Excitement made Daniel shoot out of bed the next morning. Thanks to him winning their three-way game of rock paper scissors, their first destination was officially Paris, France.
They’d leave on Monday. Mr. Stone got a room of his own, and so did Carmen, per her parents’s request. But, Daniel and Raph were stuck with each other. He never even had siblings, let alone sharing a room with that lanky, six-foot tower of a human being. The shared taste in music was the only saving grace: Daniel prayed that they at least had similar sleep schedules, or that Raph didn’t do jumping jacks in his sleep.
Carmen had issues, too. She never seemed to be okay with Daniel choosing their destination, and constantly questioned his choice. He mentioned things like the food, music, and the sights, all to distract her.
Because out of anyone, she definitely couldn’t know the real reason.
Between their training sessions and trips to the store to buy things they needed for the flight, like neck pillows, the days passed like a blur of preparation. But, the destined Monday snuck up on him.
Before he knew it, they were on the highway to the airport. It was like the first day heading to Mr. Stone’s dojo all over again, with their luggage stored in the trunk and their backpacks sandwiched between them in the backseat during the long drive across town. Daniel kept his headphones on, taking in the sights of South City for the last time in a while, immersing his mind in the flat plains and the rainy day.
As they approached the airport, an airplane soared over their car for a landing, high in the sky, like a distant shark of metal and aerodynamics. And yet, it was supposed to be even bigger up close? A small pit of worry gathered in his stomach — his parents could rarely afford a trip at all, let alone a trip on an airplane.
The worry soon dispelled itself. There was only one way to find out how scary a plane ride really was, and he’d learn soon. Besides, people came back alive from them most of the time, so what was there to really worry about?
They stopped at the dropoff station, a massive road underneath a wing of glass propped up by angular columns, shadowing them from the drizzle of rain. Mr. Garcia took both of their luggage out from the trunk. They parked behind Mr. Stone, while he had parked behind Raph and his family.
The resemblance between Raph and his father was uncanny — he had wrinkles, sure, but Raph looked like his spitting image, if it wasn’t for the freckles, curly hair, and for the entire foot of extra height.
As Raph’s parents spoke in a different language and embraced him in a tight hug, Mrs. Garcia pulled Carmen close, too. “Oh, my little mija’s going on her first flight! And for free! I hope you have so much fun.” She pulled away, leveling a stern finger. “And be careful. Just because you’ll be in another timezone doesn’t mean I don’t expect you to answer our daily check in call!”
Carmen gasped. “Daily? I thought it was weekly!”
She looked to Mr. Garcia for an answer, but he, too, nodded with a chuckle. “We talked about it,” he said. “The rules are a little different when you’re in a different country.”
“And if you miss one of my calls, you better look out for the next, or I’ll show up at your doorstep tomorrow, Carmen. Okay?”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Okay, mami,” she sighed.
“Don’t worry, it won’t be that bad!” Daniel said. “I mean, it’s not like she could really show up to Paris that quickly, you know?”
Mrs. Garcia laughed. “But that goes for you too, Daniel. Be careful.”
“And have fun,” Mr. Garcia continued. “Don’t forget that this is a privilege. But, have fun. I know you’ll both take advantage of it. Stick together as a group, and send me a few pictures sometime, okay?”
“Okay, papa!” Carmen said, returning Mr. Garcia’s hug. With a friendly chirp, Chip floated in and perched on Mr. Garcia’s shoulder, sharing the love.
Daniel watched with a warm smile at the pure happiness on Carmen’s face. As she and Raph pulled away from their parents, Mr. Stone put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Are you ready for this?”
Daniel swung his backpack over his shoulder. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
With their bags and luggage in hand, they waved their final goodbyes before heading into the belly of the beast and entering the airport terminal itself.
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The next few hours were the most grueling hours of Daniel’s entire life.
Between registering their bags and heading into airport security, he could’ve sworn he’d counted every single glass sphere in the sculpture hanging from the ceiling. It took a while to wait and reach airport security at the head of the line.
But, they then forced him to completely open his backpack before placing it onto a tray, and then placing his headphones and laptop, his shoes, and his hoodie in completely separate trays. By the end of it all, he struggled, with mere seconds to unload four different trays.
After the metal detector, they confirmed the ID from his Self menu and his powerset as a Fighter, and placed devices around his wrists — Limiters, like handcuffs made of gold, to completely disable the use of any abilities until they landed in Paris. They did the same for Raph and Carmen, too, and Chip gave a final goodbye salute before fading from existence.
Even after that, the waiting wasn’t over. They found a seat near the gate for their plane in the gray, drab boarding area. Daniel tried to nod off and catch a little more sleep to pass the time quicker, but every possibility of how the plane would feel kept him awake. The moment he started to drift off to sleep, Carmen shook him awake — it was time.
…for another line.
Daniel wondered how it was possible. Between bag registration and security and the rest, how in the world could someone create such a clearly planned out and efficient system, yet still require waiting in five different lines in five different areas to get on an airplane?
All his worries disappeared once he reached the plane itself. If it was a distant shark in the sky earlier, up close, it became a mechanical whale, engines roaring idly as cool wind rushed through the narrow glass corridor they strolled through to enter. Inside, they searched for their seats on the world’s most perfectly organized bus ride.
Just as he hoped, Daniel got the seat closest to the window, with Carmen taking the middle and Raph taking the outside for the most legroom. But, once they sat down, Carmen started pulling everything out — a blanket, her headphones, earplugs, gum, candy, and even a tissue.
Daniel gave her a look.
“What? This is what they said online would help to keep your ears from popping. I’m just prepared,” she said. As Daniel chuckled, Carmen shrugged.
“Prepared to be doin' too much!” Raph said, throwing his head back in laughter with Daniel.
“Well hey, if you end up vomiting from your ears popping, don’t look at me for help! I’m just gonna stay nice and cozy with my blanket.”
Soon, though, they’d know how much Carmen’s preparation really helped. The flight attendant called for everyone’s attention, and everything safety-related they needed to know. After she wished them a safe ride, the ride began.
Daniel tensed in his seat. Watching through the window, the plane edged through the runway and into a long, straight path. Wind screamed through the engines as the plane accelerated and the runway blurred past. Rising into the sky, a slight pressure pressed on his body, like the slowest incline on the world’s slowest roller coaster.
And Raph lunged forward, clutching his mouth.