Blame: Book 2- Tick Tock (The Sequel to Book 1)

Up in the Air

"I haven't been to Pennsylvania before," I whispered to Alicia over the subtle noises of the passengers' voices.

"Neither have I," she smiled. "Apparently Hannah grew up there."

"Interesting..." I became intrigued. "How did you guys figure out where she was going?"

"Erm..." Dan awkwardly blushed and began his bizarre habit of fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Long story."

     "Uh huh," I cocked an eyebrow at his response. "I see," my mouth curved into a large smirk.

     "I'll just say that he zoned out for like an hour and nearly embarrassed himself in a hotel lobby," Alicia whispered in my ear.

     "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome on flight NM381, from Chicago, Illinois to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My name is Ronaldo and I'll be your pilot for this ride. The duration of this flight will be approximately one hour and thirty minutes long, we ask that you stow away your bags in the overhead compartments or place them at your feet. Table trays should be up during takeoff and landing, and please make sure that your seat is put into the upright position. Smoking is prohibited in the cabin, and we ask that you stay in your seats until we are in the sky. Our wonderful flight attendants will be serving drinks and snacks, and Wifi will be offered at four dollars and ninety-nine cents per hour. Please check that your mobile devices are set to airplane mode and stowed away during takeoff and landing. We hope you enjoy the flight, so sit back and relax for the next hour and half."

     "That was a fucking mouthful to take in," Dan mumbled. "I nearly fell asleep during that."

     "Same here," Crystal rolled her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm probably going to end up falling asleep on this plane," she shrugged a small laugh.

     "I just need to eat something," Alicia laughed. Same.

     Within seconds, the pilot came back onto the overhead speakers, stating the obvious, which was the fact that we were slowly making our way to the runway, filled with planes of Alaska, United, China Eastern, and so many other airlines that resided at the airport. A flight attendant casually walked by and greeted everyone, check that everything was in its place, and if things were in order. Then, the speed took me by surprise, and I leaned further back into the soft seat, feeling a slight dizzy spell as we ascended into the air, still tipped back slightly until we reached the peak of the sky. I looked behind Alicia and I, gazing at the passengers either sleeping or anxiously waiting out the ride. It was a bit weird that they would be sleeping, but seeing Crystal already shutting her eyes and resting her head on Dan drifted my troubled thoughts away.

     Goddamn it, Will. Stop thinking about Hannah. Just know that you're one step ahead of her.

     "Would you like some pretzels?" a young woman approached Dan and Will with a sweet smile, pushing a cart of drinks and snacks.

     "Yes, please," I nodded. "Two pretzels please, and could I have some Sprite?"

     "You may," she smiled softly and passed the snack packets to me. "And here's your drink," the attendant gently slid the cup onto my tray. Then she turned to face Dan to take his request for...animal crackers?

     "I thought Kyle's the only one who likes those," I frowned at his childish side and pointed at the giraffe shaped piece of wheat that he hastily stuffed into his mouth.

     "So? I'm hungry, don't fucking judge me, Will."

     "Stop moving," Crystal muttered, cuddling further into Dan's side. "You're a good pillow."