gaze away from the unfolding scene—as predicted, the woman was beginning to raise her voice—Josh inclined his head and called out quietly, “Gabe?”
“I see it.” Tyler sounded as if he was close behind me, which made me feel a bit safer.
“What?” Ethan whipped his head up, the magazine still clutched in both hands.
The woman’s voice finally raised to an audible volume, answering Ethan’s question.
“. . . not be that difficult!” She huffed, slapping her hand on the counter and propping the other on her hip.
Around us, conversations hushed as others started to take notice, making the flight assistant’s response easy to hear.
“Ma’am, as I already explained, the economy section of the flight is full. I simply can’t move you. You’re welcome to book another flight, but we are under no obligation to accommodate your request.”
“This is ridiculous.” Again she huffed, her voice more high-pitched. “You have a duty of care to your passengers. I have a right to feel safe. How can you expect me to sit next to a . . . person”—she spat the word—“like that?”
“We do not ask people if they are human or Variant when they buy their tickets, and we certainly don’t segregate our flights as such. That would be against the law. Now, you can either lower your voice and board the flight or you can purchase another ticket, but if you continue to behave in an aggressive manner—”
“Don’t you threaten me!” The woman wagged her finger in the young girl’s face.
“Motherfucker,” Alec growled. He was standing on my other side, watching the scene unfold with a scowl.
An older woman joined the young girl behind the counter. The boarding was getting delayed, and people were becoming fidgety.
“I demand to be moved to a seat that’s not next to a Dime, or I want a full refund!”
Several people gasped at the derogatory term, but a few exchanged sympathetic looks. One person even nodded.
Fear jolted down my spine.
The fact that seemingly normal businesswomen felt it was acceptable to say that word and demand to be kept away from humans in such a public way was downright terrifying. People were losing their fucking minds.
“If you don’t lower your voice, you will not be permitted to board this flight.” The older worker’s tone was firm, her mouth set in a hard line.
Before the woman could go on another rant, a man stepped up to the counter. He was middle-aged, his hair more salt than pepper, and dressed casually in jeans and sneakers. A backpack was slung over his shoulder.
“Excuse me.” He leaned forward, extending a hand to get their attention but keeping a safe distance. “I’m happy to take a later flight, if that’s possible. I really don’t want any trouble.”
Tyler grumbled something under his breath as he stepped around us and went to the other end of the counter.
“Don’t touch me.” The woman flinched away from the man dramatically, disgust all over her face. He took a step back, his hands out in front of him, and sighed in frustration.
The ground staff started talking again, explaining that the circumstances wouldn’t allow them to move either person to another seat or flight—it was outside the airline’s guidelines. The younger woman looked as if she was calling security on a walkie-talkie as the other staff began boarding the business-class passengers.
Meanwhile, Tyler stood tall and confident at the other end of the counter, speaking calmly to the man at the computer. Within minutes, he was handing the attendant a wad of cash. When he had his change, Tyler took two steps to reach the commotion.
“Excuse me.” His loud, authoritative voice demanded everyone’s attention. “I’d like to assist. I don’t believe anyone should be subjected to sitting next to such an abhorrent person for any period of time, let alone a long-haul international flight. I’ve taken the liberty of purchasing a business-class ticket.”
He spoke to no one in particular, addressing the group with one hand in his pocket. He was casual but commanding. Calm but intense.
The woman crossed her arms and threw a smug look at the human man and the ground staff. “I’m glad some people understand what—”
She was cut off by the younger flight assistant stepping up to the counter and addressing the casually dressed man. “Here is your new boarding pass, sir. Your section is now boarding. We apologize for the inconvenience.” She smiled professionally as he slowly took the boarding pass, a stunned look on his face.
He looked at Tyler and smiled tentatively. “Th . . .