“All passengers for flight 977 to San Francisco, California can begin boarding at gate 35.”

Audra quickly gathered her meager belongings and boarded the plane. Still in her sleeping clothes, and barely refreshed from her five minute run into the airport bathroom, she was still very much on edge.

A young man, who seemed to be around her age, took the seat next to her.

“Hi there.”

“Hi,” Audra said.

“I’m Ben Thomas.”

“Hi. I’m Audra.”

“Strange time for this flight, huh?”

Audra nodded her head. She didn’t realize how tired she was. In her frenzy to leave Boston, she almost forgot that she hadn’t slept. Being in her apartment felt so long ago…

“Audra?” Audra heard the voice beside her repeat her name, as if he had asked her something.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“I just asked why you were going to San Francisco.”

“Oh. Um, I have family there,” she lied.

“Oh, that’s nice. I’m stuck on a business trip thing. Gotta hate those.”

Audra feigned another half-smile.

“So, are you a college student?”

“Grad student, at MIT.”

“Oh really? I used to go to Harvard. I knew a lot of MIT kids.”

“Well, I didn’t go there for undergrad.”

“Oh. Oh well. You’re there now, right? That’s what matters.”

“Right.” Audra was getting tired. She wanted to sleep. She felt her eyes droop. She drifted off to sleep, leaning against the window. It was a six hour flight. She would get plenty of sleep. As long as she didn’t have nightmares.

*****

“Max?” Isabel’s voice was a mixture of sadness, anger, relief and a tiny sliver of sisterly love. “Max?!”

“Isabel, I need your help. I wouldn’t be calling otherwise.”

“What’s going on? How are you?”

“Look, I don’t have time for that. This is really important.”

“What’s going on?”

“Listen, Isabel. Did Michael ever tell you… about what happened?”

Isabel grew silent. “Yes, he did,” she replied meekly. “I’m so sorry.”

Max didn’t say anything.

“Look, Max, I tried to call, but I didn’t know what to say -- ”

“I don’t want to hear it Isabel. I need your help right now. Something happened.”

“What?”

“It’s Anna Lisa.”

“Who’s Anna Lisa?”

“Anna Lisa is my daughter.”

“Your what?!?”

“Didn’t Michael tell you?”

“No. He told me about… the other… thing… that happened.”

Max sighed. He couldn’t believe how Isabel viewed Liz’s death simply as a “thing” that “happened.” Frankly, this was precisely the reason why he had lost touch with her. To avoid hearing her moronic excuses and the ridiculous things she said. And the fact that Michael hadn’t even told her about Anna Lisa… Max knew he should have been the one to have kept in contact. But Michael and Isabel, regardless of whatever compassion they would have initially shown him, would just have said, ‘We told you so.’ And that was not the kind of support he had wanted.

“Anyway, I think Anna Lisa has powers.”

“What?”

“Well, she changed the colors of her stuffed animal. I’m not sure what else. The thing is, I can’t watch over her, Isabel. I have school, work and all this other… stuff. I can’t just leave her at daycare anymore. I need you to come here and help me figure this out.”

Isabel didn’t say anything. Slowly, she replied, “Max, what can I do? What do I know about taking care of a… baby? And, I can’t leave work…”

“Isabel, I’m in school. I work at night. I can’t do this alone anymore.” Max was on the brink. He was hanging onto his last thread of hope, and even she didn’t seem to be helping him. “Can’t you at least come down for a few days? Until I get this under control?” Max hated to plead, especially to Isabel. But he no longer had a choice.

Finally, she spoke up. “Okay. When should I come?”

“Now.”

Hesitantly, Isabel asked, “Now?”

“Catch a plane, and get here now. This is an emergency.”

Isabel paused for a long moment, and sighed. “Fine. Let me call you back when I find something.”

“Okay. Bye, Isabel. And, thanks.”

“Goodbye, Max.”

*****

Audra wanted the flight to be over. Ben Thomas just kept talking and talking. She wanted to get out, and blend into the crowd. Most of all, she wanted to get away from the feelings she had left in Boston.

As Audra thought about it, though, she kept wondering exactly why she had left. Thinking about it now, it seemed ridiculous. What possessed her to just leave? What possessed her to give up everything she had in Boston? It didn’t make sense.

Yet… Something felt right. Deep inside of her, she knew, that for whatever reason she didn’t know yet, what she was doing was right. That leaving Boston truly was the right decision.

But the practical side of her was screaming: What if she was wrong?

*****

Isabel hadn’t called back right away. Max was getting edgy. It was nearing one in the morning. He would stay up all night if he needed to… but what if she didn’t call? What if she had --

RING!! The shrill ring jarred his thoughts.

Max quickly picked it up. “Hello?” he choked out.

“Max -- Flight 18, Gate 17. I’ll be there in a few hours. Call the airport for the exact time.”

Her voice sounded so strange. He knew it was because he had called her even though they were estranged. He had hoped that she could look past that right now.

“Ok -- ”

“Goodbye, Max. Take care. See you soon.” As quickly as the phone had rang, Isabel had hung up.

Max sighed, and slowly dropped the receiver into the phone cradle. Running his fingers through his hair, he fell into the couch. He closed his eyes shut tight, and lay his head in his hands.

If only he hadn’t left Liz alone that day… none of this would have happened.

*****

“Will all the flight attendants please prepare for landing?”