Taking Off

Chapter 6

"Would you just let me watch this movie in peace?!" Tia hissed at Elijah approximately ten hours later, as they sat squished together on the plane. He scowled at her.

"Look, okay. You took the window seat –" he began.

"That's because it is my seat – says so right here on my ticket," she interrupted, pushing the ticket in his face. He pushed it away.

"You took the window seat, you can't have everything your way," he continued as though she hadn't spoken.

"Just – stop leaning over! You can't see anything from this window," she said, exasperated.

"Then why'd you want to sit next to it so bad?" he retorted.

"I didn't want to sit next to it 'so bad!' It's MY seat!" she cried. He rolled his eyes. "I thought we agreed to act civilised," she said.

"I just want to see the sights," he replied, unfazed.

"How many times do I have to tell you! You can't see anything!" She breathed deeply. "Can you just stay on your seat?" Then, hesitating, added, "Please?"

He gasped, feigning shock. "Please? I didn't know you knew such a nice word! What world is this?!" She was going to react but decided it would annoy him more if she didn't. She was right. She turned the volume up on her movie, popped an M&M in her mouth and sat back. He stared at her for a second then turned to face the chair in front of him. Then, smiling maliciously, he leaned over to look out of the window again. He wasn't the only malicious one though, for Tia expected this and she was ready.

She grabbed the can of coke she'd drank half of and, without warning, tipped it down the back of his shirt. He yelped, like a wounded animal, and jumped back. She could hardly contain her laughter.

"What was that for?!" he exclaimed, angrily, not even noticing the other passengers' angry glares.

"Sorry, what?" she said, turning to him from her movie, as though nothing had happened.

"You know exactly what!" he cried.

"Oh! Did I spill my drink on you? Sorry, completely unintentional," she replied, popping another M&M in her mouth. He was about to respond but the coke down his shirt had become very uncomfortable. He rushed off to the toilet and spent half an hour drying his shirt to the best of his ability. Until he realised there was no salvaging it, and had to retrieve a shirt from his carry-on luggage. It took far longer than he wanted it to, and he was fuming by the time he returned to his seat. So when he noticed Tia had a new coke beside her, his skin bristled and almost snatched the can from her. But she saw him eying it, and she smiled and took a sip. He quickly sat in his chair. He no longer leant over. He was completely silent the rest of the plane ride, in fact.

-

"This is your suite. I think you'll find it quite adequate for your stay," said Figg from the doorway Sunday night in a hotel in Melbourne, Australia. They were standing in a lavish room, decorated mostly in beige and gold. In the lounge, there was a comfy looking couch, with a flat-screen in front of it,  and enormous sliding glass doors opened up to a veranda on the side. At the back, there were two doors, leading to the separate bedrooms.

"It's fantastic. Thank you very much," Tia replied, beaming.

"So, you're the organiser of this whole thing?" Elijah asked. Figg nodded. He was about to ask why she decided to plan it on the holidays but bit his tongue. He didn't want to misrepresent the school – plus, Tia 'Perfect' Anderson wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he did. So, he just nodded.