Tame | ✔

Chapter One

Chapter One

"All passengers must attach their safety belts. The plane will be safely landing in five minutes," A robotic, female voice blasted through the speakers. Its echo rang through the hall, and the chattering noises gradually died out. The fluorescent lights dimmed, as if preparing for the perfect moment.

At the far end of the flight hall, the call startled Leila from her short unorganized nap. Upon hearing the woman's instructions, she jumped in her seat. Her hand-bag dropped to the floor over her feet, but she barely noticed. She glanced around, and her mind finally registered where she was. She felt warm droplets of fresh drool trickle down her chin; she cringed.

Kneeling forward, she picked up her black, leather second-hand clutch and unlocked the pin. She extracted a single tissue paper and rubbed it against her chin to erase the disgusting feeling.

She blinked once, twice, thrice. Her attempts to adapt to her unfamiliar surroundings didn't work like she had expected. A shot of pain pulsed through her nerves and she bit the inside of her cheek, to stop herself from screaming in pain.

Everything around her was a hazy blur. The lights gleamed brightly, almost blinding her. She shifted in her seat and stretched her arms in the air, yawning. From the distance, she could see the flight attendant throw her a disgusted look. Yet, she didn't say a word, which Leila didn't mind.

Leila glanced to her side out of curiosity. She was seated on the left side of the plane, just behind the wing. The window was to her right, whilst a stranger occupied the seat right next to her. A luxurious woman leaned back in her chair. Her eyes were covered by a sleeping band, and her auburn hair was sprawled all over the back of her seat. Dressed formally; in a pencil-patterned black-and-white skirt and a matching jacket - , she seemed like an important person, yet Leila didn't have a clue as to who she was. It was unlikely for a V.I.P. to attend a third-grade flight.

The robotic, recorded voice repeated the instructions again through the speakers, reminding Leila at the last moment to clasp her seat belt into its locker. A moment later, the plane began to angle downwards, threatening to pull her eyes out of their sockets. She was internally freaking out, but she fought the urge to scream at that moment. She never was good with flights. They would frighten her to death, not that she actually took a flight before. Besides, she had a phobia of high-places, and that didn't help it at all either.

The rotting woman next to her let out a small yawn. Her hand reached out to pull the bad away from her face, just to reveal a pair of hazel, brown eyes. She looked as if she had no care in the world, whilst Leila was struggling to control her breathing as the plane descended to the airport.

"Are you new here?" She heard her seat-mate ask and instantly, her head snapped to look at her.

"Err- Yeah. Yeah, I am," Leila spluttered. She wasn't a very sociable person. She didn't go around talking to strangers. So involving in a small talk with a complete stranger who happened to share a plane seat with her -, it was out of the question.

"You're moving in or just on a trip?" The stranger asked. Her curiosity irritated Leila, but she answered her question anyway.

"I'm staying, I suppose," She replied, but her voice trailed towards the end. She wasn't sure if she was really going to settle down in Los Angeles forever, or if it was just for the meantime. It sounded weird, even to her.

"Suppose?" The woman questioned, then arched a perfectly-sculpted eyebrow. Her questions were really getting on Leila's nerves at that moment. She didn't get on a plane to the other half of the world just for the sole purpose of chit-chatting.