13

Alex and Sienna walked up and down the seating sections, looking for familiar faces. People had scattered over the sections like the few die-hard football fans on a rainy day.

Alex spotted a woman with dark hair sitting two rows up, facing away from them and speaking to someone seated. Was it Joseph’s mom?

“Excuse me? Ma’am?” Alex said.

The woman turned around. It wasn’t her.

“Oh, sorry,” Alex said. “We’re looking for someone.” The woman was crying. She held a tissue up to her face. “I’m sorry,” Alex said again.

The other person rose and hugged the woman as Alex and Sienna hurried away.

“This is impossible,” Sienna said.

“We can’t give up,” Alex said. “We know they came in here.”

“But it’s like trying to find—”

“A needle in a haystack?” Alex said.

“A pebble in an ocean.”

Alex remembered the rock in her pocket. She still needed to return it. Maybe that’s why they were having such bad luck in finding Joseph’s parents.

“Why are you acting weird?” Sienna said.

“What?”

“You seem off. Is it because you’re worried about your dad?”

“Yeah. Yes,” Alex lied. “I’m just worried.” There, it wasn’t a total lie.

They worked their way slowly through the stadium. As they searched sections 103 and 104, Sienna said, “Only half the stadium to go. But my leg hurts. I won’t be able to make it too much farther.”

Alex sighed. “I know. Let’s look through one more section, okay?”

Alex couldn’t bear to see one more person crying or banged up or looking hopeless either, but she felt like she had to go on. People wandered around, dazed and disoriented. Hawaii did not deserve this much bad luck. Paradise had turned into pandemonium.

“There they are!” Sienna said, jarring Alex from her thoughts.

“What?”

“There!” Sienna grabbed Alex’s arm, and they hop-shuffled over to a couple sitting about twenty yards away.

“We found Joseph!” Sienna yelled.

The woman looked up at the name Joseph. She stared at them for a moment, and then recognition overtook her face. Her hands flew to her cheeks, and her eyes grew wide.

“We found Joseph!” Sienna said again.

“My baby! Where?” the woman said. “Where is he?”

They led the couple to the play area, where Joseph was still drawing pictures with crayons.

“Mommy! Daddy!” he shouted when he caught sight of them. He jumped up from his chair, knocking it over, and ran to his parents, and his mom lifted him up like a quarterback at the Super Bowl.

“We were so worried,” Joseph’s mom said.

“Thank goodness,” his dad said. He glanced over at Alex and Sienna and smiled, mouthing “Thank you.” Then he sandwiched his wife and child in a hug.