A strong, burrowing anxiety had laid claim to Florin Daniels’ insides. His brow was damp and his hand clenched into a white-knuckled hold on his luggage. Time turned into a slow, staggering pub crawl from one number to the next.

  This wasn’t supposed to be his response. Florin closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the humid, salty air. He was just overreacting to something again. His rationale flipped over a few explanations: he was in a new and unfamiliar place, waiting for a potentially unreliable chauffeur, and was embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime event. Any normal person would be uptight and nervous.

  Distraction, that was what he needed. He opened his eyes and focused on his immediate surroundings. Humming florescent lights illuminated the multi-lane road labeled “arrivals” and “departures”, and at the fringe of their glow a few palm trees loomed darkly against the midnight sky. One or two other passengers hovered against the concrete walls, their faces illuminated by their phone screens. The breeze occasionally buffeted a burning cigarette’s scent from an idling taxi driver across the road and caressed the palm leaves into occasional hisses. If he concentrated hard enough, he could pick out an occasional insect chirp or hum of distant cars on the highway. Florida was giving a comfortable first impression.

  Somewhat reassured, Florin Daniels hazarded another glance at the time. The loud roar of an engine told him to not bother. A red sports car sped down the loading lane. Drifting the last few inches of an aggravatingly abrupt break, the vehicle was ready to be boarded. A head with wavy red hair poked out of the window. “Hop on in, the rubber’s still warm and ready to burn!”

  Florin couldn’t stifle the instinctual sigh. Misgivings shoved aside, he approached. “Thanks for the lift.”

  “Any time, any time,” the driver hummed. On the outside, he looked the part of a moderately well-to-do Florida resident. The above-average height, lean man had slightly angled features and a posture that was relaxed but firm –like a willow branch, ready to snap into a new shape at an instant. He sported a business-casual suit coat of black and had a paintbrush-style mustache of similar shade to the crimson shirt. His oval green eyes still burned of the youthful chaos that Florin had to adapt to during childhood. Shilling Daniels hadn’t changed.

  Once his bags were stowed, Florin climbed into the front seat. Not a second after touching the upholstery did the engine bellow to life and jump-started the car. He desperately snapped the seat belt into place as they jumped onto the freeway. His glasses almost slipped off in the rush.

  “Calm down the crazy driving, would you?” he cried.

  “This is what you call crazy?” hummed the driver. “Oh, you sweet summer child.”

  The sports car coasted across the sparse midnight lanes of traffic with impunity. As they approached the first set of exits, Shilling asked, “You sure you don’t want to hit up the Glitzy Gator? Your friends said the night was just starting when I left.”

  Florin considered for a moment. It would be a little rude to pass up the call when this trip was entirely geared for socialization. However, he had to be realistic. “The jet lag is killing me as it is.”

  “Fair, a tired drunk Florin isn’t nearly as entertaining as an alert one is.”

  He sighed, letting the comment go unaddressed.

  “Not to worry, dear brother, I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Please don’t.”

  “Too late!” Shilling sang. “Don’t think of it as a favor that needs repaying, but a necessary addition to your morning.”

  Florin sighed again. “What are you up to now?”

  “Come now,” he chided, “can’t I be charitable for once? How many times have I been able to give you anything, much less interact with my only family over these years?” The words slowly grew more pointed until the last one jabbed hard.

  “Look, I’m sorry, I’ve just been…” Florin stopped as the excuses he could conjure deflated in his head. “Sorry, it wasn’t intentional.”

  The silence held for a moment, broken by a soft chuckle. “I didn’t mean to guilt trip you, Florin. Consider my words a sentimentality of an aging man.”

  There were hidden barbs in that sentence as well. Shilling had a birthday soon, maybe even passed recently. The reunion planning had seemed so important and time consuming in retrospect. Florin cursed his tunnel vision for overlooking it. However, there was no good in sinking into more gloom. “Yeah, you are getting pretty old, huh?”

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  Shilling beamed. “You should know, you were born a geezer!”

  They shared laugh. Florin finally relaxed his grip on the arm rests and tried to admire the glowing, streaking scenery. “I bet it looks great in the morning light. How has Florida been treating you?”

  “Eh, good and bad. You see all the insane articles of criminals doing stupid things here. Could be worse, I could be on the defense team for those loons. Never a dull day, I tell you,” he said. “And I see that you aren’t a popsicle from that northern mountain life. Does anything happen up in Montana?”

  Florin rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I’m in Billings, it’s not the rugged mountains. But it’s quiet and routine. No real complaints.”

  “Sounds like a perfect place for you.” A genuine note of caring rang in Shilling’s words, catching Florin’s attention. “Good to hear that some people find their niche. If only June had that chance.”

  A somber weight suddenly pulled his heart to his feet. June Grisanti was a classmate who hadn’t lived past junior year. Florin wasn’t ready to unpack the full implications of that event at the moment, but Shilling could use some sympathy. “Yeah, I wonder what adventures she would have had. Do you think she would have wanted to attend this reunion?”

  “Hell no,” Shilling remarked. He gave Florin a sidelong glance. “Sorry for the downer. Her passing was right before I left for college. It’s hard to look at your class without seeing the hole she left behind.”

  “I see where you’re coming from.”

  A large sigh emerged from the driver, deflating his typical poise. “Well, no use in entertaining ‘what if’ scenarios. Those ran out of juice years ago. She’d hate for me to be so hung up on her anyway.”

  “Shilling, do you need to talk more about thi—”

  “Hey, we’re almost to the hotel,” he abruptly announced. “You mind giving our third-wheeler a prod?”

  Florin frowned but refrained from pushing the topic. Then he did a double take. “Third-wheeler?” He whipped around, noticing for the first time that something was on the back seats. A pile of clothes first drew his attention, confusing him further until he spotted a disheveled mess of brown hair at one end. “Who-?” he sputtered.

  “Louder please. Dee’s been hitting the sauce pretty hard. Last time I remember needing something close to an air horn.”

  Dee? Oh yes, Serendipity Miranda. Florin grimaced slightly. It was best to let a person like her stay passed out for as long as possible. “Why didn’t you tell me about your other passenger before? If I’d glanced back without your disclaimer, I could have assumed you were hauling a corpse!”

  “Really now!” Shilling scoffed airily, “I know lawyers might be criminals, but to hear you think so lowly of your own dear brother!”

  “Oh, come off it,” grumbled Florin. “So, what is Dee doing here?”

  “Same as you, going to the hotel via a very generous chaperone.”

  “Fine, fine.” He glanced through the windows and saw that the destination was a block or so away. He steeled himself for the worst as he gently poked the pile of clothes. “Um, good morning?” Nothing. He poked again, straining against the seat belt. Still no response.

  They parked before any progress was made. Florin exited the sports car and gathered his things as Shilling popped the passenger seat forward. Shilling had more luck as an explosion of curses erupted from Serendipity’s resting place.

  The brown-haired woman suddenly clawed her way out, swaying to and fro once on her own feet. She was thin, almost bony, and her strapless, summer dress showed off the tattoos swirling around her light-skinned shoulders and chest. Her sharp nose and eyes, framed by smeared makeup, had grown more pointed with age.

  Shilling smiled and gave a grandiose bow. “Does the lady wish for an escort to her chambers?”

  “I can handle my fucking self, smartass!” she hissed. Dee took a few wavering steps for the entrance, only to roll to the ground. She dissolved into another round of expletives, more scathing than the last.

  Shilling waved Florin forward, saying he’d take care of the situation. Immensely grateful, Florin left.

  Checking in went rather uneventfully. He forcibly ignored the ruckus Serendipity raised as Shilling and she slowly made their way to a first-floor room. In no time, he was alone in modest accommodations a level above. Florin breathed out deeply.

  While time was ticking away on how many hours he could devote to sleep before the main event started, he was captivated by a thought. Finally caving, he pulled out a set of books from his suitcase. The first was his crossword puzzle collection, only partially started. The other was a hardcover that was now ten years old. The words “Brighton Public School 2011” decorated the stock-image blend of colors on the cover.

  He ran his fingers over the typing, then felt a strange surge of negative emotion. He’d looked at the contents earlier, but couldn’t get through much. Maybe curiosity at how Serendipity’s face could have changed from high school days could force him to the pages again. Heart oddly racing, he opened to the seniors’ pictures.

  Her name was in the middle of the roster. He found her photo. There was very little difference, just as he suspected. Serendipity’s present face only gained more furrows around her brow and mouth. She was still glowering and challenging as ever. He wondered to himself how a bitter and aggressive person like her managed to stay out of jail.

  Florin flipped through a few more pages, picking out the nine who would be attending the little get-together. He could remember only a few things about each person, whether they were easy to get along with or not. There wasn’t much to worry about, most people didn’t have a sharp memory of events from a decade before. There would be plenty of time to connect and reminisce.

  Then he froze. His eyes drifted over to his own high school picture.

  A surge of adrenaline kicked in. The book flew to a corner of the room, snapped shut. Florin found himself trembling, hand outstretched. His body had moved on its own.

  That was enough. Drained in more ways than one, Florin quietly retired for the night.