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people…but that was a very long time ago.”
    “Why isn’t he a king now?” I asked curiously. “And why doesn’t he go by Stefan anymore?”
    “Long story,” Lola cut in. “We’ll tell you all about it later, but we should get going.”
    I wanted to hear more, but didn’t press them for it. We picked up our paces, heading towards the platforms. I inserted the headphones into my ears, turning my music on full blast. I also pulled my hoodie over my head, trying to block out the majority of my peripheral vision. I kept my eyes glued on Rex’s brown leather sneakers, following his footsteps. I wasn’t taking any chances.
    Please don’t let me see any signs , my mind screamed anxiously.
    We took Abby to the pet drop-off, keeping our heads lowered while Rex filled out the required paperwork. I stroked Abby’s soft, black fur a few times before she was crated. She whined after I locked her inside. I heard the whimpers over my music , the sound was so pathetic . “Be a good girl,” I said soothingly. She pawed at her crate and whined louder. I felt awful. Abby already had developed separation anxiety thanks to her time spent at the shelter. I hoped she wouldn’t think she’d been abandoned again.
    After Abby was carted away, the four of us headed towards our entrance. Rex’s shoes slowed to a stop as we arrived. I glanced at the time on my phone. It was 7:53. We were safe to board. The announcements would be over.
    I looked at no one and nothing when we boarded. I kept my eyes fixed on Rex’s shoes, step by step. Though the lobby had been empty earlier, an increasing number of people flocked to the gates. I tried to keep up with Rex, but somehow lost sight of him in the midst of the crowd. I winced fearfully. My entire body froze, limbs locking into place. My eyes darted over dozens of feet. I panicked, unable to spot Rex’s shoes in the crowd.
    Where did he go?
    Chucks, heels, sandals, wrong color, too big, too small. Boots, wedges, flip-flops. None of them belonged to Rex. My palms sweated with tension. As more and more time passed, the floor seemed to spiral into a blur of shapes and colors.
    A warm hand suddenly grasped my wrist. A familiar pair of brown leather sneakers stood before me, followed by the faint smell of evergreen soap. The hand gently pulled me towards a nearby aisle.
    I almost cried out in relief. We made it. I think.

Five
    I plopped down on the seat immediately after we entered our room, leaning my head back against the cushion as I let out a deep breath. Gabe and Lola opened the door a few moments later appearing as equally relieved as I was. They stuffed their bags into the overhead, and then Lola sat down next to me in a similar plopping fashion. “I thought we’d never make it,” she said, removing her headphones. “I lost you and Rex in the crowd.”
    “Did you see anything?” I asked.
    “Nope. Nothing. Did you?”
    I shook my head. “Negative.”
    “I don’t know why you were all worried,” Rex said. He gestured to me. “She told us how to get what we wanted before we boarded.”
    “It doesn’t always work right,” I told him. “This thing, it’s tricky. If one of us had lifted our heads for even a split second, we wouldn’t have been following my exact directions. We could’ve seen something and screwed everything up.”
    “Well it’s a good thing everyone knows how to follow directions,” he retorted dryly.
    I opened my mouth to say something, then decided against it. Instead, I ignored Rex and settled more comfortably into my seat. Pulling my legs up, I sat Indian style, and then leaned against the window. I yawned tiredly.
    “I’m hungry,” Lola declared. “I noticed a snack cart a few rooms down. Are you hungry, Estelle?”
    “No, just sleepy.”
    Gabe escorted Lola to head towards the food cart while Rex stayed behind to look after me. Still determined to ignore his presence, I plugged my music back into my ears and snuggled into my little corner.