The oversized aircraft sails through the crisp night air, effortlessly avoiding any turbulence it may run into. Inside the metal death trap, a serene atmosphere has taken over and draped atop the passengers like a blanket. Many of the people aboard were either blissfully sleeping or gazing out their windows dreamily whilst listening to music. A small TV at the front of the economy class section is playing King Kong for the second time since departure, but nobody cares all that much: you know you don't.
You're content with combing your boney fingers through your older brother's fluffy brown hair while you stare out the window. He has a habit of resting his head on your shoulder while he naps, occasionally letting out little squeals in his sleep. Normally, you detest this sort of invasion of your personal space, but you can't really say no to the little guy. He may have been born two years before you, but you were obviously the more mature sibling, not to mention he wasn't exactly the brightest of the bunch.
About a year ago, Mituna had gotten in a car accident. His best friend, Kurloz, had been driving and had the right away, so he hadn't even thought to slow down. Needless to say, another vehicle whose owner hadn't been paying the slightest bit of attention crashed into Kurloz's, sending him and Mituna into a ditch off the road. Somehow the car had flipped over, angled so that the passenger side literally dug into the fresh soil, and Mituna received the worst of the injuries.
Kurloz had bit his tongue clean off because his teeth had been settled atop the appendage when his head hit the roof, permanently dooming any speech he may have attempted. Although being unable to speak was pretty intense, the damage done to Mituna was much worse. After Kurloz had carried him 5 miles to the nearest hospital, Mituna had been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and appeared to have lost all memory of the crash even happening. Doctors claimed this was his mind rejecting the idea of being damaged, and that he may never even be aware of his disability.
You push the memory to the back of your mind and focus on the little puff of white on the other side of the glass. You envy the cloud, mocking you as it enjoys the refreshing breeze outside while you're stuck in this stuffy airplane for another half hour. Beside you, Mituna whines cutely and squirms against your body. You look over at his dozing form and smile warmly, always finding him adorable when he sleeps. You wonder if you look even half as innocent when you sleep, but you quickly abandon that thought when you remember who you are.
You are SOLLUX CAPTOR, a bi-polar nerd with a lisp and an attitude, and there is no way you could possibly look anything like that when you slip into unconsciousness. You probably snore or something unappealing like that, and suddenly your mellow has been harshed. Perhaps you should succumb to peer pressure and just listen to music?
Ya, that sounds about right. Not like you have anything better to do, and catching some Z's is definitely out of the question. These flying pieces of junk terrify you, not that you'd ever admit it to anyone, and there was no way in hell you would be sleeping. If this thing went down, you'd need to be awake and alert so you'd all manage to live. It'd be tough saving Mituna and Dad as well as yourself, but you'd figure it out somehow. Besides, everyone keeps telling you you're a genius, so maybe that would come in handy for the first time in your life. Although, being smart is also the reason you're on this plane in the first place, so it pretty much contradicts itself. Go figure.
Mituna, Dad, and you were moving from Michigan to Georgia so you could all start over. After your parents had divorced, things had been really rough on the three of you. Admittedly, they weren't ideal to begin with either. You had always been bullied because of your disorder, lisp, and overall nerdiness, so it didn't really bother you all that much. Your friends were always there to support you, and that's all that had mattered. Then when Mituna had developed Tourette syndrome, shit just hit the whirling device.
When he was released from the hospital and allowed back in school, people mercilessly ridiculed him. The only ones who'd stayed by his side were Kurloz, his best and now only friend, and Latula, his girlfriend. You were pretty surprised she stayed with him, and even more surprised when she'd agreed to a long distance relationship with him, but she was committed. You had to give her that.
The divorce had just been the icing on the metaphorical cake, and Dad decided to just uproot your lives and move away. You though that running from your problems was stupid, but a part of you was grateful you wouldn't have to put up with it anymore. Although, things would just get worse when school started up again in three months. Whether you lived in Michigan or Georgia, kids were kids and they're still going to single somebody out for being different. That much even Tuna knew.
So as you put your earbuds in and hit play on your ancient MP3 player, you try to be optimistic and focus on the fact that you still have three months before you have to endure hell all over again. No school, no people, no problems. Just three months of paradise in the form of video games, computer programming, and coding. You could do this, and even when school comes around you'll be prepared. You'll stick to yourself and pass every class until the year is over and you're rewarded with three more months of absolute euphoria. Or at least as euphoric as isolation (minus Tuna and Dad) can be.
I'll get more into the story in the next chapter, this was just to set the mood and provide a little insight.