Chapter 2: Fly Away

Lindsey tensed up. Her brother felt so light and fragile in her arms since she had started doing her body-building routine that she had to be extra careful when she carried him. Especially in situations where she felt the need to run or act quickly. It was one of the main drawbacks of putting out muscles. Contrary to the Minor’s bodies, those of MAJORS never simply pushed mass when worked out. Instead, their shape only changed after a considerable addition of muscle fibers. Therefore, her current bulging muscles made her at least twice as strong as she had been a year ago.

It came in handy when asserting dominance, especially with her size, which was quite impressive for a soon to be thirteen years old… but when dealing with a Minor older brother, she felt awkward and clumsy, something she hated but if the cost for not feeling it was to let her brother go away, she wasn't willing to pay it. The knowledge that she could hurt him without even realizing it had become a constant fear for her. Obviously, she knew that she had to be careful with Alejandro since her early childhood, really, but still…

“Hey, why the rush suddenly?” asked her brother, peering over her massive biceps, as if he was searching for some difficulty or sudden afflux of travelers explaining why his sister was running full-speed toward Gate 1.

How could I explain him? wondered Lindsey. She knew perfectly well that Alejandro would be extremely unhappy with what was mandatory for a Minor to be allowed to board a plane. Her Mama had briefed her for weeks about it. So, the sooner they would arrive, the more time she would have to convince him. If needed, she would cajole, or even beg him. She knew that there would probably be some other Minors on their flight, so she expected that she could use them as examples, as dubious it seemed that her brother wouldn’t scoff at that.

“I’ll tell you when we’ll be there!” she simply replied, doing her best to not let her shame become too obvious.

The Ferrands had refused Shannon’s offer to use a loaned private jet, because they had been afraid that something like that would get out in the media or something, and they didn’t want to put such pressure on either of their children. Sure, Alejandro would probably end as an ambassador in Fire-Brand campaign, but, from Lindsey’s point of view, it was hardly a reason to put her brother more in the spotlight. He was, after all, better in her arms.

“Hello Miss” said an employee of the Airport as the young MAJOR approached her.

The Ferrand’s only daughter noticed that the woman was really small for an adult MAJOR. She couldn’t have been taller than 2m40 (7f9), with brown hair reaching her shoulder and small but noticeable breasts. In that department, the older woman would probably always have more than her, had to admit Lindsey, but otherwise, she was so lean that the pre-teen probably weighed twice as much as her… which gave the young girl a surge of confidence.

“Hello, Ma’am” replied Lindsey with a small hint of superiority in her voice. “Here are our tickets.”

“Thank you” replied the employee, with a fake plastered smile on her face. She obviously eyed the young colossus and when her eyes fell on Alejandro, Lindsey noticed a distinct hint of jealousy on her face.

“Hey!” yelled her brother as she propelled him slightly upward with a move of her arms. “What’s that for?”

“Nothing… I just wanted to see you better!” replied Lindsey with a smug smile, which made her brother roll his eyes. He’s so cuuuute when he does that!

“Excuse me Miss?” asked the employee, drawing back Lindsey’s attention.

“Are you two sister and brother?” inquired the woman.

“Yes. I’m the older one, so I guess I can take care of the boarding” replied Alejandro.

The employee looked at him puzzled and then smiled at him as if he had made a joke. Lindsey managed to not sigh. Her brother was simply not used to the real world. There was no way that a MAJOR would take him seriously. At least, not right now. At best, he would look like a curiosity, at worst, like an uneducated brat. Lindsey had to take charge of the situation, and she knew it, even if she disliked it.

“Pardon my brother, he isn’t used to leaving our hometown” said the pre-teen with a false laugh, even as she moved her fingers to silent the inevitable protest of Alejandro.

“No problem Miss” replied the Airport’s employee. Since the Matthewson launched her campaign, you would be surprised to learn how many Minors suddenly believe that they are our equals… The poor things, it should be criminalized to make them suffer such delusions! It’s not helping them at all adjusting to our society and their place in it, if I may speak so freely.”

“Don’t worry, I agree with you” lied Lindsey, even as she felt an urge to punch the smaller woman in the face. Repeatedly.  “By the way, what’s your name, I haven’t caught it” she added, feigning interest.

“The name’s Willow Canaghan” smiled the employee. “Oh!” she added after a moment of silence.

“What’s the matter?”

“I see that it’s the first time that your brother will board a plane. Have you already bonded with him, or do you want to make use of our special waiting room?” explained Willow.

Lindsey felt Alejandro tensing up in her arms and almost sighed. She had really hoped that she could bring him to the waiting room for Minors without having to tell him that he had to be bonded. Now, she would have to argue a lot more. She could already feel him struggling and a quick glance at him made her break into a cold sweat. He was glaring at her with a lot of anger right now. She did her best to hide her reaction and smiled at Willow.

“Yeah, sure, don’t worry. Just… could you explain him why bonding is so important? It would… help, I think. He’s not use to me bonding him, you see” she added with a laugh she hoped didn’t sound too fake.

“Of course Ma’am” said the employee with a genuine laugh from her part. Lindsey highly suspected that it mostly came from the chance to interact with a Minor. “Well, you see sir” she added, talking to Alejandro. “Fly is the safest way to travel, but companies prefer to make sure that your kind will be safe… or at least as safe as humanly possible. So each plane possess a special Minor section. It is isolated from the rest of the plane and only the staff may access it.”

Lindsey felt her unease rising at this news. She had hoped that she would still be able to get up and go look at her brother during the hours that their trip to New Orleans would take. Apparently, she had to give up on it. On the other hand, Alejandro had stopped his struggles and she had released his mouth, allowing him to look and talk with Willow if he felt like it. Obviously, his attention was focused on the employee’s words, right now, allowing her a modicum of respite.

“However, “continued the adult MAJOR, “we all have conscience that you Minors may get… over-reactive if isolated completely from your MAJOR friends or family. So, it is mandatory for all of you to be bonded with at least one of the normal passengers you board with.”

“How is this special section safer than the rest of the place?” asked Alejandro, his voice cold and harsh, eliciting a surprised blink from Willow, and even Lindsey.

“Well… it’s a separate chamber, really, which automatically seals itself in case of high risks for the plane. It is sturdier than the rest of the plane’s body, with its one parachute and small reactors to break the momentum of the fall if things truly turns ugly. But don’t worry, to my knowledge, there has only been two uses of those features worldwide since they were introduced twenty years ago. And no casualities.”

“I see” sourly replied Alejandro.

Lindsey shuddered a little. That he didn’t make a scene was really, really bad, in her experience. It meant that he was preserving himself for the special waiting room where the bonding was supposed to happen. Looking at him, the pre-teen was surprised to discover that her brother seemed more pensive than angry. She thanked Willow, despite her urgent need to punch that stupid woman and rushed toward the room where she would leave Alejandro.

“Did you know that I had to be bonded?” asked her brother as soon as they were far enough from Willow’s desk to not been heard by the other MAJOR.

“Well… yes” admitted Lindsey.

“And neither you, nor Al nor our parents felt the need to tell me that I needed to be bonded to board the plane?”

“We didn’t want to upset you unnecessarily ‘Rando” tried to explain Lindsey, even if she doubted that her brother would care much about it.

“Yeah, because discovering it right here, right now, isn’t upsetting” snarked the Minor.

“Come on, don’t be like that, big brother” whined Lindsey, returning to her child-like behavior. “It’s for your own good, we all saw how stressed you were becoming, the closer we were to today…”

“Nonsense, I was perfectly fine!” growled the Minor.

“That’s what nonsense. ‘Rando, you were constantly confused, angry and tired… it was obvious that you didn’t like the idea of leaving too much, and didn’t like the idea of staying at home either!” almost shouted the young MAJOR.

“Humpf”

“Don’t “humpf” me ‘Rando!” said Lindsey, a little angry now. “You know that I love you, and that I only want what’s best for you, like Mama and Papa!”

“And not Al’?” asked the Minor, clearly amused despite himself by this omission.

“Nah, he just want to make people forget that he’s Tier 1!” laughed Lindsey.

“You should really cut him some slack in that regard you know” replied Alejandro after a small chuckle. “I mean, you’re Tier 2, yes, but there is Tier 3 out there, and you can’t judge someone based on this kind of thing. Or do you only want to hang out with Tiers 2 like yourself, while belittling Tiers 1 and being belittled by Tiers 3?”

“Of course not but… I’m genetically superior ‘Rando, compared to Al’, that’s a fact!”

“That’s bullshit yeah. And how will you react when you’ll fall in love with a MAJOR who’s Tier 1?” asked Alejandro.

“I won’t fall in love with a MAJOR” replied Lindsey haughtily. “I’m only attracted to Minors.”

Even as she said it, she knew she was lying. Sure, Izzellah Ivory was haunting her, so much as she had almost rejected Shannon’s offer to simply go to Winton High and snatch the hot as fuck Minor woman from that dumb Rodriguez girl. Izzellah deserved the best MAJORS had to offer, and obviously, coming from a wealthier family, she was better suited that this loud and obnoxious nurse brat or whatever Gloria Rodriguez was doing.

Not that she could have spoken so frankly to Izzellah. Mainly because it would probably have come out as extremely arrogant and she didn’t want to make the Minor woman self-conscious. It wasn’t her fault that her mother had died when she was young and that she was the daughter of a construction worker. Considering her circumstances, she had done extremely well, and it had made her so tantalizing…

But when she truly had wet dreams, it wasn’t of Izzellah or any Minor that Lindsey dreamed about. It was Joaquim Waid that haunted her dreams. That actor, aged 36, was the male counterpart of Shannon. At 5m15 (16f9), he was the tallest man in the country, and second in the world. Only Malick Diola, from Senegal, was taller, at 5m25 (17f2). And man, she would have killed to have sex with Mr. Waid… But she really couldn’t tell it to her brother…

“Yeah, well, we’ll see. You are conscious that we aren’t that numerous, right?”

“Of course I know it”, replied Lindsey. “But it doesn’t matter. And we really don’t have the time to talk about it. We need to bond.”

“Couldn’t we pretend that we have bonded?” asked Alejandro, clearly not enthusiastic.

“That’s what I had in mind at first… but if I can’t come and see you when I want to, I would really prefer to be bonded with you ‘Rando” explained the pre-teen.

“Why? It wouldn’t change much from everyday life when you’re at school, right?”

“When I’m at school, you’re at home, not in a flying chunk of metal which could crash and kill us all” replied Lindsey.

“Wow, now that’s what I call a rallying speech” joked Alejandro.

“I’m serious ‘Rando” sternly reacted Lindsey. “I don’t want to be utterly separated from you for hours on end. Who knows what the staff would do to you if they found out you’re not bonded?”

“How would they discover it exactly?”

“I don’t know, but they could, I hate this very idea… Please, big brother…”

“Fine, fine! But we break the bond as soon as we land, okay?”

“Sure!” agreed Lindsey.

-----------------------------------------

“It’s so boring.”

“Come on ’Rando, we haven’t even took off” replied Lindsey in his mind. It was so strange for the young woman to be able to feel what her brother felt without being able to see him. She almost wondered if she would have been able to see what he saw if she tried to. Her Mama had told her that it was impossible, even for Tier 3 MAJORS, but a lot of peoples on forums claimed that they had successfully achieved such results, so she guessed it was possible. At least, she dreamt it was possible.

“You’re not the one who has to deal with children books or cartoons designed for 3 years old brats!” growled the mind of her brother. Somehow, Lindsey could feel it becoming more and more exasperated. She couldn’t know what was happening in the Minor section. She could have asked, or even peered into his mind, but she didn’t want to invade his privacy… not yet, at least. Instead, she tried her best to enjoy her seat.

Shannon had refused to let her would-be sister-in-law travel in anything other that First Class, so Lindsey had a space all to herself. It was incredibly luxurious and the young girl realized that she would love to have the money to travel like that around the country, or even the world. When she had went to New Orleans with her parents, they had bought the cheapest tickets and the fly had been a lot less agreeable.

“Please, dear passengers, buckle your belt. We are taking off” said the pilot’s voice in the speakers.

Lindsey did as she was told and savored the sensation of the plane accelerating to harness enough speed to actually take off the ground and fly. It was incredibly ingenuous, and an application of what the Minors had invented with cars, but pushed to its upper limits by MAJORS’ superior brain-power. Lindsey felt her mind swell with pride at that thought.

“Urgh… what’s happening? Did someone compliment you on your look or something?” grunted Alejandro, putting an end to those feelings.

“No! Why would you say that?” asked Lindsey, a little forcefully perhaps.

“No need to scream!” shot back her smaller sibling. “And I said that because I could feel your prideful feelings so bad that it made me nauseous…”

“What the problem ‘Rando?” asked the young MAJOR, reading in her brother’s mind that she wasn’t really the source of his irritation.

“Why bother asking? You can just read my mind or whatever…”

“Come on, don’t be grumpy like that! Tell me! I don’t want to intrude on your privacy… I wouldn’t want to see more of your dreams about Shannon” she added maliciously after a pause.

“Hey! That was uncalled for!”

“Not my fault if you can’t get her out of your mind, I mean I just though her name and you’re having those memories of her…”

“Stop that!” sharply screamed Alejandro.

At least, Lindsey felt as if he had screamed. It was so strange, to have this whole conversation in her head with her brother. She wondered if peoples bonded with Minors constantly felt like that, or if after some time, the strangeness disappeared to become a new normal. She had a hard time imagining it. Why would you want to talk with anybody, even your Minor if you could just speak with him, mind to mind, and read every nuance of his or her thoughts, the way his or her mind reacted to your every word, taking shape to understand them and then answer… It was beyond her, yet.

“Come on ‘Rando. Spit it out, I’m sure you’ll feel better after saying your favorite Sister what’s wrong” she sing-sung in his head.

“Fine…” he suddenly relented, leaving Lindsey a little surprised.

She had expected more resistance from Alejandro, him giving up so easily was strange. She realized that, in the current situation, she probably had ordered, or more accurately, convinced him to speak out, thanks to the bond. She felt a sudden rush of fear. So far, he hadn’t realized what was happening, but if he got his bearings back, she was in for a serious lecture. Dealing with the bond is sooo hard, how can I avoid making more mistakes like that? she thought to herself, just as the Minor she loved most in the whole world answered her plea.

“Well, there is two other Minors here…” slowly said Alejandro before stopping his thought. “What’s wrong? Why are you afraid?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a personal problem” lied Lindsey. “Tell me what’s the problem is with those two Minors. Shouldn’t you be happy to meet them?”

“Happy? I was delighted at first!” almost yelled ‘Rando in her mind. Once again, Lindsey wondered if his inability to confront her feelings were due to her affecting him because of the bond, or something more natural, like him being too focused on his problems.

“Then why are you so tense?”

“Because they are fucking morons! The first, a guy who’s probably sixty or something, he barely talked to me before buckling up and saying to us that her Mistress wanted him to sleep the whole fly… and he fell asleep right then! Like, a switch was flipped and, boom, he’s sleeping!”

“Oh! That’s… that’s rude of his bond-mate… but I don’t think it’s totally terrible. I mean, it could be worse, right? At least he won’t bother you.”

“Oh but it is worse… because, you see, the third Minor. She’s a gal, probably around sixteen or something… and she keep blabbering about her sexy MAJOR beef-cake. How big his… his arsenal is, how good it is to be his little munchkin, to be… hum, taken by him… Urgh, she offered me to drop whoever I was with and to become his pet also… Well, she did so before we took off…” he added with a disgusted mental groan.

“That’s sick!” agreed Lindsey. “As if you would be craving a big guy’s dick anyway. We both know that what you love are huge black boobs and massive black asses, am I right?”.

“LINDSEY!” screamed a very shocked Alejandro.

“I’m not a child anymore ‘Rando. In two months top, it’ll be legal for me to have sex, you know? And, truth been told, when I’ll get a Minor who’ll like me back, I definitively want to do that. I mean, with your schedule and all, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you… and if you happen to be here, I’ll do my best to be discreet, I promise!”

“That… that…” stammered her older brother.

Lindsey couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. In his mind, he still saw her as his Little Lind, that baby who had one day appeared, in his mother’s arm and who looked so innocent and soft. She had grown up, and she could see how he had become weary of her strength at time, how he had even been terrified of her after the Incident, but overall, she could see his brotherly love for her, etched in his very being, as part of who he was. It made her feel a great surge of love for him. He was so cute, she couldn’t really destroy this vision he had…

“Sorry ‘Rando. I’ll try to be less crass from now on, I swear. Do you forgive me?”

“Yeah, yeah of course” feebly thought her older brother, before she felt his irritation resurfacing.

“What’s happening?” she asked, concerned anew.

“It’s that crazy teen!” he shot back. “Ever since we have took off, she’s been screaming, and now her cursed bond-mate make her shout nonsense! I won’t be able to endure it the whole time of the flight! I swear to God, if she doesn’t sup up soon, I’ll go insane!”

“Can’t you ask the staff to come and do something?”

“Already done” replied the Minor with an irritated huff. “They are searching her bond-mate, but they told me that there isn’t much they can do about it. It’s his Constitutional right to do whatever he wants with his Minor apparently…”

“Oh… I had forgot about it… I’m not sure that they are quite right here, because he is clearly bothering you and upsetting another passenger, even if you ARE a Minor… But whatever… do you want me to help you cope with it? ”

“And how would you do that exactly?” inquired a suspicious Alejandro.

“Well…” slowly answered Lindsey, “I was thinking that perhaps… perhaps I could command you to relax, or even sleep for the duration of the flight. I suspect that her bond-mate is forcing her to act like that because it irritates you… since I’m sure that you’ve made your displeasure obvious, right?”

“Of course I’ve made my fucking displeasure obvious! I’ll be deaf halfway through this flight if she doesn’t shut the fuck up!” roared her ‘Rando. “And you’re not helping! I don’t want anyone to mess with my mind!”

“I wouldn’t be messing with your mind” gently explained Lindsey. “I would help you deal with the stress and all. Wouldn’t it be better to not be bothered by that vulgar girl?”

“Yeah but…”

“Then, what’s the problem? I won’t peer into your mind, I may end seeing some of your dreams or something, but I wouldn’t go actively spying on you, and I would just makes you feel better. It wouldn’t be a sign of weakness from you to accept this offer, I swear. You’ll always be my big brother, no matter what!”

“You swear that you’ll just make me relax or sleep?” asked Alejandro.

“I swear it ‘Rando.”

“Cross your heart and all?”

“Croix d’bois, croix d’fer, si j'mens, j’vais en enfer!” replied Lindsey playfully, but also quite seriously.

“Okay… then do it… and you wake me as soon as we go down, deal?”

“Deal… but so, you want to sleep? Are you sure that something less… drastic would be enough?” asked the slightly disappointed MAJOR.

“Yeah… I don’t think that just relaxing will be enough, sorry… I won’t be able to keep you busy, so your flight will be as boring as mine.”

“Don’t worry about it big brother” tenderly said Lindsey. “Just sleep until I call you back. Sleep without worries…”

As soon as she had thought those orders, Lindsey felt her sibling’s mind changing, the power of the bond too great to be opposed. In seconds, Alejandro was sleeping peacefully. Satisfied with herself, the pre-teen selected a film on the screen which came with her place. She kept an eye, so to speak, on her brother, to make sure that his sleep was peaceful. She felt so good like that.

“Bonding is the best thing in the world” she whispered to herself.