Draft 1 of Lyras odyssey/worlds apart/lost V2/IDFK

Chapter 2 (Lyras POV)

It's been a couple hours since the plane left the airport. The nausea in my stomach has subsided but my anxiety still persists. The sky is a beautiful light cerulean. With fluffy clouds below us. A flight attendant approaches with a little cart of food. "What would you two like?" The flight attendant says.  I stare at my options on the cart. I can't believe they have pancakes! Even if there's only two small pancakes I'm still curious on how they'll taste. It's also a much better alternative to the mushy oatmeal.
"I'll have the pancakes." I say.
"Me too please and could I get a coffee as well?" the girl next to me says, revealing her strong New Zealander accent. The flight attendant wordlessly passes us our food. We both say thanks and the flight attendant continues to the next group of passengers. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to end up talking to the girl next to me or if we'll go the whole flight just exchanging a couple awkward smiles.
I take a bite out of the pancakes. To my amazement they're incredibly soggy and super dry at the exact same time. They taste like nothing. This is almost worse than hospital food. I really should've got something to eat before this flight. I'm really hungry so I eat the pancakes quickly. Well I mean I'd rather them taste like nothing then taste bad I guess and I don't really know what I was expecting from economy class airline food anyways. Suddenly I realised something. These taste exactly like the 'waffles' I had in the hospital when I was being treated for my burns a few months ago. Not only do they feel gross in my mouth, they also remind me of the week and a half I spent in the hospital. I quickly try to eat my pancakes to not feel hungry anymore as well as to get the unpleasant sensation of the low quality mass produced airline food out of my mouth. The pancakes are also a little cold and smell kinda stale. I rush through the bland flavourless pancakes and then chug the entirety of the small complimentary bottle of water the airline provided. I turn to the girl next to me and open my mouth hoping to strike up a conversation but nothing comes out.
Then a child starts screaming. From how loud the child is I assume the screaming is directly behind me. Dammit. I place my hands over my head to block out the ear piercing cries of agony coming from that baby.I am an only child so I've never had to deal with a younger sibling screaming but I've had younger cousins. I show some empathy towards the child's mother.
I grab my childhood stuffed animal out of the bag. It's a fuzzy washed out purple coloured cat. It's embarrassing that I still have it but it survived the fire and so it's extra sentimental to me. I shuffle around in my seat and show the child my stuffy. The baby is enthralled by the toy. The crying stops and I pass the stuffy to the child's mother through the vertical gap between the seats. I feel a bit anxious letting a complete stranger borrow the stuffed animal that I've had since I was two but I consider the alternative and decide that this is a much better option. "Here you can borrow this if you want? your baby seems to like it." The child's mom looks at me with gratitude in her eyes. She takes the stuffed animal and hands it to her child.
"Thank you." she says.
I nod in acknowledgement back to her.
The child grips the toy with his chubby little fingers. His screams have been replaced with curious coos. I can't help but smile as I watch the child find comfort in something I once found comfort in for myself. It's cute that he likes my stuffed cat as much as I once did and even if it's temporary it provides a soothing presence to a child that's probably never been on a plane and has not a clue what's going on. It's a moment of connection.
As the hours passed I took naps, watched movies on the little tv on the back of the seat in front of me. The flight attendants came by with more disappointing food. The sky slowly turned from a bright azure to a deep Prussian blue with yellowish white speckles.
This is the first time I think I've seen stars since I was a kid. Calgary is so bombarded by light pollution you can barely see the moon half the time, let alone any stars. Don't get me wrong I have seen stars in person but not in a very long time. We haven't been able to travel much since money is tight right now. The stars are beautiful. Exactly how magical everyone describes them to be. I stare out my window in admiration. It's crazy to think that each one of those stars is a sun with planets orbiting them just like us and the light hitting my eyes from the stars could be thousands of years old. The plane is almost silent right now as it is 10:00 at night. Calgary time at least it's about five pm Auckland time.
I look at the passenger next to me. She is completely unconscious with her mouth wide open and drooling everywhere. She is also snoring quite loudly. She's also in the weirdest position ever. How on earth is that comfortable? The cabin lights have been dimmed and everyone is either peacefully sleeping or engrossed in an activity. The engines of the aircraft produce a gentle hum. I turn my gaze back to the window.  The stars are like distant beacons. I peer at them. I feel so small looking at them. I eventually end up falling asleep.
The chimes signalling an announcement shock me awake.
"Alright guys this is your captain speaking. we are currently landing in Auckland. It's 6:12 local time aaannnddd about a nice and warm 16 degrees Celsius outside right now." There's a layer of static over his voice.
I wake up and quickly wipe the drool off my face. I feel groggy and surprised that I managed to sleep in the uncomfortable seat. I put all of my stuff back in the bag that's been strewn out around me over the last 18 hours. I glance out of my window. The sky is no longer a deep ocean blue but rather a powdery azure. I can see the navy blue ocean and the land. The plane gently glides towards the earth. I can make out the jagged coastline, the lush greenery and the bustling city. The wheels bumpily touch the ground. A sense of excitement grows over the passengers. I can't believe this is really it.
The moment I've been waiting for for four months. I don't feel as excited as I thought I would though. I feel a lot more sad actually. Like I've betrayed mom by leaving her behind or something. But mom is dead. I need to accept that. Mom won't be offended that I left home to try and better myself. I know if she was still alive she'd be rooting for me. Why do I feel this way? I'm beginning something new and trying to move on and better myself. I don't understand. I think my problem is that she's still alive in my mind and I still think of her as if she was alive.
I pick up my belongings and file out with the other passengers. I walk down the tiny aisle and a flight attendant waves farewell. I walk down the bridge and into a room; I believe it is called the arrival gate. This is going to be so awkward meeting my host family. I'm an awkward person already. I can't imagine how it's going to feel meeting the people I'm going to stay with for the next year.  It's a fair bit crowded in this room. But there is something that stands out to me. A family of five holding a large handmade poster with a Canadian flag and a New Zealand flag and some hand drawn letters spelling out welcome to New Zealand Lyra. I guess they know me. Well at least my name. I wasn't told a single thing about them. I sheepishly approach them.
"Oh my gosh! You're so pretty!" A girl who looks to be in her late teens to possibly mid twenties speaks up. She must be my host sister? Maybe?
"Hello... I'm Lyra" I say.
Dang it why did I say that they obviously knew my name. It's not completely my fault that I made a total fool out of myself. I'm running on fumes. I would usually be in bed at this time but it's barely even dinner time here.
The oldest woman quietly chuckles under her breath. I assume she's my host mom. The girl who looks to be in her late teens to possibly mid twenties speaks up. She must be my host sister? Maybe?
"Well we know that, silly! How was your flight?" She says in a cheerful tone.
"Uhh it was good I guess." I say rubbing my eyes.
"Did they feed you anything? You must be starving" The oldest woman says.
It's strange hearing everyone talk with such a strong accent. I have to take a few seconds to interpret what they're saying.
"They um fed me." I say.
"Well how about we go for dinner. Believe me I know how much airline food sucks. We can stop at a fast food place. I know it's late where you live. So we can grab something quickly. Then we'll show you your room? Alright wait! Actually you should choose where we go."
"I'm not really... I mean.. I don't know any places here. I don't think New Zealand has the same restaurants as canada." I struggle to say it.
Crap I wonder if I've made a bad first impression. I mean this is not the greatest time to first meet me. After I've just been on an eighteen hour flight and I'm loopy from sleep deprivation and I can't function like a normal human.
"Great, then it's settled, we're going to hell's pizza!" Chimes in the boy who looks to be in maybe around 13? Maybe 12?
"Guys you're getting ahead of yourselves. we haven't even introduced ourselves." A man with aviator glasses says.
"I'm khan, this is my wife koa, and my kids James, Vivian and Hana." He says calmly.
"Well I'm not technically-" the second oldest girl begins but is cut off by khan.
"Vivian, you are my kid. You're a part of this family just as much as anyone else."
The timid little girl who I can only assume is  Hana tugs on her fathers button up tee shirt and says.
"Dad, I don't want to go to heck's pizza."
"We aren't going there." Khan says.
"But-" James begins.
"No buts. we aren't going to hell's pizza we don't know if Lyra even likes spicy food." Khan says.
Hana goes back to cowering behind her father like she was doing before.
"Lyra what kind of food do you like?" Koa asks me as she fiddles with her long dark  brown dreadlocks.
"Umm I don't really have too much of an opinion." I'm really trying hard to not be difficult.
"Come on, you must have some sort of opinion."
She insists.
"Fine, I could really go for some chicken right now." I say.
"Right then I can work with that." She says excitedly.
"Hmm How about KFC?" She suggests.
"Cool! We have that in Canada!" I say excitedly.
"Well then it's settled, let's head out then you can have the front seat in the car." Koa smirks at me.
"What? Seriously? You're volunteering my seat without even asking me?" Khan says in a jokingly angry voice.
"Stay mad mate." Koa snaps back in a sassy tone.
"Ughh you're the worst koa.'' Khan says keeping his same joke-y tone.
"Can we just get out of the airport already?" James whines.
"He's right Lyras is probably super hungry and jet lagged. It would be a good idea to get out of here sooner than later." Vivian suggests.
"That's true vivian."
Everyone starts walking. I follow behind. This place is so different from Calgary already and I haven't even left the airport yet. I study the clean white tiles of the floor. This is such a surreal experience. Having a completely new family in a completely different country; so much different than just me and dad. What was that thing khan said about vivian when he introduced everyone. Oh yeah Vivian corrected him but got cut off. She was saying something about not technically being his real daughter. I wonder what she meant about that. Maybe she's adopted or something? She doesn't look related to them. Her ashen complexion contrasts the rest of the family's warm caramel coloured skin. I'm sure I'll find out what she meant by that at some point.
"Lyra, I can't believe you only brought a tiny carry-on sized suitcase and a backpack for an entire year." vivian says.
"Was I supposed to bring something else? I say; somewhat offended but also somewhat curious as to what she meant by that.
"No no not at all I'm just impressed that's all. I go on a weekend camping trip and I have to bring a full sized suitcase and a duffle bag. At least. I'm not the greatest packer." she says.
"I can confidently say that is unfortunately true." Khan says very matter of factly.
"Well I live in a tiny apartment so I don't really have much to pack in the first place and besides I don't need that much stuff." i say trying to sound cheerful
The actual reason is most of my stuff got consumed by ravenous flames and reduced to nothing but ash and sickly black smoke. Buttt I just met these people maybe twenty five minutes ago so I'll keep this conversation light for now.
"Yeah I guess that makes sense." vivian says.
We have reached the exit to the airport. I walk through the big automated glass doors. It smells fresh and dewie outside. The air is warm but not hot. It's a comfortable heat. Like a fresh sunny afternoon on a mid spring day. The sky is a shade of arctic blue dotted with small clouds.
Hana is walking next to me. Her sunkissed almond skin and curly brown hair glimmer in the daylight. She's still keeping a safe distance from me so it's clear she's still a little scared of me. But she's walking next to me so I guess that's a step. She keeps shooting unsure glances at her dad. She also glances at me from time to time. Her big amber eyes have a mix of apprehension and curiosity in them. I shoot her a friendly smile in return.
Koa pulls out the fob to the car and presses a button. A large Parmesan coloured jeep blinks its lights and makes a low pitched click sound indicating it's been unlocked. If I'm being honest I couldn't see this family drive a jeep. I'm a little surprised. Especially a yellow jeep of all things. We walk to the car and khan buckles Hana into her booster seat. Koa opens the passenger side front door for me.
"As promised." She says.
"Thanks. But if it's too much trouble I can sit in the back." I awkwardly grin at her.
"Oh khan can suck it up and sit in the back for once." She lightly chuckles.
"Thank you koa."
"It's really no biggie." She flashes a genuine smile at me.
I climb into the seat and click my seatbelt into place. I look to the rear end of the car. There's three rows of seats! That's really neat. I didn't even know they made jeeps with three rows. Koa puts the keys into the ignition and the engine purrs itself to life.
Koa seems very sure of herself and super energetic. The total opposite of my mother who preferred a quiet environment and order. Koa and my mother do have one thing in common though. They both seem optimistic. My mother took everything as an opportunity. Her car broke down? It's a shame but it's an opportunity to meet kind strangers on the side of the road. Maybe make a friend along the way. That's the kind of person I strive to be some day. Someone who can make the most out of any situation positive or negative.
Hey Lyra Hana wanted me to tell you she loves your accent. Vivian says. Hana's face curls into a nervous smile.
I don't have an accent? Oh right, I'm in a different country. The way they talk is considered the default.
"Thanks hana your cat ear headband is pretty." I smile.
"What are you talking about? These are my real ears." She sounds a little offended.
"Yeah she was born with cat ears" Vivian winks in a way that signals me to just go along with it.
"I'm so sorry! I should've known! I still think they're pretty. I love the pink on them."
"It's okay I guess." She pouts.
Vivian smiles at me as if to tell me good job or something similar. I smile back at her as if to say thank you.
I peer out the window. The warm golden afternoon sun shines through the windows. The rolling hills and ocean landscape contrasts the complex urban environment of Calgary. Outside my window looks like something I've only seen through a phone screen or a painting. Never through a thin piece of laminated glass. Something that these people see every day most likely, seems spectacular to me. We are approaching a more urban area now. It's more reminiscent of the urban area in which I lived not long ago. It's still insanely different though. Not as many murals. That was one thing I loved about Calgary was all of the art. I start to feel the drowsiness in my eyelids. I was so enamoured by what these people see on a daily basis I almost forgot how tired I am.
"Look over there guys! The beach I used to be a lifeguard at when I was a teen!" Koa says excitedly.
"Then I quit a month after I got the job because there were swarms of seagulls that constantly tried to bite me but only when I was wearing the uniform. Apparently they really liked the last guy and they were mad that he quit or something" She says less enthusiastically.
I am both surprised and intrigued.
"No way! I need to hear that story!? " I say.
"Ughhh moms told it a thousand times." James groans.
"Well suck it up I'm going to tell it again. I had got the job as a way to pay back my dad for crashing his car because I was stupid and crashed it into a tree. But I digress. It was super hot and these people were feeding the seagulls. I told them to stop because it's technically illegal to feed wild animals and my boss was super petty about stuff like that. So I tell them to stop and they stop. Then a few minutes later the seagulls are swarming me and trying to bite me. I have a super big fear of birds so I'm running as fast as I can and they're chasing me. Eventually I get to the little hut where my boss usually hangs out and I close the door as fast as I can and quit on the spot. I hate birds so much! " Koa chuckles as she tells the story.
I feel a mix of both shock and amusement.
"That is quite the story aha." I say with an awkward laugh. Certainly an interesting story to tell to someone you just met.
"And on that note we're here." Koa says.