by Iorhael
I plopped down on my seat, and sighed. I was hoping for a window seat on this flight home from New York. Coming home to a home that was no longer a home after my parents’ separation was a really hard trip to make. I needed time to work things out. But here I was, on an aisle seat. Next to a guy with eyes bluer than the ocean… A guy…
Hey, I knew this guy! I looked closely at him. He was looking out the porthole. Sometimes he nodded his head to the tune of a song he was listening to on his earphones.
“Going to Des Moines?” I said, trying my luck. I had to raise my voice above the loud music that I could hear even without the earphones.
“What?” He stared at me, taking off the earphones. “Des Moines? Yeah. Yeah.” His voice trailed off. My heart leapt up.
Des Moines! Perfect! I mustered the courage to ask, “You’re Jordan Ward, aren’t you?”
He stared hard at me. I freaked out. I felt my face reddening at once.
“Sorry,” I muttered lamely, dropping my eyes. “I thought you were him. He’s from Des Moines, Iowa too. And his eyes are as blue as yours. But---”
I suddenly realized that I was being stupid. Millions of blue-eyed people come from Des Moines! I cleared my throat nervously, “Sorry, again.”
His face broke into a wide smile. “No need to. I am Jordan Ward.” He offered me his hand and shook mine warmly.
I was too speechless to even want to have that chat I dreamed of just a few moments ago, or even think of asking for his autograph. My God! I’m on the same plane with Jordan Ward! I adored him, big time. I knew all there was to know about him. I’d watched all his movies. He was great, really talented. But as to his private life, I’d read that only a handful of his closest friends knew about it. All I knew was that his parents got divorced when he was very young. I’d read somewhere that he always said his parents’ separation was not a big deal for him. But, wasn’t it really? How I wished I could ask him what he really thought of the whole wretched thing. I would be intruding into his privacy, I knew. Still, it was not every day I could sit right next to the famous Jordan Ward on a plane…
A plane. Yes. I nearly forgot that I was on a plane if it hadn’t been for the sudden lurching motion. A turbulence? I thought I was going to be sick. My eyes caught Jordan’s. He must have seen how pale my face had become.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered, more to himself most likely. “We won’t crash.”
But the plane seemed to be getting even more out of control, dropping sharply for hundreds of frightening meters before steadying again, only to rock violently the next second. There was panic and chaos in the cabin as oxygen masks were dropping suddenly.
“We’re not going down,” said Jordan, taking my hand. “We’re not.”
But I knew we would. I was sure we would. I shut my eyes, praying. Then I heard everybody scream, even Jordan. Bottomless darkness came over me.
***
I was awakened by a soft tap on my shoulder.
“Jordy. Wake up, hon. We’re off to Mississippi today, remember?”
I yawned and slowly opened my eyes. I didn’t feel like leaving my cozy bed. But confusion started to wash over me. Jordy? Who was Jordy? And this was not even my bed or bedroom. Where was I?
My mind slowly registered some things. A loud bang. A plane. Going down. Oh, my God! I remembered now. I remembered the crash, and I remembered Jordan Ward holding my hand through it all.
I looked around, trying to spot him. Did he die? But the more I looked the more confused I got. The place didn’t look remotely like a crash site. I was in a bedroom, and… did the woman really call me Jordy? But, how come?
I ran to the nearest open door. It was the bathroom. But when I saw my reflection in the mirror, I was in for a real shock. I was no longer an 18 year-old girl with long, dark hair. I only saw a boy, about twelve, with short, dark brown hair and big, azure eyes.
“Aaahh!” Even my scream sounded strange.
