The Princess Sisters (The Princess Sisters Series) (12 page)

The
Princess sisters, along with Dave, had been planning a trip to the local
amusement park for the following week.

“Oh
no!” they all said.

“Is
there any way her mom would still let her come?” Dave asked.

“Very
doubtful,” said Aurora.

“What
if I go and talk to her, do you think that would help?” Dave tried.

“Not
unless you want her to remove your need for wearing a cup!  I would steer clear
of Dana for awhile if I were you,” Ariel responded.

After
the movie ended and the credits came up, the five of them still sat glued to
their spots.  Snow White sat quietly with her hands in her lap, looking down at
them.  It was hard to tell if she was crying, or just occasionally sniffing due
to a runny nose.  Ariel sat with her legs crossed, her back to Aurora, who was
braiding her hair.  Belle was next to Dave with her head resting on his
shoulder.  Dave had his arm around Belle but he sat up straight, staring ahead
at the TV and not really watching it.  When the credits finally came to an end
and the menu screen appeared, the five of them jumped in unison.  The sudden
change in light seemed to release them all from their trance.

“I
guess I better head home,” said Dave.  The four girls waved good bye without
uttering a word.  After Dave had disappeared up the stairs, Aurora and Ariel
got to their feet.  Then someone finally asked the question they had all been
thinking.

“So
are we still going to Lagoon?” Aurora asked.  Her question was followed by
several seconds of silence.  They all were looking forward to the trip and
still wanted to go, but no one wanted to be the first to admit they were
willing to leave Cinderella behind.

“I
don’t want to think about it tonight,” said Snow White.

Belle
looked from one cousin to the other before answering, “Yeah, let’s hold off and
talk about it tomorrow.”

They
all nodded and Snow White solemnly followed the twins up the stairs.

Chapter
Eighteen

Tuesday,
August 3rd

Aurora
and Ariel skipped excitedly through the parking lot, past the enormous white
wooden rollercoaster and towards the main entrance to Lagoon.  Belle and Dave
laughed as they followed the two dancers, who began twirling and leaping
through the air past row after row of cars.

Snow
White had gotten permission from Dana to spend the day in imprisonment with
Cinderella while the others followed through with the plan to go to the
amusement park.  Dana felt bad about Cinderella missing the trip so it took
little convincing before she gave in to Snow White’s plan.  The fact that her
youngest niece was willing to give up a fun-filled day with the others to keep
Cinderella company pulled at her heartstrings so much she almost reconsidered
the grounding.  Almost.

As
the four of them approached the ticket counter, Belle had to place a hand on
her cousins’ shoulders to prevent them from bouncing through the glass.

“You
guys act like you’ve never been here before,” Dave said with a smile.

“The
last time we came I think we were all…what?  Five?” Ariel said.

“Yeah,
five or six,” Aurora added nodding.

“But
you live so close!” Dave exclaimed.

“I
know but our moms aren’t really the rollercoaster type.  And until this year,
we weren’t old enough to go alone.”

“Wow! 
I used to live an hour and a half from here, but I still made it at least once
a year.  I’m sorry, I didn’t understand.  You may now resume your bouncing,” he
said with a wink toward Aurora.  She flashed him her most charming smile in
return.  Belle then grabbed the tickets from the girl behind the glass and
pulled Dave toward the next line.

“If
looks could kill…” Ariel murmured, but Aurora ignored her and proceeded
forward.

“You
know, I didn’t realize it before,” Aurora stated, catching up with Belle and
Dave, “But this works out perfectly!”

“What?”
Belle asked.

“Well
there’s four of us, and most rides seat two or four people.  If Snow White had
come, we’d be odd numbers.”

“Are
you saying you’re glad Snow didn’t come?” asked Belle.

“No,”
Aurora said, “I just meant it worked out is all.”

“We
knew what you meant,” Dave said.  “And you’re right!  This way no one will ever
have to sit alone.”  Aurora gave him an appreciative smile.

“So
what’s up first ladies?” Dave asked, displaying the sites before them with his
outstretched hands.

“You’re
the one who knows the park so well,” said Belle, nudging him with her shoulder.

“You
can be our tour guide!” Ariel squealed, clapping her hands together.

“On
your left you will find
Dracula’s Castle
, a haunted house of sorts where
you ride through the dark as you witness various spooky depictions,” Dave said,
mimicking Ariel in an equally high voice.  The three girls froze and looked at
Dave.  He gave them a very cheesy smile and they all burst out laughing.

“You
did that so well!” laughed Ariel.

“Almost
too well,” said Belle, wiping her eyes.

Dave
grinned and continued to walk a pace in front of them, pointing out each item
with his outstretched palm as he described them in his best tour guide voice.

The
line for the spook house was very short and it wasn’t long before Belle and
Dave were seated in their little car, preparing to enter through the dark
doorway.

“Bye-bye. 
Bye-bye now,” Dave said, waving to the twins as the ride whirred into motion.

“He’s
so funny,” Aurora said, shaking her head as they climbed in the next car and
prepared to follow the other two.

Aurora
and Ariel joked as they rode through the dark castle and occasionally let out a
fake tiny scream at the mannequins in their various “scary” scenes.

“I
think this ride is for kids,” Aurora said.

“I
bet it was scary last time we were here,” Ariel added.

“That’s
what I mean.  Oh no, he’s going to get us,” Aurora exclaimed, putting her hands
on her cheeks as they rode by a coffin that was opening and closing.

“Stop
it!” Ariel said, shoving her sister.

“What?”
Aurora asked.

“Stop
breathing on my neck!” she said.

The
girls both turned in their seats and screamed for real this time.  A worker
stood on the back of their car, his head bent low between the two of them.  As
soon as they discovered him, he jumped off the back of the car and disappeared,
laughing, through an employee door.  The twins burst into giggles and continued
laughing until they emerged into the sunlight once again.

“My
heart is still racing!” Aurora said as they climbed out of the car and joined
Belle and Dave who sat waiting for them.

“What?”
Belle asked.

“There
was a guy riding on the back of our car and he scared the crap out of us!”
Ariel said, still laughing.  “But it totally improved an otherwise boring
ride.”

“Really?”
asked Belle.  “I didn’t think it was so bad,” she said, looking over at Dave.

Ariel
hadn’t noticed at first, but now that she looked closer, both Belle and Dave
appeared to be a little flushed.  She glanced sideways at Belle, who grinned
back at her cousin.  But before either of them could say a word, Aurora and
Dave were pulling them towards the next line.

***

The
hot August sun beat down on them as the afternoon grew later.  The twins’
happy, excited skipping of the morning turned to slow, heavy steps as they
dragged their feet through the park.

“I
think it’s time we got wet!” Dave exclaimed, leaning against the metal gate of
The
Samurai
as they stood waiting in line.  He immediately jumped forward
again, rubbing his newly burned back with a sweaty palm.  The previous ride
ended and they all rushed forward to find a good seat.  Dave waved the girls
towards the nearest of the six long arms that extended from the center of the
ride.  They situated themselves in their row and waited for the ride attendant
to lower the harnesses tightly against their chests.

“This
feels too tight,” Aurora said as she tried to shift slightly in her seat.

“You’ll
be grateful it’s tight,” Dave said.  “Trust me.”

The
attendant gave his spiel, said “Enjoy your ride” and
The Samurai
slowly
began to lift off the ground.  At first they moved slowly, the arms rotating
like a giant windmill.  The girls all laughed as they went from sitting
upright, to lying on their left sides, to being completely upside down.  As the
ride gained momentum, they couldn’t help but let out an occasional scream of
delight mixed with terror.  Their arms and legs, which hung loosely from the harness,
were being flopped around like a rag doll’s as the ride continued to spin and
throw them in every direction.  They began slowing down and Belle exclaimed, as
she tried to catch her breath, “Holy cow that was fun!”

“Just
you wait,” Dave responded.

The
ride began gaining speed again, only this time it was moving backwards.  Belle,
Aurora, and Ariel all squealed as the ride tossed them about, unsure of which
direction was up.  Then it was clear the ride had ended when the arm began to
slow down and their feet slowly returned to the ground.

The
breeze that had cooled their faces while the ride was speeding around in
circles stopped with the ending of
The Samurai
.

“How
‘bout that water ride?” Dave asked as soon as they felt the severity of the sun
beating down on them again.  The other three didn’t even respond, they simply
nodded and Dave steered them toward a new part of the park.  They knew on a day
like this there would be a line for
Rattlesnake Rapids
, but nothing
could have prepared them for the snake of people curving and twisting their way
along the fence, well past the ride’s entrance.

“Excuse
me?” Aurora asked the family waiting at the end of the line, “Do you know how
long the wait is?”

“Probably
at least two hours,” the dad responded before turning back around.

“Two
hours?!” mouthed Ariel to the others.

“I
could wait,” Belle said.  “I could use the break anyway.”

“Yeah,
as long as we don’t melt before we get there,” Aurora said.

“Oh
no! It’s starting already!” Ariel said.  “I’m melting…melting!” she shrieked as
she pretended to melt into the gravel.

“Save
my spot, I’ve got an idea,” Dave hurriedly said, walking away.

Ariel
popped back up as Dave left and they had to move forward.  The line actually progressed
at a fairly good pace and it even took Dave a little while to find the girls
upon his return.  He was carrying two large, frozen lemonades and four spoons
when he approached.

“My
hero!” Ariel swooned.

“You
are brilliant!” Aurora added.

Belle
took one of the cups to relieve his full hands and gave Dave a kiss on the
cheek.  “Thank you,” she said.

Dave
looked at her in surprise.  “You’re welcome,” he said, looking behind them at
the progress they had made.  “I would have brought us each one,” he added, “But
I didn’t have enough hands.”

“This
is perfect!” Aurora said before taking a large bite.

With
the line moving at a steady pace and after rehydrating themselves, the foursome
seemed to be in much better spirits.  They laughed and joked and even had a
moment of silence for Cinderella upon seeing a young man wearing big black
boots.  The silence didn’t last long, of course, as Dave started making faces
at Aurora who burst into giggles.  He claimed innocence, however, when Belle
and Ariel questioned Aurora, who could only muster up enough control to point
in his direction.

The
subject was quickly dropped as they got closer to the ride and Ariel realized
what
Rattlesnake Rapids
really was.  The ride consisted of a large
man-made river and large, round rafts floated down it, tossing and turning in
the rushing water.  The people riding in the rafts were splashed as they hit
the wall bumpers and moved about in the rapids. 

“You
know, I’m not that hot after all,” Ariel said, backing away from the railing
and turning from the horrifying scene below.

Dave
noticed her wide eyes and he placed his arm around her trembling shoulders to
keep her from fleeing the line.

“Come
on,” he coaxed, “remember the Surf and Swim?  This is nothing!  You’ll be safe
above the water the whole time.”

“Yeah,
those rafts are way bigger than the other ones.  Besides, we’ll all be right
there next to you,” Aurora chimed in.

Ariel
shook her head.  “I don’t think I can do it.”

“Do
I need to work my magic again?” Dave asked.

Ariel
blushed slightly and with her face buried in the palm of her hands, she finally
nodded.  “Okay, but don’t let me look at the water before we reach the ride or
I might change my mind.”

The
others grinned and promised to keep the ride from her view.  Finally after two
hours, eighteen minutes and forty-three seconds, according to Ariel who had
decided to keep track, they stepped from the last stair leading down to the
ride and onto the moving platform.  Aurora was mid-sentence as they stepped
onto the moving floor and she toppled right into Dave’s arms the moment her
balance was compromised.

“Nice
catch,” she said, recovering herself quickly.

“Nice
fall,” Belle smirked as she followed the attendant toward the next raft.

Dave
followed Belle closely, climbing into the raft behind her.  He then turned
around and offered a hand to both Ariel and Aurora as they came down the
slippery step.  Ariel began trembling again, but Dave pulled her down onto the
bench seat and told her to look down at her feet instead of at the water
rushing around them.  The seats were already wet, soaking their butts
immediately.  The raft finished its course around the platform and was released
into the rushing water.  Water splashed over the sides each time they bounced
against a wall and the girls all screamed when they got hit with the icy
liquid.  Ariel seemed to loosen up as she realized there was no way the raft
could tip over; they were secure inside its rubbery walls.