Stories Unknown

Moonlight Kiss

Kai eased back into his seat, a smile creeping onto his face as he observed the people bustling about on the plane, tucking suitcases into overhead carriers and spreading blankets over laps. He had always enjoyed flying and knowing that he would soon be thousands of feet in the air sent an exhilarating feeling through him. The wonder of looking out a window and seeing clouds was simply magical, creating the illusion of being somewhere other than Earth. Although, he wouldn't get much of a view of the clouds on this flight, seeing how he'd gotten stuck with the aisle seat.

He pulled out his phone and dragged his earbuds out of his pocket, grunting as he untangled the white cords. But the soft thrum of the drums in The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" brought an instant smile to his face. He had to resist the urge to jump into full-on dance mode, complete with shimmy and all.

A hand tapped his shoulder, and Kai flinched, bursting out of his own world and back into the present. A pretty girl smiled sheepishly at him, her messy dark hair falling out of its ponytail and framing her face in a mesmerizing manner.

"Hi," Kai said, pulling out an earbud.

"Sorry," the girl said. "I'm in the seat next to you, and I didn't want to interrupt your, um, dance party by shoving my butt in your face."

Kai grinned, then stood from his seat and allowed for her to move past him. She thanked him graciously, immediately buckling her seatbelt and staring out the window. Kai settled down once more, but didn't replace his earbud, curiosity nagging at him as he watched this girl.

Her knees bounced with a frenetic energy that almost made Kai anxious despite his complete comfort with airplanes. At first he wondered if she was cold, seeing how her only attire was a black tank-top and exercise leggings, but her arms were free of goose pimples and she did not wrap her arms around herself in the way one devoid of warmth might.

"Have you flown before?" Kai asked, pulling the second bud from his ear and twisting the cord around his cellular device.

"No," the girl shook her head, biting on her lower lip. She did not turn to face him, but rather continued to stare out at the people below preparing the flight, stained in rain-speckled uniforms and carrying luminous batons.

"Oh," Kai responded, not entirely sure what to say next. "Are you, um, nervous?" Kai asked, his voice tinted with nerves of his own, but for reasons not associated with the prospect of being airborne.

The girl laughed, then swiveled around to face him, though her face was pale and her eyes remained tinged with unease. "Just a bit," she sighed.

"Well, don't," Kai said, then grimaced. "I mean, it's not bad— really. I've flown loads of times, and I've never had anything other than smooth sailing. Er, flying, I guess," he blustered, heat flooding his cheeks. "Also, I'm Kai, by the way."

"Cinder," the girl smiled, taking his outstretched hand in her own and shaking. "I just don't really know what to expect. I mean, I've seen it all in movies, but I just..." she trailed off, her eyes wide and cautious.

"Well, there will be a lot of annoying instructional videos telling you how to fasten your seatbelt," Kai said, ticking it off on his finger. "Then they'll announce that we're taking off. We'll speed down the runway, jump off into the sky— which makes your stomach do that whole fluttery laughing thing— then we'll fly and fly and fly until we reach our destination."

"Very instructional," Cinder rolled her eyes, though there was a certain lack of menace in the act.

"As you can tell, I'm an expert on the subject," Kai chuckled. "So let me know if you have any questions." He saluted her, to which she responded with two rapid blinks and a grunt.