Minds in a Knot (Updating)

XIII, Sky High

        She stretched her legs out to her front, getting her tense gears grinding, her feelings in a jumble. She never liked boarding an airplane as a passenger. Her skepticism for any pilot that flies air crafts is as deep as the Pacific Ocean. Which, coincidentally, was the exact same ocean below them that time. The only way she would comfortably settle down in a plane is when she's the one who's flying it. Although she had no experience at all, no knowledge of the colorful buttons that would seem like Greek to her, and no idea what she would or wouldn't do in any situation as a pilot, she was determined to learn. That burning determination had led her smoothly through the meanders of education and was eventually granted a chance to study abroad for her desired course two years ago.

        As carefree as she looks, she's a beast when it comes to studies. A ferocious, raw and feral beast. She treats exams like battles to the death. Her successful achievements had never surged her pride, she had never flaunted her great intellect. She was humble and kind, and as ironical as this may sound, although she was at that time, a few thousand feet above the ground, she was a down-to-earth type of person. But never mistake her as someone who'd go easy on you. If you piss her off, she'll be more than delighted to chew someone off.

        Her body felt numb, confined, the seat being too ergonomically designed; it hurt to sit on it for an extensive period of time. Have you ever heard an expression that goes something like this: too much of anything is never good? She could clearly relate it to her overly cushioned seat. The flight was only minutes in. It was her first time in successfully getting the ticket for a seat on the front row. The closer she was to the control room, the more she felt at ease. Just looking at the door to the control room with the Pilot's name engraved on a steel plate made her motivation rocketing sky high. One day in the near future, she was sure, she would soar the skies, carrying passengers of different age groups and of different origins, above the face of earth, in a gigantic vehicle equipped with wings and two turbines she had admired since she could speak. This was her passion.

        She peeked out of the window. The clouds, being majestic and dreamy if seen from the ground, now looked like puffs of uneven cotton pads manufactured by that Company no one ever likes, defying the law of gravity as they float without worries, unlike Sylvia herself, who grew quite anxious as the aircraft glided through the puffy clouds. She still found it to be beautiful though.

        Sighing, her fingers worked through the items in her handbag settled between her thighs. She sighed again. A few more random attempts in grabbing without looking, she found it. A Polaroid photo, neatly kept, no folds whatsoever, clean as new. She took a slight glance to her neighbor. He was wearing a t-shirt with a horizontally flipped and slightly edited Playboy Bunny logo, too big for his torso, hints of his bellybutton bare. This guy had his mouth wide open, his head titled back and leaned almost too comfortably for it to be a posture used in public. His snore sounded more like abrasive growls, like rocks tossed over to a cliff by the strong waves rather than uneven blocked inhales and exhales. Obviously, he wasn't looking. Sylvia wanted to make sure of that.

        This photo evoked a nostalgic vibe, the faces of the squad including herself taken before her departure two years ago still in their pre-puberty state. She hovered her eyes through these faces, trying hard to recall every facet of the memory during that day. Being in a several-hours flight made her hyper-aware. Her brain could focus on almost anything else, as her body was basically rooted to one seat, her movements restricted. She attempted to study the emotions portrayed on each of the faces on that photo. From their smiles, their posture, their eyes, where their hands were, the way they crossed their legs, and in Nathan's case, the way he didn't really care about inhaling to make his tummy visually flat as an attempt to be photogenic. His face had a one-sided smile, feigned if observed carefully. His eyes weren't looking at the camera, he turned his head to Sylvia instead, who was standing in the middle surrounded by the others.