The terminal looked like any, but it was filled with weapons, trainers, and girls just like me. All beautiful, all made up, and all dressed in black suits. Beau was reading from a tablet of some kind and mumbling words and numbers to himself. He had a pen behind his ear and a small notebook tucked in his cargo shorts next to the holster that held his pistol.
"Alright. Tabitha head to gate six with Sabrina and Stephanie please." Tabitha nodded and pointed to a gate with a very obvious "6" that even Sabrina could have figured out. I rolled my eyes and followed her anyways. Beau wasn't far behind.
"Head down the gang plank." He said, placing the cell phone that he was talking to on his chest to say so. The three of us headed into the plane.
It was huge.
It had clean, black leather seats and the lanes were about five feet wide. There were six sets of two chairs facing each other with a small table in between. In the back was a large closet and next to that was a bathroom. It smelled like febreeze, and the windows were so clear and the cleanest I've ever seen. "Take a seat" Beau told us, and of course I was the odd one out. Sabrina and Tabitha sat on one of the front rows, and I took the very back. The opening to the plane slowly shut, and the pilots voice came across clear and loud on the speakers.
"Welcome. Our flight today will be roughly 22 hours to Mosul, Iraq. Enjoy our complimentary snacks and salad bar." My eyes widened.
Iraq?
"What the hell!" I blurted out in anger.
Beau hung up the phone when he heard my exclamation.
I got up and shoved past Beau, who grabbed my arm to stop me.
"Stephanie" he said sternly.
I pulled away, desperately trying to loosen his grip. I started to cry.
Cry. Something I hadn't done in a long time. Beau noticed this, and instead of grabbing onto me, he pulled me into an embrace. He shoved my head into his chest while I sobbed uncontrollably. Half from fear, and half from just letting it all out. Tears and drool and snot were beginning to poor from my face, but all he did was hold me closer. He rocked back and forth, which calmed me down immensely.
"It's going to be ok. Ok?" He whispered so only I could hear.
"I wouldn't make you do anything that would kill you." I sniffled, and nodded into his shirt.
He walked the both of us over to a seat, and sat down, motioning for me to sit across from him. I did, and we faced each other. The engine in the plane silently revved up, creating a smooth hum throughout the cabin.
I wiped my eyes, magically not wiping any makeup off, and I looked into Beau's ice blue eyes. And he stared at mine. It was like this for a good five minutes, until I was calm again.
I took a deep breath.
"Can I ask something?" I said
"Depends on the question."
"Why can't you tell me anything?" I asked, changing my question to fit his answer. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and one of the girls chuckled from the front.
"Because it's employee policy." He said, looking away awkwardly.
"Employees for what?" I asked.
The plane began moving, and it was picking up speed. He looked at me in the eyes. They didn't lie, but he did.
"A service." He stated firmly.
"A service for what?"
"Things"
I stood up and leaned closer.
"Beau."
"What!"
"What kind of things?"
He sighed. "Stephanie, please."
"No! I've gone too long without answers! My parents disappeared, I was cut open inside the back of a van after being kidnapped, and now I'm being dragged off to Iraq! Explain something to me! Anything! PLEASE!"
He stared at me, obvious hurt in his eyes.
He leaned in, his lips touching my ear.
"We know it's going to happen. But it's just a matter of time." He stayed for a moment longer before returning to his sitting position. I looked at him with fear. What's going to happen?
I decided to refrain from asking more questions, and got up to go to the bathroom. I viciously turned the corner and slammed the door. I placed my hands on either side of the sink, and stared at my reflection in the giant mirror. You could tell that I had been crying. My eyes were red, but my gorgeously long eyelashes hadn't faded. I tugged at the fabric on my chest, and it tugged tighter everywhere else. It fit my body as if it was made for it.
Made for me. I stared at my arm. There was imprints. I pulled the sleeves up a bit more, enough to read the fine writing.
"FFF"
It was tiny writing. Black ink.
I rubbed it, trying to wipe it off.
It didn't come off.
I stormed out, realizing this was a tattoo. I sat myself down across from Beau, and slammed my arm on the tabletop.
"What the hell does this mean?" I asked.
Beau sighed.
"It stands for..." He stopped to rub his forehead. "It stands for Female Freedom Fighters."
"Freedom Fighters?" I asked with passion.
"Yeah." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, we have a long day coming up, and we need to get as much sleep as possible. So I say you sleep now, because you're not gonna get that chance very often when we're there." He said, patting the table and standing up. He walked to the pilots cabin and didn't come back out. For the entire ride. I got up and began unfolding the chairs as best I could to what looked somewhat like a bed from a trailer. I splayed out across it, and stared at the ceiling, while the plane silently floated along the endless sky, and drifted off to sleep. However, I was woken up sometime around three o'clock, only being able to determine this by the digital clock embedded in the wall. I sat up, and yawned, having slept longer then intended. Walking to the room where Beau supposedly was, I realized that Tabitha and Sabrina were still asleep. I continued to the front of the plane, when I heard mumbling. I stopped, not meaning to eves drop, but that's how it ended up.
"I don't know. I know she's new, but she's a great shot." I heard Beau's voice through the thin walls.
"Well I hope you know what you're doing, Beau." A raspy voice replied, which I assumed to be the pilot.
"Trust me on this one. She's special." Beau replied.
Special? I was special? Was he even talking about me?
After a minute or two of silence, I tiptoed back to my bed, and crawled back in, and tried so hard to fall asleep, but nothing worked. I tossed and turned for hours. Hoping to somehow, some way, drift off. But after about three hours, I finally dozed off.
