[Chapter 108: There's a Ghost on the Plane]
"Why haven't they announced boarding yet?"
Inside the VIP waiting room, Scarlett was bored and growing more impatient by the minute. Their flight had been scheduled for around 10:40 a.m., but now it was well past 2:00 p.m., and still, the airport hadn't called them to board.
Daniel said, "It's probably because of the thunderstorm."
New York didn't have the year-round mild climate like Los Angeles. While L.A. felt like spring almost all year, New York had distinct seasons -- and it was currently mid-summer, the peak of thunderstorm season. This morning had been clear, but shortly after they arrived at the airport, the skies darkened, and a heavy rain began that hadn't let up since.
"I need to get back to the film crew for tomorrow's shoot. I hope this flight doesn't get canceled," Scarlett said, half resigned, half trying to calm herself.
...
The thunderstorm raged on until past 7:00 p.m., finally beginning to subside. It wasn't until around 8:00 p.m. that the airport announced passengers could board. By then, darkness had fallen.
Scarlett complained, "By the time we fly to Los Angeles, it'll be the middle of the night."
Daniel didn't mind; he had nothing urgent waiting. "Look on the bright side, it's better than the flight getting canceled."
Scarlett nodded. "That's true. Mr. Cross, your attitude is amazing. Normally, I'd have lost it by now. But with you here, I actually feel pretty patient."
'How many times have you already complained?' Daniel thought wryly. 'I wonder how impatient you get when you're not "patient."'
He kept the comment to himself and boarded the plane with Scarlett. Naturally, they were seated in First Class, where the seats were spacious and comfortable.
...
As soon as Scarlett sat down, she tried to recline her seat, ready to catch some sleep. Daniel reminded her, "You have to sit upright for takeoff."
She gave an exasperated sigh but complied. "But I barely slept last night. I'm really tired."
Scarlett glanced at Daniel's shoulder and asked, "Can I lean on your shoulder for a bit?"
Daniel looked over at his shoulder. "Alright. Buckle your seatbelt, and I'll wake you once the plane's taken off."
"Okay."
Scarlett smiled happily and leaned over immediately. The scent of her perfume washed over Daniel, delicate and sweet. Strands of her hair brushed the tip of his nose, tickling him lightly.
Suddenly, Daniel heard a pulse pounding rapidly. At first, he thought it was his own heart, but he felt no unusual sensations. When he looked down, it all made sense.
Daniel fought back a laugh. Could Scarlett actually be shy? Nervous? Could she really fall asleep like this?
But he didn't say a word, not wanting to break the moment or make things awkward.
...
After a while, all passengers boarded successfully. Once everything was loaded, the plane began to taxi and take off. Following the initial turbulence, it stabilized.
Daniel noticed lightning flashing high in the sky -- right around the plane. He wasn't too worried; planes generally had lightning protection systems and could handle strikes.
Once the plane cruised in the stratosphere, Daniel realized Scarlett had genuinely fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder.
He glanced down and noticed how much her skin had improved since she started taking the Spirit Transformation Elixir. At twenty years old, well, almost twenty if you counted her birthday, she was at the peak of her beauty, with delicate features and a perfect figure. It was easy to see why some people were obsessed enough to do ridiculous things for her, like wanting to drink her bath water.
Though he'd planned to wake her after takeoff so she could recline and sleep more comfortably, Daniel decided to let her rest. He leaned back in his seat himself and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
...
Daniel wasn't sure how much time had passed when suddenly a startled scream echoed from the Economy Class cabins.
The terrified shout was loud enough to draw the attention of many passengers, including Scarlett, who shot upright and asked, "What happened?"
Daniel said, "Sounds like someone in the back got spooked."
"Oh, the flight crew will take care of it," Scarlett said, naturally wrapping her arms around Daniel's and resting her head back on his shoulder as she closed her eyes to try sleeping again.
He wasn't sure if she'd forgotten she could just recline her seat, or if she was doing it on purpose.
Shortly after Scarlett closed her eyes, another startled exclamation rang out from Economy Class. This time, passengers were visibly annoyed.
Someone called over a flight attendant to ask what was going on.
The attendant replied, "I'm going to check it out."
After a moment, she came back and explained a passenger seemed to be hallucinating, claiming they'd seen something disturbing.
"Probably a junkie," someone muttered bitterly under their breath, ignoring the matter.
Daniel glanced toward Economy Class and thought, Is it really some junkie?
But drug use on planes wasn't unheard of.
The curtain separated Economy from First Class, so Daniel couldn't see clearly. Since Scarlett was holding his arm, it wasn't easy for him to get up to investigate, so he let it go.
Thankfully, the cabin crew seemed to have calmed things down back there.
...
Ten minutes later, terrified screams erupted again from Economy Class -- this time a woman's voice.
Daniel's instinct told him something was wrong.
One plane couldn't have so many drug users acting out.
It wasn't just him; many passengers seemed uneasy, sensing the situation wasn't simple.
Scarlett stopped trying to sleep, glancing back several times. Finally, she asked, "What's really going on?"
Daniel said, "Stay here. I'm going to check it out."
"Be careful," Scarlett said.
Daniel unbuckled his seatbelt and walked toward Economy.
He saw several flight attendants comforting a white woman in her thirties.
She was average-looking but had a striking chest, dressed in a low-cut, short-sleeved top. Now, frightened, she was visibly trembling, her chest heaving, attracting the gazes of several men around.
Daniel noticed the men staring and ignoring the flight attendants.
Walking over, he heard one attendant say, "Ma'am, you might be under a lot of stress and experiencing hallucinations. Would you like some glucose water to help you rest?"
"No, that wasn't a hallucination. I really saw it! It wasn't human. It wants revenge. It wants to kill people..." The woman shook her head vehemently, her agitation making her breath come faster.
Not human?
Daniel's professional instincts kicked in immediately, focusing intently on the woman.
He carefully examined her and frowned. There was a faint trace of dark energy surrounding her, a clear sign she'd truly come into contact with a spirit before.
His expression shifted.
There really was a ghost on this plane.
It was almost unbelievable.
A ghost onboard, intending revenge and murder.
If that was true, this was a much more serious situation. In the cramped, airborne space of a plane, any trouble could have disastrous consequences.
Though Daniel was an Archon of Mandate, he wasn't a pilot. If the plane crashed, he might survive, but he wouldn't be able to protect Scarlett.
*****
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