HEAT WAVES. manifest

chapter two: returning to nothing

┊┊┊┊ ➶ MJ 🛩⌇ ｡˚ ✧ ﹐

Mary Jones didn't want to spend four hours on a flight to return to New York. The last time MJ had been in New York, she had fought her parents and said some things that she would rather forget. MJ was sitting in the airport as she played mobile games on her phone, listening to music, attempting to drown out her thoughts. MJ's thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind as she listened to Speak Now by Taylor Swift, MJ was zoned entirely out until she felt a tiny tap on her shoulder. MJ turned around to see a young boy and girl sitting behind her, MJ assumed they were twins, "Hello?"

"Hello!" The girl squeaked, energetically waving at the older girl, "My name is Olive and this is my twin, Cal. He thinks you're really pretty."

"I do not!' The boy, Cal, cried.

MJ laughed at two antics, her sour mood softly lifting. "Sorry, bud. I think I'm just a bit too old for you."

Olive tilted her head at that response, "Really? I thought you were the same age as us. We're ten-"

"But our birthday is in July."

"I'm thirteen, my birthday was last month."

MJ tried not to laugh as she saw the young boy's face fall as he heard that they were two years apart. Her ego was boosted as she realised that he had a crush on her. MJ looked around the airport and realised that the two twins were sitting alone, "Where's your parents?"

Olive, who MJ was starting to realise was the more talkative twin, pointed across the room to another row of chairs. "Our family is over there, Mum and Dad said we could talk to you."

MJ looked at the large family, an old married couple was talking to a young adult with blonde hair and a younger married couple was looking at a laptop and arguing about something. "All passengers for Flight 537 to New York John F. Kennedy Airport, your attention, please."

Cal and Olive's heads popped up at the mention of their flight, "Oh that's us. We need to go back, it was nice meeting you-"

"MJ," she offered her name before the pair of twins ran back to their family. Just as quickly as they left, MJ started to feel alone again, lost in her thoughts.

"This flight is oversold. We are offering travel vouchers in the amount of $400 for anyone willing."

As if MJ's thoughts and worried had been heard and understood, MJ was given a chance to escape the awkward encounter of seeing her parents again for a few more hours. MJ stood up and walked over to the desk.

┊┊┊┊ ➶ ❁ 🛩⌇ ｡˚ ✧ ﹐

MJ was sitting near the window, ever since MJ was little she would get motion sickness in cars, planes, boats and anything else that moved. She was holding a sick bag, preparing for the moment that she might need it. MJ was looking out the window when suddenly she saw a bright light appear in the sky and then thunder. The plane started to shake, alarms going off. The plane is thrown around because of turbulence caused by the lightning, and people sitting throughout the plane start screaming. MJ started to cry, she wished her mother was here, that she could get the chance to apologise to her parents, to tell them that they were right. Memories of the last conversation with her parent came to MJ's mind as tears poured down her face.

FIVE AND A HALF YEARS AGO

"Kick out of another school?" Her father shook his head, as they walked inside their small apartment.