Delphine's Awakening Book 1 [unedited]

Prologue

Off in the distance there is a faint sound, "Beep, Beep, Beep". Is that my alarm clock? I am awake in my mind but paralysis overcomes my body, which is not new, it happens quit often. Starting to chant "wake up, wake up, wake up..."

What is it? The sound will not stop. I realize it is not my alarm clock. The sound becomes more of constant buzz like a smoke detector going off. Suddenly, I am jolted and shaken, my stomach drops to my feet and the darkness turns into a flash of unfamiliar faces. Like ghosts from a lost dream, ferociously rubbing my eyes seems to allow them to adjust quicker, turning blurred faces to humans. My heart rate suddenly increases significantly as the hair on the back of my neck stands up. The feeling of panic consumes the air like a dusty blanket being shaken out. Suddenly realization sets in, I'm on an airplane. The disorientation of my clouded mind wares off and panic ensues. 'Where is that buzzing coming from? I'm not sure, is it coming from the cockpit? No, it is coming from all around me'. The seat belt sign starts to flicker like a marquis that has a lightbulb about to burn out. The noise gets louder and now my fear increases with the knowledge something is wrong with the plane.

The oxygen masks drop down, I jump like a jack in the box on its last rotation, sobbing starts to flood my ears.

I begin to look around trying to evaluate the depth of the problem. To the right there is a flight attendant helping an elderly woman put her mask over her frail and weathered face, consoling her trembling hands with a warm touch, at least as warm as she could fake. Fear placated her face with a forced smile but her beauty helped hide her emotions. The old woman's blue knitted sweater bringing a brilliance to her sky-blue eyes, her eye color even brighter due to the contrast of the red caused by the tears streaming down her face and her snow white hair. What appeared to be her husband sat in silence next to her, his eyes closed shut tighter than a child at night that thought there was a monster in his closest. His hands grasping the arms of the seat so tight his knuckles are powder white yet the places where blood seems to flow, as red as a ripened tomato, almost the same color as his face. His back pressed so hard against the back of the chair he almost becomes a part of it, the oxygen mask wrapped securely around his face. The flight attendant wearing her Alpha Airlines pin, a blue blazer, white dress shirt and blue skirt does a final scramble down the aisle hitting each seat as she trips from the swaying of the plane. She stumbles upon me nearly falling into my lap.

"Please put your mask on", she says with a fearful smile on her face. Her ability to hide her emotion is slowly fading making my heart sink even further, then for a moment her brilliant eyes paralyze me. They were two completely different colors, one a deep emerald green the other half emerald green and half brown. I have never seen anything like it. After somewhat coming to my senses, my heart picks up the pace, and flashes of my friends and family go through my mind. My hands fumble to grab the face mask. She quickly grabs the oxygen mask putting it over my face, I wonder 'how this will help anything.'

The pilot's voice pierces the air through the speakers, his voice crackling behind a 'don't panic everyone' voice, "We are having engine and cabin pressure issues so we will need to make an emergency landing in about five minutes. We will need everyone to stay calm. Those with seats in front of you place your hands on the seat in front of you with your head down. Those without seats in front of you place your head in your lap and wrap your arms underneath your knees."

The sobbing gets louder consuming the plane with a few screams when the plane dipped. Looking around the flight attendants were no longer within sight. But there was debris scattered down the aisle. It seemed like only a second went by when the pilot comes over the speaker "BRACE". "Everything is happening so quickly. The only sound you could now hear are "brace, brace, brace, head down..." being repeated over and over again with the sound seeming to come from everywhere. I am in a middle seat so there is not a window to look out of to try and determine the severity of the situation. I place my face in my lap, cradle my hands around my legs, close my eyes and pray....