**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...
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Loop 398
Rion's standing at my aisle a few moments after the loop resets and the pilot finishes his announcement. This last nosedive was the worst, yet. The air masks fell again and the plane was really plummeting. Those who weren't buckled into their seats were thrown through the air, some getting seriously hurt. The plane wasn't in the clouds yet, but it was getting closer.
"So what's the plan, Stan?" Rion rubs his palms together, as if he's physically gearing up to crack the case.
"That depends, am I the Stan in this plan?" I ask, swinging the pacifier over the seat. I glance behind me a second later at the baby, happily sucking on his pacifier. I can't do anything without taking care of that first.
Rion scans the aisle. "Okay, so you're watching Heather this time, right? And I'm going to deal with that mystery bathroom?" He cracks his knuckles against his leg, as he stares at the occupied bathroom door.
I nod. "Should we put our hands together and chant 'go team!' or something? I was never a team sports kind of person, but from what I've seen in movies, that seems to be an effective motivator?"
But Rion's attention is fixed on the front of the plane. "How do I open the door to the mystery bathroom?" he asks. "Throw my weight against it? Try to break in?"
"Oh, there's a much easier way. I once got Heather to tell me some of her craziest flight attendant stories, and she told me about one time when a toddler got stuck in the bathroom. Apparently, there's a trick to opening bathroom doors from the outside. Just lift the 'lavatory' sign on the outside of the door, and you'll find a little knob underneath it," I tell him. "Slide the knob into the unlocked position, and voila, you're in."
Rion's attention swings to me, and his expression lightens. "You're a fountain of information, Evelyn Werth. It's absolutely amazing the way you can talk to people, collecting stories and information," he says, without irony. There's only a sense of admiration in his voice. My heart swells.
"Well, I'm glad my hundreds of loops provided something helpful."
He's staring at me now. "Are you serious? You've been incredible and the fact that you've stayed sane considering how many loops you've been in is a testament to your strength. I'd be a complete mess. I am a complete mess and I've been in only six of these loops. And while I know I haven't known you for all that long—"
"Only 28 minutes," I interject with a smile.
His blue eyes lock on me, an earnestness passing through them. "But if I had to pick one person in the entire world to be my partner in an endless – but apparently not really endless – time loop on a crashing airplane, it would be you, Ev."
