The Return: Disney Lands

B
OOKS BY
R
IDLEY
P
EARSON

Kingdom Keepers—Disney After Dark

Kingdom Keepers II—Disney at Dawn

Kingdom Keepers III—Disney in Shadow

Kingdom Keepers IV—Power Play

Kingdom Keepers V—Shell Game

Kingdom Keeper I—Dark Passage

Kingdom Keepers VII—The Insider

The Syndrome

Steel Trapp—The Challenge

Steel Trapp II—The Academy

W
ITH
D
AVE
B
ARRY

Peter and
the Starcatchers

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

Peter and the Sword of Mercy

The Bridge to Neverland

Escape from the Carnivale

Cave of the Dark Wind

Blood Tide

The following are some of the trademarks, registered marks, and service marks owned by Disney Enterprises, Inc.: Audio-Animatronics
^®
Figure, Disneyland
^®
,
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
^®
Theme Park, Epcot
^®
, Fantasyland
^®
Area, Imagineering, Imagineers, it’s a small world, Magic Kingdom
^®
Park, Main
Street, U.S.A., Area, Mickey’s Toontown
^®
, monorail, Toontown
^®
, Walt Disney
World
^®
Resort.

Copyright © 2015 Page One, Inc.
Cover design by SJI Associates, Inc.

All rights reserved. Published by Disney • Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission
from the publisher. For information address Disney •
Hyperion, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023.

ISBN 978-1-4847-1938-1

Visit
www.DisneyBooks.com
www.thekingdomkeepers.com
www.ridleypearson.com
www.kingdomkeepersinsider.com

1. Title Page
   
2. Books by Ridley Pearson
   
3. Copyright
   
4. Dedication
   
5. 1
   
6. 2
   
7. 3
   
8. 4
   
9. 5
   
10. 6
    
11. 7
    
12. 8
    
13. 9
    
14. 10
    
15. 11
    
16. 12
    
17. 13
    
18. 14
    
19. 15
    
20. 16
    
21. 17
    
22. 18
    
23. 19
    
24. 20
    
25. 21
    
26. 22
    
27. 23
    
28. 24
    
29. 25
    
30. 26
    
31. 27
    
32. 28
    
33. 29
    
34. 30
    
35. 31
    
36. 32
    
37. 33
    
38. 34
    
39. 35
    
40. 36
    
41. 37
    
42. 38
    
43. 39
    
44. 40
    
45. 41
    
46. 42
    
47. 43
    
48. 44
    
49. 45
    
50. 46
    
51. 47
    
52. 48
    
53. 49
    
54. 50
    
55. 51
    
56. Acknowledgments
    
57. Kingdom Keepers Insider Winners
    
58. About the Author
    

To Wayne McSwain, who for something like forty years worked backstage at the Magic Kingdom, including Splash Mountain, where I met him during a behind-the-scenes research trip.
He retired this year, and if it weren’t for him there would be no Wayne in the books—but “Fred” instead. (And Wayne is way cooler!) Thanks, Wayne, and the hundreds of others
who, day in and day out,
are faceless and nameless for the most part, working tirelessly to make the parks and the cruise ships the best experiences ever!
The Return—Disney Lands
is
dedicated to all of you!

“L
ADIES AND GENTLEMEN
, girls and
boys, welcome to the D23 presentation we’ve all been waiting
for! Eight years ago Disney Imagineers, under the direction of Disney Legend Wayne Kresky, came up with an innovative and game-changing alternative to our old friend, Pal Mickey. Five young men and
women from Orlando became our first Disney Hosts Interactive, or DHIs. That’s also an acronym for Daylight Hologram Imaging! Which gives
you a small hint of whom you’re about to
meet!”

The packed crowd in Ballroom B, Level 3 of the Anaheim Convention Center broke into thunderous applause. The speaker, a man named Joe Garlington, a well-known Disney Imagineer, was like his
boss, Bruce Vaughn, considered a Disney celebrity.

“As hologram characters within the parks, these five courageous young people have not only introduced
thousands of families to the magic of our attractions, but they’ve also, as a
group, become known to all of us as…wait for it…the…”

Hundreds of people screamed in unison: “Kingdom Keepers!”

Another brace of applause rattled the folding walls separating the line of ballrooms.

“That’s right! So please help me give it up to the five people most responsible for saving our beloved Disneyland
from outside threats: Finn, Willa, Philby, Maybeck, and
Charlene—our company treasure, the Kingdom Keepers!”

The crowd jumped to its feet, cheering and waving, shooting off photos in a blinding explosion of flashing white lights.

The five teens charged up onto the riser and waved back at the crowd. They slipped onto raised stools, grabbing the wireless microphones left there for them.

The interview began in earnest. Finn Whitman, who’d matured from a gawky middle-school boy into a young man with a strong jaw and penetrating eyes, was identified as the leader of the
group. Dell Philby, a redhead with a soft British accent who was both a rock climber and a computer whiz, was dubbed the MacGyver of the group, though the old television show reference was lost on
many in
attendance. The gorgeous blonde, Charlene, received additional applause because she currently starred in a Disney Channel show. By far the most athletic of the five, she answered questions
about how some of her more difficult battles with Disney villains had helped lead to the rescue of Disneyland. Terry Maybeck stood slightly over six feet tall, his dreads making him look even
taller. He made
jokes about being the only African-American of the five, but became uncharacteristically serious when discussing his artist’s eye and his tendency to take great personal risks
when required. The clear stud of the group, Maybeck received the most screaming from the girls when his short interview concluded.

Willa Angelo spoke softly; Joe had to pry responses from her. She begrudgingly admitted
that she’d assumed the role of Philby’s high-tech counterpart. Joe also coaxed from her that
she’d received a 34 on the ACT, a nearly perfect score, and had earned full scholarship offers from UCLA, Washington University, and Wellesley College. She wouldn’t tell the group which
she’d accepted, however.

The event lasted a total of fifteen minutes. Another roar of applause sent the Kingdom
Keepers off to a greenroom where they would wait before being led to a poster-signing event in the main
hall.

Accompanied by a pair of Cast Members, the five cut across a wide concourse on their way to the room. A large gathering of well-wishers and fans already crowded the area, cheering for the
Keepers like they were actors or rock stars. Event programs waved; people called out for autographs.
The Keepers were happy to oblige, stopping to sign their names or pose for a quick selfie.

During one such photo-op, Finn Whitman caught sight of a girl with dark olive skin and a hint of Asian eyes, squinting with concern. Amanda. He winked at her. But she shook her head vigorously,
her eyes darting to her left. Following her gaze, Finn caught sight of Jess, held back by the cluster of
fans. No great surprise. The two girls traveled everywhere together. “Two peas in a
pod,” Maybeck’s aunt Bess called them.

Jess waved her arms, clearly signaling
No
. Finn worked to communicate through facial expressions,
What?

Jess pointed to her head. Amanda made a signal like she was sleeping. Finn understood: Jess had dreamed something bad—a special ability she possessed. Amanda pointed
across the hall and
shook her head more violently.

Finn and the others were aimed where Amanda was pointing as she called out, “Don’t go in there!”

Finn tugged on Philby’s shirt. “Not the greenroom.”

“Are you kidding me? We stay out here, we’ll be eaten alive.”

“Amanda and Jess.” Finn pointed them out. The crowd took on a life of its own, pushing and surging in the direction
of the greenroom’s door. The fans knew where the Keepers
were headed, and in the process of following them, they were herding the Keepers in that direction.

Amanda and Jess slipped behind the crowd, Amanda looking as if she might cry.

“Seriously,” Finn shouted to Philby, “I think Jess dreamed something bad about this.”

He won Philby’s attention. Jess’s dreams were not to be ignored.
As Philby stopped short, Finn crashed into him. Finn planted his feet, resisting, but the crowd’s will won
out.

“This is ugly!” Charlene cried.

The dreaded door swung open.

“We do not want to go in there,” Finn said.

“I get it!” Philby said. “But I don’t think we have…”

The Keepers were pushed into the greenroom. Cast Members fought off the fans and shut the door.

Willa
screamed.

A man in a waiter’s uniform lay writhing on the floor, green foam oozing from his mouth and nostrils. His eyes were rolled back into his head, showing only the milky white of his eyeballs.
He twitched and jerked. A seizure.

Maybeck hollered, “Someone call an ambulance!”

T
HE PARAMEDIC TEAM
left the greenroom
in a hurry, an oxygen mask held tightly over the face of the
unconscious man.