Orona (Book 1)

Chapter 1 - Brother's Trip

I didn't choose Orona; she chose me. In fact, I didn't even know she existed. When Orona calls, she doesn't give you a choice. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.

A few hours into our flight and I found myself frantically searching for the two ends of my seat belt. My chest tightened. Finally, I found them and quickly fastened them together, holding my breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts," said a nervous, almost panicked voice over the intercom. "We've encountered some unexpected turbulen—." The intercom went dead.

My head whipped back into my seat as the plane took another sharp dive downward and to the right, the air filling with gasps and even a few surprised screams.

"This is crazy, Troy!" said my brother Cubby, his short dark hair smashed in a mess. He'd been sleeping in the seat next to me when it started and was struggling to fasten his seat belt.

My stomach turned as thick waves of panic began to wash over me. Turbulence didn't usually bother me, but this was different.

"Your dream come true," I replied through the growing noise of the other passengers, trying to act like it was no big deal. Cubby smiled back menacingly. He loved this kind of stuff.

"I have to tell Amanda about this once we land. Maybe she won't be angry with me anymore. She is terrified of flying."

Cubby's wife Amanda was furious with Cubby for going on this trip. She has just had their second child, a girl named Eden and she really didn't want Cubby to leave. I'm somewhat surprised he still came. I've never met someone more obsessed with his family. He worships them. I guess the fear of missing out trumped his reluctance to come. These brother trips have always been so much fun in the past.

We took another dive and sharp steep roll to the left. Several people on the packed flight screamed as air masks tumbled from the ceiling. Bags and large suitcases spilled out of the overhead compartments, whacking some of the passengers.

"What is going on?" asked my brother Drew in a confused and somewhat angry tone. "I'm trying to sleep!" he said jokingly. He'd just started yawning when a bag flew by and hit him in the head. If he was unaware of just how bad the turbulence was, he sure knew now.

He had been up all last night, preparing the last details of our annual brothers trip. The four of us were headed to South Africa for a ten-day safari adventure, and Drew was in charge of planning this year's trip.

"Look!" yelled Cubby, who was sitting by the window. What had been a clear sunny day around noon was now pitch black with mysterious flashes of multi-colored lights. "We're going to hit the ground!!"

My eyes were squeezed shut, but when I heard his voice I opened them and turned my head toward the window. I could see what looked like dark mountains through the blackness of the eerie night.

The plane filled with screams as the captain pulled up hard. We suddenly all slammed against the back of our seats, and the serving cart came flying down the aisle past us. Just then, I heard a terrible screech of metal tearing apart behind me. My head slammed into the seat in front of me. I struggled to look behind, and watched in horror as the back part of the plane tore off and several of the passengers, still attached to their seats and screaming, were sucked out into the blackness.

Cubby was right. We were going down and crashing. The aircraft was being ripped apart, skidding along the rocky mountainside. The wings snapped off like twigs as they collided into large trees. Dirt and debris sprayed through the shredded plane, whipping me in the face relentlessly. Rocks, branches, and luggage hurled past and struck other passengers. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Something hard hit me on the head and I lost consciousness.