Rae Castillo

  3:30 am

  I keep my hands firmly in Luis's as we navigate the crowds. My duffle bag is in my other hand, the jingling charms on it barely audible over all the chatter. It's busy but not too busy, not yet. I think this is the first time Ma has suggested something that ended up helping us.

  There's a slight tug on my arm, and I glance over without stopping. My twin brother raises an eyebrow at me, his eyes glancing around the airport. "Do you even know where you're going?"

  I huff. A girl with a huge Louis Vuitton bag pushes past me, not sparing a glance as she storms in front of us.

  "Jesus, what is going on today? I get everything with the evacuations, but a little kindness goes a long way. And yes, I know where I'm going. I just need to find someone who can help us."

  "Right," I hear from behind me, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It makes total sense that a person who supposedly knows where they're going needs help getting there."

  My grip on his wrist tightens. "If you don't want to be left in this busy airport, I suggest you keep your unwanted comments to yourself."

  When I glance over my shoulder, I catch him as he rolls his eyes. "You wouldn't leave me. Ma would be pissed."

  "Ma wouldn't even care," I shoot back. I immediately regret it, surprised at how quickly I lost my temper. I bite my lip and shift my grip on my bag. "Sorry, I... I didn't mean it like that."

  He shakes his head, his curly hair flopping onto his forehead. "No, you're right. She wouldn't care."

  I don't say anything after that.

  Just focus on finding a help desk, I tell myself.

  It shouldn't even be this hard, but with so many people bustling this way and that, I can't see a thing. My height isn't even helping, and it usually does.

  Luis taps my hand suddenly and says, "There, I think I see something."

  I turn to see where he's pointing and grin. I tighten my grip on his wrist, ignoring his complaints behind me, and hurry over.

  There's already a girl at the front when we get to the desk. She stands rod straight with her arms crossed. Her jet-black hair is just as straight and is tucked behind her ear with silver clips. She wears a gorgeous black, plaited skirt, and a white turtleneck.

  "Sir, that's not right. I know I bought first class," I hear her say. Her voice is steady and sharp. It's coated in confidence, and I find myself standing up a bit straighter.

  The man at the desk adjusts his glasses with shaky hands. "We-well it says right here that you did not." He angles his computer for her to see.

  The girl tilts her head to the side. "Interesting." She's quiet for a moment and she stares at the man calculatingly. He shifts uncomfortably under her gaze. "Is there any way I can get my money refunded? This is all incorrect, of course, but I don't mind buying another ticket if I can get my money back."

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  "N-no, I'm afraid not. We're completely booked, everything with the evacuations has us all backed up," the man tells her, adjusting his glasses again. I can't help but feel a bit bad for him. He's just doing his job, and this girl seems like those types at my school who believe they're above everybody.

  The girl shrugs. "Oh well, I'll be fine in economy. Thanks for your time."

  She turns around quickly, her many bags in hand. When she sees Luis and I behind her, she pauses. She makes a show of looking me up and down, her eyebrow raised. "Your mascara is a bit smudged right...here." She places a finger an inch away from her own beautifully mascaraed eye.

  I blush profusely and nod once, but she huffs and digs into one of her tinier bags. She brings out a tube of mascara and hands it to me. "Here, you can have this. Make sure you keep a steady hand when you get to the end."

  Luis squeezes my hand, and I realize I've been gaping at her like a fish. I smile self-consciously and shake my head. "Oh, no, don't. It's fine, I have my own. I'm ok."

  Her eyes narrow. "Take it."

  I glance back at Luis. He nods his head enthusiastically, a weird look on his face as he glances between me and the mystery girl.

  "Thanks..." I say, swallowing and take the mascara from her hand.

  She gives me a sharp nod before model-walking away.

  "Holy shit!" Luis screeches, yanking my hand as he bounces on his toes.

  I scrunch my face, still reeling from the weird interaction. "What?"

  His eyes widen. "Did you not know who that was!?"

  When I shake my head, he grins so wide I'm sure I can hear his jaw pop. "Seriously!? That was only the most iconic influencer ever! The woman who does it all, makeup, fashion, modeling..." He looks at me expectantly, but I can only stare at him blankly.

  "I'm terribly confused."

  He sighs heavily, dropping my hand. "That was Leoni Serrano. She's like, the most influential teenager right now, how could you not know her?"

  I cross my arms. "You know I don't have social media."

  "Which still baffles me. How do you survive?" He puts a hand on his heart dramatically.

  "I read," I tell him, rolling my eyes.

  He sighs again. "Whatever, your nerdiness doesn't matter. What does matter is how you-we've just come face to face with a literal celebrity. I can't believe the world had to end for me to meet one."

  I glance down at the mascara in my hand. "I guess..."

  Someone clears their throat behind us, startling me. I snap my head up and find the man behind the desk staring at us expectantly.

  Right. The plane. Focus Rae.

  "Uhm, sorry..." I squint at his nametag, "Floyd."

  He glances between us. "What do you two need?"

  "We need to know where gate 14B is." I tighten my ponytail, ignoring my tangled curls.

  Floyd raises an unimpressed eyebrow and I'm struck by how much differently he's treating us compared to how he was with the Serrano girl. "Ms...the gate is right behind you."

  I blink and turn around. Gate 14B stands there like a beacon, one that I clearly missed. I turn back around and smile sheepishly. "I'm so sorry! Uhm. Thanks!"

  I grab Luis' hand and drag him towards the gate. "So, maybe we should've asked for help a bit earlier."

  "No, maybe you should've asked. I tried to get you to, but you refused. This is your fault, hermana." He digs through his bags and pulls out our boarding passes. He looks up at me, a nervous look on his face. "You ready?"

  My heart seems to beat faster in my chest as I stare at the door that leads to the plane. I swallow and glance at the people around me. They're going about their business, unbothered by the random girl's fear of leaving the only place she's ever known.

  Children scream as their parents try in vain to bribe them with sweets. Couples walk past us, always holding hands and the occasional old woman or old man wanders around as they wait for their family to arrive at the airport. And there I am, in the middle of it, about to take the step no one else in my family could take.

  I look to Luis, letting out a shaky breath. "Yup. As ready as I'll ever be."

  He smiles and hands the boarding passes to the woman at the door. She nods and we head into the hall. Luis hooks his arm through mine and together we make our way toward a different life.