Chapter Six

By Chris Fulmer

Kevin had thought O'Hare had been crowded, but that was before he came through the gate at Denver International Airport. It seemed like just about everybody east of the Rockies was waiting in the terminal for the blizzard to blow over. There was just about no spare room anywhere, and it took his family ten minutes to find a set of free seats. The snow began not long after they'd found their niche, and before long, the airplanes outside became covered in white. For about an hour and a half, the storm raged, during which time Kevin read all the way up to the Quidditch World Cup game in Goblet of Fire, a marked improvment over the majority of his siblings and cousins, who hadn't brought along sufficient entertainment material for a delay of this length. Most of them lay back in their seats to take a nap, or mosied over to the newsstand to pick out their favorite magazine. The adults spent much of the time over at the American counter trying to figure out what plane they were going to get on once the storm cleared. At times they raised their voices with the lady behind the counter, who apparently was not being very helpful with the situation, and Kevin had the sneaking supicion that something was about to go awry with their trip out of Denver.

Finally, the storm subsided, but there was still about a foot and a half of snow all over the runways. From the McCallisters' viewpoint near the window, the plows were visible trying to push as much snow over to the sides as possible. Another half hour passed before the runways looked clear enough for planes to use them.

It was as Kevin was just finishing the chapter where the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were arriving at Hogwarts when his parents came rushing over to the rest of the McCallister party. "All right everyone, we've got a trip out of here from Gate 289," Kate announced to everyone, "but it leaves in five minutes, so let's get a move on!"

She took hold of Kevin's hand. "Come on Kevin, let's go!" She and Peter started leading him in the direction of the departure gate. "Kate, wait, it's not...!" Aunt Leslie cried after them, but neither of her relatives heard her.

His parents broke into a full-fledged rush in an attempt to make sure they got to the gate on time--so fast, in fact, that Kevin lost his footing and was dragged along the airport floor. "Hey guys, can we slow up a bit?" he pleaded.

"Sorry, Kevin, but we've got to make sure we get you on the flight!" was his mother's response. Kevin clung to his posessions as tight as he could and prayed that no one his age was witnessing his predicament. He was tugged through heavy airport traffic, down an escalator, past a metal detector, and onto the final stretch toward Gate 289. He flung his ticket at the attendant at the gate; she was distracted by one of the pilots and didn't notice it.

"Okay Kevin, you're in coach, we're in first class as always!" Kate told him as they boarded the plane. Kevin was released, much to his relief. He walked through the curtain into coach and sat down in the first open seat he could find. "Well, at least it's all over now," he thought to himself as he fastened his seatbelt, expecting that he would be rolling into Los Angeles without any more trouble about his parents trying to rush onto planes in a couple hours. How wrong he was.

Up in first class, Peter and Kate took their seats near the right-side window.

"Well, we made it this time," he said with great relief.

"It's great, isn't it," Kate said, smiling onboard a plane for a rare change. She looked around the cabin. "I wonder where everbody else is. We told them we're booked on this plane."

"Oh, they're probably coming through the tunnel right now," Peter reassured her.

"We were going a little fast, and..."

"Excuse me, sir," came the voice of the stewardess, who had come up the aisle from behind them, "May I see your tickets, please?"

"Uh, sure," Peter handed her both his and his wife's. The stewardess examined it for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, this is for the flight to Los Angeles. That loads from Gate 285, not 289. You're on the wrong plane."

"Oops, sorry," Kate said sheepishly. "We...we were just in a hurry, and I guess we just didn't listen to what the lady behind the counter said. She and her husband got up and walked back to the door. Had they glanced to their right, they would have seen Kevin sitting in coach, but as fate would have it, they just walked out without looking around at all. No sooner did they leave the plane than the door was shut behind then, and the stewardess said, "Ladies and gentlemen, in order for the captain to push back from the gate, we need you to fasten your seatbelts," over the intercom.

"Well, that's the last time we listen to that lady," Peter said as he and his wife weaved their way back through the crowds in the terminal. "If we ever stop by here again, I'll make..." he stopped as he realized Kate's expression had abruptly dropped. "Is anything wrong, honey?" he asked her.

"I have that feeling again," she told him.

"That we've forgotten something? Honey, we've got everybody this time, including..." It suddenly hit them; they exchanged horrified glances.

"KEVIN!" they yelled and ran back toward Gate 289. "I'm sorry, sir, you can't go..." the gate attendant told them as they rushed by and barreled down the ramp toward the gate. They were too late; the plane was already backing away from the gate and heading for the runway. "Wait! Stop the plane!" Peter screamed. "Come back!"

"Stop the plane!" Kate screamed after him. My son's on board!"

Nobody on the plane noticed them. "KEVVINNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs after the retreating aircraft.

On board, Kevin perked up almost telepathically at his mother's scream. Something, he reasoned, was very wrong. Moments later, the loudspeaker cracked to life again. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Flight 485, nonstop to Des Moines." Kevin gasped. He was on the wrong plane--again! He quickly unfastened his seatbelt and rushed to the nearest door. A stewardess cut him off. "I'm sorry, sir, we're about to take off. You'll have to return to your seat."

"But I'm on the wrong plane!" Kevin protested. "I've got to get off!"

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to return to your seat until we land in Des Moines, sir. We'll call your family from there." Sensing there was no way out of it, Kevin trudged back to his seat. It had happened again--he'd gotten away from his family.

"I made my family disappear again!" he bemoaned himself as he slouched back into his seat.

Back in the terminal, Uncle Frank came running up to the area of Gate 289. He slowed to a stop when he noticed his brother and sister-in-law coming at him with shocked expressions on their faces. He groaned. "Let me guess," he wagered them, "you lost him again?"

Without speaking or changing expression, Peter and Kate nodded.