Flicking through Rock Sound magazine, Leya starts to fall asleep on Jayla's shoulder. Aspen is drawing with Sapphire, pictures of their great adventures on the ocean with Blu, Raven and Phoenix. Like a steam train, the sound of the kettle being turned on comes from downstairs.
"Ah, man," sighs Jayla stretching her back, and shaking Leya to life, "that, means it's morning."
"It's been morning for," Sapphire squints at the computer screen as she leans over to jiggle the mouse, "6 hours and 23 minutes," and she plonks herself back down next to Aspen who is slowly eating a chocolate finger and colouring in Raven's hair an array of Crayola colours.
"So, is this, for real?" Leya asks, taking a sheet of paper and a yellow party ring and starting to sketch some cute round eyes.
"Yeah. Yeah it is," says Jayla, getting out her phone from her pocket, a Nokia Touch Screen, X302. She got it for the 'X3' face. Purely.
"I knew you took sailing lessons," says Aspen, the most hyper of them all, "but didn't know Blu told you to."
"To be honest, I enjoy it so much," Jayla gets up, opening the curtains so that kids on their bicycles and girls running to the swings in the park as small as dolls in the distance can be seen through the rain dotted window. "I'd forgot all about Blu, and the boat. Till now. Then it all made sense and came back to me. And I had the idea."
From behind her silky dark purple and black fringe of hair, Leya beamed, turning on the music again, "It's a great idea."
Starting the day with Death to the Skies was the ritual.
Unlike Jayla and Sapphire's mum who would rather start it with quiet and a cup of tea.
"Girls!" Their mum peeks her head round the door, stirring a floral mug of Earl Grey with a silver spoon, "You're up early," she remarks, now whispering, "But please, keep this awful music down..."
Leya, Sapphire and Aspen blush embarrassed, as Jayla, reluctantly reaches for the volume dial on the speakers, "Okay mum, sorry."
"Well, we better get to it!" Says Leya excitedly.
Aspen and Sapphire are still avidly sketching their pirate band fantasy.
"Okay, I'm gonna make the call."
---
The Passport Office website was confusing. Leya and Jayla sat together in Sapphire's room, scrolling through all the instructions.
"Ah, here," Jayla remarks, indicating a line that reads, under the heading of 'The cost of changing the name on your passport': 'For an adult passport it costs £77.50 for standard service'.
"That's so expensive," frowns Leya.
---
Shaking the tin plastered in stickers and magazine cut outs of Phoenix Von Dohren, some topless, some his tattoos shining, others his black jeans and jackets adorning his buff figure, Jayla smirks at the sound of paper shuffling and coins clanging.
"Me and Sapphy have been saving for years, carboot sales, work, babysitting, eBay, everything.... Just for this, when a moment might strike. I think our time has come."
Then she turns it over so Leya and Aspen can see what is written on a little white sticky note on the bottom of her money box.
'California Holiday'.
---
Men in suits, classy business women, families, high heels and ties, the smell of talcum powder and the bright lights of the airport flood the scene. Black ponytail swishing side to side, Jayla is towing ahead, closely followed by Sapphire, huge heart shaped sunglasses on, munching into a Crunchie bar. Next up is Aspen, with an oversized white sunhat, riding her roll along zombie suitcase, as Leya pulls it, in a Black Veil Brides varsity jacket, DTTS (Death to the Skies) wrist bands glowing beneath it, giggling, clutching her fake passport.
---
Aboard the plane, Leya laughs, as they all watch the same film, Ice Age 4, about three times, each in a different language.
"I can't believe we're actually going to meet Raven and Phoenix!" Yanking off her headphones, skull candy, the thirteen year-old smiles sweetly. Jayla, Sapphire and Aspen unplug their sound too, it was in Polish anyway.
"Me neither," Jayla gasps yanking out her plushie she made of Phoenix from her bag. He isn't going to see that. She reminds herself, smiling, hugging it tight.
Leya and Jayla are nearly crying. The more emotional of the group.
---
"Hello, everyone, this is your flight attendant Lucy, and on behalf of all the crew, and the staff here at American Airlines, I would thank you for flying with us today. We shall be..."
"Oh my god!" they all scream together attracting unwanted attention.
"We're nearly there..." they whisper.
YOU ARE READING
Getaway
Teen FictionRaven, Phoenix and Blu board a ship with four girls - sailing the seas, throwing parties and shows. They try to keep it a secret... Enemies are on the horizon and the crew are desperate to not let anything stop them. But sometimes love and war coinc...
