A Stranger's Paradise
The multitude of noises that surrounded Rooney Mitchell fell violently on her ears as she glanced back up at the flashing screen. The white words blinked on and off the blue screen making her eyes hurt, but there was no time for her pain as life jumbled around her, constantly moving, sparing no breath. She hated airports. They were noisy, crowded, and produced nothing but chaos. No one ever seemed to pause; people filled the narrow corridors twenty four seven. No one would stop; the constant fear of getting carried away or being left behind was maddening. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking up at the screen again. Their flight was on time, but her sister wasn't. The small pain in the base of her skull increased, as did the pain behind her eyes as she looked at her cell phone. The flight left in forty minutes, their class boarded in fifteen. Her sister Serenity was never late; she was always impeccably on time, which meant something had to be wrong. Rooney turned back towards the gate and amid thoughts of everything that could possibly be wrong with her sister; she took in the faces around her. Most rushed past without a second glance, while others starred back and some even spared a moment to smile. She wondered where each person was going. Whether they were going or coming, if they were waiting for someone or if someone was waiting for them. Whether they were missed or missing someone, whether they were flying with their angels or meeting their demons. It all seemed like senseless spinning in her mind, a never ending wheel that connected them all. Rooney stumbled over luggage and through the crowded seating area before finally spotting her two younger brothers.
Ryder, the older of the two boys, had his iPod in one hand and an energy drink in the other. He scanned the crowd as he leaned back into his seat and caught the eye of a young security guard. At eighteen, Ryder's only concerns were girls, music, and getting as far away from his family as possible. Justin James, meanwhile, cared only about the game in front of him. With the game boy nearly pressed against his face, his body moved right and left each time he pressed the corresponding arrows. Rooney pushed her curly, auburn hair out of her face and scanned the crowd for her sister once more. She rubbed her temples in angst as her headache grew stronger. Her stomach grumbled and she glanced around for the closest concessions. If she was going to take any pain pills, she would have to eat anyways. She looked through the food court, scanning for the shortest lines. Greasy burgers, greasy tacos, or greasy pizza; in a rush, she dared to chance the burgers.
"Ryder, stay here and watch your brother again-"
"I don't want to," he scanned through the crowd, catching the eye of another young girl. "I want to go buy a soda-"
"Shut up." Rooney growled, trying to keep her voice low. "One you already have a drink and two, you only have ten minutes before we get on the plane."
"So?"
"So, you numb nut, you're not allowed to take open drinks on the plane. Now, I'm tired, I have to get on an airplane, I'm hungry, and I have a headache. Stay with Jay Jay while I get something to eat."
"Don't call me that!" The fourteen year old huffed and managed to look up from his game long enough to throw her a dirty look. Rooney only smiled. Justin hated the family nickname and the way that his sisters' babied him. Mostly he hated being so much younger than everyone else. His sisters' were almost done with college, his brother couldn't wait for the opportunity to get away and start school, and even though he was thirteen, his high school career hadn't even begun.
"Why? Besides, you'll get pretzels on the plane." Ryder took his eyes off the girl long enough to scowl at his sister.
"Not for an hour at least, and I don't want pretzels, now stay here and watch your brother before I smack you upside the head in front of that security guard you were flirting with."
"You wouldn't."
"Want to try me Ryder?"
When he didn't answer, Rooney smirked and walked towards the burger joint, not looking forward to what she was about to eat but hungry enough to get over it. In her rush she bumped into a tall, dark haired man, sending his carry on crashing to the ground. He picked it up easily and she apologized hurriedly before getting in line. The man watched her leave with a grin on his face.
That guy seemed really familiar… I wonder who he was… The stranger left her mind as her thoughts wandered and she was given her burger. As she sat down to eat, she wondered what her trip was going to be like. Her father and his wife had moved to Mikonos, Greece, nearly six months ago and they were all finally going to go visit him. Her parents had divorced twelve years ago and the only good thing that had come out of it was her stepsister, Serenity. The split between her parents had been drawn out and messy, and even a decade later they hardly managed to stay civil with one another. Her siblings, especially Serenity, had been one of the few people who had helped her maintain sanity. Rooney shook her head, frowning at her past and let her mind wander back to Greece. She glanced at the hamburger and popped two pain pills, wondered if she would enjoy Greek food or not, then smiled. The sooner she ate, the sooner her medicine would kick in so she could sleep away the plane ride and wake up under the Tuscan sun. She'd only taken a bite of the surprisingly tasty meat when someone started hollering at her.
"Roon!" Serenity ran through the airport, sifting through the crowd and dancing gracefully between other travelers, managing to keep a steady pace. "We're going to be late and all you can think of is food?!"
"Nice to see you too, Reni." She grumbled before shoveling the rest of the burger down her throat.
"Let's go! We're going to miss our flight!"
"One, I was here on time and it would be you who almost missed the flight, and two, I haven't finished digesting yet."
"We don't have time for this Rooney!"
"Don't snap at me, you're the one who had me tied up in knots, Ms. I'm-Always-On-Time. I was beginning to wonder if something really bad had happened to you." Her temper sparked as irritation and angst mixed. "You could have called, or at least texted me some warning!"
"I did call you, you didn't answer! And you're always the pessimist never the optimist. Can't you just relax for once in you life?" Yet Serenity was all smiles as Rooney dug her phone out of her pocket and grinned stupidly when she saw that she had left her phone on silent and there was not one, but three missed calls. "Boy, have I missed you!" She latched onto her sister before pushing her back again and steering her towards the waiting area. "Where are the boys, we're late, we're going to miss our flight!" Rooney trailed in amazement as her sister whizzed past people, sliding in between and maneuvering herself without so much as bumping them or moving a hair on their heads. She always was the refined one; Rooney smiled and thought of her own, much clumsier ways. Once more, they passed the dark haired stranger. Rooney tried to camouflage her staring to get a better look at the man, but his back was to her. Finally, they had made their way back to the chairs only to find them empty.
"Are you kidding me?" Rooney flared instantly.
"Where are the boys-"
"I swear I'm going to strangle that little bastard! I told him to stay with Justin and look what he does! Now we really are going to miss our flight-"
"Relax," Serenity was looking around. "They haven't called our class yet, we'll be fine." She scanned the crowds and spotted the lanky boy easily. "He's over there-"
Rooney didn't hesitate as emotion got the best of her. She moved through the crowd, not caring who she pushed out of the way and stalked up to him like a lion ready to pounce. Her anger only escalated when he took no notice of her, the female in front of him capturing all his attention. "What the hell do you think you're doing? We have a damn flight to catch!"
Ryder scowled at his sister and watched as the girl he'd been talking with slipped away. "I was just talking to her about Greece-"
"I could care less what you were talking to her about! All I asked you to do was watch Justin for five minutes and you can't even do that! Its no wonder Mom keeps you locked up half the time!" Rooney knew the comment would sting and took satisfaction in that. Ever since their parents had gotten divorced, Ryder had shown a rebellious streak and was constantly getting in trouble; in most cases it had to do with his lack of responsibility. She smirked as his face contorted in a temper of his own but her next bout of insults was quelled by her sister.
"Rooney, shut it!" Serenity steeped between the two, still glancing around. "Ryder, where's Justin?" She asked urgently while giving him a quick hug.
"He should be in the chair still-"
"Are you serious? You left him alone in a busy airport-"
"He's thirteen, it's not like he's some little girl or anything!"
"That's not the point! We're all supposed to watch out for each other and you just leave him there!"
"Stop arguing, it's not going to do any good! Where could he have gone, he has to be around here somewhere!" Serenity tried to maintain peace but her own patience was waning.
"It's not like Justin to just leave and take off somewhere, especially when he knows we have a flight to catch." Rooney's eyes began to burn as the headache consumed her entire skull. "I can't believe you didn't watch him Ryder! He's so small he could just-"
"I'm right here." Justin said quietly beside them.
They all looked down at him in a surprise that quickly melted into repose. Justin had always been the quiet one, prone to following his older siblings but branching away to take care of his own business when necessary. He hugged his sister happily before she pushed him back to get a good look at him.
"Where did you get off to now, Jay Jay?" Serenity smiled as she teased him.
"Don't call me that and I had to go to the bathroom. I wasn't even gone that long." He swatted at her as she ruffled his long hair.
"Well if your good for nothing brother had been paying attention he could have saved us a lot of trouble." Rooney spat and imagined a good brawl with Ryder would cure her headache and ease her nerves.
"I'm not his mother! What do you want me to do? Hold his freaking hand and lead him around? Besides, shouldn't you have been looking after him-"
"You guys, stop fighting, we're in an airport and you're making a scene."
"Good, now the entire world can see how lame Ryder is! That girl is going to want nothing to do with you now!"
"Rooney stop it!" Serenity rubbed her temples.
"You guys…" Justin tried to break in.
"Oh, because you're so much better! Guys don't want anything to do with you either!"
"Like I've had any lack of male attention and I don't have to scam to get it!"
"Yea but once they get to know you they realize just how bitchy you are and throw you away like freaking trash-"
"Ryder knock it off. Apologize!"
"You guys…"
"I'll have you know, I haven't been dumped by anyone yet you little smart ass!"
"Yea, but none of them ever came back, did they?" Ryder snarled.
"Stop it, both of you-"
"You guys!" Justin yelled above all the commotion. All three turned towards him and looked at him in surprise yet again. The calmest of the four, Justin hardly ever yelled and the sound always caught everyone off guard. "They're boarding our class, let's go."
Anger washed away at his words as they huffed and sighed while grabbing their things to gather at the end of the line. Rooney stared through the large windows at the plane as they progressed to the front and swallowed hard. She hated flying. The idea was enough to make her sick to her stomach, but actually having to fly had her running in the opposite direction. Justin slipped his small hand into her clammy one without looking up at her.
"I'm fine, Justin." Rooney forced her fear aside and tried to appear detached. Emotions were never her strong suit and most she tried to ignore all together. It was her belief that emotions would never get her anywhere, an idea conjured at a young age. It was better to be apathetic and realistic than empathetic and caught up in denial.
"I know you are." But he gave her hand a squeeze as they enter the plane and made their way to their seats. They hadn't even managed to put their bags inside the racks before the barrage of questions followed like bullets. Serenity had moved to Sacramento for school, leaving the tight knit family back in Pasadena. As her veterinary schooling became more demanding, her visits became fewer and far between.
"So how've you been Reni?"
"How's school?"
"What's UC Davis like?"
"Have a boyfriend yet?"
"Get your Prowler?"
"Get your Dobermans?"
"Great, good, awesome, yes, no, and I have one Doberman and one Rottweiler."
"You have a boyfriend?" The boys asked together before laughing hysterically. Serenity, known exclusively for her prudish ways, rarely grew intimate with someone, and definitely not while school was in session.
"Shut up you little freak tablets!" She laughed. "I've had a boyfriend, you met him last Christmas."
"But I thought you guys broke up?"
"We got back together!" She rolled her eyes playfully. "I could have sworn I told you. Or maybe I just told Rooney. Speaking of which, do you have your paper bag?"
"Shut up, I'm not that bad!" But she had already buckled herself into her seat, the seatbelt so tight it dug into her skin.
"Sure, sure, just let me know if I need to move out of the way, all right?"
"Whatever." Rooney grumbled, but she gripped the arms of the seat as they all anxiously awaited take off.
"So, who was that guy you were starring at earlier, Roon?" Serenity asked, trying to break the nervous tension surrounding them. Even at twenty three, Serenity still liked to gossip like a teenager.
"He was no one, I just thought I'd seen him before is all."
"Yea? From where?"
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We're looking at a clear, six hour flight, and with weather permitting, I hope to make it a little less than five and a half. A video about flight safety will be shown with the help of our flight attendants and we will begin take off momentarily."
The gears of the plane began to whine and Rooney clutched the armrests as if the plane was already going down. She took deep breaths, trying to focus on the video before her but by the time the plane was in the air; she was nearing a panic attack. Unable to calm herself, she played with the window screen. She'd leave it up to watch the clouds go by, but after about a minute she'd slide it shut, tired of looking at endless clouds and blinding sunlight. Then a few minutes later, she'd push the screen back up again to see the progress they'd made. Saying she hated to fly was an understatement and she was near inconsolable when it came to turbulence.
From LAX, they would fly to Florida, instead of the usual layover in New York. The flight to Florida would take six hours, where they would refuel and then head to Greece. Five hours into the flight, Ryder and Justin had pried the details out of Serenity about her boyfriend. Rooney and Serenity maintained more contact than she did with the boys; it was easier to talk to someone your own age, even if the others were still here family.
"His name is Sean, he's two years older than me- what is so funny?"
"You have a boyfriend!" They laughed, teasing her about her usual lack of relationships.
"I've had boyfriends before!" She muttered but took no offense. It was very hard for Serenity to look upon her siblings in anger. Though it seemed as if they been together their entire lives, Serenity was their stepsister, and she hadn't met them until she was ten. Growing up as an only child had been lonesome, and when she suddenly found herself living with three other children, it had felt like a dream come true. She marveled over Rooney and Ryder, mystified at their ability to scream back and forth at each other, when all she wanted was to keep the peace and enjoy everyone's company.
"Yea, but you never stay with any of them!" Ryder poked.
"I think its cool that you and Sean have been together for two years."
"Thank you Jay Jay." She laughed and carried on before he could complain. "Speaking of boyfriends, how's Michael-"
Rooney tried not to cringe. "I wouldn't know." She said agitatedly, not wanting to bring up her failure of a love life. Sure, Rooney had had boy friends, but they never seemed to mature past boy-friends. At least that's what she told herself.
"You guys broke up? Why didn't you tell me, I mean, you guys were in-"
"Don't you dare said that word Reni."
"You didn't love him?"
"No, and he didn't love me either. I have never been in love for that matter."
"You're a damn liar, Roon."
"That wasn't love," Rooney said quickly, knowing her sister was going to bring up her only true romance.
"You were in love with him and you know it."
"I was fifteen, I didn't know what love was."
"But you were in love." Serenity pressed.
"I was not in love with Landon." Rooney camouflaged the emotion in her voice with annoyance.
"Lying leads you straight to hell Rooney." Serenity rolled her eyes. Rooney had never disclosed the reason why her relationship ended. He just stopped coming around and she refused to speak about it. Serenity had always wondered what had happened between the two of them.
"Stop thinking about it!" Rooney snapped.
"I'm not!"
"Fine!"
"Fine."
The next hour passed in silence before they landed in Florida. The group sat impatiently at their gate during the two hour layover while the plane was cleaned and refueled. By the time they had boarded again and were ready to go, Ryder and Justin were arguing over a gameboy, Serenity had turned her music up loud enough to drown out the noise surrounding her and Rooney could hear every word spilling from the plugs in her ears. Rooney sighed and felt another headache coming on.
"I have to pee." Rooney said suddenly, though no one was listening. She had to get away from the constant noise before she went insane. She walked up the isle and realized how there were less passengers on this flight. All the less sick people and screaming babies to worry about. She stopped outside the lavatory and waited for the occupied hell they called a bathroom. Why do they have to be so small? You can't pee without feeling claustrophobic and making a racket, how the hell do people manage to have sex in there? Two doors opened at the same time and she entered the one in front of her. A chill ran down her spine, but she didn't know why. She turned to find the stranger from the airport walking away. What are the odds? Why do I feel like I know you? Rooney finished her business before starting back to her seat hesitantly. She walked back down the narrow aisle and stopped in her tracks. "Sam?"
The six foot five brunette turned quickly. "Rooney!" They hugged and exchanged courtesies. Rooney had been best friends with his sister in high school, and had worked with both Sam and their older brother, Chase.
"Isn't this trippy! How's Casey and Chase-"
"Rooney!" The blonde girl struggled to run across the plane to hug her. "What are you doing here?!" They embraced each other tightly, remembering old times. After their first year of college, they had gone their separate ways, and except for a random letter here and there, had lost contact. A reality Rooney had once found disturbing but she had come to realize that growth was inevitable, even between the closest of friends.
"I'm going to see my Dad in Greece! You look wonderful Casey- Hey Chase!"
"No way, we're going to see our grandparents." Casey interrupted before Chase, the oldest of the three, could mutter a hello. "How've you been? How's school? How's Land-"
Once more, the dreaded topic was brought up. "We broke up, Case."
"No! When did this happen? You were the perfect couple! We all thought you would get married right out of high school! You were so in love!" Casey felt a veil fall over her heart a she learned of past events. The two had been perfect for each other, she simply couldn't believe it.
Sam gave Rooney a sympathetic look, knowing how hard break ups could be. "Case, let her speak!" But the fasten seatbelt sign flashed on, saving her from the awkwardness. Rooney rushed to sit down after promising to come back and catch up. The boys were still arguing as Rooney buckled herself in and turned to growl at them.
"Will you two shut up?!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"You're not our mother!" Ryder spat with disdain.
"Shut up and give me the game!"
"No!"
"Pull the stick out of your ass and give it to me!"
"I don't have a stick in my ass!"
"You have something up there!" She snickered.
"Shut up bit-"
"Ryder! Rooney! Will you two shut up? Just stop talking!" Serenity yelled. Rooney knew that arguing with Ryder bugged her but couldn't help herself. Rooney turned away from Ryder only to realize they were in the air. She looked out the window but quickly felt her eyes start to droop and planned to sleep away the next twelve hours.
When her eyes opened, she was walking through a parking lot, her friends surrounding her and talking about the upcoming holiday. They walked towards a pizza parlor, and Rooney looked around curiously. They were the only people around.
They walked inside the parlor where more of her friends and school mates were already sitting down and enjoying the food. Rooney sat down, a little confused, facing the door. Casey sat to the right of her and immediately began to jabber away, Rooney caught up in the sweet sound of her voice. She smiled and the door opened, blinding her with the bright light from outside. She covered her eyes and when she was finally able to see again, she found Landon walking towards her, looking exactly as he had when he was a teenager. She gawked at him, mouth open and eyes wide, but he didn't seem to notice. He just sat down next to her and smiled.
"Roon, I want to tell you something."
"Yes?" She asked, amazed. She'd dreamt about him before but his voice had never been that clear, he had never seemed so real.
"I want you to… I want… never mind." He looked away and started talking to the others around him.
Rooney brushed it off and looked at the others surrounding her. Already recognizing Casey, she realized she knew everyone sitting around the table. Serenity was there, and so were her brothers. Casey's two brothers were there as well as many of her high school friends. And then there was Landon. She was easily drawn back to his presence but it wasn't accompanied by the pain that usually filled her when she dreamt about him. Instead, she was filled with a tranquility she had never experienced before. Once more Landon turned his attention back to her and smiled before taking her hand. She looked down at it in confusion; it was warm, so warm she could almost feel it.
"Roon, I want to tell you something."
"Yes?" It was a wonder just to hear him speak again.
"I think that you should…"
"Yes Landon?" Was all she managed to push out.
"I think that you should… I want you to… wake up."
Rooney's eyes flew open to find Serenity and Sam smirking above her. "What?" She muttered while yawning.
"You were saying his name in your sleep."
"Who's name?"
"Landon-"
"Where are the boys?" She asked, looking around desperately trying to change the subject.
"They went to the bathroom. You were dreaming about him."
"About who?"
"Landon!"
"Why would I dream about him?" She spat.
"Because you're still in love with him."
"Who are you in love with?" Sam teased.
"I'm not." Rooney growled.
"With her ex."
"I am not in love with him!"
"Say his name."
"No!"
"You're still in love with him."
"I was never in love with him!"
"You can't even say his name! You are so!"
"I dumped him, remember?"
"Doesn't mean you weren't in love."
"Whatever!" Rooney turned her frustrated face to Sam. "So Sam, how are you? Good? That's just peachy."
"Still waitressing at the old joint?"
"No, I left because I'm going to the University of Hawaii at Manoa." Landon's at Manoa… He's supposed to be anyways.
"So you took some time off?"
"No, I went to the junior college first and then transferred to LongBeach State. As soon as we get back from visiting my dad, I'm getting shipped off to Hawaii."
"You make that sound like a bad thing." Sam laughed. "It's good to see you're going somewhere in life. Lord knows it took me forever. So, from what I hear you have no male interest then." He teased.
"Oh no, I have an interest in males. In fact, I'm planning on finding a great looking Greek hunk." She grinned deviously.
"Us American's aren't good enough, huh?" He feigned offense.
"No! That's not what I meant-"
"Rooney, I was just joking!" He laughed. "What happened to that crazy girl I used to know? You seem so serious now."
"Oh, I'm still crazy," She smiled. "Just a little more contained."
"You're in my seat." Ryder interrupted as he walked up, glaring at Sam.
"Ryder!"
"He is!"
"Don't be such a prick!"
"Rooney, its cool-" Sam said quickly while getting up.
"Don't be such a wench!"
"Apologize!"
"Make me!"
"You freakin' ass!"
"Still curses like a sailor.." Sam muttered as he made his way past the arguing pair.
"Dad's gonna her about this!" Ryder threatened.
"I'm twenty one! What's he going to do, throw me over his knee and spank me? Ha! Get real!"
"Really, it's okay Rooney. I have to get back to Chase and Casey anyways."
"See what you did!"
Rooney and Ryder had never gotten along well. They would be civil one minute, and then they would try to kill each other the next. Their father had always said it was a phase and that as they got older, they would get along but nothing ever changed. They had argued, fist fought, and broke each other's bones over the years, and still nothing phased them.
"Stop being a bitch Rooney."
"Stop getting ass fucked Ryder."
"I'm not gay!"
"Could have fooled me!"
"Hey! Will you guys knock it off! Damn!" Serenity stood in the aisle with Justin. "Let-"Serenity was interrupted by Rooney's shout as the plane jolted. The fasten seat belt sign flashed above them and they rushed to sit down.
"Excuse me ladies and gentleman. We're experiencing some turbulence. Please stay seated and remain calm. Flight attendants to your stations until further orders." Rang over the intercom. All eyes shifted to Rooney who was growing pale.
"He didn't say slight…"
"What?" Serenity asked carefully.
"He didn't say slight… he didn't say slight turbulence! He said stay calm! Something is wrong!"
"Roon, calm down. We're fine. They're professionals; they'll take care of us." Justin cooed, trying to relax his sister.
"He's right, they are professionals." Serenity took her hand. "It'll be okay."
Throughout the next fifteen minutes, the plane jolted in and out of hard turbulence and Rooney was still squeezing Serenity's now lifeless hand. The plane bounced up and down through the dark clouds and whenever they tried to change altitudes, they were thrown around as if the plane were suddenly weightless. Finally, as the speaker beeped with another captain's announcement, Rooney shifted her hand from Serenity's to the arm rest.
"Ladies and gentleman, we're experiencing heavy turbulence and plan to wait out the storm in Morocco. Please remain seated."
"Something's wrong…" Rooney was almost in tears.
"We're fine. That's why we're waiting out the storm." Serenity tried to calm her while nonchalantly squeezing and moving her fingers back to life.
"I wanna go home…" She sounded like a lost little girl. Rooney's hysterics had started to upset Justin and he was holding both Rooney and Serenity's hand.
Another fifteen minutes had and the turbulence was easing. The four continued to hold hands, and Rooney dared look out the window. "We're coming out of the storm…" Rooney's voice was still shaking.
"See, we told you it would be okay."
No sooner did the words leave Serenity's mouth did they hear the crack of lightening as it struck the tail and then the screaming wind. Everyone watched in horror as random people were sucked out of their seats and thrown to their deaths as the plane began to dive.
"Don't let go!!!" Rooney heard herself screaming before the black engulfed her.