Nicole and Amethyst

The summer heat was furiously strong as Nicole stepped onto the plane; a Boeing Jet 982 which was headed to Saint Helen, a small island in the South Pacific Ocean. It had a neat little interior with seats the colour of lavender.

She peered into her ticket, desperately searching for her seat number when all of a sudden, an elbow behind her made her lose her balance. She quickly slammed her hands onto the seat next to her to stop herself from plummeting to the floor. Nicole spun around to see who had pushed her when she saw a young girl, about the same age as her, with black curly hair sitting prettily along her face. She was wearing a tie-and-dye blouse with faint blue and pink marks and a red mini-skirt that came up to her thighs.

Nicole felt a pang of jealousy as she stared at the girl.

“Could you move out of the way?” the girl piped up haughtily.  She gave Nicole an old stare. Nicole was speechless but she did move aside, enough to allow her to pass watching her sashay away.

Infuriated, she continued to search for her seat; F24. She moved swiftly to it. And there she was!  The girl from before, her curly hair blocking her dark skin. She was reading the magazine that was in the seat pocket. Nicole stared astonished, checking her ticket just to be sure. Yup, this was her seat, right next to this mean girl. She sighed and cleared her throat to get her attention. The girl lazily peeped up and gave her an exasperated moan when she realized who she was. The girl then locked her green eyes with Nicole and immediately recoiled in her seat.

Nicole was a tall girl and even though she loved her height, she also hated her gangly legs that no matter how much she tried to eat and gain weight, she just could never grow them. She had long brown hair that was so straight that she could slide her finger through it without getting it stuck. It was simple really; she was boring… typical. She wished she had some interesting eye colour like green or blue but she was stuck with brown. That was why when she saw the girl on the plane, she felt jealous. This stranger had nice legs and jet green eye that could stare through her soul. Her hair was curly and black.. Everything about her was exactly what Nicole wished she had. And it served her as a reminder that everything that she had her was what Nicole could never have.

The plane flew silently among the clouds, sailing the vast sky. It was gorgeous as it was scary. Nicole suddenly realized that she was hovering in the air, 5,000 feet above land, trusting a machine and two people with her life to fly her across safely. She hunched over dramatically and wheezed air into her lungs. She looked up to find the girl next to her staring mockingly at her.

“Scared of heights, chicken legs?” she asked cruelly. Then she released a villainous laugh. Nicole felt anger thrum deep inside her veins as she glared at the girl and said:    “Shut up, ok? Just shut up.” Nicole felt her flinch beside her and the laughing stopped. The tension was almost tangible. Nicole turned her attention back to her little window

A few hours passed. Nicole had dozed off in her seat, head leaning on the window. A speaker boomed the flight attendants voice reverberated, apologising for the flight being slightly delayed because of a storm brewing in the original direction they had been heading towards.

Her eyes fought to stay open but she was so exhausted from all the drama that she drifted back to sleep. Little did she know that this would be one of the last times she would sleep peacefully.

Screech!! A loud crash awoke her.  She looked outside the window and saw an unbelievable sight! They had crashed down in the sea!

Fear blazed in her veins as she watched a huge fire erupt from the broken bit of the plane wing. It was heating the window on which she had been leaning. Quickly, she unlatched her seat belt and pushed herself to stand. The plane was deserted. The other passengers were gone, not a single trace to be seen. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as she flicked her head around in terror, wishing someone could appear.

Her head was spinning when suddenly she heard a loud shriek coming from beside her, the mean girl.

She was painfully wedged in between a destroyed piece of the seat in front of her. The girl’s eyes were soaked and she had tears staining her face.

“Hey, calm down we will get down eventually but first we need to remove your leg.” Nicole said soothingly in the girl’s ear as she struggled to pull her leg free.

Suddenly, the plane tilted and made a blaringly loud moan as it slid to one side causing Nicole to lose her footing and fall alarmingly to the other side of the plane. She hit the other side with a thud and shots of pain sprung up her back, causing her to hunch.

Nicole forced herself to her feet and staggered to the girl who had passed out. She yanked the girl’s leg with such immense force that Nicole ended up on the floor. She wrapped her hands around the girl and agonizingly picked her up.

The plane was groaning and the air conditioning was destroyed which caused the air to stiffen from the cold. Nicole shivered but made her way to the back of the plane. She finally placed the girl onto the floor and looked out the window.

Massive clouds of smoke clogged her vision but she knew that this smoke was from the destroyed areas of the plane. The plane seemed to be dangling at the edge of a swell. The air whirling violently around the plane creating giant lurches from which the plane would jump to and fro. Her mind was stiff with anxiety for both her and interestingly for the girl.

Scraping the girl of the floor, Nicole picked her up with an effort and slung her over her back, her legs dangling under Nicole.

Nicole lunged for the nearest seat and pushed her hands under the seat for a life jacket. She hovered her hand there until she found it. Nicole swung it around the girls head and made her wear it, the girl releasing slight grunts as it wove under her body.

Nicole found one more lifejacket and wore it herself. She watched as the girl moved her mouth to say something but didn’t say it.

Suddenly, the plane released a grand screech and it tilted, forcing them to fall to the other side. The girl slid of her and pummelled to the floor where she gave Nicole a small nod to tell her to find the exit and that she would be ok. Nicole trudged silently along the plane until she reached a door that was wide open, further reminding her that she was forgotten. Nicole sighed and took the girl in her arms.

“Are you stupid?” came the mirthless voice of the girl. Nicole’s eyes bulged as she registered that.

“In case you forgot, I am trying to save your life.” Nicole spat back. The sarcasm was clear in her voice. The girl shouted back as the air was really loud along the edge. “If you carry me, you could end up increasing the speed at which we fall and then I might crush you.”

Nicole looked thoughtfully and then said, “Well then Miss Smarty-pants, how on Earth are you going to get down because last I remember, you had a huge gash on your leg.”

“I can walk. That was what I was trying to tell you but I just let you enjoy your moments of feeling like the hero.” She added smugly.

Immediately, the plane flung into chaos and both girls were thrown into the air. Nicole felt light, like as if she were ascending to Heaven. The breeze of air that moved across her face served as a reminder that she was in fact alive and was plummeting to her death.

Fear encapsulated her and she froze, she didn’t have the energy to think. She was going to plunge deep into the sea and drown. This was not how her life was supposed to end. She closed her eyes, letting calmness wash over her. She opened her eyes and saw the one thing that gave her back her energy and the will to live again.

The island came into view a mere second later, giving Nicole some peace. Nicole had done parachuting so she knew the basics. She crouched in position as she readied herself for the impact just when she heard a cry. The shrill voice cut through her concentration like a knife and her knees buckled just before she reached the ground.

Pain resounded from her knees and everything was blurry until she closed her eyes unwilling to continue living in this nightmare of a plane ride.

 

A FEW HOURS LATER

The soft warmth of the fire awoke Nicole. Her eyes were shut together and her legs absolutely refused to move. Nicole opened her eyes and saw the girl sitting a few feet away, legs spread out across the floor hunched over staring into the ground. A dull pain resonated from her legs refusing to go away.

Nicole moved her hand and realized that she was wrapped in a shirt, the girl’s tie-and-dye shirt. Nicole stared at the night sky, the star shimmering up above her, constantly reminding her that they still existed.

“Finally awake Sleeping Beauty?” the girl called, not looking up.

Nicole said nothing for a little but instead asked her what her name was. The girl smiled, lifting her head for the first time and said, “Amethyst“. Then stared back the floor, too engrossed in whatever she was doing to notice Nicole’s giggle.

The fire scuttled and it blew roughly in the harsh wind. The shadows danced fearfully around the light source.

“You hungry?” Amethyst asked her. Nicole tried to move to get up but the dull pain flamed up inside causing her to scream. Amethyst lunged towards her and caught her just before she fell off the small elevated landing that she was resting on.

“Wait, can’t you see that you are hurt?” Amethyst said, holding her head straight in front of hers. There was pleading in her voice which made Nicole stop squirming and relax, finally making the pain go back to a dull throb.

Amethyst released her breath and went and sat back down on the sand, looking back to the mysterious work that she was doing. Nicole was quiet.

“Why are you helping me?” Nicole asked curiously, “I thought you hated my guts.” Amethyst said nothing but did look up at her. A fond smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

The flame continued to flicker relentlessly and the night continued to grow darker by the minute. The birds that had been calling had now gone off to sleep and the only sound was of the lazy ocean moving up and down the shore, taking and giving items that had been lying scattered there.

This rocking motion of the sea lulled Nicole to a sleep like trance, making her eyes try and fight a losing battle to stay awake.

Amethyst moved silently from her spot and went towards the fire, a makeshift bucket in her hands. Nicole eyed her cautiously but made no attempt to say anything. She poured the water onto the nearly dying flame. It gave away with a sizzling sound and the heat that had been emanating from it ceased, making the wind that was blowing feel even harsher.

Amethyst lay down next to Nicole, dangling slightly off the tiny ledge. Her heartbeat thumped quietly against her chest. The sound made Nicole relax and finally sleep.

Amethyst stayed awake, covering herself with her hands to allow the warmth to spread. She had no intention of disturbing Nicole, who was sleeping peacefully next to her. Nicole looked so calm and happy while she lay there.

The irony hadn’t escaped her, of how foes had quickly turned into friends.

Saanvi Rawat