26. Twirl of disaster

Listen to Explosions by Ellie Goulding.

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Disaster - An unforseen event causing great loss, upset or unpleasantness of whatever kind.

I lost my faith in everything right at the moment I was experiencing a sudden twirl of disaster.

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"- PLEASE SIT BACK, don't forget to buckle up your seatbelts, relax and enjoy your flight." The enthusiastic voice of the air hostess instructs as the plane starts leaving the ground.

Have you ever tried to relax when a dozen of emotions are twirling inside of you?

By the time the plane is on air, I stare out the window, rubbing my sweaty palms on my laps.

I'm really doing this.

I'm running away with Max to London.

I try as much as not to freak the fuck out, but I can't help it.

I cleared my mind off Dad, Doris and the Mckenzie siblings, because it won't help matters thinking about them. I had skipped breakfast to lessen the awkwardness that hung around in the air at home.

Max and I made an agreement to meet up at Clinton's house earlier this morning after the fight. He left first, before I did.

We carried nothing, no clothes, no phones or anything, just our credit cards.

And Clinton told Max he had something to tell him, but later changed his mind. From the look on his face, it was certain something was wrong.

Our flight was scheduled to leave 1:30. So we hung around Molly and Hunter's till we left an hour due our flights time. And currently, we're in the first class on the plane.

"Hey," Max calls out to me.

I look over at him, and see that his eyes are weirdly open, peering through mine as if searching for fear.

He reaches over for my hand with his hand that is decorated with tiny closely packed purple bruises, and I let him pull my hand into his warm big paw.

"Already regretting your decision?" He demands, his face few inches away from mine. I can even smell his cologne, mixed with the smell of his aftershave.

"No," I squeeze his hand firmly, hoping to see him wince in pain, but he doesn't. He just gives me a tiny smirk. "I'm just...I..Fuck!" I curse through my teeth, jerking my fingers through my hair aggressively, exhaling. "I'm just trying to figure out how I feel about this whole running away thing, okay?"

A ghost of emotion appears on his face, and he nods and quickly lets go off my hand, like I stabbed and burnt him with my words.

Shit!

And he didn't speak to me for hours.

I don't know how to apologise, never said the word sorry before, and it was darn hard to do so.

I don't have any phones or electronic devices with me, so I settle at repeatedly reading the pamphlet the flight attendant had handed to us earlier, and switch to the magazine when I got bored.

Max stays quiet the whole time, either watching a movie, drumming his fingers on his laps, stealing brief glances at my direction, or staring out the window.

By the time the pilot's expertise voice informs us through the intercome, that we have four hours left before we'll land London, Max's eyes are fluttering close.

Until his breathing finally evens out, and he rests his head back on his seat.

I stay here, not knowing how long I watched him sleep. His pink lips are slightly apart, and he looks so peaceful as he sleeps. Neither drooling or snoring.

Fighting the urge to press my lips against his, I look away and see the flight attendant staring down at Max as if she's undressing him with her eyes, as her steps flatters.

Bitch!

She looks twenty-five or twenty-six.

I care less, she needs to know he's mine.

Placing my hand on Max's thigh, I lay my head on rest against his neck. And I'm glad when he rests his head untop mine.

The bitchy flight attendant glares at me, with jealousy heated up in her eyes. And I give her one of my smug side bitchy smirk.

Old hag, he's mine. I mouth at her, and she gasps, tries to form a word, but can't.

Her lips thin with hate as the click-clack of her cheap twenty dollar heels march from the rows of seats, pass ours.

I reach over for the pocket of my high waisted jeans shots, and pull out a minty candy.

I peel off the wrap.

Splitting it into two, I shove the half full candy into my mouth and chew slowly, as a bubble of tiny emotions hit my chest.

A relationship isn't one sided, you also care about the other person's feelings. But you're self-centered Katherine. My subconscious lashes out at me.

You told him to run away with you, and now, you're fucking acting worst than the bitch that you are. I curl my fingers into a fist when she sounded like the old Max.

"I'm sorry." I apologise, holding out the half candy to Max, when he finally opens his eyes, an hour later.

He accepts the candy, shoves it into his mouth and chews.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to do things because of me. You can always leave if you want to." His voice is muffled as he points this out.

"No, I'm sorry, I was a selfish bitch."

He gulps and stay silent for a while, with his expression readless. Before a tiny smile appear at the corner of his mouth.

"You are my selfish bitch." Narrowing his eyes at me playfully, his tone gets cocky when he says this. And with that, he delibrately slides his fingers down to my lap, and strokes.

I look at the mother and son opposite us. The mother obstructs the view of her son, whose eyes are atomically staring intensively at Max and I.

Isn't that a bit too excessive? It's not like we are doing anything related to sex on the fucking plane. People and their corrupt silly mindset.

* * *

I yawn, rub on my aching temples as I make my way out of the toilet. I casually lean my behind in front of the bathroom door and see two Chinese men watching porn on their iPad. One is even carrying out a dirty hanky-panky business. And when I cough, they jolt, keep the iPad down, mumble incoherent words in Chinese, and avoids my eyes.

Scoffing, I stare out the window.

It's 9:43PM in the night, finally eight hours for our plane to land.

I can see the airport, I can finally see London.

I quickly walk to my seat, sit down and buckle my seatbelt. Anticipating for our plane to land.

It all happens in a swift motion, when the plane is descending, then it starts ascending the air, and starts twirling. And then the engine noise changes.

Everyone on the plane becomes aware of the situation and the atmosphere becomes filled with tension.

I grip unto Max's hand with fear surging through me, even Max too is quite scared, as he unbuckles his seat belt, so he can turn to face me and shifts close to me.

"Everyone, make sure your seat belts are buckled up. And kindly bare with us while we stay on air for sometime, we'll ensure your landing is safe and sound." The male pilot reassures us calmly.

Taking a deep breath, I rest my head on Max's shoulder, and try to relax in his arms and focus my mind elsewhere, but the plane's motion starts rolling back and forth violently on the air and continues to ascend.

The engine noise changes again and sparks.

Screams fills the air when the plane stops and starts descending with full force, this time.

The roof of the plane rips off and loud cries of horror, leaves the mouth of everyone.

A guy's medicated glasses flies away, an old woman's muffler hits my face. Even books and money, and all the things that doesn't have weight on them, are flying all around us and getting sucked way by the violent breeze, a result of the plane shaking and moving violently, giving people instant migraine and making them barf out their lungs.

The harsh London blast of fresh air that hits through us, makes Max jolts on his seat like it wants to carry Max out, because he isn't putting on his seat belt.

With shaky unsteady hands, I help him put the seat belt on, as I pant agressively out of fear.

"Oh fuck!" I hiss as the shock of realization hits me that we're going to die.

I haven't even told Max I love him, yet.

I haven't talked to Dad like I used to.

Haven't visited mum's grave this year.

I can't die. I haven't even live life to the fullest. I just lost my virginity two weeks ago. I haven't made love on the beach at night, that I had fantasises about. I have not given Max a blow fucking job, and I'm just fucking sixteen!

"We're all going to die." I cry into Max's chest with my heart on my throat, as I tremble violently.

"No, don't say that Kate." Max chokes, presses a urgent kiss to my forehead, and stares at me with a small nagging hope. But I can see that he's desperately trying to hide the panic and fear in his eyes and tone. Even his legs are trembling and his hands are sweaty.

Fuck!

Fire engulf on the plane the moment my eyes see the airport.

People start crying, praying, and kids are calling out to their parents. I squeeze Max's pespiration dripping hand tightly as I weep bitterly.

The plane stops twirling and starts heading for an angle it never intended to.

"This is the Captain. Brace up everyone. One of our Engines has blown, but we have another Engine, and the plane has little fuel to keep from exploding. Get ready to jump when the plane goes on full stop. Leave all your possessions behind as y'all and jump out." The Captain's voice instructs us.

But then, the plane takes another angle. Again.

The smoke and burning smell makes people start coughing and choking.

"Fucking hell!" Max curses deeply.

"Everyone get ready to unbuckle your seat belt and prepare to jump out and swim. Plane's heading to the ocean, our pilots have everything under control, and are doing their possible best to ensure it lands there." The earlier bitchy flight attendant holds unto the side of someone's seat, and has her legs twist together in a comical way, as she informs us.

I would've cried of laughter, if I really wasn't having a good cry, of the fear of death.

And people start yelling and talking the same time.

"We all don't know how to swim here!"

"My son's crippled."

"There's an old lady who can't even walk by herself without physically aid."

"My wife is in labour, you bitch!" One man bellows and another woman gasps out. "Oh my God, I have a baby!"

And I pause from crying and gasp audibly.

Even Max's eyes widens in horror. But he doesn't let go off my hand.

Worst timing of the fucking century!

Of all the timing in the world, someone's wife is in labour during a near plane crash. And there's a baby on the goddamn fucking plane.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Max hisses out loudly, burying his head in his free palm.

And it becomes obvious that we're heading for the ocean.

People start screaming and out crying in fear, at the top of their lungs.

Another black flight attendant crawls out, supporting herself with the seats as she throws touches wrapped in transparent cellophanes at people with ropes.

"Y'all gotta tie these touches round your arms, as y'all swim. Save anyone if you can."

She says as she throws two touches at Max and I. We hurriedly catch the touches before the agressive wind can suck them away.

"You have to stop thinking about death, and start thinking about what to do once the pilot lands the plane in the water." Pushing some of my blonde locks away from my face and tucking it behind my ear, Max kisses me briefly on my lips, as he says this.

"What about you?" I ask as fear widens my eyes.

"Its going to be okay, we'll get through this. And don't you worry about me Kate, there are lots of people who needs saving here."

He barely finishes before the plane hits the water.

It felt like the worst car accident you can ever imagine. We violently bounce back and forth and allot of people switch on their touches inside the water and I can see lots of bloodied eyes and noses from people who'd hit the seats infront of them.

Even my head hurts like I was hitted with a baseball bat.

Unbuckling my seat belt after tying the cellophane contented touch on my arm, I turn to Max's seat and can't find him.

The plane is sinking lower into the water with full speed, and I see people, both old and young, swimming up to survive.

My heart swells with amazement, when I see kids, with their cellophane touches tied on their arms, swimming like fishes.

Panicking and kicking my legs into the sea, and spreading my arms as I swim. I fight the tension that doesn't bother to leave my body inside the sea, because of the fear of near death experience. Making my way up, I gasp audibly when I resurface the water, and is greeted by the chilly London night wind.

I'm crying and vomiting up the sea water when someone lends me a helping hand and pull me completely out of the water.

I lay on the seashore and watch as people are helped out.

I see a very old woman who's being helped by a man, kids running around, searching for their parents, the crippled kid who's carried in a bridal style by his Dad, a pregnant woman who's on an ambulance that just arrived, with her husband by her side. Everyone is all drenched from the sea. I see lots of people, but I don't see Max.

"Have you seen any dirty blonde cropped hair boy in white jean pants?"

"He has thick British accent."

"His nose looks like it has been broken too many times."

"Tall, lean."

"Eighteen."

I describe Max to people, but the few who bothers to respond, shakes their head no.

"Max!!!" I scream like a banshee, untie the touch from my arm, throw it away, slump on the floor, and begin to weep bitterly till I can feel my eyes becoming puffy, and my sobs sounding like chokes.

For the first time, I don't bother about my hair and wet clothes that are plastered to my body. I ponder if he's dead or not, as my tears muddle up with the sea water dripping from my all.

I can see the reporters who are interviewing people, taking pictures and filming everything, directing their cameras and lights to my side.

A female reporter stands close to the seashore, and is telling the live viewers all load of bull crap, in a very thick British accent.

"Kate!" I hear him before I see him, and when I abruptly snap my head behind me, I see a very shirtless Max who's five yards away from me. With his nice leather jacket gone. His white jean pants are drenched like the rest of his body. He has an infant in his arms, and a lady by his side.

"Max!" I holler in my scratchy voice and run towards him wiping the tears away from my eyes, glad he's fucking safe. But I halt when I see his somber green eyes with a worried expression clouding them.

The baby is lifeless and the mother is weeping.

People surround them, even the reporters directs their cameras and lights at him. And they let Max place the baby on a mat, and watch him give the baby chest compressions with his three fingers.

People give out a sighs of relief and cheers, as the baby chokes and coughs out the sea water. And the Mum hugs Max so tight, that I thought he would choke.

I smile because he's a hero.

I finally run to him, jump and possessively wrap my legs around him as I hug him so tight.

Right now, I really don't give a fuck if people sees us like this or not.

To hell with them all.

"I'm so g-glad you're s-s-safe. I thought I lost you." I stutter out of excitement, shiver and begin to cry. Hugging him so close like I want to enter right into him, like if I let go, he'll disappear right out of my eyes.

Max kisses me hard on my mouth, telling me so many things through the kiss.

When we finally break apart, we see people smiling. Which stupefy me, after the near death experience we all had.

And then, He starts to cry. Suprising everyone. He cries to an extent that he can't even form a sentence.

I get down from him, and hug him. Pressing my head to his wet chest, almost tearing up myself. Totally amazed at seeing Max of all people, in tears.

"Please stop crying, you look really awful when you do. Like some kinda girly-girl."

"I thought I was going to loose you again, Kate. It felt like the same shit all over again."

A brief moment pass between us, and we hear sirens from afar.

"It was you who could've died. Everyone was swimming out, but you stayed under the water, saving every fucking person who needed help. I'm so glad that I have you, you're amazing, Max. And so fucking brave." I say out of excitement, bringing his head down to lean it against mine, and then rub my nose against his.

Max pulls me into a tight hug, like hugging the darn breath out of me, after blowing his nose way too feminine, loudly into a tissue someone handed him.

My legs suddenly becomes wobbly, and I start feeling dizzy and lightheaded. I know it's my darn condition, choosing to make itself known in this godforsaken hour.

Everything suddenly becomes dreamy and biazzre, and before I know what's happening, everything is turning into a blur and I'm falling.

"Fuck! Kate, are you alright?" Max's whispers and his arms attempting to pull me up is what I hear and feel, before I finally loose full conciousness.