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 huddled 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 smiled 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 cosy 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 turning icy in the cold 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 filled the cabin from the speakers. I flinched, those words sharp against the chilly air. Raising my head, I leaned into the windows through the rigid confines of my seatbelt suddenly aware of my surrounding.
"One..
Two
Three.." The voice continued monotonously in the silence.
My breath hitched at the sudden motion. The plane swerved sharply towards the southwestern airway, the wheels of the plane gliding slowly, its momentum rising steadily against the ramp.
The flaps extend in preparation of take-off.
Then, I felt it. A surge of energy that threw me back into my seat. Engines hummed quietly and everything behind me was sudden but steady blur. The runway, the buildings and other airplanes in the airfield became less visible...smaller, the wind sharp against my cheek as the plane climbed higher.
An excited chuckle escaped my lips in quiet fascination. Without my notice, a faint smile found it way to my lips.
I froze in realization, my finger gently tracing the beautiful arc the smile had formed beneath my lips. A warm tear trickled down my eye, my lashes fluttered blinking away the tears. Giving way for the warm bout of laughter trapped in my throat. The tears fell down again with permission, my eyes twinkling in delight.
How long?
I couldn't remember.
The last time, I smiled.... Not the forced, courteous ones.
When, I just smiled in geniune, unfiltered joy.
I shut my eyes, leaning into the windows' frame letting the wind ruffle my hair, savoring 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 pushed away 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 slowly fluttered open to the stinging bites of the wind. I retreated a bit into the plane, just enough to stare down at the city that slowly disappeared as we soared into the clouds.
The sight from up here was incredible. Mountains loomed closely in the distance, forests sprawled in beautiful shapes for thousands of miles, the busy city below felt like a different realm entirely.
We must be at least 35,000 fts above sea level. Pondering, I finally turned away from the wind, searching for the altimeter I had caught at the periphery of my vision when I entered earlier.
In a few seconds, I found it. There were two of them, actually. Across the cabin, above the door to the cockpit, two digital screens laid side by side glowing with bluish light.
The right one from the right had a vertical tape that scrolled smoothly through numbers as the plane ascended into the sky. Its background shifting steadily into bright white from the deep blue at the lower part of the display screen. A small airplane icon moved alongside the rising scale, currently at 70,000 ft.
The other screen had a very distinct appearance with a circular gauge in a vibrant color-code arc, that glowed green, the yellow and red arcs remaining dim. It displayed 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 noted. My lessons with Aira supplied saving me the effort of racking my brains to distinguish between them.
Wait, something, was off about those numbers.
I stared 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. Commercially available flights were only allowed 40,000 - 43,000 fts above sea level at maximum, with private jets about 41,000 to 51, 000 fts or higher with the right engine optimisation. Only military and specialised aircraft were legally certified to fly this high.
Wait.
I didn't feel any significant drop in the oxygen level.
I glanced about finally noticing the air vents. I had mistaken for air-conditioners.
Never mind. I calmed my racing heart, nothing about this was normal. That however, it not stop the chill that wrapped the entirety of my being afterwards.
I smiled once again embracing my new-found delight 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 stretched thin on my lips, my posture turning slack against the seat, as the feeling of ease crept slowly into me.
Those flight lessons were really efficient. I was pretty terrified about an inter-continent flight spanning 18 hours in my Mum's absence, that too for my first flight. But, here I was leisure about it all. Though, those were only stimulations and paled too much in comparison to the real deal.
I remember puking through the first stimulation, triggering an emergency response alert that ended the stimulation in 5 minutes.
Minutes went by unnoticed, my mind drifting to pleasant and simple things I was too worried to notice before.
"Good day, Ms. Lilliana." Caught off guard, I looked up following the voice to see a young lady in a navy-blue, knee-length fitted gown that stood a few feet away from I sat. I didn't remember hearing her walking to me. I straighten under her unwavering gaze awkwardly.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you rest." She muttered softly, with an apologetic but professional smile. I nodded, staring back uneasily.
"I'm convinced you must find your flight pleasant." She continued, smiling warmly despite my cautious gaze.
A statement. I noticed, she wasn't expecting an answer. I looked at her closely, the confident smile she worn and a knowing glint in her eyes. Heat rushed 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.
I nodded. Too quickly.
"I would like to know if you would like any refreshments." She changed the confession smoothly, noticing my discomfort to my relief.
"Um a glass of juice will do." The insistent look in her eyes shoved my polite refusal down before it left my throat. I didn't feel hungry, so the juice will have do.
"Just that..." She trailed, her features seemingly dimming for a slight second like it was an illusion.
"Okay" I watched her leave quietily, no stealthily. No sound was made. Like she was gliding across the floor.
I knew it.
There was no way so lost in thought that I couldn't hear her coming.
My expression turned grim at that thought. Everything about this place was simple.
She returned quickly with a glass of strawberry juice. I took the glass from the tray eyeing her in supiscious. This was one of my favorite drinks.
Fresh. Chilly with a pineapple extract.
Just the way I liked... The way Mum made it...
"I never made specific requests did I?" I probed gently, twirling the glass between my fingers.
"No, you didn't." She said matter-of-factly, confirming my suspicions. This was too of a coincidence.
Jack? Did he do this? Only he could know about my preferences on this plane.
If so, why?
We weren't real...
"What do you think?" She asked, interrupting my thoughts. I stared at her, searching for any suspicious tell. Her eyes gleamed expectantly, urging me to drink.
Right now. In her presence.
That rang alarm bells at the back of my head.
But, I drank 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 in the air
"Thank you" Placing the glass on the tray she still held outstretched. I smiled, thanking her sincerely the sweet taste of strawberry lingering in my mouth.
"Its my pleasure." She smiled sweetly making me dismiss all my previous suspicions as paranoia. She turned to leave stopping mid-stride.
"Sleep tight, I'll see you tomorrow." She said, mischief twinkling in her eyes.
"Huh" Her last words made me confused. Maybe, she meant it would be the next day when we arrived in Geneva.
' My home, family .....' I trailed suddenly hit by a strong urge to sleep
It was all slipping away before my eyes.
I thought bitterly, sudden darkness overwhelming me into silence.