Chapter 1
As I felt the atmosphere change the minute I set foot into the airport, flashbacks of me and my brothers playing video games together and fighting over who gets to be player one raced to my mind. I finally get to meet them again! After being away for more than five years, I can finally return with my head held high!
I stand in line to get my passport checked so that I can proceed to handing my bags; everyone seems to be minding their own business, some were texting while the rest were talking to each other.
"Good evening sir. May I have your passport and ticket, please?" The man in a blue blazer at the check point says politely with a smile.
"There you go." I hand them over to him, he looks at it them then hands them back.
"Have a nice flight sir." He smiles again.
"Thank you." I smile at him and walk through the x ray machine, it beeps.
"Excuse me sir, could you walk through it again, take off your belt and shoes." He says.
"Sure." I take them off and go through it again, it doesn’t peep this time.
"All clear, you can proceed sir."
I take my bag out of the x ray machine and put on my belt and shoes again. I walk towards the queue that says Happy Airlines, to hand them my luggage and get my boarding pass. A young woman pumps into me while running and trips.
"Owww!! I'm so sorry!!" She gets up instantly and fixes her pink hair and picks up her camera. "I was in a rush; I forgot my passport over there." She points at the end of the queue.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes I'm fine, sorry for pumping into you."
"It's okay. Are you going to France too?" I ask.
"Yes, I'm going there to meet my aunt, she invited me over to spend the summer there." She smiles. "I'm sorry but I have to get my passport, I'll meet you on the plane!" She waves as she runs to the desk.
I wait in line and then get my boarding pass after I hand my bag over. Then I go and sit in the cafeteria to pass the time until I can board the plane. People were the same here, either texting or talking to each other, no one seemed to pay attention to their surroundings; all they do is tap on their phones or indulge into meaningless chat. I take a sip of tea that I bought at the small beverage stand.
"May I have your attention please?" A lady says over the speakers after two peeps. "All flights have been temporarily delayed, there seems to be a problem in the control tower. Please don't panic. We will inform you of any updates as soon as possible."
That message gets repeated three times, people seem to be confused and puzzled. Some are cursing and swearing at the airlines, some at the airport itself, and some act like they don't even care.
My phone suddenly rings. I look at the screen, it's my father.
"Hello dad." I say.
"Hey son, how are you? Are you at the airport yet?" He says anxiously.
"I'm fine. Yes I'm there, but there seems to be a problem at the control tower so all flights have been delayed, I'll call you once they fix the problem."
"Oh, did they say how much time they need to fix it?"
"No dad, this might take a while. Like I said I'll keep you guys updated."
"Alright son. Can't wait for your arrival! We're all waiting for you."
"And I can't wait to get there. I'll keep you updated. Bye." I hang up.
"Man this is sooo troublesome!" I hear the pink haired woman's voice. "Come on already I wanna ride the plane!!" I turn around; she's standing behind me staring at the screen that is hanging from the wall. "Oh it's you again! Hello!"
"Hey." I smile.
"This is annoying don't you think? My first time riding a plane and it gets delayed."
"Yea, I wonder what's wrong."
"May I join you?"
"Of course, have a seat." I smile gently.
She sits across the table. "So, have you flown before?" She asks.
"Yea I have, plenty of times actually. I'm going back home now."
"Oh, what were you doing here?"
"Studying, I just graduated from university."
"Cooooool!! What did you study?"
"Micro Biology."
"Wow! Sounds intense!"
"It is. What about you?"
"I never went to college; I'm a painter and a pro photographer."
"That sounds nice. So that's why you're going to France?"
"Yup, I wanna visit it badly! I can't wait to get there."
"You'll love it there. I'm sure of it."
"I think so too! So, do you want to do something fun to pass the time?"
"Like what?"
"There's a rumor regarding this airport, that there's a haunted room." Her facial expressions become serious.
"Really?" I ask nervously.
"Yup, let's go check it out." She holds my hands and drags me. "Come on maybe I can catch something on camera!"
"O… Okay." For some reason, even though the idea didn't appeal to me, I didn't resist. Her soft hand just pulled me as if I was standing on a conveyer belt.
