AN: Thanks for all of the reviews last time. I know you all want to know if Susannah isn't a shifter any more, but you'll have to wait. So hold on to your pants!
Tell me if this doesn't sound like Jesse too much.
Thanks a lot, and sorry for the delay, I'm so busy with Science Olympiad and midterms! Gosh, when will it all end?
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Chapter 5
I run through the terminal of the San Francisco International Airport frantically checking my watch. I have two minutes to get to the gate. When I got to the airport I didn't know where to go, so I called Kate, and she told me what to do and where to go.
I look down at my watch again—one and a half minutes left.
"Jesse, look out!" Kate yells and my head snaps up. I dodge an old woman with her walker and run faster through the never-ending hallway. "Okay, Jesse, 23D to D.C. is right ahead. See, you still got time, the gate is still boarding."
I sigh and come to a halt at the end of the line. When I get to the flight attendant, she holds out her hand to me. I shake it, not knowing what else to do; I smile down at her. She rolls her eyes and yanks her hand out of mine. Beside me, Kate is in a fit of giggles.
"Your ticket, sir," she says impatiently to me while placing her hand out in front of her again. I blush and then whip out my ticket and hand it to her. She sends it through a machine and then hands part of it back to me. "You're in First Class, please walk right through there." She turns and points to the big opening to a long hallway.
Once I'm out of earshot to the woman, I turn to Kate. "Why didn't you inform me about giving my ticket to that woman?"
"I didn't know you would be that inexperienced! I mean, God! Haven't you seen any movies?" Kate sighs and then giggles again. I sigh and throw my bag over my shoulder.
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Once inside the airplane and in my seat, I sit back and look around the plane. Kate is sitting beside me in an empty seat.
It's the first time I've ever been in one, and I feel like a little kid. Everything is so fascinating, and when I told Kate this, she told me I should ask them if I can go up to the cockpit. Then she laughed at me, when I lit up, so I'm pretty sure that isn't a good idea, but it would be interesting, nonetheless.
"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen," a voice says and I spin around in my seat.
"Jesse, don't worry about it. That's just the captain." Kate says while rolling her eyes at me for the umpteenth time in less thirty minutes.
"Where?" I ask while I scan the cabin.
Kate sighs and twirls a piece of her hair around her finger. "He's using the announcer thingy."
"Oh," I say not knowing what an announcer thingy is. We sit there for a moment in silence and then something pops into my head. "Kate?"
"Yeah?" She asks and looks over at me.
"Would you please do my a favor?"
"What?"
"Could you check on Susannah for me?"
Kate sighs and rolls her eyes. "Gosh, you've only not seen her in like eight hours, and you are already worried about her? Dude, you aren't going to be like that the whole trip, are you?"
"Kate, please."
She looks over at me and I can see her melt. "Fine," Kate says indifferently and I smile over at her.
"Thank you."
"Uh-huh," she says while dematerializing.
I tap my right foot for four minutes, before getting worried about her. What if something happened? What if Susannah is dead? I shake my head hurriedly trying not to think about the horror I would be in if something was wrong. However, someone breaks my thoughts.
"Hello."
I look up and over to the aisle, where I find an attractive young woman standing in front of me with a briefcase in her hand. "Hello," I say to her, trying to figure out what she wants from me.
"My seat is right next to yours," the woman says while pointing to the seat, which Kate had been occupying.
"Of course; let me just move out of your way."
"Thank you," the woman says while moving away from my seat while I get up. She moves past me and gently sits in her seat, puts her briefcase under the seat in front of her and then turns to me when I'm back in my own aisle seat.
"I'm Lauren." She holds out her hand to me, and I take it, this time knowing I'm doing the right thing.
"I am Jes—" Kate materializes right in Lauren. She looks over at me with a disgusted look on her face.
"Who is this hobag?" Kate asks me and I almost choke on my tongue.
Kate dematerializes with another profanity geared towards Lauren and I look at Lauren. She looks freaked out.
"Are you okay?" I ask her.
"Yeah," she says while shaking herself. "Just a cold spot. Hmmm." She looks over at me with a smile on her face. "So I didn't catch all of your name."
"Jesse." I smile over at her and notice how the morning sun makes her blonde hair glow from behind.
We strike up a conversation for a minute, until the pilot tells us he's ready to "get this bird in the air". I shiver at that and realize I'm just a little bit scared of flying. Why couldn't I just be a shifter and shift to D.C? It would have been so much easier and cheaper.
While the plane begins to jerk around on the tarmac, I have a sudden pang for Susannah. I actually moan out loud and receive a weird look from Lauren.
"Are you okay?" Lauren asks me while looking a little worried.
"I just haven't flown before. I'm a little creeped out." I say, and then afterwards I sound like Susannah, and my pang grows into yearning. I need to talk to Kate. I make a move to unbuckle, but Lauren stops me.
"You can't get out of your seat until the captain takes off the seat-belt sign," she says matter-of-factly.
"Oh," I say faintly and grab onto the arms of my seat when there is a sudden jolt.
"Are you sure you're okay? You aren't going to throw up, are you?"
I look over at her repulsed. "People throw up because of flying?"
"Yes," she says a little hesitantly, like she cannot believe I did not know that.
"Oh," I say again and try to calm down. I look around the cabin carefully. I see Kate sitting comfortable next to a super model looking guy. My panic subsides. Well at least Kate is here.
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Ding.
"The pilot has turned off the seat belt sign, you are now free to walk around the cabin. Thank you for flying with—"
In an instant I'm up out of my seat and rushing off to the bathroom, which I had had Lauren point out to me while we were taking off. I pull the door to the bathroom shut and then call Kate. She materializes right into my arms.
"Oh," she blushes, "I'm sorry." I place her onto her feet and see that the bathroom is indeed extremely small. I wouldn't mind being in here with Susannah…
I mentally slap myself for being inappropriate and then look down at Kate, who looks dreamy. "Are you okay?"
She shakes her head. "Oh God, Jesse, I'm so glad you invited me on this trip. The guy I'm sitting next to is uber hot! He's an Abercombie&Fitch model! How cool is that?" She squeals and I just look down at her like I look at Susannah when she says something that sounds to me like a foreign language.
"Was Susannah okay?" I ask her in a whisper, not wanting someone to walk past thinking I'm in the bathroom with someone. I know about the Mile High Club; Kirk had made sure to tell me about it before I left. I just shook my head at him.
"Suze was fine. She did notice me this time." I sigh when she says this. So Susannah is still a shifter. "She was quite rude, though. I thought you said she was nice!"
"You probably intruded."
"You were the one who told me to go!" Kate says heatedly. "And when I told her that, she got really mad, so I left before she started throwing stuff at me."
Something is wrong with Susannah; she's not okay with me leaving.
"Could you go to her now and tell her something from me?"
"Hell no!" Kate says while tossing her hair. "I'm not about to let your psycho girlfriend chuck things at me."
"She is not pys—" I begin, but Kate just dematerializes and I huff. I practically throw myself out of the bathroom and walk past Kate and the model with a dirty look. Kate throws one right back at me and then goes back to staring at the guy next to her. I sit back down at my seat to see that Lauren has her laptop out and she is typing away.
She looks up at me when I sit down. "Hey. The attendants are coming around in a bit to get your drink order."
"Oh?" I say and then watch as she resumes her typing. I fold my hands in my lap and twiddle my thumbs.
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After the attendants give us our drinks they pass out headphones and play a movie. I am listening in, but not really paying attention. I want to talk to Susannah. I need to know if she's okay, but Kate doesn't come when I call her.
"So," Lauren begins when the movie is over and a kid one has started, "why are you going to D.C.?"
"I'm attending a conference on behalf of a doctor I'm the acquaintance of."
"Really? The Annual Medical Drug Conference?"
"Yes."
"Oh my God! I'm going there too! My boss sent me there to go around and get info for him and jot down notes. I get paid to fly out to D.C. and practically sight-see!"
"Wow."
"Hey, you wouldn't want to maybe go sight-seeing with me something, would you?"
I nod my head, "I would love to see some of the capital."
Lauren smiles over at me and I don't realize just how genuine that smile is.
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Since we are going to the same hotel, Lauren says we should chare a cab. I tell her sure and help her with her luggage.
On the way to the hotel, Lauren points out all this stuff to me and smiles all the while. Kate is in the front seat, pouting the whole time. I hadn't been able to talk to her at the airport, so she hadn't left yet.
Once we arrive at the hotel, Kate sighs and so does Lauren.
"Oh my Gosh, isn't this the nicest?" They both say at the same time, and Kate shoots Lauren a dirty look.
I nod my head in mute consent. We walk into the lobby and Lauren leads the way to the reception desk. While she's checking herself in, I talk to Kate discreetly.
"If you could just keep an eye on her from time to time, I would be forever grateful to you," I say to her while keeping eye contact with her.
"I know, I know. I'll make sure to check on her." Kate stops, thinks, and then goes on. "You want me to come back sometime?"
"Yes, updates would be nice." I smile down at her, but she just rolls her eyes at me and mutters something about the things she does for hot guys and dematerializes.
Lauren calls my name and I approach the desk. I go through an unusual ordeal and then the man behind the desk hands me an envelop with a number written on it.
We both walk over to the elevators, accompanied by a bellman carrying all of Lauren's bags. In the elevator, Lauren asks me what room number I have.
"723." I tell her with a glance to the envelope still clutched in my hands.
"Really?" She asks me with a smile on her face.
"Yes, why?"
"I'm right across the hall from you!"
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AN: Tell me what you think about this one. I know things are getting a little more complicated with everyone's emotions and so forth, but keep an eye on Lauren. If you hadn't already noticed, she's going to be just a bit of an annoyance…