*Standard disclaimers apply—don’t own them and will return them in mint condition. Thanks goes to Anne and Ermintrude—as always *

Vacation-Part Ten

Sunday, September 1, 2002

8:40 AM

“Madame Tussaud’s?”  Jenna asked as they left the Baker Street Tube station.

“Yeah,” Geoff shrugged as they turned left onto Marylebone Street. “I mean I know it’s a bit touristy, but it should be fun. What do you think?” 

“Sounds like fun,” Jenna said. “But isn’t that the place with the Chamber—”

“Chamber of Horrors, you mean?”  Geoff said.  Jenna nodded.  “Yeah, but we’ll stay out of there today.” 

“Sounds good to me.”  

“We can have milkshakes afterwards and I’ll have you home well before three—that way your father won’t have to kill me—joke,” he said, when Jenna shot him a look.

Jenna grinned. “I know. When does this place open, anyway? Aren’t we getting here a little early?” 

“Not exactly,” Geoff pointed.  “See that line there? That’s all the people waiting to get inside.” 

Jenna looked. What she had thought was a large crowd of people at first was actually—

“—oh my gosh.”  

“Exactly.” 

SMK SMK SMK SMK

“Thought you two would never get here,” Tim said. “Sophie and I’ve been holding this place in line for you for ten minutes at least.”

“Where’s Daze?”  Jenna asked. 

“She’s not exactly a morning person,”   Sophie said, “Might meet up with us later, though. How are you? I’m sorry that Simon was such an ass last time.” 

“I’m fine,” Jenna said. “I just—I really don’t like being grabbed from behind.” 

“I understand,” Sophie told her. “Once I was in Tesco’s and this bloke grabbed me from behind—said he thought I was his girlfriend. It frightened me half to death.”   

“Give me a few minutes with him and he wouldn’t make that mistake again,” Tim said. 

“Listen to Mr. Macho, here” Sophie playfully punched Tim in the arm. “Do you have a boyfriend in the states, Jenna?” 

“Not yet.”  Jenna said.

Sophie smiled. “Well that’s okay, you have a lot of time—Geoff’s always available if you’re interested.” 

“Sophie believes in being direct,” Tim shot his girlfriend a glance.

Sophie shrugged.  “Better than beating about the bush, innit?” 

Jenna felt her face growing warm and suddenly she didn’t know quite what to say. She glanced briefly over at Geoff, amused to see that his face was also turning a distinct shade of rose. At least she wasn’t the only embarrassed person here.

“Time is something we’re not going to have unless we look sharp,” Tim said. “In case no one’s noticed we’re next in line.”  

Jenna dug her money out of her pocketbook while Tim and Sophie paid for their tickets. She was about ready to pay herself when Geoff stepped up. 

“Two adult tickets,” he said.

“That’ll be fifty pounds,”   the girl behind the counter said.  Jenna tried to give Geoff her money but he pushed her hand away and handed the girl a fifty-pound note.

“Go straight in,” the woman told them.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jenna said as they filed into the museum. “I had the money.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” Geoff said. “But I wanted to.” 

“Thank you very much,” Jenna said. Geoff grinned.

The line began to surge ahead, forcing them to move along.

The first room they entered was called the ‘Premiere Room’ and Jenna could see why. They were surrounded by various stars—or rather wax replicas of the stars. They looked so real though—it was positively uncanny. Jenna saw Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Sylvester Stallone—everywhere she turned she saw another celebrity.  Tim had his arm around a replica of Will Smith—

“Don’t I look cool?” Tim said. 

Sophie laughed. “Not as cool as he does, mate.” 

Tim pouted. “Ouch—you really know how to bring a bloke down, don’t you?” 

Jenna really wished she’d brought a camera of her own.  

Suddenly she saw a statue of Pierce Brosnan—dressed up as James Bond. She turned to ask Geoff whether he’d brought his camera when she suddenly realized that he wasn’t there anymore. Slowly Jenna turned around in a circle. No one she knew was there—she couldn’t even see Tim or Sophie—where could they have gone? Jenna swallowed hard, fighting back a surge of panic. 

“Oi!”  A person shoved her from behind, causing Jenna to jump slightly. Her heart pounding, she turned around, looking at the elderly man standing behind her.

“What is it?”  She asked him.

   The man sighed. “We want you to move along, miss— don’t you know that there are other people waiting?”

“Oh,” Jenna said. “I’m sorry.”    

“Just move along,” the man repeated.

Jenna did what he told her to—she barely noticed any of the other figures as they moved from room to room. Her eyes scanned from left to right, searching for her friends. But with this many people how could she find them anyway?  Geoff hadn’t been kidding when he’d said how popular this place was—or how crowded.  A man bumped into her from the side and Jenna bit back a scream.  She couldn’t panic—not here—when she was surrounded by strangers in a public place. 

‘I have to stay calm,’ Jenna thought. That same phrase repeated itself in her head, almost like a mantra and she just kept walking forward. Sooner or later Geoff, Tim and Sophie had to realize she wasn’t there; they had to come looking for her. Didn’t they? 

Stay Calm.

A babble of excited voices surrounded her, cutting off any means of escape or sight.  They were speaking a language that definitely was not English—Italian, maybe?  She wasn’t sure.

Jenna felt her nails digging into her palms and she was swept along downwards and through a door. She nearly tripped over a step but grabbing the railing she managed to keep her balance. It was dark in here, Jenna thought. Dark and cold and as she saw the row of disembodied wax heads on spikes she knew exactly where she was. .

The Chamber of Horrors. Jenna turned around to go back out but her way was blocked by at least fifty people behind her, coming down the stairs. 

“How do I get out?”  She wondered. 

“Can’t get out, miss,” a woman’s voice sounded nearby, startling Jenna—she hadn’t realized that she’d voiced her thoughts aloud.  “Go straight through.” 

Go straight through.  Taking a deep breath, Jenna walked ahead, trying hard to not to look to the right or left of her.  Her sandaled feet slapped against the floor as she strode, making a steady rhythmic noise. She could feel old memories trying to resurface—along with the panic those memories usually brought but Jenna simply pushed them to the back of her mind.

Just keep walking…just keep walking… a horrified sounded scream shattered the silence but Jenna ignored it—ignored everything until she reached another staircase—this one marked with an EXIT  sign. 

Just keep walking—stay calm—before Jenna knew it the door opened and she was out.

“Jenna?” Geoff’s face was in front of her all of the sudden, his hands holding her arms and his face filled with concern. “Jenna are you all right?  I’m so sorry we lost you—you really shouldn’t have gone in there, though.” 

“She looks awfully pale,” Sophie said. “We should get her outside—fresh air might help.” 

“Please don’t faint or something,” Tim said.

“I’m fine.”  Jenna said. That remark brought about dead silence, with Tim, Sophie and even Geoff staring at her as though she’d suddenly grown another head.

“I’m fine,” Jenna repeated. “Really.”

Sophie’s tone was skeptical.  “You don’t look fine.”  

“Well I was a little scared at first,” Jenna said. “But I stayed calm—kept right on walking—and now I’m—I’m fine.” She could feel a smile spreading across her lips—maybe Dad was right—she really was stronger than she knew.

TBC