He'd started taking care of me from when I was seven. Jack Bruno, a family friend. So when my parents were killed and I had no family to go to, he volunteered to look after me. It was brilliant; he didn't pressure me into calling him Dad, or anything. So I didn't; he was always Jack to me. I was always there when he went out to work in his taxi, for want of something to do.

I was 15 years old, and I loved music and drawing. So every day we went out I always took my backpack, with a sketch pad, my drawing stuff, my phone and iPod and headphones, and spare clothes and some food. Hey, my parents were always taking me out and we often got lost and needed stuff like that, so nobody could blame me.

However, the night before I'd decided to stay at home because my favorite show was on. He came back muttering about nut jobs and the nut job convention.

"Rough day?" I asked.

"Nope, just some weirdos wanting to go to the nut job convention." He said.

"I figured." I said with a laugh. "What's this?" I asked, picking up the brochure/pamphlet he'd brought in. "Dr. Alex Friedman?"

"Yeah, a woman in the cab. She's doing a talk at the convention about life on other planets, or something." Jack said.

"Oh." I said.

The next day, we set out to get into the cab. When we approached there was a black car in the taxi zone.

"Hey, you guys gotta move this, we need to go." Jack said, when a guy got out.

"Jack." He said. "Don't return phone calls any more?"

I sighed. This must be Mr. Wolfe's men. He was a guy Jack used to work for. I was told all about him.

We went to turn around but there was a guy behind us.

"Mr. Wolfe thinks you're being rude." He said.

"Well you tell Mr. Wolfe that when I said it was the last time, I meant it. Come on, Lola." He said to me. The guys blocked us again.

"Mr. Wolfe decides when it's the last time, not you, Jack."

"He likes you, Jackie." The guy who got out of the car said. "Hates to see you wasting your god given driving talent on giving bad tours, cab rides up and down the strip. Buddy, what kind of life is that?" he raised his eyebrows.

"One I'm late for." Jack said, trying to go round the guy again. The man put a hand on his shoulder and the next bit was pretty fast.

Jack punched the guy holding him and hit the other one in the gut. He banged their heads onto the car bonnet, while I tried not to laugh.

"Got a death wish?!" one of the guys demanded.

"I drive a cab in Vegas." Jack said, letting their heads go.

"Your dead, Jack." The other guy said, and both of them reached for their guns.

"Hey!" it was a policeman. The guys removed their hands, without their guns. "What are you doing?! Are you insane?! Blocking the taxi zone?! Move this thing before I give you a ticket!" the policeman said.

"See you soon Jackie." One of the guys said, and they both got into the black car and drove off.

"That...that was..." I said, as we got into the car. I put my backpack at my feet and strapped up. Jack did the same.

"Let's just forget about it." He said, and we left the parking lot.

I glanced up in the rearview mirror and gasped at what I saw.

Jack looked up and hit the brakes, causing the cars behind us to stop too. We both whirled around in our seats to see two blonde kids, looking shocked. One was a girl, the other was a boy.

The boy's sorta cute...no. Lola, shut it. My brain scolded me.

"Where'd you come from?!" Jack asked.

"Outside." The boy said.

I stifled a giggle and Jack glared at me before looking back at the kids. "Yeah, I figured that part out on my own. How'd you get in the car?"

"Through that portal." The girl said, and both she and the boy pointed at the door.

"I'm Seth, this is my sister Sara. We require your transportation services immediately." The boy said.

Huh. Cute name for a—no. Shut up, Lola. My brain was scolding me again and Sara was looking at me.

"Really? Well, I require-" Jack began.

"Currency transaction." Sara interrupted him.

Seth pulled out a big wad of money. "Would this amount suffice?"

"Did you guys rob a bank or something?" I asked, shocked.

"Is this acceptable, Jack Bruno?" Sara said.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

Sara pointed past me, at the taxi ID.

"If we have a deal with your services, we must move forward rapidly." Seth said.

"Okay, I'm going!" he shouted to the vehicles behind. Jack started to drive. "Where to?" he asked.

Seth glanced down at a little device. I still hadn't turned around, I was too curious.

"I need an address." Jack said.

"We must travel in that direction." Sara said, pointing straight and a little to the right hand side.

"I need something a bit more specific than just 'that direction'." Jack said.

Seth started reeling off coordinates and I turned around in my seat, laughing.

"We'll just stick with that direction." Jack said, driving.

"What's your name?" Sara asked me. I turned around again.

"Lola." I replied. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Sara said.

I felt Seth watching me as I turned back to face the front.

Well this would be fun.