OPHELIA

Everyday was the same. Wake up, cook breakfast, exchange minimal conversation with my daughters, leave early to beat the traffic, get caught in traffic, arrive late for my thankless job, overwork, and drive back through traffic to the small apartment where my girls have already turned themselves in for the night. Alone and hungry, all I could do was eat leftovers then collapse for a short rest before redoing my dull routine all over again.

Why would today be any different?

"Girls! Breakfast is ready!" I called down the hallway. We had about 10 minutes every morning to eat together before I had to leave. And in this short time, I tried my best to learn as much about the girls' lives as possible.

"Oh bacon! Yay!" Sang my 12 year old daughter, Aurora.

My little green eyed, blonde haired, angel was the embodiment of energy and positivity who dressed equally cute and bright. From what I've noticed, she was considered quite popular and loved. The amount of times she was invited to a birthday party or sleepover made me think she was friends with the entire school.

I could see why she Aurora was popular. She was just so enthusiastic and kind. So much so that it was almost impossible to be mad at her. In fact, her happy energy was contagious. Just being around her made anyone loss all sense of dark emotion in exchange of serenity. Aurora was a true angel.

"Bacon again?" Came the monotone voice of my eldest daughter, Ziva (18). "You know its not healthy to always eat bacon."

"You can have fruit," I said with a smile while handing her an apple.

Ziva was the opposite of Aurora. She was a stoic girl who kept to herself. And instead of cute, she preferred a more intimidating look: black leather jackets with boots. Her attire, tall stature and wearing a constant expressionless glare, leaning dangerously close to a resting bitch face, was more than enough to make people feel like she wasn't to be messed with. Which might be why people avoided her. Not like Ziva cared.

"So, anything new?" I asked, taken slightly aback when Ziva approached me.

It always surprised me how tall my girls were. At 5 feet and 6 inches, I wasn't entirely short. But Ziva towered over me at 6'2" and Aurora was already my height. Soon I'd be the smallest in the family. Which can be intimidating as the mother and head of the family. Its hard to be seen as an authority figure if I barely cleared my daughter's shoulders.

"Nothing much," Aurora said with a mouth full of bacon and eggs. "Though I do have a recital tonight."

"What?" I blurted in surprised. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Well, I didn't want to bother you with it." Aurora sad with a sorry smile. "Its not like you'd make it anyways."

That stung.

"I mean, ah...." The young girl saw the hurt in my eyes and tried to undo her rather truthful remark. "Its natural for you to miss a few recitals."

That didn't make it better at all.

"I mean... Well... I don't hold it against you." Aurora continued. "You... Ah.. You do that best you can so... You know we love you sti-"

"Oh my gosh. Aurora, stop!" Ziva cut in, placing a hand on my shoulder like I was the child. "Mom, you work a lot. We get it. And we don't hate you for it. If you didn't we'd be out on the streets."

Ziva, as always, was straight to the point. It made it both helpful and painful to hear.

"So don't worry about missing a few recitals. We know you're doing everything you can for us." She said matter of factly. "Besides, I'll be there. And like always, I'll record the whole thing."

"Thanks," I said with a sad, yet appreciative, smile. Sad because apparently my girls took my absence as natural. Yet appreciative because they were so understanding about it. Other kids would have turned out rather problematic to seek attention from their absent parent. I was lucky to have these two. "Well, if you need allowance for tonight-"

"There's no need for that." Ziva said while biting into her apple. "I've got it covered."

"You got it covered..." I asked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've got it covered."

"Like you already have-"

"Money? Yup."

"Ha... How."

"I got a job."

"WHAT?" I really didn't know about that. "When did this happen."

"About a month ago," Aurora jumped into the conversation. Chirpy as ever. "You should see the place she works at. It'd give you a heart attack."

That got her a rather strong glare from Ziva. Which Aurora responded with an apologetic, cutesy, smile.

"Ok... So Ziva, you have a job?"

"Ya."

"And why will I have a heart attack if I see your workplace?"

"Its nothing that bad." Ziva frowned. "Aurora just loves to exaggerate."

"Oh ya? Then tell her where you work."

"I work in a garage." Ziva huffed.

"Ohhh... Its not that bad. You do like motorcycles... Right?"

"Ya..." My tall daughter huffed. "It nothing bad."

"That's because you didn't see where it was, Mom." Aurora continued. "Its besides the junk yard."

"Where the shooting took place?" Now I see why this would give me a heart attack.

"Wow," Ziva snarled at her younger sister. "You really don't know when the shut up."

"Hey, I'm just being truthful to mom. She asked what's new with us."

"No. You're just being a tattle. Whatever... Mom, its no big deal. Ever since the shooting, the cops have being keeping an eye on the place. So its not that bad now. Besides, Mike, your mechanic friend, is the one who offered me the job. And don't you trust him looking after me?"

"I... I guess..." I didn't know how to feel about this. On one hand I was proud my girl was being so independent. On the other hand... I had no idea what was happening in their lives. And who's fault was that? Mine. Because, like right now, my 10 minutes were up and I had to leave for work.


..........


As dull as traffic could get, it couldn't beat my life draining work. It was paper work after paper work. To make things worse, I always seem to be the person to dump extra workload at. From my boss, who loves having affairs more than doing his job, to my colleagues, who always owes me one but never really deliver when I need help.

There was no one else to blame but me. I mean the first time I arrived in this company, I thought working hard would get me noticed. It did... Only not in the way I expected. Instead of getting a promotion, I was just given MORE work. And the colleagues I helped out in the beginning - to make me more likable - just thought I was a pushover and started taking advantage of my good nature by asking endless favors.

Why did I put up with this frustrating job? Because I needed the money to support my family. And because I couldn't get another job. Getting this was a miracle. I never went to college, so everywhere I applied instantly rejected me. The only reason I got this job was because a kind man, the boss at the time, took a chance with me.

I've been working here since. Doing all I can to not get fired by the new boss, Mr. Zakernak, who only got this job by being the nephew of the company's president. It was better to stay and put up with things than risk applying for a similarly paying job that wont accept me because I lack a college degree.

"Hey, bestie," sang the beautiful, fresh out of college, receptionist who definitely got this job because of her looks. And that wasn't me being spiteful, that's because the boss personally hired her. Plus, its hardly a secret they were sleeping together.

"Hey, Nicky." I said with a forced smile. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing much..." The young girl said as she shifted in front of me.

She definitely needed something, but was shy to ask. Guess she knew she was taking advantage of me and felt guilty. But it wasn't her fault. If Nicky ever did something, it's because Mr. Zakernak's requested it. The girl was too nice ask for a favor, especially from me. For some reason she liked me a lot. A bit too much that it felt strange. Ever since her arrival, she was constantly by my side. But honestly, I didn't mind the company. Even if it was annoying sometimes.

"Its just... well... I have to leave early today... so if... uhm... if you wouldn't mind, could you please handle the Takashi files for me?"

"The Takishi files?" I asked with a heavy sigh.

"Ya..."

"Did Mr. Zakernak, ask for this?"

"Ya..."

Of course. This morning Mr. Zakernak said he'd be leaving early to do something important. From the looks of it, Nicky was the important thing he's going to do. While I'm the sucker who gets to carry the load they left behind.

"I would definitely do it... But its just that I uhm... I have an emergency."

"Right." I grunted, making Nicky squirm a bit. I wanted to say no. But the boss was a grump when he didn't get what he wants. And I was staring at what he wants. "Fine I'll handle it."

"Thanks," beamed the happy blonde before scurrying off. "I owe you one."

"That's what they all say," I frowned before burying my head in the mountain of paper work I still had to finish before handling the Takashi files.


..........


Before I knew it, it was past 10 pm, and I was only half way done. Deciding to take a break, I opened up my phone to check on the girls. To my surprise, and great glee, I saw Ziva had sent videos of Aurora's recital to our group chat.

With a sad smile, I watched the videos. It was so heartwarming to see Aurora preform. She wore an angelic pink dress and played her harp perfectly. It was so soothing and beautiful that it made my dull office box more bearable. And as the music came to an end, I couldn't help but tear up a bit from all the built up emotions I tried to bury.

I took some time to collect myself, wiping away the tears, before re-watching the video. But this time I did so with pride. After all, that was my girl, and she was perfect.


..........


"Finally," I sighed with great relief as I finished the last of my work.

I was about to packed up and leave, but then I noticed a week old email from one of the companies we worked with - a travel agency. Out of curiosity, I opened it. To my surprise, I saw that they were doing some sort of raffle for a fully paid vacation. A sort of "thank you for helping us out" kind of thing. I guess since they didn't want to just pick one person (and make the rest envious), they made it into a game and left the result up to chance.

"A fully paid vacation..." I said to myself in disbelief. Surprised that I missed this email until now, minutes away from the raffle closing. "What are the odds I'd win that?"

Any other time I wouldn't bother with things like this, my luck never won me anything. But now...

"Well I guess the odds will be more if I do sign up. Its not like anything bad will happen if I do."

With that, I clicked onto the link and filled in the appropriate details.

"Wow. They're treating the winner's entire family." I said it happy surprise.

The more I saw the prize, the more I wanted it. I desperately needed a vacation. And even more, I desperately needed to bond with my daughters. Being absent from their lives was depressing me. This vacation was really something I needed.

"Done." I submitted my application. "And just before the deadline."

I know I shouldn't be hopeful. But right now I couldn't help but wish to win.

"Well, there is nothing to do now but go home and wait for the results."

The email said that an hour after the deadline they'd announce the winner.

"That would be about as long as it'd take me to get home." I realized. "Guess by then I'd know if I'd be packing a swimming suit or not."


..........


After about an hour of driving, including a stop at the convenience store for groceries, I arrived home. But before I got out of the car, I nervously pulled out my phone to check if I received an email. And just as promised, they really did sent the results already.

"Ok," I breath in deeply to control my nerves, then opened the email.

It was generic email sent to everyone who signed up for the raffle. But what I read stopped my heart.

"Congratulations to OPHELIA QUEEN! Winner of this year's Vacation Raffle!"

I had to read it more than once to believe it. In fact, it seemed unreal... like a prank. It wasn't until a second email arrived that I actually believed it. This time it was a personal email - solid proof of me winning. Another congratulation, and details on what I should do to claim my prize.

"I won..."

I reread the email.

"I WON!" I cried in disbelief.

These type of things never happen to me. And to think that I was a last minute entry - almost missing it entirely.

"Guess hard work does pay off," I laughed at how the horrible events of the day led to this.

If I didn't stay late, I was sure to have never checked my email. Never would have seen the raffle. Never applied, and thus not getting the chance to win. All because I stayed late to finish a job someone else was suppose to do.

"I have to tell the girls!" I said, jumping excitedly out of the car.


..........


A month passed quite quickly. Before I knew it, I was with the girls, in the airport, waiting for our flight. It was really exciting.

"I can't believe this is really happening," sang Aurora as she skipped down the airport corridor to our gate. She looked as adorable as a rabbit in her light pink, oversized sweater, jean shorts, white sneaker, and bunny ears headband. "And we're even riding first class!"

"Ya. Seems surreal." Ziva said as she walked besides her little sister.

Just looking at the two contrasting figures made it hard to believe they were related. Besides her dark blond locks clashing with Aurora's golden hair, their outfits were also different. Instead of cutesy, Ziva wore an intimidating ensemble consisting of a tight, white, tank top that barely covered her large bust and pierced belly, dark jeans and black, leather, knee high, combat boots. On her arm was her favorite leather jacket, which I hoped she'd wear for the cold flight.

"I mean, I get that its a prize and all, but I wouldn't have expected them to give us first class tickets."

"Ya, took me by surprise too." I admitted. In comparison to the two, my attire was more in the middle - wearing a beige sweater, light blue jeans, and white sneackers. "But I'm not going to complain."

"I guess," Ziva shrugged. "But then again, maybe they got this all in air miles. Cant really see any big corporation caring enough to gift a fully paid, week long, vacation to someone plus their family. And go all out in spendings."

"Ya, the MAN sucks," Aurora teases.

"I'm serious. When was the last time your company did something like this for anyone at the work place, Mom?"

"There are always incentives..."

"As good as this?"

"No," I laughed. Slightly basking at the memory of how envious my co-workers were when they found out I won the trip. "But its not unheard of."

"Look, I'm not against the entire thing. I'm just saying its surprisingly generous... Its weird."

"Well, whatever the case, lets just enjoy it."

"For sure!" Aurora beamed before her attention was pulled to something else. "Oh, look! A first class lounge! Come let's go check it out."

"I don't think we can go there." I said.

"Why not?" She asked with a tilt of her head. "We have first class tickets right? Ergo we should be able to use the lounge."

"Ergo? Since when have you every used 'ergo'?" Ziva teased.

"Since I learned it in school." The younger girl spat her tongue out in retaliation. "But that's not the point. Can or cant we use the lounge?"

"We can try," I replied unconvincingly.

"Ya, the worst thing that could happen is us being embarrassingly asked to leave."

"See, we have nothing to lose." Aurora said as she hopped towards the lady manning the lounge's door.

I wasn't used to availing such luxurious accommodation, so I was nervous when Aurora asked to enter the lounge. I always thought that to access such luxury one had to be part of a secret society, and the only way to enter was to make some sort of blood sacrifice. But then again it was people of the higher society who avail such things... So maybe that wasn't far from the truth. Thankfully all we had to do was show our tickets to get in.

"Wow. This is so much better than the ordinary terminals." Aurora basked as we entered the rather cozy, and more private, waiting area. "Oh look! They have snacks."

"Honey, wait..."

"It's fine, Ma!" The excited girl called back. "Its free." She looked up at one of the lounge's stewards who held the tray of complimentary snacks. "Right?"

With a gentle acknowledgement from the the beautiful server, I kinda felt relieved. I wasn't sure how expensive things would cost in a place this... fancy. Well, fancy for me.

"Funny, isn't it." Ziva spoke up. Surprising me a little. "In a place filled with people who can afford anything, they're given free things. But outside, where people have less, they need to pay for everything."

"You got to keep the rich happy," I replied. "That's how you make sure they'll keep spending their money on you."

"Sure," Ziva shrugged before joining her sister for some snacks.

I took a moment to appreciate the sight of my girls. It was nice to see them enjoying themselves. Even Ziva, who usually had an emotionless glare, wore a small smile. Clearly thrilled for our first vacation in a long time. It filled me with joy. Almost worth spending all those thankless hours in my cramped cubicle.

Taking in a deep breath to control my growing emotions. I went to join my girls, smiling as I accepted a baggy of goods from Aurora. Just being here with them, sharing a snack, felt like nothing could destroy my mood.

"Ophelia?"

Damn... As soon as I hear the voice, I cringed. Out off all the people that could call my name, why did it have to be my boss.

"Ophelia!"

And his mistress...

With a heavy grunt, I silently ignored it. Wishing for it to be imaginary.

"Ophelia. Over here!" Continued the high pitched and energetic voice of Nicky. Totally not imaginary.

"Ma, I think the lady over there knows you," Aurora said, cementing the fact that it was indeed real.

"Sadly..."

"You don't like them?" Asked Ziva.

"Its... complicated..."

"How so?" The girls both asked.

"That's my boss." I finally turned around to wave at the pair who were definitely here. "And his secretary..."

With an eager smile, Nicky skipped over and wrapped her arms around me. Burying me in her bosom. I was as tall as the average woman, but Nicky was as tall as the average model, maybe taller. Plus she was wearing heels, giving her already tall frame a boost in height.

With her small blue dress, and face dolled up to perfection, she definitely looked like she came straight out of a fashion magazine. Exactly how Mr. Zakernak like his women.

"Oh, Ophelia! I am so happy to see you here." The tall bombshell of a lady said as she finally released me from her bosom.

"Its... nice to see you too," I gritted my teeth. Not that I didn't like her. I just didn't want to share this precious experience with my girls with people I worked with. Especially my boss.

"Hi Ophelia." He finally joined us.

He was the average looking man who came from money. About 40 years of age and well kept. Dressed in fitted slacks, a light polo, a designer blazer, and expensive loafers, he really did look like the stereotypical rich white man.

"I don't want to sound insulting, but I'm surprised to see you here."

"Oh, Tommy," Nicky playfully pushed him. "That's rude."

"I'm just being truthful. Isn't it a workday?"

"Yes. But remember, Ophelia won that vacation raffle."

"Oh right!" He obnoxiously laughed. "I totally forgot about that."

"Well, I'm surprised to see you too, Mr. Zakernak." I smiled as politely as possible. "And you too Nicky. What business trip are you two going on?"

The color slowly drained from his face, like he was staring at the headlights of an incoming vehicle.

"Oh..." Nicky chuckled nervously. "You know... Some company trip... Thingy."

"A company business meeting for all regional executives." Mr. Zakernak cut in. "Nicky is coming along because... Uhm... its natural to bring your secretary for these things. It required a lot of help."

"Of course," I replied, never dropping my fake smile.

"Anyways," Nicky changed the subject. "These must be the beautiful daughters you've been always talking about."

"Yes." I decided to drop the previews subject. Content on flustering Mr. Zakernak by brewing thoughts on wether or not I knew he was having an affair. "This are my precious little angels."

"They are precious alright," Nicky said, looking over my girls. "But definitely not little." With that, she extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Nicky. Your mother's best friend."

Those weren't the words I'd use. But from all the people in the office, I guess Nicky was my favorite.

"Nice to meet you," my polite Aurora said as she gracefully accepted the handshake. "I'm Aurora. And that's Ziva. But she doesn't really like shaking hands."

"Oh." Nicky said, not really bothered by that statement. "Its a pleasure meeting you both."


..........


We were stuck with the Nicky and Mr. Zakernak for about an hour more as the plane - the one I unfortunately found out we were all taking - was delayed.

From what I gathered, Nicky was sad she didn't win the raffle. But luckily for her, she had a rich sugar daddy who was more than eager to pay for her vacation at the beach.

There were many things I could have imagined going wrong spending time with the two, but surprisingly everything went great. I mean the girls really took a liking to Nicky. Even Ziva, who wasn't a fan of perky things like her, seemed undisturbed by the company. I mean she hasn't rolled her eyes that much at the aloof secretary.

As the younger girls chatted about random things, I was kinda left with Mr. Zakernak. And to my greatest surprise, it wasn't that bad. I mean he was still full of himself, but somehow he was holding back. Like he wanted me to be in a good mood. It wasn't until Mr. Zakernak gave the younger trio his credit card, so they could go "buy something nice", that I find out why he was being so appealing.

"Ophelia." He said with a slight frown. "I wanted to talk to you about... Well Nicky and I."

There it was. He needed a favor.

"I know you're no fool. You clearly know there is something going on between us."

"Who doesn't," I murmured to myself.

"What?"

"Nothing. Please go on."

"I just wanted to ask if its possible for you to keep this little trip between us." He paused looking for a way to properly word this. "I mean. Nicky... And myself-"

"Look, Mr. Zakernak-"

"Please. Call me Tommy."

"Ok... Tommy, whatever you DO in your personal time is not really my business. All I'm concerned with is spending time with my girls. Your affairs are you own, and I don't see why I'll be telling anyone about them."

"Good. Good" he said with a heavy sigh. "Well that took a load off my chest."

I hated how relaxed he was about this, how he didn't try to hide the fact that he was cheating on his wife. His affairs were so carefree that everyone in the office knew about them. But he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him was himself and his dick.

"Ah, girls are back," Tommy said. "Got anything good?"

"Ya! I got a whole lot of candy!" Aurora said as she showed the bag of sweets.

"Nice. I always loved sweet." Tommy said with a surprisingly genuine smile. "What about you, love?" He asked Nicky. Guess knowing I wasn't going to talk made him more confident in addressing his lover. "Got anything good?"

"Sweets too." Nicky smiled showing him her own goody bag. She may have been a really tall woman, but was definitely still a child at heart. Definitely acted like it.

"Don't eat too much of it. Wouldn't want to grow too fat."

There was the unbearable man I knew as my boss.

As more time passed, the more unpleasant Mr. Zakernak became. Now that he was certain I wouldn't speak, his true condescending and crude nature started to surface. Which only got worse when he started ordering spirits.

It got so bad that I actually noticed him eyeing Ziva's exposed cleavage. Before I could go smack him for drooling over my daughter, Nicky intervened by pulling Tommy away. Saying they'd leave us to bond as a family. But as she left, she gave me a apologetic and sad look. I was thankful she did that. Or I'd definitely not have a job and our vacation would have been ruined.


..........


The plane was delayed again due to some unforeseen weather conditions. This got me a bit worried as I did not want the momentum of our fun to be ruined by flight delays. Luckily the girl were so independent that they found ways to entertain themselves.

Aurora had already made another friend - a wealthy girl her age who was traveling with her au pair to go meet her "always absent" father.

Ziva had her head in a book, and was content to being left alone. Though she did share a conversation with the au pair. Guess they had something in common since they were in the same age group.

That left me to find my own entertainment. I did wish I had the company of Nicky, but I didn't want to bother with Tommy. To my luck, I didn't have to wait long before someone else approached me.

A man, known as William, in his thirties initiated a conversation when we both got up to get something to drink. He was a historian, and apparently was bumped to first class. So we had that in common to talk about. And luckily, he wasn't a creep. He too was just looking to pass the time through conversation rather than trying to get in my pants.

We talked for about 30 minutes before someone came to apologize for the delay and to inform us that we'd be boarding soon. The process was like any other boarding, if not faster due to our tickets' privilege. Before long, we were all in the large plane waiting for take off.

Again, first class was way more extravagant than I'm used to. I mean they had large recliners with enough room to practically do anything. And from the looks of Nicky and Mr. Zakernak in the back, I was pretty sure they'd try something...

Thankfully, I was up front. Away from them.

Our seats were in the middle isle, and since there were only two per column it meant we'd separate for the ride. Though the seating arrangement was easily decided when Aurora asked to share a row with Sara - her new friend. That meant Ziva, who was surprisingly ok with this, shared space with the au pair, Pav. This left me to share space with a stranger. And luckily, said stranger was the pleasant historian from earlier.

When we took off, I made sure to check on the girls. Again, they were doing just fine by themselves. Ziva was talking with a flustered Pav - maybe the she didn't like flight. And Aurora was watching with Sara, though they spent more time whispering amongst themselves than watching.

Seeing that they were alright, I decided to enjoy myself. Switching between talking to William, snacking, or watching. Overall, taking great liberty to experience all the perks available to this class.

The flight was smooth for the first part, but then we felt our first turbulence. And it got worse. Soon the plane was shaking so much that the pilot asked everyone to stay in their seats and buckle up.

In that moment, all I could think of was the safety of my girls. I felt guilt growing within my core as I imagined the worse that could happen. All because I won that raffle. Why did I every think anything good would come from this?

What I hoped would be minor turbulence grew to a nightmarish storm. It felt like the entire plane would rip in half. That was if one of the many lightning bolts didn't hit us first.

And just as I hoped it wouldn't happen, a large bolt struck our plane. The light was so bright it blinded me. In that very second, I lost consciousness.


..........


Instead of being washed up on a beach, I woke up dry and on a large, marble slab that acted like a bed. The room I found myself in was rather dim, only illuminated by torches and a fireplace at the center. Though it was rather spartan, it looked beautiful in its simplicity and somehow comfortably familiar.

But strangest of all, I didn't feel injured, groggy or weird in any way. In fact, I felt totally fine. Better than fine. Like I just woke up to the most perfect day. The only thing that made me feel off was the worry over the well being of my girls. Which was quickly remedied when I saw they were not far off, laying on their own marble bed and waking

"Girls," I muttered in relief as I slid off my "bed" to go inspect them.

"Ma..." Ziva asked as she saw me. "What... What happened?"

"I... I'm not sure," I hugged her in great relief.

"Aurora?" Ziva asked, returning my hug. "Is she fine?"

"Aurora is fine," came the sweet voice of my other waking girl.

"Oh, thank goodness you're both fine." I said, giving my second child a hug as well.

"Are we..." Aurora said while returning my hug. "...Dead."

"Don't even say that," I scolded the young girl, not wanting to entertain the idea. Even if I kinda thought it was possible. It would explain everything.

"We're not dead," Ziva said as she finally stood up and looked around.

"How do you know?" Aurora frowned, standing alongside me.

"Because we're all here." Ziva replied matter of factly. "If we're dead, then... Well nothing. We wouldn't have consciousness to notice anything."

"You don't know that!"

"I do," Ziva said. "If we're really dead, and there was such a thing as an afterlife, then I don't think this would be it."

"Right, like you're an expert on the afterlife," Aurora rolled her eyes.

"Afterlife or not," I stopped the fight from starting. "What really matters is that we're all together. Now, let's just find out what's going on."

After looking around we found a great door slightly hidden behind large purple curtains. It wasn't like something I saw before. It was grand, artistically carved, and extremely beautiful. Unlike normal doors with knobs, the only thing keeping this one closed was a bolt.

"Guess we should open it," Aurora said excitedly as she her hands reached for the bolt.

"Wait, Aurora," I stopped her. "We don't know what's behind there."

"I don't think its anything bad." Ziva spoke. "We aren't chained, we're unharmed, and we were placed in a strange but comfortable room. Whoever put us here wouldn't go through all that trouble just to have us harmed at the door."

"Not unless its a psycho," Aurora smirked. "Maybe we are part of an experiment. To see if we would open the door or not."

"You watch too many movies," Ziva rolled her eyes as she reached for the bolt. "I'm opening it."

"Wait," I stopped my eldest, taking hold of the bolt. "Let me do it. If there is anything behind the door, I rather face it first."

A little tug was all it took to unlock the door. And another tug gently swung it open. Luckily there wasn't anything sinister behind the heavy door. All we found was a larger marble hall with grand, marble columns on both side. It was dimly lit by four candelabra chandelier hanging high above.

"Cool!" Aurora said as she walked past me and into the new room.

"Aurora," I huffed, following behind. "Please be careful."

But of course she didn't listen. Too excited to be cautious as she made for the marble staircase at the other end of the hall.

I followed behind. Looking around for any traps. For some reason I knew there weren't any. Yet my motherly cautiousness kept me on my toes.

"What the... Mom! Ziva! Come see this." Aurora said as she running behind one of the large columns, out of my sight.

Worried, I run after her. Followed shortly by Ziva. And to our greatest shock, we found ourselves staring at an oddity in this place. Before us laid a miniscule, 2 meter long, replica of a plane.

"It looks like our plane." Aurora said as she squatted to get a better look. "Only smaller."

"That is odd." I said. "Why would anyone leave this here?"

"To mess with us." Aurora brought her face closer to the plane. "Told you this is an experiment."

"Its not an experiment." Ziva joined her. Squatting down to examine the oddity.

"Then what do you call this?"

"A toy plane."

"Its too big to be a toy."

"Not if its for flying."

"That's not... Wait," Aurora gasped, lowering closer. "I see something inside!"

"Really, Aurora? How can..." Ziva squinted as something caught her eye. "Oh, damn... You're right. There's something inside." She lowered herself. "Wow. They really thought of all the details when making this."

"Ya." Aurora got even closer, she could practically kiss it. "Wait... WAIT!"

"Chill," Ziva winced. "I'm right beside you."

"Look, Ziva, those are people in there. And one is waving at me!"

"That cant be right."

"No, I'm serious! And... Oh my goodness! That's... That's Sara!

"Seriously, Au..." Ziva paused as she got closer. "Fuck... She's right again."

With that, I joined them too. Leaning close until my eyes were leveled with the windows. And to my greatest surprise, there really were people inside. No taller than 3-4 inches!

But more surprisingly, these were the same people in our plane. At least that's what I noticed as I saw a frightened, and tiny, Nicky clutching a rather confused, and equally tiny, Mr. Zakernak.

"What the hell is going on." I said in total disbelief.


..........


NICKY



I was pretty excited about the raffle, always had a thing for games. Though this one didn't turn up my way, because I read that Ophelia Queen, my best friend, won.

I was happy for her. But sad about losing. Especially sad about not getting to lounge in a fully paid, 5 star, beach resort. But once I mentioned it to Mr. Zakernak, saying how unfortunate it was to miss the opportunity to wear my new bikini, he was eager to go. Offering to pay the entire trip.

Guess I still win.

Mr. Zakernak, Tommy, was not my first choice to vacation with. I mean we were sleeping together, but I wanted to go with Ophelia more. She was after all my bestie!

Luckily for me it all worked out.

Ophelia was actually on the same plane as us. Even better, we were all using first class! Plus, I finally got to meet her wonderful girls. And how fun they were. I would have spent my entire time with them if Mr. Zakernak didn't ruin it by drinking too much and started ogling the elder Queen girl.

We waited for about another hour until the plane finally arrive. Soon I found myself in a seat trying to stop Tommy from initiating something more rated R compared to what we started in the lounge. My efforts were rewarded as Tommy passed out from all the drinks he had, which left me alone to enjoy the perks of first class.

I did want to go hang with Ophelia, but she was already talking to a man. With a knowing smirk, I decided to leave her be. Though deep down I couldn't help but feel a little disturbed by her choice of company. I really wished it was with me,

Then the storm hit us.

It came out of nowhere and shook us all to the core. I really thought we were about to die. All the more when a large bolt of lighting struck the plane. Blinding me with its strong light and rendering me unconscious.


..........


"Nicky..."

"Huh..." I woke up rather abruptly.

"Nicky!"

"Tom..."

"Good. You're ok."

"Wha... What happened?"

"Not sure." Tommy responded with a frown.

"Are we dead?" I asked, remembering the storm.

"I'm not sure!" He barked. Making me flinch. "Ugh. Sorry. I'm just not used to situations like this."

"It... Its ok."

As I started to regain full consciousness, I notice how full on crazy everyone was getting. And how cramped first class got. Maybe during my unconsciousness people started to flood in to find out what was happening.

Everyone was yelling over the other towards the equally clueless and flustered stewardesses. To their credit, they remained calm and tried their very best to keep order. But of course no one at this moment cared to listen. It was getting wild that even the pilot and air marshals, the only authorities here, were slowly losing control.

"This is madness! You must have some sort of idea where we are?"

"As we keep mentioning, we cant get any signal here."

"How the hell did we get here then!?"

"You're the pilot. The plane couldn't have flown here by itself!"

"There must have been something you know? Anything!?"

"I knew it! We are all fucking dead!"

"We are not dead, you nut!"

"How the fuck would you know?!"

"Enough!" Yelled a large man I assumed was the marshal. "No one here knows what happened after the storm. We all woke up like everyone else. All as confused as everyone else. And trying to start a fight is not going to change our situation."

"Then what the hell do you plan on doing to get us out of this," Tommy barked as he joined the crowd.

"Right now we are trying to get a signal to see where we are. But whatever hole we're in doesn't allow that."

"Shouldn't we send a party in search for better signal then?"

"We plan on doing that-"

"So why are you still here?" There were mumbles of agreement as all attention was focused on the marshal.

"We have no idea what's out there." The marshal sighed in relief from finally having some sort of order. "Plus, we need to be organized here before we start calling for volunteers to venture out."

"Then lets stop wasting time and get organized!" Disorder quickly grew again.

"Alright!" The Marshal growled, clearly reaching his limit. With a heavy sigh, he continued, "First we need to take inventory of our food supply."

"The fuck? Why?" Cried a woman who boarded with us in first class.

"We have no idea how long we'll be here. Its best to start rationing."

Another uproar of protest rung out. But before anything else could escalate, a sudden sound caught everyone's attention.

*CREEEEAAAAAK*

"What the-"

"COOL!" Came a powerful, yet familiarly soothing, voice.

"AURORA," said another powerful and familiar voice. "PLEASE BE CAREFUL."

"I... I know that voice," I said to myself.

As the strong voices continued to chatter, the frustrated people around started to melt in fear. And as tremors grew stronger, people got full on terrified.

"What the hell is going on out there?!"

"Oh fuck! There is something coming." Said a man who was pressed against the window. "And... Oh damn us all..."

"What.. What is it," asked another frightened woman.

"I... don't know. But its... its huge."

A storm of people rushed against the windows. Soon they too were cursing, gasping and/or crying out in terror.

"Tommy," I said while rushing to his side. He too was trying to check outside, but the crowd was so thick we couldn't really see anything. "What's going on."

"I... I dont know."

I held onto his arm as we felt the tremor grow and the chatter get closer. Whatever was speaking was right on top of us.

"WHAT THE... MOM! ZIVA! COME SEE THIS."

Suddenly a large shadow was seen shifting through the window, making the people backup in fear.

"IT LOOKS LIKE OUR PLANE... ONLY SMALLER."

"That cant be real!"

"Its a fucking monster!"

"We're all going to die!"

People started to storm to the other end of the plane, as if doing so would save them from whatever was out there. But for some reason, I didn't feel threaten. Maybe a bit flustered, but that was because of the people in here than what was out there. Though, for comfort, I pulled onto Tommy's arm.

"Sara. Come back here!"

I looked to the other, almost empty, side of the plane. The only one who remained looking out of the window was the girl I saw the younger Queen playing with.

"Pav. That's Aurora. That's Aurora!" The girl cried with excitement as she waved to whatever was outside.

"Take that girl out of there. She's attracting the monster!"

The girl's au pair tried to pry her away, but fell back and shrieked as large green eyes filled the window.

"LOOK, ZIVA, THOSE ARE PEOPLE IN THERE!" The strong voice vibrated the entire plane. "AND ONE IS WAVING AT ME!"

"THAT CANT BE RIGHT."

"NO, I'M SERIOUS! AND... OH MY GOODNESS! THAT'S... THAT'S SARA!"

"See," the girl happily cried back to her au pair. "It's really her!"

The people inside shifted nervously. Not sure what to do with the information, but the fear still remained. And it only grew as another pair of giant eyes joined the previews ones. Then another...

The last one I'm sure I saw somewhere before. Now only bigger.

"Oh fuck..." I said in total disbelief. "That IS Ophelia..."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON," I said in sync with the powerful voice of my now gigantic bestie.

"No... no. That cant be her." Tommy whispered in total disbelief. "That's... A monster."

"You know that thing," the marshal asked the girl who seemed absolutely ecstatic.

"Ya. We're seatmate."

"What's she talking about? That thing is fucking huge," another crazed person spat. "The girl is delusional!"

"I'm not!"

"Get that girl out of there before she makes things worse."

"Ya! Take her away. She already attracted the beast!"

I watched in disbelief as the supposedly maturer people in the plane turned on the little girl. One man even run up and grabbed her arm.

"HEY," came a booming voice followed by a powerful thud that shook the plane. "LET HER GO!"

That was enough to scare the people back to their corner - screaming, whimpering and praying in fear.

"SARA, YOU OK?" The voice I came to recognize as Aurora's said.

"Ya." The young girl spoke as she got back on her feet, helped by the au pair who seemed to regain her senses as she saw her ward get attacked.

"YOU SERIOUSLY TALKING TO THEM?"

"THEY'RE REAL... AREN'T THEY?"

"NO THEY'RE NOT. ITS SOME SORT OF HOLOGRAM... OR SOMETHING."

"They don't think we're real." I noted.

"What does that mean for us?" Someone random beside me asked.

"I don't know."

"HOW CAN WE TELL IF THEY'RE REAL OR NOT?"

"EASY." The voice I recognised as Ziva's said. "WE NEED TO OPEN IT UP AND SEE WHATS INSIDE."

"OH... OK." The plane started to shake, causing the people inside to scream wildly.

"CAREFUL GIRLS. DON'T BREAK THE PLANE." Ophelia's unique voice said. "WE MAY NOT KNOW IF THOSE ARE... PEOPLE ARE OR NOT, SO LETS JUST BE CAREFUL. PLUS, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE REALLY TERRIFYING THEM."

"What the hell is happening?"

"They're going to break the plane.'

"We need to do something."

"SO HOW DO WE SEE IF THE PEOPLE ARE REAL OR NOT?"

"WHY DON'T WE TRY TO GET THEM OUT INSTEAD."

"IF THEY ARE REAL, THEN WONT THEY BE TOO SCARRED TO GET OUT?"

"GUESS THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY FIND OUT." Giant Ziva said.

Soon the plane was in another uproar as trunk sized fingers gripped its sides, obscuring several windows.

"LISTEN UP, PIPSQUEAKS. IF YOU DON'T COME OUT, I'LL START SQUEEZING."

"ZIVA, DON'T DO THAT. THIS BELONGS TO SOMEONE."

"I'M JUST TRYING TO SCARE THEM OUT."

"WELL NOW THEY WONT COME OUT." Aurora spoke.

"THEY WILL IF THEY'RE REAL." Ziva said. "NOW LILLIPUTIANS, I'LL GIVE YOU A MOMENT BEFORE I START SQUEEZING."

A moment of silence gripped everyone as the words of Ziva vibrated around us. But it didn't last. Soon, the more frantic people started to react.

"They want us to get out."

"We aren't seriously going to do that?"

"Like hell we will!"

"Would you rather die from being crush?"

"She wont do it."

"They don't think we're real. What's stopping them from harming us?"

"We need to get out!" Sara cried. "Its Aurora and her family. They wont harm us!"

"They want to crush us!"

"Let's just stay put and act like we aren't real. They'll eventually get bored and leave."

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard!"

"Enough!" I finally got the courage to speak. Things were getting out of hand as the marshal seemed too taken by the sudden development to keep order. And I did believed Sara. Those giants outside were Ophelia and her girls. And I knew bestie would never harm us. If anyone could help, its her. I trusted Ophelia with my life. "We need to get out."

"Are you insane, Nicky?" Tommy spat.

"The girl is right." I spoke, trying to hold a strong tone. "They are friends."

"How do you know?" Asked someone from the crowd.

"Because I work with the mother." I admitted. "She's the other giant outside."

"The fuck... Do you know what's going on?"

"Ya. Are you part of this. Is this a fucking prank!"

"Tell us what you know!"

"QUIET," Cried the marshal, finally regaining his wits. When things got still, he looked at me with a serious glare and ask. "Are you sure you know those things?"

"Yes." I responded with as much confidence I could muster. Though inside I was quaking like a leaf.

"Will they help us?"

"Yes."

The marshal looked hard into my eyes, as if searching for an ounce of lie. He found none. "Ok... We'll open a door."

"You cant be se-"

"We will open a door and that's final!" He shouted with such strength that nobody disputed his decision. "We need help. And if what she's saying is true, then they were one of us. How they got big - the hell I'd know. But one thing is for sure, we need to do something. And its either staying here to possibly get crushed or ignored. Or taking a gamble."

"How do you know they'd help us?"

"I don't. But we'll soon find out."

There were murmurs of disapproval, but no one spoke up.

"Liz," the marshal spoke to one of the stewardess. "Open the door."

Then turning to me, he spoke.

"We need you up front. If that is your friend, then you'll be speaking for all of us."


..........


OPHELIA


Everything was too unreal. Below us was apparently a plane filled the people flew with. Real or not, it was still super strange and terrifying. On one hand, if they weren't real, than who'd go through such lengths to make this extremely detailed model of our plane? On the other, if they were... then there was a plane filled with tiny people!

I wanted to freak out. But this was not the situation for that. As the Mother, I had to be composed.

Thankfully my girls were equally calm. And I could see why. Aurora was excited about everything and always saw the good in bad situation. Ziva was just a composed person. She also didn't think those tiny beings were real. Guess she was in denial. Not that I blamed her, I shared that sentiment.

"Something is happening," Aurora said as she shifted around trying to get a glimpses behind Ziva's hand. "I think they're getting out."

"Really?" My older daughter took her hand off to look inside.

"Guess I'm right again?"

"Not until that door opens."

We all lowered ourselves to get a better look. Sure enough the people inside seemed to be debating. Makes sense. If I was in there, I'd definitely be wondering if it was safe to trust giants. But they seem to have reached an agreement, probably pressured by Ziva's bluff. With held breaths, we watched as someone made for a door and slowly opened it.

"Told ya they were real," Aurora smirked as she lowered herself a bit to fast for the tiny people's comfort.

"Let's... calm down a bit," I said, basking at the surreal figure near the open door - dressed like a stewardess - stumble back in fear. Soon she was replaced by someone else. Someone I noticed. "N-Nicky?"

"H-h-hi," she said with an unsure wave. Her voice was soft but still audible.

"That's the tall woman from the lounge!" Aurora gasped. "She's so tiny!"

"Aura," I hushed her. "You're scaring them."

"No I'm not. I'm just-"

"Aurora!" Cried another voice - this one younger. Soon a smaller figure joined Nicky at the door, jumping and waving up at us.

"Sara," Aurora called, equally excited. "Oh goodness! You're so tiny!"

"No I'm not. You're the one that's huge." The young girl chuckled as she raised her hands over her head. "Pick me up."

"No, Sara!" The au pair called from somewhere in the safety of the plane.

"Its fine, Pav. They wont hurt me."

I was surprised how trusting the young girl was. If I was the one inside, and Aurora was the one asking to be picked up by a giant, I'd definitely act like the au pair - terrified beyond belief.

"Come on Aurora!"

"Sure." She lowered her hand.

"Aura, wait." I said, stopping anything from happening.

"Why?"

"Well... I'm not sure we should be carrying anyone that small... I mean... we might... well, break it...them?"

"I can't... believe this," Ziva finally broke from her daze. "This has to be a... a hologram."

"Wow! You still cant believe it?" Aurora rolled her eyes. "Even when you see them with your own eyes?"

"Its more probable than... Than them shrinking!" Ziva frowned. "Besides, to really see if they're real, we need to pick one up."

"Oh... Right... I'm definitely with Ziva on this." Aurora then re-extend her hands.

"Just be careful." I said, my heart pounding with extreme nerve. A feeling that was shared by the terrified people in the plane.

I always knew Aurora was a gentle. Hardly broke anything, ever. But this was different from handling a glass vase. This was a breathing, living, being! At a size so small it looked like they'd shatter if poked.  

In the end, all my worried were for nothing. Aurora seemed to know what she was doing. Like she was born for this. Instead of just snatching tiny Sara up, she placed her hand near the foot of the door, creating a platform big enough for her tiny friend to step on. And with a hop, the small girl made it safely on Aurora's palm.

"Oh... My... God..." Aurora basked in total amazement. "You're so light. And CUTE!"

"Whoa!" Sara gasped as she was suddenly hoisted up to my girl's face.

"Sorry," Aurora said with an apologetic smile as she got wide eyed in adoration of the tiny girl on her palm.

Even Ziva and I leaned in to better look at the unreal display in front of us. I mean up till now it was still hard to believe this was happening. Yet there on my daughter's hand was Sara. Meaning at our feet was a plane filled with the now tiny individuals we flew with.

Now that I think about it, we should probably deal with them too. They clearly are terrified and confused at our situation. I was too. But with this size, the situation hit differently for me compared to them

The next step was obvious. We had to find out what was going on, then work out a plan to deal with our immediate situation. To do that, I first need to get the tiny, terrified people to trust us.

"Um, girls... Would you be darlings and give me a minute with the people in the plane." I whispered, figuring that one giant in their immediate vicinity was more than they wanted.

"What? Why?"

"I just need to talk with the people on the plane. See if anyone has an idea of what's going on."

"Oh..." The younger girl frowned. "Can I at least keep Sara?"

We all looked down at the doll sized girl, which broke her from her own daze. I guess she was equally in awe of us as we were to her.

"She's not a... toy." I said with hesitation while regarding the girl and the au pair by the door who was too frightened to follow her ward.. "But I guess its up to her."

"I'm ok with it." Sara beamed in the cutest of manner that made Aurora coo. Even Ziva showed a rare smile.

"Ok. Guess we'll leave then." Ziva said, gently guiding Aurora to the columns at the other side of the room.

"Wa-wait!" Called the au pair. Shivering in place.

"Pav, its fine. They wont hurt me." Sara reassured her carer.

"I... cant... leave you..."

"Want to come along?" Aurora asked. Lowering herself again.

"Wha..." the scared woman backed up.

"Come on, Pav," Sara encouraged from the cupped hand she was riding. "They wont bite."

All of us watching held our breath as Pav debated on following Sara or not. But it seemed her care for the young girl outweighed her fears. With great hesitation, the young lady slowly inched closer. Terrified, she closed her eyes and jumped onto the giant palm.  

Aurora smiled in approval as Sara celebrated her efforts. "See, that wasn't so bad. Was it?"

"I... I guess not." Came an uneasy reply.

"I'm going to stand up now." Aurora spoke gently. "Are you alright with that?"

The lady replied with a nod as Aurora did as she said.

The sight made my heart melt. My girl was such sweet angel.

With a proud smile, I watched as they slowly made their way to the other end of the room. Now that is was just me, I decided that it was time to handle the other terrified souls.

I sat on the ground and mustered the sweetest smile I had to look less intimidating. Turning my attention to Nicky and the plane, I took a moment to take in the surreal sight. Not long ago Nicky was towering over me. Now? She was as shorter as my finger!

"Hi," I said softly. Not wanting to scare anyone. "Sooo... This is... Something..."

"Freaky is what this is," Nicky chuckled nervously. "I mean... You gained weight."

"Funny," I smiled, glad she trying lighten the mood. "But you shouldn't tease someone at that size."

"Right," She shifted awkwardly. Not sure if it was from fear or nerve, but I had to reassure her, and everyone else listening, that I was here to help.

"Nicky. I want you to know that I wont harm you. Any of you."

"I... I know. But the people inside might not feel the same way."

"Of course," I sighed. "Is everyone ok? Tommy?"

"He's fine. Everyone is. Just terrified and confused."

"Aren't we all," I tried to be relatable.

"Do... Do you know what's going on?"

"No. The girls and I just woke up and... found you guys like this."

Nicky looked back inside, and I followed her gaze. The people were indeed scared and confused. Some more than others. And I needed to do something about it.

With my sweetest voice, I spoke. "Hi everyone. My name is Ophelia Queen. But you can just call me Ophelia. And I want you all to know that I'm here to help."

I had absolutely no idea what was going on. But whatever I could imagine fell short of what we were going to experience for the next days to come.