disclaimer: epic mickey belongs to Disney.
claimer: OCs and story are mine
warning: there's a bit of a weed smoke session in here just to say in advance.
seven year old Emily watched as her eldest sister Sage and two of her friends, Robert and Natasha, were packing her clothes and various items in boxes that were labeled "college" or "storage". Emily still remembered the day after Sage's high school graduation ceremony the whole family had a graduation lunch at that fancy buffet and it was there that Sage read aloud a note that she got from the mail saying that she got accepted to a college for four years and that she would going to be boarding there. Their parents and her friends were ecstatic about it but Emily and her sisters, Quinn and Kayla, were not so happy about it. She didn't want to believe that it was going to happen but as soon as the boxes came in and Sage's bedroom began to become more and more empty, Emily knew it was happening and made her miss her sister even though she wasn't gone yet and has since then tried to remember everything about Sage: her looks, her voice, her hair, everything.
Sage noticed her little sister and smiled a big smile but it made Emily even sadder. she was going to miss her big sisters smile the most she had to agree.
" Don't go." Emily said aloud, causing Sage and her friends to stop what they were doing and look at her. Sage knew her sister was troubled, so she put down a pile of folded up clothes and gave Emily a hug as Emily hugged Sage back smelling the perfume on her clothes. she was going to miss this. she wished it could go on even longer but alas the little embrace ended and Sage looked deep into Emily's huge brown eyes.
"It's going to be okay squirt." Sage reassured her. nope, Emily thought, it's going to be having Sage no longer calling her Squirt all the time.
"it's going to be four years," Emily said. " you won't be here for this summer or the other summers, I won't see you, or hear you as much, or hang out with you, or, or..."
"Four years is not forever even though it might feel that way lil' dudette." said Robert as Sage and Natasha glanced at him for a moment before turning to Emily who nodded alittle bit and walked off down the hall leaving Sage and her other two friends to resume packing boxes.
" I feel bad for your sisters," Natasha said to Sage. "This whole thing couldn't have been easy for them."
"It wasn't. not even for me." Sage replied as she took out the last of the clothes from the closet and setting them on the bed as she began taking out the hangers. They suddenly heard yelling down the hall in Emily's room.
"STOP STEALING MY STUFF EMILY!!!!" another voice screamed. it was the second oldest sister, Quinn.
"What the hell?!" Robert exclaimed dropping a book in surprise.
"Not again" Sage said in a groan as she stormed out of her bedroom and toward Emily's as their bickering grew louder.
" I was gonna give it back" Emily said timidly.
"That's what you always say but you never do!" Quinn said and sounded irritated.
Sage came to Emily's bedroom with Robert and Natasha trailing behind her and as she arrived both younger sisters looked her way. Quinn brushed back her long black hair and her rage cooled for a bit upon seeing how cross Sage was.
" why are you screaming at your little sister?" Sage raised her voice at Quinn who pointed a finger at Emily. "She stole both my glittery Newsboy cap and my Galaxy eyeshadow palette!" Quinn said as she glared at a timid Emily. "I need both because I'm going to Brenda's house tonight, mom said I could."
" to study or to party?" Sage asked her sister cautiously. Quinn's face turned white and looked all around the room. As Sage sighed.
" Don't lie Quinn. I know you"
" fine it's to party and play games and sleep over. and no boys." Quinn confessed annoyingly.
"Your not going to any party with how you talked to her just now and also because -" Sage began.
" why do I have to always get into trouble whenever she steals from me?" Quinn interrupted. Sage turned red with anger as she closer to Quinn's face.
"watch. your. tone. Quinn." Sage said grimly as she was inches away from slapping her sister across the face while everyone watched but it never came. "Quinn, your fourteen years old and I expect you to take responsibility when I'm gone, but all you've shown me and Mom and dad that you're more interested in popularity, fashion, and parties than with actually looking after your two sisters, who I should remind you that one is seven and the other is Autistic. when are you gonna grow the hell up?"
Quinn was taken aback by this but didn't say anything, all she could do was let her mouth drop. the sound of the sliding glass door got everyone's attention as the third sister, Kayla, came inside the house and came over to Emily's room panting and oblivious to what just happened.
" Sage *huff* you won't believe * huff* what I found while exploring the apartments." Kayla said between breaths as she pulled out ( to everyone's surprise) a one hundred dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to Sage who inspected it and saw that it was the real deal.
" Good for you Kayla!" Natasha said gleefully. " Dang Sage, you sister is lucky!"
Sage felt alittle jealous by this but let it slide as she and Kayla hugged. Kayla was always good with finding money on the ground and had the best luck than all of them, but this one took the cake.
" I knew I would find a one hundred dollar bill and I did and I feel good about myself." Kayla said with a smile. Sage, despite being angry at Quinn a moment ago, felt happy that Kayla was happy about her discovery. " I'm gonna keep it"
" let's buy alot of pizza and have a pizza party!" Emily shouted excitedly as she hopped up and down.
"We have alot of food in the house Emily" Sage reminded her little sister who stopped hoping for a minute but then starting hopping again.
"let's celebrate by watching Disney films!" Emily suggested as everyone ( except Quinn) smiled and laughed alittle.
"That's a good idea!" Kayla agreed with her younger sister. as they both walked to the living room.
" You guys can watch Disney films, but me Natasha, and Robert are gonna take a quick break." Sage said as she ushered her two friends to follow her. "We're going to be headed outside. you guys stay inside until I come back, especially you Kayla."
"Okay." Kayla said simply as she put her discovery back in her back pants pocket.
" May I borrow that dollar bill from ya? I'll pay you back" Robert said to Kayla and gave her puppy eyes only to be grabbed by the collar of his shirt by Natasha.
" Boy, you better not be sweet talking for Kayla's findings she found it first so it's her money." Natasha said as both trailed behind Sage and toward the door. Sage stopped for a minute and looked back.
" Quinn!" Sage called as Quinn came to her eighteen year old sister.
"What did I do now?" Quinn said in a low tone. Sage took in a deep, sharp sigh through her nose. She didn't like her sisters attitude.
" you stay in the house too and watch over Kayla and Emily. In fact you can watch Disney movies with them and stay out of your bedroom until I come back, got it?" Sage said to Quinn who only nodded
"Hello!" Sage raised her voice, wanting Quinn to answer instead of nodding.
"Fine." Quinn answered.
"Good."
The three friends walked out of the apartment complex and headed toward Roberts hippie van as all three went inside the back and Natasha pulled out a weed joint and all three started to share the joint taking long Puffs and taking their time passing it back and forth.
" I needed to get out of that house." Sage said, finally feeling the affects of being high. " my life wasn't this stressful!"
" I know right?" Natasha said. " your sister used to be, well, different before."
Natasha was right. Sage remembered when all four sisters used to be okay and had a deep bond until their parents divorce which was around the time Sage entered Junior year at high school and that's when her sisters changed while she matured. she could recall a time when Quinn was a tomboy, she loved to get dirty and didn't care what people thought of her, but then she started to wear makeup products and get nice clothes and started hanging out with the popular girls at her middle school more than spending time with her two sisters to the point she started to act like those very popular girls and now she was starting to lie. Speaking of the other two sisters, Kayla had Autism but didn't let that bother her as she was a very smart young girl and very outgoing but has since been acting dumb and blaming her Autism when Sage knows that Kayla is the one who's choosing to act out and kept getting talked down to by everyone in the household (of course, there were times that she did good every now and again). Now Emily, she was a curious and happy child always in the here and now just like her, but when the divorce happened it made her always feel alone and made her constantly lost in Fantasyland by watching Disney movies and believing in magic and that dreams can come true not wanting to face the real world. Of course, Sage figured it would be just a childish phase and she would grow out of it hopefully.
As Sage looked further back into her memories, she took another hit of the joint and began to wonder what was going to happen when she left for college. would Quinn finally be responsible? would Kayla get her act together? would Emily grow out of this phase she has going on? even she didn't know for sure but just decided to let it go and let destiny, the universe, or whatever Strange force steer each of them on the right path.
--
As Kayla and Emily were watching The Little Mermaid, Quinn was on her phone checking out what was new on Facebook and made a quick peak out of the window to see the van still there and guessed that they must be having a smoke session. she then saw the three friends stumble out of the van and come back to the house as they once again resumed to boxing up stuff and we're laughing and chatting the whole way until they were done and laid on the couch in the living room with the other girls for a while before all three friends made pasta ( as they had the munchies) and all happily dug into the meal when the mother of Sage, Quinn, Kayla, and Emily came through the front door.
" Hello!" called out Mrs. Heather Artiste.
" Hello Mom/Mrs. Artiste!" everyone said in unison.
" it smells good in here!"
" Sage and her friends made dinner and I found a one hundred dollar bill!" Kayla said showing her mother the dollar as She looked at it with an astonished look on her face.
" that's good luck honey. keep it and don't spend it." Mrs. Artiste said as she gave her daughter back the dollar. " how was the packing Sage?"
" it went good. we're completely done with the boxes and now we have to put the storage boxes in the storage and the college boxes in the van." sage said taking another bite at the pasta.
"we should get going Sage see you next time okay." natasha said as all three hugged before Natasha and Robert departed out the door.
" girls, I got good news for you all." their mother said as she took out four tickets. As the sisters looked at it they all gasped with shock and delight. it was tickets to go to Disneyland!
" your uncle got them just to spend two days with you." their mother said with a big smile.
" your not coming?" Emily asked her.
" it's just for you guys and your uncle." Mrs. Artiste reminded her youngest daughter. " It'll be fine, you'll be able to hang out with those mascots, be on those rides, and all that cool stuff."
"Cool!" Kayla said with a big smile on her face as she immediately ran to her room. " I'm gonna start packing!" she called.
" Me too!" said Emily as she skipped to her room. " I'm gonna go pack my toys, and my books, and my..."
" I better go help." Quinn said aloud as she walked to Emily's room to help her pack correctly.
" Mom I can't just leave for Disneyland, I leave in the first week of August and it's already the middle of July" the sisters heard Sage say to their mom. All three stopped what they were doing and listened. They all shared the same bedroom and looked at each other sadly for a brief moment. Their time with their big sister was running short.
" I know but like I said it's just two days." their mother repeated as she stepped into the kitchen and served herself a plate of dinner. " plus, you still have time, you're not going right away, now pack up a bag with your clothes and essentials"
sage sighed and walked to her room as the sisters immediately returned to packing to act like they didn't hear.
"Maybe going to Disneyland might be good for us." Kayla said to her other two sisters.
" The last time we'll be together as sisters before she goes away for four years." Emily said sadly.
"she'll come visit or call, just not all the time." Quinn told Emily as she took out her own bag and put in the clothes she was going to take.
" true, but still." Kayla said still hopeful.
(Yen Sid POV)
As the sisters packed for the Disney kingdom, they had no idea of the events that would play out upon their arrival and the role that awaited them in Wasteland, a world that they all believed was a work of fiction but alas was more real than they realized.