Page 104 of The Otherworld

“They have built-in mics,” he explains. “And this is a radio, so I can communicate with other pilots, let them know where I’m flying.” He winks at me, his hands darting over levers and knobs until the engine is humming smoothly. I watch in silent fascination as Jack maneuvers out of the cove and onto open water.

I still can’t believe I’m inside a plane, about to take flight. So many times, I’ve spotted aircraft like this from the lighthouse, but I never dared to hope I would ride in one someday.

That day is today.

Jack turns to me with a smirk and says, “Ready to fly?”

My heart squeezes. I nod.

Jack focuses on the ocean ahead of him, reaching up to grab one of the levers. As he slowly pushes it forward, the plane picks up speed—moving faster and faster until we are rocketing over the surface of the waves. I look out my window at the whitewater spraying around the floats, a blur of deep blue Pacific underneath the rush of everything else.

Then, suddenly, gravity vanishes.

My heart plummets as we lift up, up, up—leaving the earth behind. At first, it’s a bit terrifying to watch the world shrink beneath me as we tilt and soar into the sky like a bird. I’m not sure I could ever get used to the wobbly, floating sensation of being airborne. My stomach is doing somersaults until Jack levels out the plane, easing back the throttle to a gentle cruising speed.

“You okay?” Jack’s voice crackles through my headphones. “Not too scared?”

“Not at all,” I assure him with a laugh. “I’m just… lost for words. It’s so beautiful. It’s Otherworldly!”

Jack grins. White teeth and sunglasses. “Want to go higher?”

I grip my seatbelt. “Is it safe to?”

He laughs and flexes his suntanned fingers around the steering controls. “Trust me.”

Gravity forces me back in my seat as the plane tips her nose to the clouds and ascends, weightless in a sea of space. My heart is racing, and my nerves are buzzing with adrenaline. I’ve never felt so exhilarated, so captured in a moment. Everything is so big and blue and overwhelming, impossible to describe.

We’re on top of the world.

I begin to spot houses far below us, hugging the coastline of the islands—the Otherworld. My heart swells with wonder and awe at the sight of civilization.

“Is that Whidbey Island?” I ask, pointing out the windshield.

Jack squints ahead, then nods. “Sure is. How did you know?”

“I recognize the shape of the coast from one of Papa’s maps.”

“You sound like a seasoned pilot, Orca.”

I laugh, turning my gaze back to my window and taking in the wondrous beauty sprawling below me. I want to fully absorb every detail, to enjoy this surreal moment for all it’s worth—but that’s a difficult thing to do when my mind is full of Adam.

Only a little while until I see him again.

I’ve taken the leap; I’ve made my own choice, for the first time in my life.

I’ve chosen Adam Stevenson.

And now, I can’t stop imagining our reunion. How surprised he’ll be to see me. How much I will kiss him and delight in the feeling of being held in his arms once more. My coming will be a confirmation—proof that we can be together, that our love is not as impossible as he believed it to be.

There’s a Latin phrase he taught me from his journal: omnia vincit amor.

It means “love conquers all.”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more beautiful combination of words put together. And today, I am giving new meaning to that ancient proverb—I am going to show Adam that it’s true of us.

Our love can conquer anything.

35

---