by W.J. May
Chapter 1: New Beginnings
“Ladies and gentlemen we are approaching a storm and it’s going to be a little rough until we clear it.” The captain announced. “Please stay seated and turn off all electrical devices immediately. Thank you.”
Natalie looked out the small oval window. Raindrops smeared across it, dancing their way to the side. Lightning flashed and she shuddered. She hated flying when there was a storm. For a moment, she wished she would have taken the later flight, but she wanted to get back early since classes resumed tomorrow. She reminded herself that she had a great Spring Break in Chicago with her family and ending it with her cousin’s fairytale wedding made it all worth it.
A sudden jolt called her attention back to the situation at hand. The plane shook and rattled as it flew on the edge of thick, dark clouds. Within seconds, darkness consumed the plane and the day turned into night. Out in the blackness of the sky she saw powerful flashes of light stretching out like tentacles waiting for the plane to enter. She pulled the blanket closer to her, clutching it up against her chest, somehow hoping it would calm the drumming of her heart.
“What the —” she blurted out when the plane hit another patch of rough turbulence. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
A horrible rumble echoed through the plane as it wavered from side to side. Gasps and sighs along with people begging and pleading to God were heard throughout the plane. She swallowed hard, feeling the vitamins she took ten minutes ago ease their way up. Without warning, the plane dropped several feet. Her heart hit the bottom of her stomach. An alarm sounded and emergency instructions echoed through the overhead speakers. Gasping for air, she grabbed the arm rests and her body stiffened. Her eyes stayed fixed on the flashing red and white lights above her head. Please God, don’t let me die! Please.
“Natalie… Natalie, wake up. You’re having another nightmare.” Her college roommate, Lise, shook her several times before she finally awoke.
“What?” She sprung up in her bed. Sweat trickled down the sides of her forehead and she breathed heavily.
“You’re okay. It was just a nightmare.” Lise turned on a bedside lamp and then sat down next to her.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she had been dreaming. She wiped the sweat away and the pounding of her heart turned into a slow thud. She flopped back onto the bed and took a few deep breaths. “I don’t know why I keep having these darn nightmares.”
“I do.” Lise replied.
Natalie looked at her. “You do?”
“Uh, yeah… because you said you nearly died on that plane. You’re probably experiencing post stress or something like that.”
Natalie swallowed hard. She couldn’t be experiencing post-traumatic stress because only soldiers suffer from things like that, right? “No, I don’t think so. I mean, it was horrible and scary but…”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lise’s green eyes softened.
“What is there to talk about?” Natalie sat up. She hadn’t told anyone the full details about what she experienced on the plane, including her parents. She wasn’t about to tell Lise either.
“Sometimes it’s good to talk about horrible events. It can help you get over them.” Lise played with the edge of her t-shirt, rolling it up.
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” She glanced over at the clock on the window ledge. “I guess we should start getting dressed.”
Lise turned and looked at the clock. “Crap, I don’t want to be late.”
Natalie threw back the covers. “Neither do I. First impressions are everything.”