The Adventures of Starmonia

Chapter Three: Locked in the Booth

It was finally the day of the trip! Since their flight left at ten, Springtime had everyone meet at the house at six-thirty so she could get them to the airport on time. Showerstorm decided to go ahead with the boys in the Turners’ car and have his wife and the girls meet up with them later, and Springtime had agreed.

Springtime was frustrated as she checked everyone’s luggage to be sure they had everything and asked the kids if they had packed certain items. The problem was that all the girls—except for Cloudy—were running around and not paying any attention to Springtime’s questions. Springtime was getting very annoyed.

“Pay attention!” came a sharp voice from behind the children. They all turned around to see Meta Knight standing there, a thick, red cloak drawn over his shoulders, his eyes showing frank disapproval at their lack of respect. “This is not proper conduct. I’m ashamed of you children. Why can’t you be like Cloudy and listen to your elders when they’re speaking to you?”

Instantly, all the children looked contrite. “Sorry, Meta Knight,” Eloise said. They all lined up side by side and stood erect.

Springtie sighed in relief and flashed Meta Knight a warm smile. “Thank you very much.”

“I am glad to help,” was the reply.

Springtime surveyed the clipboard she held and asked, “Eloise and Nika, did you girls pack toothbrushes and soaps?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the twins answered in a single voice.

“Star, did you pack some beanies and jackets?”

“I sure did.”

“Boots too?”

“Yep. Four to be exact.”

Springtime hid her smile. “Ah, Miriam. I hope you remembered to bring a hairbrush?”

“I did.”

“Cloudy, did you pack some scarves?”

“Yes, Mommy, I did.”

“Good, good.”

After asking the kids a few more questions, Springtime was satisfied that everyone was ready. “Okay, I think we’re cleared for takeoff. Collect your luggage and let’s wait by the road. Scazzarda’s gonna drop us off at the airport before she starts work.”

The girls snatched up their suitcases and purses and duffel bags. Cloudy ran over to the gate and unlatched it, then pushed it open and wandered out by the road. The others followed suit.

Just then, Scazzarda’s car came roaring down the road and screeched to a halt in front of them. Scazzarda jumped out and walked over to them. “Hey, all!” she said cheerfully. “Are you ready to start your trip?”

Miriam yawned, opening her mouth so wide that her jaw ached. “Sure,” she said. “I’m ready.”

“I’m ready, too—I think,” Star added, pursing her lips. Eloise giggled at her expression and Nika furrowed her brow at the two of them.

“All right, enough chatter,” Springtime said firmly. “Kids, load your stuff in the back and climb in. We have along way to go and we want to make it to the airport on time, don’t we?”

The girls hurried to the back of the car and Miriam opened the door, and the kids tossed their luggage into the trunk. Springtime too stowed her gear away, then turned to Meta Knight. “Did you bring any luggage, dear?”

“Not much. Just my passport and phone.” He showed them to her.

“You can share our stuff if need be.” Springtime smiled at him, and he smiled back in thanks.

Miriam slammed the trunk lid and climbed inside with the rest of the children and buckled up while Springtime and Meta Knight sat up front with Scazzarda.

“Here we go!” Scazzarda cried out. She backed up, turned around, and drove off down the road. The kids let out a cheer, excited. Their trip was finally starting!

The first few minutes were filled with the girls laughing, chatting, or playing on their phones and Ipads. After some time had passed, an interesting conversation popped up among the kids.

“Have you guys seen a turkey as of recently?” Eloise suddenly asked while starting at her phone.

Nika and Miriam, who had been playing a game of Tic-Tac-Toe, raised their heads and gave Eloise funny looks. “Well, of course,” Nika replied.

“Me too—in the grocery store,” Miriam added. She broke up at her own joke, laughing so hard she dropped her pencil.

“Fantastic,” Eloise said, sounding completely unamused. “But it says here in the local news that someone’s prized turkey recently went missing somewhere in Dreamland.”

“I bet it’s prized because they want to eat it for Christmas dinner!” Meta Knight said, chuckling.

“Yeah, the poor turkey knew what his fate would be and wanted to avoid going to the chopping block, so he ran off,” Miriam said, smirking. “Or someone else stole him because they couldn’t afford to buy a turkey of their own.”

“I bet that turkey is now being slowly roasted in an oven—along with his heart, livers, and kidneys,” Nika giggled.

“Nika! That’s disgusting,” Springtime said, curling her lip in distaste.

“Hey, I know where they should check to find the prized turkey!” Star exclaimed.

Nika turned to look at Star in the way back. “Where?”

“The local shopping center!” Star cackled. She slapped Cloudy, who was sitting right next to her, on the shoulder. “Hey, isn’t that funny, Cloudy?”

Cloudy raised her head, an empty look in her eyes. “Huh?”

Star shot her sister an annoyed glare. “You look like you’re a million miles away! What are you thinking of?” she demanded.

Cloudy just looked out the window. “Nothing of importance,” she said.

Suddenly Nika gasped. “I just saw the prized turkey!”

“Where?” Eloise wanted to know, peering out the window to see what Nika was talking about.

“I was just kidding,” Nika said with a grin, elbowing her sister. “Just trying to get your goat.”

“You liar,” Eloise retorted.

Scazzarda couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head.

“Anyway, the prized turkey was very valuable because it came from a royal turkey family,” Eloise continued, reading from her phone.

“Royal turkey family?” Star repeated.

“Yup. Says the turkey was originally owned by a king from a different planet and was later given to a local peasant whom the king greatly admired, who gave it to some woman who sold it to the man who wrote this post and said his turkey was gone.” Eloise frowned. “He said this turkey stood out from other turkeys because it wore a blue sapphire collar.”

“Who did write this post?” Miriam wondered.

“It says his name is D.P.” Eloise scratched her head.

“Tough luck,” Cloudy said with a yawn. “Sorry you lost the turkey, Mr. What’s-Your-Name, but I hope you find it.”

“Hey, hey, Cloudy. Look. I’m recording you. I got you on video,” Nika said, pointing the lens of her phone at Cloudy.

“Get that thing out of my face,” Cloudy ordered.

“What’s your opinion on turkeys?” Nika asked without moving her phone an inch.

“What?” Cloudy asked, looking confounded. “Well, um. . .”

“I think they smell wonderful, but only when they’re being baked in the oven,” Star broke in, pushing in to get in the camera’s view and shoving Cloudy’s face against the window. “The rest of the time, they look like overgrown hairballs and smell like dead skunks.”

“Star! GET OFF MY FACE!” Cloudy yelled.

Star stopped squishing Cloudy’s face against the glass and sat back in her seat. Cloudy rubbed the side of her face with her paw to restore circulation, then shot Star an angry glare.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?” Cloudy demanded. “You nearly suffocated me!”

“I just wanted to add my opinion on turkeys,” Star explained, “but you were in my way, so I had to get you out of my fur somehow.”

“I asked Cloudy’s opinion on turkeys, not yours,” Nika told her.

Star scowled. “Ohh, so I can’t speak my thoughts and Cloudy can! So that’s the way it’s gonna be, hmm?”

“When I want your opinion, Star, I’ll ask for it,” Nika said, turning off her phone and replacing it in her handbag.

“Don’t be stupid!”

“Are you calling me stupid?” Nika demanded, glaring at Star.

“Huh?! N-No, I’m. . .calling you fat!”

“Oh, so I’m fat and stupid now, huh?”

“You’re a fatty!”

“I’m on a diet, Star.”

“Well, you’re still fat! Your mom was right to put you on a diet! You’re obese! You need to lose weight!”

“Star, I’m barely fat. Maybe you’re just jealous of my slimness while you’re the fatty.”

Star struggled to think of a retort to that. “Well, you. . .you have blond hair,” she shot back, knowing full well that the comment made no sense at all.

“And you can be such a toad!”

“Okay, you two, shut up and stop insulting one another!” Eloise commanded, rolling her eyes.

Meta Knight tried unsuccessfully to hold back his laughter, but he couldn’t. Scazzarda thought he was going to need an oxygen mask; he was laughing so hard.

“Are you okay?” Scazzarda asked, trying hard to suppress her own laughter.

Meta Knight struggled to stop laughing. “Yes, yes, I’m fine,” he said, finally getting control of himself. “But these kids are so funny!”

Scazzarda grinned. “They are, at that,” she responded.

After ten more minutes, Eloise pointed out the window to her right. “Hey, isn’t that the airport termite?”

“It’s ‘terminal’, dear,” Scazzarda corrected her. “And yes, it is.” She drove into the terminal and hunted around for a parking space. After locating a vacant one, she parked the car there and shut off the engine. “Well, this is it,” she declared. “Everybody out!”

The children unbuckled their seatbelts and threw open their doors, then ran around to the rear of the car to get their luggage. Springtime helped the children sort their baggage and get organized. After they were ready, Springtime turned to Scazzarda and said, “Well, goodbye, Scazzarda. See you sometime after the New Year.”

“I’ll be waiting for you,” Scazzarda promised. Then she looked to her son. “Goodbye, Meta Knight. See you soon, my boy.” She grinned.

Meta Knight nodded stiffly. “I will see you soon too, Mother.”

Scazzarda smiled, then bent down and wrapped her arms around Meta Knight. Meta Knight, in spite of his pride, returned the embrace, then pulled away, obviously embarrassed. Springtime suppressed a smile.

The girls, Springtime, and Meta Knight wandered across the huge terminal and stopped in front of the cafeteria. Scazzarda climbed back into her car and restarted the engine, then backed up and slowly began to drive out of the terminal. As she was about to exit, she rolled down her window and called out, “Goodbye!”

“Goodbye!” the kids chorused together, waving wildly. They stood together and watched the car as it pulled out of the terminal and was gone from view.

Springtime looked up behind her and checked the clock on the cafeteria front. “Ninety-five minutes ahead of schedule,” she said in a voice of satisfaction. “Perfect.”

“Where are Daddy and the boys?” Star asked Springtime herded the girls into the cafeteria.

“Umm. . .” Springtime checked her phone. “Ah, I received a notification a few minutes from Showerstorm telling me to meet him in the cafeteria, at the table in the far right corner.”

Cloudy squinted and peered around the cafeteria. After a moment, she spotted her dad, brothers, and her friends, Zach and Arrow.

“There they are!” Cloudy squealed, jumping up and down. She weaved her way among the tables and ran over to her father.

“Daddy!” Cloudy shouted.

“Cloudy!” Showerstorm exclaimed. “I thought you girls would never make it!”

“We’re here!” Springtime said, the crowd of girls and Meta Knight following behind her.

“Hey, honey.” Showerstorm kissed his wife. “Hey, girls. Hey, Meta Knight.”

“What gate are we going through?” Springtime wondered.

“Gate Twelve,” Showerstorm said briefly. “But first we have to check in at the desk and let the desk manager review our passports.” He picked up his luggage and told the boys to pick up theirs too. “Ready, all? Let’s roll!”

As Showerstorm collected everyone’s passports and showed them to the desk manager, Cloudy looked at the shiny linoleum floors, the freshly scrubbed walls, and the bright blue ceiling. A huge flight screen hung from the ceiling and told the dates and times at which the flights were to leave. Cloudy saw that their flight to Leupochena would leave in an hour and a half.

“Okay, now we have to put out luggage on the conveyor belt and get through the X-ray machine,” Showerstorm explained as he handed back the passports.

Cloudy was puzzled. “Why?”

Showerstorm frowned. “Why what?”

“Why do we need to have X-rays done to us?”

Showerstorm smiled. “The security officers here want to make sure we’re not carrying any hidden weapons or grenades or anything else that we’re not supposed to have.”

“Oh,” Cloudy said, but inwardly she was thinking, These people have a very strict security system!

After they had all gone through the X-rays and had their luggage checked and approved, they were good to go. They walked into a small but cozy lounge not far from the check-in desk and sat down.

Star sighed. “We’re gonna have to wait a while,” she complained.

“You’ll survive,” Eloise teased. Star made a face.

Showerstorm smiled cheerfully. “We’ll just wait here and do something fun to pass the time.”

“Oh, oh! Let’s play Twenty Questions!” Nika said happily, bouncing on the plush couch with excitement.

“Good idea,” Zach said. “I’ll go first. I’m thinking of something. Vegetable, animal, or mineral?”

“Is it a vegetable?” Cloudy asked.

Zach shook his head.

“Is it an animal?” Star said.

Zach nodded.

“Is it brown?” Waffle called.

Zach shook his head again.

“Black?” Yodi wondered.

Zach grinned. “Well, yes and no.”

Many of the children looked confused, but Cloudy smiled widely and asked, “Is it black and white?”

“Yes!” Zach exclaimed. His eyes were glowing with enthusiasm.

“Is it a dog?” Eloise cried.

Zach nodded.

“A husky puppy?” Nika said slyly.

Again Zach nodded his head. “Guess who?” he said, raising his hands over his head and spreading them out, fingers extended.

“Cloudy!” everyone hollered in unison.

“Yes!” Zach cheered. “You figured it out!”

The group played several more rounds of Twenty Questions. Then they switched to a game they called Story Circle, in which one person started a story and they went around with everyone contributing a part to the story until it was completed. Meta Knight was a very good storyteller, and the children seemed entranced by his eloquence.

After thirty minutes or so, some of the children started complaining that they were hungry or needed to use the restroom. Springtime sighed and looked questioningly at her husband.

“I’ll take the boys to the men’s restroom,” said Showerstorm. “Honey, you take the girls. Eloise, Nika, and Zach, I’ll give you some money to but something from the cafeteria since there’s not really enough food in our luggage for all of us. He looked down at Cloudy, Arrow, and Meta Knight, who were the only ones who would stay in the lounge. “Stay here, kids, and don’t get up unless you need to. Meta Knight, keep an eye on them.” And with that, he and Springtime were gone, along with the Palmer sisters and Zach.

The threesome sat quietly for a few minutes. Cloudy was getting bored and restless and she showed it in her fidgeting. She thought she might just curl up and take a nap when a loud ringing noise startled her and made her jump.

Meta Knight gave her a stricken look. “That’s my phone, Cloudy.”

“Oh.” Cloudy’s hearts was still hammering in her chest as Meta Knight left the lounge to take the call. Now Arrow and Cloudy were left alone.

The two puppies quietly sat side by side for a minute or two, admiring the red velvet on the couches and the oriental rugs. Then Arrow sported a shiny round object on the floor by the couch and bent to scoop it up. It was a quarter.

“Hey, cool!” Arrow showed his find to Cloudy. “A quarter!”

“Wow, now you’re rich. What are you gonna do with it?” Cloudy asked.

“I recall seeing a gumball machine in the cafeteria. I’m gonna buy a gumball for you,” he said. He leapt lightly off the couch. “Be right back.”

Cloudy’s eyes widened. “You mean you’re going to leave me here all alone?!”

“You parents should be back any minute,” Arrow said, “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” And before she could object, he had raced away.

Cloudy didn’t feel right about being left alone in a waiting room in the middle of a strange airport, but she decided to stay where she was. She knew that flight attendants were not too far away and that it was highly unlikely anyone would try anything dishonest in such a public place, but she still felt uneasy. She clutched her purse to herself and lay down, her head on her front paws.

Not long after Arrow’s departure, a strange man with gray eyes and jet-black hair entered the lounge with a suitcase on wheels. He looked back at the flight screen, nodded to himself, and then seated himself right beside Cloudy. She scooted over to create a little more distance between them and kept her eyes on the far corner of the room.

The man pulled out his phone and typed something. Cloudy glanced up at him and noted his features—they were rough and brusque. His eyes were steely and his hair looked as though it had been slicked back with oil. The man himself had several tattoos on his arms and looked as though he had been incarcerated before. Something about him gave Cloudy the creeps.

“Where are you off to?” the man asked without looking up from his phone.

Cloudy blinked in surprise. “Who, me?”

“Yeah.” The man tore his gaze away from his screen and frowned at her. “You’re the only one over here, aren’t ya?”

Cloudy bit her lip. She wasn’t prepared for this conversation! “Well, not exactly.”

“Looks like you’re alone to me.” He studied her with his cold gaze. She stared back, just as intently, though she felt nervous. Then like the sun breaking through the clouds, his cruel expression melted away and was replaced by a friendly smile.

“I’m Sam Danson,” he introuduced himself, extending his hand. Cloudy, after a slight pause, placed her paw in his hand.

“Where are you off to?” Sam asked.

Cloudy relaxed at his friendly tone, but reminded herself not to let her guard down. “Leupochena.”

Sam showed surprise. “Really? Me too!”

“Where are you headed to in Leupochena?” Cloudy queried.

Sam chuckled and flexed his fingers. “Well, I’m going to visit my brother Owen for Christmas.”

“That’s cool.” Cloudy smiled. “My family and friends are going to Vastre Hall.”

Sam started and stared at her. “How did you know about Vastr—” Then he checked himself and stammered, “Um, I-I mean, why are you going there?”

“We’re going to stay with my aunt’s friends,” Cloudy explained. “We’re all spending Christmas together.”

“Oh, I see. . .” Standing to his feet and muttering an excuse about having to use the restroom, he quickly hurried out of the lounge, leaving his suitcase and a very bewildered puppy behind. Cloudy thought Sam Danson acted very suspicious.

Cloudy looked at the digital clock on the flight screen and sighed irritably. It was forty minutes before their flight was to leave, and still no parents, chaperone, or kids. Cloudy was beginning to get worried. It had been almost twenty minutes since her parents had first left for the restrooms and the other children had disappeared to the cafeteria.

Cloudy sighed and dug around in her purse, then fished out a quarter. “I might as well call Mrs. Scazzarda and talk to her. I’m getting bored anyway,” she muttered. She inquired of a flight attendant as to the nearest phone booth pointed down the hallway a little ways.

Cloudy slipped into the booth and shut the door behind her, then slipped the quarter into the slot and dialed Scazzarda’s number. While she was doing so, a stranger half-hidden in the shadows crept up silently behind the telephone booth and took a piece of wood from his pocket, then wedged it under the door. Smiling in satisfaction, he hurried away and disappeared around the corner.

Cloudy sighed as she waited for Scazzarda to pick up. She wondered if perhaps she should have called during Scazzarda’s work hours, but decided it probably wouldn’t hurt. In a few minutes, Scazzarda picked up.

“Hello?” she inquired pleasantly.

“Hi, Mrs. Scazzarda. It’s Cloudy.”

“Cloudy, hello! Where are you?”

“In a phone booth at the airport. Listen, Mommy and Daddy took some of my friends and my siblings to the restroom twenty minutes ago and they’re still not back. Neither are the Palmers or Zach, and they left for the cafeteria around the same time.”

“Just calm down, dear,” Scazzarda said soothingly. “Everything will be okay. If they don’t show up within the next ten minutes, notify the police or flight attendants, okay?”

“Okay,” Cloudy said. Then she asked, “Um, just out of curiosity, have you ever heard of a guy named Sam Danson?”

“Sam Danson?” Scazzarda repeated. She thought a moment and then said, “Can’t say I have. Can you describe him?”

“Oh, yeah, He has black hair, real dark and slick, and he had these creepy gray eyes. He also wears these weird demonic-looking tattoos and he really gives me the creeps. . .”

“Did you say tattoos?” Scazzarda’s voice suddenly sounded frightened.

“Uh, yeah.” Cloudy frowned. “Why?”

“Is one of the tattoos a skull and crossbones?”

Cloudy was so astonished that it was a moment before she could speak. “Yes, that’s right. Good night, how did you know that, Miss Scazzarda?”

“What flight line is he on, Cloudburst?”

“He’s going to Leupochena, and there’s only one plane heading out at ten, so he’s probably on the same as ours.”

A cry of alarm suddenly broke from Scazzarda, startling Cloudy. “Oh, no! Cloudburst, whatever you do, do not get on the flight with him! He’s dangerous!” Then came a click and the dial tone, indicating the connection had been cut off.

“Hello? Hello?” Cloudy tried to restore the connection, but to no avail. Scazzarda must have hung up on her for some reason. Cloudy frowned, wondering why Scazzarda had acted so afraid. Did she know Sam Danson?

“I’ll just get back to the lounge and wait for the others,” Cloudy said. She tried to open the glass door, but it wouldn’t budge.

“What the heck?” Cloudy muttered, trying again to shove it open. Nothing happened. She peered at the lock, thinking she might have accidentally locked herself in, but that wasn’t the cause. She looked outside, and to her chagrin, she saw the wedge.

“I’m locked in the telephone booth!” Cloudy gasped.