Will you?

“There!” I exclaim to myself, beaming at my reflection, finally satisfied with my makeup.

Airlines have strict policies, that’s for sure.

I finish dabbing a tissue at the end of my lip, bold red streaks all over it.

I do a final fit check, when an aggressive knock startles me. Walking towards the door in my high heels, practicing my smile.

“Amanda- yup I’m sorry, I wasn’t feeling like grabbing a drink I-” stopping mid-sentence seeing as no one was at the door.

I almost wander into the halls, but realization catches up.

I roll my eyes, knowing it was likely Jacob or Dan, taunting me for dropping a passenger’s juice on him in the last flight. They hadn’t let me live that down — teasing me like toddlers.

Still, they were like my brothers.

Though, in a strange way, it made me see it for what it was: an accident. Not some lifelong humiliation.

I almost close my door, my feet already aching, when I notice a paper resting on my doorstep.

Picking it up, I noticed it’s disgustingly warm, either its been sitting in the sauna or the person leaving it was extremely sweaty.

Squinting against the harsh white lights overhead, far too bright for a night like this.

The note reads:

Will you?

“Will you what?” I throw my hands up, irritated

“Spill someone else’s apple juice?” I mutter, stepping back inside and closing the door with my heel.

“No thank you!” I scoff.

Just wait till I see Jacob today.

He owns me coffee anyway.

✈️༄✈️

I make my way towards the cabin crew entrance, I stretch my hands, knowing I’ll be cleaning and prepping, while Jacob will be a tattle-tale.

“Hey!” I hear my colleague, Florence, behind me, cheerful as usual.

“You didn’t meet me and the rest for a drink yesterday” she says as she takes a spot beside me, her heels clanking with perfect balance.

“Didn’t feel like it” I mutter, nervous for my second flight.

We walk the rest of the way while Florence chatters about last night.

Finally we reach security.

Florence speeds her steps and reaches the security before I do, her head bobbing up and down.

“Hey, Stance!” she gives him a one-eyed, flirty smile. All I hear in response is a grunt.

“Didn’t pack much?” a voice behind me asks

I turn to see a sweet and innocent face paired up in a sharp and intimidating uniform

“No, going to come back in two days anyway” I laugh “Guess I’ll have to get used to this”

“Oh, you’re the recent hire, aren’t you?” she continues “I’m Raya”

She offers her gloved hand. As I shake it, she starts the usual security procedure. Behind me, Florence is still trying to talk to Stance. For someone with so much energy, she makes a good distraction.

“All good” Raya blurts. “How was your first flight yesterday? Anyone been rude?” though I’m thinking how she knows so much about me, when Jacob walks in

“No” he says with a smirk “but she spilled juice on someone”

I glare at him.

“Raya, keep me the same room?” Jacob asks in a tone that doesn’t accept a no.

“There will be other attendees,” she replies, sounding irritated and exhausted. “I can’t do that every time.”

“You really are like a toddler” I claim.

To my surprise, they laugh.

I pick up my carry-on and gesture towards the water bottle.

“This okay?” I say, as shocked she put it back neatly.

“Yup, it’s not too much, it’ll do” she says with a wink.

“Thanks” I stutter, I grab the bag hastily- a

The zip was still open.

Shit

I’m horrible in public, it’s almost like embarrassment follows me around, waiting for the worst possible moment. I bend down to pick up my belongings, before they get stepped on.

Stance sees this as the perfect opportunity to escape Florence and crouches down to help me. As we continue picking up, attendees start walking through, as if in a panic.

I should be panicking as well. I should already be loading my tray.

“Meet you in five” Jacob runs off, like a child who heard the ice-cream truck was outside.

✈️༄✈️

“Welcome abroad,” I say, standing at the entrance of the plane, offering passengers a practiced smile as they step past me.

“At least it's a 45 minute flight,” Jacob says beside me with genuine enthusiasm.

“Sure” I mumble as the next family climbs on board.

“Row 14. Straight ahead, miss,” I say to a mother, surrounded by children.

The cabin slowly fills with the sounds of bags being loaded, babies crying, and the low hum of the engine's fuel.

“We can grab a drink with the crew after this flight” he suggests.

I nod distractedly.

“Yup, you take care of the rest, I’m gonna load the drinks” before he can say anything else, I slip through the aisle.

✈️༄✈️

“Of course, and you?” I ask the family seated comfortably yet buzzing with excitement. The girls chirp their orders and I hand them their drinks before moving to my last passenger.

“Sir, what would you like?” I enquired the black coated man, he looked familiar yet I couldn’t grasp why. Like a bubble at the back of my head, popping before I could touch it.

“This” he pulls a crumpled piece of paper from his coat pocket. His fingers are slender and oddly gentle.

I laugh awkwardly. Florence told me how people always try to get her number, though Florence being Florence I doubt it.

And anyway, why would a person believe someone under a layer of cakey makeup, hiding their true face.

I unfold the paper.

My stomach drops

Will you?

“Would you like something?” I ask quickly, trying to shake off the tremble in my voice.

“Well… how do I put this?” he clasps his hands together, one leg resting on the other.

“I have a bomb, no funny business" he says plainly, vaguely, as if he was complimenting the weather.

As if he knew I didn’t believe, he lifted the suitcase on his lap (one I hadn’t noticed) and there it sat.

Wires.

Resting.

Waiting to strike.

My throat goes numb, I try to swallow, but the air feels stuck.

“I need 200,000 dollars and a parachute.” He says clearly, demanding, not seeking a refusal.

I nod, well, try to.

Then I walk to the cockpit to inform the pilots.

✈️༄✈️

“Keep her,” the mysterious, brooding, son of a gun says as my foot touches the first step.

I step back, not needing the signal from the pilots, I keep my head up, trying to fake confidence that I didn’t have.

The sunglasses man had his money and parachute, as if hijacking was something perfectly ordinary

Made us circle around for more than two hours, while the crew scrambled to meet his needs.

The only thing that mattered was that the passengers were off the plane and safe — unaware that their flight could have ended very differently.

The plane is empty, too empty, matching the hollow, unwelcoming feeling growing in my stomach.

I sat with Mr. demanding for the flight back to Reno, he demanded to have the plane empty and had given an unspecified route.

✈️༄✈️

Having sat with him for about an hour, talking about smoking, different places and why he was hijacking. He simply said “A grudge”.

Oddly, he asked about the rear stairwell, though giving me a strong insight on how this will end.

I stand up, deciding to give the pilots an update. Like the last four times.

The man hands me 2000, looking at me while his head rests on the chair. Almost like a smile.

A smile I knew.

I tuck the money inside my pocket, and walk on, wanting to be away from him, now that he taught me how the bomb works.

He grabs my wrist. His hand was hot and sweaty. Hesitation

“Will you?” he asks in a mocking tone.

“Will you what you-” I blurt but realization dawns on me.

The glasses are off.

Eyes I knew gazed back into mine.

“Dan?” I whisper.

Something was off this morning, this flight. Something other than the bomb.

Dan wasn’t here this morning. He was supposed to be on this flight too — another crew member.

The guy who said I was fit for an air hostess, my friend, the one I trusted, my first-

“Oh please” he waves his hand by his sides “Don’t be so dramatic, you helped” he gestures towards me.

“Helped?” I croak

“Of course, your distraction was excellent, sweetheart,” he sneers, getting up.

The security.

I purse my lips, annoyed but doubt aching me.

“Dan, but why?” in disbelief, shaking my head “I could have helped you pay off your debt”

“It wasn’t about the debt” he spits “Tina” he says with such hate and disgust it cracks open my heart.

He opens the staircase.

“Now, will you?” he offers his hand, as if we were about to dance.

“Will- what!?” I ask helplessly knowing what he wants.

“THIS” he clasps my arm and attempts to throw me out.

I clasp on his collar, my feet half in the air. My hair open, flying in the wind as if trying to get away but bound to my scalp.

“Please, Dan” pleading for a life “ Dan, please, I won’t say a word”

“Please” I whisper weakly.

“You don’t let go and both of us die” he says slowly, quietly, like a menacing lion eyeing its prey.

Plucking up my courage, and sense, realising I still have a chance to survive this. Maybe even we.

“Fine” I say and fall without looking back, clutching on his coat, now more than ever.

We both fall, our bodies uncontrollable in the air, our legs swinging.

My stomach lurches as the plane shrinks, and the stars replace it.

My head is towards the sky, my hair in my face blinding me.

“Are you insane?” Dan spits, his voice ripped apart from the wind. His eyes wide in shock, in terror.

“Open the parachute” I urge him, hooking the coat, my knuckles white, my hand full of the rich leather.

“You stupid a-” his voice gets vacuumed in the wind.

He opens it too early and we hurtle towards the forest, crashing into the trees. The first branch slams into my shoulder. Another scratches across my cheek. Awakening the forest and the birds in our presence.

✈️༄✈️

“Perfect landing” I snort, my hip crashed into the ground, as soon as I let go of him. Trusting the ground to hold me.

I don’t have time to recover or even get up, when Dan towers before me. Just the sight of him makes me tremble, his face is covered in dirt and his hair is spiky. And his coat… crumbled.

He lunges at me. He tries punching, I dodge.

After minutes of struggle, and a bleeding nose and possibly knee I shove him off, my elbow making harsh contact with his eye.

“Goddamn”

I make a run for it.

Never did I think I would wake up this morning and be fighting with my best friend over… money.

✈️༄✈️

After hours of wandering, my toes are caked in dirt and gravel, I finally saw it, the airport landing site.

I don’t care how I found it, just that I found it and that my brother was waiting there anxiously, talking to the pilots and Jacob.

The lights of the runway glowed, harsh and welcoming all at once. Every step I took sent aches up my legs.

My chest feels like it’s being squeezed.

I run the last few steps, my knees weak, making sobbing noises that I can’t stop. My brother sees me and then his arms are around me.

He holds me tight, his chest against my face, and I let myself collapse into him.

I cry — everything I’ve held back, every fear, every ounce of relief, pouring out.

Jacob pacing back and forth.

Did I… did I just kill my best friend?

✈️༄✈️

Three years later

The morning news hums in the background like all our mornings.

“Reports show that Brain Ingram found almost 5,800 while on a camping trip. And shocking results have been put forward.

We, folks, have found the exact money from the hijacker D.B Cooper, in Tena bar.”

“Oi, turn it off hon” Jacob calls out from the kitchen, protective as ever.

“But it just means he is still alive” I say, my voice still asleep. I’m curled up in my blanket on the couch, warm but still freezing after his name is taken.

Jacob comes over and sets the breakfast over the coffee table in our home, and hugs me.

I lay my head against his chest, his heartbeat, familiar and steady.

Years passed, that impossible flight, that impossible jump, though I survived and it’s still etched in my head like it was yesterday

I don’t know what I did to him, but it was something.

Though we both know, he’s still out there, looking for his best friend.