.:Tomorrowland - Part 2:.
"From way up here, it's crystal clear that now I'm in a whole new world with you."
~ Aladdin
A long ramp lead the supernatural family to what was formally known as the Carousel Theater. The rotating wall decorated in murals of the future was sliced into sections; once in a while, as the wall turned, a portion of it would be cut out so that guests could board onto the platform. As the next entry point arrived, a cast member ushered the people in line onto the stage. Nessie jumped onto it, rather than simply walking onto it, like the others, for she thought it would be weird if she had one foot down on the moving floor and her other foot on the stationary floor.
Once all the guests were gathered onto the stage, facing the entrance of the building, the monitors above the doors flickered on.
"Hel-lo, happy humanoids!" exclaimed a man... er, robot from the screen. He was gold and shiny, and introduced himself as Tom Morrow, welcoming everybody to "his" land—he was mayor of Tomorrowland. "I'm here to tell you about a place where innovation and invention are smooshed together to create one big, insane word: Innoventions!"
"This sounds interesting," Carlisle murmured, rather delighted. Esme chuckled at her husband and his curious, inquiring mind.
Tom continued the introduction, comically naming off some amazing, remarkable, and wacky inventions that humans have come up with over the years, while footage of the technology was shown.
"Ha, I remember that!" Alice laughed, along with Emmett. The two "kids" wouldn't have got funny looks from the people beside them if it weren't for the fact that the things being shown on screen were in black-and-white.
"Everything you're about to see here today is real," Tom continued, "is actual... everything is satisfactual! Hahaha.
"OK, enough jokes. Now, Innoventions is coming to your doorsteps in 3... 2... 1..."
The double doors opened and the guests shuffled through. Inside they met the actual, full-sized Tom Morrow in all his audio-animatronic glory. He talked to them a little more before telling them to head on into the "Dream House" because he was expecting more guests soon.
"There's a great big beautiful tomorrow headed right this way!" Tom sang as the Cullens continued on.
They ended up in front of a stage that was designed to look like an entry way of a house. There was a flat screen on the wall where, after welcoming the guests into his home, a casts member presented them with an interactive demonstration of state-of-the-art technology, while also comparing it to inventions of yesteryear and chatting about Walt Disney's dream to create a land that showcased the technological advances of the world.
Then, finally, they were let free to roam the rest of the Dream House. It was a completely futuristic house, and for a family filled with "old people" it was certainly intriguing. There was so much to do and look at that the Cullens had to all split up, each wanting to go to a different room first.
Edward, Jacob, and Nessie started toward the hallway; although, they lost Jacob when they passed the living room with the comfy couches and huge flat screen TVs.
"Daddy, look. Fishies!" Nessie said, wandering over to a screen incorporated into a wall—it acted as a fish tank. There were kids surrounding it, and whenever one touched the screen with their little fingers, the fish would swarm to that area; or they could feed them; or, Nessie's personal favorite, they could draw their own fish and send it swimming with the others. But the other "real" fish chased the drawing all around until it exploded into bubbles. With that knowledge, Nessie drew a mini stick-figure that had specific details—Edward's lips pressed together when he realized she was drawing Aro of the Volturi. Then Nessie sent the Aro wooshing through the fish tank as the other fish chased him, and both she and Edward laughed hysterically when Aro burst into a cloud of bubbles (Edward really couldn't help himself—it was funny).
After that, they made their way into a fantasy land; it was a library filled with giant flowers and mushroom stools. There was a woman there who was beginning to read a Peter Pan story. Nessie pulled Edward to sit down with her; he was the only adult sitting in the middle of a group of children, but his little princess was happy and that's all that mattered. It was actually quite interesting, Edward thought. Magical. For, as the woman read, cues in the story set off lights, sounds, colors, and videos throughout the room. The kids loved it. Edward had to tell Esme about this find to see if they could find a way to put this into their new home. Surely it was possible since everything in this house was said to be real, purchasable somewhere.
Of course, Edward would have to save telling his mother about it till later. On the other side of the house, Esme, Carlisle, and Bella were in the Kitchen, in awe that the appliances actually talked to each other.
To test it out, Bella took a food product from the refrigerator, scanned the bar code on the computer that was built into the fridge, and then all the cooking instructions were being sent over to the oven—which turned itself on for pre-heating—as well as adding more of the product to the virtual grocery list. Meanwhile, Esme was placing numerous ingredients on the counter top. To their delight and surprise, the kitchen recognized the ingredients and suggested recipes for the items, providing instructions on how to cook the meal once a specific recipe was selected.
"Carlisle, would you have ever imagined anything like this a hundred years ago?" Esme whispered, running her fingers along the advanced technology. She came from a very different world of kitchens.
"Not at all. But when you've been alive so long, seen as much new developments as I have, you come to expect the impossible."
"It's all so bizarre, though. Unsettling almost."
"Change usually is; that never means it will be bad."
The two smiled at each other.
Bella froze.
There it was again, she thought with dread. Change. It was like it was following her everywhere, haunting her until she accepted it. She turned her head away from her vampire parents and scowled at herself.
Really, how hard was it to accept? Change was an inevitable part of life, and Bella has seen the good and the bad, so what was wrong now?
Things were perfect right now, that's what was wrong. Once they move, they'll be split up from Charlie and the pack and, if Bella was truly being honest, from Forks. The green, rainy town made her feel safe and at home. She was afraid to leave it. Didn't want to leave it.
Bella wondered how the rest of the Cullens managed it, made it seem so easy? And none of them had a choice, unlike Bella, who knew the consequences of leaving the mortal world behind and chose to deal with them. Although, maybe it wasn't the right comparison. The others had years to move one. Some had a century or more. Maybe it was always difficult in the beginning. But Bella knew she'd have to accept her decision to sacrifice her old life for the new one with Edward.
As she thought of Edward, she thought of all they've been through, of all the happiness she's felt since meeting him, and how that would have never occurred if not for moving away from her comfortable lifestyle in Arizona...
With a sudden bolt of understanding, Bella finally grasped what everyone has been trying to tell her.
Sure, they were moving, and things may be difficult to cope with at first, but Charlie was still going to be a part of her and Renesmee's life, as was the pack. It will be different, but that doesn't mean it will be worse, as Carlisle pointed out. It could even be better in its own way. But it needs that chance.
Bella's scowl faded. Her eternal future with Edward was just waiting to begin, and she felt a little lighter at the prospect. For even when, one-by-one, funeral after funeral, her human loved ones pass on, she would still have the Cullens—all who would support her through a process they knew too well—and Jacob and Renesmee—who would both be going through it with her—and, above all, she would always have Edward. She realized she had a lot more than most people. Thinking of the ones she's going to spend forever with, and all the things she has to be excited for...it made the less fortunate things seem worth it; or bearable, at the most.
The sight of Carlisle and Esme—arms interlocked as they strolled to another counter, eyes glowing every time they glanced at each other, smiles on their faces—was a sort of proof to Bella. Again, she couldn't imagine what things must look like to them—all the changes they've witnessed and adapted to, together. In Carlisle and Esme, Bella could see herself and Edward, years from now. For no matter what comes and passes, it will be okay. For even when Charlie and Renee are gone... beyond the sorrow Bella would know they lived a good, happy life, and that she cherished her time with them as much as she could. They would always be watching over her even long after they're gone, and it will also be okay. Bella's heart would go on.
Just like in Titanic, Bella thought, suddenly having a new respect for the movie's theme song.
She quickly followed Carlisle and Esme, who had paused in front of the kitchen's small flat screen TV. Sleeping Beauty was playing—a good fairy was blessing the newborn princess with the gift of song. Carlisle touched the screen until it skipped forward to Esme's favorite part in the movie, where Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip waltzed along the edge of the river to "Once Upon A Dream". As Carlisle twirled his wife around the kitchen to the music, and Esme hummed along as she danced, Bella smiled, feeling for the first time that things were going to be all right.
OoOoOoO
Just outside the kitchen, Alice had convinced Jasper to sit at a table in the Dining Room with her. A young woman there demonstrated how the four screens integrated into the table worked. Alice wanted to join because, when they arrived, the four screens showed bubble wrap and the two children already sitting at the table were having a race to see who could pop all the bubbles on their screen the fastest—Alice wanted to join the race. But Jasper hadn't found it interesting. That's when the young woman placed a jar of glittering pixie dust on one of the screens. Somehow, it downloaded into the black screens. When the jar was taken off, the woman ran her fingers over them. A trail of pixie dust followed. Now, Jasper and Alice have been sitting at the table for a good ten minutes, just drawing designs out of sparkles. Alice was looking pretty pleased with herself for finding this attraction. She joked that she had no idea Jasper was so intrigued by fairy dust, to which he remarked he must have an affinity for pixies. Alice smiled.
When they finally broke away, they encountered Emmett and Rosalie in the Bedroom (naturally). The two were standing in front of a mirror, next to the closet.
"Hey, Alice, check out this fancy-pants mirror," Emmett said.
Emmett's reflection was Emmett, but his clothes were different. In the mirror he was wearing a crisp, black suit.
"How do I look?" he asked suavely.
Rosalie pressed a few things on the mirror (it was a touch screen mirror), and then answered, "Earth-shatteringly sexy."
Emmett turned back to see he was now wearing a frilly pink princess dress. Alice was amazed to see that it was the exact same dress that was hanging in the closet next to them.
"Let me try!" Alice all but squealed.
Before she could change the outfit, Carlisle entered the room curiously, only to see Emmett twirling around the room "wearing" a princess dress. The scene was normal enough, as far as Carlisle was concerned. He went over to the mirror itself. "This is pretty neat," he said.
"You program your wardrobe into it," Rosalie told him.
"The dress is perfectly fitting on Emmett, too," Jasper observed. When Emmett shifted weight—or twirled, as the case may be—the dress on the screen moved like it physically would if it was on him.
They each had their go at dressing Emmett, and also trying on outfits themselves. The mirror projected accessories and hairstyles onto them, too. Rosalie gave Alice long hair, while Jasper turned Carlisle into a brunette.
When they were through, giving another family a chance to play with it, they found Edward, Nessie, Esme, and Bella playing in the Dining Room. They weren't playing with pixie dust, though; they were "splashing" in a creek, while sending a floating leaf sailing from one screen to another, like they were playing Four Square with it.
"Where's Jake?" Nessie asked a moment later. They were all headed to explore the upper level of the house.
"I saw him heading upstairs before I entered the Bedroom," Carlisle said. "So, he should be up here somewhere."
"Found him!" Emmett announced immediately. "Losing to a bunch of ten-year-olds, I might add."
Jacob was playing virtual hockey with a group of kids. His massive body looked odd as Jacob ran around, kicking the virtual puck around the virtual rink, but his determined, playfully competitive, boyish expression fit the scene perfectly. Sometimes it was hard to remember how young Jacob really was. The puck was kicked down the rink to the smallest kid playing. He then passed it to Jacob, who was in the perfect position to make a goal. Jacob aimed the puck and kicked, sending it speeding to the net, when Nessie jumped in front of it at the last possible second, kicked, and sent it sailing past the werewolf, into the other net, earning the other team a point.
"Are you kidding me?" Jacob had to do a double take as he processed what just happened.
"You were blocked by a girl!" one of the little boys guffawed, and then they all started laughing at him.
"Really, Ness?" Jacob pouted. "In front of the guys?"
Nessie folded her arms triumphantly, smiling widely with her chin up. She did nothing but grin evilly at him. Then she sauntered away, mimicking Rosalie from the Buzz Lightyear ride.
"Now who does that remind you of?" Esme said, smirking at her blonde daughter.
"Someone's a bad influence," Emmett teased.
"You mean good influence," Alice disagreed. "It's a lesson every girl must learn: beat the boys' and then rub it subtly in their faces. Hehehe."
"Oh no. If she's going to be taking tips from Alice and Rose..." Edward grimaced playfully.
"Jacob's going to have to watch his back," Jasper finished with a chuckle.
Emmett shook his head. "Another woman in the house. That's all we need."
"We're teaching her well then, yes?" Esme muttered to her three daughters, who all laughed in agreement while following after Nessie.
The boys stayed behind to join in the hockey game.
Nobody noticed that Carlisle had disappeared. Not long after the family had found Jacob did the doctor spot the medical/health exhibit; there was no stopping him from investigating after that. And the things he discovered there, with his photographic memory and centuries of knowledge, might just save lives...
Twenty minutes later, from way across the building, as Alice, Rosalie, Bella, and Nessie were all occupied with some video games, Esme watched Carlisle rush away from the Health Center and out the exit. It was strange. He must be going to make a call, because he was yanking his cell phone out of his pocket as he went. Esme's eyes wandered back toward the Health Center, wondering what he saw there, and who was he calling, and why it was so urgent. She wanted to go after him, but she knew that whatever it was he didn't need interruptions. The kids were almost done exploring everything, and then they could leave and join Carlisle. She could question him then.
After the video games, the girls found themselves in front of a machine that claimed to show them what they will look like in 50 years, assuming that they age... which the Cullen ladies—after Bella was forced to sit down to get her picture taken, answer some questions, and then watch her face wrinkle—were suddenly very grateful that they had the perk of not aging. Bella especially, since the boys had decided to show up and rejoin them right at the moment her old, wrinkly face was up for show. If she could still blush, she'd be redder than Minnie Mouse's dress. Of course, Bella wasn't going down without a fight—she had everyone take a turn being old, and she laughed hysterically when they found out that neither Emmett, Jacob, nor Jasper had any right to laugh at her when they're pictures were equally bad, or worse. Edward, Alice, and Nessie were the weirdest to see old, while Esme actually looked pretty decent in hers, almost like a graceful, timeless aging had occurred. Rosalie was the only one who refused to do it—not because of her vanity, like Jacob laughed at her for; rather, she just didn't want to see an image that should come to life...but never will. She didn't even look at Emmett's.
When they were done, it was time to leave the Innoventions building behind. Esme told the others that Carlisle was already outside. She headed for the exit, walking faster than normal. The Cullen kids followed behind her, like little ducklings. They found Carlisle easily, of course. He was right outside, and, even if he wasn't, Edward could hear his thoughts.
"Why are you out here already?" Jacob questioned him. "You missed all of us growing old. I looked like an evil creature you'd find in Lord of the Rings." He snorted.
"Only a lot uglier," Bella said, grinning. She still wasn't ready to let go of the teasing they inflicted on her when their pictures weren't any better.
Carlisle chuckled. "Sounds like something I don't regret missing."
"Why did you come running out here, dear?" Esme asked, masking well her impatience; the curiosity was killing her.
"I had to contact Dr. Snow about Jordan's health."
"Your patient? The 14-year-old?"
Carlisle nodded, as the family headed for the next attraction. His eyes sparkled with a hint of something that looked very much like hope.
"You think that's what it is?" Edward asked out-of-the-blue.
"I could be wrong, but I don't think I am." The doctor fully smiled then. After all the time spent of worrying over this boy's illness and not having a single clue what to do, it was incredibly uplifting to find something that, now, seems more obvious. Maybe all he needed was a fresh perspective. "It's too early to celebrate," he continued, "but we're on the right track now, of that I'm positive."
"That's wonderful news, Carlisle!" Esme was happy to finally find out what was going on, and relieved that it was something good.
"It certainly is." Carlisle's smile widened (if that was possible), and then, finally, the Cullens made it to Autopia.
OoOoOoO
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things,
because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
~ Walt Disney
Wow, this is turning out to be a very long land...
As always, I thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter! :]