The television monitor at the airport read, "Flight 180 departs 4:25. Gate 29."
There were thirty high school kids and four teachers waiting to get on the plane. Several parents were gathered in the airport make sure their kids had everything.
The airport P.A. says, "This airport does not support solicitors. You are not required to give money to solicitors."
Jackson gathered his bags, as does his best friend, Lex Waggner, and his older brother, George Waggner, standing before their father, Jerry Waggner.
"Alright, you guys got everything?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah," Lex said. "We're all set, Dad."
Mr. Robert Russel, the French teacher and leader of the class trip, waved his arms. "Les students, allons en France!"
"Does that mean go?' Jerry said.
Lex shrugs, and gives his father a hug. "I guess."
Jerry then gives his older son a hug.
"Atencion senores pasajeros. No es necesario contribuir…"
Jerry said, "I'll miss you guys."
Lex and George wave. Jerry pats Jackson on the back. "Take care of those two, Jackson."
As he keeps walking, Jackson called back, "I will. Don't worry."
The group begins down the airport and towards the check-in counter.
In front of the boys, a girl strides while reading The Tropics of Cancer. Her name is Melissa Wu. She is also going on the trip.
Readying his ticket and document, Lex flips open his passport, checking out his photo. "I didn't think anything could look worse than my yearbook picture."
"Now you know how I feel having to look at you all the time," George remarked.
The P.A. says, "Avis aux passagers…"
Mr. Russel stops the group. Excited, he cups an ear with one hand while raising a finger towards the public address system. "Entendez classe, qu'est ce que c'est l'announce?"
Everyone begrudgingly stops to listen.
The P.A. says, "Vous n'etes pas dans l'obligation de contribuer aux demandes des quemandeurs.
Nathan McHugh, with his hands tucked in his girlfriend, Taylor Hagan's, waistband says, "What the heck's he want?"
Taylor smiles. "Shhh."
The P.A. system says, "cher aeroport n'est responsible pour leurs activities.
Mr. Russel scans the group, looking for an answer.
Without looking up, Melissa says, "The airport doesn't endorse solicitors."
Mr. Russel said, "Tres bien, Melissa! Tout droit!" He continues leading the procession forward.
Jackson sighs, "Do we have to put up with that crap the whole time?"
A hand reaches out to gently detain Jackson. He looks up to find a Hare Krishana dressed in everyday clothes, but with his head shaved and a mark on his nose. "Death is not the end." Jackson, unsettled, is handed a small booklet.
Ms. Jory Twist, the feisty English teacher, says, "It will be for you if you harass my students." She places a hand on Jackson's shoulder, herding him to the other students.
The Hare Krishana says, "Hare Rama."
Ms. Twist turns back towards the Hare Krishana and mouths the words, "Screw you." Then she turns back around and continues walking.
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The ticket clerk takes Jackson's ticket, busily types into the computer, and checks his passport.
The flight information board clicks and rattles, grabbing Jackson's attention. He turns to see the times tiles turning.
Jackson doesn't hear the ticket clerk say, "I have a few questions for you this afternoon."
The time tiles continue to click and clack.
"Did you pack these bags yourself?"
Jackson didn't answer, the tiles still drawing his attention. The tiles settle on the word "cancelled."
"Have your belongings remained in your possession the entire time?"
Jackson nods absently, then turns back to the information board. The tiles settle on the word "departed."
"Have you received any packages from persons unknown to you?"
Jackson quickly runs the day through in his head and remembers the Hare Krishana, flashing the book to the clerk.
She smiled and leaned over the counter towards the baggage scales. Jackson follows her eyes to see a new airline I.D. ticket attached to his bag.
The clerk returns Jackson's ticket and passport. "Same as your birthday."
Jackson, puzzled, shakes his head, as if to say, "Pardon me?"
"April twenty-fifth. Four-twenty-five. Your birthday is the same as your departure time."
The information board clacks again. Jackson turns as the title settles upon the word "terminal."
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The ghastly green and reds of the x-ray monitors flash as carry-on bags go through the machine.
Nathan and Taylor cut in line. No one dares to protest.
"I can't believe they let him on the trip," Eric said, disgusted.
"His parents bought a ton of those trip certificates we had to sell just to get him out of their hair for ten days," George said.
Lex, excited, says to Jackson, "Dude, I totally worked the ticket clerk, so you're sitting next to Christa, and I'm sitting next to Blake."
Jackson looks ahead of him. Attractive, and they know it, Christa Marsh and Blake Dreyer walk, clearly out of his league.
"That's seven hours, and most of it is in the dark." Lex said.
The boys dump their change into a plastic bowl.
Lex says, "Dude, if we don't get someone going on this flight, we should just call Dr. Kervorkian and put ourselves out of our misery."
Jackson and Lex pass through the metal detector.
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The class is excited, waiting to get on the flight. Nathan and Taylor are making out. Christa and Blake are looking through Parisian fashion magazines. Eric eats a burrito supreme. Melissa Wu takes a seat, struggling to carry her Walkman, coffee, books, and cassette box. She places her stuff on the seat beside her, dropping a Paris guidebook on the floor.
An unidentified student, walking past, reaches down and picks up the book Melissa dropped, hearing a "Thanks." Then the student continues walking toward the observation deck.
Melissa looks at the open book in her hands, seeing a picture of a totaled Mercedes. She looks back to see who the student was, and notices that it was Jackson.
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It's raining. Jackson hears low rumbles of thunder.
He looks at the plane, which seems incapable of flying, and yet we unquestioningly trust our lives with this machine. Emotionless. Cold. Lifeless, and yet soon full of life.
"Dude," Lex says, let's take a dump."
Jackson says, "Why?"
"Dude, get wisdom. We're about to board a seven hour flight. The toilets in coach are barely ventilated closets. What if your body wants that airplane food out, so you go in the plane, and then right after you walks in Christa or Blake? You want them to associate with you with that reflexive gag and the watery sting in their eyes?"
Jackson took this into consideration.
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Jackson is in the stall next to Lex's. He hears John Denver's Rocky Mountain High playing over the P.A. system.
"John Denver…" Jackson says to himself.
He listens closely to the song. He hears, "He was born in the summer of his twenty-seventh year…"
"He died in a plane crash," Jackson says.
An announcement over the P.A. breaks into the song. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for you patience. At this time we would like to begin pre-boarding Euro-Air Flight 180 to Paris through gate twenty-nine."
Jackson appears a bit tentative and pale when he hears the song again. "It's the Colorado Rocky Mountain High. I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky."
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Jackson's boarding pass is torn along the perforated edge and handed back.
He looks down the passenger ramp, feeling like it's the point of no return. He hears thunder in the distance.
"Has anyone seen Eric McGorrill?" Ms. Twist asked, scanning the crowd. "How'd we loose him?"
Lex nudges Jackson towards the tunnel. The three boys walk down the tunnel, passing Mr. Russel, who checks his list, counting heads. "Vingt huit, vingt neuf…" The boys catch up to Christa and Blake.
Jackson looks out the ramp's side porthole window towards the back of the plane. He sees the enormous engine, the expansive wings. In the distance, behind the tail of the plane, a bolt of lightning flashes.
He looks ahead, seeing the flight attendants greet the passengers. He's the next to enter the plane.
Looking down, he sees a slice of opening from where the ramp meets the plane and notices how high up he is.
He steps into the plane.