Jarida Drabbles

In the same direction

Jack had successfully secured himself a window seat with no one sitting next to him and no obnoxious children nearby. Satisfied, he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"Hey, uh, I mean excuse me?" a voice jerked him back from the edge of sleep and he halfheartedly opened one eye. He could only see a blurry smudge of red. Blinking hard, a young woman with a bush of red curls and bright blue eyes came into focus.

"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is taken..." her voice was thick with an accent that sounded Irish.

"Sure." he said shortly and closed his eyes again. Mornings were generally a time of day that he'd always had trouble with. And among his ideal ways to spend mornings, plane rides were not at the top of the list.

Another voice broke the silence he'd been enjoying, this time much louder. "Good morning everyone. My name is John and I'll be your pilot today as we help you reach your destination. We'll be making a stop in Phoenix, where you can catch your next flight to either New York City or Topeka. Flight attendants will be around shortly"

The redhead next to him sat cross legged in her seat and was struggling to pull her hair into a huge ponytail. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she yanked her fingers through her curls. The hair tie snapped and she swore under her breath causing a chuckle from Jack.

Her scowl turned to him and she gave his form a once over before snorting scornfully.

"Sorry, it was just kinda funny." Jack held out his hand, feeling obligated to introduce himself "I'm Jack Overland."

She shook it firmly. "Merida Dunbroch. And before you ask, I'm not Irish."

"How did you—"

Her nose wrinkled in distaste "Americans always mix them up. I'm actually Scottish"

Jack grinned "Ye ken taek our lives but ye cannae taek our freedum!" he attempted unsuccessfully to imitate the accent from Braveheart.

Merida rolled her eye, but a smile crept across her face.

A slightly awkward pause followed before Jack asked where she was headed.

"I'm going to New York. And you?"

"So am I. I have to leave California, it's too hot here." Jack grimaced at the mere thought of the ever sunny California weather that so many adored.

Merida nodded, her curls bouncing around her face. "Back in Scotland the sun almost never came out. Anythin' other than overcast was shocking."

"If you're from Scotland what are you doing in the States?"

Merida fell silent, her face suddenly clouded and Jack took the hint.

"Sorry." he mumbled, though his curiosity about the girl next to him grew.

She shrugged and said dryly "I needed to get away from my Mum."

Jack knew better than to pry and a silence fell. Then they both reached into their bags and pulled out headphones. He closed his eyes again and tried to shut out the noise of the plane beginning to move.

The plane lurched to a stop under her feet and Merida inhaled sharply.

"Please buckle your seat belts, we'll be taking off now." the voice crackled over the speakers.

Merida quickly buckled and tightened the belt until it squeezed her stomach tightly.

The plane began to move again and she could see out the window, next to Jack, the runway passing faster and faster. She took a deep breath to calm herself. And then her stomach fell out of her ass.