They sat there in silence for a moment, just happy to be in each other’s presence. Staring out the window, Riley watched as the clouds began to darken. The soft sound of thunder booming far off in the distance made her jump nervously and edge closer to Luke. He put a protective arm around her shoulders and draped a downy blanket across her legs.
“I thought planes aren’t supposed to fly in storms,” she whispered to him.
“Don’t worry,” he said reassuringly. “The pilot knows what he’s doing. He wouldn’t have taken off if it wasn’t safe.”
Riley nodded, not convinced, and nestled closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Luke murmured, stroking her cheek. She reached out for his free hand and clasped her fingers around it. Then, slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
After what seemed like only a few minutes, Luke jerked her awake, taking no care to be gentle.
“Riley, get up,” he whispered urgently. “Sit up and put your seatbelt on.”
Sleepily, she complied. She was confused, but too tired to care what was going on. She was vaguely aware of people screaming and rushing to and fro all around her. Suddenly, a tremor ran through the plane as it hit a patch of turbulence and as Riley was roughly jolted back into reality a wave of fear ran through her. What was everyone so worried about? she wondered. She turned to Luke and found him pulling two pillows down from the luggage rack. He handed her one as he sat down, fastening his seatbelt.
“What’s going on?” Riley asked nervously.
Luke tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re just passing through a little storm and the pilot wants everyone to take a couple extra safety precautions.” He took the pillow he had given her and set it on her lap. “Here, tuck your knees under the seat and rest your head on the pillow. Then cover it with your arms, like this.” He reached out and gently pulled her into the position he was describing as the plane began to rock violently from side to side. Screams erupted from the passengers, and Riley whirled around to face Luke, who was sitting in the position she had been in moments ago.
“We’re not going to crash, are we?” she demanded, a trace of alarm in her voice.
“Please get back in your seat, love.” Luke said patiently. “Curl up like I showed you, it’s the safest way.”
Riley panicked. “Oh my God, we are going to crash! This cannot be happening! What about my parents, Luke? What about us? Oh, Luke, Luke, Luke…” Her shouts dissolved into tears and she sank into her seat, protecting her knees and head as instructed. The plane shuddered once more and Riley felt her stomach drop. Suddenly, she stopped crying and reached up to wipe away her tears. “You know what, Luke?” she said after a minute. “If we have to die, I’m glad that we’re together. I love you so much…”
“We aren’t going to die, Riley,” Luke said reassuringly. “That’s why we’re curled up like this. Just brace yourself for impact. The window next to you will probably shatter, so as soon as we hit the water climb out of it and start swimming for the surface if the plane goes under. I’ll find you, don’t worry.”
And then they hit. The jarring impact caused Riley to fly forward against her seatbelt and she heard a loud crack as a wave of pain shot through her chest. She could feel blood running down her face where glass from the window had sliced the fragile skin. Icy water began to trickle into the plane and within moments the water was up to her ankles. She reached to undo her seatbelt and collapsed in pain. “Luke!” she gasped, “Luke, help! I think I’ve broken a rib, I can’t move, I…”
She fell silent as stars twinkled before her eyes and took a deep breath, fighting to stay conscious. “Luke?” she queried once she had righted herself, and, moments later, she felt someone unstrap the seatbelt and lift her gently from her seat. Another wave of pain shot through her and her eyelids began to flutter closed. She struggled to keep them open but could not. Slowly, wearily, she allowed them to drift closed, but not before she caught a glimpse of her rescuer. She had, of course, already guessed who it would be, but found it reassuring to know for sure.
It was Luke.
And as the world went dark she smiled and knew that everything was going to be okay.
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Canary word: Present
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125,029 Literary Works • 672,779 Reviews
Wow, good job! This was a suspenseful read! I enjoyed it very much. just a few little pointers:
again, details. When they crashed, was there a sickening knot in her stomach? as blood trickled down her face, was it warm and sticky, or slick against her pale sweaty face? when the glass shattered, could she hear the roar of waves? were her hands clammy? did she see or hear any other passengers besides Luke?
Great job though, I'm excited to see what happens next!