Kissed By Moonlight Read Online Free PDF

head against the pane as they lowered a ramp from the back of the van, pushed her up that, and closed everything.
    The van pulled away and disappeared from view a few moments later.
    I turned around to look at the remainder of my life in Pasadena. It wasn't much; my makeshift bed, my packed bags, the envelope containing my ticket to Massachusetts.
    I grabbed that envelope and sat cross-legged on my comforter.
     
    Chapter 6
     
    A shuttle picked me up the day of the flight. The whole thing was such a haze to me. I can't remember what I ate, whether the freeway was backed up, or even much of the invasive security at the airport.
    I used to love going to LA with my friends, but they had all either moved away for school or stopped hanging out with me when they saw all the time and attention that went into taking care of my mother. I'd never really believed at the time that high school relationships could fade so quickly, but it happened right before my eyes.
    I do remember forcing my backpack into the small carry-on compartment above my seat. I had a window all to myself, but didn't look out it.
    A stewardess stood at the front of the curtain that separated the economy section from business class. She showed us how to buckle our seatbelts and how to pull on the oxygen mask in case of a loss of cabin pressure.
    She was a pretty woman, with blonde hair tied into a bun at the back of her head. Her nails were painted red, and the light coming in through one of the windows kept flickering off them as she moved them expertly around the buckle and then the mask.
    The fat guy with the Hawaiian shirt wheezing beside me sounded like he needed oxygen right then and there.
    I kept trying to focus on my senses, to really feel the space around me. In a few minutes, I'd be rocketing at hundreds of miles an hour away from my mom, toward some uncertain future. I couldn't think about it.
    So instead I concentrated on the rattle of breath up and down the fat guy's throat. I hoped he wouldn’t go to sleep. I had a feeling he was a snorer.
    The seat was comfortable enough, but already the small of my back ached. The fat guy used up the armrest on that side, leaving me huddled against the wall.
    The cabin reeked of dozens of different colognes and perfumes mingling with each other, with the distinctive smell of body odor lingering beneath it all.
    I squeezed against my remaining armrest and peered out the small window. It looked out along the top of the left wing, its white painted surface blinding in the sunlight. The back of a huge jet engine poked out from under it. It screamed as it warmed up.
    I'd never been on a plane before all this. I wished it was under different circumstances. It felt like I should be terrified. That's how most people are on their first flight, right? But that base fear couldn't push its way through all the worry and anxiety surrounding the reason for my flight.
    "First time flyer?" the guy said. He had a surprising high voice for someone his size.
    I gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded.
    "Don't worry," he said, "Take off and landing are the only exciting parts. Everything in between's just a nice chance for a nap, you know?"
    "Sure," I said, trying to shift to find some position that didn't make it feel like a hard fist was trying to push its way through the small of my back.
    A ding sounded through the cabin, and the "Fasten Seatbelts" sign at the front lit up red. I fumbled for a moment with the unfamiliar clasps, thinking about how dumb I'd been for not paying attention when I should have. But finally I managed, clicking the buckle in place.
    The plane started out slowly, taking its position I suppose. It wasn't so bad. I wondered what all the fuss was about.
    Then it started picking up speed, the little lights running alongside the runway blurring past at a rate that shot my heart into my throat.
    I suppressed a squeal as the plane lifted. It was the most curious sensation. It felt like my stomach was still on the