Chapter 3 Gena’s Flight

Gena's Flight

I woke up many times during the night. Finally at 5am I gave up on sleeping. Maybe I'll try to sleep on the plane. I lugged both of my lug gages down to the living room. I folded my list and stuffed it into my jeans. I looked around to make sure things were unplugged and turned off. I was acting like I was going on a vacation.

As the morning progressed, I got more and more restless. Anxiety mixed with excitement was quite uncomfortable for me. I rearranged furniture. I moved boxes. I fluffed pillows. I did anything but look at the clock. It seemed like time didn't progress.

Finally, I heard a car come up the driveway. I ran to the door and opened it. I watched as the black sedan pull up the driveway and an older man came out from around the car and up to greet me.

"Good morning Ms. Reynolds, my name is Bradley Teague. Your family sent me to escort you to Inuvik." He said. He was built and strong for a man of his grandfatherly age. I wouldn't really know. I never had a grandfather or a grandmother. My parents both lost their parents way before I was born. The only grandparents I have are the ones I'm about to meet. How ironic. I lose everyone here just to gain new family somewhere else.

"Good morning to you Mr. Teague, thank you for coming with me." I replied

" Ms. Reynold, where are the rest of your lug gages?' he asked.

"Well, I packed lightly. This is a quick trip for me. I only have these two bags. Oh and please call me Gena." I replied.

"And, you can call me Bradley." He quickly took the bags from me and walked me to the car.

I started to get in the front seat but he stopped me.

"No. Gena, you sit back here." he instructed. As he held the back door open.

"Oh, thank you." I said quietly.

As the car backed away from the driveway, I was a little overcome with emotions and could feel the tears welling up. I blinked twice and held my eyes closed until I got control of myself. I was leaving home to go to some cold isolated town in the northernmost part of Canada. But in this town there was a family I never knew I had. As much as I hated to admit it; I missed not having a family. Just knowing there was family out there was good enough for me. I don't plan on living with them. But it was a comfort to know that they were out there.

"We are right on time, Gena. We should be at the terminal in half an hour" he said. I know he saw me crying but he didn't say a word. I was thankful for that.

"Bradley, what airline are we flying with today?" I asked.

"Sorry, Gena, we're not flying with any commercial airline. Mr. Burren has a private jet for you. It is faster and more comfortable." He stated.

"Oh wow, I've never been on a private jet before. So how long will it take to get to Inuvik in a private jet? If it usually take 10 hours to get to Inuvik by commercial planes, what time will be get there?" I asked

"Well usually it would take 6 hours but today we'll stop in Quebec Territory to pick up Mr. Randall. We should be in Inuvik by 3pm today." He stated.

We arrived at the airport on time. I didn't have to do anything. Bradley escorted me to the jet. From the outside it looks like any other commercial jet but there were no logo. The inside of the plane looked more like someone's luxury apartment. Instead of rolls of seats, there were huge leather sofas and recliners. There was a kitchen with a bar and as far as I can see, it looked like there was bedroom at the end of the plane. Wow, what kind of family do I have? Maybe they were very influential and I was a kidnap attempt that went awry.

"Good morning, Ms. Reynolds, my name is Margaret. I will be your Flight Attendant today. Please have a seat anywhere. If there is anything I can do to make you more comfortable, please let me know." She smiled.

"Thank you, no I'm fine. Please call me Gena."

I made my way to last recliner. I peaked through the curtain and saw that it wasn't a bedroom but more like a conference room. This was like a flying executive office. This must be my grandfather's office jet.

After a few minutes I saw Bradley give instructions to the pilot regarding the Quebec Territory stop. After he was done talking to the pilot, he made his way towards me.

"Gena, these seats can swivel all the way around and they can recline back if you need to rest your eyes. If you need more privacy, I can pull the curtain around this area. I will be right over there if you need anything."

"Thank you, Bradley." I replied.

As soon as the jet took off my eyes got heavy and I was out. Last thing I remember was hearing the curtains pulled around me.

I was startled awake when the plane landed in Quebec Territory. I peaked out the window and noticed the sun was still very bright. I attempt to straighten out my hair but that was pointless. I kept the curtain pulled. I could hear the plane door opening. There were people moving around.

Oddly, my head started pounding. My stomach churned. A wave of nausea swept through me. Luckily I haven't eaten anything. Flying and lack of sleep was the worst combination.

I peaked from behind the curtain and asked "Excuse me Margaret, can I get some aspirin?"

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry. Did the landing wake you? Are you okay? You look pale? When was the last time you ate something? Let me get you something right now." She pestered.

"I'm not hungry, I don't think I should eat right now anyway, just some aspirin, please. My head is pounding." I begged.

Few seconds later she came back with some aspirin and a cool pack. "Here place this over your head; it will help with the pain. Do you normally get sick when flying?" she asked.

"No, I've never gotten sick flying before. I think I didn't get enough sleep last night. Maybe I'm a little dehydrated. Can I just have some ginger ale?" I replied.

As she pulled the curtain back, I saw the new passenger enter the cabin. He stood at the doorway for awhile talking on the cell phone. I could not stop myself from staring at him. He was like no one I have ever seen before. I could hear from the exchange between him and Bradley that this was Mr. Randall. I didn't get his first name. He stood there talking to Bradley like they were best friends. He had to duck to get thru the doorway. As he moved inside the plane, he greeted everyone like they were his college buddies. Because of his size, he looked to be in his twenties but when you look at his face he looked much younger. He had beautiful features over his nose and cheek bone. His eyes were turquoise blue. His dark brown hair was cut short and tidy. His chest was strong and broad making his blue shirt looked taut. The rest of his body was lean and muscular. As he walked towards the back of the plane, he stopped to ask Margaret for some water. For a brief second, he scanned over the entire cabin as if he was looking for something. He slowly walked towards me but I could not pull my eyes away, than his eyes caught mine. He stared back just as rudely as I was staring at him. The depths of his eyes hypnotized me. It seemed like time stood still as he moved toward my chair. He smiled directly at me.

Embarrassed by my manners, I pulled the curtain closed. "Idiot" I murmured. That was a bit scary but exciting; I could feel my heart beating irregularly. Wow, I wasn't aware of how strange that brief moment in time was. Calm yourself down I said to myself. This headache is really causing me to do stupid things. I placed the ice pack over my eyes and lay back down. I hope we get to Inuvik soon. God, that didn't even sound right, now I want to go to Inuvik.

Wow, my head was pounding. The throbbing ache that came from around my temple to the area above my eyebrows was killing me. I could hear exchanges of conversation between him and everyone else but I didn't bother to open my eyes. I don't think my head has ever hurt this much before. Great just my luck, I'll develop some sort of brain tumor before I make it to Inuvik. I tried to zone him out. His voice was nice and pleasant but everything was causing my head to hurt. He voice was very welcoming and charming but at this moment it was not appreciated. Suddenly Margaret pulled back the curtain.

"Gena, we don't have any ginger ale but I can make you some chamomile tea, would that help?" she suggested.

"Gena, I didn't know you were awake. Do you have a headache? You haven't eaten all day, Maybe you should eat. I think you should eat before you take any medication." Bradley demanded. He and Margaret were both standing over me. Behind them I could see that he was looking at me. His blue eyes were incredible, mesmerizing. If my head wasn't pounding I would've love to just stare back, but the pounding was making it very hard for me to focus.

Embarrassed by all the attention I tried explained. "No, I just have a little headache; I really don't want to eat. Please can I just have some water?" I begged.

"Here take mine." He stood up and reached around Margaret to hand me the water. Making me more aware of his presence.

"Thanks, I owe you one" I smiled.

"I think you just paid me back with your smile" he answered. "Hi, I'm Corin Randall." He stared right at me. He extended his hand out toward me.

I was mesmerized by how gorgeous his blue eyes were close up. His smile devastated whatever willpower I had to be calm. I blinked several times before I could say anything. "Oh, yeah, I'm Gena Reynolds, hi" I stuttered. I sounded like a stuttering buffoon. I didn't even shake his hand. Feeling a little self conscious of what I must look like right now, I worked my hands through my hair to make sure I didn't look like a deranged lunatic. What a bad time to be meeting someone. I don't even remember what I look like. I can't remember if I had taken the time do my hair. What was I wearing? Subconsciously I looked down at my clothes.

"Don't worry, you look great" he winked. There was that smile again. He was teasing me. "Did you have a rough night?" he laughed.

"No! Not the way you mean, I didn't sleep well last night. Excitement and all." I said with a little bit of agitation. My head started pounding again. I sat forward and placed my hands over my forehead above my eyes and massaged that area. I must really look bad, he thought I was hung-over. Crap, why didn't I just spent a little bit of time this morning to do my hair or something. It wasn't like I didn't have the time. This was not how I imagined my trip to Inuvik.

"Excited, huh. What's in Inuvik?" he teased. I was caught off guard with his question.

"It's a long story." I quickly tossed the aspirins in my mouth and gulped down the water. The pounding of my head was nothing I've experienced before. I grabbed both sides of my head and squeezed it hoping that would make the pounding stop.

"Gena, please lay back down and I'll go make you some hot broth. If your stomach is empty the aspirin is going to upset it. Just lay back and keep still." Margaret pestered.

With that she pulled Bradley out and closed the curtain. She returned afterwards with a cup of broth. I took the broth slowly than laid back down. I can see behind her he was staring at me. He probably thought I was some sickly girl who can't even fly to Canada without having to be drugged up and pampered to. When she pulled the curtains closed, I swear I could still feel his stare.

Moments later I heard the captain telling the crew that we were 45 minutes away. They were all whispering. I felt like an ogre. Everyone had to be very quietly because Margaret did not want me disturbed. What a day to be weak and incompetent.

Even though my head was still aching a bit, I sat up and pretended to be headache free. I pulled the curtain back. Immediately Margaret came over. "Gena, are you feeling better? Can I get you anything?"

"Yes, I'm fine. No I don't need anything." I said it loudly so that Bradley could hear. All this attention was so uncomfortable and embarrassing. Margaret rubbed my back then left to go back to her seat.

I turned my seat to look outside the window. The clouds outside were thick and heavy, I was glad the sun wasn't peaking through. I could feel his eyes looking at me. Nervously, I kept my eyes down and tucked my hands under my thighs pretending to be preoccupied with the clouds.

"Are you really feeling better?" he whispered. I slowly turned to meet his gaze. Wow, he really is gorgeous. His blue eyes could pierce right through me. Keep your composure I said to myself.

"Are you calling me a liar?" I replied. Being defensive helped in keeping my composure.

He looked at me with one eyebrow pulled up and a crooked smile. His smile was unbelievably breathtaking. "No, I would never call you a liar, but your attempt to hide your headache is not very convincing." he stated.

"It's not as intense. The pounding is gone but the ache is still right here." I pointed to my left eyebrow. I was unaware that I was rubbing that area with the palm of my left hand.

"May I?" he asked. Before I could protest he placed his hands to each side of my face and with his thumbs, slowly massaged my eyebrows. He slowly moved his thumbs down the side of my temples, shifting his fingers and palms further back around the base of my head. I kept my eyes closed because I could feel his eyes boring down on me. I could feel the heat from his hands. Suddenly I felt his thumb over my lips. My eyes darted open, his face was inches away from mine. I was startled by his closeness, so I pulled back.

We sat there staring at each other.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do that. Please I don't mean to be so bold. I just got carried away. Your just so..um never mind, Sorry." he stuttered.

"No, that's okay. I feel much better now. Thanks." I said nervously. My heart stopped and restarted. I was so embarrassed by my reaction to his touch. I didn't want him to see how much I liked his hands over my face. I slowly turned back to the windows.

"What's in Inuvik?" He asked. I turned toward him but kept my eyes downward.

"Just visiting my family." I replied.

"This must be your first trip to Inuvik?" he stated.

"Why do you say that?" I questioned.

"Well, I know everyone in Inuvik, and if you've ever been there I would have seen you." he said with confidence.

"So, you know all 3500 people, do you?" I kidded.

He laughed. "Who are you visiting?"

"The Burrens." I answered.

"Well, you're on the right plane than." he smiled.

I laughed. He is charming. "So, what's in Inuvik for you?" I asked.

"I'm coming home. I had to go check out some things for my dad. So where are you from?" he asked.

"I'm from Crew, Indiana. This is a short visit for me. I have to get back to start school." I said.

"High School?" He questioned as he looked directly at me.

"I'll be a senior in High School." I replied.

"Luckily I failed Kindergarten; I'm starting my senior year too. School starts on Monday." He said blandly.

Before I could replied the pilot announced that we were about to land. I fumbled around looking for my seatbelts. Suddenly his hands shot across my lap and snapped the buckle together. As I turned to thank him, my lips brushed the side of his face. I could feel the smoothness from his newly shaved skin. In that one second our eyes met with intense fiery. Embarrassed by my reaction, I looked away. He quickly pulled back.

"Sorry, those seatbelts tend to get lost in between the cushions." he stammered.

"Thanks." I said quietly. God, he smelled good. I could still feel the tingling on my lips. He would definitely make Inuvik an interesting place for someone. My flight was definitely more interesting.

"Gena, how long will you be in Inuvik?" he asked sadly. He was looking down at his hands.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard him say my name. I have never heard my name pronounced so sweetly. He said it so naturally like we've known each other since birth. "I have to start school on August 31st. So I guess 2 or 3 days." I said.

"That is not very long. Will you come back again?" he asked slowly.

I wasn't sure what he was asking but I felt a little excited that he wanted me to come back. "Well this trip wasn't planned. Maybe I'll be back when I have more time." I responded.

"Well, if you need someone to show you around, I'd be happy to be available." He offered with a gentle smile. It was very distracting.

"Thanks, Corin. I may take you up on that." I said.

"Sounds like a date to me." He smiled.

The plane landed smoothly but it disrupted our conversation. I waited for him to continue with our conversation but I can see he was writing something on a card.

"Gena, we're here, is your head still bothering you?" Bradley asked.

"No, I'm fine." I replied.

"I will be right back for you, let me get your luggage out." He instructed.

Corin had already gotten up from his seat. He towered over me for a second, than he deliberately knelt down next to my seat. He took my left hand and turned my palm upward. With his other hand he placed a business card with his number on it.

"Don't forget our date, Gena." He said looking straight into the depths of my soul. Abruptly he walked off.

He exited the plane behind Bradley.