Lydia smiled at the attendant as she showed him her passport and boarding pass before he directed her to her allocated seat. She chose the window seat and let her bag rest on the floor in between her legs. Fastening her seatbelt, she made herself comfortable before turning on her iPod and scrolling through her playlists. One stuck out like a sore thumb.
'Scott's shitty CD'
Lydia tried to hold in her grin as she placed her headphones over her head and pressed play. She closed her eyes and exhaled.
"This one goes out to Stiles Stilinski for his impossible ten year plan to win over Lydia Martin. Get over it, dude. It's not gonna happen."
Lydia glared down at Stiles' radio before letting out a gasped chuckle. Stiles was quick to turn the CD off in panic.
"So, this is Scott's shitty CD he burned two years ago." Lydia laughed, turning to a very red-faced Stiles.
"No sarcastic comments. This was two years ago, Lydia."
"Well, I definitely want to hear about this ten year plan." Lydia smirked as Stiles turned into the parking lot of the local shopping mall.
"It was actually extended to fifteen years, because of certain circumstances-wait, no! I'm not telling you, Lydia. It's embarrassing enough." Stiles mumbled.
"Well at least let me listen to the song!" Lydia whined playfully.
Stiles grumbled to himself before putting the CD back on.
"This one goes out to Stiles Stilinski for his impossible ten year plan to win over Lydia Martin." Scott's voice repeated from the speakers.
"Get over it, dude. It's not gonna happen." Lydia synchronised along with Scott's voice, sending Stiles a playful look.
"Jesus Christ." Stiles mumbled, rubbing a hand down his face.
Lydia waited patiently for the song to kick in, realising what it actually was a few seconds later. 'Grease - Hopelessly Devoted To You'.
"Oh...my...god."
Stiles wanted to slam his head onto his steering wheel. Why did he choose Scott as his best friend?!
"I will never forget this moment right now." Lydia laughed, clasping her hands together as she continued to tease Stiles.
"That's it, I'm turning it over." Stiles went to reach for the radio before Lydia moved his hand out of the way.
"No, no! Stiles, I love this song. Grease was one of my favourite films."
Stiles glared at the red-head before he parked into a free space. He could not believe this was happening to him.
"I know I'm just a fool who's willing to sit around and wait for you!" Lydia sang loudly, holding her hands to her chest. "But baby can't you see, there's nothing else for me to do!"
Stiles watched her slyly as she turned to him and placed her fingers underneath his chin.
"I'm hopelessly devoted to you!"
Stiles pulled his head away, unable to hold in the chuckle rumbling inside. He watched Lydia laugh and sing the lyrics, looking at Stiles lovingly.
"Can we please turn this off and go find you a god damn prom dress now?" Stiles asked.
"Of course." Lydia smiled. "But we are most definitely listening to the rest of it on the way home."
"Would you like a drink, miss?" A muffled voice snapped Lydia out of her daydream. She turned her head and studied the flight attendant before removing her headphones.
"Yes, thank you. A coffee would be great."
"Do you take sugars?"
"Two, please." Lydia replied, looking back down at the iPod in her lap.
"Sorry, miss. I'm gonna have to ask you to switch that off while we take off." The attendant pointed out politely.
"Oh, sorry! Of course." Lydia replied quickly, switching the device off and placing it in her bag. She found her phone and was about to do the same before noticing a text from Stiles. She unlocked her phone and opened the message.
I will be waiting at the departure gate tomorrow with the biggest smile. If you can't find me, look out for the dorky guy wearing an 'I heart Martin' t-shirt.
Lydia grinned so wide she thought her jaw would break. How did she manage to bag a guy like Stiles Stilinski? Why did she waste so many years?
Lydia switched her phone and tablet off before paying for her coffee and thanking the attendant. The heat from the coffee cup warmed her hands as she looked out of the plane window, the Australian sun shining bright in the sky. Sure, Australia was incredible and unforgettable. But what could be better than the most important person in your life greeting you at the airport for the first time in eight months?
..
Lydia awoke to the plane jolting and the remaining of her coffee falling from the tray in front and onto her lap. She gasped, freezing on the spot as she looked down at her now stained jeans.
"You've got to be kidding me."
An attendant walked by and noticed the situation before apologising profusely. "I'm so sorry, I'll grab some napkins."
Lydia fidgeted in her seat as the now cold liquid began to seep through the denim material. It was lucky she packed a spare outfit in her carry-on bag.
The attendant returned, handing Lydia some napkins. "I apologise again, we're heading into a storm and we're experiencing some strong turbulence at the moment."
"You don't have to apologise, these things happen." Lydia chuckled politely, using the napkins to wipe up any spillage on her seat. "Is it okay to change in the toilet?"
"Yes, the turbulence has died down. You're more than welcome."
"Thank you." Lydia smiled before the attendant left. She unbuckled her seat beat and stood up with her bag before heading to the toilet. She waited patiently for a passenger to finish before locking herself in the small space. Checking the damage in the mirror, she exhaled. Her new jeans.
Placing her bag on the side, she brought out a pair of black leggings just as the plane jolted sidewards. Quickly placing a hand on the wall to steady herself, Lydia pushed her hair out of her face as someone knocked on the door.
"One second." Lydia called out.
"Sorry, miss. We're gonna have to ask you to take a seat." An attendant called through the door.
Lydia muttered to herself before shoving the leggings back in her back. She quickly opened the door and recognised the attendant. "I'm sorry, I'll be thirty seconds tops."
"I don't want to alarm you, but we're currently in the eye of a very bad storm and we need you to sit down and put your seatbelt on-"
The plane jolted again, sending the attendant sideways and onto the floor.
"Oh my god." Lydia gasped, clinging onto the door frame of the toilet before rushing to the attendant's aid. She didn't have a chance to help her up.
The plane dropped extremely low and Lydia felt her stomach lurch. She gripped onto the door once more and looked down the isle between the chairs. People were visibly panicking, their heads twisting and turning with worry and questions. The plane shuddered and rattled, sending vibrations through Lydia's body.
The attendant managed to scrambled to her feet and glare at Lydia with worry.
"Are you alright?" Lydia asked louder than usual. She realised that a lot of people were now screaming.
"Yes, we need to get you seated!" The attendant called out before a horrible, daggering sound rumbled throughout the plane. The plane shot to the side, sending Lydia back into the toilet. She fell backwards, hitting the back of her head on the toilet seat.
"Shit." Lydia hissed, her eyes shut tight as the pain sparked through her skull. She used one hand to perch herself up just as - what looked like the co pilot - rushed out of the cockpit.
"The right wing has been struck by lightning." He whispered loudly to the attendant who was now on her knees, gripping hold of the toilet door.
Lydia's stomach dropped. Did she just hear that correctly? "What?"
The co-pilot spun his head towards the strawberry-blonde before rushing to help her up. "Don't panic, it happens much more frequently than you can imagine."
"Yes, but the journey isn't exactly going smoothly, is it." Lydia bit back as he helped her sit up. "Get back in there and help the poor guy fly this plane out of the storm."
The co-polite blinked at the bossy banshee before disappearing out of the toilet. Lydia felt bad, he only looked young. But she was panicking now. She wanted to get home in one piece.
As Lydia leaned against the toilet wall and checked the back of her head for bleeding, the plane began to drop. And it wasn't stopping.
The walls were shuddering against her back and the screams were becoming louder. She looked up at the toilet light as it started flashing. The plane was still dropping. Her insides felt as if they were being pushed upwards and the blood pounded in her skull.
The attendant who still remained on the floor, turned to look at Lydia. Lydia looked back as the plane shook violently. Then, the same daggering sound whipped through the plane, lighting up the sky. Lydia looked through the window ahead of her, and for a split second everything was lit up, she could see just how bad the storm was. Torrential rain, heavy black clouds. The wind looked so powerful Lydia felt as if she could hear it through the walls.
The plane stopped falling for just a few seconds before it continued to free fall. Lydia felt like vomiting, her cheeks were hot and her head felt cold. What were they falling into? They didn't know what was below, you couldn't see a thing out of those windows.
Lydia could feel the air changing, and that only meant one thing. They were dropping too quickly and they were falling far too close to the ground. The banshee wanted to start crying there and then.
Lift the plane back up, she prayed desperately to herself. Lift the plane back-
She was sent spiralling out of control, not sure of which direction she was heading to. Her arm slammed against something that caused her to yelp out in pain. Were they upside down?
"Oh my god." Lydia cried out as she realised just how scary of a situation this was.
She could smell burning and the screams from outside the toilet sounded distant and cut off. She clung onto the side of the sink as the plane continued to spiral. The toilet door was repeatedly closing and opening and the attendant was gone. A high pitched sound pierced through the air and it was only then did Lydia feel the need to release a heart-wrenching banshee scream.
"No!" Lydia shrieked, but she couldn't hear the sound of her own voice. The noises around her were too loud, too empowering for her tiny voice to be heard.
She was going to die. The scream sitting at the back of her throat confirmed it, the situation around her confirmed it. Her heart felt as if it was going to burst through her ribs.
Stiles.
The tears spilled over her lashes and she cried into her shoulder. She'd never get to see him again. Never get to hear his contagious laugh or feel his arms around her waist or the touch of his lips. She'd never get to watch him grow up with her on his side. She'd never get to tell him that she was completely and hopelessly in love with him.
"No, no, no!" She screeched in desperation, slamming her hand against the toilet wall in anger. "This can't be happening!"
Something knocked against the side of the plane and sent it tumbling into the unknown once more. The lights around her were flashing like warning signs and she decided she was not going to die next to a toilet.
Using all the strength in her arms, Lydia pulled herself up and grabbed her bag. Keeping in the scream was becoming more and more painful by the second, but she swallowed her dry mouth and let it sit at the back of her throat. She rummaged blindly for her phone just as the sound of windows breaking came from the isle. Wind piled through the plane and into the toilet, whipping Lydia's long strawberry locks in every direction. Her eyes began to water from the rapid wind, but she'd found her phone and she stared at it impatiently, waiting for it to switch on.
"Come on!" She screamed.
She had her bag zipped up and over her shoulder. Lydia didn't know what she was doing but she grabbed hold of the doorway of the toilet and pulled herself out. Her clothes were whipping against her skin like knives and her ears felt as if they were going to explode. When she turned to her right, she did not expect to see such a heartbreaking scene.
Half the plane was gone, along with the passengers. Lydia's heart was in her mouth.
"Oh my god."
Her eyes were glued onto the side of the plane where the gaping hole that had ripped everything and everyone out of the plane was. Wires and sparks were everywhere Lydia looked and the oxygen masks were attacking the air. Then Lydia saw the sea.
They were getting closer and closer to the sea and she was going to die. She looked down at her now switched on phone and hurriedly searched for Stiles' name on her recent calls. She pressed the call button and brought the phone up to her ear while clinging onto the toilet doorway.
Please, please, please.
The call failed.
Lydia's legs buckled with frustration and sadness and the tears poured down her face. She almost slipped and let the scream free. She just wanted to hear his voice for the last time. She didn't want screams and explosions to be the last thing she'd hear. She wanted Stiles' voice.
The sound of two gunshots split through the air, but no where near as loud as the sound of the plane going down. Lydia turned to the cockpit which was still standing, and knew straight away that the pilot and co-pilot had just taken their own lives. She knew it; the scream was getting stronger and more powerful. Wiping her face quickly, Lydia looked up at the sky through the torn roof of the plane. She was the only survivor on this plane and she didn't want to die alone. She didn't want to drown. And she most certainly did not want to be engulfed with flames.
Pulling herself back up with one of the remaining seats left, she peered out of the hole at the end of the plane through the curls whipping her face. It was now or never. The sea was getting closer and the impact was going to hurt like a bitch.
Quickly unzipping her bag, she chucked her phone inside and resealed it. She was thinking too faithfully, but if she tried to keep her bag dry, she'd have a chance to call for help. Lydia pushed herself forward and ran.
The wind and the gravity slowed her down but she ran as fast as her legs could take. She used the remaining seats to push her along, her teeth gritted and her heart thumping against her chest. The sea was so close, in a few more seconds the plane would have hit the surface. Lydia let out a yell of desperation as her legs ached and her throat strained to hold the scream in. She ran and ran, her eyes on the end of the plane and the closer she got the more frightened she became. But she continued on, the edge getting closer and closer and she could see the choppy waves below.
Taking in one large gulp of air, Lydia placed her bag over her head, reached the broken edge and jumped.