New Orleans airport was bustling. A tall Latin American boy hurried past the boarding gate, pulling a suitcase behind him, his gaze sweeping through the crowd. He quickly found his target.
"Joseph! Joseph, I'm over here!"
Standing beside the advertising board at the gate was a blond, blue-eyed boy. He was tall and slim, with delicate features and a faintly melancholy European air, like some character out of The Red and the Black.
Hearing the shout, the boy called Joseph took off his headphones and said, "Kelden, can you stop yelling all the time?"
His tone carried a faint, barely noticeable Southern accent, so even his complaint did not sound all that sharp. Kelden laughed heartily, patted his arm, and said, "I was worried you wouldn't hear me with your headphones on. Who knew your ears worked that well? Where's Nana? Is she not here yet?"
Joseph shook his head, but turned to look in one direction. Before long, a tall black-haired girl walked over, greeted the two of them, and said, "Morning. I didn't expect you two to be here so early."
"Of course we had to come early. We're not the kind of assholes who miss a flight because we're hungover," Kelden said.
Joseph turned back toward the boarding gate and said flatly, "They're boarding. Let's go."
They boarded the plane smoothly. The business class seats were arranged in a 1-2-1 layout. Joseph sat alone by the window, spending the whole trip either reading or sleeping. The other two, meanwhile, chatted away enthusiastically, constantly sharing snacks and ordering business class meals and the like.
During the transfer in Atlanta, Kelden began imagining their trip. He pulled out a travel brochure and said, "First we'll go to Cairo and visit the Museum and the citadel, then to Alexander to