Chapter Two: Might be a Trap…or Not

"He's still alive…isn't he?" Finn took a deep, calming breath, trying to control his pounding heart.

Wanda peered in pure surprise at the teen. "Yes… there is an old abandoned warehouse down by the docks. It has the letters KK graffitied onto it on the left side. We have set up a portal between this realm and the Kingdom there." She smiled tightly, pressing her fingertips together. "Dad wants all of you to go meet him. You will appear in the Town square once there, go straight to the fire station. He will be waiting for you in the apartment at the top."

"All of us?" Finn felt like confirming that he was hearing this correctly. The Fish flew out of his bag, hovering over his shoulder as it looked at Wanda. He decided that since she didn't bat an eye at the sight of a glowing, flying goldfish, that she was telling the truth.

"Yes. Can you do that?" She sounded strained, as if something else was bothering her.

"I'll see. How soon do you need the Keepers there?" Finn swallowed hard, nerves leaping through his veins. Wanda was an adult… she shouldn't need a group of teens to do her families job. At least he presumed that it was a family tradition to be an Imagineer.

"As soon as you believe that you're ready." She glanced at her watch, before standing abruptly. "I have to go now. Remember… old warehouse with the letters KK on the left side over by the docks. Do not forget that young man."

"I won't." Finn stood up, his legs shaking for some reason. "Tell him that we're coming."

"Good."

Finn watched as she left the room, the second that she was gone, he collapsed back down, sweat beading his forehead. What made him so special that he was picked to be the leader…for that matter why was he picked to be a Kingdom Keeper in the first place!?

After shoving the Fish back into his bag, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and slipped out….and immediately slammed into a pale looking Dill. "What was that about the Kingdom Keepers? And what do you have to do with them? I thought they don't exist!"

"Shh! Not so loud!" Finn snagged his best friend by the arm, dragging him back into the janitorial closet. Annoyingly enough, it was only a janitorial closet; there were no desks or chairs. Closing the door, he faced his best friend. "Dill…you can't tell anyone this…ok? Its top secret."

"Ok…what's top secret exactly?" Dill knitted his eyebrows together in confusion.

Finn took a deep breath to brace himself for however it is that Dill will react to what he was about to say. "The Kingdom Keepers aren't just legends that were supposed to show up and save the day…they're real. And I'm sort of their leader…" Dill gave a nervous laugh, right before he fainted. "Well, he took that better than I thought he would."

~That Night at the Abandoned Factory~

"You have to be kidding me. That and how will we know if we're ready?" Philby snapped, arms crossed across his chest as he stared down Finn.

Finn shrugged, glancing around the small group. "I have no idea. Willa? When do you suggest we head out to find him?"

Willa frowned, glancing down at her detailed map. "Maybe if we send a few there to scout this out…make sure that it isn't a trap."

"Ok…I am not sending anyone that doesn't volunteer for this though. Any takers?" Finn glanced around, not at all surprised to see that the others were hesitating.

Charlene sighed as she stepped forward. "If it's a trap, you might need someone that can attack from long distances. I'm your archer. I'll go."

Philby coughed, taking a step forward as well. "I might be able to figure out a chemical reaction that can get us out of there quickly if needed. I will go just in case."

Finn rubbed his hand over his face, a single thought crossing his mind. "She came to me…so I better go in case they won't show themselves unless I'm there."

"That just leaves two of us here." Maybeck pointed out, annoyance flashing across his face.

"I know. But the prophecy says five Kingdom Keepers…not an army of us. Keep your coms open. We'll call if we need backup." Finn felt weird calling the shots like this…but it had to happen. He was the destined leader of the Kingdom Keepers. He just really hoped that he wouldn't mix up so badly that Wayne will end up regretting making him the leader.

….

Charlene slipped next to Finn; giving him a curt nod of her head. "It looks clean. At least it matches what Wanda told you. The letters KK are on the left side. Should we go in?"

Finn curled his fingers around his sword hilt, biting his bottom lip. "Yeah…let's go. I want you to stay on your guard though. We don't know what is going on in there."

With that, he stood up and walked across the empty, dark dock to the warehouse. Pushing the door open, he immediately wished that his Item came with a flashlight. "Note to self, a flashlight would be nice about now. It's pitch dark in…"

"Kingdom Keepers Authorized Only Beyond This Point. Please Prepare To Be Teleported." A deep mechanical voice boomed out suddenly, causing Finn and his two companions to jump into the air.

Which would be fine…except that their feet didn't touch solid ground. A giant portal had opened up underneath their feet when they had jumped, making it so that they fell straight through the ground. Finn squeezed his eyes shut, his heart pounding loudly in his ear. Maybe this was a bad idea….like a really really bad idea.

The thought had barely crossed his mind, when he suddenly slammed hard into concrete. Snapping his eyes open, he found himself laying down on the concrete sidewalk of an empty street. A giant statue of a man holding hands with a large mouse loomed over him. Rolling over, he scrambled to his feet. "Whoa…" A large castle in the distance caught his attention, eliciting the single word from his lips.

Philby tapped him on the shoulder, turning him around to see a single firehouse standing across the street. "Upstairs apartment right?"

"Yeah… upstairs." Finn sucked in a breath, amazed by the cleanliness of the town square.

Charlene started forward, her feet silent as she crept forward. "If this is where the Overtakers are coming from, we need to be extra stealthy to get there. I'll go first. Finn, you come next once I'm safely inside. Philby, you bring up the rear."

"Be careful Charlene." Finn felt lousy warning her to be careful, when they already knew that there was a potential for them to be in danger. Charlene flashed a smile at him, before darting across the street. Once she was inside, Finn hurried after her.

Slipping into the empty, oddly quiet, firehouse, he scanned for a way upstairs. "There. Those stairs should take us upstairs."

"One step head I see. I'll go first this time. Charlene, take the rear." Philby closed the door behind him, eyeing the stairs that Finn had pointed out.

Philby began to climb the stairs, Finn quickly following behind him. Noticing that there was a turn up ahead, Philby signaled for Finn to stay behind. A minute later, he disappeared around the corner….

"All clear! Wayne really is up here!" Philby called down to them, causing the two teens to run the rest of the way to the top.

Bursting into a small living room, where Wayne was sitting calmly on a couch. Upon seeing that Charlene closed the door behind her, he frowned. "There's supposed to be five of you."

Finn shifted uncomfortably as he glanced at the others in hope that they'll do the explaining. No such luck. "There is. But we weren't sure if this was a trap or not, so we're the scouting party to make sure it is safe."

Wayne chuckled, mirth dancing in his eyes. "When Wanda told me that the leader that the Fish Item choice was a child, I was rather concerned about how well you could actually lead the others. And yet, these two are children as well….and is it safe me to guess that the other two are children?"

Finn nodded, trying to wrap his head around the fact that apparently children stepping in as the Kingdom Keepers was not the plan. "Why were we chosen then?"

"I have no idea. What exactly happened when you found the Items?" Wayne placed his hands on his knees, leaning forward as if they were about to tell interesting stories.

Finn shrugged, still not sure about this. "It just appeared right outside my bedroom window one night. After a minute, after I tried to save it from a wraith, it phased through my window and…I don't know. I think it hacked my computer and read my personal files. Then it showed me a hologram of you which told me that I was the new leader of the Kingdom Keepers."

"Same here…only it said that I was the sorcerer." Philby piped up.

"Same. Only archer." Charlene nodded; a thoughtful expression on her face. "If it was the same for us, then chances are that it will be the same for the others."

Wayne shook his head, confusion crossing his features. "Impossible. Each one was hidden away in a ruin that was filled to the brim with deadly booby traps. I had believed that anyone that could survive and reach the Items would be able to handle the pressures of protecting the world from the Overtakers." He paused, a frown crossing his features. "Also, they weren't programmed to phase through solid materials."

The three teens glanced at each other in surprise, before turning to face him. "If you didn't program them to do any of that…then who did and why us?"

A/N: Done! Ok, I was going to go till the next night when all of them go visit Wayne and he gives them the riddle to the Stonecutter's Quill, but that will be way too long. So we're gonna end it here with a mystery! (Don't worry, I already know the answer to it!) Someone messed with the Items so that they'll pick five teens instead of five adults. Then again, as Wayne will quickly discover….these ain't your normal teens that the Items selected. Just…stay on their good side, alright?

Also: this chapter is thanks to Disneycharactersarereal! Thank you for Favoriting! Now can people please review? I really really appreciate it!

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SkyTalon