Elle Jones

Chapter 26: A Long Way to Australia

Minutes after the announcements ceased talking, the plane steered its wheels on the gray concrete until weightless air grabbed ahold of the machine, then let it drift across the eggshell blue atmosphere.

As everyone's belongings are currently contained in silvery white compartments, men, women, and children sat comfortably in their seats, waiting for the adventure to start.

But as for me, I watched the clouds unfold in front of a glass window while Austin is calmly seated in his chair, listening to music, and sketching Stan Lee in his notebook.

Ever since the plane left New York, I never felt so relaxed in my entire life: no bad storms, no shitty turbulence; just a kind flight attendant handing the passengers peanuts, drinks, and lovely smiles.

She even provided us Coco-Cola and dry roasted nuts to pass the time.

Setting the refreshments on our laps, I turn to the flight attendant and smiled, "Thank you."

"No problem," she said. "If you need anything, just holler."

I flashed her a wide grin. "Thank you."

As the flight attendant walked away, I noticed she was really pretty: the woman has lovely brown hair, luscious pink lips, a curvaceous body, and a butt which Austin couldn't stop staring at.

Annoyed, I smacked his arm really hard.

"Ow!" he growled. "Jesus, woman. What did I do?"

"You were checking out her ass," I snorted. "That's what you did."

"Oh, I am sorry. Have we met before?" he sarcastically asked.

"Hello, my name is Austin Hale. I love comic books, video games, and oh, wait, I am a guy."

I eyed him cautiously.

"Look, I want us to not draw any attention to ourselves."

Austin sighs, "and I want to date a European swimsuit model, but I don't see one."

When the flight attendant moves on to the next passenger, Austin craned his neck to look at her butt again, only to get slapped in the back of his head again by yours truly.

"Ow, " he whined, rubbing his sore head. "I am sorry, but I can't help it."

"Well, I can." I chortled.

Despite our easy travel to Australia, Austin and I feared for the worst if someone saw our profile in the news. Even if our identity isn't plastered on the news, I am worried someone might recognize us.

But luckily, we were smart: Austin has white powder smeared on his face, dark sunglasses sat in front of his eyes, and a pale blond wig covering every trace of Austin's brown hair.

Meanwhile, I had on black sunglasses, a dark gray beanie, a gray top, skinny jeans, and sneakers. Tightened braids formed my hair and dark purple color smeared along my lips.

After draining his soda, Austin nibbled on his peanuts, gets up from his seat, and excused himself to use the restroom.

Like worms on fishhooks, Austin's silver-blonde curls dangled in front of his forehead. His notebook is currently tucked inside his backpack, and his feet ushered across the gray carpeted floor.

In the meantime, I noticed a kid staring at me. He was a twelve-year-old looking boy who has messy muddy brown hair, sand-colored skin, and dark eyes, a long-sleeved black sweater, jeans, and white sneakers covered in a thick layer of dirt.

Surrounding him are empty blue seats taking space. And despite his age, it looks as if he is flying to Australia all by himself.

After taking one good look at me, the boy gives me a small flirtatious wink.