pair of Converse before bed-against the stone wall, her free hand wedged against the wall as well, she braced herself for the fifteen minutes to come.
And it did. It came and went, and soon enough Charlene was hugging Willa and sighing with relief and preparing for somehow much less scary physical challenges against major villains. When Finn was about to press the button to return them home, ensuring their continued safety for a day, Charlene smiled at him. It wasn't a smile out of happiness, but a forced ones like his earlier. Still, it meant something. And Finn returned it.
Did you like it? I hope so!
I'm not sure what the smile meant, but it sounds all poetic this way... I don't know, I couldn't think what to say. But I think in every story there are bits like that...? Overall I really do like it and hope you do too! Please review, whether it's kind or not!
Linley =)
