Prologue

"But what if we split the purple one?" Fi asks her mom like it's the most rational thought she's ever had. And it is indeed up there.
"The souvenir bag? So, you're not planning to get anything the entire seven months?" Molly asks and takes down all of the rationality. Fi thinks of the all book and jewelry shops she's bookmarked.
"But why can't we each get two-"
"-Fiona, we've been over this. I'm not Celine Dion. I get a world tour, but on a budget and equipment beats out suitcases."
Fi turns back to her room in defeat, there's no arguing with a musician over that.
"You can do it kid, I believe in you!" Molly calls out.

Fi walks into her room and stares down the overflowing suitcase that sits open on her bed. She has been on tour with her mom before, but they never went to seventeen countries in seven months.
And even though Fi has seen will o'the wisps and witches. Aliens and portals. A troll, a colony of vampires, ghosts, and Big Foot, she has never been in customs at an airport. In fact, when it comes to things of this Earth, this realm, she really has not experienced that much. To be fair she is only eighteen and still has much to learn from this world, as her father said. "You'll be so much more prepared to navigate this Spirit World with the lessons you learn on Earth." Fi knew
deep down he was right, but it was still a hard choice to make.

Fi ruffles through some things in the suitcase, but anything she takes out she puts back in. She ends up sitting on it and it still wont zip. She lies on top of it, slain.
"And you wanted to visit another planet. How would you have accommodated then?"
Her brother Jack watches her struggle from her door frame.
"I wouldn't have to pack anything with teleportation." She snaps back as she sits up.
"Right, of course." Jack comes in and gives it a try. He pushes down along with Fi and struggles.
"Geese, Fiona. It's like you've never done this before."
"The bus didn't have a baggage charge!"
Jack shakes his head. "Is your carry on full yet?"
Fi points to a very full lap top case sitting in her desk chair.
"Of course it is."
"Hey, do you have room in your suitcase?" Fi says a cheery as she can.
"Yes. For my souvenirs."
"Mom has a suitcase reserved for those."
"For you and mom. I'm not counting on any room for me."
Jack. The honor student for a reason.
He digs through her suitcase.
"Hey!" Fi rushes towards him.
He still has things to learn.
"Do you really need all these clothes?"
"We are going to have limited laundry access."
"Just re-wear stuff."
"Gross."

Jack rolls his eyes. He looks back at her suitcase.
"It's really just clothes and accessories. No, no weird stuff?"
Fi looks to her brother.
"Nope. That's all in here." She points to her head.
Jack smiles, but looks concerned.
"That's all, that's all behind us right? You're not going to go look for anything? This will be a normal trip? A safe trip?"
Fi sits. She fiddles with the ring on her thumb.
"Jack, no it's not all behind us. It's all around us. But, everything should stay in it's designated space. No more crossing of realms, including me. So I can promise I wont go looking for anything, but I can't promise things wont come looking for me."
"And that's where I would come in?"
Fi points to her older brother.
"That's where you've always come in." Fi pats her brother on the shoulder.
Jack nods and gets up to head out. He looks at Fi's overflowing suitcase as he does.
"Maybe Clu has some extra room in his, we can give him a call."
Fi's notices her heart beat. Is she this excited for the hope she can take all her sneakers?
"Fi?"
"I thought he wasn't going to join us until the fall?"
"Oh, no. He doesn't want to miss the Pacific. I think he talked some of his professors to
agreeing to let him to reports on oceanic ecological system or something."
Yup, that's definitely her heart rate increasing.
"Fi?"
"It's just, I'm just really excited this is going to happen. We haven't all been together for this long since, well since mom's first solo tour."
"I'm excited too. Come on, let's go see. Knowing him he only has swim trunks and flip flops in his bag."
A huge smile stretches across Fi's face.
"I can bring all my shoes!"
She races her brother downstairs to call the Bell residence.

She hears Clu's car pull up in their driveway and once again her smile takes over her face. She hasn't seen him since the holidays. Fi suddenly realizes she's wearing pajamas and quickly changes out of them as Jack answers the front door and their loud "Hey, man!" cheer and hug travels up the stairs followed by the sound of the boys heading up themselves.
Fi takes things out of her suitcase and listens to the boys chat has they head up.

"I printed out a list of the top restaurants in each country and the most requested items. Some of the stuff looks amazing." Jack tells Clu.
"Dude that's awesome! I can't wait to try everything. Hey we also got to try McDonald's in every country!"
"We're going to be on the other side of the world and you want to go to McDonalds?"
"Chyeah! They have like, different things in different places! There's like a McCurry dish in Indi-Fi!"

He drops his suitcase at her door, dashes over to her, picks her up, and spins her around in one movement. He always does this. He's Clu and he's a huger. And she always loves it. But she has never been so…so aware? She can't really explain it. Like she's never noticed he's freshly showered before. Or that his hair has been recently cut. But it's such a big trip coming up. Maybe she's just hyper aware.
"Clu! I am so happy your joining us from the beginning!"
He sets her down.
"Oh me too, dude!"
Jack brings Clu's suitcase over and throws it on Fiona's bed.
"Man, is there anything in here?"
Jack unzips it and sure enough, some clothes are stuffed in, a pair of converse, a bag of toiletries, but mostly swim trunks and flip flops.
"Clu, we're going to be gone for seven months." Fiona points out.
"I'll just re-wear stuff."
"Gross." Fiona says and she puts mostly her shoes on his suitcase. Maybe she'll keep her clean clothes separate form his.
"That's what I said." Jack hits Clu's arm.
Fi rolls her eyes.

"So, you aren't going to take your summer semester?" Fi asks Clu.
"Nah. I really wrestled with it, but this is just such a killer opportunity and who knows if it's going
to happen again! I'm already behind anyway."
He puts his hands on Fi's shoulders and arches down to her eye level. Fi stops putting her shoes in and turns to look at him. His eyes are comforting, familiar, and blue.
"Fiona, if I could ever give you any advice, it would be take your time picking your major. Don't just go for the one you think will impress girls." he says sincerely.
Fi and Jack laugh.
"But you're loving Marine Biology?" Jack asks as Clu straightens back up.
"Aw, so much! It's so incredible. I"m in the same water everyday but it's different every time."
"That's amazing, man."
"Yeah. And thanks for helping me with the science part of it! Which is most of it.." Clu says as he scratches his head.
"Anytime."
"How did the first year of pre-med end?"
"It was tedious. But a year of basic classes out of the way. Another to go before we actually get into the interesting classes."
"And what about you, Fi? Any thoughts on what you'll want to do this time next year?" Clu asks her.

Fi doesn't want to think of this time next year. Of all the things she's faced, change is still the
scariest. College. One place. For four years. Fi has gotten so used to the nomadic life the
thought makes it difficult to breathe for a second. But maybe not all four years. Look at Jack and
Clu, they are taking a semester off to travel the world. She's able to catch her breath. She
closes her own suitcase, it zips!
"Yesssssss. It worked! Thanks, Clu!
"Awesome!"
"Right, next year. No idea yet, but I gotta apply at the end of the year so I will. In the meantime…"

She walks over to her laptop case. The boys share a look as they sit down on her bed at the same time.
She pulls out some of her school books and puts them in Clu's suitcase. Now her laptop case is roomy. She reaches in a pulls out a portable DVD player.
The boys gasp.
"I bought this for the plane rides with my ice cream shop money…and…"
She pulls out headphone jack splitters.
Silence from the boys.
"It's a jack to split headphones, so we can all listen at once."
"Oh." They say at the same time.
Fi shakes her head and digs around one more time. She pulls out all three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies on DVD. This evokes quite the reaction. They both stand up at once.
"Sweet." Jack exclaims.
"Aw dude, yes! I love this one." Clu says as he takes "Secret of the Ooze" and looks at the back.
"I've got some more room now, should we go see what Hope Springs Video has in the bins?"
"Absolutely." Jack says.
"I'll drive!" Clu says.
They race out the door.
Fi grabs her jacket and runs after them.

As they go through the movies in the bins Fi can't help but notice how much she's missed them. She knows they all have different lives now, but it just feels complete, the three of them together. Like no matter how different a place is, there is always this. This feeling as been her constant since that first tour.