Kingdom Keepers: Once Upon a Dream

Chapter 25

A/N: New characters and new explanations in this chapter! Hope you enjoy!

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"Wayne!" Amanda exclaimed. Finn was already crying too hard to say anything.

The two of them ran at the old man, who was standing up from the golf cart he'd arrived on. After making sure he was steady, and receiving a smile, they sandwiched him in a hug. He let out a laugh before they broke away from him.

"How are you here?" Finn asked, finally managing to speak.

"Well you changed a lot when you meddled with time," His voice was stern, judgmental, and Finn felt small, until the edges of the old man's mouth began to lift playfully, and Finn let out a laugh with a breath of relief.

Amanda placed a hand on Finn's back and he looked to her before returning the gesture. They laughed and smiled at each other and, now that Wayne's stern façade was down, the three began exchanging remarks: how much Finn and Amanda had missed Wayne, how much they'd grown, how happy he was to see them, how proud he was of them. Through it all, Finn couldn't stop crying, and, watching him, Amanda began to feel herself tear up as well.

"Hi!" a voice said from behind, bringing them back to reality. They turned to see Mattie with her arms crossed and Jess with her hands on her hips.

"This is lovely and all," Mattie said. "But uh...who is this guy exactly?"

"And how do you know my name?" Jess asked, more than slightly creeped out.

"Ah: Jessica, Matilda, I apologize," Wayne said. "In all the excitement I ignored the fact that you wouldn't recognize me."

Jess and Mattie stepped back, unnerved again by the stranger's seeming familiarity with them. Meanwhile, the old man smiled softly, and Finn and Amanda turned to face them, their faces looking like they'd just won the lottery.

"Guys," Amanda said. "It's Wayne!"

"Yeah; that doesn't help," Mattie said sarcastically, but Jess' face was tight with observation now.

"How did you know we were here?!" Finn exclaimed. "How do you even know who we are?"

"I'll be elated to explain everything to you," Wayne said. "But first I think it's important we continue this reunion somewhere more secluded. I may know you're the Kingdom Keepers, but security certainly doesn't."

"Right," Finn said.

Wayne motioned them over to the golf cart he'd arrived in. Finn and Amanda began to go without question, but Jess and Mattie still stood in the same spot. Amanda stopped and turned, realizing they were not following.

"Come on," she insisted.

"Amanda, we don't know who this guy is," Jess said. "Or where he's taking us."

"Just trust me," Amanda said.

Jess was still hesitant. She still wasn't sure what exactly had happened on that island, or who to trust; this could all be a trap. But then, she looked into her sister's eyes. Any tension or anger or fear that had built up in the past years was gone. She saw her sister looking back at her, just the way she was when they first became friends. A smile crept onto her face.

"Okay," she said.

Mattie still looked scared, but Jess gave her a slight nod. They walked over to join Finn and Wayne, where the all five squeezed into the golf-cart.

"Alright," Wayne said, looking back at them. "Everyone hold on tight!"

With that, he sped off towards Main Street.