Cloudless

Chapter 1 - the flight

A/N. Hi Guys! I'm Just Here To Say Thanks If Your Reading This. This Is My First Story To Publish... EVER! So Please, Bear (GRRR) With Me On This, If You Have Any Advice Or You See Any Mistakes I Might Have Made, Please Let Me Know! So I Hope You Enjoy This Story!
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I watch out the window as the clouds pass below me. This was my favorite part about flying, I had always loved how I felt when I was up in the air. The feeling of freedom, it was always so alluring and powerful... And I loved every moment of it when I could find it. I look back to my reflection in the blank screen of my laptop on the tray in front of me. My brown hair is up in a bun, my faded blue highlight showing in a streak. My gray-ish blue green eyes look tiredly back at me. I sigh shutting the screen off, folded it back up, and slipped it into the bag under my feet. I put my head in my hands and sighed again. My friend and travel partner Maya looked over at me.

"Brain block, Jen?" She asked, already knowing the answer. She knew how it felt to have ideas with out inspiration work on them.

"Yea..." I admit with defeat. "Again."

I hadn't been able to work on any of my collage papers or short stories. Everything I've tried to start I never seems to be able to finish, and it's KILLING ME! Every one says I'm my worst critic, and I am, but writing is one of the only talents I'm confident of, and now I can't even stand to look at my failed attempts of writing.

I look over to her to study her expression, her perfectly straight dirty blond hair was in a French braid that flopped over her shoulder, her lips were drawn into that faint smirky smile that she seemed to always wear, and it was almost impossible to not notice the splash of freckles littering her nose that stood out against her very pale/slightly sunburnt skin. her deep dark green (with a little brown) eyes showed sympathy and understanding. You see, Maya is a student at an art academy called somnium university (pronounce like, some-knew-ma), Which Latin for 'dream'. There they work on anything and everything, all ranging from fashion to sketching to sculptor. You name it, they work on it.

"Well we're going to fix that." She says, waving her hand, then blowing a bubble with her gum and popping it. "That's why we took this trip in the first place."

"no, We had took this trip because you wanted to go and visit a friend" I say, referring to one of her class mate that we are on the way back from visit. Her friend, Linsey, had come out to Arizona for family matters and inspiration. Then Maya also had gone there, so they could finish the major project that they had been partnered on for a fair. "Hand me some gum, will ya?"

"Well yea... But I could have left you behind!" She said with fake hurt and very real sarcasm, and handed me some bubble gum "but no! After seeing your struggle and despair I decided to be the hero you needed and I came to the rescue of the D.I.D.!"

"I'm no Damsel In Distress," I say rolling my eyes and  then smirking "if anything, I'm the crazy, beautiful, mostly good, but with slight dark side, siren that drowns untrustworthy and unrighteous men!" I ended with a dramatic flourish of my hands
All was silent in our row and a few around us. Maya and I sat there staring at each other in challenge, like we do every time this happens (which is a lot), then burst out laughing. You could say we attracted a few odd looks and probably some silent judging for our childish actions. But we could care less, Even if we are 22, if we're having fun than hey! We need it!

"There we go!" My green eyed friend smiled at me, "there's the smile we all know and love!"

I laugh at the look of pure accomplishment and satisfaction on Maya's face. This is why I picked her as one of my only travel partners. The only other one is my best friend Ally, whom I've known since birth. They're the only two people who always can make my laugh so hard I start to cry, even if I'm down and acting like the world is over.

"Thanks Maya" I say now that our laugher died down and I can properly breath again. "I really needed that"

"No problem-o friend-o!" She smiled and took out her sketch book "now check out my new sketches and designs!"

We spend the rest of the time flipping through her seemingly endless sketch book filled to the brim with her newest sketches, outfit designs, and even some of her photography photos she taped into there.

After a while the captain told us of our decent and to put all bags back under the seats, Maya and I did exactly that. We packed all our supplies and belongings in our bags and got ready

"Man, I wish I had your talent." I said out loud after we landed. "Your so lucky you can do what you can do."

Maya turned to me like I had just said that i was planing on tying a chicken to the presidents back and blackmailing him for animal abuse.

"JENNIFER WHAT are you TALKING ABOUT????" She said in the loudest indoor voice you can possibly imagine. "Your an amazing artist! Just look at your writing and drawing and crafting!"

I know all this. Every one always tells me that I'm an amazing artist, but I feel like nothing really, especially when compared to the rest of my extremely artistic friends. Maya, for example, can pick up anything and do it better in 15 - 20 minutes then I did in at least a year, probably even two. But when I'm proud of any work I did, I'm proud about it! I smile

"I know i know." I say, raising my hands in defense/surrender "I'm just thinking that your natural talent is so... Natural"

"Well I am just that amazing." Maya said batting her eye lashes and grabbing her bag.

"Yea yea, what ever," I roll my eyes for the umpteenth time today with her. "Come on let's get Outta here, and make sure to put on your jacket before we go outside."

"I'm not stupid!" Said Maya, copying my eye rolling "it's only the beginning of spring... IN CHICAGO!"

"What ever" I say again.

And with that we head out into the airport and get ready to venture in to the chill of Chicago cold after the long week in the Arizona heat.
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A/N. So What Do You Think? I Am Really Nervous About Publishing This. Leave Your Thoughts In The Comments And Let Me Now What You Think!