The sun shined brightly on his face- illuminating his magnificent babyblue eyes. Unfortunately, Shaun had been placed at the back of the airplane, where the engine roared through his ears. However, he didn't seem to mind much. He had the inside seat- where he silently observed the setting through the window- with Claire in the middle and Jared on the outside.
It seemed as if the three of them were in some sort of love triangle that Shaun was completely unaware of. Jared looked at Claire with jealousy, Claire gazed at Shaun with the smallest bit of lust, and Shaun looked away, admiring the green and blue scenery below them. He looked as if he were trying to memorize their location.
Suddenly, a slight crackling noise came from the engine of the plane. No one seemed to notice- except for Shaun. Claire could tell something was wrong when her vision was redirected towards Shaun's hands- pale and lanky, fidgeting relentlessly in his lap. Sure, he did this a lot, but this time was different. The pace had changed- it seemed more urgent. His brain pulsed, trying to think of something important over all the distractions surrounding him.
We're on a plane to the surgery of a lifetime, this is a good thing. Claire tried to reassure herself. Nothing bad is going to happen.
"What's wrong? She finally broke the silence, and with that, Shaun's thought process. She took advantage of the situation and hesitantly placed her hand onto Shaun's trembling ones.
"Nothing's wrong." Shaun pulled his hands away, not liking the random act of contact. Jared watched, unseen.
"I know what happened last time you were at a airport," Claire said, her voice as seductive and calm as she could possibly make it. "I just wanna make sure you're-"
"The plane engines breaking down." Shaun interrupted abruptly, not being able to hold it in or lie any longer.
"What? How do you know that?" Jared finally butted in, making it very clear that he was listening in on their conversation.
"If you listen closely, you can hear a crackling sound coming from the engine." Shaun explained in monotone. "The engine won't make it the rest of the flight. There will be a plane crash."
He looked back to the window, as if what he had just said didn't matter at all. The three surgeons- Melendez had joined in on their conversation from where he sat behind them- started at Shaun in utter shock.
Claire finally spoke up, saying exactly what was on the others' minds. "I don't hear anything." The others nodded in unison.
Shaun laughed slightly, an unusual sight. "That's because you're neurotypical. Everything I hear is louder." He turned back to the window, once again.
Dr. Melendez opened his mouth to protest- to tell Shaun that he was just being paranoid and that he shouldn't be acting like some kind of superhero for being able to hear what wasn't even there. But before he could even get his sentence out, he froze.
He heard it. He heard the engine. The noise seemed to be gradually getting bigger until all the passengers looked back, with looks of disgust and worry on their faces. They heard static over the intercom, but before anyone could make anything out of it, the noise stopped.
Everything went back to normal, or that's what it seemed like. People eased in their seats, but Shaun didn't. Both Melendez and Jared rolled their eyes and looked away, falling back in their chairs. Claire patted Shaun on the leg, telling him that there was nothing to worry about and that it was all over now. But still, Shaun didn't let go of the tense feeling that ran throughout his body.
A couple minutes passed, and just like that, the noise was back. Except this time it was louder and quicker. Shaun covered his ears from the sounds of screaming people and crying babies. He looked back out at the landscape, which now seemed to be falling sideways. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.