Run, Mickey, Run!
Through with having them drive him crazy during the summer, Gowland sends his daughter Alice, her brother Ace, and his nephew Boris to Disney World on a vacation to get them out his hair and gather information for his job. Forcing their friend Julius along, the group sets off for the paradise. But, as these kids gain rivals and allies from other teens at their resort, it's not if the kids can survive the park, but if the park can survive these teens!
1. Circle of Life
"Please keep a single file line as you board the plane, and have a pleasant trip."
The static voice of speakers around the black plush chairs in the waiting room for Southeast Airlines welcomed the only four teens that were forced against their will to wake up at 3AM and get a ride from a man in a bright yellow jacket to come down there and begin their summer vacation. How he could afford this, none of them knew, but most of the kids were excited about getting there, so it didn't entirely matter. Of course, it wasn't like they really asked for this. The lovely brunette that was hauling both her and her brother's baggage towards the flying machinery just through the blue-floored tunnel before her could recall the conversation well.
"ACE!" her father's voice could be heard in echoes around the yellow-paneled, three-story building that the brunette called home. Alice flinched from her bedroom, sighing as she set her Lewis Carroll novel on her nightstand and peeked outside. She wasn't surprised to see an older brunette male snickering as he strode confidently from her father's office; a large, goofy grin plastered to his face.
"Chill out, dad. It's no big deal." the boy assured, waving a hand towards the office. Gowland's face popped out; blue eyes set in a glare on the ruby-eyed man.
"No big deal?" Gowland growled, shoving his braid away from his face; his yellow jacket nearly blinding Alice as she quietly spied on the two. "You RUINED my invention! I have to bring this in by Monday and you DESTROYED it!"
"Aww, come on. I didn't mean to- honest! I thought it was an alarm clock." Ace defended himself, his crimson eyes playful and not the least bit guilty.
Ace… Alice thought warningly, shaking her head. Her older brother was too laid back. Did he even have a conscious anymore?
She could see her father boiling now; his face red with anger. "What alarm clock is four foot high with arms?"
Ace shrugged. "It probably didn't work anyways. I probably did you a favor. Don't worry- you can thank me later."
"THANK YOU? !" Gowland shouted, and Ace grinned.
"You're welcome!" he answered, gleefully walking downstairs and away from the vein about to pop in Gowland's head. She had to calm him down; that's what mother would have done. That is, if she was still alive.
Cautiously, Alice stepped out from her bedroom and made her way to the office, gaining her father's attention. Before she could say anything, Gowland fumed, stomping his foot on the floor like a child in a tantrum. "That boy is a nuisance! I'll grind him up in one my inventions one day!"
"Dad, calm down." Alice instructed softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get a headache."
"Too late." he muttered, rubbing a spot on his head. Alice sighed, leading him into the office and opening one of the small cabinet doors under a very untidy bookshelf that was filled with blueprints and mechanic books. She pulled out a small pill bottle and handed it to the man.
"I'll get you some water." she offered, heading for the doorway.
"Make it wine." Gowland replied with a nod, plopping down uneasily into the blue wheeled chair at his desk and examining what once was a giant chipmunk that you would see in theme park attractions that had now been smashed to bits and stabbed quite a few times. There was no way Ace would have thought that was an alarm clock- he may be idiotic, but he wasn't that stupid… At least, she hoped.
Alice stepped out of the room, scurrying downstairs and into the wide, open kitchen; her destination being one of the many white cupboards that were pressed against an olive green wall in the back. As she did so, she caught sight of her seventeen-year-old cousin watching a child's movie in the living room and her brother perched up on one of the stools in front of the large, black table across from the several kitchen countertops.
"Why did you kill the chipmunk?" Alice asked bluntly, grabbing a wine glass from the cabinet and raising an eyebrow at her brother.
Ace seemed to have been in a deep thought as he stared at his reflection on the table, because he jumped at the sound of her voice. A false smile spread across his face as he turned towards his sister. "I didn't like it." "That doesn't mean you can kill it." Alice hissed, grabbing a wine bottle from the cabinet and opening it up. Ace shrugged carelessly, and Boris raised his head from the TV to stare at his cousins.
"He killed a chipmunk?" the pink-haired teen asked, tilting his head to the side; his topaz eye lit up with amusement and curiosity. Alice narrowed her eyes at him. Boris was one of her closest relatives, and had moved in six years ago when his parents died in a car accident. Alice's sisters were also killed in that accident- they had been visiting Boris's family for Christmas and planned to come home late and meet up with Boris there. It was shocking what damage drunk drivers could do.
"It's not funny." Alice said, pouring the red liquid into the glass carefully. "He's really working on this ride. He chose to work at home so he could spend time with us, but if you keep destroying his projects, he's going to get fired."
Ace pouted; somewhat torn. "Does that mean I won't be able to take anymore katana lessons?" Alice groaned; pressing a hand against her forehead.
"Really, Ace! That katana is the reason half of his projects are killed in the first place!" Alice exclaimed, her tone exhausted and annoyed. "If you ask me, he should get rid of the katana altogether!"
"If I have to get rid of my katana, then Boris has to get rid of his pistols." Ace said dully, jabbing a thumb at the teen. Boris's eye widened and he shook his head.
"Hey, don't drag me into this! I'm not the one that has to target practice on Uncle Gowland's work!" he defended himself.
"Yes, because target practicing with pistols outside of the window is so much better." Alice replied sarcastically, placing the wine bottle away. She glanced over her cousin's shoulder curiously, staring at the cartoon figures on the screen. "What are you watching, anyways?"
"The Lion King." Boris replied with an excited, childlike grin. "I haven't seen this thing since I was a kid."
Alice chuckled, smiling gently at him before returning the wine upstairs to her father.
Gowland sat hunched over his blueprints; a hand gripping his hair in frustration while a fist was settled on the paper. Alice sighed, placing the wine in front of him to gain his attention.
"You know, kiddo, I think I'd be better off this summer without him here." Gowland mused, and Alice raised an eyebrow, her stomach tying in knots.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat. Was he seriously considering murdering his own son?
Gowland didn't answer for a moment; his fingers merely straying to the busted chipmunk. He brushed against its broken insides, and several sparks flew from inside; forcing Gowland to snatch his hand away before it got burned and Alice to stumble backwards into a pile of blueprints. Two small squeaks for screams escaped their throats from the actions, and Gowland glared at it, quickly turning to Alice. He held out a hand to help her up, which she quickly took, allowing her father to lead her downstairs and into the open space between the living room and kitchen.
"THAT'S IT! YOU-" Gowland pointed at Ace accusingly. "YOU-" This time he strayed to Boris. "AND YOU." He pointed at Alice this time, and the female gulped. "I'M SENDING YOU THREE AWAY! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! NEXT WEEK, YOU'RE GONE FOR THREE WEEKS AND THAT'S FINAL!"
"Need any help with those bags?"
Alice glanced up at Julius Monrey; his long, navy locks cascading down his face and into a loose ponytail that reached his calves. He wore a thin, gray sweatshirt that reached to his elbows and a pair of jeans. He was a few years older than her sixteen years age, and both she and Ace's best friend.
"No thanks." Alice smiled warmly at the man before tossing the bags overtop the chairs, hiding them in the compartments above. Julius nodded solemnly, not looking very thrilled for the trip. She couldn't blame him- he'd had a fear of coasters since he was little.
Carefully, Alice slid into the window seat, watching as Ace dragged Julius to the seat behind and Boris slipped in next to Alice. At least Ace and Boris looked excited. Of course, they were going to Disney World! Why wouldn't they be excited?
"So… where are we going?" Boris asked that evening at dinner, poking at his vegetables with a disgusted look on his face. He shoved the carrots aside, wishing they were fish.
"Haven't decided yet. An amusement park, though." Gowland replied, sipping at his wine. Boris and Ace's eyes lit up excitedly, while Alice eyed her father skeptically.
"An amusement park?" Ace asked curiously, his crimson eyes reeling in pleasant thoughts. "Any ideas?"
Gowland shrugged. "It's not a free trip for you kids, though. You're going there on business. I want nightly updates on the rides- what seems boring, what seems fun, what kids like, what adults like, and so on."
"So we're going for three weeks?" Boris asked, completely disregarding his words. He seemed too excited for much words. Gowland nodded.
"I have a deadline by then. I'll pick you kids up from wherever I send you afterwards." Gowland replied.
"Can I choose where we go?" Ace asked deviously, and Gowland immediately shook his head.
"Last time I gave you a choice, you chose to go to a strip club." the inventor growled, glaring at his son. Ace looked unfazed by this.
"Then what about me?" Boris asked, and Gowland shook his head again.
"You were the one that snuck him into the strip club." the man replied, and Boris pouted. "I'm letting Alice decide this time."
"Me?" Alice asked, confused; gesturing a hand towards herself. Gowland smiled and nodded.
"You're the only kid I can trust." he replied with a determined nod. "You and Julius, that is. Besides, I'm sure you'll give me those reports."
"Um, okay." Alice replied, racking her brain for ideas. Where was a place she really wanted to go; an amusement park? There wasn't many she really thought about? Except, maybe… Glancing at the blank TV screen, Alice gave herself a confident nod and said, "Disney World."
Boris and Ace's eyes lit up at this, and Gowland pondered the idea. "That is a pretty big park… Lots of rides… Lots of reports… Why, girl you're a genius! It's settled- you kids go to Disney World and leave me alone!"
"Julius, we should ride Splash Mountain first when we get there!" Ace exclaimed in a hushed whisper from behind Alice and Boris, grinning at his friend. "Then maybe Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? We should do all of them! Wait- no! Let's start with that yeti ride!" He sounded like a kid on Christmas morning. Alice chuckled.
"How did I get dragged into this?" Julius moaned to no one in particular, and Alice could almost see him press a hand against his face as if to block out his friend's voice. That's right; Julius was never meant to go in the first place. Alice did wonder how Ace convinced him to tag along. Julius wasn't exactly one to give in easily to things like this. Perhaps it would just be another mystery; like one of those circle of life kind of things.
Alice let out a sigh, resting her head against the cool window glass. Boris glanced at his cousin before grinning softly at her, leaning back in his own chair and preparing for sleep as the plane took off.
…I procrastinate on The Game of Mistletoe, and this is what I write. I'm kind of surprised that I haven't seen many- if any at all- family fictions like this. You know; where the characters are related to each other.
I love the idea of characters- any characters, really- going to Disney World. I have no idea why, but the idea appeals to me easily. I can't help but have a loving, soft spot for it. XD *shrug*
In case you guys couldn't tell, this takes place in a modern day and relates practically nothing to the game/manga plot. No rabbit holes, no animal ears/tails (though, there WILL be ones later on; not real ones, though), no clocks for hearts (OMIGOD IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD O_O), no random shape shifting guns… You get my point. The ages in this for everyone except Gowland are all 15-23. Ace is about 20, Julius is 21, Boris is 17, and Alice is 16.
I hope you're enjoying the story so far! The chapter titles are actually going to be songs from Disney movies that I feel fit in with the chapter. I guess I'll see you all later- bye~! *dives into rabbit hole*