Authors note: I've wrote fanfiction before, but the last time i wrote some is in my native language. So, forgive me if theres any spelling or grammar mistakes. English is not my first language and grammar is my worst area. I'll do my best to improve tough.
Disclamer
All of the characters (except the Dingkledear family) belongs to John Finnemore. While of course, the Dingkledear family belongs to me.
Three men walked out from the small cabin after a hard day. They have just been back from Abu Dhabi after stopping for a small diversion in 'Nowheresville Normandy'. The captain have well known if they did another diversion, their manager go nuts and try to hunt him down, then stab him with knives. Lots of knives. Among the three, the shortest man with curly ginger hair and four stripes in both of his sleeves looks the most petrified.
"What i am going to do?" the man muttered. "I don't believe that Carolyn will buy the 'I smell smoke in the cabin' reason twice!"
"Don't worry Skip!" said the man with the smile as bright as the sun. "Im pretty sure we can work our way out from this mess. Right, Douglas?"
The third man who looks the oldest and goes by the name of Douglas said: "Certainly Sir." with a huge smirk on his face.
"Wait." The captain stopped Douglas and Mr. Brightside. "Do you get this odd feeling that the three of us arent just the only ones on this flight?"
"I dont see where you going with this, Skip."
"Actually Arthur, Sir does have a point here." said Douglas. "I too, also have this strange feeling we have a hitchiker on the plane. And because the fact that Arthur was with us at the control room all this time, he might be hiding in plain sight at the passenger bay all this time."
After Douglas said that, loud running footsteps suddenly can be heard all around the passenger bay. At the time they realize, the hitchhiker already pushed his way into the middle of the three men, making the captain standing in the middle fall.
"There he is!" Arthur shouted. "Lets get him!"
The two men followed by the captain, began chasing the mysterious hitchiker untill the hitchiker got out from the plane. They did tried they're best to give chase, but the hitchiker is just too fast and dissapeared at the end of the runway.
"Not just we made a divertion, we also give a hitchiker a ride! If the FAA finds out, we might be well on the way of losing our jobs." The captain looked very desperate. "It's our best interest if Carolyn didn't know anything about this hitchhiker. Keep it between the three of us. Lets go." The captain sighed.
Fitton Airfield felt somewhat as hot as Abu Dhabi. Summer's coming, after all. The three men walk slowly into the little building near the Hangar, went in, and make their way around the building and stopping in at a door that said "MJN Airline" on a big sign.
"Arthur, we're feeling rather down. Its best you get us some coffee for all four of us." asked Douglas.
Arthur answered: "Sure Douglas" then set off to the Pantry to make some.
Taking a big breath, the captain opened the door to be greeted with the loudest shout his eardrums had experienced.
"MARTIN YOU BIG IDIOT!"
Carolyn, CEO and Manager of MJN Air point her finger at the short curly ginger man.
"I TOLD YOU NO DIVERSIONS, AND YOU JUST MADE BRISTOL 2.0!" Martin had no choice to tremble in fear.
"Look at the bright side Carolyn." said Douglas. "I do believe if Sir decided not to stop, the client will demand a refund as punishment for killing what Sir dubbed: 'The Crazy Psycho Cat'."
"D-D-Douglas had made his point, Carolyn" said Martin while still trembling with fear. "You can't afford for us to lose more money."
Carolyn sighed. "I guess you're both right. I'm just a little bit stressed. I can use some coffee."
And just like it's his cue, Arthur came bringing a tray consisting four cups of coffee goodness. Carolyn's mood suddenly brightens up, and Martin did not have to worry that she will be hunting him down with knives.
"I've been thinking. If MJN have to make the transition from a 'Charitable Sanctuary for Rubbish Pilots' to a far more profitable business, I think we need another Cabin Crew. Since I can't manage being both the CEO and secondary flight attendant. Plus, you three seem have a penchant for getting into absurd troubles. Conclusion, another flight attendant is needed." stated Carolyn.
Arthur was shocked with that statement. "Mum, why do we need another flight attendant! Aren't I good enough!"
"Oh really?" Douglas put on his trademark smirk. "You once spilled a bottle full of Talisker on a millionaires wife 50.000 quid dress, forgot to return a bald mans white wig which you mistaken and use for the loo's floor mop, then It took 5 times for you to properly understand how to properly open and close the loo's door without me or Martin assisting you."
"The mop works wonders tough."
"That's not the point Arthur." Carolyn muttered. "What I need is someone with common sense and certainly is well aware my company isn't a bottomless money pit. Continuing the latter statement, someone who's fine working without being paid."
"That's the hardest requirements for a job I've ever heard." Douglas murmured. "We even have higher standards than the CIA or FBI."
And with that homework in mind, the little crew of MJN Air made their way home.
On the next day after tomorrow's afternoon, Carolyn is busy reviewing MJN financial reports and was worried that at their expenses lately. Diverting to Bahrain costs a lot more than Bristol, and the worst part she herself recommended the diversion place.
"Mum!" Arthur came back from the kitchen wearing his non-steward clothes while holding a notebook with a polar bear on its cover. "I think it's that time of the month again."
"If you're asking about your monthly spending money, I don't have it."
"No mum!" Arthur quickly waves his hand in disagreement. "Its grocery day. And I was asking if I can go buy it again this month."
"Arthur, you're always the one going to buy the groceries." Carolyn commented. "Did you make a list of all the things we need?"
"Yes mum!" Arthur holds up his polar bear notebook.
"Good." Carolyn opened her purse, then handled Arthur her credit card. "Try not to waste too much dear."
"Okay mum."
Being a good boy he is, Arthur quickly made his way to the nearest grocery store. He then swiftly made his way through the aisles, taking and only taking things he need. Within a half an hour, the grocery cart is halfway full.
"Let's see.." Arthur opened his long list of groceries. "Oh! I've almost forgot to buy Snoopadoop's needs!" The 29-year old man rush into the pet foods aisle. Scanning the rack of dog foods to find Snoopadoop's favourite flavour: Chocolate with shape like bones.
Suddenly...
BAM!
Because Arthur has a knack for doing everything enthusestiacly adding up the fact that he's kind of clumsy, he accidentally crashed into a dark haired young lady.
"Oh my god! Are you all right? Here, let me help you." said Arthur who then quickly helps the lady with her groceries.
"It's okay." The lady brushed Arthurs hand away. "I can manage this myself". Seconds after she said that, she finished picking up her fallen things.
"But I appreciate-" The lazy looked straight into Arthurs eyes. "Your.. Help." She knew those eyes. Those vintage eyes she had known from a long time ago.
"Excuse me ma'am, are you all right?" Arthur was starting to be disturbed with the lady's constant staring.
"Ooh!" The lady finally gets it.
"Ooh!" Arthur had the same thing in mind.
"Arthur Shappey!"
"You look a lot like Mr. Robert Dingkledear, the multimillionaire."
"Close enough." The lady giggled. "I'm his daughter. Your neighbour, back in Australia? Adelaide. To be precise.
"I still don't get it. More importantly, how do you know my name?"
"You just never change Arthur, and it's been 17 years. You're still the same klutz you used to be." The lady put her hands on her hips. "Let me do a proper introduction."
She lent Arthur her hand. "Maya Dingkledear."
"Ooh!" Arthur finally had the right thing in mind. He then shrugged Maya's hand away and went straight hugging her. "It's really weird after 15 years, the next time we met; I crashed into you at the dog food aisle in a grocery store."
"What a place to do a reunion." Maya lets off a snarky comment. "How about we go to a more proper place, like that coffee shop across the street?"
"That's a lovely idea. Well since I've got mums credit card and I crashed into you making your groceries fall, how about if the coffee's on me?" Arthur proposed.
"Really? If that's okay with you. I'm fine with it."
"The coffees really good here." Arthur commented. "I wish I make coffee this good."
"What do you do for a living Arthur? Are you still living with your parents? It's been 15 years and I've never heard anything from the Shappeys." asked Maya.
"I'm currently still living with my mum. Mum and dad divorced after we left Australia."
"I'm sorry for your lost."
"It's okay. It's all in the past. I don't really think about it. But, I do miss dad sometimes." Arthur let out a sad smile. "Currently mum runs her own charter airline with the plane she got from the divorce. I'm the steward."
"That's good! I'm really happy for you." Maya smiled. "Can I tell you a little secret of mine?" Upon saying that word, Maya's face starts to get anxious.
"What's wrong?"
"It's an odd and somewhat twisted story." Maya sighed. "It's the type that usually only happen in dramas on TV."
"Most people say I have a bright future. Mostly because dad had set up the stage and scenario. He planned for me to go to medical school and within four years I got my Bachelors degree. He then sends me to another medical school and within 2 years I got my Masters degree. Then this is where it gets worse."
"You got a Masters degree in medical school? I don't see where this is going wrong." Arthur is confused.
"Have you ever felt what's it like to feel when someone planned all the things you do since the day you were born?" Maya put on an enigmatic stare.
"No. But sometimes I get this feeling that my mum might be up to something."
"Since little, I never wanted to be a doctor. I always wanted to be a model and an actress." Maya confessed. "I took the gut and courage to disobey my father, and then I ran away from home. I even slept on the pavement a few times"
"You ran away from home, and slept on the pavement!" Arthur almost spilled his coffee in disbelief. He knew Maya's family. His father is a multimillionaire, so her family is very rich. He just can't see why Maya decided to run away. Her family is still intact and not having conflicts. Unlike his family pre-divorce.
"To chase my real dreams instead becoming what my old man wants." Maya put on a solemn look. "Even my mum and brother agreed with me and helped with my escape plan. 4 days ago, in the middle of the night. My dad is fast asleep and my mum and brother aren't home yet, but I well know where they are. I quickly grab all my belongings plus all the money I can manage and hightail it. When I arrived at the airport, my mum and brother are there. She already booked a flight to Sydney, where she booked another flight to London via Abu Dhabi."
"Wait, you we're in Abu Dhabi 2 days ago?"
"I'm not finished!" said Maya. "When I was in Abu Dhabi, I accidentally missed my flight to London. I can't risk myself to wait until morning for my father to track me all the way to Abu Dhabi, so I took an illegal risk then hitchhiked on a plane. The security is easy to pass tough." Maya giggled. Arthur could only swear that Maya's story is connected to what happened to him two days ago.
"When the cabin crew who are three men opened the door, I immediately followed suit. While the two men who I presume are the captain and the first officer went to the control room, the one who I presume is the steward make his way to his seat. I know I wouldn't survive during takeoff if I was at the lavatory; so I quickly picked a seat right at the wall near the steward and kept my head as low as possible. After takeoff, I can hear the steward making coffee. Then he left for the control room and never came back until landing. The three of them never went to the lavatory. So yeah, I was in the passenger bay. Hiding in plain sight." told Maya.
"That's odd." Arthur started to wonder. "I swear my last flight experience went similar to your story. Then what?"
"After the plane had successfully touched down, I knew I have to get ready and hightail before the three men catch me. But I was too late, what I presume is the first officer noticed there was an extra one. The captain backed him up. At that moment, I knew I shouldn't wait any longer. Then I ran and pushed the first officer until he fell and ran straight for the door. The steward and captain gave chase, but thank god I'm still faster than them and I quickly make my way into the fence and find a little hole underneath where I slipped out and find a cab."
Although it took a while to process what's happening, Arthur could finally connect the dots and found the connection of his experience and Maya's story.
She's the hitchhiker.
"Funny." Maya laughed. "The captain looked and sounded like a humble and wise old man and the first officer is a ginger and about my height. The steward looked exactly-"
It hit her.
"Just like you."
She tried to run away, but Arthur quickly grasped hold of her shirt.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere missy." Arthur pulled out his cell phone and swiftly dialed a number.
"You're not going to call the police right, Arthur?" Maya's face starts to get pale.
"No. I'm calling the first officer which you thought is the captain, and then the captain whom you thought is the first officer. Try not to get mixed up." Arthur lets off a sarcastic laugh.
"God I sound like Douglas."
"Are you sure you're not joking with this, Arthur!" asked Douglas.
"No. She herself confessed." Arthur tries to calm Douglas down. "Drink the coffee. She'll tell you when Martin arrives."
Just then, someone came into the cafe.
"Speak of the devil." Douglas said.
"I came as soon as Arthur called." Martin took a moment to observe the three people in front of him and realize the only seat empty is next to Maya. "You're not trying to set me up on a date, right?"
"Nonsense Martin." Douglas explained. "Arthur and I would never plan something like that."
"Sooner or later you might." Martin let out a harsh comment and took his seat next to Maya.
"Well then. The lovely lady, who is with us today, is my childhood friend. Her name is Maya Dingkledear, which she also happens to be our hitchhiker." Arthur explained.
"Hi guys." Maya waves her hand slowly while getting furious stares from Douglas and Martin.
"You almost made us lose our jobs." Martin let out a irritated comment. He was just about to do some scolding when Douglas interrupted.
"Wait a second Agent Martin Crieff. It's best for us to let her tell her story first. How and why do you have to hitchhiked a plane?" asked Douglas.
Maya told a more condensed version of the story than he told Arthur. She knew they were Arthur's friends, but she just couldn't bring herself to trust them. She began by telling she's a daughter of a multimillionaire, and then cut up the details and straight to 'I need to get away from my father'.
"You're not making this up right?" Martin asked. "It's somewhat similar to the lies Douglas usually tell."
"At least my lies don't go to a grand scale like this." mentions Douglas.
"No. I'm not making this up." Maya tried to convince them, but she knew not everyone would easily believe that kind of story. "That's why in the end, maybe for next week; I need to move to another place to prevent my dad from tracking me."
"You're leaving?" Arthur was shocked.
"Life's hard if you're a fugitive. But in my case, other than the country, it's my old man. I knew he would have spies everywhere. He would do anything to bring me back." Maya stands up, leaves a few quid on the table and begins to leave.
"Where are you going!" Arthur asked in panic.
"I need to get a plane scheduled for Rome. I'll settle for a while there. I'm sorry it's only for a few hours Arthur, but I hope it's enough." Maya lets out a wry smile.
"Wait! You haven't settled the score with us." said Martin. "And how you're going to get a plane into Rome without hitchhiking again? You ran away from home barely carrying any money!"
Maya turned her back then sighed. "I promise to you guys I won't report you to the FAA in exchange the four of us pretend the hitchhiking never happened. Don't worry captain; I won't hitchhike again this time. My mum frequently transfers money into a covert bank account that only me, her, and my brother knows. My dad wouldn't notice it hidden under the many bank accounts the family has. By this way, I could live without even working." Maya confessed.
"Now if you excuse me. It's been a pleasure meeting you two."
Maya was just about to leave the table when Douglas stopped her.
"Hold on miss, but I think I've got a solution to your situation." Douglas tries to propose a plan. "You need to move a lot to cover your tracks so your father won't catch you and because your mum regularly transfers money, you don't need a job that will pay you. Am I right?"
"Yes you're right. But I don't see what you're implying." Maya said that with a confused look on her face.
"Don't tell me-" Martin starts to realize where this is going.
"The Airline we're working for a.k.a MJN Air is looking for a new flight attendant with the requirement that he or she will work without payment. Do you follow? Okay then. Do you know the number one advantage of being a cabin crew, Miss Maya?" Douglas asked that question with a smirk on his face.
"You get to move around a lot!" It finally hit her. "But surely I need to prepare documents and conduct tests, right?"
"Well, let me help you then. Why don't you go back to your seat?" Maya followed Douglas's words and went back to her seat.
"Education?" Douglas asked.
"Masters Degree in medical school."
"It's handy to have a doctor in the flight. Have you got any experience working with handling costumers? Such as working as a waiter for example."
"No. This is my first job. Is that a necessary requirement?"
"The typical answer you'll get from a millionaire's daughter." Douglas remarked. "Not really. Speak any second language?"
"My mother's Indonesian, so I'm fluent at that."
"Good. And that's it!"
"That's it?" Martin looked at Douglas in disbelief. "You've just googled the requirements for it. You're not the one that can tell her you passed the test!"
"Really Martin? Sometimes our airline doesn't even follow regulations." explained Douglas. "I was only trying to help her."
"I'm sorry to bother your argument sir, but did I get the job? I don't need any certificates?" Maya asked.
"For the mean time, you did. Don't worry about certificates; Arthur will train you once you finished preparing your legal papers. You don't have a working permit here, right?"
"That's true."
"You can start with that."
"I really have no words that can describe my gratefulness at the time being." Maya's face is filled with joy and relief. "I even tought you guys won't forgive me after all that hitchhiking stuff."
"It's all right!" Arthur smiled. "It's all in the past. I for one would love to work with you after all this years!"
"We're working together now Arthur! Isn't this great?"
Maya and Arthur continued rambling and reminiscing about their past. Martin and Douglas could only watch them and sighed.
"I think for once, you did the right thing Douglas." said Martin.
"I always do the right thing." Douglas answered.
"I feel bad if we really did give her in to her father. That will just make us, especially me; the biggest douche in the world."
"I might be wrong, but I'm getting the hunch her story is somewhat similar to yours Sir."
"Yea-" Martin realized Douglas is doing 'that' again. "Stop calling me that!"
"Sir asked me to call Sir Sir, but Sir then scolds thee for doing the right thing by calling Sir Sir."
"You know what; just call me Martin from now on."
"Alright... Sir of Sir's."
Please R&R! And sorry if its too long.