The Peregrines

Chapter 18.

The airport security conducted a body search and checked my bag. Although I was right, once you're on their watchlist, you're always on their watchlist. When they took me aside, I gave them a thumbs-up. The security team was aware of my inability to speak, so when I nodded and indicated that I was comfortable travelling with these individuals, everything was sorted and we could proceed.

As we made our way down the stairs and into the bustling crowd, we instinctively stayed close together while passing by the fast-food joints, newsagency, and various shops. It felt like forever before we finally reached our gate, number 42, at the airport. The sheer size of the airport and the slow pace of the crowd made the journey seem much longer than it actually was.

Jake, his dad, and I were seated on these unique five-seater chairs at the terminal, and each end of the chair had an outlet with two plugins. These were meant for charging devices and other similar purposes. Isn't that awesome?! I couldn't resist turning around in my seat and gazing through the transparent glass window, where I could witness nearby planes taking off or landing.

When our plane finally landed, the sun was setting. It's amusing how we've been here since 9 am and now it's already 5:47 pm. We spent a total of 8 hours and 47 minutes waiting. Jake's dad mentioned to us that there was a delay caused by a storm in Europe, England.

Everyone was eager to get on the plane all at once, so the flight attendants organized the seating by section. Those who had tickets with the letters A to J were seated at the front, K to T in the middle, and U to Z, including us, at the back of the plane.

When we reached the room with stairs winding downwards, Mr. Portman handed me my ticket. I approached the ticket lady for scanning, and within moments, I was allowed to proceed. Jake joined me, and we descended the steep spiral stairs together until we reached the ground floor.

The individuals wearing bright orange vests formed two lines, extending their arms to indicate the proper and secure direction for us to board our plane. We walked between them, positioning ourselves in the centre of one line.

As I reached the metal stairs leading to the back of the plane, a friendly flight attendant greeted me with a smile. She kindly requested to see my ticket, and I promptly showed it to her. She then informed me that my seat, Z12, was located in the second-to-last row, right by the window.

When we all took our seats, I suddenly realized that this was my first time flying. I quickly fastened my seatbelt. Jake and Mr. Portman did the same. The captain's voice coming over the PA system caught me off guard.

The captain discussed the weather, the location of our lifejackets in case of an emergency, and how to properly put them on. The flight attendant pointed out the oxygen masks and other safety equipment. While he explained the procedures, three flight attendants demonstrated them.

1 at the front.

1 in the middle.

1 in the back.

While the Captain was speaking, they were demonstrating. Once both the Captain and the flight attendant finished, the plane started moving slowly and then picked up speed. "Hold on!" I heard Jake's bumpy voice. As I glanced at him, I noticed how tightly he held on to everything, his eyes shut tightly and his teeth clenched.

Heh, poor jake.

As everything unfolded, I found myself irresistibly drawn to the window, captivated by the sight of the gentle, fluffy clouds below us. The rosy tint of the atmosphere we were soaring through felt absolutely enchanting. It was a truly magical experience for me.

I'm not entirely confident in speaking for Jake. His eyes are closed, his complexion pale, gripping the armrest tightly until his knuckles turn white. "You know . . . It's not so bad up here. . . it's really beautiful if you look out the window," I whispered as I tried not to feel too bad for Jake being scared, this was beyond my control.

I found it fascinating that we were flying so high up in the air. I wonder if I'll ever experience this kind of height again once I transform into a peregrine falcon. I'll just savour the remaining flight for now. The plane swayed to a rhythm as the sun started to set outside, lulling me to sleep.

We needed to board approximately 3 planes and 1 train. While on the train, I found myself exploring around as it was my first time riding one. When Jake and his dad dozed off, I took the opportunity to check out each train car - some were occupied, some were vacant, and some were halfway full or empty. After thoroughly exploring, I eventually made my way back to my assigned car.

At last, the train came to a halt. Jake, his father, and I were fully awake by then, eagerly gathering our belongings. Once the train stopped, the three of us swiftly disembarked and made our way towards the station. Our plan was to catch a bus from there to the taxi station, and from the taxi station, we hailed a cab to reach the boat station.