The Story of Us

Fears

I watched the lights of the Alps get smaller and smaller before they completely vanished from the far. Even though the airplane window was small, I could still see the limitless view. Just like a bird does. I saw how far away from land we really were, and felt nervous. As far as I could see trough the pitch black dark, the only things I could see were endless fields and a  few branched out, tangled roads. My hands started shaking and I felt my stomach started looping. 

-Are you okay.- the sound of Harry's voice calmed me down.

-I'm just a little bit nervous.-

-Why?- now the loop in my stomach turned into a knot. -It can't be because of the plane?- I took a deep breath and tried to bring back painful memories that I once hid in a closet.

-Katie, my best friend in primary school... She went to visit her family in Spain once, but the left airplane engine broke. The plane crashed and killed 80 people. She was one of them.- I took another deep breath. This time to calm myself down. -At first, my parents told me she moved to Spain because I was too little to know the truth, but a while after I started to realise by myself.- I hid behing my closed eyelids. -Next to loosing you, plane crashes are my worst fear.-

-I'm sorry.- he stopped. -You don't have to talk about it if it hurts.- He opened up an old wound. It didn't hurt. It killed me. -But, I think it would be useful if you'd talk to me about this. We're in this together.- Where to start? How confused I was when my parents told me my best friend was gone and never coming back, or how sad and angry I was when I realised what actually happened?

-It was the first day of school after winter break.- I swallowed a lump. -Katie would usually be the first to come in class. I walked trough the door, but she wasn't there. I waited for so long. My eyes were locked on the clock the entire day.- I sighed. -She never came. I saw her grandparents talking to our teacher afterwards. Her grandmother took one look at me and started crying. I thought she dissapeared because of something I did. What could a first grader think? When I came home, my mum sat me down on the couch and said we needed to talk. She said Katie and her parents moved to Spain, because her dad got a job there. I didn't go out of the house or watched TV for a week. I guess my parents didn't want me to know. Then one day I heard some teachers talking on the hallway. I didn't mean to easedrop, but as soon as they mentioned her name, I had to know. They said, and quote: "It's such a tragedy what happened to that girl. Katie? She was a good kid. And her parents were nice people. That's why I don't travel by air." It took me a few months to realise what did they really mean by that. I never told anyone I know what really happened. I stopped smiling, playing, laughing... My parents took me to a psychiatrist, but I still kept it to myself. Afterwards, I met Lucy. We became friends, and I started being happy again. But, I never forgot Katie.- My hands were shaking. -That's why I'm afraid of flying.-

-But, we're on a plane. You can face your fear. I'll help you.-

-I'm so lucky to have you.- I buried my head in his sweater. His even breaths calmed me down. I focused on the way his chest goes up and down while his strong arms were tied around my back. And in our two meters of space, I felt safe. But that feeling vanished as soon as the plane started to shake.

-What was that?- the panic in my voice was obvious.

-I'm sure it's just turnbulance.- his voice was still, but his eyes were scared. A moment later, airmasks fell from the ceiling.

-You're sure?!- my heartbeat went wild, and I started looking out for any clue that this is all some kind of drill, or a joke. I looked at the confused people surrounding us, I looked at the dark sky trough the window opposite of me. I found nothing. Harry put the mask on my face and captured my shoulders.

-What ever is happening,- his voice was shaking as he looked in my eyes. -What ever is happening, and what ever happens, I won't leave you. I promise you now. I will never leave you.-

-''I'm afraid to inform you that the plane's right engine broke.''- we both looked up to the speaker above. -''Please take the lifevests under your seats, because we're loosing altitude. There is nothing we can do... But pray that we will survive.'' -those words crushed me. The illusion of us ever being happy together was gone. -''That is all, and good luck. It was a pleasure being your pilot.''- Now his eyes panicked too.

-Harry?!- he opened his lips, but only air came out of them. He was scared. His green eyes were focused on something, and I saw a glance of fire in them. What can it possibly be? I looked in the same direction as him. Fire. The entire right engine was cought on fire. Now I knew how did Katie feel. Scared beyond boundries. I somehow looked away. -Harry! Harry, look at me.- his eyes glanced deeply into mine. -We need to put our lifevests on.- I pulled them from under the seat and gave him one. 

-Oh, right.- he snapped out of it and put the vest on his muscular body. -Sara...- he whispered as we got up from our seats. -I'm scared.- his words tore me. All this time the only thing keeping me from falling apart was him. And what was stopping me from running away now that he's afraid?

-I know...- I couldn't look him in the eyes. -I'm afraid too.- He was standing one foot away from the edge of the plane while my hands were tied around his hips. If one of us moved for even an inch, we'd both fall down. He kissed me before he hugged me. Maybe for the last time. Even now, while we were on the verge of life and death, I didn't want to let go. If the ocean is going to swallow me, I want to drown in his arms. That would be a decent way to go. But, if we wanted to survive, we had to jump. -Well, this would be the perfect time to start quoting ''The Titanic''- I thought. The sad part was, that that's true. ''You jump, I jump, remember?'' I finally let myself free from his grasp.

-Forever?- he asked.

-Together.- I whispered facing into the black-blue eyes of death. We turned around so we were both standing with our backs turned to the plane and our hands tightly holding on to eachother. In that moment the plane shook. I tried to catch him and the door. It was too late. I watched my life fall into the ocean. ''Next to loosing you, plane crashes are my worst fears.'' What to do know? What to do when the two things you have dreaded for such a long time are coming true? And merging into one horror story. I glanced at his eyes one last time before they got swollowed by the sea of death.

-Harry!!!- I screamed. I couldn't see anything from the tears that were hoarding my eyes. Harry. My love. My heart. My life. My everything, was gone. He broke his promise. I felt a blunt pain in the back of my head. In a matter of two seconds I was laying on the floor of a burning airplane. Unconscious.