Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 5

Kami felt a flurry of excitement as she boarded the plane for the final leg of her trip from New York to Cairo. She passed row after row of mostly Arab men, some in shirts and slacks, some in robes. They tapped messages into cell phones, read books or talked quietly. A few made eye contact, but just as quickly averted their eyes.

She slid into her seat and pressed her face against the window. She pulled her hair away from her face and glanced around discreetly. There were a few other women on the plane—three women crowded together in the back, giggling, a woman sitting next to what was probably her husband or brother, a few older women, and a few women with children. Some of the older women dressed in robes, but most of the younger ones were dressed similar to her. The only difference was they covered their hair with scarves of varying designs and rich colors.

Kami scanned the plane quickly for other Americans. There were a handful that might be. An older couple sat about three-quarters of the way back, clearly dressed as tourists. A thin blonde woman with a deep tan was three rows back. An overweight man wearing a ball cap sat two rows ahead. Then there was a guy, tall with short-cropped brown hair and a handsome face. He had ear buds in and was absorbed in something on his lap. It was as if he sensed her gaze on him, because he suddenly looked up, and his eyes met hers.

Then he winked at her.

Embarrassed, she shifted her eyes, but not before she noticed his mouth quirk up into a little smile. Her eyes had only tangled with his for a moment, but that had been long enough to appear like she was staring. Her face burned.

The stagnant air in the plane all of a sudden felt stifling. She twisted the knob to feel the cool air blast her neck. It was refreshing.

His eyes were blue.

She groaned. Going down this path was not a good idea.

Nice, Kami, she scolded herself. She pulled out a battered paperback out of her carry on and tried to distract herself.

A tired-looking woman clutching a baby sat next to her. She smiled politely at the woman and returned to her book. She reread the same page about five times before she gave up. She felt too distracted, too fluttery inside.

She wondered what Egypt would be like, and what her grandparents would be like. Her grandmother had seemed warm and accepting on the phone. She wondered if she would be the same when she met her. Her grandmother said she would get the full Egyptian experience, whatever that meant. She worried a bit about the violence she had seen when she'd researched Egypt on the internet, but her grandmother assured her they lived safely away from most of the excitement.

The plane shuddered and took off down the runway. Excitement gripped her as she felt the wheels leave the surface and the plane began to gain altitude, just like the last flight. She was surprised that she liked the powerful sensation.

Unfortunately, the baby next to her didn't seem to enjoy flying as much. He was a handsome little fellow, probably about a year old, with creamy brown skin, chubby cheeks, and wide brown eyes. Those eyes were now full of tears as his mother wrapped a blanket around him and tried to awkwardly rock him. Rather than soothe him, though, the action seemed to irritate him. He kicked his arms and legs, thrashing and pushing away the blanket and trying to slide off his mother's lap. His mother, a petite woman who also wore one of those scarves, held on tight. She kept glancing at Kami apologetically, and Kami returned what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

She considered asking if the woman needed help, but she realized if the baby wouldn't be calmed by his mother, he would probably go ballistic with a stranger. So she opened her book again. She tried not to wince as the baby pummeled his mother with his fists. Clearly, he was having nothing to do with this sitting still stuff. Then he started to wail.

Out of her peripheral, she could see his mother's face looked strained and her eyes shone luminously, threatening to overflow any minute. Kami felt a surge of compassion for her. She hoped the people on the plane would be understanding.

She remembered how one time at the doctor's office, she'd been waiting for her appointment when a baby had erupted. The baby had only been crying for a minute or two when another woman snapped at the mother, informing her it was a shame that some people couldn't control their children. She still remembered the young mother's crushed face, and Kami had wanted to tell the insensitive woman it was a shame some people couldn't control their tongues. But she'd bit her tongue, her timidity sealing her mouth shut. She didn't want to see the same expression on this woman.

The seat belt sign flashed off. Kami felt a sense of relief. The woman had the option to stand now. Maybe that would help.

Then she heard a low British accent, and she glanced up to see him—the boy with the blue eyes! So he wasn't an American, after all. She forced herself to pay attention to the conversation.

"I'm only a few rows back and the seat next to me is empty. It might be easier for your baby to get comfortable with his own seat," he said.

The woman stared at him blankly, and he seemed to recognize she didn't speak English. He smoothly switched to another language, Arabic probably. This the woman clearly understood. She nodded and smiled gratefully. She was very pretty when she smiled.

The woman and her baby followed the boy, who carried her bag to his seat, leaving Kami reeling in his wake. He had said he wanted to exchange seats, hadn't he? So now he would be her seat mate? She felt surprised at the almost panicky feeling that surged through her.

She shook her head. Pull yourself together Kami, she ordered. Two years ago she wouldn't have felt so flustered, even a few months ago she wouldn't. She had reinvented herself into an outgoing girl, pretty enough to attract one of the most popular boys in her class. She'd dated him steady for six months, until he'd dumped her in a painful way that left her in an emotional tailspin, questioning everything.

Right before she left on her trip she spotted him at the mall holding hands with his latest conquest, a pretty brunette in a denim miniskirt. She'd felt sick to her stomach watching them flirt, but angry too, knowing she'd fallen for his now obviously insincere charm. How had she actually believed he thought she was special?

Her fists clenched. At least her ex hadn't seen her. That would have been awkward, the pathetic ex, all alone.

She'd sworn to take a break from boys, so of course she had to sit next to such a good-looking guy. She peeked at him discreetly.

Kami took a deep breath and released it. She was making something out of nothing. He was just helping out the woman. The flight would be over soon and she'd likely never see him again. If only he weren't so ridiculously good-looking.

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So, what do we all think of the mysterious Brit? Two points for anyone who can name the movie reference at the end :). Does it help if I add on really, really ridiculously good-looking? Click on the star and vote if you liked it!

The dedication this time is another special one. It is only appropriate that since the adventure officially begins that this chapter go to my father, Ross Gedeborg. His nickname for me when I was a kid was Pumpkin. I loved that. Without him, I would probably have never developed a love for great adventure stories. Thanks Dad!