Radus Stormcrown was not usually a whiner. But since he had a bad experience two years ago where he fell off a mango tree and broke his arm had given him a fear of heights.

Today, as he was boarding a plane to London from Trinidad, he was filled with an all too familiar fear of being in the air.

Radus is a short boy of 14, brown skin with low cut red hair and red-framed glasses. He wore a red beanie hat, a white printed t-shirt with blue jeans and black trainers. he would've looked like an ordinary teen if he did not have on a black spiked wrist band on, giving him the look of a delinquent.

His mother Catherine who walked beside him was massaging his right shoulder and knew his height anxiety very well.

She kept pace with him and was whispering "I am here baby, I am here. . ."

Catherine Sullivan is a tall, 34-year-old, green-eyed, Caucasian woman with long blonde hair. She had in a plat ponytail that ran down her back to her waist. She was wearing a lime green jacket, white blouse, black jeans, and matching heels.

She had to make this trip to London on such short notice because her father died of a heart attack four days ago. Catherine had to meet with his lawyer Mr chad mason who had been the one to give her the bad news.

The lawyer implored her to see him at the airport. He wanted her to come to London to handle some other unfinished business for her father as she was his only child. even though he knew Catherine and her father weren't on speaking terms. Unfinished business that he couldn't discuss over the phone.

Catherine would have to see Mr mason and also see about funeral arrangements while she was there. She would have to take radus with her. so she had to get her son ready for a long trip to the United Kingdom.

"Come on radus. I am here with you all the way... we'll get through this. like we always do" radus heard her say and he looked up to see her smiling face which relaxed him a bit.

"Thanks, mom. . ." radus said as he entered the plane. he saw lots of people finding their seats and some were aided by the stewardess. Catherine found their seats and she placed their luggage over the heads of the seats marked "D9, D10, D11".

Radus sat down while Catherine lifted their suit cased to the overhead compartments. She sat down beside him taking off the beanie. She pulled his head to her chest stroking and began stroking his scarlet red hair.

"It will be OK radus, I am here... I am not gonna leave your side... I am never gonna lose you too... I promise" she said kissing him on top his head and radus felt something wet fall on his forehead. Radus looked up at her face and saw that her eyes were full of tears. he saw how red her cheeks got every time she got upset about something.

"I am sorry mom. I know this trip is painful for you too" said radus watching into her blue eyes as her cheeks were lined with tears.

"Oh, radus. . . it's just that the last time I saw my father we had this huge fight. and now I can't even say I am sorry to him" she sobbed and radus hugged her back.

"I am sure he loved you, mom," said radus wiping the tears from her face. he always hated to see her cry and to think that a second ago he was worried about his fear of heights.

Catherine took out her phone from her handbag and started looking through it. Then she showed radus pictures of her and her father when she was a kid standing in front of a statue smiling.

She looked like she was about ten years old in a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt, holding an ice cream cone in her hand. The man beside her had to be her father. He was tall wearing a grey plaid shirt with black dress pants. He wore also glasses with a beard that was both white and black.

They continued to watch pictures until the planes lift off. Radus did not notice he was in the air until he saw clouds out the window.

Radus kept looking out the window at the fluffy clouds until he heard a clatter. He looked back at his mother and he saw her fast asleep with her phone on the floor.

taking up her phone he placed it back in her handbag crossing the bag with her arms. The stewardess was moving around the isles making sure everyone was comfortable.

Radus got up and passed his mother to the isles and headed the bathroom he saw onboarding earlier. The first thing he noticed while walking around was that the flight had lots of empty seats. But there seem like there were couples who seemed to be going home after a holiday in the Caribbean.

He used the bathroom and on his way back he felt a strange feeling, it was like someone was watching him. Radus stopped and looked up and down the isles and notice no one looking at him. so he continued back to his mother's seat; when he noticed an old white man who was sitting by himself. The old man was looking out the window.

Dressed in a grey jacket, a blue t-shirt underneath and a newspaper on his lap. His hair was balding and there were liver spots all over his forehead with some even on his hands. The man looked like he was banging on death's door and someone refused to open it.

Radus sat back down still feeling that feeling like he was being watched. But he could not see why someone would watch him. He thought to himself that it was his imagination and as he leaned his head against the window.

Radus took his cellphone and headset out his pocket. Combining them, then placing the white earbuds in his ear. He listened to his favorite band 'Daughtry' and a song called 'September' began to play.

"I am being stupid, why would anyone be after me?" yawned radus as he watched clouds until he fell asleep as the band's melodic voice played in his ear.

The old man a few seats from radus was getting goosebumps as he thought about the boy who just walked past him. He had eaten one of his kind before and his tongue was savoring the taste. The smell. The anticipation of having another one.

That boy had almost seen him looking and almost seen him watering at the mouth. He had to turn to look out the window to fool him. But as he passed he reeked of fear. The most delicious fragrance in his opinion. He could just gobble him up now.

He had seen the boy at Piarco airport and could not believe his eyes or his nose. He knew he must follow him; he must study his movements if he wanted to make a meal of him.

"There is no mistaking it, that boy is from that world. . ." he said in a raspy voice licking his lips and remembering the things he did to the last one he had. He was famished right now. To bad for the boy, he had eaten this old man to take his form and get on this plane to follow the boy.

The old man tasted disgusting, like eating rotted flesh. But one had to eat if one is to survive. When he got to London there will be plenty of opportunities to stalk this one.

"I... can't...wait" Radus awoke to find his mother looking at a tablet and was on news center 5. One of the more famous news channels in Trinidad and Tobago for 24 hours news. There was a picture of a bloody mess in the men's room of the airport they just left.

". . The blood was all that was found in a toilet in Piarco international airport. The blood seemed to cover the entire toilet floor but the body was not found. The blood was found by airport maintenance. Police are looking for any information into what happened. ." said the reporter

"Hey, mom, what is that? someone hurt back home?" said radus through his tired eyes as he stretched

"Looks like it, but could it be gang-related. . ." said Catherine

"Well we won't be back here for a while. . ." yawned radus as he looked at the tablet for more news stories from his island.

The thing was that there were so many things that had now struck home, that he was going to miss. The food like snow cones, curry roti, bake 'n shark, and of course doubles.

Mr. Marcus an old fisherman from Maracas who taught him to fish one weekend. The cool blue basin waterfalls that were an adventure every time he went. Mostly because there were all kinds of thick and exotic trees.

The final thing that he would miss was the people. Who were festive in their determination to always be ready to throw a party on at a moment's notice. It was always exciting when you knew the craziest people to lime with.

There was one thing that he did not like that he would mind a change of scenery. It was the fact that he was harassed every time he was seen in public about his natural red hair. It had made him the target of bullies and the punchlines of many jokes. Well, at least that part he was not going to happy to move away.

"Radus?" he heard his mother say looking up now.

"Yes... sorry," he said pulling away from his deep thoughts of like and dislike of Trinidad and Tobago.

"Are you hungry ?" she said and he had only noticed that the stewardess was there looking at him with a questioning look.

"Y-yes...what's for lunch," he said stupidly and he saw the stewardess smirk at him. She was a tall Indian woman, who had such pretty brown eyes that radus kept avoiding them.

"Easy radus let's hear what they have on the menu" teased Catherine with a knowing smirk on her face.

"Sir we have curry chicken with potato and rice with a cucumber salad. We also have chicken pelau with coleslaw. Both lunches you can have either mauby or orange juice" she said politely as she held a pad and pen to take notes.

"I'll have the curry chicken and rice with mauby," said radus guessing now that it can't be all bad. A change might bring new things his way.

Besides this may be the last trini lunch he would eat from Trinidad for a while. His mother was perfectly capable of cooking most trini foods.

By the next morning at 8 am radus and his mother's plane had land and they were just out of the immigration department. Radus was in awe, he had never seen such a huge airport that was more like a mall.

There were people of all races moving left, right, in their direction and away from it. There was a huge open area surrounded by 5 floors of stores. Even though there was a crowd, a silver sports car drove in slowly on a red carpet as ushers instructed people to move out of its path. Then the car finally drove up on a special silver rotating ramp that was now angling it face forward as it held the vehicle in place.

"Wow mom did you see that, that was the latest one, that the DB14 Austin Martin. . ." said radus excitedly. Whilst his jaw was dropping. He was always an avid sports car lover.

"Yes radus but you can't even see the name from here?" said Catherine who had a knowing smile on her face.

"Mom! I would know that care everywhere is extremely expensive and but comes with lots of automation features. . ." explained radus as he gave his mother a longing look to get a closer look at the automobile.

Radus who still wanted to get a better look at the car but was steered away from the crowd by his mother to a smoothie bar called Liddy's. She ordered two large strawberry smoothies and radus who had never had one before got brain freeze after sipping so deeply.

"I bet that is much better than some fancy car huh" teased Catherine whose phone was ringing. While she took the call radus who was sitting at the smoothie bar now was looking around at all the clothing and electronics he could see.

His excitement soared the more he looked around the airport, the more the UK seemed to excite him. His mother was smiling broadly at his excitement. radus guessed that change wasn't so bad after all.

"That was Mr mason he said we will meet him at the front gates in an hour. Something about traffic getting here. Said he would call when he is closer. . ." said Catherine disappointed as she hated crowds

"Can we look around more mom ?" radus asked teasing her with puffy eyes.

"What if your face stays like that forever?"

"I'll be looking at you like this forever!" said radus

"Fine let's go then," Catherine said, and off they went to explore the rest of the airport.