~Chapter 1~
1082 Words
Only after the plane is flying high in the clouds does Ruth pause to consider her actions.
Was it a good idea to go to school in a different country? A country she has never visited before?
She had been so preoccupied with getting away from the pack and her sister that she didn't have time to give careful thought to her decisions.
She assures herself she doesn't have to worry. She is going to find Sebastian, and he is going to take care of her.
The thought of meeting Sebastian again fills her with so much joy and excitement.
It is funny how she feels she still loves him even after so many years have passed.
She is sitting at the farthest corner of her cabin next to the window, and as the plane flies higher and higher, she begins to feel uncomfortable. She connects her headset to her iPod and starts listening to music to distract herself both from the thoughts of her sister and the uncomfortable feeling of boarding a plane.
But even her favorite song is not enough to distract her from the many thoughts that whirl in her head. She forces herself to concentrate on thoughts of Sebastian and what is going to happen after they meet again. He is going to be pleasantly surprised to see her.
Yes, it is better to concentrate on these thoughts. They make her feel better.
It is night now and she has begun to feel sleepy after thinking for a long time.
She lays back in her seat and closes her eyes to sleep, but she is not allowed to do so.
Someone pulls her headset, making her jump, staring at the stranger.
She is met with brown eyes so kind and warm that she immediately lowers her defenses, but she doesn't say anything to the man.
She stares silently into his eyes until he smiles, showing one cute dimple on one side of his cheeks.
Despite his kind expression, Ruth thinks the man is creepy for staring at her like that. Finally, he clears his throat and speaks.
"I am sorry for disturbing you. I've been talking to you for a while now and you didn't seem to hear me. Anyway, where are you off to?"
"I am going to school," she says.
"Really?"
Oh, no, Ruth groans inwardly. She doesn't want to have a conversation with him. She just wants to be left alone.
"Yes," she responds, trying to make her lack of interest in conversing with him evident in her voice.
But either the man doesn't notice or he doesn't care, because he continues talking to her.
"Which school are you going to? I am well familiar with the country you are going to. I can give you a clear picture of where you are going.
Ruth looks at him.
"How do you know I am going for the first time?"
"One can tell just by looking at you. So, which school?"
She looks away from him.
"I have forgotten the name. I will look it up later and tell you."
"Okay. May I ask why decided to study far away from home?"
She feels he is going too far with his questions. Can't he just leave her alone?
"Mr..."
"Just call me Brian."
"Mr. Brian, I am not in the mood to answer questions right now, especially questions like those."
She leans back again, pretending to be sleeping.
Brian squints at her face.
"There's no usee pretending to sleep now. I only want to help."
"And who said I need help?" Ruth responds without opening her eyes.
"I don't know exactly what your problem is, but I can sense that you are in sadness. Is that the reason you left home?"
"Shut up!"
"Was it your parents you quarrelled with? It happens a lot these days," Brian says sympathetically.
"I wish I had parents," Ruth now opens her eyes, talking in a low voice. "But they died some years back, leaving me with my older sister. The day they died, she promised she would take care of me, but she kept doing the exact opposite of that. She kept hurting my feelings," she finds herself bubbling everything out to the stranger. She is holding so much anger inside that it feels good to talk about her feelings.
"I am sorry to hear that," Brian says, sincerity in his voice..
"Oh, I am sorry. I shouldn't have said all this."
"Why? I don't mind hearing all the problems you are going through in your life."
Ruth finds herself grinning at him. He is friendly, and it seems he will keep trying to befriend her no matter how cold she behaves towards him.
"Okay. That was it. So, which part of Malaysia do you live in? I am guessing that's your home country?" She asks.
"Georgetown."
"No way! That is where I am going!" Ruth laughs.
"Really? It is a beautiful City. You won't be disappointed."
"I am glad to hear that."
With a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, Ruth contemplates for a moment whether she should try to ask Brian if he knows Prince Sebastian and if he also lives in the same City as his.
But she checks herself.
He might suspect that she left her home because of Sebastian, which is a very stupid thing to do, now that she thinks about it.
Sebastian must have moved on by now after he read the email Lucea sent back to him.
She is indeed stupid.
What is she going to do if he has a girlfriend, or even worse, a wife or mate?
She doesn't know what to do if that is going to be the case.
"What are you thinking about? You seem to be deep in thought." Brian observes.
"Oh, nothing. I am just thinking about how my life if going to be in a country I have never been before."
"Don't worry. You will be in good hands."
"So, what do you do for a living?" she decides to take the questions a little further.
Brian doesn't look comfortable answering this.
"I...." he hesitates.
Concluding that he must be involved in some kind of illegal business, Ruth hastens to stop him.
"You don't have to tell me if you feel uncomfortable. It's alright."
"Thank you." Brian says to her just as the flight attendant announces that everyone should keep their seat belts on because they are about to land...
- Writer
