Chapter 2:

"Flight 2536 to Atlanta will now begin boarding" a high-pitched female voice announced over the loudspeaker. Emma let out a sigh of relief. It was about time, she thought to herself as she gathered her side bag and tossed her trash into the nearest can. Ticket in hand, she moved back towards her terminal and joined the long line of passengers waiting to board. She couldn't explain how excited she was to finally be getting on the plane. It finally felt like she was getting somewhere and soon enough she would be with Maria.

Maria. Emma hadn't seen her in almost three years. After the incident Maria went to stay with her grandmother until everything could be sorted out. It was the only way they could keep her out of the press' grasp and hidden from anyone who wanted to harm her. Unfortunately that meant that Emma was the main focus of the press, and she couldn't watch Maria the way she wanted to. It was something Emma needed. She needed to hold the little girl close and tight and make sure she was doing okay. Emma had spoken with her several times, but it wasn't enough. She had to see with her own eyes, and maybe then everything would be alright.

"Enjoy your flight." She heard the attendant say to the brunette women in front of her drawing Emma back to the present. She held out her own ticket allowing the lady to swipe it under the scanner, and stepped onto the walkway. Almost there, she reminded herself as she followed the brunette in front of her, trying to ignore the myriad of people behind her.

When she stepped onto the plane she was thrilled to see that it was a nice size, with 3 seats on one side and two on the other. Even if it wasn't much bigger, the seat still looked a bit larger, so maybe she would be able to feel a little more comfortable and less cramped. She followed the stream of people down the aisle, pausing here and there while people tried to stuff there oversized bags into the overhead compartments. It always amazed her how much stuff people had to have with them on the plane. It only slowed everyone down and made everything so complicated. It was as if every single passenger had forgotten how a circle can't fit in a square. She let out a frustrated sigh and slid under the brunette as she struggled to fit her suitcase into the overhead compartment. Emma was glad she had a window seat, even though it did suck that there would be two other people sitting so close to her but she didn't have much of a choice.

Emma settled into her seat sliding her backpack under the seat in front of her and opening the shade on the window. Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could just focus on what was outside of the plane and forget about everyone else on it.

"Damn…suitcase!" Emma couldn't help but look back at the brunette girl who was still struggling with her case. It wasn't really her fault it wouldn't fit, it was the person ahead of her who stuffed a giant bag into the compartment. The women's case was a smaller than standard carry-on, and Emma couldn't blame her for her frustration. Even though she couldn't see her face, she could tell the woman was tense and shaking slightly. A normal person might not have noticed it, but Emma knew the signs of anxiety all too well. Em slide over and stood up trying to help her maneuver the suitcase in.

"Thanks." The girl muttered, "But I probably should just give up. I knew I shouldn't do this." For some reason, Emma didn't think she was talking about the suitcase, but she seemed to be the only one to notice.

"Nonsense" A man's voice said causing Emma's whole body to tense, but she forced herself to calm down. "We'll just move this other one…" the man mumbled as he grabbed the suitcase pulling it out and yanking it to the side with one arm, before pushing the girl's case into place. There, see. It's not that bad." Emma nodded and slid back to her seat, glancing over at the man. He screamed alpha male with large arms, and tight abs, and broad form. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, and Emma couldn't help but cringe into her seat a little. Sure he seemed nice enough, but she couldn't help but feel threatened. It had become an unfortunate but natural response for her lately.

"Thanks," the brunette said sliding into the seat next to her. "You too." She said turning to face Emma, "For trying"

" It's nothing" Emma mumbled quietly as she began picking at the polish on her fingernails. The brunette smiled awkwardly and looked away, scooting slightly closer to Emma as the man sat down.

"The names Dom by the way," the man started turning towards the brunette, "Short for Domanic of course, or Dominao which is what grandma used to call me, no matter how much I hated that." Emma couldn't help but crack a smile as the man continued to ramble. He looked overconfident, but the moment he started talking he seemed more socially anxious then even she was.

"Nice to meet you Dom, I'm Emma." She responded, feeling awkward at the idea of attempting to speak over the brunette who still seemed really tense and uncomfortable. Was the girl getting a different vibe from Dom then Em was? Maybe there was something that she was missing, Emma wondered to herself. Relax she thought letting out a frustrated sigh. After all, the point of this trip was too allow herself to open up to others again.

"The pleasure is mine" Dom said with a little too much honesty, and Emma smiled in return sliding back into her seat. Trusting was too hard she thought to herself.

"Flight 2536 to Atlanta this is your captain speaking, please turn off all cellphones and electronics as we will be taking off soon. Please stay seated and enjoy your flight, attendants will be around with refreshments as soon as we hit cruising altitude. Enjoy."

Emma pulled out her phone, and stared for a moment at the background screen of Eric. She wasn't going to bother him anymore but he would want to know she was taking off.

"Taking off now. Will text when we land. Luv u" Emma texted quickly, turning her phone off before she could receive his reply. Sometimes attendants could get really angry about those things. Emma glanced around as she relaxed feeling relived. Nothing could happen to her once she was in the air.