“Mom, I’m done packing!” shouted April.
She raced down stairs with her jet-black ponytail swinging behind her. She came in the den wearing her Calvin Klein Capri’s and a yellow spaghetti strap top.
“That was quick honey, you must be really excited to go back to New York,” her mother said flashing a smile.
“Duh! I can’t wait to go back to New York and see dad, Chrissie, and Khalil,” she said dropping her voice at the last name.
Crystal smiled at her daughter; she knew how excited April was to see Khalil. He used to be April’s boyfriend whom she had to leave because of her mom’s job offer in Boston.
“Khalil’s meeting us at the airport right?” April asked excitedly.
“Yes, for the hundredth time honey,” Crystal said rolling her eyes playfully. “Jake! You better be half way done packing!” Crystal called.
“I am mom! Where’s my Red Sox cap?” Jake called back.
“Under your bed by your Red Sox shirt,” Crystal sighed.
Five minutes later Jake came down dragging his luggage behind him.
“Why did our flight have to be so early?” Jake complained.
“Sorry honey, that’s just the way it is,” replied Crystal.
After eating the Sanderson’s packed up there belongings into the two U-haul trucks they rented. Luckily everything just about fitted and they went on their way to Logan airport. On the way April had this bad feeling. She tried to brush it off and thought to herself, it’s probably because I’m nervous to see Khalil. However the weird thing was when she checked her horoscope for today it seemed pretty bad. It read, September 11, 2001. Today will be the day full of change. Monsters will be unleashed. They will take lives, change lives, and leave scars to remember. But, whatever you do be very careful at what you hit because it may just fall down and never rise again. Very Creepy, thought April. Sometimes the horoscopes were wrong, would this time be one?

***

“Flight number 175 will be boarding in 25 minutes,” the loudspeaker spoke.
April looked around where she was sitting. There were so many different people. She had never had the time to just sit and notice the way people appeared. There were two young looking boys with there mother, a woman looking about 20 years-old listening to her ipod, four men who looked like they were from the middle east, and a man with a Red Sox cap. He looked very young, about late 20s early 30s. There was a certain gleam in his grayish chestnut eyes that felt welcoming. His hair was slightly wavy and missed his eyes by inches.
“Honey,” Crystal called interrupting April’s thoughts.
April jumped and turned to her mother who motioned her over.
“Sorry for scaring you there, but its time to board our plane.”
“Ok mom.”
Jake came trailing behind April and Crystal. He was dead tired. He couldn’t wait to get on the plane and take a long nap. Whenever Jake slept nothing could wake the kid up.
“Flight 175 is now boarding, all passengers must check in at the front desk,” the loudspeaker rattled on.
While boarding April couldn’t help but overhear voices behind her speaking rapidly. They were speaking a foreign language and one of the voices seemed scared while the others seemed agitated.
“April, stop eavesdropping,” whispered Crystal to her daughter.

April glanced at her mom and tried to look sorry.

“This is the last and final call for boarding Flight 175.”
Crystal sighed; it was finally time to relax. All the luggages were in, she was on the plane, and she was going to have a happy family again. Nothing could ruin this trip.

“Please put your lap tables back into the seat and fasten your seatbelt, we will be taking off in two minutes,” the woman with the microphone said.
April stopped writing in her journal and put everything away. The three of them fastened their seatbelts and got ready to take off.

“Good morning, this is the captain, we will be taking off any moment now but I would like to inform you that we will be landing at 9:29 a.m. and right now it is 78 degrees in New York City. Have a good trip.”
As the plane took off April clutched the arm rest. All of a sudden she felt tired. Slowly her eyes began to close and she finally drifted to sleep.

***


Someone was shaking her.

“Honey wake up,” Crystal said shaking her daughter.

All of a sudden April heard frantic screaming from the front of the plane. She looked down the aisle and saw people running towards her.

“Mom, what is going on?”
“I-I-I- I think our p-p-p- plane is being hijacked,” Crystal whispered.
“Everyone get down and SHUT UP!” the man screamed.
To April’s horror the man behind the hijacker had a bomb strapped to him and was holding the trigger in the air.
“Omygod, omygod,” Crystal repeated to herself multiple times.
“Mom, mom what’s going on, please tell me,” April begged as her eyes filled with tears. “Honey, I just told you, we are being hijacked,” Crystal said softly as if in a trance.
“Everyone sit down, shut up, and don’t move. I will press the trigger if u don’t do what I say.”
The man had a heavy accent and he was one of the two who were guarding the aisle. The guy with the Red Sox cap that she had noticed before was sitting right behind her. She turned to look at him and he looked sad and scared. April turned around and looked around. She saw the woman with her ipod crying and the mother with her two boys. One of the two boys was crying and his brother was patting him on the back looking scared himself. There was another man sitting next to the guy with the Red Sox cap. April peered at him through the space between her chair and her mothers. He was a built man that looked like he was in his 20s. About 20 minutes passed and everything was silent besides a sniffle here and there. Everyone was quiet when the person in front of April turned to her and whispered, “They have taken control of the plane. Pass it on.”
April looked at the woman in shock. Where would these men take them?
“Pass it on,” the woman urged.
April turned to the guy with the Red Sox cap, “T-T-T the men have taken over the plane,” April said softly. The guy looked at her and wiped her tears from her face.
“Don’t cry, be strong,” he said softly looking into her eyes.
He turned back and whispered to the person behind him.
April turned to her mom and whispered, “Mom, we have to do something, we can’t let them hurt us.”
The guy behind her and tapped her shoulders.
“Hey,” he whispered. “Listen, we need to do something. We have to get in contact with someone on the ground.”
“How?” April asked.
“The phones.” He replied simply. “Get your moms credit card and slide it above the phone, ok?”
“Um, alright.”
“Oh, by the way, the name is Cook, David Cook.”
April giggled quietly.
“The name is Sanderson, April Sanderson,” replied April.
April told her mother the plan but it seemed like she was still in shock. She reached out for her mother’s credit card and slid it above the phone. She picked it up and started to dial. It rang three times and someone picked up.
“Hello, dad?” April questioned.
“April, is that you?”
“Yea, I can’t talk for long though. Our plane has been hijacked and we do not know where we are going. They have also taken over the plane.”
“Oh my god, honey are you ok, how’s your mother, how’s your brother?”
“We’re all fine dad, but we need you to get contact with someone to inform them that the plane has been hijacked. But you need to hurry up and do it because we may not have any more time.”
“Ok honey; call me back in about 15 to 20 minutes. Oh, and honey, I love you so much. Pass that on to your mother and brother, ok?”
“Ok dad, same here.”
April turned to David, “Hey,” she whispered. “I got a hold of my dad; he’s going to contact someone to let them know.”
“HEY! STOP talking!” the man with the bomb screamed.
April ducked and acted like she was falling asleep. She couldn’t believe her brother was sleeping through all this. He was such a heavy sleeper. Between the seats April slowly turned to David.
“Have you contacted anyone?” she whispered.
“Yeah, I got a hold of my sister, she’s going to try and get some help. You have to tell the person in front of you to contact someone by the phone and tell her to pass it down as well. Ok?”
“Sure. Hey do you have a credit card?” asked April.
“Yeah, why?”
“Slide it over the phone and call someone that can help us. Tell them that our plane has been hijacked.”
“Ok, good idea,” the woman replied.
“Oh yea, pass it down as well.”
April sat back in her chair. When April thought about it, it was good that Jake was asleep because then he wouldn’t be scared or worried. I can’t believe mom is still in shock. She needs to snap out of it. We better be ok. Everything is going so well! The whole family’s getting back together and the hijacking is ruining it!
“Hey April, were planning to take back control of the plane. We need more men to help us take over.”
“Oh, well hurry up and get some, it’s almost been an hour.”
Fifteen minutes passed by and slowly April slid the credit card above the phone. She quietly picked up the phone and dialed it.
“Hello,” her father picked up sounding like he was crying.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” April asked worriedly.
There was silence for about 15 seconds.
“Honey, a plane just crashed into one of the World Trade Centers.”
“Omygod, omygod, omygod, omygod,” repeated April.
“Honey you need to get people together and stop the hijackers. Its already been an hour and your supposed to be reaching the airport in about 25 minutes. You need to do something.”
“D-Dad the men on board already have a plan, wait I have to go. Send my love to Chrissie and Khalil and dad, I love you so much,” April said sniffling.
“Honey, I love y-,” the phone disconnected.
The man with the bomb looked like he was coming down the aisle toward her but he backed up and went to guard the front of the aisle.
“David are you guys ready?” asked April sniffling.
“Omygod! Are you ok honey?” Crystal asked.
“Shhhh, mom. Be quiet. Thank god your back!”
“What’s going on?” whispered Crystal.
“Mom, we are in the middle of a hijacking but you have to calm down.
April decided not to tell her about the Twin Towers, she knew her mother would freak. “Omygod, omygod-.” repeated Crystal.
“Shhhh, were going to take over the plane again. David do it now. My dad told me that a plane crashed into on of the twin towers in New York. We need to hurry!”
“Omygod, omygod.”
David quickly snapped out of his disbelief and screamed, “DO IT NOW GUYS!”
About seven men got up and separated, charging at the two men who were guarding both sides of the plane. It was chaos, women were crying, people were screaming. All of a sudden April felt the plane going lower.
“Omygod,” someone screamed. “Were gonna crash!”
April couldn’t take it; she knew they were going to die. She took out her journal and began to quickly scribble a letter to Khalil, Chrissie and dad.



Dear dad, Chrissie, and Khalil,
I have reached the end of my life. I will miss you all but I will be in a better place. Although I will die with pain in my heart, I will also die with knowledge of how any life can change with in a matter of time. Will you all do one favor for me? Live life as if there’s no tomorrow. Live it as if the world would end at the second you step out of bed, the second you step out of your house, or the second you step out anywhere you go. To dad, I love you so much, I will never forget the time you took me on your shoulders and told me that you would never let me leave your arms at no matter what age. To Chrissie, I love you more than anything. You were the best sis that a girl could ever have. Finally to my beloved Khalil, I remember when we first met in second grade. You were the sweetest boy in the grade and I never noticed you until eighth grade! I’ve never told you this but I love you Khalil and always will.
Love,
April Sanderson

She felt the plane going lower, her head began to ache and all of a sudden……