Roller Coaster Romance

by Kate Moseman

  The sign, crafted in blue glass mosaic, read “Aquaverse.”

  Vanessa faced the entrance and felt the mist from the waterfalls blow into her face. Although refreshing, it brought her no closer to discovering the Aquarium Room, so she approached the crew member stationed at the entrance.

  “Where would I find the Aquarium Room?” she asked.

  The crew member directed her to a side entrance that led to a hallway skirting the perimeter of the attraction. A flight of stairs took her up one more level to reach a plain set of double doors. She pushed one open and stepped inside.

  The dark room smelled of wood and water. Vanessa groped for a light switch. The lights revealed a circular room with a broad middle column, like a wagon wheel with an oversized spoke. The wood-paneled outer walls added a luxurious touch.

  The event coordinator bustled into the room before Vanessa had a chance to explore. “This your first company party?” she asked.

  “Yes,” said Vanessa. “This is quite a space.”

  “Usually it’s reserved for corporate clients. I’m surprised they’re letting it go to the crew members,” the coordinator said. “Of course, it will look even better when it’s dressed.”

  “Dressed?”

  “We bring in plants, lights, table decorations, the works,” said the coordinator.

  Vanessa was impressed. “But why is it called the Aquarium Room?”

  “Didn’t you know?” The coordinator reached for an untouched light switch. As she flipped it on, the central column lit up from the inside, revealing a glowing cylindrical aquarium teeming with sea life.

  As Vanessa watched, a shark spiraled lazily up the column.

  Chapter 10

  Vanessa

  With the hurricane preparations complete, Vanessa never wanted to hear the phrase “hunker down” again for the rest of her life.

  She double-checked the list of ride-out volunteers, all of whom she didn’t know.

  Except one.

  The final roster included Vanessa, a handful of college-aged crew members, and Thomas.

  A slumber party with a hurricane outside, Charlotte had said.

  Unbidden, the thought of Thomas in red plaid flannel pajamas sprang to mind.

  She imagined her pajamas to be green, and printed with flying coffee cups.

  Vanessa rubbed her eyes as if to clear away the thought. After one last, absurd picture of the two of them clinking mugs of hot chocolate brimming with marshmallows, she was able to concentrate on the task at hand.

  The hurricane bore down with a trajectory predicted to bring the eye directly over the middle of the state.

  From what Vanessa understood from the news, the park would be spared the harshest effects, but would still receive a lashing of rain and high winds—even tornados.

  She ran one finger down her supply list. The catering department would lay in a supply of nonperishable goods, in case the power went out. The engineering department had already delivered a box of supplies, including flashlights and zip ties, to augment the cleanup bags dropped off by the gardening crew.

  Dirk knocked on the frame of the open door. “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “Fine, all things considered,” she said. She almost asked him why he hadn’t signed up for the ride-out, but stopped when she realized the question might encourage him to join them. Instead, she stuck to safer ground. “Is everything a go for the Halloween party?”

  “All set. I picked the menu; hope you don’t mind.”

  “That’s fine. I’ve had enough to do, what with the hurricane and all. What’s on the menu?”

  “The Briny Buffet: a seafood extravaganza,” he said.

  “Fitting. Can you get some party posters up in the crew break rooms, please?” She would have assigned him to run an errand to Nebraska if she could have gotten away with it.

  “Will do. Say, when are we meeting with the consultant?” he asked.

  The Nebraska idea looked better every second.

  “I think it’s on hold till after the hurricane. For obvious reasons,” she said.

  “Right, right,” he said.

  “Did you need anything else?”

  “No. Wait. Yes. Are we dressing up for the party?”

  “As in formal wear?” she said.

  “As in Halloween costumes,” he clarified.

  Speechless, Vanessa stared at Dirk. She realized her mouth had fallen open. “Is that the usual procedure?”

  “We don’t usually have a Halloween party, so … ” He let the sentence trail off.

  She realized Dirk was dying to dress up.

  Vanessa was dying to know what on earth he planned to wear.

  The only way to find out was to say yes.

  Thomas

  Thomas retrieved another stroller blocking the path to Ghost Factory and parked it against a nearby wall.

  Moving strollers was like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole.

  As he contemplated flinging the next offending stroller into the nearest decorative pond, he noticed Dirk approaching from the Legacy plaza.

  The spring in his step made Thomas instantly suspicious.

  Even worse, Dirk was whistling.

  Thomas stomped the stroller brake with a little more force than necessary, and nearly jumped when Paulina tapped him on the shoulder to relieve him. He was supposed to go straight to the next position in the attraction, but with his curiosity piqued, he hurried toward the break room instead.

  Perhaps he could find out the reason for Dirk’s unusual demeanor.

  By the time Thomas got to the break room, Dirk had already left. There was, however, a new flyer on the bulletin board. Thomas cringed, expecting it to be a new anti-union screed.

  Instead, the bright orange flyer contained only the details of the upcoming Halloween party. “Halloween costumes optional,” he read. “Dinner will be provided. Cash bar.”

  Mr. Destiny’s generosity—or his attempt to win over the crew—apparently did not extend to an open bar.

  On the way to his next position, Thomas lamented the lack of interesting Halloween costumes for men.

  Still, he was sure he could come up with something suitable for the occasion.

  Chapter 11

  Vanessa

  The younger volunteers on the ride-out crew tumbled into the American Dream theater like a litter of puppies.

  Vanessa and Thomas trailed them, walking side by side.

  Everyone dropped their blankets, pillows, and bags in heaps along the aisles of the theater. They had only an hour or so until sundown, at which time they were supposed to retreat into the theater and take cover for the duration of the hurricane.

  Vanessa distributed handfuls of zip ties.

  The crew fanned out across Legacy, tying garbage cans to fences and gathering up odds and ends to bring inside the attractions. By the time they were done, they dripped with sweat.

  Even still, a party atmosphere prevailed. Vanessa had to stop one of the crew members from playfully tying up another with spare zip ties.

  As the sun set, the clouds glowed an unusual yellow color that faded to green in the shadows. The park itself took on an otherworldly appearance as the patterns of sunlight and darkness shifted with each passing band of clouds.

  Rather than lock everyone inside American Dream before the storm arrived, Vanessa judged it best to let them burn off some energy running around the park. With their outdoor tasks complete, she released the crew members with strict orders to return before dark.

  She caught Thomas smiling at her mother hen act. “Aren’t you going to go run around?” she asked.

  “With them?” He indicated the crew members who were now skipping down the empty street. “I’d rather take a leisurely stroll. It’s not every day you get to see the park in this light.” />
  “True,” Vanessa said. “I haven’t gotten to walk around much.”

  “Want to go exploring?”

  “Sounds like fun. As long as we get back before the skies open up,” she said.

  “Deal.”

  From the Legacy plaza, they walked past Ghost Factory to reach Fantasy. The abandoned stalls of the bazaar lacked their usual cloth hangings, giving the marketplace the appearance of having been hastily abandoned.

  They sat together on the edge of the outdoor stage, facing the empty bazaar.

  “You should catch the show here sometime,” said Thomas.

  Vanessa peered around for a clue to the show’s content. “Really? What is it?”

  “Just a dance show.” Thomas shrugged. “But it’s pretty good. I go every Friday after work.”

  “I’ll have to do that,” she said.

  They sat and watched the clouds roll by.

  “You like caramel corn?” he asked, apropos of nothing.

  “Sure, who doesn’t?” she said.

  “The bazaar has the best. You gotta try it,” he said.

  “Now you’re making me hungry.” Vanessa scooted off the edge of the stage and stood up. “Distract me, before I give up our tour and start breaking into the hurricane rations.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He hopped down.

  Exiting Fantasy, they approached the Mirror Castle’s east elevation. The roiling sky reflected in the mirrors, making the castle itself appear to be formed of storm clouds and eerie light.

  They followed a twisting pathway through a rose garden.

  Vanessa stopped to inhale the scent from a cluster of pale pink blossoms. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” she quoted.

  “That’s Juliet’s line,” he said.

  “I know. It’s quite a speech. ‘Romeo, doff thy name; and for that name, which is no part of thee, take all myself.’”

  His gaze met hers.

  Thomas broke away only to reach for the roses she had released. He leaned down, closed his eyes, and breathed the fragrance of the petals.

  Thomas

  The downpours of rain became more frequent, echoing loudly on the roof of the theater.

  Thomas unrolled his sleeping bag behind the last row of seats.

  The other crew members claimed the floor in front of the stage.

  Someone had thought to bring board games. Happy shouts drifted from the front of the theater as one or another crew member gained a point.

  Restless, Thomas went into the lobby. He found Vanessa at the window, watching the storm.

  The wrinkle between her eyebrows deepened as the branches of the trees in the plaza whipped back and forth in the windy darkness.

  “This your first hurricane?” Thomas asked.

  “How’d you guess,” said Vanessa with dry humor.

  “Don’t worry. Really. It doesn’t get that bad here. It just sounds bad,” he said, as the wind howled outside. “You want some coffee?”

  That got her attention. “Real coffee?”

  “Real coffee. I brought my little coffeemaker from home.”

  “You are a genius,” she said. “And a hero. And—I will think of more compliments later. Where’s the coffee?”

  Coffee obtained, they settled in the back row of the theater, idly watching the other crew members entertain themselves down front.

  “They wouldn’t notice if the hurricane carried the both of us away,” Vanessa said.

  Thomas chuckled. He crossed and uncrossed his leg, then bounced his knee up and down as if they were in an earthquake, not a hurricane.

  Vanessa, who must have noticed his nervous movement, asked if he was all right.

  He stopped the nervous movement with an effort. “Me? Oh. Fine. I’m fine,” he said. His flustered delivery belied his words. “Actually,” he said, “I was thinking about the other day. In here.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “On the stage.”

  “Ah,” said Vanessa, in comprehension.

  “But more importantly, I remember once—long ago—you promised to tell me more about yourself.” He attempted a charming smile, to take her mind off his worries.

  “Long ago,” she echoed with a faint smile. “It certainly feels like it.”

  “Well, then,” he said.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I have a question for you, actually.”

  “For me? Uh-oh.”

  “What, you got something to hide?” She elbowed him.

  “Okay, okay. What’s the question?”

  “Have you ever thought about becoming a manager?”

  Thomas whistled. “Wow, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

  “Not usually,” she said.

  “A serious question demands a serious answer. Let me think.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know if I have a good answer for you. It’s … not for me, Vanessa. I can’t see myself as a manager.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “You’re not going to let me off the hook, are you? All right—for one thing, they wouldn’t promote me to a manager position. How’s that?”

  “Let’s say they would,” she said.

  “That’s impossible.”

  “I think you’re making excuses,” said Vanessa.

  Thomas winced as her words hit home like an arrow of truth. “Remind me never to get on your bad side,” he said.

  “What bad side?” Vanessa batted her eyelashes.

  “Don’t give me that innocent face,” he said.

  “You want to know what I really think?”

  “God, no,” he said, cradling his head in his hands and laughing.

  “I think you would be a fantastic manager.” She ticked off qualities on her fingers. “You’re competent. You care about people. And you’re a natural leader.”

  He sat up and rolled his eyes.

  “Don’t roll your eyes at me. You know I’m right.”

  “I’m flattered, is what I am,” he said.

  “I don’t flatter.”

  Thomas sighed. “Fair enough. I yield. I’ll ask Mr. Destiny for a manager job tomorrow.”

  “I could view your sarcasm as insubordination, you know.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

  “Take me away, officer—guilty as charged.” He held out his wrists for imaginary handcuffs.

  She encircled his wrists with her hands. “Busted!”

  Vanessa

  The roar of the storm faded after midnight.

  Vanessa turned over in her sleeping bag, unable to sleep.

  She sat up.

  The crew members by the front of the stage had finally tired themselves out after countless rounds of Twister, collapsing into sleeping bags strewn this way and that.

  Thomas, behind the back row, appeared to be asleep.

  Vanessa slid out of the sleeping bag and pulled a light jacket over her pajamas. She tiptoed to the lobby to get a view of the momentary calm.

  She gazed out the window. Moonlight filtered down in patches as the clouds broke overhead.

  The eye of the storm.

  A noise behind her made her turn.

  Thomas, barefoot, with tousled hair, gently closed the theater door behind him. “Is it the eye?” he asked, drowsiness making his voice husky.

  She nodded and turned back to the window.

  He came up behind her.

  “Beautiful,” he said.

  He was close enough that if she leaned back, he would stop her fall.

  “I’m going outside,” she said.

  She didn’t look back to see if he followed her.

  Outside, leaves covered the wet ground. The wind felt deceptively playful instead of fierce.

  Vanessa turned in a slow circle in th
e plaza in front of American Dream. Though danger would return as soon as the opposite side of the eye drifted over, she felt fully alive, with every sense heightened.

  She stopped turning and saw Thomas, silhouetted in shadow, leaning against one of the columns.

  “Are you going to tell me to come inside?” she said as the clouds cast sprinkles of rain across the plaza.

  “Why would I do that?” He left the shelter of the overhang and approached her, water beading on his hair.

  “Your hair is all wet,” she said. She reached out and touched a lock with one finger.

  “So is yours,” he retorted, tucking a damp curl behind her ear.

  They stared each other down, blinking through the raindrops, getting more soaked by the moment, as if daring the other to be the first to give up and run for the building—until a flash of lightning broke the contest, sending them running back to the theater together.

  Chapter 12

  Vanessa

  Vanessa and Dirk took seats at the conference table inside the Mirror Castle meeting room.

  Amy, the consultant, faced them across the table. Neat rows of folders lay within her reach, each color-coded and labeled by area.

  “Vanessa,” she said. “Dirk. So glad you could come. Let’s get started, shall we?” Amy put down an expensive-looking pen and patted a nonexistent stray hair into place. “I heard from Mr. Destiny that the organizing committee has already revealed itself in Legacy. Is that so?”

  Dirk, who appeared overawed by Amy and by the mere mention of Mr. Destiny, didn’t speak.

  Vanessa jumped in. “Yes, that’s right.”

  “We have Paulina, Bob, Maribel, and”—she checked her notes—“Thomas, is that correct?”

  “Yes,” said Vanessa.

  “Very good. So we have the pieces in place. But before we get to them, let’s talk about you. How are you feeling about this process? Are there any concerns I can address? Any questions I can answer? If you are a little unsure about your role, I totally understand.” Her voice dripped honey.