Feya was out of work for the week so she could recover. While Maisie thought about calling out on Monday, she felt she needed her Sports friends, especially Natacha and Andy. Therefore, she put on her big girl undies and asked Mr. and Mrs. Fedora to look after Feya while she worked that week.
In Sports’s breakroom Monday morning before her shift started, Maisie made reservations for her and Feya to go to Epcot Wednesday for one reason and one reason only: Feya wanted to try Soarin’. It wasn’t an intense ride, just an ode to the world, so it wouldn’t hurt her head. Maisie had already told Feya there would be no roller coasters until she was better.
Natacha came in around 6:50, and her eyes widened when she saw Maisie. “Sweetie,” she said, trotting to her, “what are you doing here?”
“Hey, Natacha.” Maisie set her phone down.
“Andy said you not have to come in.” Natacha sat across from her. “He would fix if you called out.”
“No, no, I want to be here. I need a distraction.” Maisie drummed her fingers. “Feya’s been discharged. Her parents are looking after her.”
“You brave, sweetie.” Natacha beamed. “I wish I was when your age. I left Haiti because of earthquake. Was nineteen.”
“Oh… Natacha.” Disney really was the epicenter of new beginnings.
“In past. This is future,” Natacha added. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too,” Maisie returned.
The next few training days went by slowly, but Natacha was patient. She and Maisie took frequent breaks so Maisie could check in on Feya. Her parents said she was mostly sleeping but finally eating again. Feya was also taking her medicine and trying to build her strength for Soarin’ and her and Maisie’s plan to get Milo a sibling after Maisie’s Kappa Day on Thursday, the last training day.
There was one incident on Tuesday when Maisie felt she was getting nowhere with her training.
One of the higher-up Cast Members approached her in the outdoor break area while Natacha took a restroom break and said, “Hey!” pointing at Maisie. “You need to blow the area around the Surf Pool.”
Maisie didn’t answer and searched for Natacha.
“I’m talking to you!” snapped the Cast Member.
Maisie cringed and tried to make herself smaller.
Natacha soon appeared behind the Cast Member. “Hey!” she said, clenching her fists. “Back off.”
What the—? Did she seriously stick up for Maisie?
The Cast Member who bullied her huffed and left the area, and Maisie could finally breathe again. However, tears burned behind her eyes. It looked like not everyone at Sports was as friendly as Andy and Natacha.
“Ignore her,” Natacha stated. “She don’t like CPs. Thinks she can push them around.”
Maisie rubbed her eyes and sniffed. “Thank you, Natacha.”
She nodded. “As trainer, I need to look out for you.”
Maisie went home a little discouraged, but Feya and Milo cheered her up.
“Just think,” Feya said while Maisie told her about her day over another game of Battle. “Tomorrow, we’re going to Epcot, and hopefully, Milo will get his new sibling Thursday.”
Maisie sure hoped so.
Her shift didn’t start until 3:30 Wednesday, so she and Feya went to Epcot early.
Maisie pushed Feya through the main gate. She stopped at a fountain before Epcot’s iconic ball, briefly studied its layers, and patted her shoulder. “We’re here, Feya. We’ve made it to Epcot.”
“Thank you, Maisie. Epcot is the only park I haven’t been to.” Feya removed her crutches from her lap and stood. She no longer hid her leg and wore jean shorts and a green Walt Disney World t-shirt. It looked like the pool party helped her after all.
A PhotoPass Cast Member, donning a green uniform and navy shorts, approached them and waved. “Hey, girls! Welcome to Epcot! Would you like a picture in front of the ball?”
“Why are you looking at me?” Maisie gestured at Feya. “You should ask her.”
“Maisie.” Feya nudged her.
“Very well.” The Cast Member faced her. “Would you like a picture of you and your friend in front of the ball?”
“I would, but”—Feya wiggled one crutch—“I have crutches.”
“We can hold onto them until we finish the shoot. Your friend’s right there.”
“That’s right.” Maisie grasped Feya’s shoulders. “I’ve got you, girl.”
Feya smiled feebly. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“At Disney, we include everyone,” the Cast Member explained. “Now, let’s get you girls ready.”
The shoot only took a few minutes, but they were magical. Maisie was exhilarated to have her Feya back.
PhotoPass snapped pictures of them in front of the ball with their camera and Maisie and Feya’s personal ones.
Once the shoot ended, the backup PhotoPass Cast Member, whom the first called over, returned Feya’s crutches.
The first one checked his camera. “They turned out great, girls! You should see them on the MyDisneyExperience app soon.”
“Awesome! Isn’t this exciting, Feya?” Maisie helped her back into her wheelchair. “We got some pictures, and now we’re going to try Soarin’!”
“Oh, you guys are going to Soarin’?” PhotoPass One questioned.
“Yep. It’s all Feya wants to do.” Gosh, why was Maisie suddenly blushing around her? She had never had a girlfriend before, so this was an anomaly.
PhotoPass One spoke before Maisie felt too emotional. “You will love Soarin’, Feya.”
“I know,” she triumphantly announced. “That’s why I’m doing it.”
And did it, they did. The PhotoPass Cast Members pointed the girls in the right direction, and they hustled to catch the line while it was still short.
Soarin’ was on the first floor of Epcot’s World Nature exhibit building, alongside an aquarium and near the food court. Maisie and Feya got there right in time. Like Flight of Passage, the wait was only thirty minutes.
While they waited, they chatted and shared the PhotoPass photos.
Halfway to the ride, Maisie noticed a curly-haired little girl staring at Feya’s missing leg. To protect her, she stepped in front of her.
The girl’s mom pulled her back. She mouthed, Sorry, before saying to her daughter, “We don’t stare, sweetheart.”
“Sorry, Mommy,” apologized the girl.
Maisie couldn’t stay mad at her for long. A girl that young didn’t understand what Feya had been through. She let the incident go but stayed near her for the rest of the wait.
Soarin’ was like Flight of Passage but more realistic. The idea was that the riders were hand gliders soaring around the world.
After the pre-flight show, a few Cast Members removed Feya’s wheelchair and escorted her to her seat, Maisie close behind. The vast room contained rows of movable chairs and an enormous screen. It could fit a lot of Guests, so it's no wonder the line moved pretty quickly.
The Cast Members ensured everything was good with Feya before they gave the all-clear.
The lights dimmed, and an excited Feya waved her right leg as the chairs lifted off the floor. “This is it, Maisie! This is it!”
Maisie smirked. “Yes, it is.”
She didn’t know what it was, but Maisie nearly cried during the beautiful ride. Soarin’ took her and Feya over the vast Antarctic with the polar bears, the Great Wall of China, Mr. Kilimanjaro and the African savannah, the Pyramids of Giza, India, and many more exotic places. The Inclusion Key was strong with it. There were a few drops, but they were smooth and merely felt like gliding.
The best part was the ending location: Epcot at night. The grand ball was lit up, and fireworks exploded above it, creating something that resembled Mickey.
Tinker Bell appeared on the screen.
Maisie jumped when a choked-up Feya yelled, “Tinker Bell!”
Tinker Bell waved at everyone and stooped down to Epcot, leaving a trail of pixie dust in her wake.
The ride ended, and Maisie couldn’t hold her tears back any longer when she saw Feya sobbing. “That was so beautiful, Maisie. Thank you.”
“Anything for you, my beautiful fairy.” Maisie clasped Feya’s hand and hugged her. “Do you want to do it again?”
Feya wiped her eyes. “Se-Seriously? Yes!”
Maisie laughed. Seeing her fairy happy made her day. Now she knew everything would be okay.
