The TimberWolf Effect (Book I)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - The Happiest Place on Earth

"Daddy, my shoe," said Emily. The family stopped so Chad could tie Emily's undone shoelaces.

"Special medical needs?" Timber asked Grace.

"You are a wolf," said Grace. "Lord Frost gave this to me for you. I had to register you that way for school as well. If you show any signs of gettin' sick at school, they are to call me or your uncle immediately."

"It's because I Turn when I'm sick," said Timber.

"Yes. Now, everyone has everythin'?" Grace asked.

"I do," said Timber.

"Me too," said Emily.

They walked under the train tracks onto Main Street and Timber was overwhelmed by how pretty it was. Timber stopped and pulled her plastic framed photo out of her backpack and held it up so her mom could see. The gesture made Grace tear up slightly. Timber pointed out everything she saw and faced the photo in that direction.

There was so much to look at and so many smells. They walked slowly and Timber never let go of Chad's hand. She was so excited but frightened by the crowd of people. When they went through Sleeping Beauty Castle. Emily tried to dart. She wanted to ride on Dumbo. So, they did. Timber loved it. She had never been on a ride before and she felt like she was flying. After they landed, Emily led them over to a stone building with 'Snow White's Scary Adventure' above the stone-lined entryway. The queue line wasn't long and they got on the ride within five minutes. Timber felt like it wasn't enough time to admire the theming and the artwork on the walls. Nevertheless, she was excited when her buggy started moving toward the doors that led to the rest of the ride.

It was slightly dark and loud but the mood was light when they first entered. When it got dark and the music changed, Timber felt a sense of fear, but she knew there was nothing there to hurt her. She held her uncle's arm until she saw daylight again. Timber laughed in relief when she and Chad got off the buggy and met up with Grace and Emily.

"Let's go ride the carousel now," said Timber, still holding her parents' photo.

For the rest of the morning, they wandered around Fantasyland. Timber was beside herself when she met Alice and the Mad Hatter, and Emily couldn't stop jumping and giggling when she got a hug from Cinderella's Fairy Godmother. Timber asked if she could take a photo of her with her parents' photo because she was her mother's favorite. Timber smiled as the photo was taken and she received an extra tight hug. Timber and Emily were both beyond ecstatic while they waited in line for It's A Small World. They spent the whole ride pointing things out to Grace and Chad. At the end of the ride, Timber and Emily were singing the song as loud as they could and dancing to their own music.

After a quick lunch, they took the monorail back to the hotel for a nap. Emily and Timber were exhausted and Timber couldn't hold her human form anymore. She Turned as soon as the hotel room door closed. She jumped on the bed, yawned, and stretched out on her side. Emily climbed up and laid her head on the bottom of Timber's chest. It didn't take long for either of them to fall fast asleep.

"I'm astounded how close those two are," said Chad quietly as he kicked off his shoes. "They have a decent age difference, but they both seem to rely on each other for comfort."

"I think Timber relies on Emily more than Emily relies on Timber," said Grace, rubbing her vanilla lotion on her hands. "I don't think Timber would have recovered as fast from her tragedy as she did if she didn't have Emily. She's a naturally happy and lovin' little girl. I've seen them together at night. Timber still has nightmares. I hear her yip and wake up. I get up to comfort her but Emily always beats me to it. She crawls into bed with Timber and tells her stories until she falls asleep again. She stays for the rest of the night."