Chapter 4
We walk into Starbucks anxiously and join the end of the line.
The abnormally large line.
Maddie and I wait in silence, both lost in our own thoughts, when finally we reach the front of the line.
"What can I get you?" the woman at the register asks, seeming bored and uninterested.
"A vanilla Frappucino please," Maddie says, clearing her throat.
"And your name?"
"Moo Cow."
"Oh," the woman says. "I see."
She runs to get a cup, and pretends to fill it. Then she puts the lid on it and hands it to us.
"Good luck," she sighs.
"Thank you," I reply, distracted, and we rush out of the coffee shop.
Once we are outside, we open the cup, and find that everything the mysterious man said was true. There's a small slip of paper inside, so I pull it out and begin reading it aloud, Maddie looking over my shoulder.
"Think Down Under.
Where the Opera House stands.
Where the Harbour Bridge spans.
Where you will find Justine Ezarik."
"So that means Justine is in Sydney," Maddie states. "How the hell are we gonna get there before midnight tomorrow night?"
"I don't know, but it's only 7pm, so we have a head start," I begin, forming a plan in my head. "Go home. Pack your stuff, and be back here in half an hour. Then we'll see about getting to Australia."
"Okay," Maddie agrees, and begins to walk home.
"Oh Maddie wait!" I shout. "Remember to pack light."
She nods and keeps walking.
***
Half an hour later she is sitting in my bedroom with a bag of essentials for the week. We sit and think of how we are gonna afford a flight to Australia.
"Well I have about two thousand dollars saved up in my bank account," Maddie offers.
"Yeah I have about that too," I say, still thinking.
"Maybe, if we combine the money, we will have enough money to at least get around for a couple days," Maddie states.
"Okay," I begin. "But what about after that?"
"We'll figure that out when we get to Australia. Lets get to the airport."
"Yeah, okay," I sigh.
I grab my key, my phone and my bag, and we set off down the street. It's a long walk to the airport, but it shouldn't take more then an hour to get there.
"Laura?" Maddie whispers.
"What?" I reply quietly.
"What if we don't make it in time? What if we can't save the YouTubers?" she asks worriedly.
"Then we'll have no entertainment. But first of all, as long as we can get on a flight to Australia by tonight, I think Justine at least will be okay. Second of all, we can't afford to think negatively right now. We just need to keep our hopes up, and we'll be fine," I answer.
"Okay," she sighs. "I guess so."
And we set off down the road, getting one step closer to the airport every step we take.
