wrath of the Sea Queen (20 page)

"
I'm not feeling well, but I'm sure it will pass.  Wh
at's wrong
?
"
  C
a
eli fluidly changed the subject so that Salma would not worry about what was probably
nothing more than
a
little nausea or perhaps a
twenty four hour
stomac
h
bug.  She could tell that Salma was concerned with a
more pressing
matter.

"
Look out the window,
"
Salma whispered.
  When she woke twenty minutes earlier, what
Salma
saw out the window
disturbed her.  Yet she waited before bothering
C
a
eli
until she was certain that the
weather
condition w
as
not
improving
and others were beginning to notice
as well
.

Since Salma occupied the seat closest to the window, C
a
eli had to turn and lean her head forward
in order to see
whatever
was troubling
her
.  What she
discovered
instantly brought her out of her lethargy.  No matter which direction she looked, the entire sky around the plane was pitch black.  Thick, dark clouds were rolling ominously in a circular motion around the plane.  C
a
eli's first thought was of being inside the eye of a tornado,
which
forced her to
recall a
terrifying
memory
and
escalated
her fear
.  Yet, they were over the ocean
.  S
omething like
what she and Vin experienced in the forest
should not be possible
here
.
  Should it?

"
Ha
s anyone a
s
ked
the stewardess about the weather?
"
  C
a
eli asked Salma quietly so that she would not alarm any of th
e
nearby
passengers.  All of the people in th
eir
section
,
except the rude redhead
, co
nveniently
had their window shades pulled down
.  Mo
st were sleeping.  C
a
eli could see the same turmoil through the
redhead
's window, though he appeared not to notice.

"
No
t that I’ve noticed,
but I have seen her go into the cockpit at least four times in the
l
ast twenty minutes, and she does not look happy.  I
watched the stewardess with one of the passengers
from the section behind us about ten minutes ago.  Apparently, a fe
w of the passengers back there started to
panic.  It took several minutes for the attendants to get them calmed down.
"

"
How long has it been like this? 
I didn't notice
when we flew
into it
.  My mind has been elsewhere
.
"
  C
a
eli asked perplexed.

"
It has been dark for a
t least
half an hour. 
When I first work, the
sky was clear, not even a single cloud visible
.  A
nd then all of
a
sudden
, not two minutes later,
we were surrounded by darkness.  There wasn't even any turbulence.  I checked our time, and we
ha
ve been in the air for five hours. 
It'
s eleven o'clock. 
There is still another hour before we reach Honolulu.  I
wanted
to make
you aware of the situation
,
"
Salma explained with a controlled edge to her voice.

C
a
eli suspected that Salma also wanted some active company to help distract her
from her
own fear.

"
Thanks
, Salma
.  It is a bit disconcerting if you continue to look at it
for too long
. 
This is certainly some of the weirdest weather I
ha
ve ever seen, but
let's
not assume the worst yet.  It might be nothing more than a fast moving thunderstorm. 
W
ait a bit and see what the pilot has to say.  He
wi
ll have to make an announcement soon.
"

C
a
eli
no sooner
finished those words when the sound of static crackling over the intercom could be heard
for several seconds
prior to
the
pilot
's monotone voice.

"
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is
your pilot,
Captain Wakahiro.  As you may have noticed, we
ha
ve run into a bit
of
unexpected weather.  I want to assure you that there is no cause for alarm, but it may take us several minutes to reach the edge of this cloudbank.  In the meantime, we will be deploying your oxygen masks as a precautionary measure to help you breathe easier while we are in the midst of these dense clouds.  Please stay in your seats with your safety belts fastened.  We should be able to detour around this storm very soon.  As soon as we return to clear air, your flight attendants will begin beverage services again.
"

As
t
he
pilot
completed the announcement, the plane hit a new pocket of turbulence.  The aircraft was forcefully
rocked by the wind,
the oxygen masks
automatically
popped out of their overhead storage areas, and a stomach wrenching drop in altitude added a tint of green to Salma's already
pale
complexion. 
C
a
eli's churning stomach protested further, but she
made sure that her unnerved
aunt
got the oxygen mask fitted properly before donning her own, despite instructions to do otherwise. 
Staving off the need to run to the restroom and be sick, C
a
eli
watched as the thick clouds continued to billow
outside
the window
.  She
said a prayer as the plane dropped altitude twice mo
re within a few short minutes.

Panic was beginning to spread amongst the passengers, and the attendants were barely able to maintain order with intermittent assurances over the intercom. 
Before long, even the attendants were forced to seek the
s
afety
of their seats. 
Nothing except the darkness of the clouds was visible outside the window for the next half hour.  Hopefully, the pilot's radar was having better success seeing where they were and what was around them.  C
a
eli's ears were popping with each drop, so she surmised that the plane must still be losing altitude.

"
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Captain
again
.  We are having a bit of trouble getting out of these clouds, so we are continuing to decrease our altitude until we reach the edge of this storm.  As a precaution, we would like you all to assume crash positions.  Please,
remain
calm.  We do not anticipate any problems, but it could be a very bumpy ride for the next several minutes.  We want to ensure your safety during this procedure.  Please assume your crash positions now and remain that way until I make another announcement.  Thank you.
"

"
C
a
eli
, d
o you think he was sugar coating that?
"
  Salma was visibly upset, and C
a
eli could feel her own tension rising.  For her aunt's sake, she put on her best optimist's face.

"
It's ok
,
Salma.  I'm sure he
wi
ll get us around the storm.  As a matter of fact, we should be close
to landing soon.  It
will probably
be
nothing more than heavy
turbulence
. 
I know you're not fond of
those bumps
, but that should be the worst of it.  Try not to worry.  Think of something pleasant to pass the time.  I know!  Tell me about
Ben's
proposal again.  Where did
he
take you?  How did he propose?
"

"
C
a
eli,
now is hardly the time.
"

"
Now is the perfect time,
"
C
a
eli insisted.

"
Y
ou
ha
ve heard th
is
story
a dozen times
already," Salma declined.

"
Please Salma, tell me again.  I know you
enjoy
telling it
as much as I like hearing it
.
"
  C
a
eli’s determination won Salma over.