Realizing his mistake, he and the other guards had left quickly. One of the advantages of being a hologram—Willa had not tripped the system.
Assuming Disney maintenance men, and possibly Security personnel, would follow up on the ride’s emergency shutdown, Willa had relocated to a display that included a Roman guard.
Things had been quiet for some time now, and so she ventured out, determined to search for the Return. Determined to get home.
She would start with Lost and Found. If a Cast Member discovered what looked like a garage door opener, he or she would turn it in. Because the Keepers had lost the fob once before, Willa knew exactly where to look.
She took her time, careful to advance and pause, advance and pause. After determining an area was clear, she would move a little bit farther. Thankfully, the Lost and Found wasn’t far: in the back office of a small building tucked away near the entrance gate turnstiles.
She reached the building, concentrating on her thin blue outline to make sure her hologram was all clear, and then walked through the back door.
She arrived into a tiny office with event posters covering the walls. There were two desks, one cluttered, one neat. Two computer terminals. Two phones.
The phones presented her with an opportunity she had not, until now, considered. She could call Finn or Philby and…except, she didn’t know their numbers. They were on her phone as speed dials, but her phone was back home. She knew Charlene’s number by heart; Charlene could relay a message. She would need to lose her DHI state at least slightly in order to be material enough to pick up and handle a telephone, but at this point being afraid wouldn’t take any effort.
First, she checked the metal cabinet marked Lost and Found. Unlike when Finn had to go into the cabinet months earlier, it wasn’t locked now. Inside, she found over a dozen cell phones, clothing, wallets, jewelry, driver’s licenses, credit cards, and four sets of car keys—all with black fobs. But not the Return.
Her conclusion was that the OTs had stolen it, as she’d suspected. She eyed the phones and the computers. Did she dare start down the road of fear in order to become material enough to work the devices? Once begun it was hard to turn back. Fear fed on fear.
But what choice was there? She thought of her mother trying to wake her while in the Syndrome. Her fingers, knees, and toes tingled. She picked up the phone and dialed.
Charlene answered.
“It’s me!”
“Willa?”
“I’m in the Syndrome.”
“We know that. But how—”
“I’m in Epcot. I’m pretty sure the OTs have the Return. You have to tell the boys not to come after me. It’s obviously a trap!”
“I…ah…I think it’s too late. The plan’s for Finn and Maybeck to cross tonight.”
“But they can’t. They…we …can’t Return.”
“Philby got back into the server. It’s going to be all right.”
“No, it’s not. Not anywhere close.”
“Finn and Maybeck should be there by now.”
“I need Philby’s number,” Willa said. “I keep it on speed dial, but—”
“Yeah. Okay. Hang on.”
As Willa waited, she looked down at the phone to see a line light lit. By using the phone, she’d given herself away. She hung up immediately. She had to get out of there!
She tried walking through the door, but bounced against it. Her fear had gotten the better of her. It was a sickening, downward spiral. She tentatively opened the door and slipped outside, pulling it shut quietly behind her.
When she turned around, a shape appeared around the corner of a building and quickly ducked back.
“Finn?” She spoke his name aloud, though only in a whisper. She glanced around haltingly, ensuring she was alone.
“Pssst! ”
He reappeared.
She waved, so happy to see him! Finn stepped out into the open, and she realized he’d come in disguise—he was wearing the same stupid costume, shorts and a T-shirt, that his DHI wore in the Magic Kingdom. She hurried toward him, a combination of relief and anxiety overcoming her: relief they’d found each other; anxiety over the thought of telling him there was no way to Return.
“Oh, my gosh, Finn! It is so good to—”
He evaporated into a wisp of smoke that reformed into something darker and larger…until she found herself facing the Evil Queen.
She screamed. Her hologram outline dimmed.
“You…witch!” she uttered angrily.
“You are correct. This small girl, impossible to lose; she now finds no way to move.” The Evil Queen waved her index finger in a tight circle.
Willa tried to run. She could hardly lift her legs. She was quickly surrounded by cathedral guards. Behind them, on the points of the compass, four crash-test dummies on Segways.