Summary- Suze and Jesse are flying on a plane back to Carmel after a trip to New York when there are some 'slight technical difficulties' and somehow they end up back in 1850 Carmel.
Disclaimer:- I own none of the characters, thoughI wish I did. that pleasure goes to the one and only Meg Cabot
Chapter 1
"Ok mom, we'll be home in a couple of hours…….. u huh…….. yeah………. I love you to. I have to go now the plane is about to take off. See you soon, bye". I snapped my cell phone shut and put it in my front pocket.
I turned to face Jesse and said "my mom and Andy having are making a barbecue, and they were wondering if you wanted to join us"
"Of course, I would do anything to make you and your parents happy" and he flashed one of those gorgeous smiles. Aww he is such a pleaser.
We were flying back to Carmel as we had been in New York for a week. Jesse had to attend a medical convention for university and I used the opportunity to see Gina and her fiancée, yes Gina is indeed getting married to a city banker. Not her usual type but love works in weird ways. I should know, ha!
Also I was able to spend some 'alone time' with Jesse, though not in that sense. He may not be as reserved as he used to be but is still far too gentlemanly to do it before marriage.
I'm only nineteen and he is twenty-two so it's going to be a little while before we even consider the prospect of marriage, not that I have already been thinking about it which I have.
Anyway enough of my musings and on with the story.
I was never a big fan of aeroplanes, its slightly daunting being thousands of being above land. David had constantly assured me that there was only like one in a billion chances of a plane going down. But what about that one huh? People are always like that is never going to happen to me, but it can.
I sipped my can of diet coke and listening to my iPod when the plane shook for a couple of seconds.
"what was that?" I asked Jesse nervously.
"Just slight turbulence Querida, nothing to be worried about" Then it happened again but this time it shook for a lot longer and with more force.
"You better be right about that or I'll kick your butt!" he gasped with a face that said 'I'd like to see you try' then laughed and squeezed my hand. Gah! How can he be so infuriatingly calm?
The seatbelt sigh flashed on and the intercom buzzed "Ladies and Gentlemen, we appear to be experiencing some slight turbulence" slight ha "so please remain seated until further notice. If the turbulence kept going on at this rate I swear I'll be wearing my lunch.
I looked out of my window in hope of ignoring my unsettled stomach and tried to make pictures out of the clouds, childish I know but I used to love doing this when I was a kid.
Then something strange caught my eye and it wasn't the clouds. Black smoke was billowing out of the engine and swirling round as the propellers spun.
I swallowed hard and my throat was as dry as paper. "Jesse take a look at this" I pointed out the window. He leant over me and I could smell a rush of his aftershave tingling the inside of my nose, oh how I love that smell.
"nombre de dios" he muttered under his breath.
He called over one of the stewardesses who had been giving him the old hairy eye through out the journey and she got a look of confusion and then worry plastered over her face.
Moment after she had spoken to the captain in hushed tones the aircraft lurched foreword and was plummeting to the ground.
( a/n this happened when I was going on holiday. The engine started smoking and the captain had to turn off one of the engines, then we had to land on an emergency runway in some foreign country and were chased down the runway by a dozen or so fire engines. Though our plane wasn't plummeting to the ground. Pretty dramatic start to our holiday huh?)
I could feel it spiralling down, how long would it take to reach the ground?
"Jesse" I whispered "we are going to die aren't we? I was scared and so were the other passengers, obviously – the were screaming their heads off and probably praying to God or Allah or whoever.
"Don't think like that Querida" he said whilst trying to sound soothing but his voice was laced with fear.
I clung to his shirt and made a silent prayer to the high and mighty being. My face was wet with tears that I hadn't noticed falling, God I was never going to see my mom or Andy or David again. I closed my eyes and buried my face in Jesse shirt inhaling his comforting scent. I am so far gone, his smell makes me feel safe.
I though of my home – Carmel.
I landed with a soft thud onto of a confused Jesse, on a dirt track surrounded by cattle fields. Great.
"Where hell are we?" one minute were stuck in a burning plane and the next we are stranded in a stupid cow/cattle/corn field.
"This is Carmel" Jesse stated in disbelief.
"This is not Carmel" I protested "where are all the houses, street lamps and surfer dudes? If this was Carmel you would be able to see the Basilica -"
Ah, off in the distance you could see the distinctive red dome of the chapel and a few random houses dotted around it.
"But Jesse" I sounded way to whiny for my own good "I don't understand unless when are we?"
"Susannah this is my home. In 1852"
"What?"
"Bu….but how is that possible? On plane, smoke, burning falling, oh my god I'm gonna die, Carmel, 1852-" I was forming incoherent sentences which never was a good sign.
"Shhhhh Querida" Jesse hushed whist pressing a calloused, yet soft finger to my lips.
"I am as confused as you are, now first how about you try shifting us back to the present day, ok?"
I nodded numbly, closed my eyes and thought real hard of home. I opened one eye "are we back" or foreword what ever you want to call it. "no"
"so what do we do know?" I asked feeling lost. "I don't want to live in 1852 where you die of weird diseases and have to milk cows!"
He laughed at my offhand concern. "First we shall walk to the town and then to my family's ranch, it has been so long since I have seen them and have I missed them" a single tear that escaped from his eye so I brushed it away and kissed his cheek.
We walked in silence for half and hour where we reached a small village market place bustling with people. They were staring at us most likely because of our peculiar attire, I was all ready to attack them but refrained my self from doing so. Mainly because I felt slightly awkward being here, yes this is my home but not for another 150 years.
A short while later we were heading up a dirt track to a great big Victorian style mansion that was like three times bigger than my own house.
"Wow, you live here? Man your family must be rich" he smiled but it was filled with nervousness and anxiety. Being a man who was dead for a century and a half, then finally are able to talk see his family. That can mess up a guy's brain.
"It's ok Jesse, I'm positive your family will be ecstatic about seeing you if they're not then they are crazy. Though I'm not to sure they will be particularly thrilled about seeing me". Jesse looked offended.
"why do you think my family wont like you? They are very nice people, well maybe not mi padre but he never was a people person"
"Firstly they don't even know me and secondly I am dressed as what they would call a hoochie mama"
I was wearing my favourite jeans- the ones with the holes in the knees- a light blue tank top and my blue Prada slides. Very blue I know but hey it could be worse. Anyway like black I can never go wrong with blue, blue's good.
"Susannah I to am not dressed in the average18th century attire. We shall tell my family that we were attacked by bandits and stripped of all our valuables,"- not all our valuables I still had my cell phone and iPod safely tucked away in my pocket "and all we were left with were these outlandish clothes" I mocked punched his arm- as habit I have found hard to break- and scolded him for insulting my great fashion sense.
Jesse curled his fist and knocked lightly on the door with his left hand and held my hand with his right.
A little girl about sevenish with brown hair and olive skin wearing a pretty green dress opened the door. She had a puzzled expression on her face.
"Jesse?"
So chapter one is finally up. I was up till 2am writing it so I am sorry if its not up to your standards
Anyway R&R
Laura x