My nails dug into armrests. I couldn't pry my fingers off to put on the oxygen mask that dangled in front of me. Not that it would have mattered. The plane was plummeting from the sky. I could see the flames from the engine out the window. It was getting hard to breath. I couldn't tell if it was because the cabin was depressurization, or if I was just panicking because we were going to crash and die-

"Ariel!"

I wake with a start. Brown eyes stare back at me from a face so similar to my own twisted in concern. I still can't breath. Grabbing my small backpack, I rush down the aisle towards the small bathroom. Luckily, it's not in use when I reach it. I slam the door shut and lock it. Turning I slide down to the floor trying to get my breathing under control.

Focus, breath.

*in* 1 *out*, *in* 2 *out*,

~the boom of the engine~

*in* 1 *out*, *in* 2 *out*, *in* 3 *out*,

~the ground rushing up to meet them~

*in* 1 *out*, *in* 2 *out*, *in* 3 *out*, *in* 4 *out*, *in* 5 *out*

It takes a while, but eventually, I'm able to make it to ten without any thoughts interrupting me.

I stand and look in the mirror. I'm a bit disheveled, but nothing a hair brush can't fix. I pull one out of my Little Mermaid themed backpack and start to brush my hair. It's been a long time since I thought about that. About how I died. I can no longer remember if i was flying from school to my grandma's or vice versa. There are a lot of things i can't remember about my past life.

Like how I looked. Now I have sharp cheekbones and a heart shaped face, just like my sister. I remember that I used to dye my hair a lot. I still do that. Right now, I have streaks of red mixed with my natural dark brown. I think my eyes are the same. A weird in between color that can look more blue or green depending on what I'm wearing, but is just listed as grey on my driver's license. It's one of the few differences between me and Bell, though most people tell us apart by our hair. She keeps her's long and hasn't dyed it since I accidentally bleached her hair when we were seven. I prefer mine shoulder length or shorter.

Finished, I return the brush to my bag and unlock the door. My hand on the handle, I hesitate. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself.

I walk back down the aisle, face neutral. I hate planes. I'm still not sure how Bell got me on this one.

"You okay?" Bell asks as I reclaim my seat next to her.

"Yeah." I give her a small smile. "Just a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, still concerned. I can't blame her. It's been years since I had a panic attack from a nightmare.

"It's okay Bell. You know I just don't like planes." I bump shoulders with her. Her face scrunches in displeasure.

"Fine." She let the subject drop. "But would you please stop calling my Bell?"

"Would you prefer Beauty?" I tease. Bell was always her favorite Disney princess since her name was similar. Though she has since lost her obsession with the character, she still has a Beauty and the Beast themed bag to match my little mermaid one. Both of which are our carry ons.

"I'd prefer Bella," she responds with a pout.

"I could call you Issy?" I suggest. She rolls her eyes and returns to her book. We have a similar conversation every few months.

The thing is I just can't bring myself to call her Bella. She seems so different from the Bella in the Twilight books. I often wonder if she really is different since this time she's not an only child, or if it's just because I've known her all her life rather than the small glimpse the books give. She's still shy, and clumsy and an introvert who prefers reading classic romance novels to hanging out with people, but she's also clever and over protective and a little shit when she wants to be. Like when it came to moving to Forks.

Oh gods moving to Forks. Bell wants to give our mom Renee the opportunity to travel with her new husband Phil. Which is like super sweet of her and if I didn't clearly remember the Twilight series from my past life, I would have no objections to it. But I do remember. Unfortunately, I can't just tell her we can't go to Forks because I don't want her to end up in a toxic relationship with a century old brooding vampire. Or worse, get killed because there is no guarantee this will go the same as the books or movies. I tried to talk her out of it, saying we only have a year and a half left of high school, our mom can wait that long, she knew what she was getting into. Of course Bell wouldn't take no for an answer so she fucking guilt tripped me, and so here we are, in a gods be damned plane flying straight into 'vegitarian' vampire territory.

Well. I'm not letting my sister go through all that. And if I can't keep her from a relationship with Edward Cullen, then I will make the boy into a decent person if I have to drag him kicking and screaming.

If I'm lucky, vampires don't actually exist and this world just closely resembles Twilight. Realistically, I'm not that lucky.