"Wake up!"
I was floating.
Surrounded by water and light.
I closed my eyes and smiled as the calm sway of the water lulled me back to sleep. The light above me was too bright for me to open my eyes anyway.
As I began to acknowledge how bright the light was, I realized something below me as well.
It was cold.
Wake up...
It was dark.
Wake up...
It was...
Hungry.
"Wake up!" Hands grabbed at me from all sides, biting into my skin with sharp nails.
I screamed.
"Lady Rosario, you must wake up!" My eyes snapped open to see a frantic flight attendant shaking my shoulders.
The frazzled woman was hurriedly trying to get me out of my seat belt. Wisps of hair were plastered to her forehead and, she seemed to be struggling with the seat belts because her hands just wouldn't stop shaking. I grabbed the woman by her shoulders.
"Ma'am. What's going on?"
She pushed her damp hair away from her forehead before taking a shaky step back.
"Well.." she bit her lip while blinking rapidly, "a sick man seems to have boarded the plane and, he insisted that he was fine," she paused, looking at me in a way that filled my chest up with dread. "But he was not."
As the flight attendant replayed what had happened, horror gripped my heart. I covered my mouth in shock.
"W...What do you mean he bit a man's finger off?"
"He ate it! And then all enfer broke loose !"
It seemed suspiciously quiet for a plane that had just had hell broken upon it. Something didn't quite add up. I frowned a bit. Why is she still here if the crackhead just started tearing a man limb from limb?
"Why are you still here?"
The attendant's once frazzled mind became like steel.
"I never leave a passenger in the hands of danger."
I stared at her for a moment.
"What's your name?"
"Allison."
Her name throws me off but, I recover after a few seconds.
She rolls her eyes.
"I know. I don't look like Allison."
I grab her hand, leading her towards the front of the plane.
"Well, at least we've made it to Dallas."
Her grip on my hand slacked a bit and, I looked back to see her tugging her hair and looking everywhere but at me.
"We...we are in Dallas, right?"
"well..." Allison twiddled her thumbs, "Not exactly."
I stare at her in confusion.
Allison sighs and motions for me to follow her off the plane and into the airport.
I gaped in horror.
"Tampa, Florida!"
I gawk at her.
"Great! Just great!" I sigh, holding my head in my hands.
"We're in the goddamn ghetto of America!"
"This is surely where the crackhead came from. Florida, home of the crackheads!"
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my increasing annoyance.
No good will come from a thorny Rose...
I just need to figure out how the hell I'm going to get to Dallas now.
"So Allison," I turn towards the shaking woman staring out of the window in horror, "How do we get out of here?"
-
After changing into some real clothes and getting back from the bag checkpoint, I finally found somewhere with an actual landline. No one's cell phone seemed to be working. But my estate has landlines in case of an emergency.
The phone line clicks. Before the person could speak, I made my presence known.
"Dorthia, this is Rosario. Put my father on the phone."
"R..right away, ma'am."
Tapping my foot, I scan the airport for any immediate signs of trouble. I spotted Allison at a burger place ordering what looks like to be a giant cheeseburger. My stomach twisted at the thought.
" Venus? Why are you not at home?"
My father's deep voice made my ear cringe in pain.
"Father, you're a bit loud.." rubbing my ear, I continue.
"The flight was subdued because of a rabid man biting off another man's finger. I will need a car to transport me to the estate."
"Well, where are you?"
"Hillbilly, Florida."
My father's cough sounded like he was trying to cover up his laughter.
"Oh, come on, Venus. Tampa has nice people there; it's a beautiful city."
"Father, a car, please."
"Hm. Right, I'll send the car. Just stay at the Lafayette estate for a couple of nights."
"Fine." I quickly hung the phone up and turned to find Allison salivating over a Big Whop from Kurger Bing.
I grimace as she takes a large, bloody bite of her burger.
Sighing, I begin to take a look at my surroundings. I expected there to be chaos but, this is putting it mildly.
Foreigners were arguing with customs, mothers rushing crying, distraught babies towards the escalators, people straight up running from the restroom.
There was a child in the middle of it all, screaming and crying for her mother. A ragged doll was knocked from her hands.
It was almost like people were running from something.
The little girl's screams were muffled when a man barreled into her, knocking the poor child clean off her feet.
My eyes widened, and I ran over to scoop the child up before the elderly woman could run her over with the heavy-duty luggage she was tugging.
In the middle of the airport, it seemed more panicked than I thought it was. The little girl continued to cry as I pushed and shoved through the crowd. It was like wading through chunky peanut butter.
Finally, I could feel the cold sleek form of the telephone booth and covered the child as I kicked and shoved people away from us. I could no longer see Allison from here.
I rocked the child a bit and patted her back, trying to soothe her long enough to ask her some questions. Soon enough, her bawling trickled down to light sniffling. She clung to my shoulder like a baby squirrel clinging to its mother.
"What's your name?" I softly ask, brushing a damp black strand of hair from her bruised face.
I could tell that her lip was definitely going to swell. It was bruised red and purple.
"S-Sarah." Her voice was so soft, I almost missed it.
She couldn't have been older than four.
"Well, Sarah," I started, hugging her to my chest, "Are you with your mommy or daddy?"
She stared at me blankly. Her onyx eyes seemed to question my motives.
"Yes."
I nodded. I can work with that answer.
"You're here with your mommy and daddy ?"
She nods her little head, her short hair feathering around her face.
She was a tiny kid, both in size and height. How the hell am I going to find her parents with this mob going on? I'll just take her to the lost children area and wait for her parents there.
It was hard trying to get to the Lost section of the airport. I'm barely 5'5. With everyone barreling out of the airport, so I was going against the grain. After punching a few people out of the way, I made it to the Lost section. There were a handful of people standing around but, a couple in particular that caught my eye.
They were an East Asian couple arguing with the attendant. They seemed to be in their late twenties. The woman had tears streaming down her face as she paced the floor, stopping periodically to back her husband up. As I got closer, I could hear what they were saying more clearly.
"Please! C-can you say her name over the speakers? Something !" The man was hysterical.
The attendant just shook his head, exasperated.
"There's nothing I can-"
"Her name is Sarah! " the woman cried, "Sarah Xang! Please find our baby!"
I quickly rushed Sarah to them.
"Ma'am! Sir!" I called out, "I have a Sarah."
They quickly turned my way. As soon as I sat little Sarah on her feet, she took off towards the two.
"Mama, papa !" She cried.
The parents rushed to their child and, all three of them cried. They fussed over her hair and checked for injuries.
I turned to walk away but, a little hand tugged mine.
I glanced back to see Sarah hiding behind her mother's leg.
"T-thank you." She hugged my leg.
I smiled and patted her head, bidding her farewell.
