Chapter 9

 

We rushed to Chris’s place where he grabbed a few items, shoving them into a backpack of his own. We didn’t want to waste time with baggage. He’d already called to arrange an air taxi to pick us up so we didn’t have to wait once he was ready.

When we got to the airport, I stopped Chris at the door. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

He squeezed my hands, confidence set in his eyes. “Couldn’t be more sure. And you can’t do this alone.”

I returned his squeeze, and then we swept into the airport.

I hadn’t flown since my trip to England at the age of sixteen. Chris, who flew frequently for work, seemed to know his way around well enough. He got us through the terminal and checked in without a hitch.

I was a tad nervous. My stomach was feeling it while we waited. I was never a big fan of heights, hence the balcony of my apartment rarely saw any use. I was also a little anxious about going to England, in general. It had been years since I’d seen him, but this unexpected trip was also resurfacing memories of my first love. Memories I’d rather leave buried.

The flight departed on time, thankfully. Had it been delayed, I somehow imagined us being over the ocean when my birthday struck. All I could picture was an albatross getting sucked into the engines mid-flight and us screaming to our deaths as we plunged into the ocean.

I was quiet during the ascent, trying to avoid looking out the window. It was like going up a rollercoaster ride that just kept climbing.

When we reached cruising altitude, Chris leaned over. “Why don’t you try the earrings again?”

I gave him one of those sidelong glances that asked him if he was mildly insane.

“Nothing will happen,” he said. “I’m right here with you. And if anything seems strange, I’ll take the earrings off and wake you up.”

I pondered the thought for a moment. It would give me something else to think about. Maybe if I was lucky the flight would be close to over by the time I woke up.

There was something inside me that suggested I should do this; I was meant to learn something from this. I wasn’t sure what. There’s nothing like watching your predecessors die horribly. But then again, my birthday was coming fast, and unless I figured out what was going on, the next death would be mine.

I nodded, but I was scared. “Promise me you’ll wake me.”

“I’ll be right here the whole time.”

I took the earrings out and hooked the first one in. I looked at Chris. He squeezed my leg.

Then I put the second one in, and everything went black once more.

 

Knowing I wasn’t a ghost this time, that this was sort of like a dream, I didn’t seem to mind the fact I was glowing and in the back seat of another car. This one was even older than the last one. I was sitting on a long white bench at the back. Forget seatbelts. There were none.

The inside was red and the steering wheel was huge — like on a bus. The driver, who was male, had to turn it with one hand crossing over the other. The radio was playing what sounded like The Beach Boys masked in static.

There was a passenger in the seat next to him — a woman. She was nibbling on his ear while he drove with her hand on his thigh. I hate to make judgments without knowing more about the circumstances, but something about their behavior didn’t seem quite right.

We were driving past fields of corn that were dotted with weeping willows. The groping and heavy kissing was causing the car to swerve.

I didn’t like where this was going. Plus, I wasn’t sure how much longer I wanted to be in the car, especially without a seatbelt.

The woman in the front was giggling incessantly and the man was moaning. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to see exactly what they were up to, but I think his pants were undone.

I slid over in the back seat to get a glance at the man. Between more heavy petting and kissing, I realized that this was my grandfather. I’d seen photos of him as a child. The prominent chin was unmistakable.

There were no cars coming towards us, nor behind us. So, I was relieved to know that their reckless behavior wouldn’t necessarily cost them their lives. At the same time, I wasn’t entirely sure what might happen to me if I was caught in an accident. Maybe I’d just slide right through whatever came at them.

The woman in the front started to get a little more aggressive, licking my grandfather’s neck and almost sitting on his lap. There was a hunger to her.

The car swerved again. My grandfather was struggling to see as he drove, but he wasn’t exactly asking her to stop either. He hoisted her onto him so she was straddling him. I noticed something. My grandfather’s wedding ring. He was married, and I knew my grandmother to have had black hair. This woman’s hair was golden.

I nearly gasped. I hadn’t really paid attention to it, until I got a glimpse of her face. This was the same woman who’d been at the door on my last trip like this. The one who had been trying to sell beauty products to my mother just as my father was being electrocuted.

The woman looked right at me as the car swerved again, this time towards one of those weeping willows. She was smiling.

I screamed as the car drove into the tree.