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JUNEAU AND THE ASHLEYS
Leaving Juneau was very tiring for Jacqueline. Her and Max had to wake up at three in the morning to get to the airport. Three in the morning! That was the earliest Jacqueline had ever woken up for anything. They sat around for two hours in the lousy airport, waiting for their plane to Seattle. Mrs. Ashley and her daughter Gina were kind enough to come with them to see them off and all. However, Jacqueline sort of wished they hadn't. It wasn't because the Ashleys weren't good company, quite the opposite, the Thindrels loved being around them. But it was because they were such good people that Jacqueline didn't want them around. She didn't want to say goodbye to them. She hated goodbyes.
When it was time for the Thindrels to board their plane, Mrs. Ashley burst out into tears. She grabbed them both, hugged them tightly, and wished them a good flight. Jacqueline tried to stay positive. She really tried. But even though she kept telling Gina and Mrs. Ashley that their departure was only temporary, she felt herself slowly dying inside at the thought of leaving.
Gina was perhaps the most unhappy about the situation, surprisingly. She, like her mother, took Max and Jacqueline in her arms for an embrace. The three of them had known each other since primary school. They weren't friends, they were family. It's a rare thing to get close to somebody like that. They had spent almost every day of their lives together and now they were being separated. Everything was falling apart.
"Call me when you can," Gina said for the twelfth time that hour. Jacqueline only nodded and hugged her friend tighter. She closed her eyes as she did, fighting back the urge to cry.
"We'll call as soon as we land," Jacqueline promised, holding back a sob. Now she really wished the Ashleys hadn't come to the airport. They were all on the verge of tears. Max tugged his sister's jacket, signaling that it was time for them to leave. And with more heartbreaking goodbyes, Jacqueline left to board the plane. Neither her nor Max said anything during the flight. She supposed it was because they were both too tired to speak, but really it was because neither one of them wanted to acknowledge what was happening. Things were easier to deal with that way-- unspoken.
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FLIGHT ONE AND FLIGHT TWO
It was a long flight from Juneau to Seattle though Jacqueline wasn't really sure what a long flight was supposed to feel like- she hadn't really traveled much before now. The morning flight was exhausting and the Thindrel siblings landed in Washington around nine. Jacqueline's body was aching all over and she was hungry as hell. Max was pretty much the same, but he tried not to show just how tired he was. In fact, he tried to act like an overly responsible big brother, much to Jacqueline's annoyance. He took their luggage, flat-out refusing to let his sister carry anything, and led the way out. But Jacqueline knew he was just distracting himself from their situation. Whenever Max felt down, he stopped talking and acted more serious about things. Jacqueline usually left him to his own thoughts when this happened, which is what she chose to do now. She followed him to the airport, sort of rubbing her eyes on the way there from how tired she was. Neither one of them dared to speak.
From there on, things only got worse for the two because they needed to get on another flight almost immediately. They were to fly all the way to some place called Port Angeles. Just the thought of spending more time in another plane made Jacqueline want to blow her brains out. Still, she didn't really fuss about it. She was too tired to fuss about anything, which was a first. Max got them both turkey sandwiches though, which wasn't too bad. They ate very quickly, barely getting the chance to savor the taste. Not that airport food had a very savory taste to begin with.
