The Airport

I sighed. I didn't want to meet up with that lady again. Her brunette hair flowing in that sweet Italian air, her eyes were so soft when they stared back at me. I could taste that spring water aftertaste on her lips. Her skin was tanned, a bronzed queen in the sunlight.

I had to pull myself away from those thoughts. We didn't leave things on good terms after all. Reminders of what the town looked like were everywhere as I drove to the airport. Her voice as we visited the local shops. I could see us in the reflections of the windows, enjoying a coffee, laughing over whatever we wished. As I sipped the same flavored coffee we used to get, the lingering ghost of her name stuck in my head; I knew this was going to haunt me until I could recall it.

I felt the flashbacks one blink away behind my eyelids and felt them pile up by the seconds as we went through the traffic.

I remembered being driven out of that village that one pitch black night as I lifted Linsday's suitcase onto the weight queue along with Halvor's. The roads paved with hate, the villagers running after me, calling me a monster, claiming I was the one that ate the royals' children.

One look and they would've known it wasn't me. Werewolves don't make people become the worst versions of themselves and sin like demons. Werewolves don't do half of what happened in that castle that night.

I read the price of our luggage. It costs almost two hundred dollars once I added the suitcase I had packed. Oskar didn't bring a suitcase but one small draw string bag. He didn't add any weight to our things, I wanted to congratulate him on not making me pay for his shit too, but I held back my tongue. Linsday yawned while rubbing her eyes, the bags under them were dark in color. It wasn't needed right now.

We waited. The plane queue time was a full three hours. Linsday had some money in her wallet and Halvor knew the airport like the back of his hand. They asked if they could go together. I allowed it with Oskar going along with them. I can always text Halvor if the mind stuff doesn't work.

I thud down on a plastic chair in my plane's section. I was about to pull out my phone and read the latest news about the pet attacks in town. Before my screen could illuminate, her figure swayed across it.

Pale face, black but breezy and flowing dress, sharp red lipstick and sunglasses to hide those eyes. I knew who it was as she sat down with her purse. The leather straps that draped down from her handbag made a slap against the seat. Herself, sat right across the room from me.

Lilith. In all her infamous glory.

I looked at my ticket then the gate letters. I checked the white and black on the paper again and again and again. For a moment I thought I had undiagnosed dyslexia from how hard I was praying I was reading the scrap of paper wrong. It was true no matter how many times I read it and wished it would just go away.

Lilith was on our plane.

I tried to not stare a hole through her head, but I found myself glancing here and there while I took out my phone. I feared she could see my screen from all the way over here. I turned my brightness down. I texted Halvor first then Linsday. I warned them of Lilith and to try and disguise themselves, at least make sure to make it seem like we weren't part of the same crowd. I felt somewhere in my gut that I should have been a bit clearer with my texts. When they came back in, I knew right then and there why I had that gut feeling.

They strolled in and took seats in different locations around or near me, being sure to stay in the same plane queue I was currently sitting in. It was too late; they couldn't change their disguises even if they wanted to. Where to start...

First of all, Linsday had cut off her hair and tucked it in a local sports team winter cap from the gift shop, she topped the whole look with Oskar's gray hoodie, it was two sizes too big on her. It worked even though it seemed stupid, it hid her body shape on the upper half. I knew she had cut her hair due to the blonde flakes on her shoulders and clothes. I'll have to ask her after the plane ride. Her makeup was smokey eyes and nude lips. She had to own some kind of foundation because her bags were almost nonexistent.

If you met her once then asked to point her out in a crowd now, we could get away with it.

Now, Halvor was a different story. I was ready to strangle him. His idea of a disguise was a baseball cap and jacket from the same store Linsday got her winter hat. I swear if his ass wasn't attached to himself, he would lose it.

I don't care who says what, just because one can take a test or read a book and remember everything doesn't mean you'll survive the real world. I know Halvor knows that but every now and again I question his common sense. I also question if he's kissed a girl yet. I overheard Halvor's inner monologue about being kissed on the cheek. What a nerd.

Last was Oskar. I was ready to kill him. The only difference was his hoodie was gone. I was thankful Lilith had never met Oskar so at least she doesn't know what he looks like. Still made me want to kill him. It strangely made me want to ask what he packed at the same time. It was decided in that second that I was indeed going to raid his draw string bag when we landed.

As if it timed itself, it was time to get on the plane. I glanced at the others, they did the same and we made our way on the plane through the pathways.

Squeezing onto the plane, I find my seat near the back and by a window. I sit myself down and make sure to not crush my junk in the tiny ass seats.

A soft thud and a leather strap slapped my leg. I felt my eyes pan over in horror.

Lilith was sitting right beside me.