Kingdom Keepers III(111)

“Hurry. We’re coming up to the booth.”

The two scrambled to get down onto the car’s floor. Maybeck lay down face-first and Jess piled onto his back and tugged and kicked at the blanket until she was completely covered. Hopefully the blanket would keep them in the projection shadow and allow them to retain their invisibility.

“And for heaven’s sake stay absolutely still,” Wanda said.

The car arrived at the backstage checkpoint. She rolled down her window and showed her ID.

“You’re not on the list,” the guard informed her bluntly a minute or so later.

One of the longest minutes in Jess’s life. She and Maybeck were as close as ham and cheese; she wanted out of there.

“Listen, friend, there’s a tech rehearsal at Fantasmic! That should be on your list somewhere. If you check with Alex Wright you’ll find that not only am I expected, but I’m late. Or try Rich. Any one of them will tell you not only to let me in, but that you should chew me out for being late.”

The guard snickered. “Stand by,” he said.

Wanda put her window up.

Jess saw a flicker of light beneath the blanket. She realized it was her right elbow—sticking out slightly from the blanket—their DHIs were active. She drew her arm beneath the blanket, hoping she’d fully covered their feet.

She whispered into Maybeck’s ear. “We’re in range.” He nodded and the back of his head hit her chin.

The hum of Wanda’s window coming down sent a jolt of panic through Jess. She fought against the anxiety, knowing she could ill afford it. She tried picturing the ocean. All of a sudden she felt her hands and feet tingling, then her arms and legs. She was pressed up against the backseat—and watched her left hand disappear through the seat itself. She understood immediately what was happening to her.

She found Maybeck’s ear under all that hair and whispered something to him.

“You trying to get me fired?” the guard said. “I woke up Mr. Wright and he was none too happy about it.”

“But he backed up everything I said,” Wanda stated boldly.

“Well, yes, ma’am, he did. All that’s left is for me to search the car. Won’t be but a second.” The guard cupped his hands and peered through the rear side window. He tried the door.

“Would you unlock the door please, ma’am?”

“Whatever for?” Wanda said, sounding threatened.

“I just need to take a look.”

“You’ve had your look. I told you: I’m late.”

“Then the sooner you unlock the doors, the sooner you’ll be on your way.”

Wanda heaved a long sigh and threw the master switch. All the doors popped. The guard opened the rear door.

“Listen, officer,” Wanda said, turning to see into the backseat, “there’s no need to—”

“Just doing my job, ma’am.” He took hold of a corner of the blanket.

“Listen. I can explain everything if you’ll just—”

The guard pulled the blanket away. The backseat was empty.

“Explain what, ma’am? What was that?”

“Ah…the messiness. I’m not usually…this messy.”

“No crime in that. If you’d just pop the trunk, I’ll have you on your way.”

As she popped the trunk, Wanda reached between the seats to pull the blanket back into place over the kids. She whispered softly, “Thank goodness you stayed invis—” But she caught herself as the blanket fell flat to the floor. The kids weren’t there.

Then, as the guard pulled open the trunk, a bulge appeared and the blanket rose up from the floor on its own, first about a foot high, then rippling and rising another foot. Wanda lifted the edge and saw Jess lying on Maybeck’s back. Jess grabbed the blanket from Wanda and pulled it back into place, hiding them.

Wanda, who knew nothing of all-clear—had no idea how the two might have moved into the trunk and then returned to the floor of the backseat—stuttered and tried to say something coherent, but was brought up short by the guard tapping on her window. She had no recollection of his shutting the trunk.

“You’re set to go, ma’am. And I wouldn’t worry about, you know…?”

She offered him a puzzled look.

“The messiness,” he said.

“Ah! That!” she said. “You have a good day.”

“And you, ma’am.”

She pulled the car through the raised barrier and released another pent-up sigh.

“What the…? What was that?”

“Tell us when it’s safe to come up,” Maybeck said, his voice sounding strained.

“I think I’m squishing him,” Jess said.