Northern Lights

*o*n*e*

A U R O R A

I watched the scorching Arizona sun set over the cloudless horizon, washing my car in a muted glow of red. I drummed my fingers gently on the steering wheel as a familiar tune played on the radio.

The vehicles in front of me came to life as the traffic light shifted, and I continued along my way, humming along to radio.

My town was nothing spectacular; it was one of those places that just...was. A classic slice of suburbia where you could let your kids play outside without a trace of worry, yet just off the interstate where the vast majority, including my dad, made their daily commute.

I turned into the parking garage of the humble airport, leaving the sun-streaked sky behind me and continuing my daily routine, much like the sun itself.

The same routine I'd had since I was legally old enough to drive and had begged my dad to buy me my beat-up but trusty little Honda.

Swiftly parking, I headed into the lobby of the building where all the employees already knew me. The clerk gave me a nod of acknowledgment before losing interest, having seen me do the same thing everyday.

I stopped just short of the security checkpoint, opting instead to sit in the area where many others were waiting to see their loved ones return home. For me, I saw my hopes and dreams taking off as I stared out the large panoramic window. My eyes greedily soaked in the sight of each aircraft taxiing before being swallowed by the sky until they were just tiny, insignificant specks.

I had often considered buying a ticket and just leaving. After all, now that I had officially turned eighteen last month, nothing could stop me.

When I was younger, I dreamed that maybe one of those planes could take me to wherever my mom was, but I had long left that delusion behind.

In a way, I had started to sympathize with her leaving. After all, anyone could feel trapped in this quiet town. I sure did.

It wasn't that I had an awful life. Truly in most ways I was average: average grades, average appearance, average life. I knew my fate just like all the students at my high school. I'd end up going to the state school with the majority of my classmates. After school I'd move back to my hometown, or if I were feeling particularly adventurous, maybe a few towns over. I'd get married, have some kids and start the cycle all over again.

It couldn't have just been me who found that so...boring. I found myself biting my tongue about that particular opinion, knowing that if I talked to my dad about it he'd about have a heart attack.

So instead I came here. Watching other people journey on to the rest of their lives while mine felt like it was on standstill.

I had a habit of being a little dramatic though; my friends never quite understood why I "take things so seriously." So for 8 hours a day, I pretended. I giggled along with my friends and talked about the hottest gossip even though it always felt like something was missing. But I had gotten so used to it that if I tried hard enough, sometimes I even forgot I was pretending.

I jammed my headphones in my ears and started working on homework, still watching the planes take off in my periphery. When I first started coming here after school, I got a lot of questions from the concerned and somewhat suspicious airport staff. By now, it seemed like everyone had accepted my fake explanation of "studying better in a busy place," or at least they got tired of trying to figure out why I really went there everyday.

The sun sank farther as the deep orange hue was replaced by a bright full moon hanging in the inky sky. I took a quick look at my watch and decided to head home for another day of awkward "family dinner" with just my dad and I. 

I could picture the interaction already, the same as always: my dad asking how my day was, me answering in as few words as possible, and silence hanging over the dinner table until he finally gave in and turned on the TV to watch whatever was playing on the sports channel.

I strolled out of the airport reluctantly into the parking garage, getting out on the top floor. The richly starred sky twinkled above me as I took a breath of fresh air. Despite how lost I felt down here, something about the night sky had always pulled me in and left me captivated. 

I didn't realize how long I was looking up but when I finally tore my gaze away, I felt the blood rushing back to my head. My vision blurred slightly but as it cleared I noticed a new arrival. Barely within my range of sight, a plane had just landed on the runway. A pretty common occurrence at the airport, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to look away as the passengers began to disembark, directly onto the tarmac. 

I wrinkled my nose in confusion, wondering why they hadn't simply gotten out into the building through the terminal like every other flight.

Interrupting any semblance of thought I had, the piercing blue eyes of a passenger met mine, far more vivid than they should have been from that distance. I felt the breath knocked out of my lungs as I fell to my knees. A stream of other people- or whatever they were- left the plane with matching, glowing cerulean eyes. But I couldn't shift my gaze even for a moment: I was entranced by the unearthly man I had first locked eyes with.

Now, I didn't consider myself a particularly excitable person. In fact, I usually attempted to tone down my boy-crazy friends with a dose of realism. But, in this moment, I felt my heart beat so fast I could hear it pounding in my ears. My palms grew sweaty and my mouth dry; I felt drawn to this mysterious stranger. 

Before I could process the overwhelming sensations bombarding me, I saw a blinding flash of blue light and everything went dark.