Prologue

When I saw the airhostess walking towards my seat, I pulled one of my earphones out. She paused at a few seats while passengers leaned in to whisper their requests. She was friendly, and her smile never left her face.

When she got closer to me, I raised my hand slightly to get her attention.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Uh, can I get a bottle of water? It's getting kind of hot up in here," I said, feeling compelled to return her smile.

"That just means we're close to Congo," she said, keeping that warm smile. "Sure, it's coming right up."

"Thank you."

I slipped my earphone back in.

She nodded and continued down the aisle. I looked at the young couple seated across from me. The blonde woman was saying something about her bright fingernails to the brunette man, who I assumed was her boyfriend. No ring on her finger. He held her hand and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle.

I looked down at my phone, ignoring the two happy faces on my wallpaper staring back at me as I turned the music up. Then I pulled out the novel my mom had gotten me. In bold cursive letters, the title read Adapt Teacher. Although I had already read it twice, I still felt unprepared.

I was excited.

But I was also anxious.

And this heat seemed to be getting worse.

I couldn't bear it anymore. I had paid for first class; it wouldn't kill them to keep the air conditioner on. I looked around. Everyone else was fanning themselves with whatever they had in their hands – or with nothing at all.

Back in Duran, it was mostly cold. On rare days, the sun shone. Maybe I was just being dramatic because I barely got any sunshine back home.

But everyone on this plane was feeling it too.

They were all going crazy with the fanning.

And they weren't all from Duran.

I placed the novel on my lap and started fanning myself. The heat seemed to grow worse with every passing minute. Sweat began to form on my skin.

Coming from a country where the temperature was almost never higher than -12 degrees Celsius, sweating felt like a miracle.

A baby started wailing.

Children began complaining to their mothers.

Passengers looked around at one another, searching for reassurance.

Even the airhostesses kept tugging at their bowties and exchanging nervous glances, trying not to make it obvious. Some of them had trails of sweat running down their perfectly made-up faces.

It's okay, guys. No need to pretend.

It's hot as hell.

The airhostesses were now rushing up and down the aisles with water bottles. Their practiced walks had been abandoned and replaced by hurried scurrying.

What a tremendous change in atmosphere.

Just then, the intercom beeped.

An airhostess handed me a bottle of water and hurried away to attend to the other passengers.

"Attention all passengers. This is your pilot, Gordon, speaking."

A sturdy voice crackled through the intercom.

I opened the 500ml bottle of water clumsily and gulped it down in seconds.

I wasn't satisfied.

I wanted more.

My mouth was dry.

I felt suffocated.

Shit.

"We have a technical emergency. The engine is burning up. We won't be able to land safely. Please say your prayers. We are about to crash."

The pilot's voice remained steady. He didn't sound like someone who was possibly about to die.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

But nothing compared to what I was feeling.

Suddenly, I smelled burning.

Fumes entered the cabin. I didn't know from where.

It became harder to see.

There was no air.

I couldn't breathe.

My lungs were giving up on me.

It hurt.

People were screaming and wailing and crying and gasping for air.

I started gasping too.

There wasn't any left.

It felt like I was trapped inside a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

The airplane began to shake and rattle violently. I gripped the armrests as tightly as I could.

A gas mask dropped down in front of me.

I snatched it and pressed it to my face.

It helped a little.

A faint trickle of oxygen reached my lungs.

But it wasn't enough.

The shaking grew worse.

Someone was ripped from their seat and hurled towards the back of the plane.

Things started tearing loose and flying through the cabin.

The woman beside me, a stranger who looked about the same age as my mom, grabbed my hand.

I held on just as tightly.

She was praying.

And crying.

We both knew what was coming.

I never imagined my last day on Earth would be like this.

I had always hoped death would be painless.

Something quiet.

Something that happened in my sleep.

But this...

This was terrifying.

I wanted it to end.

I was terrified.

The gas mask flew out of my hand.

"No!"

I screamed.

Or at least, I thought I did.

I couldn't hear my own voice over the chaos.

I looked across the aisle.

The man's forehead was covered in blood, and his girlfriend was screaming for help.

But no one came to their rescue.

This was a nightmare.

I squeezed my eyes shut and began to pray.

My seat started to shake.

Before I could process what was happening, I was thrown into the air.

Flying towards the back of the plane.

Only there was no back of the plane anymore.

It was gone.

There was only open sky.

And I was falling straight towards my death...