The interior of the airplane was sharp, evenly spaced and minimalist. Only two seats sat by the windows. Rays of sunlight slithered into fluttering drapes, painting the cold interior with a warm hue.
No hostess. No warm welcome
Just silence... and the faint, rhythmic beeping of the embedded AI.
Jack had disappeared moments after we boarded.
If muffled voices hadn't reached my ears earlier, I would have believed I was alone.
I shoved my luggage in the overhead compartment, dropping into the seat to the right. I throw my head against the headrest, inhaling to ease the frantic throttle against my chest.
The events from this morning, the exhaustion, the tears I held back until now spilling freely…
For a moment- finally alone.
No eyes watching.
No expectations.
No pretending.
Wiping away the tears, I sat upright shoulders pressed against the back of the seat.
The cold hum of the air conditioner fills the cabin–sharp ticks of the clock drowning out the soft sounds that escaped my lips.
We should have been happy– celebrating this moment….
The sudden quiet made the reality of my departure sink deep.
I will no longer be the little girl who stuck to her mum all day long.
Today's events destroyed what remained of our fraying relationship.
Not that she noticed– how I cried every time she kissed me goodnight, or how I spoke less after every argument.
She acted like everything was normal while I died silently a little more with each passing day.
Who would've thought?
What I thought could have been our salvation turned out to be our biggest tragedy.
I huddle over my knees, quick tremors quaking through me.
Life had been simple until now.
Just her and me, in the pictures and even the near-bleak memories of my childhood.
My mother, Sylvia Halecrest.
My teacher, confidante, ally, friend,
My whole world….
Yes, the lack that never left us. I smile bitterly at the immaculate embroidery on the drapes, the exquisite softness of the chair beneath me.
Wrong in every way.
The tiny apartment I called home was warmer and cozy, our staple meals filled with jokes and laughter that echo right in my ears..
She made sure it didn't matter–hunger was something I never got to know, never wore threadbare clothes, neither did my studies halt when things got tougher. I was never lonely even with no friends–she made sure of it.
She wasn't just the only person in my life –– she was the absolute best thing in it.
Yet, I was content because she filled every gap imaginable– just her and my dreams for us were all I needed.
It was almost perfect.
Almost––if Mum didn't have to toil so hard to keep it all intact.
I grew up watching her hide how tired she was behind a smile–each shift, each bill, each part-time job she never complained about
My tears turn icy under the chilly air of the air vents as I remember.
The promise I made to myself
To study hard.
Become something.
Make sure she never has to struggle.
Ever Again
My dream for us.
Right now, I wasn't sure anymore– about anything.
Because today, I was leaving my whole world behind for our dreams…
"Secure seat belts. Departure in 120 seconds." An emotionless voice fills the cabin from the speakers. I flinch, those words sharp against the chilly air. Raising my head, I lean on the windows through the rigid confines of my seatbelt, conscious of my surroundings.
"One..
Two
Three.." The voice continues monotonously in the silence.
My breath hitches at the sudden motion. The plane swerves sharply towards the southwestern airway, its wheels gliding across the tarmac, its momentum rising steadily against the ramp.
The flaps extend in preparation for take-off.
Then, it hits me.
A surge of energy throws me into my seat. Engines hum quietly, and everything below turns into a sudden but steady blur. The runway, the buildings and other airplanes in the airfield became less visible...smaller.
An excited chuckle escapes my lips as I take in the view from above in quiet fascination. Without my notice, a faint smile finds its way to my lips.
I freeze in realization, my finger gently tracing the beautiful arc of my lips. A warm tear trickle down my eyes, my lashes fluttering to blink away the tears. Giving way for the warm bout of laughter trapped in my throat. The tears fell down again without permission, my eyes twinkling in delight.
I retreat into the plane, just enough to stare down at the city that slowly disappearing as we soared into the clouds.
The sight from up here was incredible. Mountains loom in the distance, forests sprawl in beautiful shapes for thousands of miles, the busy city below felt like a different realm entirely.
How long?
I couldn't remember.
The last time, I smiled....
Not the forced, polite ones.
When, I just smiled in genuine, unfiltered joy.
I shut my eyes, leaning into the windows' frame to savor the moment.
In that moment, it all left me.
The pain.
The fear.
The ceaseless worries.
All of it.
It was just me.
Light and happy, just as I had been months again.
I push at the bitterness encroaching my thoughts. Even if it was just for a moment, I wanted be happy like old times.
Seconds went by silently, a silly, unguarded smile still on my face. Barely containing the warmth that now settled in my chest, my eyes flutter open to the pitch darkness darkness of the sky.
Huh, Is it about to rain?
We must be at least 35,000 fts above sea level. Pondering, I turn away from the window, searching for the altimeter I had caught at the periphery of my vision earlier.
In a few seconds, I found it. There were two of them, actually. Above entrance to the cockpit, two digital screens lay side by side glowing with bluish light.
The first one from the right had a vertical tape scrolling smoothly through numbers as the plane ascends into the sky. Its background shifting steadily into bright white from the deep blue at the lower parts of the display screen. A small airplane icon moves alongside the rising scale, currently at 61,367 ft.
The other screen had a very distinct appearance with a circular gauge in a vibrant color-code arc, glowing prominently green, the yellow and red arcs remaining dim. Displaying a numeric readout of 58,050 ft.
The first one was the altitude of the plane above sea level and the second above ground level, I note. My lessons with Aira saving me the effort of racking my brains to distinguish between them.
Wait, something, was off about those numbers.
I stare more intently alternating between both screens, silent horror washing off every lingering trace of warmth.
"64,247 ft" I gasped at absurdity of the figures that had climbed higher.
That was impossible.
Commercial flights were only allowed 40,000 - 43,000 ft above sea level at maximum, and private jets about 41,000 to 51,000 ft or higher with the right engine optimization. Only military and specialized aircraft were legally certified to fly this high.
Wait.
I didn't feel any significant drop in the oxygen level.
I glance about, noticing the air vents which I had mistaken for air-conditioners.
Never mind. I inhale deeply, calming my racing heart, nothing about this was normal.
However, it did not stop the chill that clung to me afterwards.
I smile once again deciding to embrace my newfound delight even in this grimy situation.
This shouldn't be happening. Most, the first few minutes of a person's first flight were not particularly delightful. It was mostly scary, nauseous and uncomfortable.
A lazy smile stretches across my lips, my posture going slack against the seat as the feeling of ease crept slowly into me.
Those flight lessons were really efficient. I was pretty terrified about boarding an inter-continental flight spanning 18 hours without Mum, that too for my first flight. But, here I was leisurely about it all. Though those were only simulations and pale too much in comparison to the real deal.
I remember puking through the first stimulation, triggering an emergency response alert ending the stimulation in two minutes.
Minutes went by unnoticed, my mind drifting to pleasant and simple things I had been too worried to notice before.
"Good day, Ms. Lilliana." Caught off guard, I look to the direction of the voice where a young lady in a navy-blue, knee-length fitted gown watched me eagerly a few feet away from I sat.
'I didn't hear her coming in my direction.'
I straighten under her unwavering gaze awkwardly.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your rest." She mutters softly, an apologetic but professional smile on a rosy cheek. I nod, staring back uneasily.
"I'm convinced you must find your flight pleasant." She continues, smiling warmly under my wary gaze.
A statement.
I noticed.
She wasn't expecting an answer. I look at her closely, the confident smile she wore and the knowing glint in her eyes. Heat rush to the back of my neck at the implication. I quince, Jack must have been busy talking about things that had nothing to do with him.
Smiling, I nod. Too quickly.
"Would you like any refreshments." She changes the confession smoothly noticing my discomfort to my relief.
"Um a glass of juice will do." The insistent look in her eyes shoves my polite refusal down my throat.
' I'm not hungry, so the juice will have do.'
"Just that..." She trails, her bright features seemingly darkening for a slight second.
So quick, it felt like an illusion.
"Okay" I watch as she leaves quietly, no stealthily.
No sound was made. Like she was gliding across the floor.
'I knew it.' I stare at her a bit longer, my eyes narrowing into slits.
There was no way, I was so lost in thought that I couldn't hear her coming.
My expression turns grim at the thought.
She returns rather quickly with a glass of strawberry juice. I take the glass from the tray eyeing her in suspiciously.
This was one of my favorite drinks.
Fresh. Chilly, mixed with pineapple.
Just the way I liked...
The way Mum made it...
"I never made specific requests did I?" I probe, twirling the glass between my fingers.
"No, you didn't." She says matter-of-factly, confirming my suspicions. This was too of a coincidence.
Jack?
Did he do this?
He's the only one aware of my preferences on this plane.
If so, why?
We weren't real...
"What do you think?" She asks interrupting my thoughts. I stare at her, searching for any suspicious tell. Her eyes gleam expectantly, urging me to drink.
Right now. In her presence.
Sounding off alarm bells at the back of my head.
But, I drink up anyway. I was too tired to worry about something I had no control over.
If they wanted to harm me, why be discrete?
I was alone with strangers 60, 000 fts in the air
"Thank you." Placing the glass on the outstretched tray . I smile, thanking her sincerely the sweet taste of strawberry lingering in my mouth.
"It's my pleasure." She smiles sweetly dismantling all my previous suspicions as paranoia. She turns walking to the back of the plane before stopping mid-stride to look at me.
"Sleep tight, I'll see you tomorrow." She says mischief twinkling in her eyes.
"Huh" Her last words leaving me confused.
Maybe, she means it'll be the next day when we arrive in Geneva.
' My home, family .....' I drawl weakly suddenly hit by a strong wave of drowsiness
It was all slipping away right before my eyes.
I thought bitterly, sudden darkness overwhelming me into silence.