Enterprise Rent-a-Car, across the causeway, Wednesday late morning

[blessed_twice]

Wyatt finished packing the last of the bags into the trunk of the car he'd rented. Grandpa's credit card came in handy for such things. As did a convenient fake ID because no one was going to rent to a 17-year-old.

It was nine to ten hours to Savannah, where they'd hook up with Tannim. Wyatt wasn't crazy about leaving the school for a few days for fear that Phoebe would do something rash, but he trusted that her friends would keep an eye on her. And in Anders's case, it had better only be an eye.

He was totally controlling the radio for this trip, and if Chris objected, he'd stuff him with the luggage in the trunk.


[ooc: for neurotic_witch and stocksgrrl -- and anyone else who is going to meet Tannim in Savannah that I don't know about. I hope I got a big enough car. ;) ]

Comments

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

Chris was having similar thoughts as he climbed into the passenger seat. He had the Book of Shadows, several maps and directions he printed out from three online sources.

"Do you think it's really okay to leave Aunt Phoebe?"

[blessed_twice]

"I think so," Wyatt said, giving a guilty look back in the direction of the island. "I mean, she wanted us to still go and everything. And she has our cell numbers."

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

"We could always try orbing if there's an emergency," Chris pointed out.

[blessed_twice]

"True," Wyatt agreed. "Think Turtle would be agreeable to flashing you?"

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

"Dude, uncool," Chris said, reaching over and smacking his brother's arm.

[blessed_twice]

"Don't frak with the driver," Wyatt said, unaware of how easily he'd picked up that word from Anders. He glanced over at what Chris had in his lap. "Dude, got enough directions there?"

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

"I don't want to get lost," Chris shrugged.

[blessed_twice]

"Dude!" Wyatt said with mock offense. "I have excellent direction sense. Besides, wouldn't one set do?"

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes some of those sites are wrong," Chris pointed out. "I'd rather be safe than lost somewhere."

[blessed_twice]

"And you probably packed three times as many pairs of clean underwear as you'll actually need, too, right?" Wyatt said.

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

"There's nothing wrong with being prepared," Chris argued.

[blessed_twice]

"Whatever you say, Boy Scout," Wyatt said, fiddling with the radio.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle was on the phone for a good chuck of their exit off the island.

"...really, Baba, it's okay; you've been talking to Sykes again, haven't you? Don't listen to him, he's only trying to make you nervous because that's what guys like him do in situations like this. Listen very carefully, okay? It's a plunge, okay, not a crash, so it's not like the end of the world. What comes down must go up, right?" There was a pause; okay, so maybe that wasn't exactly right, but whatever. "We have to do this well. Hold onto everything for right now; everyone always makes the mistake of selling like mad, and if we're going to sell anything we have to hit it just right at the cusp, and not be like all these jerks jumping out of their highrises in a panic. We're not losing WPP for anything; keep an eye on EAS, if it starts slipping, we'll go back to picking up SEA, because it's not doing too badly. I...have no idea what to do with MT. We'll sit on that one. But trust me, okay? We sell nothing yet. Things already went back up a little bit today, from what i was able to catch on the report. Damn, if only my Journals haven't been MIA, then I could really tell the 411 on all this plunging cra--" She cut herself off; Baba would give her hell for saying 'crap.' "Got all that, then? Don't do anything until I say so, okay? Okay. Go...have a cup of tea and calm down, alright? Okay. Yeah. Talk to you later, Baba."

That finished, Turtle let out a huge sigh and started banging her head lightly a couple of times on the car door. She may have been muttering a bit. "Stupid, stupid, stupid plunge. Arg. Stupid...why now? Arrrg." Thunk, thunk, thunk.

[blessed_twice]

Wyatt glanced in the rear view mirror at Turtle. "What the hell kind of language are you speaking?" he said.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

A groan bubbled up out of Turtle; she kept her forehead on the window. "Welcome to the wonderful world of a stock market plunge. I'll be over there," she vaguely pointed...somewhere. "Blowing my brains out now, kay, thanks..."

She added another mumble, "I so need the trip right now."

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

Chris glanced over the seat. "You okay?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle sighed. "Yeah. I will be. I'm just not going to think about the market at all this weekend."

Easier said than done, though, especially since every gas station they passed with hiked prices would make her groan miserably.

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

"I think we'll be having too much fun for you to worry," Chris said hypocritically. He knew he'd be worrying about Aunt Phoebe and trying to figure out what happened to him.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"I hope so," a little smirk tugged at the corner of Turtle's mouth as she pulled herself away from headthunking and stetched out comfortably in the back seat. "I'm excited," she added, going against the worry she had of seeming like a sheltered nerd. "Never really been on a road trip before."

[neurotic-witch.livejournal.com]

"Well, then, we'll have to make sure we have fun," Chris said.