Page 24

Oxygen masks fall as smoke quickly fills the cabin around us causing me to choke on the acidic air that fills my lungs. I slump forward and press my hands over my ears as my body ripples with fear as everyone on board screams and cries out.

The engine exploded—right in the centre of the plane.

“Holy shit,” I cry out, and my chest curls and I cough as I inhale. Maison pulls the oxygen mask over my mouth, pinning it behind my ears. I finally open my eyes and through the lightning flashes, I see Jade and Nigel’s bodies just three feet away, each leaning forward, trying not to breathe in this toxic air, either. Both scrambling to put their oxygen masks on as the dark smoke thickens, completely obstructing my view of anything.

They are on their own. I can’t do anything to help them right now.

I dare to pull myself away from the dark safety of Maison’s body. “Are you guys okay?” I yell out to them. Jade’s hands are covering her face and Nigel shakes his head, letting me know they are absolutely not okay.

Maison grabs my head and pulls me back into him. “Don’t look.” His voice is eerily calm, given the circumstances. “Just hold on to me, London King. I think this plane is going to go down.”

The acid fills my stomach, and a wave of nausea rolls through me. Maison grabs my head, his thumb a soft caress on my cheek. His hands are the only reason I haven’t spilled my entire guts all over this plane yet. I breathe into him, trying to inhale him instead of the poison in the air, and focus on his spicy scent.

The plane tilts and overhead, there is another cackling sound as the pilot yells over the intercom. Then the plane seems to cease as gravity takes over and we veer downward toward whatever awaits us. This plane is landing, no question about that… except, I can’t see what is actually below us, and I can only hope these pilots are skilled enough to land us safely.

Screams and utter panic ensues—horrifying cries of my peers while Maison shells himself around me. My body is small and tight, and I fit inside him.

He leans his head into mine. “Don’t open your eyes for anything, pretty girl. Okay?”

My breaths become heavy as I hyperventilate, my pulse ticking harder than humanly possible. There is a strong possibility we won’t survive this emergency landing, and I don’t want to die—not like this. Five minutes ago, we were talking about a party, and I was flirting with him. How quickly circumstances can change.

I try to pull off him, to see what’s going on, but he won’t let me move.

The plane stops shaking, just wind, rain, hissing, and ringing in my ears as painful, precious seconds tick by.

“Maison….” I choke out a whisper, and he releases me enough to let me look at him in the darkness.

“It’s going to be over soon, I promise,” he whispers. “I will not let you go.”

I completely surrender to him. He’s a stranger, and an enigma I’m trying to figure out, but right now, he’s my saviour as this life-changing moment passes between us. The last moments before sure death, and all I can think about is how I wish he would kiss me. How that would be a nice way to go.

I close my eyes, rest my head on him, and focus on my heartbeat while I still have one. His hands rub and relax me, and I imagine we are on a date at the beach. The sun is hot, and I’m in a bikini and he’s rubbing sun lotion on my back. He leans down and nibbles on my ear and tickles my neck with his tongue. It’s a nice fantasy.

“The pilot has control of the plane,” someone yells from the front. “He’s going to land it. Maison, are you still okay back there?”

Maison yells back, “Yeah, we’re hanging on.”

He’s hanging on to me. I panic, my body shutters beneath him.

The screams echo now as the plane heads with alarming speed toward the ground or water, or wherever the pilot manages to land us.

The impact of the plane hitting the ground jolts me like a ragdoll. Maison keeps his hold on me as we screech and skid against uneven terrain. The smoke is so thick, I choke on my last breaths, as trees snag the nose of the plane and sparks fly all around us. Maison’s fingers slide between mine and he squeezes firmly, so firm I might have told him to stop, but that firm grip is a reminder that I’m not dead yet.

Glass shatters, seats break loose, and the plane’s wings shred. Bit by bit, tiny parts of the airplane rip off, ripping holes into its side. Windows break open as a heavy wind tunnel whips through the body of the plane. I hear the cries of the injured as liquid sprays onto my face, and I can only assume its blood from my classmates as the impact of the crash hits the inside of the plane.

Something slams into us, and Maison loses his grip on me, and the icy chill lingers from where he was just protecting me. I feel around for him frantically, but he’s gone. Then more screams, more crying, and then…… nothing.

“London, London, wake up. Please wake up.” Rough hands shake me, and I can barely make out voices from the constant ringing in my ears. The hands holding me now are not as soft as Maison’s. My eyes are heavy, and it’s easier to keep them closed than deal with the sight of the wreckage as my memories rush in on me. I must have gotten knocked out during the impact.

It’s the smell of smoke and burning flesh that brings me closer to opening my eyes.

“I think she’s dead,” Jade’s sweet voice pushes me back into consciousness, but it’s Nigel who is looming overtop of me as I peel my eyes open amidst the chaos surrounding me.

Every muscle in my body pulses and my throat is on fire from the acidic smoke I inhaled during our descent.

I’m not dead, I realize, even though I might wish I were. We all might wish we were from the impact of that crash. I may have lost consciousness right after Maison lost his grip on me, but he sheltered me from the worst of it.

Where is Maison?