“I’m going to wait here and lock the door behind you,” Finn said. “But I’m guessing when we open the door they’re going to know about it somewhere and come after us.”
“There’s that construction shop Wanda told us about. It’s right next door. We should be able to hide somewhere in there for a while. We can take our time getting back to the remote.”
“’Kay, then that’s the plan.”
Philby unlocked the door and stepped outside. Finn pictured getting caught, and he could feel his DHI shape shifting; his fingers tingled. He turned the lock. Then he cleared his thought and stepped through the glass door and outside.
“You want to know what’s weird about that?” Philby said as the two DHIs ran toward the construction warehouse.
“Everything?” Finn answered.
“It’s how hard it was to keep from having a negative thought. And that was, what?—one minute? Two, at the most.”
“Tell me about it,” Finn said. “My personal best is five minutes, thirty-three seconds.”
“How messed up is that?”
“Messed up,” Finn said. “But you’ve got to admit, it’s majorly random to be all-clear, even if it’s only for two minutes.”
“I fell through a chair,” Philby said proudly.
“You fell through a chair,” Finn said.
They ducked into shadow, their DHIs glowing, as a golf cart zoomed down an opposing lane—the same two Security guards.
“Close,” Finn whispered.
“They’ll never figure it out,” said Philby, a smile overtaking his face. “I fell through a chair,” he mumbled.
20
ANOTHER TWO SCHOOL days passed uneventfully. Text messaging among the Kingdom Keepers established that no one had crossed over, confirming that Philby had full control over the DHI system. Through the backdoor he’d left in the software, he could determine who crossed over, and into which park or kingdom. They would still need the remote to return.
The two days felt like an eternity to Finn, his concern over Wayne’s whereabouts and condition deepening with each passing hour. But something bigger was taking place in him as well—not only his confused feelings about his so-called friendship with Amanda, but his bigger understanding of what the Overtakers might be up to. He felt in his gut that he needed to see the goal of the Overtakers in order to know how to stop them, and so far that goal had eluded him. Wayne’s abduction obviously played a part, just as Jess’s abduction in the Animal Kingdom had. They feared Jess and her ability to dream the future because for them it was like playing a chess match where the opponent knew their next move. The question was: did they fear Wayne, and his considerable understanding of everything Disney, or did they need him for something they had planned? To Finn, these were two very different possibilities, each presenting its own challenges. Until they found Wayne they wouldn’t know the answer, but he was beginning to realize that he had to face the possibility that they might not find Wayne. If that proved to be the case, then he had to become Wayne: he had to get out in front of the Overtakers and whatever they had planned, because falling behind was not an option. There would be no catching up if the Overtakers took control. Their powers were too substantial; their reach, too pervasive. If Wayne was testing him, then he was failing. It was time to do something. The trouble was, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do.
“Your friends are waiting,” his mother said, as Finn came through the front door to his home.
Finn glanced into the living room.
“Hey,” Philby said.
“Hey,” said Willa.
“Hey there,” answered Finn.
“We’re here for the project,” said Philby, aware that Finn’s mother did not approve of Finn’s association with his fellow Kingdom Keepers.
“The inter-school math competition,” said Willa.
His mother, standing a few feet behind Finn, seemed to relax a little.
“You didn’t say anything, dear,” his mother said.
“I wanted to surprise you,” said Finn, surprised himself.
“We’ve been given a code—” Philby said proudly, addressing Mrs. Whitman.
“—that we have to break,” said Willa.
“At least that’s what we hope,” Finn told his mother. “If the other teams break the code first—” He left it hanging there because he wasn’t sure how to finish it.
“Then we lose,” Philby completed.
“How…interesting,” said Mrs. Whitman.
“Would you like to see it?” Philby offered. “Other kids’ parents are going to help. That’s a no-brainer.”