Falling at 30,000 feets

The cockpit door shut behind them with a heavy click that echoed in the confined space, sealing them off from the outside world. The familiar hum of the aircraft's systems filled the silence-soft at first, then growing louder as the auxiliary power unit maintained pressure and temperature inside.

For a moment-silence.

Then-

"Ahhh!" Lucia squealed, spinning in place with her arms outstretched, her cheap polyester dress swishing around her legs. "Look at all these buttons! All these screens! It's like a spaceship!"

Rosa had already claimed the captain's seat, sinking into the leather cushion like it was a throne she'd been waiting for her whole life. She laughed loudly, gripping the armrests with both hands and leaning back with obvious satisfaction. "So this is where you fly planes every day? Incredible! No wonder you wanted to show us-this is impressive!"

The grandmother shuffled forward slowly, her weathered hands hovering over the panels as if they were sacred objects. She ran her fingers lightly across the smooth surfaces, tracing the edges of screens and switches with wonder. "Our Jenny... truly exceptional. Who would have thought our little girl would end up here, commanding giant metal birds through the sky?"

Jenny stood near the door, forcing a smile that felt like it might crack her face in two. She'd managed to slip past the ground crew by telling them she was doing a pre-flight check-but every second they stayed here increased the risk of being caught.

But her eyes weren't smiling.

They kept darting-from critical switches labeled "FLAPS" and "LANDING GEAR"... to navigation screens displaying flight paths... to hands that didn't belong there, reaching out to touch everything in sight.

"Don't touch-" she started, her voice tight with anxiety.

Lucia brushed her off with a wave of her hand, already pressing her finger against a small green light on the overhead panel. "Relax! We're just looking. We won't break anything."

The grandmother chuckled, tapping lightly on a panel that controlled the aircraft's communication systems. "What could possibly happen? We're just touching the surface."

Jenny stepped forward, trying again to gently guide their hands away from sensitive equipment-but they pushed her aside, laughing and chattering excitedly, completely absorbed in their new surroundings.

Her chest tightened, a knot forming in her stomach as she watched her grandmother trace the outline of a switch labeled "ENGINE FIRE EXTINGUISHER."

"Jenny," Rosa called, already digging into her large handbag-embroidered with fake diamonds that caught the cockpit lights. "Take my picture. I want to show everyone back home what my daughter's workplace looks like."

She pulled out her smartphone and thrust it into Jenny's hand, her fingers smudged with lipstick and hand cream.

"I'll show everyone back home," she continued proudly, adjusting her hair in the reflection of a screen. "My daughter-the captain. They'll all be so jealous of what we have."

Jenny hesitated, her fingers curling around the phone like it was made of glass. Every photo they took was another piece of evidence-proof that they'd violated every safety protocol Aurelia stood for.

Then she raised the phone, pointing it at her mother in the captain's seat.

Click.

The flash illuminated the cockpit briefly, making Lucia squint.

The grandmother jumped in immediately, pushing past Lucia to stand beside the seat. "Me too! Take mine! I want to stand next to the 'flying chair'!"

Lucia followed right behind, shoving the grandmother slightly. "No, me first! I was here before you!"

Phones were shoved into her hands one after another-Rosa's, Lucia's, even the grandmother's old flip phone that she'd insisted on bringing. Jenny's hands were full, her mind racing with every possible way this could go wrong.

"Wait, wait," Rosa said, adjusting herself in the seat, pulling her dress down and smoothing out wrinkles. "I'm not done. This pose isn't good enough-I need something more... professional."

She placed one hand lightly on the control yoke, her fingers wrapping around the polished metal as she lifted her chin in what she thought was a commanding pose.

"This pose is perfect. Like I'm about to take off."

Jenny's breath hitched. Her eyes fixed on her mother's hand-on the way her fingers rested directly on the controls that controlled the aircraft's pitch and roll.

"Mom... don't touch that," she said, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper. "The controls are sensitive. And the rules are clear-no beverages, no contact with controls unless you're certified crew-this is restricted airspace for a reason-"

"I know," Rosa interrupted, rolling her eyes as she adjusted her grip on the yoke. "Stop acting like I'm a child. I know how to be careful."

Click.

Another photo. The flash reflected off the glass screens, leaving spots in Jenny's vision.

"I'm done," Jenny said quickly, lowering the phone and holding out her hand. "Please-move your hand-"

"Wait," Rosa cut in again, her eyes lighting up with a new idea.

She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she looked around the cockpit.

Then her face lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"Oh! That pose I saw online-captains with a glass of wine, looking sophisticated and in control!"

Before Jenny could react-

Rosa reached into her bag again, digging past tissues and candy wrappers until she pulled out a tall glass cup-clear crystal, with a gold rim that caught the light.

Set it-directly-on the control panel between the yoke and the throttle quadrant.

Jenny froze. Her blood ran cold as she stared at the glass, placed inches away from switches that controlled everything from the aircraft's hydraulics to its navigation systems.

Then-

A bottle followed. Red juice-cranberry, from the look of it-sloshing slightly as Rosa set it down beside the glass.

"Mom-!" Jenny gasped, stumbling forward as she reached for the bottle. "You can't-you absolutely cannot have liquids in the cockpit-"

Too late.

The liquid poured smoothly into the glass, filling it three-quarters full. The red color stood out stark against the gray and black of the control panel, like a warning sign.

Far too close to sensitive instruments.

Jenny's hands trembled as she reached out, her fingers shaking violently. "Give it to me. Please. If that spills-if it gets into the electronics-this plane could be grounded for weeks. I could lose my job-"

"Relax," Rosa said, lifting the glass elegantly with her free hand, not even looking at the panel beneath it. "My hands are steady. I've never spilled a drop in my life."

She extended it outward, holding it up beside her face as she posed again, tilting her head to the side.

"This looks classy, right? Like those airline ads you see in magazines."

Lucia clapped enthusiastically, bouncing on her toes. "Yes! Take it! This will look amazing on my social media!"

The grandmother nodded eagerly, pushing closer to get into the frame. "Hurry! I want to be in this one too!"

Jenny crouched slightly, holding the phone with shaking hands as she snapped the photo quickly-her eyes never leaving the glass, watching every tiny movement of the liquid inside.

"Done. Now give it to me-please-"

She reached for the glass-

But Lucia grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the co-pilot's seat.

"My turn! I want to sit there and hold the glass!"

The grandmother pulled at her other side, her grip surprisingly strong for her age. "Take mine first! I want a picture with both hands on the controls!"

Phones shoved toward her again, their screens bright and demanding attention. Jenny struggled, trying to pull free, her focus split between keeping them away from the controls and saving the glass from disaster.

Her balance shifted-she stumbled backward slightly, bumping into the door with a soft thud.

Rosa adjusted her grip on the glass to keep it steady-

And then-

It happened.

The glass tilted. Just a fraction of an inch-but enough.

A single second.

Too fast.

Too late.

The red liquid spilled-

A thick stream pouring over the edge of the glass, flowing across the control panel like blood. It seeped into the gaps between switches, dripped onto circuit boards visible behind small access panels, and began to soak into the fabric of the control yoke's grip.

Jenny's heart dropped into her stomach. Her breath vanished completely, leaving her gasping for air like she'd been plunged underwater.

"Oh no-"

Her voice cracked, barely more than a whisper.

"Mom!"

She rushed forward, scrambling for the box of tissues in her pocket, her hands shaking so violently she could barely pull them out. She pressed handfuls of tissue against the panel, trying to soak up the liquid before it could seep deeper into the systems.

"You've ruined me!" she cried, panic flooding her voice as tears welled in her eyes.