All you've got to do is own up to your ignorance honestly, and you'll find people who are eager to fill your head with information.   -Walt Disney

The plates of Brendan and Frank Baxter had been cleared as they finished their meal and continued with their game of Sorry. The meal was quite satisfactory to them both, Frank especially. He had been craving a Bertolli meal all day and was glad to have his patience rewarded. Their game had gone on for about an hour or so, as each player took their time to eat their meal while playing. But mostly, it was the result of Frank's jittery movements and difficulty to read what was on each card he drew. Brendan offered to read the cards for him or move his game pieces for him to quicken the pace of the game, but Frank always declined any help. He argued that he needed to work at doing things on his own, plus he didn't want Brendan possibly cheating his way to victory. They would both laugh at that last reason, making their time together more precious to Frank.

Their playing lead to countless conversations about things they have seen on the news, to reminiscing about the days when they were just boys and constantly playing with each other. However, something about the way Brendan was trying to rush the game along, paired with the long sitting he had done all the rest of the day, had made Frank reflect on his disposition.

"Brendan" he said, "I've come to the conclusion that I don't like sitting all the time." Brendan glared at him for a moment, wondering why he would suddenly just come out and say something so blatant.

"Really? I wonder why?" Brendan replied sarcastically to bring some humor to the situation. Though Frank, still in a very reflective and thoughtful state, didn't appeal to his brother's humorous disposition. "I just wanna get up and do something. Instead of wasting my life away in this house constantly sitting."

Brendan pursed his lips hesitantly, thinking of how to respond. "Ah, don't feel bad, Frank" he said. "Things aren't so bad. You probably just a had bad day." As he finished saying this, little memories of other people saying this popped came to his mind, reminding him of the day he had gone through. He shook the thought from his head and went back to his brother. "Besides, you're currently in position to beat me" he said, pointing down to the game board.

"I didn't have a bad day" Frank replied, "I'm just doing the same thing every day. A nice change would certainly make me happy." Brendan figured that he would feel that way. Growing up, Frank was always the more athletic and often resorted to physical activities to take up his time. "Heck, it'd be nice to see you happy for once too."

Brendan's eyes shot up at this, almost as if this was like a jab at him for something that he was or wasn't doing. He was very interested to know where this sudden statement was stemming from. "Excuse me, where is this coming from?!"

"You haven't been happy since dad died" Frank explained, raising his voice a little, but calmly doing so. "I think its kind of expected for someone to be less cheery after a parent has died, dude" Brendan argued, matching the level of volume and tone as his brother. "Are you saying that its bad for me to go on being sad after his death?"

"Four years after his death, YES!" Frank exclaimed. "I would have hoped you would have found something to be cheerful about after a bit of time had passed, but every time I see you now, you look like your living your worse life or something."

"Well, there's not much I can do about it, Frank. All the opportunities I had for a happy life were there for me before dad died. And after he did, they started to fade away."

"So, start looking for new ones. Brendan, I envy you with how many opportunities you have that will make you happy, and I can't believe that you're not going out and seeking them." Brendan solemnly shifted his eyes from his brother to the top of the table they were sitting at, thinking about what opportunities he had that could make him happier, at least in the ways his brother hoped.

"I don't know, man" Brendan answered not completely sold on his proposition. Frank reached his hand out, accidently knocking some of the cards and game pieces of the table and onto the floor. His hand shook roughly as he rose it up to rest on Brendan's shoulder. Once he set it down, he looked at his brother dead in the eye. "I know you don't like hearing this kind of thing, Bren. But if you don't put yourself out there and take a few risks and chances, you'll never be as happy as you were, or be happier than you are."

"Okay" Brendan said, anticipating more to be said.

"I don't want you to be as discouraged as I am. Especially when you have the capability to live a life that I can no longer live." A silence fell over the two brothers, as the words between them started to sink into their minds; or more specifically, Brendan's. And somehow, Brendan did start to open to what his brother was trying to say. He never knew that Frank was concerned with his well-being in this way.

"As much as I appreciate it, I don't want you to worry about me, Frank" he said, breaking the bit of silence. "Then, tell me that you'll at least try to look in your heart to find some happiness."

"Alright, bud" he gulped, wondering if it was even possible. "I'll try."

The grip on his shoulder tightened for a moment, until Frank released. He rested his arm to his side and just sat in his wheelchair peacefully. He didn't do anything in particular, other than close his eyes for a moment to gather the silent vibes of his home to make him content. Brendan watched him carefully, knowing that he was just basking in the moment and just enjoying the air that he was breathing. Finally, he opened his eyes, looked at the clear playing board, then to the floor to see all the game pieces and cards. "Who knocked over the game?" he said, very confused and lost. Brendan smiled, both humorously and sadly, and picked up the pieces to restart the game.

**** **** **** ****

The following morning, the Santa Ana winds were blowing in rather vigorously on a cloudy day. It almost looked like the clouds were on their own highway as they moved and reformed across the sky at a great pace. Brendan had just pulled into the Cast Member parking lot three and a half before his initial shift. He came with his usual equipment: a Nikon high-definition camera, a set of accessories to keep it maintained, and a canteen of water to keep him hydrated. He made a last check of his things before locking his car, and then went to catch the tram to take him to the park.

Let's hope today is more bearable. He thought to himself as he arrived at the tram waiting station and continued thinking as he boarded and rode along. It's not that I don't like working here, it's just that it gets a little annoying at times. I mean, being happy and cheerful all the time for the guests is a tall order for anyone on an everyday basis. Thank goodness that I'm only a photographer. I can't even begin to imagine what character actors must go through. Maybe I should ask Lizzie what it's like. Its been a while since she's talked about that. I should also probably apologize for how I was with her yesterday as well. She didn't deserve that. Slowly, the corners of his mouth were starting to pull up into a small smile as he started to express some acceptance of his errors. Though, he wasn't mentally aware that he was doing this and that it made him momentarily merry.

Soon they arrived at the esplanade and he hopped off the tram. A crowd of a hundred guests or so were gathered in front of the gates of both the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure. The park had already opened to the public and the rest of the early morning crowd were still waiting to get through the gates. Brendan had been in situations like this with massive crowds to dodge in order to enter the park. So, he walked along the outside of the crowd and came up to one entry gate that was meant for Cast Members and other employees. He presented his identification card to gate worker and was allowed into the park.

As he walked up to the underpass, a rendition of the song "Hi Diddle Dee Dee" played jubilantly. He didn't take much notice of the music. He just knew that he was there for work and work only. He had received an email from Marty explaining the details of the event that he was asked to come in early for. It said to check in at Sleeping Beauty Castle to be a part of the pre-march meeting. This was crucial to making sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do and where they were to be throughout its duration. So, Brendan made haste for the castle as normally as he usually would. Once there and passed through the arching portal, he made a turn toward a pair of tall white doors that said "Cast Members Only" across it. This was the entrance that he was instructed to go through and so he went straight for it. As he got closer, a figure became noticeable to him. The figure was also walking toward the pair of doors, but from a different angle. Both he and the figure walked up to one of the doors and reached out to push it open at the same time, causing them to bump into each other. Both shuddered at their sudden collision and turned to face each other. "Sorry" they said to each other in unison. And it was this moment that Brendan looked upon the figure that he had bumped into.

It was a young woman with green eyes and black, brownish hair that fell over her shoulders. Her body was slim and short, and her smile was as bright as her skin. She wore a bright red floral blouse with a pair of ripped jeans and black boots that didn't help her look any taller. Brendan almost lost awareness of his surroundings for a moment, as he just took in her radiance.

She also took a moment to observe the young man that she had crossed paths with. First noticing his mess of light brown hair that looked just tame enough. His boyish face with his darting brown eyes were next, which kept her focus in the small moment between them. She noted the casual plaid shirt he wore of grey and white, then the pair of khakis and black sneakers that finished the ensemble.

The two regained their awareness and stuttered back into reality. "Uh..." Brendan started, "I'll let you go first." The woman smiled, "Oh, thank you." She stepped though the doorway and held one of the doors open for Brendan to walk through. He thanked her and the two of them started walking down the hallway toward the backstage prep rooms. They smiled nervously as the silence became awkward between them, that is until she spoke again to him.

"Um, do you by chance know where the meeting room for the March Down Main Street is?" Brendan looked to her as she began to speak, and smiled when she finished. "Yes, I do. I'm actually going there right now" he answered. She smiled with relief, as if she had been lost. "Oh, great! Do you mind if I follow you there? It's only my fourth day working here, and I'm still getting used to everything."

"Sure" he replied and smiled. She smiled and they continued walking to the meeting room. "What's your name?"

"Annette, but everyone calls Annie" she answers. "How bout you?"

"Brendan"

"Well, its nice to meet you, Brendan." They both smile again, almost as if they can't find it in them to stop. "You too, Annie" he responded.

"So, are you working the March Down Main Street too?" she asked.

"I am" Brendan said enthusiastically; maybe more enthusiastic than he's been about his job than ever before. "I'm supposed to take pictures of guests with Mickey at the end of the parade" he continued, showing his camera to her after the fact. "Oh, that's cool" Annie replied. "Yeah, what do you do?" Brendan kept their conversation going.

"I'm just the tail end of the march. Nothing too special" she said. Brendan snorted in agreement, "Yeah, I guess you're right. How do you like working here so far?"

"Oh, its crazy. Like, I kind of knew that coming in, but I didn't think it was going to be this crazy. I usually work in guest services, and I'm filling in for someone today. So, kind of walking on my toes today." She chuckled and giggled as she explained her story, making Brendan feel more comfortable around her.

They soon walked through a doorway that lead into a large room with about a dozen people all scrambling around and getting things arranged. "Well, this is the meeting room. Do you know who you're supposed to talk to?" He watched as she scanned the room for someone she knew, and she did. "Yes, I do. I can see them over there. Thank you for showing me, Brendan."

Brendan could sense that their meeting was about to end. And quite frankly, he wanted it to keep going. It was just strange to him that he was able to talk naturally to this woman that he had never met before. "You're welcome" he said, "And I hope you do well, Annie. Good luck!"

"Thanks, you too" she said, and started walking away. She looked back at him, still smiling as she met up with her supervisor. Brendan turned his body to start walking toward Marty, who he had noticed earlier when they walked in, but kept an eye on Annie every once in a while. Suddenly, Marty came pacing up to him with a huff in his breath.

"Woah! You good, Marty?" Brendan said, picking up a hint of stress from his manager. Marty just inhaled heavily, ceasing his nervous panting. Then, with long exhale, he simply said to Brendan, "You gotta be Mick, pal!"

"Wait, what?" Brendan replied, his eyebrows furrowing, and his complexion confused.

"You have to be Mickey in the march!"

"What!?" he exclaimed a bit loudly. A few glares came from people who were nearby, which only Marty noticed. "No! Why? Where's Jimmy? Why can't he do it?"

"Jimmy's stuck in traffic, man. Stuck behind an accident on the freeway. He called a few minutes ago saying he wasn't going to make it, even if he took a detour." He tried to explain as quickly and as calmly as he could. He knew Brendan wasn't going to like this news due to his growing annoyance of the job. Plus, he had never been a character actor before.

"I can't be Mickey!" the brown-haired boy complained. "I've never even put on the costume before."

I'm sorry, Bren" the stressing manager confided, "but you're the only one here that is on the Mickey crew, and besides, you've gone through the emergency character training, haven't you?"

"Yeah, about a year or so ago!"

"Then, good. You should be able to improvise."

"Marty?!"

"Brendan, I'm sorry. But you're gonna have to. We don't have anybody else."

"Well, who's going to take pictures then?" Brendan said, pulling out his camera.

"Don't worry, I get someone else to cover you on that." Brendan could not believe what he was hearing. Someone filling his role, while he took the mantle of the character that everyone admired and loved, except him. To be honest, he was more stressed about any choreography that he would have to follow in order to make the whole event work. It didn't help that Marty wasn't willing to negotiate with him about it. "But right now," Marty continued, "I need you go with the other character actors to get dressed and so they can go over the choreography with you." He rose a hand into the air and summoned two men to show him to the costume room where he would put on the Mickey costume.

As Brendan was being taken into the costume room, he couldn't help but grumble about how this was going to ruin his day. The thought of him being the embodiment of Mickey Mouse just wasn't the right thing for him at this time. A time where he was growing tired of all things Disney. A time where the phrase "When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true" was a revolting lie to him. A time where Disney was just a media conglomerate trying to monopolize the market, with only the intent of brainwashing the public and its employees with its capitalist endeavors. And as Brendan stepped into the costume room and laid his eyes on the iconic suit and ears, all he could think was...

Ugh, this is be a long, hard, and miserable day.  

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And now your host... the author!

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing alright at the moment. The current state of the world seems to have gone bonkers. I tell ya what, I'm not going to worry about it too much, but I do advise everyone stay safe, be with your loved ones, and take care of yourselves. Okay, good. Now lets talk about the chapter. 

So this is is kind of a conclusion to the last chapter and the beginning of a really important chapter that will released next month. Trust me when I say that you won't want to miss it. It also seems that I keep introducing characters each chapter. Well, my imagination works in the way that it does, so I can't help it. Plus, I think my newest character fit well in this point in the story than what I had initially planed for them.

Meet Annette, or Annie as everyone calls her. While I don't consider her a part of the main cast, she does play a role that will work well with Brendan's. And like every one else in this story, there must be a character model to portray her. So, in the role of Annette "Annie" Reihms is Lucy Hale!

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I think is was a lot more fun to write than the previous chapter. Leave a vote if you did like it, and don't forget to express your thoughts in the comments. a new chapter will be coming out next month, as I said earlier. Be sure to look out for my "April Updates" announcement to find out what day the new chapter will be released. 

Until next time, SO LONG EVERYBODY! SEE YA REAL SOON!!!