(Julia — First-Person POV)
The flight I managed to book was overbooked, chaotic, and not even the one Hawaii originally tried to secure.
"Miss, we can only get you on the connecting flight through LA," the airline staff had told me.I didn't care. I took it.
I didn't tell Kai or Alan.I didn't have the strength to explain.I just… boarded.
My phone was at 3% when I got on the plane.Dead by the time we took off.
For once, silence felt like mercy.
No calls.No tension.No questions.Just me and the terrifying thought that I might lose my father forever.
I closed my eyes as the plane rumbled into the clouds.
Meanwhile — Back in Hawaii
Kai stood in the hotel lobby, nearly vibrating with frustration. "She should've landed by now."
Alan paced steps away, his jaw clenched so tight it could shatter. "Her phone is still off."
Hawaii (the assistant) rushed in, her face white as chalk, phone trembling in her hands.
"Kai… Alan…" she whispered.
They both snapped their eyes to her.
"There's been a crash."
Time stopped.
"A—A crash?" Alan's voice dropped to a whisper.
Hawaii nodded, shaking. "The morning flight leaving Honolulu—the one Julia was supposed to board. It went down after takeoff. The news just broke."
Alan staggered back like he'd been punched.
Kai's eyes widened, then narrowed with instant denial. "No. She changed flights. She didn't get on that one."
Hawaii swallowed. "Are you sure?"
Kai pulled out his phone, dialing again. "Julia would've texted me."
Alan's voice cracked. "Her phone is off, Kai."
The three of them stood still, listening to the endless ringing from Kai's call that would never connect.
No answer.No buzz.No message.
Just silence.
Alan's hands curled into fists. His cool, collected CEO exterior shattered."I should've gone with her," he whispered. "I should have—dammit—I should've protected her."
"Kai," Hawaii whispered, "what if she—"
"She didn't," Kai snapped. But his voice trembled. "She didn't."
Alan grabbed his car keys. "I'm getting on the next flight out. I don't care where she is—hospital, airport, middle of the damn Pacific—I'm finding her."
Kai blocked his path."No. We find out which flight she actually boarded. We do this logically."
Alan's eyes burned. "I am not losing her, Kai. Not to you. Not to fate. Not to a damn plane crash."
Kai's own mask cracked, emotion spilling through. "Neither am I."
For a moment, both men stood chest-to-chest, breathing hard, united only by fear.
Hawaii stepped in softly. "We all care about her. Right now, we need information, not panic."
Kai closed his eyes, inhaled sharply, and dialed the airline again.
Alan stared at his own phone screen, as if willing Julia's name to appear.
But it didn't.It stayed dark and empty.
Just like the worst possibility waiting outside their thoughts.
Back to Julia
My plane hit turbulence—rough, violent, sudden.
People gasped.Someone started praying.My heart slammed into my ribs.
The overhead lights flickered, then stabilized.
A flight attendant's calm voice filled the cabin."Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated. We're passing through an unexpected patch of turbulence."
I exhaled shakily.
A man across the aisle whispered to his wife, "It's that crash… the one from Honolulu… they're saying it was bad."
I froze.
Crash?
Honolulu?
My blood turned to ice.
I grabbed the flight attendant's arm. "Excuse me—what crash?"
She hesitated, then answered quietly, "The morning flight out of Honolulu. It went down shortly after takeoff. They're still investigating."
I sank back into my seat.
The flight I was supposed to take.The flight the others thought I took.
My hands trembled uncontrollably.
My father could die any moment.And the people I left behind probably thought I was already gone.
I squeezed my eyes shut as the plane shook again, whispering to no one:
"I'm still here… please don't panic… I'm still here."
But Alan didn't know that.Kai didn't know that.No one did.
My phone was dead.I was trapped in the sky.And the world below was already mourning me.
I swallowed hard, heart pounding in my throat.
If this plane landed safely…
I was going to have to face everything.My father's fate.My lies.Kai's suspicion.Alan's growing obsession.And the storm waiting for me the moment I stepped back onto land.