Mental Fiction Follows Me

November twenty-fourth, I’m finally going home. I felt the gentle swaying of the plane, and a genuine smile lit up my features. I had been sleeping, very peacefully for once, when I got the feeling that I needed to open my eyes.

“That’s odd. We’re still about an hour away,” I heard Julie say from beside me.

“Maybe we got the time’s mixed up,” I said. I had the window seat, and I turned to look out at the surrounding sky. I looked down, but I didn’t see anything but trees. Two stewardesses rushed down the aisle, and I felt my body tense as I soaked in their worried expressions.

“Chase, you don’t think—” The plane jerked suddenly, and several people screamed. My hands found the armrests, and my knuckles had turned white by the time I looked down.

“What’s going on?!” some man up front yelled.

“Everything is going to be just fi—” The stewardess was thrown sideways as the plane lurched again, and I felt Julie’s hand gripping mine. There was a small popping sound, and then a voice came over the loudspeaker.

“Ladies and gentleman, please try not to panic! We’re having a few difficulties, but everything is going to be just fine! We urge you to…” It sounded like someone had thrown the microphone down, and then another voice spoke.

“We’re sorry to inform you, but we’re going down. We’re doing everything we can, and all we ask is that everyone stay calm. And pray.”

My eyes connected with Julie’s, and I’m sure my eyes were just as wide as hers. I turned away from her gaze and looked back out the window, only to see the trees getting rapidly closer. There wasn’t a single open area in sight. We were going to crash. I was never going to make it home. I would never see my family and friends again. It was finally the end.

I squeezed my eyes together and murmured a few last goodbyes, and then braced myself for impact.

I’m just playing!!! I wouldn’t really do that to yall. But, I just couldn’t resist. For all of you yelling at me right now, I’m sorry. Anyway, here’s the real chapter!!

November twenty-fourth, I'm home. I'm really home. I felt something lightly touch my shoulder, and I wrapped my hand around Julie's. Chase stood on my other side, and he smiled down at me. I smiled back, and then I picked up my bags. I led them out of the airport, and there was a cab waiting for us outside.

"Umm...do you guys want to get a hotel or something?" I asked them.

"Nonsense. We'll go with you, that way we can go straight to your mom's house," Julie said. I smiled at her and nodded my head, and then I told the cab driver where to go. We got there at about six, and the sun was just starting to come up. Chase paid the cab driver to wait for me to come back, and I promised to pay them back. All of my money was gone since I was technically dead. I walked into the building and went straight to the front desk. The middle aged woman was wearing the same uniform as me (I had changed on the airplane), and her hair was up in a tight bun.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Sydney Haner. I'd like to talk to Sergeant Kelley, please," I said. Her eyes had widened at the sound of my name, and she quickly jumped up. She returned less than a minute later and led me to Sarge's office.

Sergeant Jake Kelley stared up at me in disbelief, and he slowly sank back down into his chair. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and I heard the door close as the woman from the front desk left. I eased myself into the chair across from him and smiled.

"Good to see you, Sarge," I said.

"Oh my...I thought you were dead."

"I was sent to check the outer perimeter when the buildings exploded. I passed out a good bit away from the explosion, and I'm guessing no one found me. I wandered out in the desert for a while, and then two people found me unconscious. They were in the country doing mission work, and they're the only reason I'm still alive," I said.

"I'm so sorry," Sarge said.

"It's no problem. Just tell me that I'm finally discharged," I said and leaned my elbows against his desk.

"Definitely. I'll send the papers to your mother's house," Sarge said quickly.

"Thank you, Sarge," I said and stood up. I turned and left his office, and I slid back into the cab. I gave the driver my mother's address, and he sped off in the right direction. I dozed off on the way there, and Julie gently shook me awake. I blinked as I looked around, and I gulped as I looked out the window. Mom's house was right there. Papa Gates's house was next to hers. Then Brian's house was on the other side of the street.

"Come on, Syd," Julie said. I turned to see that her and Chase were already out of the car, and I opened my door and got out. We got all of our things out of the trunk, and then Chase paid the cab driver. I walked up the short walkway, and then I sucked in a deep breath as I knocked on the door. It was still early, but Mom was usually up by seven. The door finally swung open, and a pair of light brown eyes met mine.

"S-Syd?"

"Hi, Momma," I whispered.

"Sydney!" Mom yelled and pulled me to her. I let out a small laugh as I wrapped my arms around her, and then her feet came off the ground as I continued to hold her. Mom finally pulled back to look at me, and she took my face in her hands.

"My beautiful Sydney. Please tell me this is real and I'm not dreaming again," Mom said as she looked at me. I pulled her hands away from my face and lightly squeezed them.

"I'm here, Momma. Didn't I tell you I would come home?" I asked with a wide smile.

"I knew I never should have doubted you," Mom said and hugged me.

"Sally, who was at the door?" I looked up and saw Mark, and I gave him a quick wave.

"Syd, is that you?!" Mark yelled. He stepped forward and hugged both us, and after a few moments I pulled away from both of them.

"Mom, Mark, I'd like you to meet Julie and Chase. They're the reason I made it home," I said as I stood beside them. Mom stepped forward and hugged both of them while continuously saying thank-you.

"Here, put your bags inside. Then we're going to Brian's," Mom said. We did as she said, and Mom continued to grip my hand as we walked next door. Mom didn't bother knocking, she just opened the door and walked in.

"Brian! Jan! Get in here!" Mom yelled. I heard footsteps a few minutes later, and Aunt Jan let out a small scream. Papa Gates wrapped me up in a hug, and Aunt Jan started hugging me too.

"What's all the noise about?" I pulled out of Aunt Jan and Papa Gates's hold and turned around. Brian's face looked shocked as he stared at me, and I threw myself at him.

"I've missed you so much!" I yelled and tightened my arms around him.

"Syd, it's you? It's really you?" Brian asked. He did the same thing as Mom and held my face between his hands.

"It's really me. I'm back, for good. I'm just a little late," I said. Brian pulled me to him for another bone-crushing hug, and I happily returned it. Brian released me a few minutes later, and both of our eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Syd?"

"Yeah, Bri?"

"You need to go see Jimmy."

"I was planning on it," I said with a small smile. To be honest, I wasn't sure if Jimmy wanted to see me. I was still afraid that he had decided to move on.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no. He's still in love with you," Brian whispered.

"If I leave now, will you get everyone here and give them the news?" I asked.

"Of course. I'll even let you borrow my car," Brian said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, and I wrapped my fingers around them. I jumped forward and hugged Brian again.

"I love you, Bri," I whispered.

"I love you too, Syd," Brian whispered back. I let him go, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then I walked back over to Mom.

"I'm going to see Jimmy, but then I'm coming right back," I said. Mom looked reluctant to let me go, but she nodded her head.

"He's a good man," Mom said as I hugged her. I turned to Chase and Julie and smiled.

"You two don't mind staying here, do you?" I asked.

"Of course not, Syd," Julie said.

"Go do what you gotta go," Chase said.

"You two tell everyone how you saved my life," I said as I started walking off.

"You saved Syd's life?" I heard Papa Gates ask as I closed the front door behind me. I got into Brian's car, and I was surprised that I still remembered where Jimmy's house was. It only took me a few minutes to get there, and I spent a few minutes just sitting in the car. Brian wouldn't lie about something this important, so I stepped out of the car and towards the front door. I raised my hand to knock, and the sound echoed in my ears. To my surprise, I instantly heard footsteps on the other side of the door. Which was weird, since I figured Jimmy would still be asleep. The door swung open, and Jimmy blinked.

"Syd?"

"Hi, Jimmy."

"I'm dreaming again, ain't I?" Jimmy asked. I shook my head as I felt tears start to rise in my eyes.

"Nope, not this time. It's really me, Jimmy. I'm home," I said as I looked at him. Jimmy reached one hand out, and I noticed that it was shaking. One finger traced the side of my face, and I leaned my face against his touch. I raised my hand up and touched his, holding it against my cheek.

"It's really you," Jimmy whispered. I nodded my head, and then I stepped forward. I wrapped my arms around Jimmy's middle, and then I dropped my head to his chest. I breathed in his familiar scent, and I felt his arms slowly wrap around me. He kept his arms around me as he pulled me into the house, and one arm left me long enough to close the door. I reluctantly pulled away from Jimmy, and he looked down at me with confusion flooding his eyes.

"You didn't...forget about me, did you?" My voice came out quiet, and I tried to mentally prepare myself for what I would hear. I had been gone for a little over a year, so it wouldn't be too surprising to hear that he had moved on. I knew it'd still kill me inside though...

"How could I forget about you? You're the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep at night," Jimmy said. I felt my lips stretch into a smile, and I wrapped my arms around him again. Jimmy laughed as he staggered back a few steps and then I felt his arms go around me again.

"I guess that means you didn't forget about me?" I lifted my face from Jimmy's neck and ran my nose along his collarbone, breathing in his scent.

"You're what kept me going," I whispered. I raised my hand up to his face without looking away, and I felt one of his fingers run along mine before touching the engagement ring that was still on my left hand.

"I knew you weren't dead. I started to accept that you were gone during the memorial, but I just couldn't believe it. Every night I went to sleep thinking that you were on your way home."

"Every night I went to sleep thinking of coming home to you," I said and smiled up at him. Jimmy smiled back, and the love in his clear blue eyes was almost like an anesthetic.

"Syd?" I instantly knew what his question would be; it was written in his eyes. I smiled up at him and ran my fingers across his cheek.

"Jimmy." I loved being able to say his name while looking at him. While being able to touch him.

Jimmy's hand tightened on my hips as I pulled his lips down to mine, and I knew that I was finally home.