A moment later he felt fine. He leaned away from her. “Whoa,” he said. “That was some kind of strange.”

A smallgroup of kids that had gathered moved on.

Finn stood up.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.

“Felt like I blew a fuse,” he told her. “Thanks for the coaching. Where’d you learn that?”

“So much of that stuff is in our minds,” was all she said. She giggled. “I thought you’d fainted.”

He said, “You turned…just before…like you heard something. What was with that?”

“I—” She looked away. She didn’t offer an answer.

Now it dawned on him what had just happened.

“‘ It isn’t safe, ’” he mumbled.

Amanda’s brow knit in grave concern. The second bell rang.

Finn whispered dryly, “Now I know I’ve got to get to Willa and Maybeck. I’ll meet you out by the bikes after the last bell.”

11

Crazy Glaze was crowded with mothers and their children busily painting blank pottery at brightly lit tables. There were several connected rooms, all filled with color and the murmur of activity.

Finn and Amanda locked their bikes out front. Once inside, they were directed to a heavyset gray-haired African American woman who wore hoop earrings and dark purple eye shadow.

“I’m looking for Donnie Maybeck,” Finn said.

“You mean Terry,” she said, a smile overcoming her. “Donnie’s his stage name. Say, aren’t you a sweet-looking girl,” she said, noticing Amanda and studying her features.

“Who should I say is calling? Wait a minute!” she interrupted herself. “Don’t I know you?” she asked Finn. “You’re a host, right? I saw you at MGM, during the film shoot.”

Yes, ma am.

She nodded, proud of herself. “That’s it exactly. I was over there nearly every day you all were shooting. But you, girl. I’d remember you, and I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Amanda. A friend of Finn’s.”

“Well, I’m pleased to meet you both. I’m Terry’s Aunt Bess. I run this place. Own it too!” As she grinned, the room seemed a bit brighter. “Kids around here call me Jelly.”

“Jelly?” Amanda said.

“It’s a long story. It started with jelly donuts, and got out of control from there. Don’t ask me!”

“Is Terry around?” Finn asked.

“Terry’s out back. But he’s taking it easy today. Not feeling exactly top-notch. I’m not sure this is the best day for a visit.”

“He didn’t happen to feel faint, did he?” Finn blurted out.

The woman’s face hardened. She crossed her arms tightly and looked down at Finn. “Now why would you go and ask that?”

“I think I need to see him, Ms.…Jelly.” Finn saw the way his guess had struck her.

“School nurse said there’s a bug going around,” she said.

“And maybe that’s all it is,” Finn said.

“What is it you’re not telling me, son?” Jelly asked.

“I really need to see him,” Finn pleaded.

When she nodded, her double chin turned into a triple. “Okay. Just not too long. Hear?”

* * *

“You!” Maybeck said to Finn, looking up. He was a head taller than either of them. His expression was defiant; there was a hardness in his eyes. He was in the midst of unpacking unglazed ceramics. He didn’t want them there.

Finn introduced Amanda.

Maybeck said “Hey” to her. He looked at Finn curiously. “So what’s going on?”

“Are we okay to talk here?” Finn asked.

Maybeck looked around, closed a door that led into the front of the shop and said, “We’re good.”

“How’s your sleep these past couple nights?”

“What’s with that?” Maybeck asked.

“Had any vivid dreams?”

Maybeck looked searchingly from Finn to Amanda.

Finn said, “She knows. I’ve told her everything.”

Finn said, “She knows. I’ve told her everything.”

“I’m not saying I have or haven’t,” Maybeck said.

“Did you make these?” Amanda pointed to a series of beautifully painted water pitchers on a shelf amid dozens of other bowls and mugs. The image on the pitchers was the Cinderella Castle.

“Tourists like them.”

“But you painted them,” she said.

“Yeah. I sell them on the side.” He lowered his voice and said to Finn, “Listen, the money…

from Disney…being a DHL It’s made a big difference for us—my aunt and me—and I can’t risk their asking for that money back.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“How do you know it won’t?”

Finn hadn’t ever considered such a thing. His mother would kill him if he lost his college money.

“Do you have Internet access?” Amanda asked.

Finn glanced over at her. Why did she always have the best ideas? he wondered.

“Sure,” Maybeck answered.

Finn said, “The others and I…Tonight we’re meeting in my guest room in the Virtual Magic Kingdom Web site to get this stuff straight.” He paused and added, “It’s happening to all of us, Maybeck. The dreams…of being there. The fainting this afternoon.”

“Not me.” Maybeck looked briefly afraid.

Finn said, “The old guy, Wayne? He’s got some kind of mission for us. As a team, I’m talking about. He says we’ve got to go to sleep at some point, and that when we do, we’re going to cross over.”

Maybeck looked completely serious. There was not a laughing bone in his body. “I can’t mess things up for my aunt.”

“We can’t stop this,” Finn warned. “Whatever’s happening, we can’t stop it. At least I haven’t been able to. Have you?” He felt another little chill. He said, “It isn’t safe.”

Maybeck met eyes with him, a mean look, both angry and afraid. He’d heard those words before.

“No way…” he said darkly.

“Way,” said Finn.

Maybeck said, “Yeah, well…then I guess we gotta do this.”

12

Finn’s mother fumbled around with the serving plates, as nervous as could be. Her son had never brought a girl home for dinner before, and she was quite beside herself.

She served meat loaf, with green beans and bacon, salad, and cornbread, only to discover that Amanda was a vegetarian.

Finn’s father was quieter than usual. About halfway through the meal he asked Amanda to pass the salt.

Finn’s mom told his father, “Amanda and Finn are going to chat online together after dinner.”

“Is that right?” he asked.

Mr. Whitman challenged their guest. “I don’t see why you have to go online to talk. Why can’t you just talk if you want to talk?”

“We don’t own a computer,” Amanda answered. “Or a TV.”

Mr. Whitman looked up from his plate, possibly for the first time. “Well, good for you,” he said.

“Nothing wrong with that. Finn spends way too much time on his, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Donald!” Finn’s mother snapped at him.

“I’m just making conversation,” Mr. Whitman complained.

“Hey, Dad,” Finn said, trying to salvage things. “You know that hurricane—I forget its name—

the one that turned out in the ocean and came back ashore?” Gary.

“Yeah, Gary. Is it true it lost a lot of its power after it went over us?”

“Over half its wind speed. Yes. Downgraded to a tropical storm. But that’s pretty typical when storms pass over land. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Never mind,” Finn said.

He glanced at Amanda. She nodded toward her watch.

“We’re gonna go up now,” Finn said. His parents looked at each other but said nothing.

On their way up the stairs Finn heard his father say, “If those pants of hers get any lower, they’ll fall off.”

“They all wear them that way, dear,” Mrs. Whitman said. “She’s adorable.” She’d lowered her voice to a whisper, but Finn had stopped on the stairs in time to hear.

“Nothing wrong with him having a new friend. He can’t spend all his time with Dillard.”