The Unexpected Surprise                                                                             

                 “All right step through.” I walked through the metal detector. A red flashing light appears on the officers screen. I suppress a grin.
“Okay Lizzy, come on, what do you have?” Dad scowls at me as I reach into my pocket and hand him the items I had so carefully hid until now.
        They were my stepmom’s. Kim and I always fought over everything. I also loved to play tricks on her. At first I thought she would fight back, but she just gives me the evil eye. First, it was the soap in her cup at dinner, red stains on the favorite white skirt, and slingshotting  water balloons at her with a slingshot. Now that was worth the three weeks in the basement. But my latest scheme was my favorite.
        While I was sleeping in the basement, I found some pictures of my real mom. I’m not sure where she is, and I can’t remember her. What I do have are pictures. So I gathered a bunch of pictures of my mom and hung them all on Kim’s bathroom door. That’s why I’m now at the airport. Two weeks at grandma’s house. My dad says it will be a good experience.
Hah. I just laughed not thinking he was serious. But oh boy, was he serious. A good experience. He knows I know the real reason he is sending me there is to punish me.
       “Why? Your mother needs these.” Dad glares at me while I just grin.
“Mother? She’s not my mother.” I huffed.
“ Lizzy, come on. You know Kim just wants to get along with you. Why not give her a chance?”
When Dad blubbered like that, it was just kindling my flame.
        “Well,” I argued, “She doesn’t like me, she never gave me a chance. She just left me out of the picture for as long as I can remember. She is not anything I call family.”
I must have gone too far because I’ve never seen Dad back down from an argument. Dad looked at his feet and then back up avoiding my eyes.
“Okay. Let’s go. You’ll miss your plane.”
I know what I said was super insensitive, but, I needed to get it out. He had the right to know. I brushed my hazel brown hair out of my face, and hoisted my bag over my shoulder. Dad rolled the suitcase behind me.
           As we approached the gate a voice came over the speaker.
“All minors please board.”
  A girl I guessed was the other minor walked to the gate. Dad jumped right into my view blocking the girl. I only saw her hair. Hazel. Just like mine.
“Ya, okay. Love you.” I waved to my dad as I walked into the plane.
“Only two weeks,” I thought to myself. I hadn’t been to my Grandma’s house much. I didn’t know what to expect. I found my window seat, #21 on the left. I pulled out my phone as I sat down and pulled out my earphones. I plugged them in and turned on some music. I looked out the window waiting for what would be eternity until the plane took off.

I hadn’t noticed I’d fallen asleep until I felt the plane take off. My head whooshed back and whacked it right below the headrest.
“Ow,” I moaned as I rubbed the bump on my head. I pushed the tray up and buckled the hatch while turning back to my music. Enya stared up at me from my screen. I didn’t really like Enya, but right now I needed to calm down from my fight with my dad. I stared at the people in my row. A woman with a screaming baby. Wonderful. Then there was fatty in the middle. He was asleep drooling all over his shirt. So much drool that someone could swim in it. Not that anyone would want to. A gurgling noise rumbles somewhere from the man and erupts. A smell unlike anything I’ve ever smelled fills the air around me. I gag and my eyes bulge. I think I was unconscious for a minute before I gained enough energy to squeeze by and out into the aisle. I rushed through and stood by the bathroom. I opened the door and fell in.  Not that the bathroom smelled much better, but, it would do. I needed a shower, but washing my hands would have to do.
   I stepped out of the bathroom and found an empty row. I sat down. I’ll just wait until the smell clears out.
        “Hey, isn’t, um your seat up there?”
I looked up to see a flight attendant staring up at me.
“Oh, yeah. I just needed to take a break from that baby.” I lied. I needed a break from the farts is what I didn’t say.
“I understand, I think she’s quiet now, you can go back up there.”
I nodded and started back up. Please let the smell be gone. I walk up the aisle and tripped on someones outstretched leg right into a little girl coloring a picture.
“Sorry! Oh, I’m so sorry!” She looked up at me and started to cry. Her mom shot me a dirty look as I hurried to my seat. I squeezed through my seat and was just getting over fatty as  I felt my stomach drop. Next thing I knew I was on the ground.
“What the heck,” I mumbled as I pushed myself up.
The feeling of falling only grew as I buckled up in my seat. I’d been on one plane before and this is not how it’s supposed to feel. My flight was three hours. We couldn’t be landing yet. Just as I sat down a booming voice came over the loudspeakers.
“We are having difficulties with the engines. Please put on your breathing masks.”
Little masks fell from the top of the plane as still going down. The pilot must be trying to land it. But as I think remember how landing had never felt like this.
Then it hit me. We’re falling. I looked out the window against my better judgement and saw that we were gradually descending to the ground. At least that’s what it looked like.
It was in that moment I realized I could die today. I may not survive. So with that thought in my mind, I took back every single thing I’d ever said or done that wasn’t right. Even to Kim.

   I don’t remember what happened next.

“We’ve got her. She’s breathing.”
Through my eyelids I could tell I was outside. Light blazed and it seemed to get through my lids. I slowly opened one eye but quickly shut it.
“She’s awake! Quick get her some water!”
Thick dry grass surrounded me along with clumps of trees. I wanted to ask where I was but the words wouldn’t come out. I tried again and it sounded a bit better.
“Where, am I?” The words slurred as they came out of my mouth.
I tried to lean up, but my ribs protested. Must have cracked something. I used my limp arms to push myself up. Even though my left wrist screamed in pain I was sitting up.
           My vision was still smudged but I could tell two people were coming over to me. They were talking to me.
    “Are you okay? Can you talk? Does it hurt?”
I wasn’t trusting my voice so I pointed to my ribs and wrist. My eyes were focused now and I could see a flight attendant whose outfit was ripped and tattered. Then I remembered.

  The plane. The feeling of falling.
  “Didn’t,” I started, “Weren’t we on the plane. This doesn’t look like the destination.”
“Honey, one of the engines broke and we went down. We’ve only found six survivors. You’re one, and I’m two.
         Man only six. How did I survive? I pressed the can of water they game me to my mouth and took a large gulp. I challenged my legs and pushed myself off the ground, dusting my jeans and black shirt off. A thought flashed through my mind was I the only kid? I was now curious to see. I lifted my hand to my forehead and touch my head. Ow. How many spots hurt that I didn’t know about?
   I walked toward the plane, good arm clutching my chest that was in epic pain. I didn’t know if it was safe, but I wanted to know.
   “Hey kid!” I turned and saw a man that was looking for survivors. “Get away from the plane!”
   I backed away and walked over to a rock and sat down.
   “We’ve got a breather! Quick water!”
I looked at the still half filled water in my hand. I pushed myself up and over to where the survivor was. My ribs killed. I handed the glass over and stared at the “breather”.
My first thought was no way. The girl. Hazel hair. We could pass as sisters. She had freckles, hazel hair, I’m not sure what her eye color was but I had a feeling I would find out. The man that found her propped her up against a rock as she coughed and dry heaved. Her eyes flashed open. Yep. They were green. Just like mine. How weird.
“Holy cow!” The mans eyes got big.
“Do you guys know each other?”
“No I’ve never seen her before.”
“Well you guys are identical.”
I raised an eyebrow and examined her face. It was exactly like mine. There was no way we were sisters. I would have known. Around her neck was a necklace with a B engraved on it. It was a locket. I reached down and opened it.
        A picture I would recognize anywhere looked up at me. My dad is smiling like everything was perfect.
   I take a step backwards and trip over a log. And in the pain of my crushed ribs the memories flood back.
“Do you think we should tell her?” My dad on the phone.
“Do you think she’ll find out?” Kim and my dad.
I got up and off the ground and examined her face again. The same. All of a sudden her eyes fly open and she is coughing. She takes the water and takes a small sip. Dull green eyes. Something was going on.
   I figured my face is not the first thing she should see when she comes to, so I back up and walk over to the flight attendant and sit down by her on a log.
“Hey honey!” She says as she lifts a backpack up and over to me. My backpack.
“Thank you! How did you get it?”
I sit down next to her and open up my bag.
“Oh, some others were searching the plane for food. They found carrots and crackers in your bag. Is it okay if we split those up? We are all really hungry.”
I smile and nod. I pull out my iPod and for the most part it’s in pretty good shape. Except for a few scratches on the front.
“Do you think they’ll come for us?” I ask quietly.
“Who?” She asks.
“Help.”
“I don’t know. We can only hope.”
I reach into the backpack and pull out a small box the size of a chocolate box.
The tag on the front says Lizzy. I open the small box and a silver chain falls out of the bottom. I pick it up and realize it’s a locket. It’s just like her’s but instead of a B it’s an E.

It was then that I heard footsteps then voices.
“She took one look at your necklace and fell backwards like she knew who was in it.” A man said gruffly.
I turned around to see her coming up to me. I stood up, clutching my ribs as she took me in.
“Do I know you?” She looks at me suspiciously.
“Do you know him?” She opens the locket. My father.
“Yes I do. That’s a picture of my father.” I replied matter of factly.
Her eyes widen. They narrow at the necklace in my hand.
“What’s that?” She jabs a finger in the direction of my gift.
“A necklace.” I say flatly.
“Is there anything in it?” How many questions is she going to ask?
I open the locket up. A picture of my mother. From the same picture I taped on Kim’s door. Kim must have gotten it for me.
“Yes. A picture of my mother.” I held out my locket for her to see. She took one look at it and gasps.
“That’s my mom.”
I turn white. I feel the blood drain out of my face as I ask, “What does that mean?”
“It means, oh um I’m Bree by the way.”
“Elizabeth.” We both give our name unwillingly.
I stand up and walk over to her.
“Night is coming, we should probably get ready.”
“I’ll come with you.” Clearly there is no changing her mind.

   Together we walk over to where everyone is setting up. They hand us each a blanket and we go over to sit by the fire.
        An hour later, Bree and I are almost asleep as I ask, “Bree, how old are you?”
She turned on her side so we were facing each other.
“I’ll be thirteen on August 27th.”
My heart skips a beat.
“Me too.” I gulp.
Bree sighs next to me. She knows it too.
It doesn’t seem real yet. We were sisters and there was no way around that.
       
        The sound of whooshing woke me up. Where am I? Oh yeah. Thoughts of yesterday come back. I take in the surroundings. The tall grass and trees move with the wind. Everyone is up folding their blanket. Even Bree.
They are all looking at the sky.
An ear ripping noise fills the air. A helicopter appears out of nowhere. I step up and fumble my way over to Bree.
“What’s going on?” I croak.
“They’re here to help I think. They must have seen the plane on their radar.”
“Yeah, man I’m really dying to go home.”
The helicopter landed and two people came running out at full speed. Dad. He embraced me and said, “See you made a friend.”
“How could you not tell me?” I whined.
“A twin?” I glared.
He just smiled. At that moment I turned and saw someone staring at me.
“Mom?”
“Elizabeth!” She comes over to me and gave me a hug.
Then a third person came from the plane. Of course. Kim. She came over and a let go of my mom.
“Elizabeth, I’m so sorry. You probably don’t want to see me right now, but,”
I ran over to her and hugged her around the middle.
“No, I’m sorry. I really want to be friends.”
She beamed
“I would love that.”
We all walked to the helicopter and buckled up.
“Okay,” the pilot said, “We will send more help to clean up the wreck, but we need to get you all home.”
I wanted to be home so badly. I tried not to think about what had happened, what will happen. I was just glad I didn’t have to go to Grandma’s house.