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"What?" I said "Jump from the plane? Are you crazy?" I could see real fear in his eyes, and for the first time, I knew Jared had made a decision out of desperation

Claire burst out of the cockpit and looked Jared, shaking her head

Jared gripped my hand and pul ed ency exit Jared grabbed the lever with both hands, but I stopped him

"We need to do this now!" he yel ed

I shook my head "I can’t"

"You can!"

I looked around htened faces of Bex, Kim, and Ryan, and then Claire

"Why are you just sitting there?" she cried, "Help us, dath, but I refused to let hi to block out the noise "Help us," I whispered "We need your help"

Chapter Seventeen

Departure

The plane treency oxygen masks leaned forward as the plane plummeted toward black water

Claire shrieked I was afraid to opened inable horror had caused her to scream I popped one eye open, and then the other Even in the diht, I could easily ure The lights returned to nor ih-pitched cry of the engines quieted to a s to open the door, and he stood, htly when every muscle in his body relaxed at once

Bex hopped to his feet "It’s about freakin’ ti the top of the seat in front of hi himself, he turned to Kim

"You okay?"

Kim’s expression remained blank "Why?"

She winked at rin stretched across ain

Sae, white size The best way to describe it is that I had to wade through some red tape"

Claire released Samuel and playful y punched his arm

Jared raced up the aisle and then paused Saing hi every space in the cabin I didn’t realize that I was stil tense until Ryan spoke intome to jump

"He wasn’t on the plane before, was he?"

I shooknoise echoed when Sao as far as the outskirts of Jerusale to join you, if you don’t hed once "Not at all " I joined hihtly around hihed "I admit it I was scared to death"

Jared shook his head "I was ready to junant wife I think I win this one"

I agreed without pause "Touché"

Sa the aisle for a while We all watched hione When Samuel would pass our seats, Jared would squeezeto use nize a dark presence, but I either wasn’t doing it right, or Sa

Before long, Jared’s breathing evened out, and then his fingers relaxed around mine

I fel asleep soon after A tiny baby boy inand content in the shade under our oak tree, saturatedin the suer thanhis hands over and over, unable to feel his skin against h times

Time passed quickly there Before the end of the day, he was a toddler, and then grade-school age He didn’t appear older than he was, like Bex always had He was perfectly human, and yet flawlessly beautiful like his father By the time the shadow under the oak had faded, uished as Jared I watched all of this in awe, but a little sad at the saone by too fast I wanted e h nant with him

The shade now a shadow, my son walked over to me and held out his hand He looked so much like his father "It’s time," he said with a smal smile My smile

"Time for what?"

"The end"

My eyes popped open Jared had left his seat, and I could hear hi with Bex and Kim somewhere in the back of the plane I rubbed ht Sae for the seat

"Did you sleep wel ?" he asked

"I did, actual y"

He sht" I

Jared’s eyes ain?" Bex teased

"Yes, Bex I’ a handstand on your bladder, I’ll keep track of how many bathroo Ryan and Claire, who didn’t seem to noticeClaire’s however, and she wasn’t beating him to a bloody pulp for it I smiled, and made my way to the lavatory

I opened the door and frowned I felt like Winnie the Pooh trying to squeeze into the honey tree I looked down the aisle,the inquisitive eyes of et stuck in there"

Jared laughed "If you do, I’ll get you out"

Bex held up a white bottle "I have lotion That should help"

I rol ed ate the smal space

Without event--or lotion--I returned toof Kily aware that hter more boisterous

I turned ht about the little things"

"Such as?"

"Bathrooements? Privacy?"

"Al luxuries that won’t be readily accessible"

"Pardon?" I said, nant, and there’s no bathroom?"

Jared shifted nervously "Yes"

I sighed with relief, and looked to the ceiling "Oh, thank God"

"Butnot like the facilities you’re used to"

I peered over at hiain "It’swater below so it’s not as bad as it sounds"