Coincidentally By Chance

Chapter 2

My Mum's minivan pulled up to our local airport, which just so happened to be in Tampa, and my Dad quickly parked it along the curb. 

"Are you sure you don't need us to walk you through it?" My Dad said, tuning to face me. 

I pulled my bag over my shoulder and looked at the rain. People were quickly running into the building wearing jackets and holding large umbrellas. 

"I think I can manage it, it's not a big deal."

"Do you have everything? Clothes? Electronics? Chargers? Passport? Ooh, what about-" She was rambling on again, as if trying to stall the situation.

"Mum, I've got everything, really. Even if I didn't, I could still just buy whatever I need once I land, it's not like I'm going somewhere away from civilization," I laughed out.

"Well anyway, Laelah should be waiting for you at the airport, she'll drive you home as well, and you'll be staying with her," My Dad was now just repeating everything I already knew.

Laelah was my Dad's niece, one of the few from his rather small side of the family. It was just him and his brother, I was one of five kids, the middle, actually. My uncle had two children, a son and a daughter, but the son was his wife's child from a previous marriage, which since then, she had died. So technically, he wasn't related to me by blood, but he's been adopted by my Uncle. Laelah was around a year older than me, and it was actually her that convinced me to come to London. Her brother, Kory, was- I think- four years older than me, or something around that. 

"I know Dad."

"Be safe!" My mother reminded me.

No, I want to go and get kidnapped. What an adventure!

"I will be."

My youngest brother, Max, now woke up from the back seat, looking around and rubbed one of his eyes.

"Hey Maxie," I smiled.

"What time is it?" He managed to say while yawning.

About the butt-crack of dawn, I'd say. 

"Um, about 4," My Dad glanced at the car's clock.

"Is Kaitlyn leaving?" He said in a small voice, resembling his age perfectly, 5 and a half.

"No bud, you slept so long I'm already back," I replied, sounding as truthful as I could, surprisingly without laughing. 

His eyes bulged out, "I'VE BEEN ASLEEP FOR THREE AND A HALF MONTHS?" 

"Even longer, I just got back from Hawaii!" I said, smiling.

"And she went to Paris!" My Dad added. I've got to give him props for that one.

"Oh Katie, don't mess with your brother like that." My Mum said, completely ruining the fun moment we had going on.

"Dad was doing it too!"

She looked at him, and he turned from me to her, shooting her the biggest smile he could.

Best. Dad. Ever.

"Well, I've got to go, should we wake everyone else?" I asked, turning at my three sleeping siblings.

-:-:-

After a few hours of lugging my luggage around, finding where to go, eating donuts and having a bit of coffee that nobody should know about, getting my passport stamped, being interrogated about leaving the country, going through security, and finding the terminal, I was finally sitting down, enjoying myself at the moment. I had an ear bud in, attached to my iPod, which I was hoping and praying would have enough battery to last the plane ride.