Flight

Adventures

A week later I was able to walk for over an hour without getting dizzy. It was brilliant for me, not so good for the nurses, they'd have to watch me 24/7 otherwise I'd be up and about all the time. I had changed out of my hospital gown now and I could eat in the canteen. That's where I was when I saw her. I was eating my lunch, macaroni cheese in the left hand corner of the big room. I was in the kids and teens ward so there were lots of other kids there. I looked across the room at the clock I was sitting with a boy who I had made friends with over the course of three days, he was a year younger than me with thick brown curly hair and glasses. His name was Ben, like me, it was a little confusing sometimes but it was okay. He also had a younger sister named Jessie who sometimes came to visit him. He was in the hospital after an operation on his ears to improve his hearing. He told me it had hurt afterwards but it was worth it. As I was saying, I was looking at the clock at the other side of the room, but it seemed like I was staring "what are you looking at?" Ben was eating a salad, he was vegetarian and couldn't have the macaroni cheese because it had little bits of bacon in, Ben didn't like quorn though, and he was diabetic. And therefore very skinny always looked sick and was quite weak, he told me he fainted a lot. "Just looking at the clock. Why?" Ben shook his head.

"Didn't look that way to me, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were looking at Bella." I scratched my cheek, and slipped my hands uncomfortably into my hoodie pockets, I was wearing my red abercrombie sweatshirt despite being incredibly hot. "Don't look her in the eyes, she's well weird. Her Dad is a doctor here, and she goes to my school, but she's the year below, which makes her 11." She scares me a little. I think she scares everyone, I've never seen her eat. Or write or do anything really." I looked at her, she was a very short girl, with bright red frizzy hair which sprung out in all different directions off of her head. And crystally pale blue eyes. She saw me and looked straight back at me. Then started to walk over to our table. She didn't have any food in her hands, but an out of date iPhone which I assumed was her father's old one. "Boys." She said, Ben looked down at the floor and I tried to pretend she wasn't there and block her out of my mind. "No use ignoring me." She said, "I could be very useful to your plan." I looked up slowly and frowned.

"What plan?" I asked

"You, trying to escape and save Katerina. I overheard you talking, I'm not a stalker or anything." I squinted slightly. "Of course not... Why say such a thing..." I said, aiming the touch of irony at Ben. "Anyway, how would you be able to help, you don't even know Katerina or me or her sister." She shook her head menacingly. "Ohh on the contrary, I have access to all the information I need about you, down to your blood type." Ben was still acting like she wasn't there and shovelling hefty amounts of salad into his mouth. "Fine. Your Dad's a doctor, you could sneak a look at my medical files, but that doesn't have anything to do with Katerina." She blinked, her eyes were very big, which was the weirdest thing about her, it scared me. "How long are you supposed to stay in the hospital for observation?... Just out of interest." I took a bite of my macaroni cheese.

"Not for another week yet." She blinked her creepy blink again and put her phone on the table. 

"Well if you're looking to save Katerina it will be almost impossible. The site where the plane crashed it being burnt and demolished in twenty days. We need at least that amount of time to find Katerina. I could get you and "Christiana out of here like that." She snapped her fingers, "assuming Christiana is healthy enough to leave the hospital." I frowned and nodded at the same time. 

"Leave that to me. So, if you I do decide to let you help, what's in it for you, there must be a catch. You seem pretty crafty." She scratched her forehead and adjusted her posture.

"Will you be my boyfriend if I help?" I almost choked on my macaroni and nearly fell off of my chair. "Oh hell to the no." She sighed.

"Fine, I just need a cut in the publicity. As they're sure to make a news article on us when we find her." I looked at Ben who was furiously shaking his head, he was almost underneath the table now. But I didn't need his approval, Bella seemed really helpful. "it's a deal, you're in." She grinned.