Alpha Project II: Axis

Chapter Four: Travel

A normal flight from Paris to Transylvania is usually about three hours. However, their jet could get them to their destination in an hour and a half. Once they were flying, the hologram reappeared and took the group's orders. Two minutes later, the group had more or less spread out. Cole had moved to the table across from the group's and stared out the window, growling every once in a while. Lara couldn't tell if his growling came from the hologram's news that the jet didn't have any beer or if Cole was just a ball of anger. Four cloaked figures sat in the table next to Cole's. Every times Lara looked in their direction, she felt as if one of them was staring at her. They seemed to be moving by themselves. Kira sat with them, manipulating the figures. With their hoods on, Lara could only see the figures' eyes, which seemed to glow different colors. Lara quickly looked away whenever she saw the colors in their eyes. Riku and Leo lied down on the couches connected to the table next to Lara's, both already asleep. She then looked in front of her, at Lucia, who stared out the window. At least, she did whenever Lara looked at her. She couldn't tell, but she thought that she had caught the Italian looking at her. She shrugged it off as her just being completely paranoid. Lucia broke the silence.

"Nervous?" she asked, switching her haze to Lara.

"A bit. We're about to fight a vampire," she said, already shaking.

"Why are you scared?" Lucia asked. "Even if he was a vampire, what could he do to you. Your skin would shatter his fangs,"

"But what if it didn't?" Lara wanted to move, but she didn't want to sit near Cole and this was the only row that wasn't taken by a puppet or a sleeping boy.

"It won't. Besides, this guy isn't a vampire, he just has the ability to use Hemokinesis. Relax," she said, sitting back. Lara suddenly found the table very interesting and began staring at it. As she looked, though, she could still feel Lucia's gaze on her. Lucia spoke after a minute of silence.

"Are you scared of vampires?" she asked.

"No," Lara said, quickly. "I just..." she didn't finish her sentence. Lucia motioned for her to continue, but Lara was too busy studying the table to notice.

"Go on, you just what?"

"I'm just scared of dying," she said. "I didn't want this, to be sent to fight some war that wouldn't have affected me anyways." She was visibly shaking.

"Well, we it does not," Cole growled from his corner. "Now stop whining. We don't have a choice." he got up and walked over to their table and nearly got in her face.

"I'd rather be anywhere else right now. If I could leave, I would. But I can't. So stop whining." he turns and begins to walk away. Half way back to his table, he stops.

"If that thing bites you, I'll make it the last thing he ever does." He walked back to his table. She remained silent, staring at the table. Lucia looked to see that Cole was back in his corner, gazing out the window. She turned to see Kira looking at Lara. She couldn't interpret the look on her face. Is that... envy, she thought. No, it couldn't be. She was thirteen, he was sixteen. She got the idea out of her head. She then looked back to Lara, who was seemingly frozen in place. Ironic, considering the fire boy had put her in that state.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Lara answered.

"I...I'm going to go to sleep." she pulled her jacket around herself.

"Do you want me to hold you?" Lucia asked. Lara glared at her for a moment, wondering if she was insulting her or being serious. She took it as a joke.

"Ha ha," she said, sarcastically. She then lied down and almost immediately passed out.

MEANWHILE