Chasing Clouds

by Annabelle Knight

  When everything was done and dusted, contracts signed and hands shaken, Elodie made to leave. Gareth had told her that her schedule would be emailed to her every Friday at seven am. She had been given her own pass now, which got her through the majority of doors. She pushed open the door and walked through the corridor, but before she could round the corner to the exit, she heard a voice she recognised. Aaron was talking to someone.

  Elodie stopped dead in her tracks, hardly able to believe her bad luck. She heard a woman’s laugh and couldn’t help herself from peering around the corner to get a better look. She saw Aaron immediately, dressed in dark denim jeans and a grey top, his luminous yellow cleaner’s tabard held loosely in one hand. Elodie’s heart skipped a beat. Aaron looked great. She leaned out further to catch a glimpse of the woman he was with: it was Grace. Elodie hadn’t recognised her voice for two reasons. Firstly, she had only just met her, and secondly, she had never heard her sound happy. Grace was smiling and had her hand placed delicately on Aaron’s shoulder. She threw her head back and laughed; obviously, Elodie had caught them in the midst of a private joke. Grace leaned forward, gave Aaron a kiss on the cheek and strode off, giving him a wave over her shoulder as she went. The truth hit Elodie like a tonne of bricks: Aaron and Grace were an item. He was the one she had been having ‘guy problems’ with and it was Elodie who had been, unbeknownst to her, the one causing the trouble.

  Elodie felt sick: no wonder Grace had been so frosty. Aaron must have told her, probably on the day he had uploaded that romantic picture of their shadows. Aaron began to turn and Elodie shot back and out of sight, well aware that she had only moments before Aaron rounded the corner and she came face to face with him. She racked her brain for something to do, somewhere to go, but the hallways of Langley private airport provided no obvious solution so, instead, she took out her phone and stared at the blank screen. Aaron came around the corner; he too was looking at his phone and didn’t look up from it as he strode past. Elodie, her heart beating fast, breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘That was close,’ she thought to herself as she left the building.

  Mr Bosford, true to his word, was waiting for her in the same spot that he had dropped her off.

  “So, how was your first day?” he asked in a fatherly tone. Elodie regaled him with a blow- by- blow account and when she had finished he congratulated her and asked her how she planned on celebrating.

  “Well, I think I’m going to treat my friends to a meal. They’ve been amazing to me over the last few months and I’ve been a right pain, not to mention pretty skint. But now, well, let’s just say that this job pays a lot more than my last one so I can afford to show them how grateful I am.”

  “That’s a lovely idea,” he said as he popped his indicator on and pulled up to the tube station.

  “Here already?” Elodie asked, a little taken aback that the journey was over so soon.

  “Afraid so,” Mr Bosford answered. “Now, I take it you’re starting Monday?” Elodie nodded; she had the rest of the week to herself.

  “Thanks, Mr Bosford,” she said, getting out of the car and giving him a grateful little wave as she disappeared into the tube station.

  Elodie could hardly contain her excitement all the way home; she kept wanting to tell the other passengers her news, to run up and down the carriage shouting about how everything was slotting into place. She didn’t, though, and instead she had to be satisfied with holding it all in until she got home.

  Elodie practically fell through the door, a tangle of arms and legs. Carla looked up; she was sat on the sofa with a face mask on, painting her nails.

  “I got it!” Elodie exclaimed. Carla looked up and smiled, her face mask cracking around the corners of her mouth.

  “That’s brilliant,” she said a little stiffly, obviously trying not to move her lips too much and damage the pink clay mask any further.

  “I could do with a drink, though. You’ll never guess who I saw,” Elodie went on to say.

  “Someone famous?” Carla said again in that stiff voice that was almost inaudible. Elodie just stared at her with a blank look on her face. “Was it someone famous?” Carla asked again, her question louder but no clearer the second time around.

  “I genuinely have no idea what you’re trying to say,” Elodie laughed as she poured herself a glass of cold rosé wine. Carla held up a finger, shot up and bounded to the bathroom. Elodie heard the running water and moments later Carla reappeared, sans face mask.

  “That’s better,” she said clearly. “I said, was it anyone famous?”

  “Oh no, nothing like that, the airline’s grounded on Thursdays, so I only met some of the staff, speaking of which…” she trailed off.

  “Oh my God, Chase. Shit, it’s Chase, isn’t it? He’s the pilot! El, this is fate, you know: it’s got to be,” Carla said.

  Elodie laughed, she had literally never in her life heard Carla talk about fate when it came to men. Dating Chris really had had an effect on her.

  “Well if it is, then fate certainly has a twisted sense of humour. Aaron was there too.”

  “Oh, big conundrum, who to go for, the fabulously handsome, no doubt rich, manly pilot or the cheating cleaner? Hmmm, let me think.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “I’m not going for anyone,” Elodie replied bluntly. “Aaron’s dating one of the other flight attendants, Grace, who now hates me because I think he took me out while they were seeing each other; and Chase… Well come on, he’s too old, there’s too much of an age gap and besides, even if I didn’t care about his age, I just don’t like him like that, he’s too… standoffish.”

  “You don’t like him like that? He’s good- looking, successful and makes you smile like that,” Carla said, pointing at Elodie who, despite her words, had a silly half- smile on her face. “It doesn’t matter about the age gap, it matters about the page gap. Are you both on the same page? Anyway, methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Carla finished dramatically.

  “Well methinks the lady protests just the right amount,” Elodie said, giving Carla a look that told her to leave it there.

  The truth was that Elodie didn’t know how she felt about Chase – or rather, she didn’t know how he felt about her. He was hot one minute and cold the next. Sometimes he seemed sweet and vulnerable and others, just plain intolerable.

  “Okay well deny it all you want, but I can tell, you know. You can lie to yourself but you can’t lie to me,” Carla said, tapping the side of her nose in a secretive fashion that Elodie found annoying.

  “Carla, drop it. It’s getting old now,” Elodie said, beginning to lose her temper.

  “A bit like Chase? Ha, sorry, OK, OK I’ll stop now,” Carla said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. “Enough about boys, tell me about the job. Is it as glamorous as I imagine?”

  “More so,” Elodie confirmed. “The planes are like luxury hotels, the best you’ve ever seen, honestly they’re out of this world. They put me up in places all over, pay for everything and when you’ve been there a while, you get to go to this gala thing that the owner puts on.”

  “Gala thing?” Carla said in shock. “Elodie, that gala thing is practically bigger than the Oscars! Anyone who’s anyone goes. You’ve got to get me in, please. If I could just meet one person from En Mode it could change my whole career, my whole life. Please, I’ll do anything you want, I’ll clean your room for an entire year!” Carla said desperately.

  “I can’t. I would if I could, you know it but I don’t just get to go. Gareth’s never even been. You get chosen for it, and I’m the new girl so I don’t stand a chance.”

  Carla looked very glum at this; Elodie didn’t want the shine to be taken off her day just yet, so quickly changed the subject.

  “Shall we get dinner?” Elodie asked. “My treat.”

  “I really don’t fancy going out, let’s order a pizza,�
� Carla replied, her forlorn expression dissolving into one of excitement. It was truly amazing what some bread with cheese on could do for the spirit.

  “Pizza again? Haven’t we had enough recently?” Elodie asked, her stomach positively roiling at the idea.

  “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that,” Carla said, before picking up her phone and calling Pizza Rova, who were so accustomed to her calls that they practically had her order prepared and ready to go. “Pizzas will be here in forty minutes,” she said once she’d finished on the phone.

  “OK, well I suppose I should celebrate the job, but after this I’m on a health kick, I need to fit into my uniform. Gareth measured me earlier and I kind of lied a bit.”

  “How can you lie about your size if someone is measuring you?” Carla asked.

  “Well, if someone comes at you with a tape measure you breathe in,” Elodie replied laughing, “It’ll be fine, I just need to watch myself this weekend. Shall we put a film on?”

  “You choose. I’m going to drop Steph a message and see if she wants in,” Carla grabbed the remote and threw it to Elodie before picking up her phone to text Steph.

  “She’s going to say no,” Elodie said knowingly. “She’s with Andy this weekend and I’m betting they won’t leave the bedroom.”

  “Don’t!” Carla cried, burying her face in one of the sofa cushions. “I just can’t think of Steph like that, she’s too straight- laced.”

  As it turned out, Elodie was right. Steph turned them down in favour of spending the evening with Andy; the couple had plans for a romantic meal out followed by a cosy night in.

  Through the slit of one cracked eye Elodie could just about make out the time, four forty- five am. She groaned: her dream job had interrupted her dreams. This one had been fraught; she couldn’t remember exactly what had happened but she woke up feeling anxious.

  ‘These early mornings are going to take some getting used to,’ she thought to herself as she dragged herself out of bed and padded into the bathroom, taking care to be extra quiet so as to leave Carla undisturbed. Elodie packed her overnight bag. She knew that her first flight was to New York and that there would be a two- day layover, during which time she could do whatever she wanted. Elodie found that there were definitely perks to being up and about at such an early hour. The walk to the tube station was far more peaceful and the tube itself practically empty. She reached Cockfosters in good time and, as she had expected, Mr Bosford was there to drive her the rest of the journey. They passed the time by making small talk; Elodie was keen to keep her mind on the job and if she were being honest with herself, her nerves were in such a state that she didn’t think she’d be able to hold down a proper conversation even if she tried.

  “Okay, here we are,” Mr Bosford said, switching the engine off and turning to face her just like he had done the last time. “I can tell you’re nervous but don’t be. Just take your time and if in doubt, just ask.”

  Elodie nodded, thanked him, got out and then thanked him again. Walking to the front doors, she felt as though every single move was an effort. Her shoes seemed to get heavier with each step. Eventually, she was there, with nowhere to hide and nothing to do but venture inside.

  “Morning briefing please, everyone,” Gareth called over the swell of the room. Elodie looked around: there were more people here than she had met previously. She gave herself a little kick. Of course more than four people worked here. She smiled at one of the other crew members, who gave her a blank stare, and returned her attention to the front of the room where Gareth was stood, clipboard in hand. He went through the run- down of the day, including personal assignments, names of prestigious passengers, special requests or ‘riders’ as he called them and who would be needed where and to do what. Elodie listened intently but there seemed to be so much to take in that no sooner had one piece of information gone in one ear, it seemed to come out the other. Gareth called the meeting to an end and the small crowd dispersed.

  “Elodie,” Gareth called to her. She went over to him and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off before she could say anything, “I know that’s a lot to take in so I’ve arranged for you to shadow Grace for your first flight.”

  Elodie’s heart sank a little but was lifted when Gareth presented her with a large, dark purple box with the airline’s insignia embossed on its top.

  “What’s this?” Elodie asked with trepidation, unsure as to whether she was allowed to open the box or whether she was merely supposed to take it somewhere.

  “That’s your uniform, love – well, uniforms. You have two of everything in there. You have your own locker, you’re in number…” he studied his clipboard for a second, “twelve. Now, off you go, get ready and find Grace up there, she’ll see you through your next few days.”

  Elodie nodded, as a small wave of excitement washed over her. She still had no idea what she would be wearing and being given free clothes, uniform or not, was very novel.

  Elodie made her way to the changing area. She located her locker and set the box down on the bench to the side of it. Lifting the lid, Elodie let out a low, impressed whistle. Inside was a beautifully- made cream pencil dress; it had a boysenberry- coloured belt around the waist, matching flight hat, neckerchief and heels. Elodie sighed: the dress was going to be a squeeze, to say the least.

  She glanced around and saw that the other members of the crew were fixing their hair and makeup, with most of them looking as though they were about to embark on a night out, not a flight. Elodie glanced in the mirror: she had applied a little makeup this morning and twisted her hair into a messy top knot, but she looked nowhere near as well turned out as the rest of the crew. She opened her locker, which was actually far more similar to a wardrobe. Inside were padded coat hangers, all of which were covered in sumptuous purple and gold. Elodie stepped out of her civilian clothes and into her uniform: it fit like a glove, a pretty tight glove but a glove nonetheless. She tied the chiffon necktie around her neck. The heels fit remarkably well, probably down to the fact that they were made from buttery- soft leather that seemed to mould around her feet the instant she slipped them on. The inside of her locker housed a full- length mirror, in which she surveyed her reflection. Elodie was in love with her uniform. It was stylish, sophisticated and ever so elegant: the ensemble was a far cry from the garish orange polyester shirts of Zip Air. In this outfit she felt womanly and as though she could take on the world.

  ‘So this is power dressing eh? Feels pretty good,’ Elodie thought to herself as she closed the locker’s door and repacked her travel case. She picked it up and looked around for Grace, whom she spotted almost at once. Grace was undoubtedly beautiful, if not a little stony- looking. Elodie noticed that she wore slight creases around the corners of her prominent eyes, which made Elodie think that, despite the evidence, she must like to laugh. Grace boasted a strong brow and smooth dark skin; there was no denying it she was definitely very striking and Elodie could see what Aaron must see in her. She felt a little pang: she was still hurt by Aaron’s actions and couldn’t understand how their date could have seemed so wonderful when it was all so false. Aaron had struck her as an honest person, but this just shone a spotlight on how little she really knew him. Elodie decided that when the time was right she would speak to Grace about it and apologise if she needed to. She wouldn’t let one man’s foolish act mar a good working relationship.

  “Grace, hi. I don’t know if you remember me but I’m…”

  “I know who you are,” Grace cut across, her tone not unpleasant but far from friendly, “You’re my shadow this week, right?” she asked. Elodie nodded enthusiastically, “OK, well we’re on Alpha Whiskey three, direct flight to New York with four passengers. Has Gareth briefed you on this?”

  “Not really, I’ve just had the email…”

  “OK, well let’s walk and talk and I’ll fill you in,” Grace said, sounding exasperated at this prospect
but proceeded nonetheless. “We’ll be hosting Jenna and Sven Broderick and their two adorable rug rats.”

  Elodie stopped in her tracks and Grace turned around and stared at her.

  “Jenna Broderick? As in the Jenna Broderick?” Elodie managed, her voice barely a whisper.

  “How many Jenna Brodericks do you know? Yes, of course, the Jenna Broderick. Now come on, we’ve a lot to do before they arrive.”

  Elodie stood there gaping; she simply could not believe she was about to meet the award- winning actress Jenna Broderick. A woman who had starred in pretty much all of Elodie’s favourite films, who ran her own fashion line and makeup range and who regularly graced the front covers of magazines. Elodie didn’t usually care for the world of celebrity but in the words of Carla, “This was some next- level shit.”

  “I, errr, just didn’t realise that I’d meet someone so famous, straightaway,” Elodie said lamely.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, would you like me to lock her in the toilet until you feel more comfortable?” Grace quipped.

  Elodie said nothing, Grace was right, what did she think was going to happen? Grace explained the ins and out of what the flight would entail and Elodie realised that it was all pretty usual, other than the A- list passengers and luxurious surroundings, this was a standard flight. The same health and safety checks had to be done, the same security procedures, the same border control, the same everything. Elodie entered the plane feeling pretty confident; she knew she could do this job. The only thing that would make the whole experience more enjoyable would be having Grace onside.

  It seemed as though time were no more than sand slipping through her fingers, because before she knew it Elodie was stood, feet away from the entrance, welcoming Jenna Broderick and her family on board. She found it far easier than she had expected, it was as though someone else had taken the wheel and Elodie was on autopilot. She fetched the drinks, entertained the children and waited on them hand and foot. The flight went smoothly and they touched down in New York precisely seven hours and five minutes after taking off. Elodie had done extremely well to avoid the cockpit. Grace had liaised with the pilots: it seemed that Elodie wasn’t quite trusted to be a part of that particular procedure just yet.