The railing arced to the right up ahead. Behind it, Finn saw only black and the twinkling of stars. We're on the roof of some building, he thought.
“We're going to jump!” he announced.
He reached out and took her hand with his free hand, the thumb drive gripped firmly in his left.
“Pleaseâ¦no!” she shouted.
“Hang on to me. Oneâ¦two⦔ They ran full speed toward the rail. On “three!” they left their feet in a dive, flying through the air into nothingness.
He threw the thumb drive back and saw it land on the deck.
He and Willa screamed as they sank into the darkness, the churning sea awaiting below.
Special thanks to Chris Ostrander and Laura Simpson of Disney Synergy for connecting me with the wonderful people of the Disney Cruise Line including, in no special order, Karl Holz, Christian, Akim, Kevin, Angeline, Ray, James, Justine, Lisa, Michel, David, Mark, Aki, Sal, Tisa, Sarah (on Castaway Cay), Wilson, Zachary Alexander Wilson, “Uncle Bob,” and Mark.
Thanks also to everyone at Disney Books, including Wendy Lefkon, Jessica Ward, Jeanne Mosure, Deborah Bass, and Jennifer Levine. And to John Horton at Disney's Youth Education Services for helping me create the Kingdom Keepers Quest in the Magic Kingdom.
I'm indebted to my office staff: Nancy Zastrow, Jenn Wood, Phoebejane McVey, and, for their copyediting skills, David and Laurel Walters and Judi Smith. My secret weapon is continuity reader Brooke Muschott, a walking, breathing Kingdom Keepers encyclopedia.
But in the end, the real acknowledgment is to you, the Kingdom Keepers readers, who keep this series alive and make it so much fun to write.