Surviving the Alpha : Part I: (A Paranormal College Vampire Werewolf Action Adventure Romance)

by Jessica Caspian

  They rolled up to the front of the airport “I’ll go and park and I’ll meet the three of you at the front doors.” Kayla’s mother was organized and to the point, and waited until all the luggage was taking out of the back, before pulling out and driving over to the parking spaces for visitors.

  “Kayla, I got your bags, and I would be glad to carry them for you, so that you won’t strain yourself.” She barely heard a word that Sonny said, raising her hand in the air to make the motion that she did understand. She just didn’t see him as anything but an awkward friend, and couldn’t even imagine putting her lips anywhere near his. She was busy texting her friend Caroline, who had just informed her that she was waiting for them inside.

  Kayla’s mother Jessica crossed over to the front doors, looking both ways and clicking her heels along the pavement. Henry was actually wearing a suit, even though it was suppose to be his day off. He just didn’t know how to relax, and didn’t even own a pair of jeans to save his life. “I should be able to stay there for a couple of hours, which should give us a more than enough time to see you off.”

  ~~~

  As Kayla was walking onto the plane, she saw a strange little man and felt a cold chill run down her spine. She had never felt anything like it before, and it was almost as if somebody was walking over her cold dead grave. It wasn’t as if the man was doing anything, only sitting there with his hands in his lap, and looking straight ahead at nothing at all.

  Nudging her friend Caroline in the ribs, she leaned in and whispered underneath her breath “Do you see that guy over by the window?” Caroline turned around and looked, and saw that the man that she was speaking of was a little creepy.

  “I don’t know why they let these kinds of people on the plane, and they only make people feel uncomfortable around them.” Kayla couldn’t agree more and neither one of them noticed that Sonny was now taking great interest in what they were saying. He noticed something about the man’s eyes, something very distinguishable that gave him food for thought. He would have to look it up on his computer, but he was certain that he had seen those eyes before. There was something in the way that he was looking straight ahead, tapping his fingers on his lap and not making eye contact with anybody on board.

  The stewardess came out with her regular routine of showing where all the exits were, but Kayla couldn’t take her eyes off of the strange young man at the front of the plane. It was as if his eyes were following her everywhere she went, but in reality his eyes didn’t move one single inch from where he was looking straight ahead at the chair in front of him. She was about to say something, but decided against it, because she really didn’t want to know anything about him.

  Jagger still couldn’t believe that Lucas was gone, and he was now alone in this world for the first time in his life. He didn’t like what happened, and decided that getting some distance was probably the best course of action. He didn’t even know where this plane was going, but had gone to the airport with the express purpose of getting on the first flight going anywhere. What he wouldn’t give to have his Master Lucas back, but the way that he was torn apart still echoed in his mind. That woman was supposed to be his greatest achievement, and it turned out to be his downfall. At least they didn’t have any idea about him, or if they did, they certainly didn’t know where to find him.

  “I would like to welcome you all to flight 1420, and I want you to sit back and relax. We will be in London before you know it, and I hope you all have a bloody good time. Sorry about that, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

  The sound of the airplane was deafening, and Kayla then felt the vibration underneath her feet, which was announcing the fact that they had just left the ground. As they climbed further into the skies, she looked back and wondered if she would come back the same woman that had left. She hoped that this would be her way of breaking out of her shell, as she had never taken a risk in her life that wasn’t calculated or thought out to the fullest.

  It was nice that Sonny wasn’t underfoot, and she had made a point at the airport to switch his seat with Caroline at the last second. Nobody had seen her sleight of hand, except of course Caroline, who knew what she was doing the entire time. Kayla had always been good with the five finger discount, and had even taken money out of her mother’s purse from time to time without her even noticing.

  “Kayla, I can’t believe that you did that.” Kayla smiled, very proud of the fact that her unique skill set was appreciated.

  “You have seen me do that many times, and you have profited from it yourself. It shouldn’t surprise you that I can pickpocket with the best of them, and I’ve tried to impart in you a small part of my talent.”

  “I know, but I have never been able to master it like you have.” Caroline was a little jealous, still having her eye on a certain piece of jewelry that cost more than the house that she was living in. She could’ve easily gotten Kayla to get it for her, but that would mean that she would be in her debt. There was still a possibility that she would do it anyway, because every time she walked by that certain jewelry store, she would feel like that diamond ring was mocking her. “How do you think that Sonny would feel about you changing seats like that?” Caroline was beginning to see that the dark-haired temptress beside her was a bit more manipulative than she could imagine. Perhaps it was time for her to become part of Kayla’s special group.

  “He doesn’t know, and I would hope that you would have the good sense not to tell him.” This could be Caroline’s way of blackmailing Kayla into doing her dirty work, but that could wait until they got back from this trip. Kayla turned over and put her head against the window, closing her eyes to get a little bit of sleep before dinner was announced.

  Jagger tried to block out all the conversations on the plane, but without his master Lucas’ influence on him, he just couldn’t stop the bombardment of voices. Reaching out with lightning speed, he grabbed the stewardess arm and looked up into her eyes. “I don’t suppose that you have any kind of sleeping aid on this flight, perhaps, a sleeping pill or something strong to drink to knock me out for the duration?”

  His grip was strong and confident, and a little bit hard to take, but there was absolutely nothing that she could do to break his hold “I think that I might have something, and if you would let me go, I will go find out for you.” Jagger didn’t mean to grab her with such a grip, but his head was on fire, and he couldn’t control his own actions. It took everything in him to release his fingers, slowly bringing them back into his lap where they were before.

  “I would appreciate that.” This young man gave her the willies, and anything to do to keep him quiet would be a godsend. Rushing into the back, she pilfered a sleeping pill from her own supply of drugs, bringing it back to him with a glass of vodka to wash it down. She stayed until he finished it off, smiling inward about not having to deal with his insane behavior any longer. She watched curiously, until finally his eyes began to drift south, and then his head pitched forward. She was glad that that was over, turning on her heels and going down the alley to help another person with their seat rest.

  ~~~

  Kayla was sleeping soundly, when there was this a jolting sensation that made her come awake with a start. Looking around, the lights were flickering and people holding each other’s hands, while the stewardesses were in the process of running back and forth in a panic. “I want everybody to remain calm, but we are experiencing some extreme turbulence at the moment. We should be coming out of it in a couple of minutes, but in the meantime, I want you to stay in your seats and keep your seat belts fastened.” Kayla could hear the worry in the captain’s voice, and she was always very aware of people’s feelings from a very early age.

  “I’ve been through worse, and they are getting worried over nothing. It’s just an air pocket, and they should be able to ride it out in a couple of minutes. These people are not seasoned travelers like I am, and I have been flying the friendly skies for as long as I can remember. My parents were very big
believers in having their child experience everything, which meant that we were always on the go.” Caroline was used to turbulence, but Kayla had a bad feeling that something was terribly wrong.

  “From your lips to god’s ears.” Kayla said while gripping the hand rest, holding onto the silver cross around her neck as a comforting anchor to the man above. “I don’t like this, and I just wish that it would be over.” She glanced out the window, and what she saw made her mouth go dry and her heart begin to skip a beat.

  Outside on the wing, Kayla could see that there was what looked like to be a fire on one of the engines. The wind was trying to put it out, and there was some kind of white substance, which could only mean that there was a preventative measure put into place in case of this eventuality. “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about, and this is no big deal.”

  Kayla didn’t know how to tell Caroline that this was more than a big deal, but she just couldn’t bring the words to bear. Her thoughts were now on her childhood, her mother and father smiling, as they photographed and videotaped every moment of her life, essentially what was happening was her life was flashing before her eyes.

  The speaker system began to crackle “This is your captain speaking, and I regret to inform you that we are going to be making an emergency landing. Please take a moment to locate the nearest exit to your location.” The speaker went dead, and then the plane pitched forward at almost a 90° angle. Caroline’s hand found Kayla’s, and they looked at each other with fear in their eyes.

  It was all happening so fast that Sonny had no time to adjust, only looking straight ahead and going into a sort of shock. He didn’t want to die, and he had too much to live for to let it all end here in the middle of nowhere. There was still his first $1,000,000 to earn, become a Nobel Prize winner, and land the woman of his dreams in holy matrimony. It was that thought that pulled him out of his funk, leaning forward and looking towards the seat that Kayla had now occupied. He would give anything to be with her in these final moments, but his seat belt was constricting and there was no way that he could reach her.

  He began to quote scripture “...if I shall die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take.” They were now being told by the stewardess to get into crash positions, with everybody looking on with wide eyed shock. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion, and then he looked out the window to see what appeared to be a raging snowstorm. Beyond that he couldn’t see anything, and then it was like the entire wing was sheared off. It was there one minute and gone the next,

  Caroline thought for a moment that everything was going to be perfectly fine, until she began to feel a coldness on her face. Glancing up slowly, she saw snowflakes filtering down from above, but that didn’t seem very likely under the circumstances. That was when she heard tearing of metal, and then the plane ripping apart at the seams. She wanted to say something, anything that would make any sense, but the only thing she could do was look on, as half of the airplane tore away from the other.

  Kayla looked over to see that Caroline was staring straight ahead, and following her gaze she saw what had to be the most terrifying sight of all. People were screaming, as they were pin wheeling in the sky, with their arms and legs moving independently of each other. They were sucked out into the night air, and the only thing that was keeping Kayla from doing the same thing was this lone piece of leather that was strapped around her waist. It was an unbelievable sight, and you really had to be there to understand the full scope of what was going on. Closing her eyes, she didn’t want to see it coming, and she would rather go into the great beyond not seeing the grisly demise that was going to take her.

  Up front, the pilot was ripped into the air with his seat still attached to him, breaking the bolts that were holding him down in the first place. The copilot didn’t have much time to react, and neither one of them had any idea of what was happening, as he soon followed his captain out into the blackness. Their last thoughts were of their family’s, as both of their skulls bounced off the very same oak tree taking their lives and their dreams with it.

  There was no telling when this roller-coaster ride would end, and everybody was holding their breath and anything else that they could find in order not to follow those that had already lost their lives. A stewardess went up into the air, as two young men held onto her hands, trying desperately to pull her back in. They both had their seatbelt on, and could only manage to hold on for a period of time, before their hands began to slip and the look of resignation came over the stewardess face. They were grasping onto her with just their fingertips, and then there was a jarring impact that sent her careening down onto the floor face first.

  ~~~

  Kayla awoke to the sound of snapping, and looked up to see that electrical wires were hanging down from the ceiling of what was left of this part of the plane. They danced around, and she thought for sure that they were some kind of alien entity that came to life.

  She felt the warm liquid on her hand, looked down to see that Caroline’s hand was no longer there. Her arm was still lying against the chair, but the fingers and hand that belonged to it was severed from the wrist down. The cold had clotted the wound, and the blood was barely a trickle. Caroline was still out cold, which was probably a good thing under the circumstances. Kayla thinking quickly reached for the only thing that she could see, which happened to be her sweater lying on the floor at her feet.

  Hearing groaning from all around her, she reached for her seat belt, only to find that it was wedged tight and there was no way for her to get out. Wrapping the sweater around her friends arm, she looked around in vain for her dismembered hand, but couldn’t find it. Caroline’s nose was bleeding, but Kayla could see that she was breathing, so at least that was a good thing.

  “I can help you with that.” Kayla looked up and saw that Sonny was now reaching over to play with the seatbelt at her waist. If this was any other time, she would believe that Sonny was trying to cop a feel, something like when she had walked out of the shower and found him standing there ogling her like a piece of meat. He had apparently come over to drop off her homework, and her mother in a moment of bad judgment had told him to go upstairs to give it to her personally. “Just hold still.” She saw him produce a small paring knife, and slicing through the leather of the seatbelt in a matter of seconds.

  “What the Hell happened?” Kayla was only lashing out at the first person that she saw, not even thinking for a second that Sonny would have no knowledge of anything that had went down.

  “We crashed, and now we have to reach deep down and see what we’re made of. Let’s go and see if we can find anybody else to help, but not until we get Carolina out of here before she is electrified. Help me lift her, and for god sakes keep your head down low.” This was a side of Sonny that she had never seen before, somebody that was a man of action and she had to admit that she found him a little bit attractive. This was the first time that she had noticed that he was not wearing his glasses, and his high cheekbones and blue eyes were the first thing that caught her eye.

  Kayla lifted her friend with Sonny’s help, dragging her down what was left of the plane, until they were outside with big heavy snow flakes falling from the sky. They laid her on a blanket that they had found strewn about with other pieces of luggage wide open and flapping in the breeze. “I’m going to go back in, and I want you to stay here and look after your friend.” Like a heroic fireman, she watched as Sonny went back into the fray to retrieve others. Staying with her friend, she held her close to her body for warmth, and then kept a watchful eye on the plane.

  Over and over again, Sonny emerged with yet another victim, and he never gave up until he had found all those that were still alive and kicking. This was not the same meek and mild young man that she knew, and he had suddenly turned into a superman in a blink of an eye. He actually had some first aid training and was now administering to those that needed his help the most. She couldn’t believe any of this, except that Sonny was now taking cont
rol and making everybody follow his lead.

  “I want you to hold this on your head, at least until the bleeding has stopped.” She listened to him talk to a young lady, and wanted desperately to help in some way, only she really didn’t have any skill set that would lend a hand in this unfortunate accident. “You don’t have to worry, but you might have a bit of a headache in the morning.” He moved with efficiency, going from one person to the next, before finally sitting down in the snow with a sigh of exasperation.

  Sonny felt that every bone in his body had been beaten to a pulp, and could feel the huge lump on the back of his skull after slamming it against the seat in front of him. “That was amazing, and I didn’t know you had that in you.” Kayla was now comforting Sonny, putting your hands around his shoulders, as he looked out into the icy landscape in front of them.

  “I’m just doing what anybody would do, because it doesn’t look like anybody’s going to come and get us anytime soon. I don’t think the pilot had a chance to radio in, and even if he did, I have a feeling that we veered off course by several degrees. That will make their search for us more difficult, not to mention the snowstorm we have fallen into. In a couple minutes, I will grab some of the other able bodies and go inside to ascertain if we can use that part of the ship for shelter. In the meantime, I just need to get my second wind, but I want you to think about scavenging through the luggage for anything to eat. We might be here a while and we’re going to have to ration what we find to the best of our ability.”

  “How do you know about this stuff, and why didn’t I know this about you before?”

  “I learned some of this stuff at camp, but mostly I just read a lot and learn on the fly. You could say that I’m a sponge, and I just can’t stop myself from learning new things every day. There is a lot that you don’t know about me, Kayla, because you really haven’t taken the time to find out.” He didn’t mean to be mean, but her admiration for him was going to be short lived, and they would go back to their same awkward friendship when this was over.