Dying to Live Read Free Page A

today?”
    “Good morning. I hope you can help me, please. I am booked onto a flight today, leaving from terminal five at 1.30pm to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, my grandmother has been taken seriously ill and I need to get there sooner than I had planned. Could you tell me if there are any other flights available?” Xin asked. Her voice was laced with the concern that she felt, but it was not for an imagined grandmother in Vegas. It was for her limited window of opportunity.
    She did not know if the story she had made up was convincing enough or would even help her, but the tone of concern in the woman’s voice could only help her situation.
    “Oh dear, I am sorry. Let me see what I can do for you, madam.” There was a pause and Xin was asked for some more details. Then there was another pause, during which Xin could hear the tap, tap, tap of a keyboard. “Okay then, Madam. What I can do, if it suits you, is squeeze you onto a flight leaving in thirty minutes time. It will be leaving from the same terminal as the later flight and I’ve made a note of it on the system so that your ticket should be accepted without any problems. We can do this for you today, free of charge, given your circumstances. We pride ourselves on helping a customer in need.”
    “That sounds wonderful, thank you so much,” Xin said with relief and gratitude. She nervously glanced at the dashboard clock. Xin felt a pang of guilt at having tricked this unsuspecting woman. The truth was that, given the danger she was putting herself in, Xin felt that the two cancelled each other out.
    Besides, this woman would never know.
    “No problem, madam. I want to send you and your grandmother the best wishes, from all of us here at Heathrow. Please remember to choose us next time you fly. Good day.”
    Miraculously, an hour later, everything had fallen into place. Xin had boarded the ten and a half hour flight. She had taken her seat on the plane and fallen asleep almost immediately after take-off. This was good, as it prevented her mind from over working and reminding her that a lot could change in ten hours’ time. When she arrived the situation could be over altogether, or it could be a whole lot worse. Not to mention, she needed the sleep anyway.
    Xin didn’t wake up until the pilot’s announcement. The metallic sounding voice clawed into her consciousness and told her that they would be arriving in approximately one hour. She stretched out and, momentarily forgetting about the state of affairs that had her here in the first place, contemplated how good she felt after finally getting some sleep. She opened her eyes slowly and was greeted by the magnificent view from her window. Fluffy clouds and a brilliantly blue sky encased the plane. However, far below she could see sprawling fields and towns that looked so small. As she looked, she thought that in the distance something was burning, that she could see smoke. Looking away, she told herself that it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Needing something to soothe her parched throat, Xin pushed the call button to her left before realising that the man sat next to her was watching her.
    “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” he said, his face embarrassed upon realising he’d been caught.
    “It’s okay. I imagine I’m quite a sight for sore eyes at the moment,” Xin replied, managing a weak smile.
    “Oh, no, not at all,” he said hastily. “It’s just that, looking out of the window just now, you suddenly looked so... troubled.” His face was sympathetic and his eyes glinted a fascinating blue. Something about him seemed different, trustworthy. Not that Xin trusted anyone on a whim. Trust was earned and not freely given. None the less, she was inclined to believe that, had she wanted to share a secret with this man, then that is what it would have remained. A secret.
    “Let’s just say that I have a few things on my mind at the moment,” Xin said, looking back to the window