**WATTYS 2022 WINNER** Seventeen-year-old Evelyn Werth is on an endless flight from hell. She's the only person onboard Aloha Airways Flight 1333 who's caught in a 28-minute time loop.
During each cycle, four things happen:
1. The Internet goes out...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Still Loop 3
I watch Evelyn, with her brown eyes twinkling, brighter than the sun. They are eyes that for some unknown reason, I trust. Ones that make me feel that I can believe in her. That I can tell her anything.
I clear my throat, trying to get comfortable in a fundamentally uncomfortable chair. "I haven't answered your question – that is, your initial question about why I was in Hawaii this summer, and not the random question about whether this entire loop has to do with Edward Pickens III."
Evelyn perks up. "Right, of course," she says, leaning forward on her knees, like she's listening with her entire body.
"I got a summer-long internship on the Big Island studying at the Keck observatory," I explain. Evelyn's eyes are question marks. "It's one of the largest and most powerful telescopes in the world located on top of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano."
Evelyn lets out a small whistle. "Wow that sounds... prestigious. So that explains why you're into Star Wars."
I shake my head, my lips flattening. "No, that's only because I'm human. Everybody likes Star Wars. Plus, Cyborgs are Star Trek."
"Definitely not everybody is into Star Wars. You really need to broaden your social circles." She pauses and adds, "So you're super smart?"
I shrug. "I guess. But I've just always been interested in space, since I was a kid. I applied for the program last summer and was accepted, and I plan on studying at MIT next year."
But it might never happen, I think. I might never get there, even if I can somehow find a way off this plane alive.
It was a miracle my parents even allowed me go to Hawaii. It was only because the doctors said it was okay to squeeze in this trip for a few weeks before my treatment started. But even though I was allowed to go, it somehow felt like a consolation prize. I worked my whole life for this, but suddenly it felt like it was all slipping away.
"So... astronomy?" Evelyn's lips pucker as if she's deciding how the word tastes. "You study the planets?"
"Not exactly." I glance at Janelle as she sleeps. "I'm more of a computer guy. Analyzing statistics and images, applying mathematical equations to narrow down data. That sort of stuff."
"That's cool," she says, and I can tell she means it. "You're like a genius or something. And then there's me – honestly, I'm not sure I can even spell genius without the help of autocorrect." She grins again, an obvious self-effacing joke. There are different kinds of smarts, and Evelyn clearly has social skills that I lack. She has a way of talking to people, and a talent of endearing everyone around her. Except when she's stealing their pills.
