CHASING DREAMS by Ririiey

The roar of a jet engine had always stirred something deed inside Amara. Even as a child, she would pause mid-sentence, eyes darting to the sky, whenever a plane soared overhead. Their white trails carved the sky like promises-promises of places unknown, lives unlived, possibilities waiting to be explored. For Amara, those silver birds weren't just machines. They were freedom. She lived in a small town where the roads ended in red dirt and sunsets. People there didn't dream big-they dreamed safe. Safe jobs. Safe homes. Safe lives. But Amara wanted more. She didn't want to stay rooted like her neighbors, clinging to routines she wanted to fly. To serve coffee thirty thousand feet above the earth. To smile at strangers and speak in soft, practiced tones. To roll her suitcase through terminals lit with fluorescent lights and silent stories. To be a flight attendant. THE idea came to her at thirteen, during a school trip to the airport. They hadn't even flown anywhere-just toured the terminals and watched planes taxi in and out. But while her classmates had been captivated by the shops and the snacks, Amara had watched the flight attendant. Elegant. Confident. Calm. There was one she remembered most-a woman in her thirties with a clipped bob and a navy-blue uniform that hugged her like dignity. She spoke with ease, walking through the terminal as if she owned every corridor. That moment stuck. From then on, every diary entry Amara wrote began with "Dear Future skies....". Now, at eighteen, Amara sat by her bedroom window, staring at the same stars she used to whisper dreams to. The town had not changed-but she had. Her high school diploma lay in a drawer, crisp and unopened. Her mothers voice echoed from the kitchen, humming an old tune, unaware of the chaos inside Amaras chest. She was ready. She thought she was, at least. But reality was not as dreamy as the idea. Flight schools were expensive. Application fees weren't cheap. She had no connections, no guidance, and no backup plan. Just a folder full of downloaded brochures and a heart stubborn enough to believe they meant something. Still, doubt crept in like fog. What if you're not cut out of it? What if you're just small-town girl chasing city lights that will bind you ? Amara closed her eyes. She could almost hear the call : "Cabin crew, arm doors and cross-check." She smiled. It was just the beginning.