Merry Measure - Lily Morton Page 0,4

He smiles at me, his eyes as warm and rich as a packet of chocolate digestives. “I thought it’d be nice to have you all to myself before the madness starts.”

My heartbeat picks up speed, and I remind it to pipe down. It misbehaves so badly around him some days that I’m glad I’m not hooked up to monitors.

“And it’s not because I’m freaked out by flying?” I ask.

“I didn’t like leaving you to fly on your own,” he says in a serious tone.

My heart achieves lift-off without my permission. “Really? That’s so lovely.”

He looks up at the Departures screen. “We’re boarding,” he says, standing up and gathering his bag in his usual hyper-efficient manner.

I swallow hard. “Oh, are we really? How super.”

He grins down at me. “Come on. Ninety minutes and it’ll all be over.”

I pause. “What? Life?”

He blanches. “No, I meant the flight.”

My stomach immediately springs a nest of baby birds. “Oh absolutely,” I say heartily. I get to my feet and look out of the window at my fate. “Well, it could be worse. At least we’re not flying in that old banger.” I point to a small plane sitting on the tarmac.

He looks beyond me and bites his lip. “Oh no, of course not.”

I stare at him. “Oh my God,” I say faintly. “We are flying on that, aren’t we?”

He holds his hands up to forestall my almost certain attack of the vapours. “They’re excellent planes, Arlo. We’ll be absolutely fine.”

“It’s got propellers,” I say far too loudly.

He grabs my bag, hanging it from my shoulder, and wraps my coat around my shoulders as if caping a superhero. “It’ll be fine,” he says firmly. “You want to go to Amsterdam at Christmas, don’t you?”

“Yes, but is it possible to walk there?”

“It’d be hell on your shoe leather, and you wouldn’t be back in time for the new school term.”

“You think you’re dissuading me with that, but you’re not,” I inform him, obeying his guiding hand and joining the queue of people waiting to get on the grimy death trap. Everyone looks far too perky and happy. I look around for a fellow sufferer and find one in the form of the woman in front of me who is visibly shaking.

“Yes, but what if a bird flies into one of those propellers?” she says too loudly, judging by the glare that she’s receiving from an air hostess.

The people around us shift uneasily, but I nod approvingly. And then her question sinks in. “Oh God,” I say faintly, fumbling in my messenger bag and retrieving my pills.

“What are you taking?” Jack asks immediately, a look of concern on his face like he thinks I’m throwing a handful of ecstasy tablets down my throat. Not that I wouldn’t be tempted if I thought they’d do the trick.

“Valium,” I say, popping one from the blister pack and swallowing it dry. “The doctor prescribed them.”

“Couldn’t you try something else? Like hypnosis?”

“Only if you fancy trying to calm down hysterics at fifty billion feet in the air.”

“Thirty-one thousand feet. We’d be in space, otherwise.”

“Oh, fuck. Now you tell me that.” I shake my head. “We’re going to be flying too low. Can this day get any worse?”

The woman in front of us moans in agreement.

The air hostess takes our boarding passes and passports, and I watch her with an eagle eye to make sure she obeys all security procedures.

“Arlo, come on.” I can tell Jack’s trying not to laugh. He puts his arm around my shoulder and guides me out onto the concourse. The wind hits us icy cold and fierce. “You’ll be fine.”

“Touch wood.”

“It’s a bit early in the morning for that, and we’re in public.”

I shake my head but can’t conceal my smile. “Are you making the funny, Jack?”

He grins. “Only a little bit.”

We reach the incredibly tiny plane and join the slow-moving queue of people, none of whom look like they’re contemplating their deaths. I try to avert my gaze from all aspects of the aircraft as we wait to walk up the steps, but I accidentally look at the propellers again and give a little whine. “Oh my God,” I say, fumbling in my pocket.

“What are you doing now?” Jack asks.

“Taking another tablet. This one isn’t working.”

“Arlo, you only had the last one a minute ago. Give it a chance to work and… Oh Christ, you’ve taken it.”

I swallow it and nod. “Yep. Don’t worry.”

“Should you be taking two in quick succession?” he asks anxiously, pulling the packet