Temporary Bliss

One.

V e r a.

“Harper, quit it!” I said, and playfully shoved my twin sister away.

We were waiting at the airport for our flight to our grandparents that lived in California. Our parents finally agreed that we would be allowed to spend our fifteenth birthday away from home. It was an exciting change, to leave the busy city of New York for a more calm and quiet place. Harper giggled playfully, while I searched my bags to make sure that I had my inhaler.

“Ugh this is taking forever!” Harper wailed. She was just loud enough for people to look at us, and I awkwardly shrank in my seat. I always hated the stares we got when we were together. It was almost impossible for people to hold in that ridiculous question that we heard on countless occasions. ‘Are you twins?’ Harper really got a kick out of that.

The voice over the intercom told us that we needed to board the plane. I could see my mom and dad walking towards us, my dad hauling my carry on with him. See, I wasn’t allowed to lift heavy weights, or to do any activity that spiked my heart rate because I was born with a heart defect.

Literally, there was a hole in my heart.

Harper scoffed at my dad, and began walking towards the hostess. I had been born with ASD, a common heart defect. The uncommon part, was that there was a fairly large hole in my heart which caused my heart to work twice as hard. Harper had always resented the fact that my parents had to spend so much time with me. I was in and out of hospitals a lot, and the reality of my condition was something Harper couldn’t handle. She hated seeing me wheeze and gasp for air at random times. She hated visiting in the hospital. We just never really spoke about it much either.

What she hated even more? The fact that I couldn’t do things for myself like she could. She was irritated most of the time because she expected us to have the liberty of doing what we want. But that wasn’t possible, in my case. It was always a hassle to go somewhere, typically like this. Harper couldn’t carry both of our stuff so an extra hand was definitely needed.

She wasn’t a bad person, though. We were best friends and we were mostly never apart, except the times where I was hospitalized. She just got angry at the situation and made herself look like a pouting hamster.

I held back a smile, while tucking a lock of my auburn hair behind my ear suddenly feeling exhausted. This happened all the time, but I learned to adapt to always being weary and groggy. Harper stopped abruptly in front of me and I nearly crashed into her. Handing our tickets to the hostess, I turned back to hug my mom. She had these silly tears glistening in her eyes.

“You girls be careful.” She sighed, finally letting her tears spill over.

We pulled apart and I turned to my dad to hug him. He had glassy eyes and one of his more sad smiles on his face. Those same forced, sad smiles that I had seen countless times when I was too sick to come home.

“We’ll be fine.” Harp and I said simultaneously, causing ourselves and our parents to laugh loudly in the nearly empty gate.

He pulled apart from me and grabbed Harper into one of his bear hugs that she loved so much.

“You take care of your sister. Okay?” He said sternly and I looked away awkwardly. I didn’t want Harper to feel like she couldn’t go out and do her own things because everyone depended on her to make sure that I was okay.

“Always, dad.” We said our last goodbyes and headed off into the plane.

“Can you believe that we’re actually on a plane, going to California out of all places?” Harper gushed excitedly.

I watched as she pulled back her auburn hair into a sloppy bun and then reach into her bag and pull out her scrapbook. She had started it over a year ago and it was nearly complete. She just needed to add some place she visited and then she would be starting her photography journal.

That’s where the similarities between me and my twin sister ended. I loved reading, and writing, and staying inside the comfort of my room, or favorite chair, curled up reading my favorite books. I liked to stay in at nights and help my mom with dinner, and try new recipes, which always came out fairly good.

Harper, she was the outgoing, free spirited one. She always had her heart set on different things. She never settled for nothing less that what she absolutely wanted. And she had a bad habit of leaving things halfway, but that was just Harper. Always changing her mind, always outgoing and ready to try new things. She was definitely the more bubbly one out of the two of us.

“I know, I can’t believe it either.” I told her truthfully. After our short conversation, we both laid back in our seats and relaxed. I felt more weary than usual and I fell asleep quickly.

~
V e r a.

Something shakes me violently out of the deep sleep I was in. My bleary eyes snapped open and the first person I look for is Harper. Her eyes are wide and frantic and she desperately grabs my hand tightly. It takes me a moment to remember where we were and after a long minute I grasp her hand back.

The entire plane was in chaos. The turbulence was shaking people right out of their seats, and the flight attendants hurried off to their escaping food carts as they roll away from them.

“What’s going on Harp?” I asked, and for the first time, I see the panic written clear on everyone’s face. Its quite surreal actually, and I feel like I’m still asleep. There is this buzzing sound and the compartments above our heads open and release dangling oxygen masks. We quickly strap ours on.

“I didn’t hear what the pilot said, but I think he said we were going to have an emergency landing.” Harper is clearly terrified, so I know I have to be brave for the both of us. Its always been like that. The free spirited one was the one to get scared easily, but it wasn’t really her fault. She just didn’t like to be around these kinds of situations.

There is a flurry of flight attendants walking towards the cockpit of the plane. I could just barely see over the seats that they are talking fast and their expressions turn into panic. My eyes meet with a woman, and from just her look I can tell that my bravery isn’t going to help us through this.

 We were in trouble.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Please remove the safety jackets that are stored under your seats and strap them on. This is just a safety precaution and we want to ensure everyone one that you are safe.” The voice on the intercom fades and I never remove my eyes from the flight attendant. I know they are lying, and trying to get us to believe that we were okay.

“Hey, Harp, strap on your seatbelt, okay? You don’t feel the turbulence as much.” I tell my sister, who looks like a frightened child. Her fingers are still squeezing tightly onto mine and I pry them gently from her hold and fasten her seatbelt on to her.

“Better?” I asked and she nodded quietly, still frozen in her panic.

The plane shook violently and I held onto Harper as we were thrashed in our seats. I could feel the tightness in my chest, as my heart tries to cope with the spiked pulse. I could feel my short, panting breaths and the lightheadedness falling on me. I can’t pass out, not now. Not when I knew we weren’t okay.

I fumbled around my bag for my inhaler, and remove the oxygen mask to use it. After a second or two, my heart rate slows down but I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Everyone around us is in despair. Their frightened looks are enough to tell us that this wasn’t normal. Something was very wrong.

Suddenly there’s that feeling of being dropped, and then falling. The plane angles sharply downward for just a second before its upright again. Harper lets out a scream and I squeeze gently on her hand to assure her that its okay. But I knew it wasn’t.

 We weren’t okay.

The weariness begins to creep up on me again and I know that I have to stay awake for Harper. Its hard, fighting this exhaustion. All I can think about is closing my eyes. But I can’t. She needs me.

There is another voice on the intercom but I barely pay attention. All I make out is that we had arrived at an airport and we are going to begin landing.

“See Harp, everything’s going to be fine.” The thing with my sister, is that when she’s beyond terrified she gets awfully quiet and frozen in place. She doesn’t do more than nod and smile weakly at me, but its better than nothing.

But instead of gracefully approaching the runway, which I can barely see out of the tiny airplane window, we lurch downwards and that endless feeling of falling begins again. There’s a sharp sting in my chest as the adrenaline finally shoots through my body, and I can hear Harper screaming hysterically beside me. I can’t focus on anything but the pain.

There is a sharp bright orange that catches my eyes, and it takes me a minute to figure out what is happening. The smoke and flames are coming from the wing that’s not too far away from my window. We were crashing.

I hold on to Harper and try to soothe her whimpering because I can’t afford to lose it now. I’m being careful and not letting her look outside of the window. I don’t say anything to her, I just hold her and shush her like a little baby. What am I meant to do in a situation like this? What am I supposed to say to my sister when she asks me what’s happening with her tear streaked face and bloodshot eyes?

The plane is picking up speed and I could hear the groans of the engines beneath our seats. There is a frantic voice over the intercom, and its like everything is happening in slow motion. I keep my sister cradled against my chest and I watch as everyone is slowly erupting in a panic that is far too great for any of us to understand.

I watch as the emergency exit door that is on Harper’s side of the plane is wrenched open and people begin falling out of the plane, one by one. Like ants disappearing into a hole in the ground, never to be seen again.

I glance out of the window, with much effort because the sting in my chest is making it hard to move and I could see the illuminated runway, but its perpendicular to the plane, and I knew that we were all going to die here.

I can’t help, closing my eyes for what feels like a second. I’m so exhausted. But when I open them, I find that I am laying in an empty bag compartment that is usually above me. Thick black smoke clouds my eyes and makes me cough. I find an oxygen mask, thankful that it is still working and pull it on. I raise my head and look above me, seeing the seats that I was once strapped in, with seatbelts torn and dangling above my head.

My eyes are frantically searching for Harper and finally, I see her. With a bleeding wound near her temple. Her lips are pale, and I know that I have to get her out of here. I heaved myself up and out of the stow-away compartment, and I crawl along the curved ceiling until I get to her. I lift the debris off of her and tug on her arm gently.

Her eyes snap open, and they are bleary but she smiles when she sees its me. I can feel the sting in my chest growing and suddenly I’m on my knees, gasping for air.

“Vera, don’t worry. I’m going to get us out of here.” She says, in a distracted and dazed voice. She stands up, and immediately sways. I forget about the pain in my chest for just a second as I rush to grab her before she falls completely. I look around for a possible exit. The front exit is definitely out of the question as I can see numerous bodies strewn all across the plane. I didn’t take the time to figure out if they were dead or not.

I grabbed Harper’s hand and began leading her towards the rear of the plane. I kicked the emergency rear exit door open and thank God that we are closer to the ground from here. I climb out and jump down the four feet between the plane and the ground, and then extend my arm for Harper. Once she’s out, I begin walking towards the building that’s off in the distance. Harper’s arm is slung over my shoulder but I can feel her steps weakening and becoming slower.

We cant afford to stop now. If the fire reaches the fuel tanks then we will definitely die.

“C’mon Harp. Just a little further.” I urge and pull my sister along. I can see approaching figures but my eyesight is blurred from the black smoke that is still hovering around us.

“I’m so tired, Vee.” Her voice is so weak and small that it causes my steps to falter for just a second. But a second is all it takes for the fire to reach the fuel tanks, and I hear the explosion behind us before I react to it. Quickly, I pull my sister down and lay her flat on her stomach. I put on my hood and open up my jacket so that I am shielding the both of us from the thick black smoke and flying debris.

But as soon as I’m down, I can’t, for the life of me keep my eyes open.
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Well, this is the new story that I have been working on for a while now. I can honestly say its really different from P&L and Island. I hope you take the time to read on! :)