𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒: 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊 | 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬

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'After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.'
- Judith Lewis Herman

It was only Tuesday evening when they were on the plane to Australia, Daniel's home country, with Charles, Max and Lando. Charlotte also wanted to come along, but she had canceled at the last minute, where she had noticed that this was upsetting Charles. Kelly, Max's girlfriend, was also unable to come as she had Penelope at home.

Since Arthur didn't have a race in Australia, Luise could have stayed at home, but since he was on the road with Lorenzo and the DAMS team in France, this had not been possible. So she was on the plane to Australia.

They now had nineteen hours of flight time ahead of them and what the four of them would probably do most of the time was sleep off the hangover. After all, their bar trip was not too long ago and this sat him still deep in the bones. Still, they had caught it better than Daniel and Heidi, who had been on a plane just two hours after returning home from the club.

"Well hello, sobered up again?" was Max's first question when he met the Leclerc siblings.

Charles just smiled and shook his head. Luise had seen directly that Charles was doing quite well. Whereas when she had gotten in the car to join Charles, she was still tired and hangover-ridden.

"Of course," Luise laughed, " Don't you?"

"Yes, I am, but in contrast to you, I seem to be doing better already," he laughed.

"I don't know what you mean," she said, handing the suitcase to a servant. Charles did the same before they had even sat down in the lounge.

"And Daniel is still alive?" she asked, leaning further against the couch.

"Well, he has written to us. But I guess he won't be that well," Max laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

At the same moment, a slightly rushed Lando Norris approached the three. He too had the opportunity to drop off his suitcase immediately and then join the others.

"Got out of bed hard, did you?" asked Charles, laughing. Luise couldn't help laughing either.

"I did came out of bed early, but then my mom called. And once we get started, it always gets long," he smiled and dropped onto the couch, "But I still seem to be on time."

She didn't know why, but the fact that he was on the phone with his mom, and not just briefly, made him even more attractive than she found him anyway. And then he had those unkempt curls like he had just gotten up.

Luise was torn from her thoughts when they were called to board the private jet. This also worked out without any complications and was quickly accomplished, so that she could quickly sit down again to give her buzzing skull a rest. Lando and Max sat on the right side opposite each other between them a table. Then came the center aisle and then she and Charles sat also separated by a table.

She looked out the window and watched as the private jet crossed the tarmac and then took off to the skies. A little nervous, as she always was when she flew on a plane, she held the armrest of her seat and closed her eyes. Takeoff and landing were always the worst for her, even though she knew flying was the safest way to get from point A to point B. The boys didn't seem to care at all, as they talked wildly about Formula 1 and laughed out loud regularly.

When the plane assumed the horizontal position, Luise knew that the plane was now at the right altitude and the takeoff was successful. She leaned against the back of the seat and closed her eyes, listening to the voices of the boys in the background. At some point she fell into a light, restless sleep. Still, she heard the voices gradually fade away. She noticed how the light dimmed. Until she started to dream.