“About the weather?” Maybeck said skeptically. “I doubt it.”
“Could have been about the primates,” Philby said.
“Yeah. A couple of monkeys,” snapped Maybeck sarcastically. “Now, there’s something to set your legs trembling.”
“Maybe they were running from the monkeys,” Willa said.
“I’m not even sure they saw the monkeys,” said Finn.
The parade kept moving, and their float along with it. They crossed the lagoon, heading for the Hub, the density of the crowds increasing. Cheers arose. Kids screamed out their names.
“We’re rock stars,” said Maybeck.
“Our DHIs are the rock stars,” clarified Finn. “Let’s not confuse the two.”
Finn caught a lightning flash out of the corner of his eye. The storm was moving closer. He looked up at the sky to see that it was far darker than even a few minutes ago. Was this what Amanda had wanted him to see? His mind reeled with possibilities. Why had she seemed so agitated? The low clouds and swirling fog obscured any sight of the gray weather balloon. Would anyone believe him now?
Suddenly the music was interrupted. “Ladies and gentlemen!” the booming voice announced. “Welcome to the Magic Kingdom’s DHI-Day celebration! Please direct your attention to Cinderella Castle, where the fireworks will begin shortly.”
“Look!” Philby said, “they’re cutting the parade short!”
Sure enough, the parade now hooked around the Hub, and instead of heading down Main Street, USA, for its final segment, it went fully around the Hub and back the way it had come. Finn briefly saw the five DHIs far ahead, leading the way.
Whoever was in charge didn’t want the parade caught in the storm.
“Don’t you think we should tell someone about that balloon?” Willa asked. “That’s got to be dangerous in an electrical storm.”
“They must already know, don’t you think?” said Finn.
Philby said, “The string or wire holding it is tied to that window. Maybe it’s some kind of experiment.”
“Isn’t that the window to the apartment?” Finn asked. As DHIs, the kids had previously used the castle’s penthouse apartment as a hiding place.
“What if that’s what Amanda was pointing to?” Finn continued. “What if she was trying to show us the balloon?”
“But why?” Willa asked.
“What’s so important about a balloon?”
“Nothing the Overtakers would like more than to ruin the DHI celebration,” said Philby. “What if they’re trying to use lightning to set Cinderella Castle on fire or something?”
“I wouldn’t put it past them,” said Finn.
“We don’t know if the Overtakers exist anymore,” said Maybeck. “If they do, don’t you think Wayne would contact us? Has anyone heard from the old dude, by the way?”
The Overtakers were a group of Magic Kingdom characters, rebels led by Maleficent, the evil sorceress from Sleeping Beauty. Their goal was to overthrow the good and take control of the Park for themselves. Wayne and others believed the Overtakers intended to imprison any characters and Cast Members not part of their group. They had been caught preparing vast dungeons beneath Pirates of the Caribbean, which were said to be for this purpose.
The DHIs were now also known as the Kingdom Keepers—one of the most popular attractions in the Park. The last thing the Kingdom Keepers could afford was for Maleficent to gain power again. They had barely stopped her the first time, and she now considered them among her greatest enemies—a distinction they could have done without.
“We should probably tell someone about the balloon,” Finn said, moving to the back of the float and the small ladder there. “At the very least, it shouldn’t be up in the storm.”
The peculiar phenomenon that had been discovered shortly after the Disney Host Interactives had been installed in the Magic Kingdom had carried all five kids into a struggle with the Overtakers and the evil fairy Maleficent.
Wayne had shown them an astonishing three-story maze called Escher’s Keep in Cinderella Castle, which led to the little-known penthouse apartment, now a secret hideaway used by Wayne.
Finn wondered aloud if the balloon might be something Wayne was responsible for.
“If Wayne’s up there,” Philby said, “we should go see him.”
“You can’t leave now,” complained Charlene, waving her pom-poms eagerly for the cheering crowd.
“Cover for me,” said Finn. “No one’s going to notice if one of us isn’t here.”
“They’ll notice if you aren’t,” Willa said. “They won’t notice if I’m not.”