Chapter 2

I knew what my aunt was after. She wanted to butter me up on purpose, so that later, no matter what happened, she could pin it on me.

What she didn't know was that I now had a body cam on my chest. She thought it was just an ordinary walkie-talkie.

I refused politely again, ignoring her snide tone and ignoring her demand.

"Ma'am, please return to your seat. Once you've boarded you're not permitted to walk around freely. Please—"

"Fine, fine!"

That set her off. She glared at me hard, several times over.

"Are you a broken record? What's the point of repeating yourself over and over? You think I won't file a complaint against you?"

I smiled, blank as a machine.

"Whatever you decide is your right, ma'am. I'm only fulfilling my service obligations."

She stormed off in a huff, the lighter in her pocket jingling with a crisp little sound as she went.

Another one of my coworkers heard it too and immediately stepped up to stop her, suggesting she hand over what was in her pocket.

"Hello, ma'am. You can leave the item in your pocket with us for safekeeping, or put it in your luggage if that's easier. Please cooperate with us."

"Why?"

"Because once the plane takes off, any loose object on you can become uncomfortable, and it can slide around and fall. And since this is your first time flying, we have to make sure you feel comfortable and safe."

"Bullshit."

She muttered the curse under her breath, but she didn't dare argue back, because she was only ever brave at home.

Grudgingly she dug out the lighter and handed it to my coworker. And with that, one near-miss of a man-made disaster was, for now, over.

Right after, my cousin Madison Gilbert came over, my uncle trailing behind her, along with my little demon of a cousin, Joel Gilbert.

The three of them had the same face, and even their manners were oddly identical.

My uncle was chewing tobacco, my cousin was blowing bubbles with her gum, and my other cousin was smacking his lips around something, who knew what.

The three of them slouched their way toward me like three walking bombs.

"Sis! Where am I sitting later? By the window? Can I switch to a window seat? I want to take pictures."

Madison hollered it out, and in her excitement she spat the gum onto her hand, then laughed and picked it up and stuffed it back into her mouth.

I swallowed both the physical and the mental discomfort and kept serving with a smile.

"Hello, ma'am. Please head to the front and sit according to the seat on your ticket. My coworker up there will guide you."

Madison pouted, tugged at the flower pin on my collar, and laughed even more outrageously.

"Sis, you actually look the part in this getup. When we get back, can you lend it to me? I want to shoot a video and post it online."

"Me too, me too!"

Joel squeezed in. Whatever it was, he wanted a share too. My aunt had raised him into the same kind of penny-grabbing freeloader she was.

Hearing the noise, my uncle came over as well, and actually pulled out a cigarette and asked me for a lighter, then blamed me for taking my aunt's lighter away.

Every ridiculous thing you could think of, they ran through it all, worse even than in my last life.

I choked down my anger and explained, line after line, keeping strictly to the job, never letting a shred of personal feeling in, and refused every single request.

In the end my uncle lost his temper too. He spat his chewing tobacco onto me, rolled his eyes at me a few times, and issued a warning.

"Teresa Gilbert, aren't you something. We went out of our way to fly with your company, to give you a boost and some face, and this is how you treat us?"

"And to think I'm your own family. You put on that uniform and suddenly you don't know your own people? Too high and mighty now? Just you wait till I get back and see how I complain to your grandmother. Ungrateful little snake."