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When the character actors at Disney World go on strike, the teens hired as replacements learn that it isn’t exactly the Happiest Place on Earth. Ella gets to be Cinderella, simply because the shoe fits. It should be a dream come true, but Ella no longer believes in dreams. Luke is a fur character, Dale the chipmunk. Chip is played by his girlfriend, Cassie, who is perfect in every way. Why, then, does Luke find himself more drawn to imperfect things like the theme park’s Phantom? A team-building scavenger hunt brings Luke and Ella together. As they uncover the Magic Kingdom’s treasures, they discover an undeniable magic between them.

Brad Barkley is an acclaimed Southern novelist and the co-author, with Heather Hepler, of Scrambled Eggs at Midnight, a 2006 Book Sense Summer Pick. He lives and writes in western Maryland.

Heather Hepler has an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. She teaches young adult literature and has worked as a book reviewer. She lives in Tyler, Texas.

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Chapter FifteenElla?Where do you want to go?? Luke keeps watching me with this half-grin on his face. I pull my feet up on the bench. ?To the moon?? ?Okay, ding dong. Somewhere in the park.? ?Ding dong? We?re at the name calling phase of our relationship?? ?Ella, we need to focus here.? Luke slides his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocks on the balls of his feet. The same grin. The same light that keeps flickering across his eyes. ?Where in the park do you want to go?? ?Anywhere?? I tilt my head and look up at the handful of stars that can shine through the light of the park. ?Anywhere.? ?I want to see the inside of the castle.? I smile back at him, knowing it?s an impossible task. No one goes inside the castle. Not even the security guards. ?Done,? Luke says, raising his eyebrow. I hear a jingle in his pocket. ?Close your eyes. I want to show you something.? I close my eyes and wait. I hear the jingle again, louder as he pulls his hand free of his pocket. ?Okay,? he says. ?Open them.? ?You want to show me your keys?? I look at the ring of maybe fifty keys dangling from his hand. ?It does take a real man to pull off a Tinkerbell key chain.? ?Okay, ding dong. These are not my keys.? ?Again with the ding dong.? Luke fishes in his pocket again and pulls out a folded piece of paper. ?These are Bernard?s keys. And this,? he says, passing me the paper, ?is a list that tells you what key we need to go anywhere in the park.? ?Where did he get all those?? I ask, reaching out to brush my fingers against the keys hanging lowest on the chain. ?He just told me that thirty years on the force has its benefits.? ?The force. That must have resonated with you, young Jedi.? Luke sighs and rolls his eyes. ?You?re never going to stop, are you?? ?Of course,? I say, unfolding the paper and scanning down the list. I look back up at Luke and smile. ?Like maybe when we?re seventy.? ?No, you won?t,? he says. ?We?ll be sitting out on the front porch on our rockers, half deaf complaining about our rheumatism, and you?ll still be cracking Star Wars jokes.? I lower my voice as low as it can go and breath slowly and heavily. ?I find your lack of faith disturbing.? I start laughing before I can even finish. ?How do you knowall this stuff?? Luke asks, squinting at me. ?I mean, I get the obvious ones, but that?s pretty obscure Darth Vader.? ?Ash was a real Star Warsfreak.? It?s the second time in a long time that I?ve said his name out loud. Both times to Luke. And when I?m talking to him, it feels okay. It feels just right, like this is exactly where I?m supposed to be. Doing exactly what I?m supposed to be doing. ?How about you? You must know tons of stuff.? ?Not me,? he says, jangling the keys. ?I think on a much higher plane than that. I spend my time asking life?s bigger questions.? ?Like, who ate the last brownie?? ?That was one time.? He smiles at me and reaches for my free hand. ?Come on, princess. We have a castle to check out.? We walk in silence for a few minutes, his fingers woven into mine. I?m almost afraid to breathe. Afraid to break the bubble around us. Afraid if I do he?ll let go of my hand. Luke looks over at me and smiles. ?Wonderful girl. Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her." This time we both laugh and underneath it all I can feel his fingers tighten around mine, trapping each one with his. He?s inside the bubble too and both of us are holding our breath. It was weird ending the date, if you could even call it that. It was more like three friends going out to eat and shopping and taking along their very beautiful and very angry pit bull. Even before we could all get through the doorway into the dorm, Cassie had said good night and was climbing the stai

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Dream Factory

Dream Factory

0525478027

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