I wake up still uncomfortable.  It’s pretty dim.  The aisle lights, and the lights in the ceiling are on.  I am sitting in a stiff chair next to a beautiful woman.  She has blonde hair, and her face is caked with makeup.  She is wearing a tight red dress that cuts off at her knees.  She isn’t very tall, maybe five foot seven.  She has bright red lipstick on her small lips.  Her eyes are a very light blue.  Her skin is smooth and flawless, with makeup that is.  She must of had her nose done over.  It doesn't look...natural.  It's cute but not natural.  She has an empty drink on the fold out table.  She is touching up her makeup in her small handheld mirror.  The only words that we had shared were:

“Hey want some gum?” I said to her.

“Sorry I’m already chewing some.”

The first stupid mistake was asking her if she wanted gum.  The second stupid mistake was not noticing that she was already chewing gum.  Even so, you can’t tell me you haven’t made a stupid move on a gorgeous girl.  Don’t judge me, I’m only a freshman in college. 

Speaking of college, that’s exactly where I'm going.  It’s early September, and I got accepted to my second favorite college.  I'm getting away from my terrible household.  I don’t really want to dwell on that experience.  Right now, I’m on my way to The University of Miami.

I’ve been on this plane for a couple hours now.  Nevada to Florida is about a five hour flight.  I hate flying, but that’s the only way I could get to Florida.  Something about going hundred of miles per hour in mid air just doesn’t seem safe to me.  You know how many planes are in the sky at once?  A whole lot of em!  But, I shouldn’t worry right?  I’m halfway through...I think.

A bell that sounds like a house doorbell rings twice.

“Hello everyone this is your captain speaking.  We are experiencing problems with getting in contact with Miami.  Our departure will be pushed back until further notice.” The intercom shuts off.  A lot of the passengers on the plane moan and groan in anger.

Now I have to be on this deathtrap even longer! Lucky for me I don’t have be anywhere at a specific time.  A good family friend I know is meeting me at the airport. 

The hot model next to me seems to be frustrated.

I try to talk in a smooth voice.  “I’m guessing you had a meeting too.”

Her long eyelashes flutter.  “Yea my boyfriend…” My heart dropped, and my hopes jumped out of the planes tiny window.  “...was supposed to meet me.  Now we are gonna get there late, and he’s going to have to wait longer.”

“Oh too bad for him.”  I reply with a non-interested tone.  I turn away from her and get out of my chair.  Should have expected that one huh?

I strolled down the aisle as the airplane shook.  My seat was in the middle section of the plane.  Not good seats but at least I’m not right on the engine.  People are asleep, awake and listening to music, or mindlessly looking out of the window.  A lot of the people on here are business men and women.  More sophisticated than I am.  Or in a word...rich.

A flight attendant is going around the plane giving the adults water and snacks.  I must have been asleep when she came near me.

"Mommy! I see a cloud!" A little kid says excitedly in the row of seats next to me.  " It looks like a black bear!" He was in his chair on his knees looking out the window.  His mom was sitting next to him obviously not paying attention.  What moms do with their younger children.   When a kid says something to his mom that he thinks is interesting, she usually responds with "Oh nice." or "Wooooow"  But, we all know she isn't interested.

"Woooow Ben nice"  The mom responds.

Am I right or wrong?  I chuckle and keep on my way to the bathroom.

In the seat behind the kid and his mom, is a man writing in a journal.   He looks like the typical journalist. He has a à scarf on and a dark yellow cap on.  His wayfarer glasses stand out.  I turn my eyes forward and I'm almost at the back of the plane.  Then a little girl tugs at my jeans near my left thigh.  I glance over at her with a sweet, but fake, smile.  When I notice what the girl looks like, my heart stops, my stomach drops, and every feeling in my body leaves.  The girl looked just like my sister, almost identical.  Her eyes are brown.  She had the same curly brown hair.  Her nails are painted pink, and she has on the same pink and white poofy dress just like my little sister before she was-..."  It couldn't be her.

"Stacy come back to your seat and leave that boy alone."  That must have been her mom calling to her.  The girl smiled at me and skipped back down the aisle to her seat.

I'm going crazy.  I'm still tired.  I rub my eyes and continue to the bathroom.  Who knew so much could happen on a trip to the airplane bathroom?  I reach the back of the plane and there is a flight attendant .  A woman standing in front of the emergency exit staring out of the window.  She has her blonde hair tied up in a neat bun with the usual blue and white flight attendant outfit on.   But a very unusual tattoo.  I can't tell what it is but I can see some letters.

"Is-...it..beauti?"  The flight attendant mumbles under her breath. I couldn't make out all the words. 

I acted as if I didn't hear her and continued into the bathroom. I stepped inside the hobbit sized facility and closed the door behind me.

"Finally made it." I whispered aloud. I finish going to the bathroom then I take a step towards the sink to wash my hands.  I turn the faucet on and nothing comes out.  I twist the faucet back and forth but nothing happens.  I try the other handle and still, nothing comes out.  I think this my weirdest plane ride.  I leave the bathroom, and the woman who was there before isn't there anymore.  I walk quickly back to my seat without making contact with anyone else on the plane.  I plop down in the seat on the outside further away from the model. I don't plan on making anymore contact with her.  I don't even know if she is a model.  She sure looks like one though.

One of the flight attendants is walking towards my seat.  I stop her.

"Hi-..." She cuts me off

"Hello Sir, how is your flight going?" She flashes a wide smile.  Her teeth, sparkling white and flawless. 

"Yeaaa...uh the water in the bathroom... it isn't working.  I tried both handles and nothing happened."  I notice three different small pins on the left side of her blue vest.  Nothing too fancy but noticeable.  She must be the head flight attendant.

"We will see to it right away.  Thank you!"

"Oh and there is a flight attendant that was staring out of the emergency door.  I don't really feel safe with her around.  She has blonde hair.  Gold earrings I believe.  She also has a weird tattoo behind her left ear.  I couldn't make out what it was.”

The woman still has the very uncomfortable smile flashing.  “I will make sure I speak to her! Thank you!”

I give a fake smile back to her.  She turns left to go back the way she came from.  Something that I wasn’t expecting catches my eye.  She has the same tattoo behind her left ear.  It’s still too small for me to make out what it is.  Just like the other girl's tattoo I can see letters.  Maybe they are really close sisters.  You know how some siblings are so close that they do just about everything together.  It’s still weird don’t get me wrong but whatever.

I still have two more whole hours on this unusual plane ride.  Maybe I’ll take another nap.  I lay back in my stiff chair, close my eyes, and try to sleep.

…

I wake up by a hard, loud bump.  It sounded like it came from under the plane. The tray in front of me is out.  A glass full of what I’m guessing is water, is there with a red and white straw. A package of crackers is there too.  I don’t really want water or airplane crackers so I ignore them.  However, the model next to me has two empty glasses and two empty cracker packages.  The people in the same row as me in the next aisle also have an empty package of crackers and an empty glass of water. 

The plane is dark.  The aisle and ceiling lights are on but dim.  It’s like mood lighting.  I look towards the window.  Outside is completely dark, pitch black actually.  How long have I been asleep?  Are we close to Miami?  I feel like I’ve been on this plane for weeks. 

The intercom turns on and bell rings.

“Hello everyone this is your captain speaking.  We are experiencing problems with getting in contact with Miami.  Our departure will be pushed back until further notice.” The intercom turns off.

Isn’t that the exact same thing the captain said before I went to sleep.  No one else seems to be weirded out by this.  Two bumps, equal to the one that woke me up, sound on the bottom of the plane again.  This time they were more towards the front.  I don’t think turbulence makes a thumping sound.  Then I hear the sound of crunching metal from the back of the plane.  I look around at everyone else to see if anyone is phased by these noises.  Everyone is asleep.  At least everyone that I can see.  There are no children crying, people talking, or flight attendants walking around.  Something doesn’t seem right.  I get up wearily and walk to the bathroom.  Everyone has empty glasses of water and empty packages of crackers.  What was in the crackers and water...psh airline food.  I guess this isn’t a good time for jokes.  Where are the flight attendants?  Everyone can't be asleep.

I arrive at the bathroom and the emergency door doesn’t seem right.  The window is completely black.  I step towards the door but not too close.  The big window is pitch black.  I can’t see clouds, light, a moon, or us moving at all.  Just...darkness.  I turn around and rush into the bathroom.  What’s going on?!  Am I dreaming?  I turn the faucet on hoping that they fixed the water.  Nothing.  Some crappy flight this is.  I turn both handles at the same time towards me.  Nothing.  I begin to exit the bathroom, however, I notice something is coming out of the faucet.  It isn’t water though, it’s gas.  Black smoke is slowly oozing out of the faucet, a lot of it.  It starts making a black cloud.  I slam the door hard to try and keep the smoke inside.  That isn’t the only place the smoke is coming from.  The smoke is oozing out of the ceiling above passengers seats.  I walk slowly back to my seat avoiding the black smoke.  It’s oozing from the ceiling compartments into people’s eyes, noses, and mouth all at the same time.  Everyone is still asleep, drugged, knocked out, or whatever.  Everyone except me.

I make it to my seat without encountering this black smoke head on.  I sit down and to my left the model is also inhaling this smoke.  This is really freaking me out.  I don’t know what to do.  What is this stuff and why is it happening on my flight?  Why is it happening in the first place?  I’m pretty sure I’m asleep.  They say if you look at the time and the numbers rearrange, then you are asleep.  I pull my phone out of my pocket, and try to turn it on.  Nothing.  I look at my electrical watch.  Nothing.  What is happening?  I look at the words on the magazine in the back of the chair in front of me. 

It says Vogue magazine.  I wait a few seconds and the words don’t re-arrange.  I’m not asleep.  I turn back to the model and the black smoke is gone.  Her head is back against the headrest and her eyes are closed.  However, she is holding on to the arms of the chair very tightly. Her veins in her hands are popping out.  Her eyes open in a flash.  She turns towards me, and her eyes are pitch black.  My heart completely stops.  Fear overwhelms me.  She forms a menacing smile.

The intercom rings. “Hello everyone this is your captain speaking.  We are experiencing problems with getting in contact with Miami.  Our departure will be pushed back until further notice.”

An ambiguous whisper comes from the speaker. 

The intercom shuts off.