Read Disney at Dawn for Free Online Page A

night, it wasn’t Tinker Bell riding the zip line.
    Maleficent let out a bloodcurdling screech—to the delight of the crowd—as she rode the wire high in the sky. She grew smaller and smaller.
    The crowd went crazy with cheers and screams.
    Her hideous screech rang in the air until swallowed by the next thumping blast of fireworks—the grand finale—that joined the rippling of thunder echoing off the Florida landscape like the aftereffect of a bomb exploding.

9
    T HE LIGHTNING STRIKE that hit Cinderella Castle charged the night sky with intense light as fire rained down. The bolt of lightning had grounded out on the thin wire holding the weather balloon. Next, the lights went out in a large area encircling the castle, including the street lamps surrounding the Hub, most of Liberty Square, and as far away as Tomorrowland. Spotlights that normally lit the sky went black, leaving the colorful glow of the fireworks’ grand finale.
    Then something—or someone—flew out toward Tomorrowland, and it was quite obviously not Tinker Bell. The caped figure was chased by a ball of swirling orange flame. A chorus of cheers arose. No one was exactly sure what they’d just witnessed, but whatever it was, it was amazing.
    Willa and the others heard the cheer. Only moments later a swirl of rumor reached them: a witch had flown from the castle. Maybeck said a few words that would have gotten him detention in school.
    “Which witch?” Charlene wondered aloud.
    “Three guesses,” said Amanda.
    The three others looked at her sharply.
    “Finn!” Charlene muttered, her worry hanging in the air.
    “What do we do now?” Willa gasped.
    “You’ve got to tell us what you know,” Maybeck demanded of Amanda.
    “It’s Jez that saw this coming, not me,” Amanda said.
    “Saw what coming?” he asked.
    “Trouble.”
    “You already said that. You gotta give us more.”
    “I told you: Jez is different.”
    “She’s your sister!” he complained.
    “Yeah,” she said, sounding apologetic. “Kind of. I guess you could say I’m a little different as well.”
    “Different how?”
    “Just…different.”
    “She’s not on trial,” Willa complained to Maybeck. “She and Jez came to warn us!” She addressed Amanda. “What did Jez think was going to happen?”
    “She saw things. She wrote them down—drew things—in her journal. Kept track of them—dreams mostly. And daydreams. But…” She cut herself off and looked at each of the others searchingly. “The really creepy part is she showed me a sketch she made of lightning striking the castle. She knew it was going to happen, and I think she knew that Finn was going to be inside.”
    “You owe us an explanation,” Maybeck said impatiently.
    “And you’ll have it,” Amanda agreed. She glanced around—a number of guests were braving the rain to get a better look at the castle. “But not here. Not now. You have to help Finn. He’s in danger. More danger than from just the lightning. It’s the Overtakers. They did this. They’re responsible. Jez…I have to find Jez. They’re afraid of her…powers. She can stop this by warning you and others, but not if they control her.”
    “Stop what?” Maybeck asked.
    “I wish I knew.”
    “The lightning?” Willa asked. “We’re a little late, if that’s the case.”
    “It was more than that,” Amanda said. “Listen, I’ve got to find Jez. You all need to help Finn and Philby. They’re in danger. Jez saw that coming. That was what she was trying to prevent.”
    “Okay,” Maybeck said, “enough chit-chat. Let’s get going. Amanda and I are going to head back to look for Jez while you two check out the castle and find Finn and Philby.”
    “With the power out, they’ll close the Park,” Willa warned. “They’re not going to let us run around for long. And if they recognize us, they’re not going to want us in the Park at all.”
    “Well, then, pull up your hood. Mess up your hair. We gotta do this,” Maybeck