Chapter 2
"AHHHH!" Aaron sat up in his bed and let out a loud scream. He looked over at the clock, which read twelve noon. "Whoa," he said. "No more chicken wings after midnight." He stretched his arms and rubbed his eyes as he heard the phone on his night stand ring. "Hello?" he said, answering it.
"Hey Aaron!" said a female voice on the other line. "It's me, Laura!"
"Hey!" he said as a smile spread across his face. "I had a weird dream about you last night. I dreamt you were as big as me and you tackled me at the airport and threatened to give me laxatives as revenge against you having to change Lars's diaper three years ago. Then you pierced my ear."
"That is weird," Laura said. "I can't pierce and I'm too short to be as big as you. And I wouldn't threaten you with laxatives."
"Good," said Aaron, breathing a sigh of relief.
"I'd find a better way to get revenge," said Laura, evilly.
"You better not!" said Aaron.
"No, I won't," said Laura. "I'm too nice."
"Good," said Aaron. But little did he know that Laura was sitting at home in Virginia with an evil grin on her face...
Two days later, Aaron sat at the Chicago Airport, waiting for Laura to get off her plane. After their discussion of his weird dream, Laura reminded him that the two had plans to travel to Ocean Shores, California, to see their old friends. They hadn't been there in three years, so they were overdue for a visit. So, Laura booked a plane to Chicago, where she and Aaron would board another plane that went straight to California. After waiting for about an hour, she finally showed up.
"Laura!" Aaron exclaimed, jumping up out of his seat. He ran up to her and glomped her, then gave her a noogie.
"Stop! Stop!" Laura yelled in the midst of her laughter. "You're gonna make me drop this!" Aaron looked at the little plastic box in her hand.
"What's that?" he asked. Laura opened up the screen lid, revealing a bunch of little pebbles under a few inches of water and a big rock.
"Todd came along, they let me bring him on the plane!" With that, a little brown mud turtle crawled out from beneath the rock and stared at Aaron.
"You brought Todd clear across the country on a plane?" Aaron asked, laughing. Laura grinned.
"He's my baby, I gotta bring him!" said Laura, placing the lid back on the box.
"He's so damn spoiled," said Aaron as he and Laura headed to the luggage belt. They stood there, waiting for her luggage, and exchanged a grin.
"Twister makes airports so fun," Aaron said as Laura giggled. She shook her head.
"He ain't right," she said simply. She looked back onto the belt and saw her bags. She grabbed her suitcase, set it down on the floor, and then grabbed her guitar case.
"You brought your guitar too?" Aaron asked.
"No, it's Todd's, he wanted to play it," Laura said sarcastically.
"But he's too small!"
"He's also a turtle and is therefore, incapable of playing any instrument," Laura responded. Aaron shook his head.
"Well we need to get ready for the next flight," he said, picking up his bags. Laura slung the guitar on her back and picked up her suitcase again, all without letting go of Todd's "mini-tank."
"Oh boy, this'll be fun..." she said with a grin on her face.