Chapter 10: The Reunion

- ONE WEEK LATER -

L.A. is even bigger and more overwhelming than I imagined.

Unlike a lot of the people back home, I have some experience in large, metropolitan areas. I grew up in Kansas City, after all. But L.A. is different. It doesn't have the massive downtown full of skyscrapers like I've seen in pictures of New York or Chicago, but it's sprawling and crowded. The traffic is awful, the buildings are square and generic, and the plants and trees are all short and scrubby. I get lost two blocks from the bus station.

I end up buying a map from a man on a street corner. He says it shows where a bunch of celebrities live, including several of the Fontaines. After that, it's just a matter of hailing a cab and paying the driver to take me there. I almost bolt when he tells me how expensive the fare is, but I've come this far - there's no backing out now.

I lean my forehead against the window as we go, staring at the scenery that passes by. Tall palm trees sway in the breeze against a