A Lost Ghost

Chapter 1: A Rising Sun

Pilot terms that may be used:

Catapult: a device used to allow aircraft to take off from a limited amount of space, such as the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Hatch: Navy term for door. On a carrier, they don't say door. They say hatch.

Passageway: Navy term for hallway

Afterburner: The go-fast mechanism on a fighter jet. The afterburner is an extension of the jet engine exhaust pipe. This is used for short bursts of acceleration or climbing power.

Tally: when you can visually see a target

Dogfight: when fighter pilots engage in aerial combat

SAM: Surface-to-air missile

Smoke in the air: when an enemy missile has been fired.

Splash: when a pilot has destroyed a target

Shooter- U.S. Navy flight deck shooters are often naval aviators or flight officers who oversee preflight checks on the departing aircraft and the operations of the catapult.

Betty: Betty is the F/A-18's audio warning system. She tells you when you're too low when to roll right or left, and tells you when your engines are on fire, among other things.

HUD: Heads up display

Bingo: Fuel is low and you must return back to the carrier

I lay on my back, my eyes closed, my back slowly sinking into the soft snow. I can hear the wind whipping through the trees. The branches creak and groan like an old rocking chair. My gloves become soaked as I curl my stiff fingers into the fluffy snow. I pull my heavy, ice-encrusted eyes open. The grey, cloud-covered sky greets me. The snow falls, tiny little specs of ice floating down to land on my visor. The only warm part of my body is my mouth and nose as I breathe in and out, the hot air bouncing around in my oxygen mask. The sweat from my forehead causes my visor to fog over, but as I open my eyes more, I can see flashes of red light shooting through the air. Balls of fire swallow the clouds whole. My frozen ears stop ringing, and I can hear the sound of machine guns and the roar of a jet engine. I pull my heavy and aching arm up to my mask and tear it off. The frigid air slams into my face, freezing me down to my teeth. The cold air comes into my lungs, causing them to tighten. The roar of the jet engines starts again. It becomes louder and louder until my ears ache, and the ringing rushes back. My heart plunges within my chest, my eyes widening as a jet comes hurling towards me, fire spewing from its engines.

1 Month Earlier

  My eyes fly open as my phone rattles underneath my leg. The signature Apple ringtone explodes throughout the quiet room. I grab my phone and quickly silence it. I groan as the blinding light from my phone cuts through the darkness and burns my eyes. I glance around my cramped room. My three roommates stir in their bunks but don't say anything if they're awake. I sigh in relief. On an aircraft carrier, sleep was limited and very valued. I wouldn't hear the end of it if I had woken them up. I peek at my phone again, turning down the brightness and seeing who was calling me at such an ungodly hour. I roll my eyes as my mom's name pops up.

I don't know how many times I told this woman about the time difference. I texted her, but Mom and texting just don't go well together. To be honest, I haven't actually spoken to her in almost a year. It...it has been a year, right? Year and a half? Well, maybe two, now that I think about it. The truth is, I don't want to talk to her. I'm still so pissed about what she did to my family. It's been festering inside me for years, and now that I'm finally free of her, I can show her that what she did isn't okay. Even if it is as petty as giving her the silent treatment. To my mom, though, that's like a death sentence. She's been calling me every single day since my tour started. I texted her back, but again, she doesn't understand how to text. She's awful at it and prefers to call, but I just can't stand even the thought of hearing her voice.