Orlando

Evelyna’s POV

I was already dressed in a forest green tank top with the Dallas Stars’ logo on it and a pair of white shorts, sitting out on the balcony pretending not to gaze back and see my fantasy crush playing around with the cats. It didn't escape my notice that his gaze kept straying longingly towards the distant trees. I knew he had wanted to go to Disney World so badly. Despite the fact that it was only nine in the morning, he had been up for two hours already, nudging me awake around eight thirty. He waited patiently for me to finish getting ready. He had put on a pair of jeans and a loose fitting Stars practice shirt in the color of green. He wanted to match me and that was fine.

Today I had planned to surprise him by taking him to Epcot and fulfilling his wishes. But he had managed to spoil the surprise when he snooped through my bad, but I couldn’t be mad at him. It was rather refreshing to blink awake, staring into deep baby blue eyes, instead of the ceiling or yellow cat eyes.

I decided to take pity on him and forgo my morning exercise routine entirely in favor of hitting the park sooner. His demeanor visibly brightened when I slid open the glass door separating us and asked, in a sort of candidly lazy drawl, "You ready for this?"

He nodded and smiled his classic innocent smile of his. He got to his feet, almost being attacked by a hyper Cali. But he sidestepped her lunge and she instead landed on top of Bo and instigated a catfight. They took off, hissing and growling and vanished into Melissa’s room. Lilly trailed them, curiously.

“Cats.” I rolled my eyes playfully. Val laughed, as he turned back to me.

I reached up and grabbed his head in my fingers and pulled his face down to mine. We kissed there passionately, before we pulled apart and I grabbed his hand. I snatched up my bag with the Disney tickets in it and then grabbed my keys and we headed out.

Twenty minutes later, we were boarding the Monorail, zipping past the resort in a matter of seconds and docking at the Magic Kingdom to dislodge the travelers. As soon as the doors shut, we were off again to the Contemporary Resort, making another stop to pick up new travelers before shuttling off towards Epcot.

"Val, look," I explained, all but pressed against the window as one hand clung tenaciously to the Monorail pole. I was rather wide-eyed as I stared at the giant futuristic centerpiece of the aptly named City of Tomorrow. He was wide-eyed as well, beaming largely.

Even as we made a slow overhead loop of the park around it, I couldn't help but think of the massive geometrical statue as anything other than an immensely oversized golf ball. Its entire body hung suspended at the apex of four gleaming silver poles. The rock monoliths lined in rows in front of it were almost laughably small by comparison, but the entire view was breathtaking, making my own heart race in unanticipated glee as the Monorail pulled into the station at last.

Thankfully, the wall of heat wasn't nearly as intense as it had been the day before, again, a stroke of Florida luck. It was a comparatively mild seventy-seven degrees and sunny. With enough sunscreen to cover the needs of a small army, I refused to be lulled into complacency. I'd made it so far without any burns; I wasn't about to spoil our day at Epcot by acquiring any.

We filed into the check-in lines and were past the gates by ten o’clock; Val was all but vibrating with excitement at my side as we approached the stone monoliths. Names were etched into each of the increasingly large rocks, names of sponsors who had contributed in some way – however negligent or considerable – to Epcot's millennial celebration.

We took a moment to admire the towering stones as we walked; I was matching the speedy hockey player’s pace with apparent difficulty.

As soon as I spotted the entrance to the Giant Golf Ball, I spun to him, grabbing his hands in mine and exclaimed, "We have to go inside it."

He paused, cocking his head curiously at the Golf Ball, now almost directly overhead. "Inside?"

Implausible as it seemed, we followed the path that led up into the base of the suspended ball, spilling us into another queue with a sign reading Spaceship Earth overhead.

"Huh," I summarized Val’s own thoughts rather succinctly as we watched people shuffling into pod-like vehicles moving along a non-stop semi-circle track. It was impossible to see where they went to, empty vehicles emerging from one end and full ones disappearing at the other.

"Guess we're up," I stated, grabbing Val's hand to tug him onto the moving platform as we climbed into one of the pods, Val on the left and I was on the right. "This should be fun," I added, unflappably delighted at the prospect of whatever horrible thing we'd agreed to as the door to our vehicle slid shut.

“This better not be a roller coaster or some thrill ride.”

Val didn't answer aloud, just grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together nervously, almost jumping in his seat when he heard a voice near his head explaining in a delicately cool mechanical tone: "Please remain seated for the duration of the ride. Do not attempt to throw or toss any items outside of the vehicle. Watch small children closely. Be prepared to stop. If the ride stops, do not attempt to get outside of your vehicle. On your descent back to Earth, this car will move backwards. For your own safety, please remain seated for the duration of your ride. Thank you."

"Backwards?" the Dallas Star repeated, squeezing my hand tightly.

It had been ages since I had rode this ride, but if my memory was any good, it wasn’t a roller coaster, it was nice and slow and a rather cool experience.

I squeezed back lightly before stroking over his knuckles. Vibrant, almost space-like music filling our head sets, as a new voice took over the narration. "Welcome to Spaceship Earth," a calm, feminine voice declared. "Today we're going to take a journey through human history, to go back in time and revisit our ancient ancestors, across the ages to the beginning of modern civilizations, and into the future to explore what's next for humankind. Our journey begins here, almost thirty thousand years ago in the cold and unforgiving climate of the last Ice Ages, where our ancestors struggled to retain a foothold in a world dominated by megafauna: mammoths, saber cats, and countless other creatures set on extinguishing the human race."

I couldn't help but be drawn by the narration as an arctic scene emerged around us, two cavemen wielding spears at a bellow mammoth, their advances and retreats almost timeless in nature. "Thankfully, our ancestors were well-equipped for survival," the narrator reported. My thumb stroked over Val's fingers rhythmically, captivated. I stole a quick glance at him and saw his eyes shimmering in awe. He was gazing around, mesmerized. I smiled and turned back to do the same. "They could make tools, using them to make up for natural disadvantages. At this time, they also began to record their stories on cave walls, leaving them for future generations to find, recalling their bravery and tenacity."

As we glided past another display, this one of a group of cave-people engaged in conversation, a single heavily adorned figure at the center clearly reciting a story, I watched and listened raptly. Tens of thousands of years passed in seconds as we shuffled slowly upwards, crossing another display, this one depicting an ancient Egyptian scraping some form of medicinal herb between two stones. Despite knowing that he was animatronic and would not respond to passing cars full of curious tourists, the Egyptian seemed vaguely aware of his company. My gaze following him in his work as more music flowed from the area, Mid-eastern in nature.

"The Pharaohs were not only monarchs to the ancient Egyptians," the narrator proclaimed, drawing our eyes to the next exhibit as a brightly-adorned Pharaoh commanded two lesser palatial hands at attention. "Rather, they were messengers from the gods themselves, voices for their will. The achievements built under the Pharaoh's authority were monumental in nature, withstanding the passage of time for centuries to come. Their stories are written in the hieroglyphs that they created and the statues that they left behind."

We passed through Phoenician and ancient Greek exhibits in the same manner, exploring the Roman Empire briefly as well as the rise and fall of the European continent as a place for bountiful knowledge and art. I saw Val’s eyes burn with the continuously burning coals as we passed through the Dark Ages. I reached up to rub at my own eyes, until we moved on into a period of restoration and peace, culminating in the Renaissance. We chuckled, noticing each other’s similar movements and reactions.

Then we switched gears, putting more focus on the New World as the American culture arose, bringing with it its own unique set of pastimes and interests. Radios and telephones became quintessential items of the American home, while baseball rose to stardom as a pastime with television broadening its viewership. We watched with the same acute thrill as the animatronic family glued to the television screen, as Apollo 11 landed on the moon, bringing a new age to light – the Space Age.

Reaching toward the pinnacle of our now steep ascent, we entered a brightly lit room of various recording machines, records and other sound bites playing as we finally emerged into a vast dark space, stars lit above us.

I gazed up in unrepentant wonder as the narrator illustrated an even brighter future. My hand almost entirely relaxed in Val's as we circled the room. He continued to let me do what I wanted with my hand, occasionally getting involved as well. It was like the hand and finger version of playing “footsie,” under the table.

Once we began to descend, however, he tightened his grip around mine, only relaxing infinitesimally when he realized that we weren't going to go any faster with cars directly in front of and behind them. By the time we reached the exit platform, we was more than happy to clamber out of the car and stand on solid ground once more, leaning into my hold as I wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed the side of his head.

"You're adorable," I murmured, holding on a moment longer before releasing him with a smile. "So…what should we do next?"

****

Opting to skip the Innoventions buildings on either side of the walk, we headed straight for Test Track, Val operating under the somewhat naive impression that it was a low-level thrill-seeking roller coaster. I wasn’t about to drag him onto some thrill ride anyway, as I didn’t even do those.

Of course, I didn't attempt to cure him of his happy fantasy. It wasn't until we were close enough to hear the cars flying past the track as breakneck speeds, an audible sshheeeeruuum accompanying each circuit that we both planted our feet halting and said, "No." It was in unison and we shared a look.

"We're not going on it," I assured. Val's shoulders relaxed for a moment until I clarified, "--yet. I just wanted to pick up a couple of Fast Passes before they sold out."

"Evelyna." Waiting until he had my attention, he reiterated, very simply, "No."

"Nichy." Turning and pouting a lip, I held on to both of Val's hands as I said, "I've actually read up on this one and it's supposed to be really fun. I promise it's not as scary as it looks." Swaying his hands a little and adopting a lilting tone, I added, "I'll buy you cheesecake or something later if you do."

" Вы не можете подкупить меня едой все время. У меня есть, чтобы похудеть, не получить его. Я хоккеист. (You can't bribe me with food all the time. I have to lose weight, not gain it. I am a hockey player.)" Val pointed out, glancing up at the enclosed racetrack dubiously. "It is not that bad?"

"It's not that bad," I promised. "And if it is, you can get mad at me or whatever you want."
Interest piqued, Val arched an eyebrow. "Really? Как насчет я видеть вас голыми позже? (How about I get to see you naked later?)"

"Mmhm. Alright." I didn’t register his Russian comment, but I didn’t necessarily need to. I could tell by that sheepish look that he wore, he had thought of something kind of dirty involving me. I didn’t mind; it was fair.

Slowly, still hesitant, Val shuffled forward. "This had better be worth it," he warned as I gleefully tugged him towards the Fast Pass machines.

"It'll be the best," I promised.

****

With almost an hour before the World Showcase's amusements even opened around eleven, we ambled around the park for a time, taking in the flowers and rides as the Monorail passed periodically overhead. Beginning to slowly bake in the heat, we took a much-needed intermission in the large conglomerate building known only as The Land, letting out twin sighs of relief as soon as we stepped into the air-conditioning.

We meandered downstairs and after a mere ten-minute wait time boarded a slow-moving boat ride referred to as Living with the Land. Feeling sentimental, I rested my head on Val's shoulder as we angled around a bend into a large, greenhouse-like exhibit. A tour guide explained all the intricacies of the mini-biosphere that Disney had invested in as part of its overarching conservation program. He pointed out comical mutations on some of the larger and more familiar plants while dedicating considerable attention to all the ways that the entire structure conserved, reused, and recycled energy.

By the time the boat rambled back into port ten minutes later, I was upset about having to depart, groaning when Val finally extricated himself from under me.

"We should do that again," I suggesting, hinting at wanting to snuggle up on him again.

The Dallas Star smiled indulgently before replying, "I have a better idea." He pointed at the map he had in his hand, which he had pulled from the backpack. I grinned as I glanced at where his finger was and nodded.

****

Ellen's Energy Adventure was a mere five-minute walk from our current destination, providing ample time for my doubt to fester until we came upon the strangely triangular building that housed the ride, a large triangular fountain angled in front of it.

"Please tell me this isn't a thrill ride in disguise," I remarked, reluctantly letting Val guide me to the front of the building. “I promised you that Test Track wasn’t bad.”

"I promise this is not a thrill ride."

We entered a large open theater, only a handful of benches scattered across the far wall as a timer near the entrance counted down the time until the next showing. Five large screens filled the uppermost portion of the opposite wall, blank for the moment as dim orange lighting kept full darkness at bay.

"What are we waiting for, exactly?" I asked, leaning my shoulder against Val's as we watched other people mill inside, filling in the space.

Val turned and kissed my cheek instead of responding, the room darkening as we both looked up at the screens expectantly.

Moments later, none other than Ellen DeGeneres herself appeared. "Hi there. Welcome to the Universe of Energy. How are you?" Waiting expectantly, she continued after a beat, "No need to answer. Bet you weren't expecting to see me here," she added, reappearing on a different screen a moment later. "Then again, I bet there's a lot of places you weren't expecting to see me."

She bantered for a good three minutes about energy and her lack of awareness about it, transitioning from a black backdrop to a cozy apartment, her mirror self conked out on the couch after a Jeopardy marathon. As she spoke, fog began to fill the screen, moving the sequence from her apartment to her snoozing self's "dream sequence." Pitted against Dr. Judy Peterson (an old high school rival, it seemed) and Albert Einstein himself, she was losing spectacularly on an energy-themed episode of Jeopardy. Just shy of $18,000 behind her old school rival, Ellen paused the dream sequence to wander off stage, bumping into Bill Nye the Science Guy as she entered the break room.

"Highly improbable as all of this is," I murmured as Ellen and Bill discussed solutions to their energy predicament. Val leaned his head closer to hear me, as I added on, "I'm surprised it's not already a sitcom. Einstein and Ellen on the same celebrity TV show? Count me in."

Bill invited Ellen into the past, the screen abruptly going black again as narrator Ellen reappeared to formally introduce the upcoming ride into her "dream," a spotlight shining down on a smiling Disney cast member who explained the rules about keeping hands, arms, legs, and feet inside the moving vehicle at all times and please keep an eye on small children.

Then doors opened underneath the screens as the lights brightened and Ellen disappeared, leaving us to shuffle inside a much larger facility that contained vehicles with long theater-like rows.

"This better not go backwards," I warned, jokingly, sliding into the seat next to the hockey player as he huffed a laugh.

Thankfully for both of us, the ride didn't go backwards at all, carrying us through Bill and Ellen's energy adventure past animatronic dinosaurs and even later through time, at last visiting modern green energy methods to wrap up the show.

"I'm sensing a theme," Val mused at last as we came to a halt in front of a large wraparound screen, still seated in our theater-like rows. Ellen was back on Jeopardy, beating out Judy Peterson and finally realizing the value of energy.

Pleased that not a single hair on his head had been stirred during the ride, I exited with Val in a noticeably cheerier mood. I was in love with this Dallas Star. He was the best NHL player in the world and the most talented hockey player out of the bunch.