Beyond My Stars

Week 0:                 “Screw you, Lucy! I don’t need this kind of crap in my life, especially after what you have put me through. I hope you have a great time with Walter!”             I sighed. I couldn’t help listening to the conversations going on around me. Some people sounded sad, others irritated, tired, lonely, while some were just plain happy. Like the balding man to my left, he was a little bit of all emotions I imagined. Apparently, he was leaving his wife, kicked out of his own home, and like clockwork he calls his wife every fifteen minutes to argue with her about something he left or the divorce he was getting.             “I know what I have to say at the funeral. I’ve been over it a thousand times, but I still feel like I shouldn’t be going. I know, I love you too and hope to be home soon.”             The voice of a woman that was sitting behind me pulled my attention away from the bald man. She had been crying softly to herself for the past half hour, and that was the first time she had spoken. The woman seemed so sad about whosever funeral she was supposed to be attending, it made me sad just listening to her.             There was a girl around my age, about twenty, in the corner reciting something in German to herself, completely lost in her headset. Her poor hands shook with nervousness though as she reached down to grab her water bottle. I guessed it was about the upcoming flight the girl had.             There were two planes leaving out of Gate 42; one to Russia, then another to Germany immediately after. A long flight like that could make even the bravest slightly unnerved, even I was feeling mildly uneasy. My name is Milady Fairchild, and this was my first time flying since mother took me and left my father in Russia to live in America. Now, I was heading back to Russia.             “Hello there, my name is Hansel Gill. Sorry to bother you, but you looked like you were bored so I decided to come over and start a conversation.”             It was a man, in his late twenty’s. He seemed full of himself, like he was somebody special, but I was not all that impressed.             I just nodded after giving him a polite smile, refusing to say anything as he got comfortable next to me. The silence was weird as neither one of us spoke further. This might have been rude to most, but not to me. I didn’t talk to most people, this Hansel person included. I rather stay quiet and listen to the world around me. It seemed easier this way, easier for me at least.             As if knowing what I was thinking, the man positioned himself away from me. He obviously didn’t want to seem like the overly curious individual, even though it was easy to tell he was dying to say something else.             So, for another twenty minutes the man sat next to me, not saying a word until the lead flight attendant got on the intercom announcing that the flight to Russia was about to begin boarding.             Getting on the plane wasn’t a problem, ironically enough the man Hansel from before, was sitting in the seat directly in front of me. Everyone got settled in their seats fast, and soon they were off the ground and in the sky.             My nerves started up again about an hour into the flight. Something just didn’t seem right, and it was starting to make my whole body shake. With a breath deep in my lungs, I tilted my head back on the chair and closed my eyes.             This was not how I expected to see my father after all of these years. He threw us away after winning a large pot in a poker tournament and headed away with a twenty-three-year-old blonde from France. Until this trip, I hadn’t really thought about him, but it was mother’s dying wish for me to go all the way to Russia to meet him again.             Suddenly the plane shook like a rodeo bull, sending drinks and walking passengers to the floor. The ‘buckle up’ sign beeped above my head, so I hurried to try and find the belt. I groaned as couldn’t reach the buckle, the woman next to me began to freak out.             “What’s happening? Flight attendant!”             I rolled my eyes as one of the attendants named Beth approached to try and quell the frightened and now screaming lady.             “Please ma’am, stay calm. It’s just an electrical storm, nothing to worry about.”             The woman nodded as she settled back into her chair. Beth gave an apologetic smile my way before moving to address some of the other passengers.             “My name is Heather Fields, sister. What’s your name?”             I glanced over to the lady with a slight smile on my face, trying to not seem worried. “My name is Milady Fairchild.”             Then, something out of a horror movie happened. Something pulled up alongside of the plane, something too massive to be another airplane or jet. Everyone who saw screamed for their lives or cussed to their god. I was speechless.             A bright light shown over the entire plane, like the hand of the maker or the heavens itself. I couldn’t move as the plane shook again sending Beth head first into another passenger’s seat. I tried to go help her when the air craft shifted hard to the left trying to avoid whatever it was next them.             Heather grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me back, causing me to slam into the seat as the plane leveled.             “What’s going on?!” The woman screamed as a crunching noise echoed though the cabin. All around people were freaking out, and it was hard to even think straight.             Finally snapping out of my silent stage, I punched the chair in front of me. “Will you stop for just one second lady!”             Heather froze at the sudden tongue lashing, which gave me a moment to stand out of the seat. Without thinking I moved to the stunned Beth. I wrapped my arms around the girl’s waist to help her to her feet.             I pushed her forward to move through the isle. We went towards the c**k pit as people yelled all around. It was pure chaos as the craft next to us forced the plane to shift at a forty-degree angle. I struggled to keep us both upright as an overhead baggage storage bin opened, sending bags flying. One collided with my shoulder, and another to the side of my face. Beth got hit with a laptop case before they got to the safety of the attendant’s area.               “What the hell is going on?” Beth yelled as she grabbed a hold of the counter to her right.             One of the other attendants cried out as she frantically tried to strap herself in her seat. “The Captain said he was losing control of the plane. We’re being pushed around by that thing!”             Everyone looked out the window to see the craft next to ours spotlighting the plane. I stared at it like it was the only thing in existence, my hands touched the window, I studied everything I could about the craft. I never believed the claims people had made about space travel or how aliens existed, but now I believed everything. The craft was so close I could reach out and touch it.             “What the f**k is that?!”             I ducked as a canister of something broke through the window to roll between the three of them. It exploded like a flash bang and all I could hear was screams and the sound of rushing air. Then everyone became silent...                     Like an electrical shock, I woke up to see Hansel staring down at me. I groaned, swatting his hand away from my face. My whole body felt light as I got to my feet, and without thinking I reached out to grab onto something.             Hansel steadied me and put a finger to his lips. He slowly pulled back the curtain to show all the passengers. Everyone were like chickens with their heads cut off. Most shoved and fought each other, while the women yelled or cried, and the children hid from all. It was shocking, and with a sigh I shook my head in disappointment.             “What happened while I was out?” I asked, sitting back down on the floor.             He knelt down beside me with a huff. “We don’t know. Everything outside the plane went black, and that ship from before is gone I think.”             I looked to the window and saw nothing but black. “What about the pilots?”             “They haven’t come out of the cabin yet. Neither have opened the door.” Hansel said as he gestured to the front of the plane.             Without another thought I crawled over to the door and began beating on it. “Is anyone even in there? You cowards! Open this door! They are going to kill each other out here!”             Nothing.             I bit my lip hard as I slammed my fists into the steel. “You can’t just leave us! These people need you, please just help them!”             Nothing.             I was about to give up on them when the locks began to clink, someone was coming out.             It was the head pilot, and he looked as scared as everyone else. He nodded his head to me and Hansel as he moved past us and to the main cabin area. The people were getting uncontrollable, as if to make things much worse Heather continuously stirred the pot with her ranting.             “It’s the rapture! God is coming for us all and we will be judged!” She screamed as she pointed to the darkness outside the craft.             “Shut up woman!”             “She’s telling the truth!”             Chaos. I watched the pilot confront the people, but as soon as they saw him all they wanted to do was punish him. It was frightening watching the pilot get mobbed and hit for something that he could not control. Finally, the crowd started to settle down and a few moved in to protect him.             “What is wrong with you people? All he did was come out here so he could talk about what was happening! Now he looks like a piñata!” I screamed as Hansel helped him to his feet.             “Where has he been all this time then?!”             It was a valid question, but one that was answered swiftly.             “You don’t think him and the other pilot were just as scared as all of us? They tried to get us away, and you repay him by beating him into the carpet.” I said looking around to the people that were the most angry.             Hansel nodded. “At least this man tried to do something to save all of us, what are you doing to help?”             That stuck a cord with the entire crowd, because he was right. Everyone had been too concerned with their anger at the pilots to even start worrying about how they were going to get off the plane, or where they even are.             Then they scattered. It was like watching mice run through a maze. All at once everyone wanted to help, and the change shocked the hell out of Hansel, me, and the pilot whose name is Brice learned by the mob.             A few went to the doors that lead to the outside, a few went to get food and drinks for the children, and a few went to find escape supplies in the attendant’s closets.             After stabilizing me on a chair he moved to assist Brice again, for a few moments I didn’t say anything, just watched.             “What is it?” He asked, noticing me staring.             I was kind of nervous to ask for fear of offending him. “Are you a doctor?”             He nodded. “I was awarded with a prize for it and everything. The third youngest man to ever receive a doctorate at my age, or something like that.”             I slightly smiled. “Well that makes me feel a lot better about being stuck in this plane.”             “What do you do for a living?” He asked as he shined a light into Brice’s eyes, probably looking for a concussion.             I looked away, not embarrassed, but my profession was not helpful. “I am a dance teacher at a Jr high school and part time model for multiple different athletic agencies.”             Hansel and Brice both looked over and agreed. “We can see it.”             I rolled my eyes and went to go talk to the people at the door.             “Don’t Jake! Who knows what’s going to happen if you open it!” One of the men said to a tall built man with his hand on the latch.             He continued to undo the lock. “Exactly, we won’t know until we open it, now will we? Now move if you are worried about yourself.”             The man didn’t say anything more and moved, so did the other three guys as she approached. One of them saw me standing there and placed himself slightly in front of me as if to act like a shield. The gesture made me smile, it was nice knowing that chivalry wasn’t dead, even in this kind of situation.             The man named Jake gave everyone a countdown with his fingers, and then with a huff, he cranked open the door. Everyone watching flinched, but nothing happened.             There was no wind, no pull, and the air wasn’t depleting. All six of us leaned in closer to try and see out the plane, but it was nothing. It was like the entire space around them was the absence of space, a confusing paradox that no one could see.             One of the other guys went to lean out, but Jake stopped him.             “I don’t know if I would go that far bro.”             The man, now trusting Jake fully, nodded and stepped back. For a while no one moved. We just watched the black as hard as they could, looking for any movement though it.             Finally, Hansel and the pilot approached from behind and scaring the crap out of two of the guys. They stared in awe at the open door before Brice moved through the guys to it.             “I don’t know about this captain. I have a weird feeling about that darkness.” Jake said as he took a step back.             The pilot continued forward until he was at the edge, hovering in the doorway. “I have to do something, and I feel like this is it. If I disappear, make sure Mike my co-pilot is okay. He didn’t seem too well off when I left the cockpit.”             “We will.” Hansel said as he moved to be next to me.             Brice nodded, and then took a step into the paradox. Everyone watched as the black swallowed him, but no one could even say anything. I had a feeling this was going to happen as soon as someone opened the doors, and now the man was gone.             “Damn, I shouldn’t have let him go.” Jake whispered to himself as he moved away.             “No one needs to follow him out, please make sure the children stay away from here.” I said before turning to go check on Mike the co-pilot.             A loud bang echoed through the black causing everyone to stop what we were doing. Then the same crackling noise from before sounded as loud as a freight engine all around us. I put my hands over my ears and dropped to my knees.             Hansel bend down to try and help cover me as that bright light from before shown through the entire craft like they were stuck in a flashlight. It blinded everyone as they got down low to avoid being in it, and Hansel pulled his shirt over his head to drape over us.             Then like a curtain, the black was pulled away to expose something just a horrific. They had been taken…