A/N Well, here it is. This is Lauren completing her first task of her New York mission, getting there! I hope you like it. Please read & review!

I grab my suitcase and my carry-on bag and walk down the hall to the elevator to leave my apartment. I go to the office and tell them I am going on an extended vacation. I hand them Amber's home address and ask them to please forward all my mail there. They say they will hold my rent, but they have to shut off all my utilities.

"Alright, that's fine. Please remember, no matter how long I'm gone I will be back," I say trying to convince myself more than the lady who looks like she couldn't care less. She assures me they will not rent out my apartment. On my way out of the office I stop at the ATM and take out 100 dollars. I put the four twenty dollar bills in my boring, brown wallet. I slide the wallet in my back pocket and the phone in my front pocket. The taxi pulls up about five minutes early, but that's okay because I was standing outside waiting for it. The driver comes out and helps me load my luggage in the trunk. I tell him to go to the Detroit Metro Airport and he just nods his head. I hop in the back seat, mp3 player in hand, and stretch out. I turn on my jams and nod my head to the beat. Before we are even out of downtown, I fall asleep.

After what seems like only five seconds, I wake up again from what seemed to be an infinite amount of turns. Looking out the window, I see we have just arrived at the airport. We jerk to a stop and I walk up to the driver's window. I hand him the one hundred dollars I had gotten from the ATM and tell him to keep the change. At this rate I'll be out of cash by the time I get to the hotel. He thanked me and I got my bags out of the trunk. The driver pulled away and I walk up to the ATM outside the building and take out another hundred dollars. I hope to keep this chunk of cash longer than the last one. Glancing at the clock by the entrance, I notice I still have about an hour to kill. I speed through security and buy another coffee from Starbucks. I walk down the terminal a bit further. The plane will arrive in just about half an hour now so I head to the gate.

By the time I get there it is crowded, but not overly crowded. We board the plane and shortly after I get on, I settle into my seat with my mp3 player, pen, and a journal I got from the shop next to Starbucks. I write a letter to Amber.

"Dear Amber, I am on the plane right now. It is 6:00 AM and I have been up for nearly 24 hours. Except for the taxi ride. But that doesn't count. Anyway, I'm so tired I can't even be excited that I'm going to New York City. Anyway, I'm not sure how great this mission is going to be. I'm used to big cities. I live in one. Send me some where more remote next time. Also, what exactly am I supposed to do now? Just go there and leave? Exactly how much is in my bank account? These taxi fares will add up. Please write back as soon as you get this.

-Lauren

P.S. Am I allowed to write to anybody else? Like my family?"

Soon after finishing, I fall asleep. This time I wake up to the pilot's announcement informing all passengers that we will be landing shortly. Now, there was a man sitting next to me. He seemed to be fairly young, perhaps my age. His hair was dirty- blonde and he appeared to have some bulk to him. I noticed he was eying my notebook and pen on the tray in front of me. I realize that while I was sleeping, he had probably read my letter. I quickly close my notebook and put it next to me, closing the tray at the same moment. He gestures to my notebook with a sheepish grin on his face, "I hope you don't mind," he began, "but I read it. Don't worry I didn't get it."

I think he was asking for an explanation. What a jerk! First, he reads my private, personal letter. Then, he admits to it. Now, he wants me to tell him what it means! "Well," I begin, "maybe you shouldn't be reading other people's private things, then you wouldn't have to worry about 'not getting' it."

"Okay, fair enough." He chuckles.

"But, if you must know, my friend, Amber, is sending me on a crazy trip around America, forcing me to make expensive hotel reservations for New York City just hours before check in."

He laughs again, "Wow, that's luck right there. It was hard enough for me to get mine six months ago. Where did you say you were staying?"

"I'm staying at the Smyth Tribeca on Broadway."

"Nice. I've stayed there before. This time I'm staying at The Pearl on West 49th."

I don't remember seeing that in my searches so I smile, nod, and change the subject. "So you've been to New York before?"

He shrugged. "Sure, if you even want to count it. I came once a couple of years ago just for a few days to see the ball drop."

"Oh my gosh," I exclaim, "I am so jealous. I have always wanted to see that!"

"It wasn't anything big. I was freezing cold, and I couldn't even see it because it was crowded. I enjoyed the Broadway show more than the 'main event.'" He inserted air quotes around 'main event.'

For some reason, his last statement puts me on guard. I reflect on our conversation and realize how much I revealed to this guy whom I just met. On an airplane. I told him where I was staying and why I was here. I internally kick myself for not remembering any of my stranger danger rules. I smile and nod as I take out my mp3 player and listen to my country playlist until we land. It seems like an eternity, but eventually we land and I get to try my best making sure this random man does not follow me to my hotel. I stand up to reach for my bag from the overhead compartment. As I pull it out, it drags down his brief case, which opens and flings papers everywhere. I rush to pick them up, but he gets to them first. I look up and he is staring right at me. "I'm sorry," he says, "I never got your name."

After suddenly remembering my safety rules, I decide I should not tell him my real name. "Oh, my bad, my name is Ayla," I lie.

"Hi there Ayla, I'm Jeff. It has been very nice talking to you today. Maybe we'll bump into each other again. We're both staying off of Time's Square, after all." He flashes a brilliant grin in my direction. Maybe he wasn't that bad. Maybe he's just way better at making small talk than I am. He stands up with all his papers securely back in his briefcase. He offers a hand to help me up. I graciously accept it. Once I am firmly on the ground, he gives me a business card. Again he is grinning as he says, "You should call me some time." With that, he walked down the aisle and off the jet, leaving me with nothing but a little card with his name and number on it.

Once I finally found a taxi waiting outside the airport and gave the driver the address for my hotel I was dead tired. Thankfully, he knew exactly where to go and I paid the cheap fare. One thing I didn't take into account was the fact that since I only reserved my room hours ago, there was probably a person sleeping there now, at seven o'clock in the morning. I ask the receptionist at the desk and she confirmed my thoughts however, they were currently serving continental breakfast, and I could go eat. She pointed out the hall I could go down and I followed her directions. After a while, I relied on my sense of smell as well.

After eating a delicious breakfast I went to the mail room to mail my letter to Amber. I bought some postage stamps for it, addressed it, and then slid it through a slot labeled "outbox". I took out my phone and sent a message to her.

ALRIGHT, IM IN MY HOTEL. NOW WHAT?

A/N Well, that's chapter 3, I hope you liked it. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Please Read and Review! -Lindsey