Chapter 1

New Arrivals

The woman stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door tightly behind her. A bright Hawaiian shirt adorned her small frame, and the colours clashed horribly with the shirt the man she walked to had on. Ignoring the indulgent looks of people identifying them as tourists, the woman smiled at her husband. The man offered his arm to her, and they walked down the hallway, quietly conversing.

"Do you think he's remembered?" She asked anxiously. Brown hair with grey streaking through it fell in front of her eyes. Her heels clacked along the floor, and her khaki pants were unobtrusive. The startling orange shirt brought eyes to her, and they quickly left. Her diminuitive height added to the ability to easily overlook her. She was by no means a person who stood out. So her loud shirt and her ability to take up more space by flailing her arms dramatically while she spoke was all that made people spend more than half a second wondering about this woman.

"I don't know how he could forget," the man replied wryly. "You've emailed him probably thirty times this week alone."

The man's hair was lighter, and almost fully gray. Wrinkles adorned his face, but a friendly sparkle in his bright blue eyes drew people's attention to him. Although of average height, he was also not someone to pop out to one, but instead, he preferred to blend in, and observe. Unlike his wife, the man was reserved with his actions, preferring to speak and use words to vocalize his intent.

"But Paul, you know how he hates email." Paul grinned at his wife. His son has inherited his dislike of electronics, just like him. His wife was much more adaptable, and thought that all electronics allowed her to contact her family easier.

"I can't wait for this," the woman confessed. "It's been so long since we've seen everyone, especially him."

"I like that the whole family was willing to travel to Hawaii for the family reunion. Not something that everyone would do." Paul commented, stepping up to the luggage pick up. His wife trailed behind him.

"Are we the first ones here?" She asked. "Melissa told me they might have rescheduled their flight. And Lindsay was definitely arriving tomorrow. Matt...well, Mattie isn't coming." A shadow fell over her face. "Is Casey already here?"

Paul shrugged. "I guess we'll find out." He watched colourful luggage trundle by, waiting patiently for the plain grey suitcases the two had brought with them.

"Where are we staying?" The woman asked again. Paul sighed a little.

"Ella, worrying about all these details won't help." He groused. She patted his arm, and gave a nervous smile.

"Paul, it's just, we've never been so far from home, and I'm worried about what could go wrong. I haven't seen my family together in months, and I just want things to be perfect. So please, Paul, tell me again where we're staying."

"A nice hotel. He said it was recommended." Paul pulled out the brochure for the Hilton, and showed Ella the reservations. "It'll be fine."

An announcer welcomed the arrivals to Hawaii again, and finally, the first grey suitcase fell onto the conveyor belt. Paul stepped forward, dodging a man talking quickly on his phone. Picking up the suitcase, he turned to hand it off to his wife. She took it from him, pulling the handle out from where it was locked down. They picked up their remaining luggage and pulled it towards the door. Stepping out into the lobby, their eyes scanned for a glimpse of their son. Instead, a police officer approached them cautiously. Brown eyes were friendly, and he seemed hesitant.

"Excuse me, are you Paul and Ella Williams?"