Once on Discovery Island, Maybeck headed for Asia and the Maharajah Jungle Trek.
Some birds called out from the top of a tree. He moved a little faster.
He crossed Discovery Island, to the right of the Tree of Life, aiming for a bridge to Asia. He texted into the DS.
mybest: i’m inside, on the island.
Finn: okay.
With each of the kids checked in to the chat room, they could all follow the conversation.
Maybeck then wrote to warn them about how many Cast Members were already in the Park.
mybest: until park opens u will stick out unless dressed as a cast member.
Had Maybeck looked back and slightly to his left, he would have seen that what had started as six or seven birds was now many times that number. They flew to the next tree and settled there. Then more joined them, and they flew to the next tree.
Finn: will wait 4 park opening, discovered something useful, meet us @ home base?
mybest: need to play bat boy first, will meet u after park opens.
philitup: agreed, will meet @ home base after park opens.
willatree: how’s the bat?
mybest: quiet for now.
He was glad the bat had stopped moving so much. He didn’t dare inform the others that he thought the thing understood what he said.
He crossed the bridge—the entrance to the Maharajah Jungle Trek just ahead. A cacophony surrounded him; he could barely hear himself think. He looked up to see two trees full of birds. For a moment, it seemed as if they were following him.
Na…he thought. Couldn’t be…
Finn had heightened Maybeck’s curiosity. What had they discovered in the short time it had taken him to enter the Park?
More obnoxious bird noises overhead.
He looked up.
Four trees. Hundreds of birds.
What the…?
18
PHILBY SWIPED THE ID through the card reader at the door to the AK Maintenance facility. A small red light turned green, and Philby pulled on the door. It opened, and no alarms sounded.
Finn held out his hand to Amanda, who looked down at her sister’s diary and then reluctantly gave the book to him.
“I’m not sure she’d want me doing this,” Amanda said, still keeping one hand on the diary, unwilling to fully let it go.
“I promise, only the pages we talked about,” Finn said.
“We don’t know that they have anything to do with this,” Amanda protested.
“You’re the one who said she could dream the future.”
“Sometimes, sure. But this is personal stuff.”
“You said she wrote in it each morning after waking up.
“It’s true. She did,” Amanda confirmed.
“Then maybe, without knowing, she left us clues how to find her. She drew lightning striking a castle. There are drawings of monkeys in there.” He tugged gently on the journal, but Amanda would not let it go.
“Please,” Finn said to her.
For a moment the journal connected them. Then Amanda let go.
“You’re standing guard for us,” Finn reminded her.
He held up his DS. “Send us a text if you see anyone coming.”
“Okay,” she said, her eyes filled with concern.
“All we’re going to do is make copies,” Finn reminded her. “There’s got to be a copy machine or a scanner inside.”
“And what about bats?” she asked.
“We’ll be careful. I promise,” Finn said.
He followed Philby inside to a reception area, where a well-organized desk held a telephone and computer. Some Disney cartoons were taped to the computer monitor, and there were framed pictures of three kids. The few lights that had been left on cast murky shadows and offered a dimly lit corridor running in both directions off this front room. There were two signs, each with an arrow: one read MAINTENANCE and pointed left; the other read ANIMATION TRAINING LAB and pointed right.
“Cool,” Philby said, turning right. “I’ve got to see this.”
The animation training lab was a garagelike workshop that reminded Finn of the workshop in his grandfather’s basement. The L-shaped room had countertops that ran along every wall, behind which were pegboards holding every conceivable kind of tool. Computers and hand tools littered the counters. But what made it much different from Grandpop’s basement was its purpose. The room was designed for the repair of the Audio-Animatronics—the talking robots—that were used extensively throughout the Park. The result was the disturbing presence of human torsos, heads, hands, and legs in every stage of creation, from pieces that looked like robots to painted faces dressed in costumes that seemed so real Philby kept spinning in circles, afraid one or more of them might suddenly move or attack. Of equal concern were the dozens of animals under construction, including pieces of tigers, lions, Stitch, Donald Duck, and a fantastic hand—possibly from a gorilla—that was nearly three feet across and supported by a metal superstructure that held it four feet off the floor.