[ti]solo[/ti] unaccompanied minors

"Hey, there’s a flatscreen tv!"

A shock of blonde hair appeared around the door as Kenny stuck his head out into the hallway. His little sister, Summer, was waiting out there with their bags, looking anxious. At his words, the worried expression immediately vanished from her face, replaced with eagerness. "Seriously? Let me see!"

She pushed past Kenny into their room. It was nothing spectacular - the aisles between the twin beds were narrow, the furnishings minimal, and the wifi password was printed on a little sign that came with a Dominos coupon. But her eyes lit up anyway.

"There's a mini fridge!"

"Wooooo! Oh man, think of how many energy drinks we can fit in there!"

"You better not. I'm telling Mom."

"Oh hoop! Mom!" Kenny stopped in his tracks. "We said we'd call her when we got to the hotel!" Traveling internationally, it wasn't like they had cell service everywhere they went. They had to rely on wifi, and the SFO International Terminal was notoriously crappy.

"I can't believe she let us come by ourselves," said Summer, flopping on the bed. She sighed, letting her shoes drop off her feet. "I guess she's too busy with work. Do you think Whiskers misses us? I left him a lot of dry food."

"Buttmunch is probably drooling on your pillow right now," Kenny said, holding up his phone. "Yes! Connected to wifi. Okay, I'm gonna call Mom."

"His name's not Buttmunch! Be nice!"

"Then why's he always licking his butt?" Kenny dodged Summer's swipe and grabbed a pillow off the bed to use as a shield. "Hey Mom! Haha, yeah! We're in America!"

"Kenny's buying energy driiiiinks!"

"NO, I'm not, I was just joking, Summer. Yes, we're staying hydrated." Kenny smacked Summer with the pillow one-handed and beat a hasty retreat into the bathroom to get away from her, locking the door behind him. "Yeah, it starts tomorrow! We're like, right next to the convention center. I already got a stamp and everything." They'd offered him the Dreamer stamp at the front desk during Check-In. Summer had put hers in a little stamp book, but Kenny was proudly collecting his on his arm. It would look really cool when he got all seven, though it meant he had to be super careful not to wash it off in the shower.

"Don't worry, I won't spend too much money." His mom had never said so explicitly-- if anything, she'd urged the opposite. This was a fantastic opportunity, she'd said, and they should make the most of the experience. You might not get to ever again, had gone unsaid.

If it wasn't for him winning tickets in the Hydance raffle, he'd never have gotten to come in person. He still could have run around in the AR version, of course, but it wasn't the same as actually being here. He wanted to make this trip memorable- not just for him, but for Summer.

"Yep. Love you too! Summer, say you love Mom." Kenny stuck his head back out of the bathroom.

"I LOVE YOU MOMMMMMM!"

"Shhhhh! Jeez! …Okay, thanks Mom. Bye!"

Nothing had been the same since their dad had walked out, leaving a gap in their lives. The WorldScreen was the only clue - the only gift, message, or goodbye his dad had ever left.

Are you here at UNOVRCon, Dad?

In the game, where Kenny was Yggy Br00ks, they could have passed one another a hundred times without knowing. Fought in the same raids. Built the same settlement. Played the same minigames.

Here, that wouldn’t happen. Here, in real life, Kenny wouldn’t let him get away again.