Aria

Chapter 2

-Aria-

I watch in silence as the air hostess shows us passengers how to buckle the seatbelts placed on the side. After the safety demonstration, I buckle in and lean lightly against the seat.

Italy. 

That's where they're from. 

And that's where I'm headed. 

I close my eyes tightly and try to comprehend this. So my mother was already married and had five children before giving birth to me. She probably left my father and fell in love with James, causing us to move to the States. Or maybe we moved to the States and that's when James and my mother met. But why would she leave with only me? And why would James keep me after my mother died? I must have been 3 at most when that unfortunate incident occurred. 

I spent 20 minutes coming up with possible theories for why my life ended up the way it did. 

As I continue to think with my eyes closed, I feel a figure sit next to me and click on their seatbelt. 

I gasp as something very important crosses my mind, what if my brothers were just like James? 

What if they were worse...

I bite the inside of my cheek as I open my eyes to stare down at the index card held in my hands. It was given by Officer Steven and I've held onto it since I got it. 

It contained the name and phone number of my oldest brother. Officer Steven told me to call him if I needed anything and that my brothers would be at the gate waiting for me once I arrived.

*beep*

The pilot gives some announcements and I see the air hostesses head to the front, where their seats are located. My fingers glaze over my brother's name before I take the index card and zip it inside my backpack. I slide the bag underneath the seat in front of mine and lean back, closing my eyes tightly and holding the sidearm of my seat.

I hear a chuckle beside me.

"First time flying?" a man who looks in his twenties asks to my right.

"y-yes," I respond softly.

I hear the engine sound picking up and squeeze the sidebar even tighter.

"Well, my name is Aiden and I've flown over 5 times in total... Just this year," he says with a small laugh.

I smile a little and look up at him.

He takes a sharp breath and stares at me. 

I feel the speed of the aircraft pickup and a sudden drop sensation in my stomach. I close my eyes hard and feel a hand on top of mine. 

"It's alright. In a couple of seconds, it'll feel normal."

I nod softly and to my surprise, it does. The seat belt sign goes away and I turn towards Aiden.

"Thank you," I say.

He lets go of the top of my hand and says, "You're very welcome," smiling brightly.

After a couple of seconds, I turn to the front and see a small screen. I haven't really watched anything before since it wasn't allowed.

I reach forward and grab the remote controller. After taking a couple of seconds to learn what the buttons do, I start my browsing. I soon see the option of choosing between a show or a movie. I click movie.

Scrolling through I land on Harry Potter.

I heard many students at school talking about this film. There was also an after-school Harry Potter themed party in my 5th grade class. I couldn't attend because I had to do some chores at home.

I click play and place the remote back into its holder. Raising the volume of my headphones by a bit.

About fifteen minutes into the film, an air hostess in white approaches us with a cart.

She asks if our row would like anything and I shake my head no while smiling appreciatively. Although some food would be nice, I wanted to save some money for classes. 

Aiden taps me on my shoulder and asks what I'd like to drink again.

"It's okay I don't need anything," I say.

"You sure? You can get something just in case you get thirsty later on." He insists.

"...I don't have enough money with me," I whisper in his ear quietly.

He turns back to me and stares.

I feel my face turn red and look down. My brown hair blocks my eyes and face, hiding my flushed cheeks.

I can feel him lean closer. He puts his hand on my shoulder and whispers, "It's free you know? You don't have to worry about paying."

I slowly look up to see the options on the cart. I spot some apple juice and whisper, "May I get some apple juice please."

He nods and turns back to the girl.

After getting our drinks he places them on top of our tray tables. He also picked some pretzels and chocolates from the air hostess. After a couple of minutes of drinking and eating in silence, he speaks.

"You haven't introduced yourself yet, may I know your name?"

I look at him unsurely. Although he's been helpful, I don't know who he is. He already knows I'm going to Italy alone. What if he does something?

He takes the silence as an answer.

"Don't worry Apple, I understand." He smiles big before lifting his headphones.
I raise my brows and ask, "Apple?"

"Yup, I have to call you something you know?" he responds.

I laugh a little and go back to watching the movie, eating some pretzels along it.

By the time I finish the movie, the lights are dimmed. I start to get sleepy and try to get comfortable in my seat. I place my head on the tray table in front of me and close my eyes. A few seconds later I was out.