Chapter 20 - The View from 2ASpring returned to the East Coast of the United States in brilliant wash of green leaves and clear, blue skies.
At JFK Terminal 8, Gate 14 was quiet during the early evening hours. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the flagship Boeing 777—N792AA—glowed under the soft orange twilight as ground crews loaded the final baggage containers.
Zara Coleman walked down the carpeted jet bridge alone.
She wore her familiar charcoal sweater, dark trousers, and black sneakers, carrying her burgundy leather bag over her shoulder. She was seventeen now—taller, more confident, but retaining the exact same quiet, unshakeable stillness that had defined her from the beginning.
She stepped through the aircraft door.
Standing in the forward galley was Noah, the flight attendant who had been on duty three years ago. He smiled warmly as he recognized her immediately.
“Good evening, Miss Coleman. Welcome back to Flight 212.”
“Good evening, Noah,” Zara smiled. “It’s good to see you.”
Zara turned down the wide, carpeted aisle of the First Class cabin. She reached row two, placed her burgundy bag into the lower storage compartment, and sat down smoothly into Seat 2A.
She adjusted the plush headrest, buckled her seatbelt with a crisp click, and leaned back against the leather cushion.
Through the oval window, she could see the bright lights of the runway stretch out into the distance, where aircraft were lifting smoothly off the concrete, banking gracefully into the darkening night sky.
Her titanium phone chimed softly in her lap.
A single text message appeared from her father:
HAVE A SAFE FLIGHT, Z. SEAT 2A IS ALL YOURS.
Zara smiled, typing a quick reply:
May you like
ALWAYS WAS, DAD. SEE YOU IN LONDON.
She locked her screen, slipped the phone into her pocket, and looked out the window as the giant engines spooled up into a deep, powerful roar. The aircraft began to move forward, gliding smoothly down the taxiway toward the open runway, ready to soar once more above the clouds.
