Free Twisted Proposal by M.V. Miles Page B

terror.

Chapter Seven
    The plane jerked forward, brakes squealing as it turned onto the runway. My stomach flip flopped as I chomped the gum I’d been given. Maybe if I close my eyes . So I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to lean back in the chair. Everything’s going to be okay. A strange humming sound radiated through my head as my muscles relaxed. For some reason, I yawned and rested against the pillow. I could do this. Flying was easy.
    A short time later, Stuart nudged me. “Would you like anything to drink?”
    “No, thank you.” My voice was scratchy. Wow, I felt really out of it. I rubbed my neck, wondering if the gum Stuart gave me was drugged. 
    “She’ll have a Pepsi, and I’ll have a Jack and Coke,” Stuart answered.
    “Yes, sir.” The stewardess handed me a can of Pepsi and a cup of ice and brought Stuart his drink. I tried not to stare at the amber-colored liquid in his glass, but my mouth watered.
    A few minutes later, Stuart disappeared into the bathroom and I drained his cup in seconds. Phew, that was strong.
    The Jack hit my stomach and sent warming vibrations throughout my body. A smile crept upon my face. For the first time that day, I was happy. I refilled Stuart’s glass with Pepsi. He’d never notice. An old woman across the aisle stared at me with a disgusted expression on her face, and I rolled my eyes at her. It wasn’t her business. I’d been drinking since I was ten and knew what I was doing. 
    My gaze fell back to the window. When I raised the blind, my mouth dropped. We had to be thousands of miles in the air. Brown and green patches of earth faded below us as we flew through large white patches of clouds. It was unbelievable. I must have made a sound because Stuart slammed the shade down, making me jump.
    “Keep that down and listen to this.” He handed me a pair of white headphones. Soft jazz filled my ears, and I flashed Stuart a grateful smile, but he wasn’t paying attention. Go figure. I closed my eyes again.
    ***
    I was dancing in the living room of my apartment with Elizabeth. Her annoying charm bracelet jingled. I could hear her laughter, my laughter. She wore a white sundress, and her tan arms were free of needle tracks. She seemed so happy. I tried to hug her, but she darted out of the way. I tried again, and she jolted away from me with a grin. At first I was laughing with her, but after a few attempts, I became angry. She just kept smiling, taunting me.
    Then we were outside on the roof of our apartment, and she was standing on the edge. I yelled out to her but nothing came out. I didn’t have a voice. Nothing. I walked over to her and reached out to grab her. She lifted her hand toward mine. The instant our fingertips touched, her dress faded to black and her hair blonde hair turned a dull gray. Her skin lost its color and became wrinkled and old. She mouthed, “I love you.” Then her body disintegrated into ash and blew away. I screamed.
    ***
    “Addison, wake up,” a strange voice said, shaking me. 
    My eyes flew open. I was on a plane. Stuart was leaning over me. I pushed him away.
    He looked worried. “You were having another bad dream. Do these happen often?”
    “No,” I mumbled. It felt so real. I sat up in my chair, ignoring everyone staring at me. I grabbed Stuart’s glass of melted ice and Jack to control my haggard breathing, but he removed it seconds later.
    “This is mine. Here.” He replaced the cup with one filled with water.
    Elizabeth just fluttered away into the night sky. “She’s ash,” I whimpered.
    “What?”
    “Nothing.” I didn’t want to explain myself to him. Maybe this was her sick way of saying goodbye.
    Stuart turned back to talking politics with some guy sitting across the aisle.
    The old woman from earlier kept gawking at me. I tried not to let it bother me. I never had nightmares before. Maybe it was stress-related. I looked around for something to do. Part of me wanted to open the shade again, but my fear