Minutes after she asked that question, Austin's hesitant face grew weary at the sight of his own mother, who is curious about his appearance.

"What is your name?" she asks politely.

"Say, " Kristy smirked. "Nice outfit. I wanted to get something lovely for my wife, but she is more of a dark and gloomy type. Almost like my son Austin, come to think of it."

Speaking of Austin, he looked like he was ready to shit himself.

Embarrassed, I said to Kristy: "I am sorry, my husband is very shy around people."

Kristy looked at me in embarrassment.

"Oh." she blushed, turning away from Austin's paralyzed face. "I am so sorry for prying into your life. I will be on my way."

She gives us a happy grin then disperse into the crowd of morose people.

As soon as Kristy left, Austin marched over to me.

"Was that my mother? Just now?" he asks. "Because I could have sworn I saw my mother standing in front of me."

When I nod slowly, Austin groaned.

"I am so fucking grounded," he mumbled, running his fingers through his white-blond hair. "I am so fucking grounded."

"Calm down, " I assured. "I am sure Kristy didn't recognize you."

"But what if she did?" Austin asks, feeling worried. "Oh God, what if Olivia and Kristy came home and realize I ran away?"

I give him a sad smile. "Kristy and Olivia are not going to know."

"But what if they do?" he asks, looking deflated. "I don't want them to worry about me."

After a long sigh, I approached him then placed my hand on his right shoulder.

"Austin, if you stay in that apartment, we won't be able to honor Elle Jones' memory." I reasoned.

"And besides, since Joseph is looking for me in New York, the first place he might go to is your apartment."

Austin opened his mouth to speak, but because he couldn't counter my statement, he closed his mouth tightly then ducked his head.

"I guess you are right, " he murmured. "But what if someone sees us?"

I frown instantly.

"They are not going to find us, " I reassured. "Just as long as we do not use our cell phones, keep to ourselves, and lie."

Then taking a deep breath, I added: "But if you do want to go home, now is your chance."

Austin squints at me. "What?"

"Go home," I instructed patiently. "Be with Kristy and Olivia. I will film this movie on my own—"

"And do what?" Austin scowled. "Hide from Warren and the cops?"

I let out a sigh. "It's better than putting you at risk."

Blinking at me, Austin comes over to me and puts his comforting hands on my shoulders.

Because I am not used to people touching me, I tense a little at his physical touch. However, I didn't slap Austin's hands away or give him a hostile look.

Instead, I let his comforting hands help me think straight.

"Jack, " Austin began slowly. "I support your decision to go to Australia."

"But?"

Austin let out a deflated sigh.

"But, " he adds. "I don't want my moms to worry about me. What should I do?"

"Maybe as soon as we get to Australia, we will get disposable burner phones." I suggested. "You can call them there."

As soon as I said my plan, Austin's right eyebrow formed into a perplexing arch.

"A disposable Burner phone?" he asked curiously, taking his hands off my shoulders. "What's that?"

I raise my eyebrow at him.

"You have no fucking clue what a burner phone is?" I ask.

Austin shakes his head no. "What is it for?"

"It's a phone, but it doesn't leave a trace for the cops to find." I explain. "I don't know how much they cost in Australia, but for now, let's find a pay phone."

He looks at me in surprise. "Really?"

I nod. "I know how much you miss your moms; so I am giving you about a half an hour to talk to them."

Austin smiles a little. "Gee, thanks." 

Just then, hovering above us was a female robotic voice:

"The plane to Australia will depart in five minutes."

Looking around, I noticed a couple people picking up speed when they heard the announcement. Some men grabbed their belongings, while a few women collected their young, energetic children then ushered them along the white floor.

Once again, the female announcer reminded the sluggish crowd that the plane was about to depart to Australia soon.

Fidgeting my braided hair, I berated myself for having to waste so much time talking to Austin. 

"Shit, " I cursed, lifting my backpack over my shoulders. "We need to go."

Nodding in silence, Austin takes my hand as our dirtied sneakers ushered past the wandering civilians.

* * * * * *

Following the bored receptionist's directions, we gave our plane tickets to a lovely TSA woman, checked through the line, and found ourselves squeezing past a dozen passengers, preparing themselves for their extensive travel.

As the unfamiliar smells of burnt bubblegum and salt burn my nostrils, I never imagined myself striding along the blue highway—with strangers sitting on either side of me.

In the meantime, the temperature in the plane was 62°F— almost cooler than the airport.

Not only that, but the insides of the plane reminded me of my old apartment; its white walls suffocated my personal space, the windows looked grimy, and the sound of chattering people made my head spin.

In front of me was a brown door, leading you to either the bathroom or the flight attendants' resting chambers.

Feeling my head throb, I rubbed my sore head then shut my eyes for a second.

"Oh shit," I mumbled.

Even though the airplane hasn't taken off yet, I still feel like throwing up.

Regardless, I had found two available gray seats in the back of the plane, for me and Austin to sit down.

Speaking of Austin, he seemed pretty okay getting onto a plane.

And like the loyal best friend he is, Austin calms me down, shields my body from the passengers' constant shoving, and guides me to the empty chairs—just behind the dark-haired woman and her four-year-old daughter.

But before we sat down, like many others, Austin and I shoved our belongings in the white compartments above us then sat down next to each other.

While Austin sat in the left seat, I sat on the right where the scorching yellow sun warmed my face through the slightly large window.

Waiting for the plane to start, I glance at my best friend, who sat stiffly in his seat, then asked him what was wrong.

Nervously, Austin whispered, "I can't believe we are going to Australia without adult supervision."

"Oh please, " I scoff. "Dora the Explorer went to the woods without her parents breathing down her neck, and she ended up fine."

"That's because she had a monkey with red boots to take care of her." Austin reminded bitterly.

"Look at me, " I instructed.

Austin glanced at me.

"We are going to make this work," I promise. "We will make the short film, dump Elle Jones' ashes in the Tasman Sea, and go home without our parents losing their shit."

"But what if they do lose their shit?" asked Austin.

"Then we lie, use our fake names, and avoid chaos." I explain, keeping my voice down.

When Austin groaned, I give him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry so much, " I say. "We are going to have the best time of our lives. What can go wrong?"

"Bad turbulence? Deadly storms? Deja vú?"

I roll my eyes. "You are such a pessimist."

"I am not being a pessimist, " Austin frowned. "I am being realistic: there is a difference."

"Oh my God." I moaned. "Just wait, Austin. As soon as we reach Australia, you are going to thank me."

Although he shook his head in disbelief, Austin remained sitting in his chair, keeping me company.

"Okay, " he sighed. "Say if I do want this to work: where are we going to sleep?"

"We'll find a cheap motel," I promise.

"And what if that doesn't work?" 

I flash Austin a devilish grin.

"Then we will improvise," I say, "with our incredible acting skills, we can get anything we want."

"Just as long as we don't steal, " responded Austin hesitantly. "Right, Jack?" 

I simply shake my head. "No, the last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves. So, let's do what we can and get the fuck out of Australia."