~Happy's POV~
Viciously gripping the steering wheel of my truck, I drive to my apartment. Planning what I'm going to say to Joe White, but I know that I won't say that much. I won't mention Scorpion, I won't mention Toby and his proposal gone wrong. Even though I haven't seen the team in years, I need to go back.
"Kono Kalakaua," my new father said, giving me my new name. I'm no longer Happy Quinn. My biological mom died during childbirth and my biological dad gave me up at the age of two. Now I'm adopted by a family in Oahu, Hawaii. The adoption process took a few years, but it is better now than never.
Today my parents are taking me to see my cousin. In the car, I look around my new home. Sand, palm trees, and tropical flowers are everywhere my eyes look. Every person I notice is either wearing shorts, skirts, or dresses; no pants anywhere. I look down at my pants, I know I'm going to stand out from the rest as someone from the mainland.
A few minutes later, we pull up in front of a house. A young, tan boy, apparently 16 years old compared to me being 5, standing in the doorway. He smiles and waves as he moves over to the car. My parents get out of the car, as do I.
"Kono, meet your cousin, Chin Ho Kelly," says my mom. I smile at him, unsure what to do or say. Chin grins back, clearly very excited. "He's going to come with us to get you some more suitable clothing." I nod.
We load back into the car, with Chin sitting in the back with me. From the corner of my eye, I notice him eyeing me. "I can tell this area is pretty new to you," he predicts. "Yeah. I was born in Los Angeles." Chin smiles. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you, kiddo. No one will be able to lay a finger on you."
We arrive at an outside park with multiple vendors and many aromas of food and perfume. I stand next to Chin as we walk around. For some reason, I feel terribly nervous. My cousin notices my anxiety and holds my hand, "I'm right here."
When I get back to my apartment, I rapidly kick off my boots and run into my room. I sit on my bed with my legs crisscrossing underneath me. I feel tears stroll down my face as I hastily dial a number I haven't in a long time on my phone and hit the call button. I hold my phone to my ear and listen to the obnoxious ringing until the other end picks up.
"Kono!" exclaims Joe White. "Are you alright?" I cough and answer as calmly as I can muster, "Yeah." I sniffle and try to stop myself from having a breakdown. "Are you crying?" I sigh. "I'm fine. I just need you to get me back to the island. And don't tell anyone."