Chapter 1
Vanessa
In a small office, there was a desk. On the desk sat a glass model of a castle. Behind the desk sat an interviewer who had one final question for Vanessa.
“Is there anything else you’d like to share with us about your work history?”
A fine sweat threatened to mar her neat application of makeup.
“No, sir. I think we covered everything.” Her crisp diction slipped on the last word and slid into the slightest hint of a Southern accent.
“Very well, then.” The interviewer shuffled a few papers on his desk. “Would you mind stepping into the waiting room?”
“Of course.” She tucked a wayward curl behind her ear as she reached for her bag, then stood up straight in her sensible heels, and walked with a steady tread to the door.
Damn it all, woman, don’t trip now.
Out the office door she went, shutting it carefully behind her.
In the waiting room, her gaze settled on the wall-mounted television as it played a promotional video on a continuous loop. She went back and forth between glancing at the screen and checking her suit jacket and skirt for nonexistent lint.
“The Destiny Corporation offers competitive salaries, generous health benefits, and the most unique work environment in the world. If your dream is to make dreams come true, you’ll feel right at home … ”
One corner of her mouth lifted just a little. You can make my dream come true by hiring me.
“Vanessa?” The interviewer leaned out of his doorway and beckoned to her with a manila file folder. “Come on in.”
She stood up and smoothed her jacket as best she could.
The interviewer folded his hands on the desk. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. We’ve been looking for just the right person to take this role, and after speaking with you, we feel that you’re up to the job. We’d like to offer you the position of area manager at Destiny Park.”
Vanessa smiled. “That’s wonderful,” she said. “When do I start?”
“Right now.”
Vanessa tried not to look shocked. Was this the usual procedure?
“I’m going to send you over to your office in the Legacy area of Destiny Park. Have you been to the park before?” He looked at her expectantly.
“It’s been a while, but we went there on family vacations a couple of times when I was a kid. The Legacy area, you said?”
“Just call it ‘Legacy’ for short,” he said. “Legacy, Fantasy, Galaxy, Discovery. The four themed lands of Destiny Park.”
“Legacy, Fantasy, Galaxy, Discovery,” she repeated dutifully. “Got it.”
“You’ll meet your staff first, then we’ll arrange for you to introduce yourself to your employees later today, at the shift change. I know it’s a bit sudden, but we’re anxious to have someone in place as soon as possible. Does that work for you?”
“Of course.” What can I say? No? Hardly.
“Great! Here are the directions to the manager parking lot, and a temporary badge to get you through the security gate.” His handshake conveyed both congratulation and dismissal.
Vanessa hurried across the parking lot, eager to get to Destiny Park. As she pulled open the driver’s side door of her car, she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye.
A turtle wobbled its way down from a nearby curb into the gutter of the busy road, intent on dodging cars.
Vanessa looked from the temporary badge in her hand to the turtle and back again, before huffing a sigh and jogging as quickly as she could manage in high heels across the parking lot.
She attempted to scoot the turtle back onto the curb with her foot. “Bad turtle,” she said. “Stop that.”
The turtle ignored her and continued to hurl itself down the curb and into the road.
Vanessa let loose a cry of frustration and hustled back to her car. She flung open the passenger side door, tossed down the badge, and snatched up a single sheet of folded newspaper. She unfolded it and took one last look at the headline: “Historic Family-Run Amusement Park to Close Permanently.”
With a life at stake, there was no time to be sentimental.
She carried the paper to the curb and knelt next to the turtle.
With her hands protected by the newspaper, she lifted the turtle and carried it to a row of bushes far from the road. “Listen, you,” she said as she deposited it behind a bush, “I might not be here next time to save your shell. So be a good turtle and stay away from the scary road, okay?”
Vanessa walked back to her car and slid into the driver’s seat.
Good luck, turtle.
The directions led to a broad highway flanked by pine forest. At the security gate, delicate, sparkling turrets were just visible above the trees.
Vanessa cranked her window down and passed the guard her temporary badge.
He studied it, then leaned down to her window.
“Do you know where you’re going, ma’am?”
“Manager parking. I’m a manager,” she said. I’m a manager at Destiny Park! She could hardly believe it.
The guard nodded. “Turn right past the lamppost. Wait till I lower the blockade first.”
Vanessa thanked him and rolled up her window.
She looked ahead to the sturdy metal barrier painted in yellow and black. The barrier looked like jaws as it retracted into the ground, allowing her to drive over it and beyond.
She glanced in her rearview mirror as the barrier rose into position again.
The next turn took her through a tall earthen berm before revealing an open parking lot tucked behind several large buildings. The loose gravel on the ground made for an unsteady walk to the doorway marked “Crew Entrance.”
Vanessa pushed open one of the heavy doors into a stairwell lit with buzzing fluorescent lights. As she descended, she realized that the offices must be located underneath the park, while the park itself occupied the second floor. The stairs switched back at a lower landing, then led directly into an underground corridor which stretched a long distance to the left and right. The awareness of an entire theme park over her head set off a shiver of claustrophobia.
Vanessa spotted a sign facing the stairs.
She headed up the corridor. Although she had been to Destiny Park a few times as a child, it was difficult to conjure any childhood memory well enough to navigate the theme park underground with no landmarks in sight.
The signs would have to do.