The Luna Choosing Game

When I returned to my seat with - Nicholas in tow, I found Elva still excitedly looking out the window. She had her hands on either
side of it, her nose pressed up against the glass.
“Elva,” I said, lightly scolding her. If there was any turbulence, she was likely to bump her head against the glass and hurt herself.
“Sorry, Mommy,” Elva said as she turned. When she saw Nicholas with me, her eyes went wide. “Nick-lass!” “Hi, Princess,”
Nicholas said. Elva beamed. Nicholas glanced at me. “May I sit beside Elva for the rest of the flight?”
The rows were six seats wide with an aisle down the middle. This put three seats on either side of the aisle. If Nicholas took the
seat beside Elva, that would have me sitting in the third seat, the one nearest the aisle and farthest from the window.
That sounded like the perfect spot for me. Or, at least, as perfect as Iwas likely to get in this shaky box a mile up in the sky. So I
nodded, quickly agreeing.
Elva cheered.
Nicholas slid into the seats and sat down in the middle. I took the seat on the end and immediately fastened my seatbelt. Like
this, if I kept my eyes forward, I could convince myself I was riding the bus or the subway. Modes of transportation I was much
more
comfortable with.
As the flight progressed, things seemed much calmer. Elva would point out things through the window.
Nicholas would look and tell her what they were.
I was glad that Elva could have this experience. I imagined the world looked very different from all the way up here. Elva might
not ever be able to see things from this perspective again, once this trip was done.
I wished I could offer her a life of better experiences. Once we would return home, our life would go back to the way it was. Long
hours working. Elva watching too much TV. Buses and subways and smog. Underpaid people crammed into overpriced
apartments, with only enough extra money to feed
ourselves.
I couldn’t imagine us ever traveling on an airplane again. And who knew if - Elva would ever get to the beach again? Let alone a
private island.

But those things were happenin now She was having those experiences here, and that gave me comfort. More it even made me
happy.
Though that likely wasn’t just because of the experience of this trip.
Having Nicholas here, sitting between my daughter and me, was making my wolf very satisfied. Its pack was here.
Its family. My family.
If only it could last.
Suddenly, the plane began to tremble and shake, like it was driving over a bumpy road. But there were no bumpy
roads in the air! Was this the turbulence I had heard about? Elva lifted her arms and cheered. That could, it seemed, wasn’t
afraid of anything. Maybe she just didn’t understand that she should be afraid.
We never really talked about riduug, airplanes before. I’m not sure she even understood that they could crash.
I clawed at the armrests, holding on for dear life. I wished I had Elva’s innocence. I wished I didn’t know as much as I did about
crashing planes and fear.
Nicholas placed his hand over mine.
Carefully, he pried my fingers from the cushion of the armrest, and slid his palm beneath mine, facing up. Our fingers laced
together with ease, so that now I was holding onto his hand
for dear life instead of the cushion.
“Just a little turbulence,” he said, to me or to Elva, I didn’t know. Maybe - both. “It never lasts long.” Was he telling the truth? Was
he lying to make me feel better? ~~ Isqueezed his hand so tightly, it must have hurt. But he withstood it without as much as a
wince.
Then, the plane shook even harder. I slammed my eyes closed. I grit my teeth. I was going to die. This was the end for sure.
After everything I had faced, to die here and now, on this royal plane ona way toa luxury vacation island, seemed like some kind
of cruel joke by fate.