Kingdom Keepers: Once Upon a Dream

Chapter 16

A/N: Hi again! This chapter's on the shorter side but the dynamics were so much fun to play with! Hope you enjoy!!!

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The next day, it was a normal morning in the Magic Kingdom, the sun blazing, hundreds of families out and about, ready to start exciting days in their vacations. The group had decided to come in the morning, so as to experience the smallest crowds when trying to get on Haunted Mansion, and to have as much time as possible if need be. Besides, though no one said it outright, none of them really wanted to try this endeavor when it was dark out.

Charlene was the first of the group to arrive, and she was sitting at a table in front of Casey's Corner, where they'd decided to meet. Time seemed to drag on, and she tapped her feet and drummed her fingers against the table, trying to shake out her nerves. She probably hadn't even been here that long, and normally she'd scroll through her phone to pass the time, but today all she could bring herself to do was people-watch.

Her life had been very strange as of late, and any time alone like this left her completely paralyzed thinking about it. How was it that she'd come to be here? How had it come so far that she was sitting in the Magic Kingdom waiting for a group of people she'd never thought she'd call friends (could she even call them her friends yet?) so that they could go investigate the Haunted Mansion for suspicious activity? It sounded so ludicrous that she almost wanted to think it was a dream, and yet, she'd tried pinching herself, and, no matter how much it didn't seem possible, she was definitely awake.

And then of course, aside from everything else, there was Terry. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had as much fun out with a friend as she had with him out at the movies. Add that to what had happened while they were making pottery, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of any of it.

Did she...like him? She'd had relationships before-flings and serious boyfriends-but this felt different than the rest of them. She didn't know what this was. And while she knew that should make her happy, and that he made her happy, she was scared. According to Casey, they were "Gary and Kim"; what if all of this was happening because their minds were forcing them to feel things they thought maybe they were supposed to? What if after all of this nonsense was over, and they all finally realized it was absolutely crazy, they drifted apart, and then one or both of them got hurt?

And then what if it wasn't crazy? They were here today after all. What if Casey was right, and she was someone completely different from who she thought she was, and Terry was....

"Hey."

She turned. As if fate had read her thoughts, there he was, walking towards the table she'd chosen: Terry.

Of course he'd be the first one here. She exhaled to shake off her nerves, and quickly put on a smile as he approached her.

"Hey!" she replied cheerfully. "I didn't know if you were gonna make it!"

"Yeah well," Terry sighed, putting his hands into his pockets. "After we got back last night, my Aunt sat me down for a talk, said she's gonna run the store a few times a week. I tried to argue, but she wouldn't take no for an answer so...here I am I guess."

He seemed almost disheartened, or scared; Charlene couldn't tell which.

"Well," she said. "I'm glad you're here."

This earned a weak smile from Terry, and Charlene felt her heart start to race faster. A moment passed, and then, without thinking much, she let out a chuckle and moved forward to hug him. He followed her, but about halfway to the embrace, they realized what they were doing, and stopped in their tracks.