'My name is Alessio Vieri, and I'm twenty.
2029 wasn't really my year, I'd say.
From getting kicked out of the acting course to getting my disorder diagnosed...
Well, at least I managed to pass the last year of high school.
I might've had to repeat it a third time if it wasn't for that.
Those little shits... did they take pity on me?'
The rumbling of the plane's engine brought the young man back to his senses as he glanced around.
He sat in a half-lying position on the comfortable seats of the airline's business class.
'This is so much better than how it would've been in my original seat.
I can't believe they didn't even check whether my birthday was actually today before upgrading me.'
In recent years, he had heard the size of plane seats had been shrinking nonstop.
Not like he had ever been on a plane before, but many people complained online.
That didn't show on his face, though.
He was calm and composed.
He slowly ran his finger through his dark hair, turning his head towards the plane's window.
In the meantime, a mechanical speaker in the background carried the pilot's words to the passengers.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
On behalf of the entire crew, I'd like to welcome you aboard.
We're currently preparing for departure and expect to be pushing back shortly. Our flight time today will be approximately 13 hours and 45 minutes, and we anticipate a smooth journey.
The weather in Los Angeles is looking pretty nice. You can look forward to a clear sky, with a temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius.
77 Fahrenheit for those of you who are returning home."
He ignored the voice, his eyes fixed on the landing strip slowly swooshing by.
"Please ensure your carry-on luggage is securely stowed, your seatbelt is fastened, and your electronic devices are set to airplane mode. Our cabin crew will be coming through the cabin shortly to complete final checks.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight. Thank you for choosing to fly with us."
A few small robots with red and green lights made way for the giant aircraft carrying hundreds of passengers.
The metal giant came to a stop briefly, while the sound of the engines intensified. It was about to take off.
-clack, clack-
The young man turned his head to the sound of a seatbelt clicking.
Beside him now sat a young woman.
The lights switched off, tinting the young man's prying dark eyes a shade red.
Her hands were still damp as she had just come back from the bathroom.
She hurriedly fastened her seatbelt before struggling to pull out her phone from her jeans' pocket.
Her shoulder-length chestnut hair was neatly ordered.
Her eyes, about the same in colour, darted from one side to the other of the screen, and her fingers followed in motion.
Having done whatever she needed to do, she turned the phone off and pocketed it.
Then, her head flicked towards the seat next to her, but the young man had already turned towards the plane window.
She followed his gaze to see the ground growing more and more distant, and the buildings shrinking into nothingness.
For the first time in his life, the young man was about to leave his country.
Many thoughts flashed in his head as he looked to the side, where the sun was slowly dipping beneath the horizon.
The dyed sky took on a festive color, fading with every passing second.
By the time Alessio came back to his senses, the plane's lights had already been switched back on, while the natural light had already disappeared.
His chest heaved up and down as a long sigh escaped from his lips.
What now?
He had no money, no work, no plans, and no one to ask for advice on any of them.
His card was already a few hundred dollars in the red from the plane ticket's purchase.
It's not like he hadn't tried to earn a few bucks and live like a normal person.
However, his damn mental disorder made it hard for him to thrive anywhere.
When he was on trial to become a waiter at a local restaurant, he got fired for lying about one of the plate's ingredients.
Poor woman, they had to call an ambulance because of her onion allergy.
When he worked as an assistant at a shopping mall, he got caught in unnecessary trouble on his first day.
Turns out that repeatedly directing customers to occupied changing rooms and insisting they were empty was not the right choice.
'What a shitty world.'
He thought to himself.
He, too, hoped he would eventually settle down, start a family, have a few children, and pass away peacefully.
But no one seemed to think the same way as he did.
No one wanted to bond with someone like him.
They treated him like a virus, something dirty: the further away the better.
It was the same in school.
He was never the normal kid and had always been ostracized for his 'harmless' habit.
'How can you hate a kid just because he lies?'
He mumbled.
Be it back when he was little or now, nothing had changed…
No one likes liars.
There was no place in this world for someone like him.
Thinking about that wouldn't help him right now.
'I need some money if I want to survive.'
Throughout his life, he had heard that to earn money, one must do what they're most suited to do.
Having no personal skills, connections, or experience, he couldn't even tell where to begin.
His looks weren't half bad, and he thought himself not too dumb, but his inclination towards lying overshadowed those.
He had already confirmed that jobs such as a cashier or waiter weren't his cup of tea.
Taking those out of the equation, as a person, what was he left with?
Lying?
That probably wouldn't get him anywhere.
What was he even thinking about now? Scamming people online, marrying a rich woman, or such things didn't excite him.
'Well… if it's about survival, then maybe I could get over the sour aftertaste.'
He hesitated.
That was not a decision to be taken lightly, but thankfully, he still had the whole flight to dwell on it.
To begin with…
Was he even good at it?
Well, he was certainly better than normal people since he had done it countless times.
His excuses had always been flawless, and his fake stories had always been very realistic.
But he had never actually thought about how to lie better.
He had always just… done it.
It was a direct response from his brain, his mouth almost moving on its own.
Smooth as butter, sure, but it was always easy to find out the truth if one looked into it.
Should he try to evaluate himself? Maybe take a test to see if that was his thing?
He sighed inwardly.
The more he thought about it, the more the idea seemed absurd.
Then, before he could completely discard the idea, he felt a sharp tap on his right shoulder.
Alessio, startled inside but appearing composed on the outside, slowly turned his head towards his seat neighbour.
The young woman's calm gaze pierced right through him, her brows slightly raised.
With the lights now revealing her face, the young man was briefly surprised.
'She's beautiful.'
He mused internally.
Her skin was fair with almost no acne.
She had a single small mole on her left cheek, and her lineaments were harmonious.
He couldn't quite tell how tall she was, but she was shorter than he was, so her relatively small features didn't feel out of place.
While all that went on through his mind, his only visible reaction was his gaze softening as he asked in a tranquil tone:
"Is there something?"
The girl kept her gaze fixed as she answered almost instantly:
"Nothing, just…"
She then broke eye contact, but not because she was shy.
She was instead hinting towards something.
Following her gaze, Alessio noticed the outstretched arm of a hostess,
She held a small warm towel and some cutlery in her open palm.
Seeing how his neighbor already had them on her table, he reached out to grab his.
Thinking about it, he had heard some noise in the background of his loud thinking.
A faint smile fell on his lips as he thanked the hostess.
A few seconds later, the plastic cutlery lay on his small table as he rinsed his hands with the wet towel.
His mind churned for a few seconds before he managed to choose an answer.
He put down the towel and turned towards the young woman.
She soon noticed and did the same, this time a hint of doubt shining in her eyes.
With an apologetic smile on his face, he continued:
"Sorry for earlier, I was zoned out for a second."
With realization flashing in her expression, she then relaxed and chuckled.
Dimples appeared on her cheeks, making her appear a bit childish.
"Don't worry about it, happens to everyone now and then."
He had already guessed, but he still feigned a bit of pleasant surprise.
"That accent, are you American?"
Her smile didn't leave her face as she replied:
"Yes…"
She then held her hand out for a handshake as she introduced:
"I'm Sophia, pleasure to meet you."
He mirrored her actions, a hint of eagerness hid deep beneath his skin.
"The pleasure's mine.
Name's Noah"
As his words faded in the passengers' whispers and the rumbling of the engine, a strange phrase materialized in his vision.
It quietly hovered in the air in front of him, causing his grip to loosen due to the sudden change.