Immortal Tales #Wattys2020

Chapter Forty One

Luz

Luz had always enjoyed flying.

Back when the planes had just been invented, she had been one of first civilian passengers to ever board one. Looking down at the world from the sky, most of her problems seemed so insignificant, so short-lived, so mortal.

During their short trip, Jane never raised the plane higher than the clouds, allowing her a full vision of the brown hilly landscape. It looked as if humans had never existed. A few ranches here and there broke the illusion of being on the dry planet Mars. Part of Luz wished she was down there, walking in the middle of nowhere with no one but her thoughts to keep her company.

Especially everytime that Mathias screamed in fear in the middle of a turbulence.

The immortal boy with the green eyes was not having the time of his life. His hands were holding the seatbelts so much that his knuckles had turned white. His curly black hair was covered in sweat, his lips perpetually curved for fear of imminent death.

When he had said goodbye to Sarah, his sister had seemed positively surprised that he would willingly get on the plane. Now Luz knew why.

The biotechnology expert had wisely decided to stay behind, protected by Andre in Denver. If the mist people needed her to finish their metal bodies, they didn't want to risk bringing her any closer than they already did. Andre had not been happy about the arrangement, but knew that once again that was the best strategy.

Isaac's head was turned against the window, but Luz could read sadness in his heart. She knew his eyes were wet with tears without looking at him.

She sat next to him and put a hand over his in reassurance. Isaac didn't move.

-You will come back to Andre - she said, willing her words to be true. She would make sure of that.

He nodded but said nothing.

The only one who seemed to be heading towards the party of the year was Jane, who happily whistled during the entire cruise. Luz knew she was scared too, but excitement clouded every second thought she could have about the fight.

One way or another, that was it. The end of their search for answers.

The planed shuddered. Luz looked out of the window and saw the beginning of the Chicago houses underneath their wings. Could that maybe be a turbulence as a consequence of the drop in altitude? Another shook made her grab her seatbelt as tightly as Mathias.

-Jane? - she asked tentatively.

Her friend was flipping switches furiously while the commanding stick was trembling out of control.

-Altitude check is fried, so is the cruise control and landing help. - she screamed.

The plane tilted to the right pushing her onto her window. Luz quickly unlocked her seatbelt and made her way to the cabin.

Jane had been right. Every compass, every screen, every monitor was twitching wildly as if in the middle of an epilepsy attack. A twinkling sensation arose on the tip of her fingers, down to her arms and deep into her chest.

-It's the magic wave! - she realised. -All the magnetic devices are going crazy because of it! -

In retrospect, they should have thought of this beforehand. Just like the idea behind Mat's Magic Finder 2000, the plane was bound to respond to variations in the Earth magnetic field. But now there was no time to assign blame.

-Can you direct the plane to that grain field over there? - she asked Jane.

-I can try! - she offered.