"I see you're getting fond of her," Abby said, looking up at Levi who was freaking out on his first ride in an aircraft.
The jet had just escaped the precinct of The Academy and was now gliding over the streets of Namib, leaving the waving academics behind. Levi, his hands clenched tightly to the armrest of his chair. "Huh? Who?" He asked, breathing heavily.
"Greyson," Abby replied.
"You mean Jamie? Yeah, I think." The jet was moving steadily and silently, but the fact that he was thousands of feet above the ground still sent shivers down his spine. Levi looked at Abby as she folded her arms in the funny way she used to. "So far, it's kind of you with the problem...I find them quite okay. At least, they're better than some people I've met in this life."
"Whatever," she muttered, staring out of the window. The jet had quickly moved out of Namib, passing over Tundra and other cities, before entering the East Wing.
The change in the colour of the sky was too conspicuous, it had darkened a little. Not to talk of the terrain and vegetation. Levi peered over from beside Abby, looking into the window to take a glance at the second most habitable region of the planet.
"Your first ride, punk?" Nate had asked Levi mockingly. Jamie was seated next to him, her legs crossed, and they both looked at Levi.
Levi only nodded. "Well, don't throw up," Nate finished and flagged his arm over Jamie.
"Okay, you had said," Abby piped in, drawing Levi's attention. Levi chuckled and relaxed. He noticed a lone tear escaping her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. He remembered she had said she had come on this journey to see the outside world after a long time, and the sight of the world below was a sore for the eyes.
[Comfort the poor girl, you idiot]
Is Lexi right? He gently put his left arm around Abby and pulled her gently to him. Abby looked up at him in surprise. "The heck are you doin'?" she asked, her brows raised.
Levi suddenly let go of her and retreated. "Sorry..sorry, I had thought- you.."
She looked at him and gave a short, ironic chuckle before relaxing her head against the window, awaiting the expedition ahead. Moments later, she fell asleep, and the serene movement of the jet lulled her into Levi's embrace. Levi, surprised, gently placed his arm around her, drawing her to his warmth.
[There you go]
---
Levi woke up to a tap on his shoulder. He adjusted his eyes to the lights in the jet which for some reason, became brighter. His sudden movement had woken up Abby too, who had been sleeping on him. They both straightened themselves after noticing their positions.
Levi looked to see who had woken him; it was Jamie, her face stern. Perhaps she wasn't pleased with the manner in which he and Abby had slept. Levi rubbed his eyes and turned to gaze out the window. "How long did we sleep?" he asked with a yawn.
"Not much," Jamie replied, gathering a few things and stuffing them into a luggage box at the edge of the ceiling. Levi noticed that everyone was up and about, pacing around and discussing.
"And it's night already?" Levi asked, turning to take another look at the sky from the window.
"Night?" Jamie chuckled. "We've arrived."
Arrived?! What the hell? Levi gave way for Abby to pass. She took the news calmly and went to the cockpit to meet Loras. Levi moved to her seat and peered out at the world. Is this it? The South Wing? It was way darker than he expected. It was just an empty land, a vast expanse of nothing!
[I must say, this is very scary Levi]
It definitely was! He could see destroyed old buildings, metal debris littered everywhere, and not a single vegetation anywhere! The ground had a grey colour, as if it was made up of ash and dust alone.
"I'll find us a decent spot to touch down!" Loras hollered from the cockpit.
Levi gathered his wits together. It all seemed like a dream, probably a nightmare. He got up and walked to the cockpit, constantly hitting his head on the low jet ceiling. He could see Loras and Brody in the cockpit; Brody turned to him. "You awake now?" They both smiled and gave each other a knuckle bump.
Levi turned back, scanning everyone to notice signs of fear as he had felt himself. Everyone seemed calm and collected, except for Paige; he could tell she was freaking out silently. Meanwhile, Box was leaning on the jet's door, awaiting the landing.
Levi turned to Abby, she looked up at him with surprisingly frightened eyes—she was in distress too. Levi tried to steady his heart rate. As a male, he felt he shouldn't be the one showing fear. He grabbed the headrest of a seat when Loras called out, "Ready!" The jet made its first staggery movement as it landed on the ground, shaking them all a little.
There was silence as they all looked around at each other, the engine's sound turning off.
Loras was the first to break the tranquillity. He got up from his pilot's seat, removing his headphones. "Well? What you lot waiting for?"
Levi took a deep breath; this was it. Death or honour, he was leaving this place with one or the other.