Chapter 1 Turbulence

Chapter 1

As soon as I heard of my father's disappearance, I almost went nuts trying to convince my aunt Josephine to let me go to Japan. I was in a miserable state that I didn't thought of what I was doing or asking. All I cared about that time was to look for my father.

I couldn't accept the fact that my father was gone. No, I wasn't in denial either. I know - or at least hope - that my father is alive. Somewhere. And I'm going to find him and bring him back home.

I had been begging her aunt for months now. Trying to be a good girl and getting on her good side in hopes that my aunt would trust me to finally let me go, but no. She was too stubborn. But on my 19th birthday, my aunt finally let me go.

I had mixed feelings about the news. At first, I was happy that my aunt finally let me go, excited that I can finally go and look for my father. But despite all of that excitement, I was nervous for what I might find out on my trip. I know very well that my luck totally sucks. It's as if when God showered luck around the world, I was on my bed dead asleep with drool dripping from my mouth.

After getting permission from my aunt, I immediately booked a flight to Japan. A flight that is about to leave two hours from now.

I was currently wrestling with my suitcase, trying to zip it close. All of the things I bought for the last week tossed messily in the suit case. "Come on!" I grunted and sat on it. Putting my weight on the damn thing.

Of all the things I hate about traveling, its packing.

With one final push, I was able to zip it all up. I fell on the floor and let out a breath of relief. Finally, done at last.

My door suddenly opened and my aunt came in. She's a slim woman with an amazing figure despite her age. Her blonde hair tied into a tight bun as it showed off her pale and smooth neck. She looked at she with her cerulean eyes giving me a scrutinizing look. "Nathalia, are you ready? The flight is in a couple of hours. We should probably get going."

I beamed at her. "I'm ready." I said and got up. I grabbed my carry on bad and swung it over my shoulder before grabbing my suitcase. I looked at my aunt again to show her I was ready.

"About time." My aunt said, motioning for me to follow before leaving. I started to follow her when I happen to pass by my mirror. I stopped to look at my reflection. I am not exactly what you would say a normal looking girl. Sure my light brown hair is very plain looking but add in my purple eyes and it would really draw some attention. Especially when you have white strands of hair framing your face like mine. My father told me that it was what made me unique and he told me that it was one of my beautiful features and one that would make me easily recognizable.

Absent mindedly, I touched my hair and remembered how father used to play with it. He and I were very close since I lost my mother before I could even remember.

Shaking off the memory I grabbed my stuff and left my room.

***

We arrived early at the airport so we took our seats as we waited for my flight. "Nat, I'm gonna go and grab you a bite to eat."  Aunt said. She got up from her seat and took her wallet with her.

"No, aunt Josephine, I'm alright." I said and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm not hungry. Really." I insisted. I was feeling really embarrassed and grateful for all she has done for me so far. She cared for me like a mother would. Fed me and took me in after my father's said disappearance. She even paid for my flight and the new clothes in my suitcase. What she has done for me was already enough and I don't want her to spend another penny for me and my silly escapade.

"Don't be silly. It's a long trip. I want you to eat something." She said stubbornly and before I could stop her, she was gone. I sighed.

Well what could you do? I thought as I slump on my chair. I grabbed one of the books that I brought with me and started flipping through the pages until I found my bookmark. My mind was suddenly pulled into the story as I absorbed all the words on the pages. Whenever I'm reading, I always feel like being sucked into a different word where I can become someone else. It was the only way I could escape the cruel reality. Sometimes I even wish that I could just live in the pages and live the life that the characters are having.

A slight movement caught my eyes. I looked up from my book and saw a man in a far corner looking straight at me. I couldn't decipher the color of his eyes but I could just see that underneath the hoodie, I saw a hint of white hair hovering above his eyes. When our eyes met, I saw him smirk and he pulled his hoodie lower. He broke eye contact and stuffed his hands into his gray hoodie before he left.

I swallowed. Suddenly feeling a chill ran down my spine. Somehow, I felt a sense of foreboding and for a split second, thoughts of cancelling my trip came to mind.

"Hey." I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped in surprise. "Are you okay?" My aunt asked. Her eyes lined with worry when she saw my terrified look.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I replied quickly flushing all my doubts about this trip. I smiled at my aunt.

Josephine gave me a dubious look. "Are you sure? You look pale." She said and handed me a burger. I took it and gave her my thanks.

"I'm always pale." I said. Trying to lighten up the mood.

My aunt chuckled. "Yeah, I can see that." I smiled weakly at her. Happy that I was able to divert the subject before she would sense something and force me to cancel my trip.

My eyes darted back to where the strange man stood but he was gone. 

***

My aunt took me to my flight. She was crying as she held on to me, almost begging for me to change my mind and stay, but I was firm on my decision and stood my ground. Lucky for me that my aunt is reasonable and understanding enough to let me go. She knows how important this is for me and knows how much this would help me emotionally. If ever I don't find any leads about my father in Japan, then at least it would serve as a closure for me to recover.

"Nat! Nat!!" My head perked up at the sound of the familiar voice. A voice I know all too well. Trei.

My eyes searched for the owner of that voice. Although it was faint I know it was him. He was by the doors of the building and being held by the guards. His black hair tousled messily as he fought the guards. Gray eyes looking scared as they found mine. There was urgency in them that I couldn't fathom. "Nat! Don't go! Please, don't go!!" Looking at him brought back painful memories that I have to look away. 

He was supposed to be my friend.

"Natalie." My aunt stroked my arm gently as if she was afraid that I would break. As of the moment, I'm ready to. "Won't you talk to him? After all, you two have been together for so long. Don't you want to say goodbye?"

I didn't look at my aunt nor at Trei. I feared that tears would threaten to spill if I do so. "No." I shook my head and took in a deep breath as I tried to calm my beating heart that made me realize something; I still love him. "I do not want to talk to traitors." Was all I said and tried to keep a brave face.

I could tell that my aunt wants to say something more so imagine my relief when the passengers were now called to board the plane. I kissed my aunt’s cheek as I went in. As soon as I got in I took my seat by the window. I hugged my carry-on bag as I gazed out to stare at the people getting in and out of the plane. I especially watched as my aunt went to a struggling Trei as she tried to calm him down. 

"Excuse me, miss. Is this seat E-3?" I peeled my eyes from to window to turn around to see a girl about my age. Her hair is blonde and her eyes are a pretty pair of emerald. She's pretty considering her sharp cheekbones and angular nose that is surrounded by small freckles hidden by a concealer.

I shook my head. She smiled and gently settled herself on the seat beside me. "Hi. My name is Rachel."

"Nathalia." I answered and gave her a small smile in return so she wouldn't think of me as a snob. Looking at her I notice a small bulge on her stomach. I tried not to stare at that specific part as I bit my lips. She let out a sigh and rubbed her swollen belly and I couldn't help but stare even though I tried not to. She must have noticed me looking because he looked at me.

I blushed in embarrassment as I was caught red handed. "Sorry." I muttered. Hoping that she wouldn’t find me rude for starring.

To my surprise, she only smiled gently. "It's alright." She said. "Don't be sorry. Afterall, it's not every day you see a 17-year-old pregnant girl. Usually girls at my age would resort to abortion." I smiled at her and nodded.

"By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Japan?" Rachel asked.

"I'm..." I swallowed. "I'm trying to look for some answers. That's all." I said and turned to her. "What about you?" I asked quickly in fear that she would asked more about my reasons for going.

I watch as the smile was quickly replaced by a grim and sour look. She sighed and looked at me sadly. "My mother doesn't approve of me keeping the baby and the father of my baby doesn't want to take the responsibility. Since I have nowhere to go I called a friend of mine in Japan with the little money I have saved. Funny, they say that family always have your back, but in my case, it's my friends." She laughed bitterly. 

I kind of feel bad for her. Going through all that trouble for her unborn child, now that is a true mother. Even if she isn't one yet.

And I kind of feel uncomfortable with her sharing her struggles in life that I just looked away. Luckily the pilot then announced that we were ready to take off after the stewardess explained the safety precautions. I fumbled with my seat belt as we were told to do so. Since it was my first time riding a plane I felt really nervous. 

The plane started to gain altitude and I could feel pressure in my seat as we ascended into the air. I closed my eyes and grabbed my seat tightly - feeling my knuckled turning white. Only relaxing once the plane was slowly starting to settle. I started to relax.

"First time?" I turned to Rachel to see that she has an amused look on her.

I nodded in response. "Yeah."

She beamed. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

A stewardess suddenly appeared at her side. She's tall with a body of a model. Piercing red eyes and black back tight neatly into a bun.

She placed some sort of device on Rachel's forehead. It was a flat hollow rectangular ring with a glass held at the center and about the size of an iPod. The strange thing beeped once and then turned blue. 

"What's that for?" I asked as I eyed the thing curiously.

The stewardess smiled at me. "It's for checking the conditions of our passengers to make sure that they are in tip top shape." She said and placed the thing on my forehead. The moment she did, the thing went haywire and started beeping multiple times that shocked her. She drew the thing back and looked at the device. There were some suspicious foreign writings that appeared on the screen that I couldn't decipher. 

"Oh dear me. Is it broken?" Asked Rachel. Worried drawn on her face.

There was a smile on the flight attendants face before she looked up from the device. It was a smile like she just discovered something valuable. She gazed down at me as she answered Rachel's floating concern. "No. It worked perfectly well." She said. Her eyes boring into mine that suddenly gave me the chills. She took something from her pocket - pills - and handed us one each. "Ma'am, I suggest you take this remedy as your bodies are not in proper care and may react violently the next time we descend. My name is Jessica, by the way, and don't be afraid to call me when you need anything." She said and suddenly another flight attendant came to us bringing two bottles of water, which she gave to both me and Rachel.

"Bottoms up." Said Jessica with a wink before she proceeded to checking the other passengers.

***

I don't know how or when I had fallen asleep, but I could feel my neck aching from my sleeping position. I groaned and started to open my eyes. It was getting late. The sky started to darken.

I sat up fully as my eyes roamed around. Something weird was going on. The plane was silent and everyone seemed to be sleeping.

I have a bad feeling about this. 

I heard whispers and silent conversations at the front of the plane. I craned my neck to see who it was, but I didn't get a chance to when the plane started to lurch as if it were caught in a heavy turbulence. The force shook the passengers awake as voices of panic and confusion filled the air.

"What was that?"

"What's going on?"

"Are we caught up in a storm?"

All their questions and fears hang from the air as they demanded for an answer. Meanwhile, I was looking confused and feeling a little bit scared myself. Rachel grabbed my hand and gave me a warm and comforting smile even though I could see that she was fighting off her own fear.

"Everyone, please fasten your seat belts and remain calm." Jessica said through the speakers with a very calming tone despite the uproars. At her command, the passenger all protested and questioned her, but as another force hit us - making the plane rock again, we all complied. 

What is going on?

A man suddenly appeared at Rachel's side. He was the man I saw earlier at the airport. He was still wearing the same hoodie but this time, it was pulled back making me see him clearly. My jaw dropped as I saw that his hair is fully silver and his eyes are the color of a cat's yellow irises. He was very pale like a paper and his stance and built screams discipline and strength. He's young, I'm guessing about my age, but the cold look in his eyes would make you doubt it.

I shrunk in my seat when I saw him pulling out a syringe gun with a weird blue liquid in it. Rachel squirmed and fought as the man injected the liquid to her neck. Immediately, she slumped on her seat while the man came for me next. I was far too scared to move and mesmerized by his beauty. I started into his eyes and he starred into mine before he injected the blue liquid to my neck. I felt a little pain and suddenly my eyes started to grow heavy and my body going limp.

What was in that thing?

"Now now. To all our beloved passengers, please take due note that we are taking a detour to our original destination." Jessica cheerfully said. The sweetness in her voice making me sick as the men continued to injection that strange liquid to the other passengers. Once they were done, they stood at the front - just beside Jessica.

They nodded at her and she smiled brightly as if that single nod brought good news to her. She turned to face us again "Also," She added. Her smile now turning into a sinister one. "if you are one of the few who are injected with the blue vile, then please relax as your safety is assured. If not.......then God Bless to you all." And then the plane lost it's altitude and we descending towards the bottom of the ocean.