If there was ever a time to be scared--It was now. I hate riding in an airplane. Well, I've never actually done it before, but I always dreaded the inevitable day when I would. It was a scary thought! Riding in this huge hunk of metal, thousands of feet in the air. Why would you want to do that? It's legal; everyone on this planet has sanity issues. The low rumble of the engine scares me. The turbulence alone scares the hell out of me. The person sitting next to me sleeps like a log, though. I don't know anything about 'it'. I haven't seen hide nor hair of them, yet. I think it might be dead, actually, considering it hasn't moved from the same position, or issued even a cough.
My name's Elsbeth Prichard. I lived in Nevada before I reached this plane. My mom's a very irresponsible woman. She liked to hand me off to any relative willing to take me. The concept of spending money on her own child never really stuck well with her. It isn't a personal thing for me, though. I hated her anyways. This time I got to enjoy a mind-numbing plane ride to Juneau, Alaska. My grandfather lives in a town a few miles south of there, and lucky me, I get to live with him. My Grandfather isn't horrible, mind you. He's actually a really cool guy. His wife just died, though. Which means I have to be the shoulder that he cries on.
I glanced to my wristwatch, which was a dark brown. It was about ten, which means everyone is more than likely asleep. I took a moment to look around, confirming this thought. I was practically nocturnal, myself. I could never sleep that early.
"Is this your first time flying?" The 'It' asked, and I just about flew out of my seat in surprise (I ended up jumping in surprise). "Woah-my-gosh!" I practically yelled in response. I could hear a muffled laugh from the person responsible, and grunted unhappily. I regained my composure, coughing lightly; as if it would make everything go away.
"I'm sorry if I scared--"
"Understatement" I interrupted.
"--Either way, sorry." He replied, giving a hefty sigh. I turned to look at him, ready to give a nasty little glare--I didn't. He was gorgeous! I mean, really gorgeous. He had deep-set green eyes, and short brown hair. I could see the pale of his chest when he scooted his--black--blanket down from his face; eyes deepening in color as he did so. It was amazing how easily he could just get you to stop in your tracks. He even had a flat stomach, which made him even better. I opened my mouth to say something, but ended up just snapping it shut ten seconds later. My mouth became dry--Really dry.
"I--er--Uh..ehe.." I formed these incoherent words, looking at him. His response was that of a total blank stare, and I figured I must seem like a complete and total moron to him. "I..Er. It's alright." I managed, staring finally to the seat in front of him. Crap. I'm such a dweeb!
"I didn't know you scared so easily, otherwise I wouldn't have done it." He replied, and I could see the smile that made his lips quiver. He was trying to hold it in, but I had a feeling it wouldn't hold for long. I heaved a much needed sigh, looking back at him. "It's not that big of a deal. You just surprised me, that's all." I somehow could maintain a sentence. Wow. That's good. He gave me a grin, and I couldn't help but smile back.
"What's your name?" He asked politely, looking like he was studying me, or something. I had to take a while to come up with my name. Jane? No. Ellen? Nah. Elsbeth? Yeah! That's it!
"Elsbeth--" Should I give out my last name?--shrug--Might as well. "--Prichard."
I couldn't help but stare at the guy. He was really handsome, and happened to be heading to the same city as I was. It was an insane coincidence. I just wish I were in his league.
"Why are you headed to Alaska, anyways? You seem like the California type." I blinked twice at the question.
"I do? How do I seem like that?" I asked, staring quizzically at him. I never thought I’d seem like a 'type', but apparently I do.
"You're bundled up like you'd never witnessed cold, and you're much too pretty for any Alaska town." I knew my blood was more than likely rushing to my cheeks at that moment. I could see the smile that was creasing his lips. Gosh. Why do I have to blush so easily? "Ah--uh.. I lived in California once. With my brother. I got moved out of there after about a year, though."
"Did you get in trouble?" He asked me, raising a fine brow. I snorted quietly. "Do I look like a trouble-maker, or something? Nah, my mom is an irresponsible parent. She likes to hand me off to any relative that'll take me."
"Mhmn. Was she a drug-addict, or what?"
"Nope, she just didn't like the concept of spending money on anyone but herself." I heaved a sigh with those words. That was about the only way of putting it. He gave me an understanding nod, staring out into the dark night once more. I tapped my fingers against the armrest, looking around. It was kind of disappointing to end our conversation so quickly. I guess it was inevitable, though.
It was already twelve o' clock, and since the conversation had left, I decided to fall asleep.
It was weird sleeping on a plane. Here were dozens of other people who could just be watching you sleep. That's an intimidating thing, you know. Especially since my dreams were usually nightmares of some kind. I didn't like dreaming one bit, but here I was.
It was dark outside. The cold breeze making our flag whip in the night. We lived on a nice hill, in a small little house.
Before my father died..
It was a nice life, then. My mother cared about me back then. I could look forward to coming home. An actual home. That seemed like a myth nowadays. I searched the horizon for him; My father. He should have been home by now. It was the late afternoon, and he was usually home by noon. I was worried about him. I squinted into the dusk, watching for him. Mother told me it was pointless. She told me he would be home eventually. I didn't care. I always met him. If I left, he'd show up. I just knew it.
When I saw the car pulling up our driveway, I ran to it. It might've been my dad, so of course I had to meet him! I'd be crazy not to! He always stopped the car to jump out and hug me. It was the biggest reason I loved waiting for him. I didn't realize the person driving was his friend. I did see dad in the passenger seat, though. So I headed to that one.
The truck slowed to a stop, the man putting the car in park as I ran up to the passenger side.
"Elsbeth!" The driver yelled, starting around the car. I yanked the handle up as he ran to me.
"Elsbeth, no--"
It was too late. My hands covered my eyes when I finally realized what dad was.
Dead.
"Elsbeth? Elsbeth?" I woke up to someone shaking me really hard. It took me a minute to realize I wasn't dreaming anymore. "Elsbeth!" It was quiet whispers, and they almost assured me that everything was alright. I broke out of my sleep almost instantly when I recognized the voice.
I opened my eyes, staring at the back of a seat. "What?" I snapped my head to stare at him, wiping the sweat from my brow. "I think you were having a nightmare, Elsbeth. I'm pretty sure you were, actually." The plane got hot really fast, so I unzipped my coat. "Er--Uh-Yeah sorry. I tend to do that a lot."
"Have bad dreams, or make agonized faces when you sleep?" He asked with a half-mind, staring at me. I nodded. "Both, thanks."
We stared at each other for a long moment, and laughed soon after. This plane ride wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be.
We were both startled when the plane jerked, sending me right into the arm of the seat (Well, technically my side.) "Holy Sh---oot?" I practically yelled, straightening myself. He laughed for a minute, then grunted as he was thrown to the left, his shoulder hitting the wall of the plane. "It's only turbulence. We should be fine. "Should?” That didn't sound very assuring. My knuckles whitened as they squeezed the seat's arm, and I gave a forced smile. "Ah, Okay." Hell, I was nervous. Really nervous.
Everyone yelled this time. Not because of the Turbulence, but because of the fact that the ceiling of the plane was cracking. The oxygen masks fell from the ceiling soon after, screaming and yelling filling my ears. I grimaced at the sight, just knowing exactly what they meant. I turned to stare at him. "So much for Turbulence, eh?"
He managed to crack a smile at that, and we grabbed each others hands. "It was nice to meet you, Elsbeth." He said in a near whisper, staring at me with a hard gaze. I could see the smoke from the Plane's engine behind him, and managed to give a smile.
"It was really nice meeting you---"

"œJacob.."

"Jacob, then. If we make it--I want to get a date with you." His nod made me feel so much better, those beautiful green eyes staring into mine. The ceiling cracked even more, the dark sky becoming visible as the plane tilted downward. The cold hit us in gusts, more than likely from going at such high speeds. It got hard to breathe fast, since the oxygen was low at this altitude. I could see Jacob's chest heaving to get air, and feel my own chest following his lead.
We both squeezed each others hands when the cockpit door opened, fire and smoke blazing in the night. We sat as still as we could, just watching each other.
Airplane rides aren't so bad..

I couldn't figure it out.

One moment, I was falling. Consciousness leaving me as I held a pale hand. It gave me comfort, knowing someone was there, willing to do that. Even with certain death drawing close. I could feel my grasp loosening, and I willed myself to keep hold. Oxygen went into my lungs in short, hard blasts. I stared over at him one last time.

Golden eyes glowed.

I wasn't sure if I was seeing right. Perhaps it was just me. "Jacob.." I whispered, and felt arms wrap around my body. I could barely move with all the momentum. I just grasped the shoulders tightly, squeezing my eyes shut.

"What a bad ending, to a beautiful start.." I whispered, unsure of if he could even hear me. I could feel a small chuckle, and he kissed my forehead. "Ah, but this is not the end, Elsbeth. Don't worry."

I fell to unconsciousness, unsure of what he meant.

Sunlight hit my face mercilessly. It wasn't really bright, seeing as it was Alaska, but it still hurt my eyes. I shifted in my bed, then looked to see a pair of tired hazel eyes. I recognized them almost instantly. "Grandpa." I croaked, unfamiliar with talking at the time. I took a moment to clear my throat, and he smiled at me. Grandpa looked like he was sixty, but from the time I had first met him, he acted thirteen. His skin was wrinkled, and his hair was as grey as it got, but he had always said, "At least it's still there."

"Oh Jesus! They were sure you'd be asleep another day or so!â" He squinted his smile, clapping once. "Thank god! I wasn't sure I could stay here another day. They could at least give us comfortable chairs, really.” His voice was deep, cracked. I realized how long it really had been since I had seen him.

My brain exploded. "They? Who's "They"? Where am I? Where's Jacob?"

"Who's Jacob, kiddo? You're in the hospital. And "they" are the doctors."

Another explosion.

“No, He was on the plane…He fell with me..” I rubbed my head, and felt a bandage on it. “What happened to my head?”

"They're not really sure. All they know is that you hit it." He sighed, "Elsbeth. Your plane crashed... No one, but you, survived. If this Jacob kid did survive, at all...We haven't found him."

"But he was with me." I replied, staring at my lap. "If you found me, then you would have found him, too." Grandpa shook his head, sighing. "You were by yourself, Elsbeth."

I wanted to cry. I stared at my lap, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. Jacob dead? I couldn't live with that possibility. I knew he was alive. I didn't know how, but I did know he was.