The founders office was smack at the top of the castle they clearly copied from Disneyland. Zeke and I were escorted up flights of stairs to the top where a large door awaited our entry. I swallowed and approached it slowly. What could they want with us? Zeke hesitated before knocking, giving me a reassuring smile. I didn't return it. Am I already fired?

"Come in," a scratchy female voice answered.

Zeke pushed the door open at the invitation to reveal a large office space. More like a penthouse office, if you asked me. I bet they live up here. There were chairs, desks, a kitchen, and what looked like a separate room that might be a bedroom - as well as a large window overlooking ComplexDisney below. A man and a woman were leaning over a large circular wooden table. They looked up when we entered.

"Good to see you," Stermin greeted. Though he smiled, a power-hungry vibe emanating off of him caused me to tense slightly. Already, something didn't seem right.

"You wanted to see us?" Zeke asked.

"Yes," Ykell said, her pale skin stretching as she smiled stiffly. Her purple dress brushed against the floor and her black hair was twisted up into a bun much neater than my own. "Hello, Gianna. I hope you're finding working here pleasant."

"Yes, I am, thank you." I inched closer to Zeke.

"We would like your opinion on something," Stermin said, cutting to the chase. His brown hair was slicked upward. "Daily reports find that you two are quite the keepers, so we want to know what you think of doing shows."

"Shows?" I repeated, not quite sure what he meant. Keeper? I haven't even been here two weeks.

"Yes." Stermin nodded, his dark eyes meeting mine with an intense coldness. Definitely not a match to his supposedly delightful smile. "We will build a couple of stadiums which will then hold water shows that the mermaid will perform in. The second stadium would be for the monsters and other interesting creatures."

"But...aren't you trying to find a way to send these characters home?" I asked. "I thought this was all just temporary."

"We have had no success finding the reason why this is happening," Ykell said, eyes narrowing, "so we might as well make the best of this."

"But they're just like us," I said, taking a step forward. "Ariel is just like another person, and those creatures aren't for performances and delighting audiences."

Stermin frowned, shuffling through some papers. Zeke caught my gaze and shook his head, telling me silently not to argue. But I couldn't help it. I'd barely been here, and already, I felt awful for the fictional characters. Ykell was observing me silently, clearly disliking what she saw.

"Gianna," Stermin finally spoke. "What we do with these characters does not concern you-"

"Then why did you bring me up here? You want my opinion and I'm giving it to you."

"I see." He and Ykell exchanged brief looks. "That will be all then. We will do the shows. Thank you, you may leave."

I gaped at them before Zeke was nodding and yanking me toward the door. I allowed him to drag me away as I continued staring back at the founders. Both of them watched us leave with disapproval etched on their faces. Once outside, Zeke roundrd on me. "You could have gotten yourself fired."

I marched away from him and past a window, scowling to myself. The people looked like ants below. "They're awful. If they won't find a way to send these characters back, I will."

"Gianna, you're being unreasonable."

"Well, sorry for trying to save these poor lives you keep in exhibits!" I shoved him away as he tried to stop me. "I don't see you doing anything."

Zeke's jaw clenched. "I do as I am told, and you had best do the same."

I shook my head, breaking into a jog down the stairs. An unsafe speed but I didn't care. This is all wrong! I guess at the beginning, I got the job to earn money and didn't care what type of job I was applying for. But right after that tour on the first day, I was very much displeased with what I saw. I wanted to help save them. To me, it didn't seem like Stermin and Ykell were trying to send them back. They were using this to their own selfish advantage. What could happen if this continued on? The earth would suddenly be a cage for reality and fiction. Who knew what that could do to society.

"Gianna!" Zeke called after me.

I closed his voice out as I continued down the steps. I was a newbie so I didn't know where anything was. I didn't know where to start looking for answers. If I remembered correctly, none of the characters really remembered how they got there. They all arrived in the exact same way in the exact same spot. Each character...except one.

"Gianna."

I blinked. I was at the bottom of the staircase. That quickly? Zeke was gazing at me with a disappointed frown. I shook my head at him and walked away. "I'm going back to work. Have fun at VillaVillains."

He didn't try to follow me as I made my way toward Royal Rounds. I slowed down once I was inside. Ariel quickly swished into her cave as I approached. I sighed and continued forward, but stopped at a knocking sound. I turned around, searching for the source. Elsa was knocking on her glass. She nodded at me when our gazes locked and motioned for me to approach.

"Um, hi," I greeted as I stepped up to her exhibit.

"You're new," she said, her voice a bit faint through the glass.

"That obvious?" I tried to sound lighthearted.

She glanced around nervously, her braided hair blowing around in the flurry of snowflakes she had created. "Are you going to help us?"

How does she know? I guess that was obvious too. "I'm trying, but I don't know where to start. Do you remember what happened before you ended up here?"

She shook her head sadly, a few snowflakes dancing out of her palm. "No."

"That's what I thought." I sighed. "Don't worry, I'm going to figure out what's going on."

Elsa nodded and offered a small smile. "Can you tell Olaf that I say hello?"

"I will," I promised.

"Okay." She moved away from the glass. "Goodbye."

I smiled before walking away again. Cinderella was staring out at the founders castle in the distance. Prince Eric was bouncing his knees in another exhibit, watching Ariel's keenly. Every single one of them looked sad. This is definitely not the happiest place on earth.

I shook the thought away. I needed to focus. I needed answers. And I believed I knew one place to start.

•~•~•~•~•

Dang, re-reading this while changing it from present to past tense is making me cringe a little hehe. But I have had a couple of people request that I republish so...here we go.

Can't wait to edit/rewrite someday!