Tap tap tap

The sound of my heel beating softly against the ground as I waited impatiently quietly rang out through the mostly empty airport.

To most people looking on, it might seem like I was simply excited, holding my breath in anticipation of some grand trip. However, the truth wasn't quite so pleasant. Rather, it was more like I was running from my life here than looking forward to my time away.

I felt a small hand tug on my sweatshirt and looked to my side, seeing my younger sister look up at me with worried eyes. It would've been hard for her not to realize that something was off about me considering how much time we'd spent together, but it seemed like her worry was only increasing as time went on.

My sister, Alice, had eyes filled with innocence and worry. In the face of such earnest emotion, all I could do was smile awkwardly.

Most people had problems telling that we were siblings just by looking at us. After all, we looked completely different.

My sister, though only ten, was the picture of beauty. She took after our late mother, with flowing blonde hair and bright emerald eyes. Her laugh was melodic, her entire personality usually bright. More than that, how earnestly she cared for others was something that seemed to draw people towards her. That part of her all but ensured she was always followed by a crowd of friends.

On the other hand, my looks took after our father more. Dark hair, darks eyes, glasses. However, whereas my father had rugged and attractive features, I was quite simply... unattractive. I was overweight to say the least, not athletic, and ugly. In contrast to my sister's bright attitude, I was perpetually gloomy. Quite frankly, I couldn't remember if I'd always been like this or if I'd simply become this way over time.

In any case, trying to take my mind off of the events that had brought me here, I placed my hand on my sister, Alice's, head and ruffled her hair. The action caused her to pout unhappily as I messed up her hair, but her cute face served to brighten my mood a little.

"S-stop that!"

As though forgetting she'd been worried about me at all, Alice hit me in the arm. I laughed and smiled slightly in response before feeling a cold sensation on my cheek that caused me to jump.

"Fighting? How unlike you two!"

My father chuckled to himself as I grabbed the can of soda from him with a muttered "thanks."

"Not fighting, just messing around a bit..."

"Hmph!"

Slipping easily into the seat in front of me, my father smiled tiredly.

It wasn't that he was exasperated or anything like that, more like that's just how he was these past few years. Ever since my mother died, my father who had once laughed and smiled often had seemed devoid of energy. Though he put on a brave face for Alice and I, it was clear he'd never really recovered.

Though he smiled at Alice, his gaze lingered a bit longer on me.

"I wish you'd told us you were coming sooner, I would've been able to at the very least have us sit together."

I shrugged my shoulders as Alice tilted her head at me.

The trip had been meant for just the two of them, seeing as how I'd turned my dad down when he'd first asked. It threw him for a loop when I'd called him up and asked to come along. He'd even had to book an entirely new flight, forcing him to get separate seats. That's why he would be sitting in the front of the plane while Alice and I sat in the back.

"...And you're sure that Cassidy didn't want to come?"

I smiled sadly at my father's words while nodding. Cassidy had been my girlfriend for the past few years, emphasis on had been. Just thinking about her right now made me uncertain of whether I wanted to cry or punch a wall. However, I didn't have the will to tell him what happened. He'd always liked her, after all... thought she was good for me. It was almost laughable how wrong he was.

"Ok... well, don't forget to call her when we land. I'm sure she'll be worried about you..."

My father scratched the back of his head uncertainly as he spoke, put off by my attitude.

"Flight XXXXXX, now boarding!"

As we sat there, the announcement for our flight sounded from the intercom. Of course, my father was startled and jolted up. Since he was at the front of the plane, he would be boarding first. Alice and I, who would be sitting together, would be boarding together.

"Shoot, I have to get going. Take care of your sister, ok?"

My father's smile grew a bit forced as he said the last part. After all was known that when it came to my sister and planes, it was a bit....

Alice gripped my hand tightly, her face pale. Luckily for us, the row was only two people, so there was nobody to freak out with her unhealthy appearance.

You see, my sister was mostly flawless. One of the smartest, kindest, bravest people I knew. However, she did have one glaring flaw: her fear of airplanes.

Even before we'd taken off, Alice 's breathing had become shallow. Now that several hours had passed, her tension remained. However, I could tell from her squirming legs that she had a more pressing issue.

I'd always been close with my sister, especially after our mother died when she was only five. I'd seen her happy, sad, and everything in between. Of course, this included a simple, human urge like... say, the need to go to the bathroom.

It sounded laughable, but it was dangerous. I could tell that we were probably three minutes away from a... geyser eruption of sorts.

Her eyes darted back and forth from me to the back of the cabin, and since I was in the outside seat I unbuckled my seatbelt to allow her by. Seeing her fly down the aisle made me smile, and watching her do a small dance as she waited on the line to actually access the bathroom made me chuckle.

As a minute passed by, then another, I started to doze off. However, there was no way I could've been prepared for what came next.

A message rang out in my mind, and the minds of every person on Earth.

[??? has completed designation: Earth, beginning phase 2...]

[Updating world parameters...]